BENEVOLENT UNDERNEATH

Samantha's POV The blinds let just enough morning light pass through to create lengthy shadows throughout the little apartment. Sleep avoided me, and now I sat at the kitchen table, everything weighing down my chest. I looked at Alex, standing by the window, his arms folded and gazing out into the vacant street. His shoulders clearly showed tension, a mute mirror of all we had yet to say. Lila had sent us the necessary information last night: a lead but potentially a risky one. Pier Number 17. Two days apart. Still unknown, though, was what that cargo included and how Royce fit among all of it. The old knot of doubt tightened in my gut. Every advance was like strolling farther into the future. Alex said at last, his voice under control and low. "You think we should trust her? I stopped, the warmth grounding me as my fingertips brushed the edge of my coffee mug. "We have no choice but I'm not sure if we should trust her. So far, she is the only one who has handed us anything solid. He turned to fix me, dark and inquiring eyes. "Solid, sometimes known as a trap?" I swallowed, his words landing squarely between us. I knew his point of view. Lila had a past with Royce, and whatever she said, there was always a chance her dread of him would overwhelm her need to assist us. I couldn't allow that uncertainty to paralyze us though. We needed to act. Quietly, I whispered, getting up and walking across the room to him, "We cannot afford to wait". "Royce is aware of our arrival. We have to keep ahead of him, and this shipment might be our only one. Alex nodded, however the struggle in his eyes never disappeared. Measured, deliberate, considering every conceivable outcome before acting, he was always this. Although that was what had kept us alive thus far, it also meant that he felt great weight on every choice. In an attempt to relax some of that anxiety, I stretched out and laid a hand on his arm. We are in this together, I added gently. "We'll work it out whatever happens." He exhaled, his shoulders somewhat at ease under my touch. 'I know. Simply said, I want us not to enter anything we cannot get out of. Lila came out from her room later that afternoon, appearing more calm but nonetheless burdened by her decisions. Her eyes briefly locked with mine before she turned to look at Alex. Knowing that his trust was weak, I could tell she was still cautious, but now that she had not been there before she seemed resolved. She said, her voice firm but wary: "We have to move soon." "Royce will try to cover his tracks if he knows you are planning something; he does not leave free ends." Alex crossed his arms, his attitude incomprehensible. You definitely know about this shipment. Not a decoy, is the question. Lila gave her a head shake. Nothing. Whatever he is carrying across Pier 17 is crucial. Royce only lets precisely managed items escape through his grasp. Otherwise, nothing. Then we have to be ready, I added, cutting through the suspense. We cannot simply show up without a strategy. Lila nodded and peered between Alex and me. "I am able to get you in. Benevolent under the docks is an old service entrance I made a few visits to when I was still employed with Royce. Alex arched an eyebrow. And you are sure he is ignorant of it? Her eyes twitched with something, possibly guilt. Mistake? But she nodded. "He is cautious, but even Royce cannot address all possible angles. Time will allow us to enter and go before anyone else sees. Again, silence descended between us as the weight of our preparations settled over the space. The excitement was growing, the sense that we were poised on the brink of something far more than ourselves. Alex answered last, his voice firm: "We leave tomorrow night." "We'll search the area first, to make sure there aren't any surprises." I nodded in agreement, but my head was already whirling with the several ways things may go wrong. This was it—the instant everything rested on. And I couldn't get rid of the sense that under the surface something we weren't ready for was waiting for us. The next day went in a whirl of stillness and getting ready. Alex and I mapped out our path, went over every detail for hours, and debated every conceivable outcome. Lila, for her part, answered our inquiries when asked but stayed otherwise silent. We still felt uncomfortable, an unspoken tension neither of which we could release. The three of us loaded into the car as night fell, the city lights flickering behind us as we drove toward the docks. Each of us was engrossed in our own thoughts, the car's stillness was dense. I peered out the window, seeing in a blur the shadowy streets pass. As if the whole city were holding its breath, the air felt weighty with expectancy. Alex drove with his usual cool accuracy, but I could tell his grip on the wheel was tight and his jaw was closed. Though he was concentrating, there was clearly stress. Though I knew better, I wanted to reach out to comfort him. We both have to be sharp right now. Ahead the docks loomed, their tall cranes silhouetted against the nighttime heavens. Alex parked a few blocks away, and we emerged into the cool night air with the faint sound of waves lapping against the shore in the distance. Lila replied, her voice low as she guided us along a small lane running alongside the docks. I couldn't get rid of the sensation that we were being observed; the air smelled like ocean and corroded metal. Under the docks, we arrived at the service door Lila had indicated—a little, rusty gate leading down a series of narrow steps into the darkness. As we dropped, the shadows closing in all around us, my heart hammered in my chest. Alex went first, looking for any evidence of danger while his flashlight sliced over the night. Close following, Lila moved deliberately and quickly, as though she had done this a hundred times already. I mentioned the back, my head whirling with every conceivable outcome. The sound of the water grew louder as we descended, resonating off the walls of the small tunnel opening out before us. The air was frigid and damp, and there was a subtle salt scent about. Lila said, "We're close," her voice just heard above the waves. "The shipment ought to be in one of the storage bays, right ahead. Alex nodded, his face fixed in will. "Let's relocate." The air grew denser as we neared the storage bay. Every sense sharpened as we neared, my heart surged. Though they were muffled, far-off, I could faintly hear voices ahead. Alex pointed for us to stop when we at last arrived at the bay. Slinking behind a stack of old containers, we peered through the darkness to where guys were loading goods into a big cargo container. A few armed guards, their silhouettes flickering in and out of the shadows, were clearly visible. Alex said, "This is it," his eyes narrowing as he looked about. "We have to approach closely and sort through those containers." Lila nodded, her face white but resolved. "On the far side is a maintenance entrance. We can make it inside the control room. It ought to improve our perspective. I drew hard, my anxieties tearing with every second. This was the moment we had been preparing for, but now that we were here the truth of it struck me like a gut-reversing blow. One false action and it was all over. Alex remarked, his voice powerful but subdued: "We stick together." "No needless hazards." Silent as we approached the maintenance door, we dashed from shadow to shadow. Now the sound of the ocean was louder; the waves slamming against the pier seemed to be alerting us to turn away. But there was no reversing. Lila opened the door softly, and we slid inside where the chilly control room air washed over us. From here, the men were moving with such accuracy that I shivered down my spine. The storage bay was clearly visible. "See it?" Lila said, her voice just wavering. Breath stopping in my throat, I glanced through the little window and at last saw what they were loading into the container. Crates—dozens of them, each stamped with a symbol I identify. " What is it??" Alex enquired, his voice quiet yet firm. Lila glanced down at the boxes, her face pallid and her eyes wide with terror. Her voice was almost audible, "It's worse than I thought," she said. Those are more than simply weapons. They are—' The door behind us blasted open before she could finish, and a figure entered the room with the sound of a revolver cocked ringing across the air. Breath caught in my throat as my heart paused to face the invader. Royce wrote.