Chapter 18
Chapter 18: The Escape from Sector 4
The alarms were deafening as we raced through the underground tunnels. Gunshots echoed from the far end of the hallway—the security team was already engaging with Dr. Aris’s sympathizers within the facility.
"This way!" Aris yelled, leading us down a narrow ventilation access corridor that led toward the facility's water treatment plant. "The main exits are completely sealed, but the drainage system empties into the river outside the perimeter fence."
We sprinted past massive tanks of churning water, the sound roaring in our ears. The irony wasn't lost on me—water had been the weapon Mark used to trap my daughter, and now, water was the only way out.
"Stop right there!" a voice boomed from the catwalk above.
Two tactical guards lowered their weapons toward us. Before they could fire, Dr. Aris lunged toward the main pressure control valve on the wall, throwing his entire weight against the lever.
A massive blast of super-heated steam erupted from a burst pipe directly between us and the guards, blinding them and filling the room with a white wall of heat.
"Go! Jump into the drainage chute!" Aris screamed through the roar of the steam. "I'll hold the valve!"
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Ellen didn't hesitate. Holding Sophie tightly against her chest, she threw herself into the rushing black water of the overflow chute. I looked back at Aris for a split second, saw him get tackled to the ground by the guards, and then I jumped in after them.
The freezing, turbulent water swallowed me whole, dragging me down into a dark, roaring tunnel that threw me violently left and right before spitting me out into the pouring rain of the river outside.
