Chapter 13 - FORTY-THREE REASONS TO FIGHTLucie had never felt so divided.
Her brother lay bleeding in her arms.
Dr. Voss was escaping with the knowledge needed to rebuild her criminal network.
And forty-three people were still trapped behind reinforced doors.
For one terrible moment, Lucie wanted to forget everyone else.
She wanted to hold Julien.
She wanted to call for help.
She wanted the world to stop demanding courage from her.
But Julien's hand tightened around hers.
"Go."
She shook her head.
"No."
"Lucie."
"Don't ask me."
His eyes filled.
"Remember what Mom said."
Lucie began crying.
"Julien—"
"Justice means they get to go home."
She closed her eyes.
Then she made the hardest decision of her life.
She turned toward Valois.
"Get him medical help."
Valois nodded.
"I won't leave him."
Lucie looked at Mara.
"Stay with them."
Mara touched her wounded shoulder.
"I will."
Lucie stood.
Her legs felt weak.
But she moved toward the control station.
The display showed the medical ward's emergency locks.
Julien's preservation program had protected the evidence.
Now she needed to release the patients.
The system required two separate authorizations.
One from the facility administrator.
One from the medical director.
Lucie looked toward Bellamy.
He was conscious.
Barely.
She approached the stretcher.
"Antoine."
He opened his eyes.
His breathing was shallow.
"Elise?"
Lucie's heart tightened.
"No. It's Lucie."
His expression changed.
"Your mother..."
"She tried to stop you."
Bellamy closed his eyes.
"I know."
"Then help me finish what she started."
He looked toward the monitor.
The faces of the trapped patients filled the screen.
Madeleine.
Samuel.
Forty-one others.
Bellamy stared at them.
For years, he had treated them as numbers.
Now, for the first time, he seemed to see their faces.
"What do you need?" he whispered.
"Your authorization."
He nodded weakly.
Lucie guided his hand to the biometric reader.
The system accepted it.
ADMINISTRATOR AUTHORIZATION CONFIRMED.
One remained.
Medical director.
Voss.
Lucie stared at the screen.
Voss was gone.
Then Mara spoke.
"There's another way."
Lucie turned.
"What?"
"The original medical director never transferred her authority."
"Who?"
Mara looked toward the old research records.
"Claire Serrano."
Lucie froze.
"My mother?"
"She was registered as a medical records administrator with emergency oversight authority during the original program. The system was built on the old database."
Lucie looked at the pendant.
Her mother's memory card.
Julien had said it contained everything.
Perhaps it contained more than a recording.
She inserted the card into the terminal.
A directory opened.
One file was labeled:
CLAIRE_SERRANO_AUTHORIZATION
Lucie's hands trembled.
She opened it.
A recorded message appeared.
Her mother's voice filled the room.
"If this emergency authorization is being used, then the people responsible have failed to protect the patients."
Lucie covered her mouth.
Claire continued.
"I authorize the release of all individuals held without lawful medical or judicial authority."
The computer processed the recording.
A green message appeared.
EMERGENCY RELEASE APPROVED.
Lucie stared.
Then every lock in the medical ward clicked open.
The steel shutters rose.
For a moment, the patients didn't move.
They seemed afraid to believe what they were seeing.
Then Samuel stepped forward.
"Are we allowed to leave?"
Lucie looked at him.
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Really."
Madeleine began crying.
One by one, the patients walked into the corridor.
Some held hands.
Some leaned against one another.
Some were too frightened to speak.
Lucie helped an elderly man into a wheelchair.
She wrapped a blanket around a young woman who was shaking.
She watched Samuel turn toward the open doorway and stare at the world beyond it.
"Is my mother alive?" he asked.
Lucie knelt beside him.
"Yes."
His eyes widened.
"Does she know I'm here?"
Lucie smiled through her tears.
"She's coming for you."
Samuel began sobbing.
Lucie embraced him.
For the first time that day, she felt something stronger than fear.
Hope.
Then the communication device crackled.
Inspector Laurent's voice.
"Lucie, we're entering the facility."
"The patients are free."
A sob came through the line.
"Samuel?"
"He's here."
"Thank God."
But Laurent's next words changed everything.
"Lucie, listen carefully. Voss has reached the outer perimeter."
Lucie looked toward the security monitor.
A black vehicle was speeding toward the main gate.
Laurent continued.
May you like
"SHE HAS A HOSTAGE. AND THE HOSTAGE IS YOUR BROTHER'S DOCTOR."
End of Chapter 13 — Cliffhanger: Voss attempts to escape using a hostage, threatening the only medical professional currently treating Julien.
