Chapter 4 - The Hospital Siege
The threat wasn't an empty one. Within two hours of Eleanor’s call, the hospital’s internal alarm system began to blare.
Red emergency lights flashed along the corridors, casting an eerie crimson glow over the medical staff rushing through the halls. The main power grid for the pediatric wing suddenly cut out, dropping the hallway into pitch blackness before the backup generators kicked in with a mechanical groan.
"What’s happening?" I shouted, leaping to my feet inside Rachel’s room.
Detective Miller drew his weapon and stepped into the hallway. "Stay inside! Lock the door!"
Through the small window in the heavy door, I watched as panic erupted down the hall. Smoke began pouring out from the utility closet near the elevators—a deliberate diversion. In the confusion, two men dressed in black tactical paramedic uniforms pushed past the frightened nurses, heading straight for Rachel’s room.
They weren't here to rescue anyone. Eleanor had sent her enforcement team to eliminate the witnesses before they could testify in court.
My heart hammered against my ribs. I turned to look at Rachel, who was struggling to sit up, her body still weak from the paralyzing agent, and then at Lily’s incubator. There was no time to panic. I grabbed the heavy iron IV pole standing beside the bed, unhooking the bags and gripping the metal shaft like a spear.
The door burst open. The first man lunged forward with a pre-filled syringe in his gloved hand.
Without giving him a second to react, I swung the heavy base of the iron IV pole with every ounce of strength in my body. The solid metal smashed directly into his jaw with a sickening crack. He crumpled to the floor, dropping the syringe.
The second man raised a silenced handgun, but before he could acquire his target, Detective Miller tackled him from the side, slamming him hard against the concrete wall. The weapon skidded across the linoleum floor right to my feet.
I didn't hesitate. I kicked the gun far out into the hallway, where responding hospital security officers tackled the remaining intruder.
Breathless, my chest heaving, I looked down at the unconscious hitman on the floor. Clutched in his vest pocket was a encrypted satellite phone. It was ringing.
I reached down, picked up the ringing phone, and swiped the screen.
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"Is it done?" Eleanor’s icy voice asked from the speaker. "Are they dead?"
I took a deep, steadying breath, my voice echoing with terrifying calm into the receiver: "They’re alive, Eleanor. But your empire is dead. And I’m coming for you."
