Chapter 6 - Fire and Glass
The spark ignited the oxygen-saturated atmosphere in an instant.
A roaring blue fireball exploded through the storage room, the blast wave expanding with violent force. The wooden door blew outward off its hinges, taking the tactical operative with it in a shower of splintered oak, fire, and pressurized force.
The lead X-ray shield held, protecting Maya and Lily from the primary blast, but the roaring sound left Maya’s ears ringing with a sharp, high-pitched hum.
Smoke filled the room, black and toxic, setting off the ceiling sprinklers. Cold water rained down in heavy sheets, drenching Maya and Lily as they scrambled out from behind the barrier.
Through the burning doorway, Maya saw the mercenary lying on his back in the hallway, his tactical vest scorched, unconscious or dead. His submachine gun lay five feet away on the wet tile floor.
Maya didn't hesitate. She grabbed the weapon—a silenced MP5—despite the heat radiating from its receiver, and hauled Lily over the smoking debris into the main corridor.
The hospital's alarm system was screaming now, red emergency lights flashing rhythmically against the wet walls, painting the scene in a gory, pulsating crimson.
"Come on!" Maya yelled over the blare of the sirens, pulling Lily toward the stairwell doors.
They burst through the heavy fire doors into the concrete stairwell. But instead of heading down toward the lobby—where Eleanor’s remaining security detail would undoubtedly be waiting—Maya began pulling Lily up, toward the roof.
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"Why are we going up?" Lily sobbed, her legs shaking as she forced herself to climb the concrete steps.
"Because the ground belongs to them," Maya said, her eyes dark with fierce determination as she racked the bolt of the submachine gun. "We need to get to the comms relay on the roof."
