Chapter 12 - The Federal Trap
The highway ahead lit up with a blinding wall of crimson and blue emergency strobes as four armored federal transport trucks blocked all four lanes of the asphalt. Dominic slammed on the brakes, the SUV sliding sideways across the wet pavement before coming to a violent halt fifty yards from the barricade. Through the pouring rain, dozens of heavily armed federal agents emerged from behind their vehicles, their assault rifles raised and pointed squarely at Dominic's windshield. A tall man in an immaculate gray trench coat stepped forward from the center of the blockade, holding a loudhailer to his mouth.
"Dr. Arthur Vance, and Agent Dominic, step out of the vehicle with your hands visible!" the voice boomed over the rain.
Elena looked at her father, whose breathing was becoming increasingly labored, then at Dominic, who was calmly unholstering his backup sidearm.
"We can't surrender to them, Dominic," Elena said firmly. "They're part of the same syndicate that covered up the clinical trials."
Dominic shook his head, his expression grim and resolute.
"We aren't surrendering, Elena. We're creating a diversion."
Before Elena could ask what he meant, Dominic reached under the dashboard and yanked a concealed wire, disabling the vehicle's electronic tracking beacon while simultaneously triggering the onboard fire suppression foam canisters. A thick, opaque white cloud erupted from the vents, flooding the interior of the SUV and spilling out through the broken rear window into the night air. The federal agents on the other side of the barricade hesitated, lowering their sights slightly as the dense foam obscured their vision.
"Now! Move!" Dominic shouted, kicking open his door and pulling Elena and her father out into the wet ditch alongside the highway.
Julian, still trapped in the passenger seat with his hands cuffed behind him, screamed in panic as the federal agents opened fire into the foam cloud, riddling the hood of the SUV with a hail of high-caliber rounds.
"You're leaving me here to die!" Julian shrieked, thrashing wildly against his restraints.
Elena paused at the edge of the concrete drainage culvert, looking back at the man who had tried to destroy her life.
"You built your own noose, Julian. Now you get to explain to your federal friends who pulled the trigger."
Dominic dragged Arthur down into the concrete trench just as a wall of lead tore through the space where they had been standing seconds before.
Crawling through the freezing drainage pipe beneath the highway, Elena clutched the micro-chip her father had given her, feeling the cold metal press against her palm like a promise.
May you like
Behind them, the muffled shouts of the federal agents echoed through the concrete tunnel as they realized their targets had vanished into the subterranean drainage network.
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