Chapter 7: Reinforcements from the Underground
A trio of local investigative journalists, led by an aggressive independent reporter named Marcus Vance—no relation to Liam—poured through the doorway, cameras flashing and boom microphones raised high. Behind them stood two uniformed city police officers responding to an anonymous tip regarding an unauthorized corporate extraction inside a public hospital.
“Hold it right there! St. Jude’s hospital security, drop your weapons!” one of the city officers shouted, drawing his service pistol and aiming it squarely at the Vanguard tactical unit.
The lead corporate operative froze, his hand hovering over his non-lethal rifle. The presence of actual municipal law enforcement combined with media witnesses completely dismantled their corporate immunity protocol. They were no longer operating in a private, controlled facility where legal teams could easily sweep an incident under the rug; they were on camera, in public view, attempting an armed extraction inside a trauma ward.
Sarah’s face drained of color. The carefully constructed facade of corporate invincibility fractured instantly. She took a half-step backward, her eyes darting toward the exit elevators, only to find them blocked by Confiom’s steady gaze.
“What is the meaning of this?” Sarah demanded, raising her voice to project an air of outraged authority as she addressed the arriving police officers. “This man is a disgruntled family member attempting to kidnap a minor under medical care! These security guards were merely enforcing court-mandated custody protocols!”
“That is a complete lie, officer!” Dr. Hayes shouted, stepping out of Trauma Bay Three with Sofia’s complete, unaltered medical charts clutched in her hands. “These men attempted an illegal breach of our trauma ward. Furthermore, the patient’s medical records from the Vanguard network have been flagged for severe, unauthorized pharmaceutical tampering. I am formally filing charges of medical endangerment and child abuse.”
The city police officer lowered his weapon slightly, eyeing Sarah with deep suspicion before turning his gaze back to Liam. “Are you Liam Vance?”
“I am,” Liam said calmly, stepping forward without any sudden movements. “And my daughter is inside that trauma bay, recovering from deliberate neglect orchestrated by this woman and the corporate board she represents. The federal Department of Justice already has the complete master archive of their illegal trials.”
May you like
The journalist with the camera pushed forward, shoving a microphone toward Sarah’s face. “Ms. Vance! Is it true that Vanguard Healthcare used your own niece as an unauthorized human test subject? Do you have any comment on the federal indictment currently being processed?”
Sarah shielded her face from the flashing camera lights, her expression twisting into a mask of pure venom as she realized the trap had completely closed around her.
