Chapter 7 — THE BREACH
At the Naval Medical Center, the storm outside had finally passed, leaving behind a thick, suffocating fog that blanketed the base.
Inside the VIP secure wing, Rachel was awake, sitting in a rocking chair by the reinforced window. She was holding Lucy in her lap, gently rocking the sleeping child. The rhythmic motion was the only thing keeping the trauma of the night at bay. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Ethan's face, felt his hands shoving her toward the furniture, and heard the shattering of crystal.
“Your father can’t save you.”
She tightened her arms around her daughter, feeling the reassuring kick of her unborn baby against her side.
Outside the door, the two Navy SEALs stood at absolute attention. Petty Officer Miller and Chief Evans were seasoned veterans. They had secured compounds in hostile territories across the globe. Guarding a hospital wing in domestic territory was supposed to be a standard detail.
Down the hallway, the elevator doors chimed open.
A doctor in a white lab coat, carrying a clipboard and a stethoscope draped around his neck, stepped out. He walked with purpose, his face obscured slightly by the brim of a surgical cap and a blue medical mask.
"Halt," Chief Evans commanded, stepping directly into the center of the hallway and raising his hand. His right hand instinctively hovered near his holstered sidearm. "This floor is restricted. State your business."
The doctor stopped ten feet away. "I'm Dr. Aris. Cardiology. I was paged to check the fetal heart rate of the patient in room 412. Admiral Hale requested a specialist."
Miller narrowed his eyes. "We didn't get any radio chatter about a specialist."
"It was an emergency request," the doctor replied calmly, taking another step forward. "The patient's blood pressure is spiking. You can verify it with command."
Evans reached up to press his earpiece. "Command, this is Viper One. We have a Dr. Aris here claiming—"
Before Evans could finish the sentence, the doctor dropped the clipboard.
In a single, fluid motion that belied any medical training, the man produced a suppressed pistol from beneath the lab coat.
Pffft! Pffft!
Two silenced shots struck Chief Evans squarely in the chest, the kinetic force knocking the massive SEAL backward. Evans hit the wall with a heavy thud, sliding down.
Miller reacted with lightning speed. He didn't yell; he didn't freeze. He drew his weapon and fired three deafening, unsuppressed shots down the hallway.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The assassin twisted, taking a bullet to the shoulder. He cursed, returning fire as he scrambled backward toward the stairwell exit. Bullets shattered the overhead fluorescent lights, raining sparks and glass down on the linoleum.
Inside the room, Rachel screamed as the gunfire erupted. She grabbed Lucy, practically throwing herself onto the floor, dragging her daughter beneath the heavy metal frame of the hospital bed.
"Mommy!" Lucy shrieked, covering her ears.
"Shh, baby, stay down! Do not move!" Rachel ordered, pulling her body over Lucy, shielding the child with her own frame. Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs. She looked frantically around the room, her eyes locking onto the heavy IV pole.
The door to the room burst open.
Rachel grabbed the base of the metal IV pole, ready to swing.
"Rachel! It's me!" Petty Officer Miller yelled, sliding into the room, his weapon trained on the hallway. He kicked the door shut and engaged the heavy deadbolt. "Are you hit?!"
"No! We're okay!" Rachel cried out. "Where is Evans?"
"He took two to the vest. He's down but alive. The target is fleeing down the East stairwell," Miller said rapidly into his radio. "Base Command, this is Viper One! Shots fired, VIP wing compromised! Lock down the hospital! I repeat, lock down the entire grid!"
The blaring wail of the base's emergency siren instantly pierced the night, echoing across the compound. Red emergency lights began flashing in the hospital room, casting eerie shadows over Rachel and Lucy.
Rachel’s phone buzzed violently on the bedside table. She crawled over and snatched it. It was her father.
"Dad!" she gasped.
"Rachel, are you safe?" Thomas’s voice was tight with an anxiety he rarely showed.
May you like
"Yes, your guards protected us, but someone just tried to get in. There was gunfire."
"I know," Thomas said, his voice turning to ice. "Miller just locked down the floor. Reinforcements are storming the building now. Rachel, listen to me very carefully. Ethan wasn't working alone. They have a man on the inside. Trust no one but my SEALs and Frank. I am coming to you."
