#Chapter 246: Dying to kill

Alexander The hot desert sun beat down upon our bodies as hours passed and the Strike Team descended, step by step, rock by rock, into the canyon. We were all drenched with sweat by the time we reached the bottom. I saw the tiny figures of the second group of climbers get into position way up on the cliff’s edge. I didn’t stand and watch them for long. I did a quick inventory of my vanguard fleet on the ground and then led them forward to the cave mouth. I’d hardly have been able to recognize the place just by sight. But using our drone footage and detailed topographical maps, we’d pinpointed the exact coordinates for the target position. I swiped the screen on my smartwatch, opening the advanced GPS app that was going to help us find it. The hike forward through this part of the canyon, it turned out, was almost as slow going as the climb down the cliff. This was not a place made for people to be walking. The earth we trod was all rubble and dust on treacherously uneven stone and