Chapter 9 - The Tied Pulse
Mark dropped his hands instantly, backing away from the crib, cold sweat pooling along his brow. “Elena, listen to me carefully. What did the doctors say? How is it connected?”
“The capsule they removed... it wasn't the only one,” Elena sobbed over the phone line. “They found a subcutaneous frequency transmitter behind my shoulder blade. Every time my heart rate spikes above one hundred and forty, the frequency sends a detonating signal to the receiver in the manor!”
Mark looked at the glowing numbers on the crib mechanism. The digital counter was just a diversion; the real detonation mechanism was armed with an active radio receiver tracking Elena’s vitals.
“Elena, you have to breathe,” Mark pleaded, keeping his voice as steady as possible while his own chest heaved. “Calm down, sweetheart. Close your eyes. Count backwards from ten with me.”
“I can’t!” she cried, the monitor in the background chiming at an alarming tempo: 128 bpm... 132 bpm...
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Down the corridor of the mansion, heavy boots echoed against the marble stairs. Mark raised his weapon, preparing for another intruder, only to see Dr. Aris and a bomb disposal expert burst into the room.
“Stand down, Mr. Sterling!” the specialist barked. “We need to cut the signal, but if her heart goes into ventricular fibrillation, this entire wing collapses!”
