Chapter 7 - The Corrupt Agent
Laura stared in absolute horror at the federal agent she had trusted with her life.
Agent Vance had faked his own death in the observation room using a prop knife and theatrical blood.
"You really thought Jason was the mastermind behind this entire operation?" Vance laughed mockingly through the metal bars.
"Jason is just a low-level pawn, and I am the one who runs the cartel's internal security."
Vance explained that he needed Jason to take the fall so the FBI would close the investigation forever.
Now that he had the microchip, he intended to eliminate everyone who knew the truth.
"Open the gate and finish them off," Vance ordered his heavily armed mercenaries.
The electronic keypad on the wall beeped as the mercenaries began hacking the garage door system.
Dr. Doyle grabbed Laura's shoulder and pulled her away from the metal gate.
"There is an old service elevator at the back of the garage that leads to the roof," the doctor whispered urgently.
They grabbed Emma's gurney and sprinted across the dark parking structure as fast as they could.
The screeching sound of the metal gate rising told them that the cartel hitmen were already inside.
Bullets began pinging off the concrete pillars around them, showering them in sharp dust.
Laura pushed the gurney into the rusted service elevator just as Dr. Doyle hammered the button for the roof.
The doors closed agonizingly slowly, blocking a hail of gunfire at the very last second.
The old elevator groaned and shuddered as it began its long ascent to the top of the hospital.
Laura fell to her knees beside Emma, praying that her daughter would not wake up in the middle of a warzone.
The elevator suddenly jolted to a violent halt halfway between the fourth and fifth floors.
The digital display flickered and died, leaving them in near absolute darkness.
"They cut the main power to the elevator shaft," Dr. Doyle realized with a sinking heart.
The sound of heavy boots echoing from the stairwell confirmed their worst fears.
The mercenaries were climbing the stairs to manually pry the elevator doors open and slaughter them.
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Laura looked up at the emergency escape hatch on the ceiling of the elevator car.
She realized that someone had to climb up the cables and restore the manual override switch, or they would all die in this metal box.
