Chapter 3 - The Escape from Ward 9The red emergency lights turned the hospital corridors into a nightmare maze.
Robert pushed Ethan’s gurney down the service elevator shaft while Grace guarded Lily and Marcus led the way with a drawn pistol. Ethan was half-conscious, his eyes fluttering, muttering fragmented sentences about "the dark room" and "the man with the silver ring."
As they reached the basement parking garage, two black SUVs skidded across the concrete, blocking the exit ramp. Men in unmarked black tactical gear stepped out, assault rifles raised.
"Robert Blackwood!" a voice echoed through a megaphone. "Step away from the patient! You are in possession of an unauthorized biological hazard!"
From behind the SUV stepped a man in a tailor-made gray suit, holding an umbrella despite being underground. It was Julian Vance.
"Julian," Robert said, stepping in front of Ethan’s gurney. "You brought mercenaries to a hospital?"
Julian smiled, a cold, practiced expression that Robert had seen a thousand times in courtrooms. "I brought a cleanup crew, Robert. You've gone mad with grief. You're listening to a disgraced ex-employee and trusting a herbal potion. The board has declared you mentally incapacitated. As of twenty minutes ago, I am the acting CEO of Blackwood Biotech."
"You poisoned my son," Robert said, his hands shaking with fury. "You delayed his real treatment so you could pump him with your worthless maintenance drugs!"
"Business is about sustainability, Robert," Julian said calmly, adjusting his cuff links. "Cures are bad business. They eliminate the customer base. Now, hand over the boy and the girl. We'll give Ethan a peaceful end, and we'll ensure Miss Walker and her daughter are... quietly relocated."
"Over my dead body," Robert said.
"That can be arranged," Julian replied softly, raising his hand to signal his men.
BANG!
A flash-bang grenade exploded near the ceiling, blinding the tactical team. Grace had yanked the emergency fire suppression lever, flooding the basement with thousands of gallons of high-pressure water and foam.
"GO!" Marcus screamed, opening fire toward the SUV tires.
Robert grabbed the handles of the gurney and sprinted toward an old utility van parked in the maintenance bay. Lily jumped in the front seat, hot-wiring the ignition with a efficiency that shocked Robert.
"Where did you learn that?!" Robert yelled as the engine roared to life.
May you like
"My mom wasn't just a chemist," Lily said with a smirk as she slammed the van into reverse. "She raised me in the city!"
The van smashed through the wooden security gate, tearing into the rain-slicked streets of Boston, leaving Julian Vance standing in the rising foam of the parking garage, his gray suit ruined, his eyes burning with promise of total war.
