Chapter 13 - The Drainage Conduit
Maya jammed the corner of her leather clipboard into the rusted locking mechanism of the iron access grate, twisting it with all her body weight until the ancient hinges snapped with a loud, metallic crack.
"Through here, now!" Maya ordered, ducking low and crawling into the narrow, dark drainage pipe before the pursuing footsteps could round the corner of the steam conduit.
Marcus followed immediately, pulling the grate partially back into place to obscure their trail as the beam of flashing tactical lights swept across the outer tunnel. Agent Sterling and his remaining agents squeezed into the cramped pipe just as heavy gunfire erupted behind them, ricocheting dangerously off the brick walls and sending sparks flying into the steam.
"Keep moving! Do not stop!" Sterling barked, his voice echoing claustrophrophically in the enclosed concrete tube.
They crawled on hands and knees through the damp, sloping conduit for what felt like an eternity, the sound of rushing water growing louder with every yard. The air gradually grew cooler, carrying the faint, sweet scent of morning rain and fresh urban exhaust.
Finally, Maya burst through the rusted exit grate at the far end of the pipe, tumbling out onto a gravel embankment behind an abandoned industrial warehouse near the riverfront. Marcus emerged right behind her, grabbing her arm and pulling her safely behind a concrete barrier as federal and municipal sirens wailed in the distance.
Agent Sterling crawled out last, breathing heavily and tapping his encrypted satellite radio. "Extraction team, this is Sterling. We are compromised at the riverfront sector. Send armored transport immediately."
Maya opened her leather clipboard, checking the waterproof casing protecting the digital data drive. The green LED light blinked steadily, confirming the integrity of the files.
"We have everything we need to indict the mayor, the police chief, and every developer involved in the Elmwood cover-up," Maya said, looking up at Marcus with a profound, hard-won sense of relief.
May you like
Before Marcus could answer, a black unmarked sedan pulled up silently beside the embankment, its back door swinging open automatically.
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