Page 21 of Cold Ignition

“They were taken clean,” Bateman continued. “No bodies. No wreckage. Just gone.”

“Location.” Kael’s voice cut in, steady. “Where are they now?”

Bateman pulled up a satellite image.

An isolated structure appeared on the screen—low, concrete, half-hidden by overgrowth near the coastline. Weathered, but not abandoned.

“They are holed up in the ruins of an old hotel,” Bateman said. “Shut down years ago. It’s been repurposed—temporary holding, processing point. People go in, don’t come out unless they’re useful.”

Drew grimaced. “Well, that’s not ominous at all.”

“They’re there,” Bateman said. “We’re as sure as we can be without eyes inside.”

Bateman expanded the satellite image, zooming out just enough to show the surrounding terrain—coastline, access roads, and a faint outline of elevation running inland.

“It’s about forty minutes out from your compound,” he said. “Standard drive.”

Keanu leaned forward slightly, eyes tracking the route, already calculating.

“No,” he said. A beat. Then, without looking away from the screen—“Fifteen.”

Luca blinked. “That is not how roads work.”

Keanu’s mouth twitched faintly. “It is if you know how to drive them.”

Tane huffed a quiet breath that might have been a laugh.

Kael didn’t smile, but there was a flicker of something in his expression.

“Then you’ll have your window,” he said.

Keanu studied the image, committing it to memory—the layout, the access roads, the terrain around it.

“Are there any of the Crucible in the building or nearby?” Kael asked.

“Unknown,” Bateman said.

Tane shifted slightly, eyes still on the screen. “What condition are they in?”

Bateman didn’t answer immediately.

“Alive,” he said finally. “For now. They were valuable. That buys them time.”

“But not much,” Ethan added.

“No,” Bateman said.

Kael straightened slightly, his attention shifting from the screen to the room.

“Plan,” he said.

Niko moved first, already stepping closer to the table, eyes tracking the layout. “We don’t go loud from the start,” he said. “Too many unknowns inside. We need eyes before we move.”

“I can get you those,” Luca said. “Drones, limited feed. Won’t last long.”

“Enough to map entry points,” Niko replied.

Victor stepped forward a fraction. “Perimeter control.”