Chapter 9 - The Hangar Confrontation
The sharp echo of Dileia’s voice ricocheted off the corrugated steel walls of the hangar, freezing the men on the floor below.
Sterling spun around, his eyes locking onto the upper catwalk. For a split second, a flicker of genuine surprise crossed his features, quickly replaced by a cold, calculating smile.
“Well, well,” Sterling said, not even raising his voice. “The flight attendant and her medical sidekick. You really should have stayed in the terminal, Ms. Sutter. Charleston is a very dangerous city for tourists.”
Leo’s head snapped upward, his eyes widening in horror as he spotted his sister standing on the metal platform. “Dileia! Get out of here! It’s a trap—they wanted us both here!”
“Too late for warnings, engineer,” one of the corporate thugs growled, stepping away from the desk and reaching inside his jacket for a firearm.
I didn't wait for them to clear the threshold of the office. I grabbed the heavy steel wrench Dileia had reached for, swung my leg over the catwalk railing, and dropped eight feet straight onto the corrugated roof of the office trailer below with a thunderous bang.
The element of surprise was our only advantage. I rolled off the slanted metal roof, hitting the concrete floor in a hard slide that carried me directly into the legs of the armed thug. He went down hard, his weapon skittering across the oil-stained floorboards as I drove my elbow into his chest.
“Alden!” Dileia screamed from above.
I looked up just as the second guard drew his weapon, aiming straight at the catwalk where Dileia was descending the metal stairs to reach her brother.
“Don't!” I shouted, lunging forward and kicking a heavy toolbox directly into his path. The metal box collided with his shins, sending him crashing backward into a stack of spare hydraulic pumps.
Across the room, Sterling didn't panic. He didn't run. He simply stood by the desk, calmly picking up his coffee cup and taking a slow sip as he watched the chaos unfold.
“You’re remarkably persistent, Doctor Mercer,” Sterling said, his voice cutting cleanly through the noise of the ventilation fans. “Too bad persistence doesn't rewrite corporate liability laws.”
I scrambled to my feet, panting, and kicked the second guard’s weapon across the concrete out of reach. I turned my attention to the zip-ties binding Leo to the chair, pulling a small pocketknife from my jacket and slicing through the heavy plastic with frantic efficiency.
Leo slumped forward, coughing violently, his wrists raw and bleeding. Dileia dropped to her knees beside him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she wept tears of overwhelming relief.
“Are you okay?” she choked out, her hands trembling as she checked his face. “Leo, talk to me.”
“I’m... I’m okay,” he gasped, wincing as he moved his bruised shoulder. He looked past her, fixing his bloodshot eyes on Sterling, who was still standing by the desk like an uninvited guest at a funeral. “He has the master server key, Dileia. The physical drive with the unedited telemetry data isn't on the network... it’s in his breast pocket.”
Sterling smiled thinly, sliding his hand into his coat. “You’re welcome to try and take it, engineer. But before you do, you might want to look at the tablet your sister brought with her.”
Dileia frowned, picking up the corporate tablet that had fallen onto the concrete during the scuffle. The screen had lit up with an automated synchronization alert from the Roper Hospital network.
“What is that?” I asked, stepping between Sterling and the siblings.
Dileia stared down at the screen, her face draining of all remaining color as she read the incoming priority bulletin from the intensive care unit.
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“Arthur Pendelton,” she whispered, her voice trembling so violently she could barely form the words. “He didn't survive the power grid failure at the hospital. He flatlined ten minutes ago. And according to the coroner’s preliminary toxicology report... it wasn't a natural coronary arrest.”
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