Luck Stat Broken: Rise of the Khan-Chapter 7 - Six: The King’s Men

​It took a full minute for the adrenaline to bleed out of the hollow. Don’s knees gave out completely, and he slumped against a petrified tree trunk, his hands shaking violently as he stared at his own boots.

​Then, Curtis spoke up.

​"Okay, look," Curtis said, his voice slipping seamlessly into the measured, smooth cadence of a man who had rehearsed his lines. He raised his hands, playing the role of the voice of reason. "We don’t know the whole layout. Don and I can stay here. We keep eyes on the camp, track their movement patterns, figure out their shift changes. Will, you take Maddie and Allison, find a route around the far side. We meet back here in ten minutes."

​Maddie stared at him like he had just suggested setting themselves on fire. "You want to split up. With an armed kidnapping ring fifty yards away."

​"It splits the risk," Curtis argued, leaning into the performance. "We gather more intel from multiple angles. Plus, it keeps you and Allison out of their direct line of sight if they push patrols out toward the crash site."

​The logic was mechanically solid. It also conveniently put Curtis entirely out of Will’s sight, leaving him safely in the bushes while Will took the active risk.

​Will thought about the hushed, urgent whispering he had heard on the trail earlier. He looked at Curtis’s perfectly calm face, the mask of the actor firmly in place. Then, he shifted his gaze to Don.

​Don wouldn’t meet his eyes. The loyal brother stared resolutely at the dirt. "Are you sure, Curt?" Don muttered.

​Curtis didn’t look at his brother. "It’s the smart play."

​Maddie opened her mouth, her eyes flashing with a sharp, cutting refusal. She was ready to tear the plan apart.

​Will caught her eye. He looked at Curtis, looked back at Maddie, and gave a single, definitive nod.

​"Great idea," Will said.

​Maddie snapped her mouth shut. She shot Will a look that could have melted lead.

​They split.

​Will led Maddie and Allison away from the hollow, moving quietly through the dense overgrowth until they were safely out of earshot from the boys.

​The moment they cleared the brush, Maddie rounded on him, her voice a venomous hiss. "Why did you agree to that? You know exactly what he’s doing."

​Khan, Will thought, staring into the dark trees. Why did I agree to that?

​Don’t ask me, Khan replied, a grim satisfaction bleeding through the synaptic bridge. Watch. Let’s see exactly how lucky you are, boy.

​Will didn’t answer her immediately. He led Maddie and Allison another thirty yards through the dense foliage until they reached the eastern flank of the camp.

​Here, the tree line broke away slightly, giving them an unobstructed view of the roaring barbecue pit and the massive slab of roasting meat. But Will wasn’t looking at the food. He was looking at the cluster of highly pressurized, volatile corporate fuel canisters stacked carelessly near the open flame. Corporate efficiency hadn’t accounted for common sense.

​You cannot charge a line of rifles, boy, Khan warned, analyzing the angle. You need a Vanguard. Someone to draw the eye. A distraction that demands their immediate violence while you exploit the flank.

​Will looked to his left. Maddie was still glaring at him, but as she followed his gaze down to the fuel canisters, the anger in her eyes shifted into a dark, adrenaline-fueled anticipation. She didn’t look like a refugee; she looked like someone ready to break the world back.

​"Maddie," Will said quietly.

​She snapped her gaze to him.

​"I need you to draw their fire," Will said, offering no clean solutions. "I need three seconds of them looking at you instead of the tree line. If I miss the throw, they’re going to shoot you."

​Allison looked horrified. "Are you insane?"

​Maddie shifted her grip on her scavenged blade. She looked at the women and children in the cage, then at the heavily armed corporate mercenaries, and finally at Will.

​"Three seconds," Maddie confirmed, her voice a deadpan, lethal calm. "Don’t miss the throw, Will. I’d hate to have to haunt you."

​Will hefted a heavy, jagged piece of scavenged masonry in his hand. Structure, Khan murmured approvingly. Trust.

​"Go," Will said.