Chapter 410:
Two guards snapped to attention as he approached. One stepped forward. “Mr. Boyd, is something wrong?”
“Is the donor still inside?” Ronan’s voice was like steel drawn from its sheath.
“Yes, sir. We’ve been here the whole time.”
“Then open it.”
They hesitated but followed orders. The moment the door swung open, all three froze. The bed was empty.
Ronan stared for a breath. Then rage tore through him. “This is what you call guarding the room?” He didn’t wait for an answer. His boot landed square in the guard’s ribs. Then he turned and shouted, “Find Marsha! I want her here, now!”
While all this unfolded, Marsha had been in the operating room prepping for the procedure on the children. She heard Rylie’s voice through the speakers and knew Ronan would piece everything together. He’d figure out he’d been tricked. And when he did, she’d be first on his list.
Around her, confusion buzzed among the guards. They hadn’t figured out what was happening. She didn’t wait. Slipping past them, she sprinted the moment the coast was clear.
Marsha ducked into a nearby room, cramming herself inside a supply closet just as pounding footsteps echoed down the corridor. Voices shouted her name like it was already carved on a gravestone.
“Where the hell is Marsha?! Mr. Boyd wants her — she brought the enemy on board! This whole thing’s a setup!”
“She needs to be caught! Dead or alive!”
Huddled inside the closet, Marsha clutched her mouth with both hands. Her whole body shook. She never should’ve trusted Rylie. If Rylie didn’t make it out alive, then she wouldn’t either.
Tears spilled from her eyes as panic took over.
gαℓησν𝒆𝓁s․com is your fiction sanctuary
Back outside, Ronan got the news that Marsha had vanished too. That was it. He snapped. He punched the wall hard and grabbed the radio. His voice came out hoarse and wild. “Find them! They couldn’t have vanished into thin air! Get them — I want them both dead!”
A swarm of armed men charged toward the stairs like they’d gone mad. The iron door at the top groaned and rattled as they rammed into it, fists slamming with everything they had.
Inside the control room, Rylie stayed calm. She tapped a few keys, pulling up the ship’s full structural map from the computer. Her eyes darted across the display, soaking up the data with rapid precision. She memorized everything in a snap — the cargo bays, kitchen layout, cold storage, access tunnels, and the maze-like vents weaving through the ship.
“Let’s play hide and seek.” Her tone sounded sweet, but her smile didn’t match. It was cold and sharp. She shut off the main lights, letting the control room fade into a low glow from the monitors. Then she flicked the internal broadcast on, opening every line of communication across the ship. The mic was live.
At that exact moment, a crowbar cracked the lock open. The first enforcer charged in, followed by a noisy rush of boots. Unexpectedly, they found that the control room was empty. Nothing but two corpses and the flickering hum of machinery.
.
.
.