Chapter 6 - The Betrayal
The word bomb completely shattered the air in the sterile underground clinic.
My knees buckled entirely, and I had to grab the edge of the metal sink just to remain standing.
"Are you absolutely sure," I choked out, staring at the innocent four-year-old girl sitting on the table.
"Apex Genesis was a corrupt military contractor shut down five years ago for illegal human testing," Aris explained rapidly.
"They designed these harnesses to ensure their human assets could never escape the testing facilities."
"The only way to remove it without triggering the explosive is to input a specific digital master code."
I looked at the digital timer on the face of the bomb.
Forty-two minutes remaining.
I desperately pulled my cell phone from my purse and dialed Adam's personal number.
I fully expected it to go straight to voicemail, assuming the handlers had already confiscated his phone.
To my absolute shock, Adam answered on the very first ring.
"Mom, where are you," Adam whispered frantically into the receiver.
"I am trying to save her life, Adam," I hissed venomously into the phone.
"You need to give me the master code to unlock this explosive right now."
Adam let out a broken, agonizing sob that echoed through the quiet clinic.
"I don't have the code, Mom," Adam cried pitifully.
"Brooke is the only one who has the decryption key on her secure tablet."
"Then you need to steal it from her," I demanded ruthlessly, completely abandoning any motherly sympathy.
"If you do not get that code, your daughter is going to die in exactly forty minutes."
There was a long, terrifying silence on the other end of the line.
"I will get it," Adam finally promised, his voice hardening with a sudden, desperate resolve.
"I will steal the tablet and meet you at the abandoned mall parking garage in twenty minutes."
I hung up the phone, feeling a tiny shred of dangerous hope bloom in my chest.
I thanked Dr. Aris, wrapped Maisie back in her towel, and rushed quickly out to the alleyway.
I placed Maisie in the car and began the tense, terrifying drive toward the abandoned mall.
But as I approached the massive concrete structure, I saw a terrifying sight in my rearview mirror.
Three unmarked black SUVs were following my vehicle at a dangerously close distance.
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Adam had not called me to offer his help.
My own son had just perfectly orchestrated a lethal trap to hand us directly back to the handlers.
