Nighttime, Manila Central Police Station
In the monitoring room, Raff and Quir watched as three female inmates ganged up on Nikki. At first, she was at a disadvantage, but once she focused her attacks on the ringleader, she surprisingly turned the tide. The ringleader's eyelids swelled, and her chin bled. Toward the end, it wasn't three-on-one anymore—it was Nikki chasing the burly woman while her two henchwomen tried to block her punches.
While Nikki was dominating in the cell, Owen and Janet were already in position.
Nikki's location was easy to track. Before the mission, both she and Owen had chips implanted under their skin. Using a phone, Owen could pinpoint her exact position.
"Point A in position," Janet said into the radio.
"Point B in position," Owen replied.
"Commence the operation!"
The moment the order came down, Janet stepped on the gas and released the handbrake. Tires squealed against the asphalt as the car shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Screech! A black sedan sped to the front of the police station and skidded to a stop, blocking the entrance. It wasn't the Hummer—it was a Buick. The Hummer was reserved for Owen to crash through and extract Nikki.
Janet's role was to draw fire, which meant she needed something sturdy. She had wanted a bulletproof car, but those were too high-end and unavailable in Manila, so she settled for a tough American sedan. She reinforced the front doors with bulletproof vests for extra protection.
Under stunned gazes, Janet calmly got out, mounted an AK on the hood, and opened fire at the ground floor windows of the police building with a sharp "rat-tat-tat."
The 7.62mm rifle rounds instantly shattered the glass, sending the front lobby into chaos.
"Ratatatatatatatat—"
The gunfire didn't let up. Janet continued to fire in controlled bursts. A few exposed officers were instantly taken down.
Police who came out to check the commotion were hit by Janet's precise fire. No one believed someone would actually dare to attack the Manila Police Department. But someone had.
…
"What's that gunfire?"
Inside the monitoring room, Quir was confused. He opened the door and shouted to a colleague rushing past.
"Someone's attacking the station—armed! Oh my God, that person's crazy…"
An armed assault on the police station? Quir and Raff exchanged glances and hurried out to assist. Like everyone else, they thought only a lunatic would attack a building filled with hundreds of cops.
…
Outside, the gunfire continued as Janet calmly targeted any moving figure at the entrance. Alone, she nearly locked down the entire station. Her deadly accuracy kept everyone pinned down—bodies already littered the ground.
Behind the building, one minute into the chaos, Owen started the Hummer. It smashed through the station's perimeter wall and barreled toward the building.
The Manila Police Headquarters was four stories tall. Nikki's signal indicated she was on the first floor—in the holding cells. Owen floored the gas, and the Hummer's engine roared as it rammed into the wall.
Boom! A massive hole opened, and the Hummer's front end jammed halfway inside. Dust and debris billowed everywhere.
Owen reversed the vehicle, clearing the way and creating a full breach. Bricks and plaster rained down from the hole in the wall.
Inside the holding cell, the crash happened right near Nikki. She had just been brawling with the three inmates when the explosion threw her to the floor. It felt like the whole place might collapse.
Oddly, no police officers came to check—everyone was caught up in the firefight at the front and had no idea what had just happened in the back.
"Hey, dumb blonde! Let's go!"
Through the haze, a masked figure emerged. But Nikki immediately recognized Owen's voice.
Owen stood watch at the breach, gun raised, alert for any sign of the police. Inside, the other inmates were silent with fear.
"Just a second!"
Nikki replied, but instead of leaving, she ran over to the three female inmates and started kicking them furiously. They looked at Owen, dread filling their hearts.
Who had they messed with? They thought she was just a pampered rich girl—now she had a freaking prison break team.
None of them dared to fight back. Nikki didn't stop until they were covered in bruises and cowering. Then she finally followed Owen through the hole. With them gone, the other inmates stared at the breach, eyes flickering with the same question: Run? Or really run?
Outside, Owen and Nikki sped off in the Hummer. By the time the police realized something was happening in the back, the holding cells were empty.
"Where to now?" Nikki asked.
"To pick someone up," Owen replied.
He swung the Hummer around toward the station's front. Janet was still out there, holding off the police. The plan had been simple: with the tracking chip providing Nikki's exact location, Owen just needed a tough enough vehicle to break in and grab her. But someone had to draw the heat.
The plan was simple—and it worked. Owen had Nikki. Now they just needed to pick up Janet and disappear. As for getting out of the Philippines—well, it's an island nation. The sea's not far from Manila. Escaping wouldn't be hard.
"Package secured. En route to Point A," Owen radioed.
At the front, the police had regrouped and increased their firepower. After the initial shock, they quickly adapted. People said Philippine cops were useless, but this was Manila—capable forces still existed.
Now nearly every window of the police station had officers returning fire. The bullet density was insane. Janet was pinned down behind the car and didn't dare pop her head up—she could only fire blindly over the hood.
She was under heavy fire, and now officers were sneaking in from both sides of the courtyard.
She had confidence Owen wouldn't betray her—handing her to the Filipino police served him no good—but until she heard his voice, she couldn't truly relax.
At the street corner, a Hummer screeched into view, swerved hard, and stopped in front of her. Bullets clanged off the car's exterior like rain on metal.
Keeping her profile low, Janet scrambled into the vehicle. Owen hit the gas, and the Hummer shot forward like a missile.
Behind them, the bullets flew even faster, but it didn't matter now. Seeing the shooter escape, the police were furious. Squad cars roared out of the courtyard, the lead one smashing the black Buick aside as they gave chase.
Above, a police helicopter hovered, tracking from the sky. From its aerial view, it could see the Hummer up front, a trail of flashing lights and wailing sirens following behind.
Hearing the noise, Nikki looked up from the window. Her face turned pale. "We've got a chopper!"
She wasn't overreacting. Helicopters were nightmares for ground targets. Their escape just became a lot harder.
But Owen had planned for this. He drove straight into a tunnel and stopped midway. The three of them quickly switched into a nondescript local sedan and merged into traffic.
Moments later, the police reached the tunnel. They surrounded the vehicle, only to find it empty. It was too late to inform the chopper—Owen had already taken the side road out of the area.
An hour later, they reached the coast. A speedboat was waiting, and they sailed into international waters, where a cargo ship picked them up.
"We're even now. Remember your promise," Janet said, standing opposite Owen on the ship's deck.
"Of course," Owen replied with a shrug.
Janet had done her part. Owen would honor his word.
(End of Chapter)
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