Chapter 7 - The Hidden Payload
“Daddy, my chest feels heavy,” Daniel whispered, burying his face deeper into my shoulder.
The adrenaline was fading, leaving my son vulnerable to the lingering effects of whatever chemical agent or medical trigger had caused him to stop breathing in the first place.
“Dr. Levin,” I called out sharply as the physician hurried down the hall, flanked by two armed security operatives. “We need a secure transport out of here immediately. This hospital is compromised.”
Dr. Levin looked terrified, glancing down at the unconscious mercenary before meeting my eyes. “Colonel, we can’t just discharge him! His respiratory system collapsed once today. We don't even know what triggered it—his blood panels showed traces of an uncommon synthetic compound, not a natural allergy—”
I froze. Synthetic compound.
“Repeat that, Doctor.”
“It wasn't a peanut or pollen allergy,” Dr. Levin said, swallowing hard. “The lab work from his admission came back just before the attack. There was an aerosolized peptide in his system. It was designed to induce acute respiratory failure.”
My blood turned to ice. Someone hadn't tried to kidnap a sick child. Someone had poisoned him.
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And when the poison failed to kill him quickly enough, they sent a cleanup crew to finish the job inside the hospital.
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