Chapter 5 - The Leap Across the Abyss
The heavy tires of the armored truck hit the rising metal lip of the drawbridge with an earth-shattering crunch.
For two terrifying seconds, gravity ceased to exist as the four-ton vehicle soared through the freezing midnight air.
Below them, the black, churning waters of the harbor canyon rushed by like an open grave.
The front wheels slammed down violently onto the opposite concrete span, sparks erupting beneath the undercarriage.
Marcus wrestled with the power steering as the truck fishtailed wildly before gripping the wet asphalt and rocketing forward.
Behind them, the two pursuit vehicles slammed on their brakes, unable to clear the expanding gap.
One truck skidded over the edge, plunging two hundred feet into the freezing ocean below with a distant splash.
Nathan checked on Maya, whose eyes were fluttering half-closed.
"Stay with me, Maya, look at me," Nathan pleaded, stroking her damp cheek.
"I see the hospital lights," Maya whispered weakly, her breath catching in her throat.
Marcus sped down the ambulance ramp of Saint Jude's Hospital, sliding the truck to a halt right in front of the emergency trauma bay.
Nathan carried Maya out of the vehicle and kicked open the double automatic doors.
A team of trauma surgeons and neonatal nurses immediately rushed forward with a rolling gurney.
"Placental separation with internal hemorrhage!" Nathan shouted, reciting the vital statistics from his military triage training.
"We need an emergency cesarean section right now!"
The lead obstetrician, Dr. Harrison, took one look at Maya's monitors and began barking orders to the surgical staff.
"Prep OR Four immediately!" Dr. Harrison yelled.
As they wheeled Maya down the sterile corridor toward the operating theater, Maya's trembling fingers caught Nathan's wrist.
"Save our son, Nathan... whatever happens, promise me you'll save him," she begged through her tears.
"I won't lose either of you," Nathan vowed, kissing her knuckles.
The surgical doors swung shut, locking Nathan out in the waiting room.
Suddenly, the corridor elevators dinged, and five armed men wearing federal tactical windbreakers stepped out.
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The man in the lead held up a gold badge and an arrest warrant with Nathan's photograph printed on the front.
"Nathan Cross, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of your father, Gregory Cross."
