Edge of Steel

Rain slammed against the shattered windows of the derailed train. Smoke curled into the night sky as Sergeant Elena Cross dragged herself from the wreckage, her sidearm clenched in one trembling hand.

Behind her, the elite mercenary unit known as Vulture Squad swarmed over the ruins, scanning for survivors. Their orders were clear: eliminate everyone.

Elena wasn’t about to die here.

A flash of memory—her mission: intercept the stolen warhead before it crossed the border. The train had been a trap. Someone knew. Someone betrayed them.

She ducked behind a twisted beam just as bullets ripped through the air. "Cross! Come out and maybe I won’t shoot you in the spine!" a voice barked over a loudspeaker. Vulture Squad’s commander—Dane Kruger. Once her CO. Now her hunter.

Gritting her teeth, Elena triggered the device on her wrist. The magnetic lock on her weapon case clicked open a mile away.

Thirty seconds.

She darted from cover, rolled under a collapsing axle, and took out two soldiers with precise shots. A third charged. She disarmed him mid-swing and flipped him into the fire.

Twenty seconds.

Blood streaked her face, but her eyes burned cold. She made it to the edge of the cliff where the train had skidded to a stop. Below, her case skidded down the mountainside toward her like a steel comet.

Ten seconds.

Kruger appeared behind her. "End of the line, Cross."

She smiled. "Not yet."

The case slammed into the rocks beside her. She kicked it open, grabbed the plasma rifle, and fired. A bolt of energy lit the night.

Kruger dropped.

But it wasn’t over.

Above, a drone activated. The warhead was on the move again.

Elena didn’t flinch. She reloaded. "Round two."