Chapter 6: The Great Escape
The fluorescent lights of the hospital hallway buzzed with an irritating hum as Arthur, Chloe, and Major Thomas Vance stepped out of room 412. Arthur flanked his daughter’s left side, subtly using his broad shoulders to shield her from the view of the nurses' station fifty yards down the corridor. Chloe walked slowly, keeping her posture stiff to minimize the agonizing pull of the surgical stitches across her abdomen. Underneath her oversized sweatshirt, the classified data unit remained safely tucked beneath surgical gauze, a silent, ticking time bomb of state secrets.
"Keep your head down, look exhausted, and lean on me," Arthur muttered under his breath, offering his arm for Chloe to grip.
They reached the service elevator at the end of the hall. Vance pressed the down button with a calloused thumb, his eyes constantly scanning the security cameras mounted in the corners of the ceiling. The red digital display flickered, slowly counting down from the fourth floor.
"If anyone stops us, let me do the talking," Vance murmured, adjusting the collar of his leather jacket. "I called in a fake biohazard alert in the west wing twenty minutes ago. Half the security detail should be swarming the opposite end of the building right now."
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime. The interior was lined with smudged stainless steel panels that reflected their tense, exhausted faces. They stepped inside, and Vance punched the button for the sub-basement loading dock. As the doors closed, sealing them inside the small metal box, Chloe let out a shuddering breath.
"I'm scared, Dad," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the mechanical hum of the cables.
Arthur pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. "I know, sweetheart. But we are almost out of their reach."
When the doors opened again, they stepped directly into the cavernous concrete loading bay. Drafty air smelling of diesel exhaust and damp pavement hit them instantly. A rusted gray van sat idling near the exit ramp, its exhaust pipe puffing small clouds into the chilly evening air. Vance led the way briskly, unlocking the side passenger door for Chloe to climb inside.
Before Arthur could follow her into the van, the sharp sound of heavy boots echoing off the concrete reverberated through the loading bay.
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"Hey! You three! Stop right there!" a security officer shouted from the doorway connecting the hospital to the garage, his hand dropping instinctively toward his holstered sidearm.
Arthur froze, his military posture straightening instantly as he turned to face the threat.
