Chapter 16 - The InfiltrationThe vertical climb through the old incinerator flue felt like crawling through the bowels of the earth.
Dust choked my lungs, and every movement of my elbows scraped against rough, soot-blackened brick. The backpack containing my laptop banged heavily against my spine, but I didn't dare slow down. Above me, muffled through layers of thick insulation, I could hear the heavy boots of tactical guards patrolling the third-floor hallways.
“Sector 3 clear. Moving toward Pediatrics Room 310.”
The radio transmission bled faintly through the vent grate above.
Room 310. Sofia’s room.
Panic surged through my veins, multiplying my strength. I scrambled up the last ten feet of the shaft, reached the rusted iron grate at the top, and jammed the crowbar into the seal.
CRACK!
The rusted bolts sheared off with a sharp pop.
I shoved the heavy grate aside and dropped silently into the utility room of the pediatric ward, landing in a low crouch on the linoleum floor.
I crept toward the utility room door, peering through the small wire-mesh window into the hallway.
Two tactical guards in full black gear stood directly outside Room 310. One of them was holding a digital override keycard, preparing to swipe it across the electronic lock of Sofia's door.
I couldn't wait for backup. There was no backup.
I slipped my hand into my lab coat pocket, wrapping my fingers around a heavy, metal oxygen canister valve wrench I had grabbed from the supply closet.
I pushed the utility door open.
"Hey!" I shouted.
Both guards whipped around in unison.
Before the first guard could raise his weapon, I hurled the heavy metal wrench straight at his face. It caught him square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him with a loud oof, sending him crashing backward against the wall.
The second guard swung his rifle barrel toward me, his finger tightening on the trigger—
WHAM!
The heavy utility door swung open behind him, crashing into his elbow and spoiling his aim as a small, blur-like figure came flying out of nowhere.
It was Sofia.
She had sprinted out of her room, leaped through the air like a tiny wildcat, and slammed her full weight into the second guard’s back, biting down hard on his shoulder with teeth bared like a cornered wolf.
"Agh! Get this feral kid off me!" the guard roared, thrashing wildly.
I lunged forward, grabbing the guard's tactical vest, twisting him around, and driving my fist into his jaw with every ounce of fury I possessed. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the floor like a sack of potatoes.
For a second, the hallway was dead silent, save for the rhythmic blinking of the red emergency strobe lights.
I dropped to my knees, panting heavily, and looked up at the little girl standing over the unconscious mercenary with her fists clenched and her chest heaving.
"Sofia," I breathed, pulling her into my arms. "Are you alright?"
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She didn't cry. She just buried her face in my shoulder, her small arms wrapping around my neck with a fierce, desperate grip.
"I knew you'd come back," she whispered fiercely. "Just like you promised."
