I ran.<\/p>\n
Bell kept pace.<\/p>\n
Two agents followed.<\/p>\n
The elevator took too long, so we used the stairs.<\/p>\n
Six flights.<\/p>\n
I barely felt them.<\/p>\n
Daniel was standing outside Sophie's room when we reached the oncology floor.<\/p>\n
He looked wild.<\/p>\n
Not frightened.<\/p>\n
Beyond frightened.<\/p>\n
The bed was empty.<\/p>\n
Her blanket lay half on the floor.<\/p>\n
The IV line had been disconnected cleanly.<\/p>\n
Not torn.<\/p>\n
Not accidentally pulled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went to get ice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA nurse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich nurse?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bell turned toward security.<\/p>\n
\u201cLock every exit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey already are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen lock them again.\u201d<\/p>\n
I entered the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cSophie?\u201d<\/p>\n
As though she might be hiding.<\/p>\n
Bathroom.<\/p>\n
Empty.<\/p>\n
Closet.<\/p>\n
Empty.<\/p>\n
The purple streaks in her hair had begun fading.<\/p>\n
One strand lay across the pillow.<\/p>\n
I picked it up.<\/p>\n
Daniel came behind me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my fault.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor ice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI promised I wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you collapse now, I lose both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
That reached him.<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
Barely.<\/p>\n
Bell entered.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecurity footage shows a staff member taking Sophie through the service corridor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBadge says Ellen Price.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Shah, arriving behind him, said, \u201cWe don\u2019t have an Ellen Price.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course we didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cCamera?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFace partially covered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did they go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFreight elevator.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bell\u2019s radio crackled.<\/p>\n
Basement.<\/p>\n
I started toward the door.<\/p>\n
He blocked me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I need you here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMove.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel took my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet them clear it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hated him for being right.<\/p>\n
For thirty seconds.<\/p>\n
Then a minute.<\/p>\n
Then two.<\/p>\n
Bell listened to his radio.<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey found the wheelchair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLoading dock.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmpty?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My knees weakened.<\/p>\n
Daniel caught me.<\/p>\n
Bell kept listening.<\/p>\n
\u201cVehicle?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhite medical transport van left seven minutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStolen.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had the hospital locked down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone inside helped.\u201d<\/p>\n
NorthStar.<\/p>\n
Samuel.<\/p>\n
Nathan.<\/p>\n
Voss.<\/p>\n
Pick a monster.<\/p>\n
Any monster.<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
A text.<\/p>\n
MOM I\u2019M OKAY.<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
Another message appeared.<\/p>\n
DON\u2019T LET THEM USE GRANDMA.<\/p>\n
Daniel read over my shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Then a photograph arrived.<\/p>\n
Sophie.<\/p>\n
Alive.<\/p>\n
Sitting in a vehicle.<\/p>\n
No visible injuries.<\/p>\n
Terrified eyes.<\/p>\n
Beside her was Nathan Vale.<\/p>\n
Daniel swore.<\/p>\n
A final message.<\/p>\n
I DID NOT TAKE HER. VOSS DID. I GOT HER OUT.<\/p>\n
Bell took the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrace it.\u201d<\/p>\n
An agent started working.<\/p>\n
I called.<\/p>\n
Nathan answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPut Sophie on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice broke me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSophie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNathan says not to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs he threatening you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he touch you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe got me away from the fake nurse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have maybe four minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBring her back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBring my daughter back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss has people inside the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course he does.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone says everyone else is lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen believe Sophie.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA woman dressed as a nurse disconnected her IV and took her downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthStar security contractor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI recognized her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy were you there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI came for Laura\u2019s sample.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least he admitted it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stole it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Voss did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why come?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo stop him leaving with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you found Sophie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire, listen.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice became urgent.<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss didn\u2019t come to the hospital to talk to you. He came because the archive was being transferred here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does Sophie have to do with it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe needs a living comparison.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura\u2019s untreated tissue. your corrected profile. Sophie\u2019s failed vector.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three generations.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Always the lineage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is he trying to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBuild a commercially viable correction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel heard.<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said NorthStar shut the program down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey shut Samuel down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey never shut Hearth down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie spoke in the background.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan Daniel hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n
He leaned toward the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here, bug.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew you would be.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNathan says\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t tell us if it puts you in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
She went quiet.<\/p>\n
Then whispered, \u201cI\u2019m scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel pressed his fist against his mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKevin hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Shah moved closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow badly, Sophie?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy head feels full.\u201d<\/p>\n
The swelling.<\/p>\n
She needed hospital care.<\/p>\n
Dr. Shah spoke into the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cNathan, she needs immediate evaluation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen bring her back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m taking her somewhere secure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You are not her physician.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already withheld care once.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
That hit him.<\/p>\n
Dr. Shah continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me ten minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo lose the people following us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call ended.<\/p>\n
Bell cursed.<\/p>\n
The trace had failed.<\/p>\n
Daniel punched the wall.<\/p>\n
Once.<\/p>\n
Hard.<\/p>\n
Then immediately looked ashamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody cared about the wall.<\/p>\n
Eric appeared at the end of the corridor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour old company took Sophie.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face emptied.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNathan says Voss ordered it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop saying no.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss wouldn\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric froze.<\/p>\n
That sentence had been his defense for days.<\/p>\n
Now it turned against him.<\/p>\n
Bell stepped toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan NorthStar track its old transport fleet?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCentral logistics.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you still know the system?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bell stared.<\/p>\n
Eric corrected himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI might.\u201d<\/p>\n
Five minutes later we were in a hospital conference room with three laptops.<\/p>\n
Eric entered an old NorthStar routing portal.<\/p>\n
His credentials failed.<\/p>\n
He tried another access path.<\/p>\n
Failed.<\/p>\n
Then he typed a legacy emergency code.<\/p>\n
The screen changed.<\/p>\n
Bell looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wrote part of the old routing system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another hidden piece.<\/p>\n
I was too tired to be surprised.<\/p>\n
A map appeared.<\/p>\n
Vehicle pings.<\/p>\n
Most were inactive.<\/p>\n
One medical transport van had reappeared twelve minutes earlier.<\/p>\n
Then disappeared again.<\/p>\n
Last location: industrial district north of the hospital.<\/p>\n
Eric zoomed in.<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that building.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthStar?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at Bell.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
The property was registered under an old research subsidiary.<\/p>\n
A backup laboratory.<\/p>\n
Facility 19.<\/p>\n
Bell mobilized teams.<\/p>\n
Then another message reached my phone.<\/p>\n
This one from Sophie.<\/p>\n
A photograph of a concrete hallway.<\/p>\n
A handwritten sign on a door.<\/p>\n
19.<\/p>\n
Nathan had taken her exactly where Eric predicted.<\/p>\n
Daniel grabbed his coat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bell said, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can arrest me later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m coming too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need someone who knows the building.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you\u2019d never been there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthStar sent me there twice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cChildren.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word silenced everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEleven years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before Sophie was born.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat condition?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. Hospital beds. monitors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you stayed with NorthStar.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could barely look at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Voss told me they were clinical-trial patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you believed him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI chose to.\u201d<\/p>\n
The distinction mattered.<\/p>\n
Too late.<\/p>\n
But it mattered.<\/p>\n
Bell\u2019s radio crackled.<\/p>\n
Teams were approaching Facility 19.<\/p>\n
Then my phone rang again.<\/p>\n
Nathan.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Sophie?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPut her on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gunfire sounded through the phone.<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s happening?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthStar found us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie screamed somewhere behind him.<\/p>\n
Daniel grabbed my shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cNathan!\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice came back strained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lower laboratory.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel kept emergency materials here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat materials?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe original vectors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another gunshot.<\/p>\n
Then Nathan said the words that changed everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire, Voss isn\u2019t trying to kidnap Sophie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is he doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s trying to erase her.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call went dead.<\/p>\n
I ran. Bell kept pace. Two agents followed. The elevator took too long, so we used the stairs. Six flights. I barely felt them. Daniel was standing outside Sophie's room … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12274"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12322,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12274\/revisions\/12322"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}