Timothy's POV

We moved out at midnight. Three teams, twelve fighters total, plus Liam's four-man unit running independent support on the northern ridge. Radio silence from the moment we left the staging point. Earpieces only, one channel, Ethan's voice as command.

The mining compound sat in a bowl between two ridgelines, accessible by a single road from the west and a rocky service path from the east. Viktor had chosen it well. The approach gave his perimeter guards a clear sightline in three ...