Chapter 6: A Dangerous Ally
Elena dialed a number she hadn't called in five years. Marcus Thorne was an investigative journalist who had lost his job at the city’s major newspaper after publishing a scathing expose on pharmaceutical corruption. He lived off the grid now, operating out of a cluttered basement apartment downtown, chasing leads that mainstream media outlets refused to touch.
The phone rang three times before a gruff, sleep-roughened voice answered. "Speak."
"Marcus, it's Elena Vance," she said, keeping her voice low and steady. "I need your help. It's about St. Jude's Memorial Hospital and the pediatric cardiology wing."
A pause stretched down the line, filled only with static and the distant sound of clattering dishes. When Marcus spoke again, all traces of sleep were gone from his voice. "Vance? I heard about your son. The hospital reported it as a sudden, unexplained arrhythmia during a routine procedure. Word is, you caused a scene in the cafeteria."
"They lied," Elena said fiercely, glancing over at Leo, who was dozing quietly on a folded stack of drop cloths. "My son's heart stopped because they put an experimental, unapproved valve in his chest without my consent. I have the video proof. I have the financial cover-ups."
"Where are you?" Marcus asked sharply, the sound of a keyboard clicking echoing in the background.
"An old warehouse off Meridian Street. But we can't stay long. They're tracking us."
"Don't move," Marcus instructed. "Send me your exact GPS coordinates through an encrypted messaging app, and stay off the cell network until I get there. If the hospital has corporate security sniffing around, they'll be tracking your IP address the second you log on."
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Elena disconnected the call, quickly sending the location data before powering down her phone entirely. She removed the battery for good measure, slipping the device into her bag. The silence of the warehouse returned, broken only by the distant whistle of a freight train cutting through the industrial district.
She walked over to Leo, kneeling beside him to check his pulse. It felt steadier now, the deep sleep doing wonders for his exhausted body. But time was a luxury they did not possess. The corporate machinery behind the hospital possessed resources that far exceeded anything a desperate mother and a disgraced journalist could muster. If Marcus didn't arrive soon, they would have to run again.
