CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY THREE – CREATIVE BREAK IN

After what felt like an eternity, Marco returned, his expression grim. "They've got sentries posted at every entrance," he grated, his voice a low rumble. "Heavily armed, too. This isn't going to be as easy as we thought." Joan swallowed hard, her mind racing. "What are our options?" Marco's eyes narrowed, his gaze flickering over her with a mixture of contempt and grudging respect. "Seems like we'll need to get creative, Keppler. You got any bright ideas?" Joan's heart hammered in her chest as she studied the dim outlines of the town, her mind sifting through a hundred half-formed plans and contingencies. Finally, her gaze settled on a cluster of ramshackle buildings huddled against the eastern perimeter. "What about over there?" she murmured, nodding in their direction. "Looks like it might be a way in, if we can find a blind spot in their security sweep." Marco followed her gaze, his brow furrowing in contemplation. After a long moment, he grunted, a sound that could have been