Brandon watched in awe as Bailey and Elise transformed before his eyes.
"Contact rear! Half a Klick!"
Bailey barked, her voice sharp and authoritative.
Elise responded instantly,
"Roger that. Engaging!"
They moved with fluid precision, ducking behind the rear seat cushions. The leather upholstery, once a symbol of luxury, now served as makeshift cover.
Bailey peaked out the shattered rear window, her sub-machine gun chattering in controlled bursts.
Brass casings rained down on the limo's floor, the acrid smell of cordite filling the air.
Elise's movements were equally fluid as she positioned her sniper rifle, her eye glued to the scope.
"Gordon, sitrep!" she called out, her voice steady despite the mayhem.
Gordon's reply came through crisp and clear over the limo's intercom system.
"ETA to villa: five minutes. Backup inbound, ETA two minutes. Three hostiles vehicles in pursuit, heavily armed."
"Copy that," Elise replied, her tone ice-cold.
Bailey ducked back inside as a hail of bullets peppered the limo's exterior.
"Reloading!"
Elise announced, swiftly ejecting her spent magazine and slapping in a fresh one.
"Bailey, Brandon suppressing fire. I'll pick off the driver."
Bailey nodded, her eyes narrowed in concentration.
She leaned out, her sub-machine gun chattering in controlled bursts.
The muzzle flash illuminated the interior in stroboscopic flashes.
Brandon hesitated, his head throbbing with pain as he tried to make sense of the situation.
The gun in his hands felt both foreign and familiar, a contradiction that only added to his confusion.
As he struggled with his inner turmoil, Elise sprang into action.
Her movements were fluid, almost graceful, as she secured the sniper rifle to the backseat using the safety belt. The makeshift setup looked precarious, but Elise's hands were steady and sure.
Time seemed to slow as Elise positioned herself behind the scope.
Her breathing slowed, each inhale and exhale measured and controlled.
Her finger rested lightly on the trigger, ready but patient.
Through the scope, Elise's world narrowed to a single point. The chaos of the chase, the screech of tires, the staccato of gunfire - all faded away.
Her focus was absolute, her target acquired.
The pursuing vehicle came into view, its driver a blur of motion behind the windshield. Elise made minute adjustments, compensating for speed, distance, and the limo's movement.
A heartbeat passed.
Then another.
"Sending," she announced calmly.
Elise squeezed the trigger.
The rifle's report was deafening in the confined space of the limo. The recoil pushed against her shoulder, but Elise remained steady.
Through the scope, she watched as the bullet found its mark.
The pursuing driver's head snapped back, his vehicle immediately veering off course.
As time sped up again, the sound of screeching tires and crunching metal filled the air.
The threat neutralized in a single, perfect shot.
"Driver down," she reported coolly, already lining up her next shot.
Bailey reached into a hidden compartment, pulling out a small, cylindrical object.
"Frag out!" she yelled, pulling the pin and lobbing the grenade with practiced ease toward the hostile vehicle Elise had just shot at.
The explosion rocked the pursuing vehicle, sending it careening off the road in a ball of fire.
"Neutralized,"
Bailey confirmed, a grim satisfaction in her voice.
Gordon's voice cut through again.
"Second vehicle, eight o'clock. Armed with RPG. The third following close"
Elise swiveled, her rifle finding its new target.
"I see him! Sending!" she murmured, her finger tightening on the trigger.
The rifle cracked again, and Brandon watched through the side window as the RPG-wielding attacker crumpled, his weapon clattering uselessly to the ground.
"Neutralized," Elise reported, already scanning for new targets.
Just then, the night air shattered with a deafening roar as a hidden bomb detonated in the limo's path.
*BOOOM!*
Gordon's reflexes kicked in, his hands a blur on the steering wheel as he wrenched the vehicle sideways.
The explosion's shockwave slammed into the limo's side, lifting it off the ground and sending it into a violent spin.
Brandon's world became a dizzying kaleidoscope of chaos.
Gravity seemed to lose all meaning as the vehicle flipped end over end.
As the world spun violently around him, Brandon's instincts kicked in.
Without a moment's hesitation, he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Bailey and Elise.
His muscles tensed as he pulled them close, shielding them with his body.
The limo's interior became a chaotic blur of motion.
Glass shattered, raining down on them in a deadly shower.
Metal groaned and twisted, the once-luxurious vehicle transforming into a death trap.
Brandon's grip tightened, his heart pounding in his ears.
He could feel Bailey's rapid breathing against his chest, Elise's fingers digging into his arm.
Time seemed to slow, each rotation of the limo stretching into an eternity.
"Hold on!" Brandon shouted, his voice barely audible over the cacophony of destruction.
He braced himself against the limo's ceiling, now become the floor, trying to absorb as much of the impact as possible.
*THUD! *
His muscles screamed in protest, but he refused to let go.
The world outside the windows was a dizzying kaleidoscope of lights and shadows. Brandon caught glimpses of the road, then the sky, then the road again.
"Urghhh!"
Each impact sent shockwaves through his body, but he held firm.
Elise's hair whipped across his face, Bailey's elbow dug into his ribs, but Brandon didn't loosen his grip.
In that moment, nothing mattered more than keeping them safe.
As the limo completed another flip, Brandon's back slammed against the roof.
He gritted his teeth, absorbing the blow to spare the girls.
The pain was intense, but he pushed it aside, focusing solely on protecting Bailey and Elise.
*THUUUDDD!*
With a final, bone-jarring impact, the limo slammed into the ground. Metal screeched against asphalt as the vehicle skidded across the road, sparks flying in its wake. Brandon's muscles strained to keep his grip on Bailey and Elise as the world continued to spin around them.
The limo's momentum carried it off the road.
Grass and dirt sprayed up, pelting the shattered windows.
The vehicle's trajectory curved, heading straight for a massive oak tree standing sentinel at the edge of a well-manicured lawn.
Time seemed to slow as the limo barreled towards the tree. Brandon caught a glimpse of gnarled bark through the cracked windshield, growing larger by the second.
He tightened his hold on the girls, bracing for impact.
*CRUNCH!*