Chapter 8 - The Decoy Exchange
I stared at the real data capsule in Elena’s hand, my mind completely failing to process the impossible trick.
"What did you just give him?" I asked, coughing violently as the thick smoke filled the room.
"I gave him a pacemaker battery covered in Maya's stomach acid," Elena laughed, her eyes flashing with triumphant revenge.
She had flawlessly executed the sleight of hand while the blinding lights distracted Robert during the standoff.
"He is going to hand a worthless piece of metal to a dangerous cartel," I realized in sheer awe.
But our brilliant victory meant absolutely nothing if we burned to death in this locked room.
"Help me move this heavy operating table, the floor drain underneath is our only way out," Elena commanded urgently.
I grabbed the edge of the metal table and pushed with all my remaining strength.
The table shrieked against the concrete, revealing a massive, rusted iron grate in the floor.
Elena used a surgical pry bar to snap the old lock, exposing a dark, damp sewage tunnel below.
I carefully lifted Maya’s weak body, ignoring her pained whimpers as we lowered her into the tunnel.
We climbed down into the filthy water just as the clinic ceiling above us completely collapsed in a shower of sparks.
We waded through the dark, terrible smelling tunnel for nearly a mile until we reached an access ladder.
I pushed the heavy manhole cover open, breathing greedily as the cool night air hit my face.
We climbed out into an empty alleyway directly behind the main headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
"I contacted my federal handlers right after you called me," Elena confessed, helping Maya onto the pavement.
A team of heavily armed FBI agents rushed out of the building, instantly surrounding us with medical personnel.
Paramedics loaded Maya onto a stretcher, assuring me that Elena's emergency surgery had saved her life.
An FBI director approached me, holding out a secure evidence box for the stolen drive.
May you like
I dropped the glowing capsule inside, feeling the immense weight of the nightmare finally lift off my shoulders.
"We just received word that Robert's private jet is taxiing on the runway," the director informed me grimly.
