"Agent, threatening a civilian is a severe violation of your conduct."
"I swear to you, the person inside is a legitimate patient, not your hostage."
"You are making a massive mistake."
Julian Grant had been explicitly clear: the patient currently under the knife was backed by untouchable elites. Under no circumstances was the surgery to be interrupted. Failure was not an option.
"We have to breach!" Dane looked at Silas, demanding authorization.
"If we don't break those doors down right now, Claire is dead."
But...
Silas hesitated for a fraction of a second. The idea that Claire was inside was still just a highly probable theory. If they breached the room and disrupted a legitimate surgery on a high-profile VIP, the political fallout would be apocalyptic.
Silas didn't care about his own career, but Dane was a civilian CEO...
"Do it. I will personally take the fall for any consequences!"
With Dane making the absolute guarantee, Silas knew he couldn't risk Claire's face being mutilated.
Silas turned his gun back to the department head. "Open the damn doors! Do you have any idea what the penalty for treason is? Because if those operatives are in there, you are going away for life!"
The department head's face went completely white. "That's impossible, Dr. Grant would never..."
"Shut your mouth and open the doors! If you won't do it, I'll have the fire department cut through the steel!"
Dane silenced the man with a vicious glare, while Silas already had his radio to his mouth, calling for heavy breaching tools.
Seeing Silas calling for the fire department, the department head's facade finally shattered. He lunged forward with terrifying speed, aiming a lethal strike directly at Silas's throat.
Dane had been watching the man's every twitch. The moment he moved, Dane intercepted.
Dane grabbed the man's extended arm and twisted violently.
The department head vaulted backward to escape the lock, his face twisting into a mask of pure malice.
He drew a suppressed pistol from his coat and fired point-blank at Silas.
The man wasn't a doctor; he was a Syndicate assassin. His standing orders were to execute anyone attempting to breach the OR.
At the sound of the gunshot, two nearby 'nurses' suddenly drew weapons and opened fire on the SSD agents securing the corridor.
Silas barely managed to throw himself out of the bullet's path, the suppressed round grazing his cheek close enough to draw blood.
Ignoring the gunfire, Silas screamed into his radio for the heavy breachers.
Simultaneously, Dane delivered a devastating roundhouse kick, knocking the pistol out of the assassin's hand.
Disarmed, the assassin engaged Dane in brutal, close-quarters combat.
The man was a highly trained killer, matching Dane blow for blow.
Meanwhile, the operatives in the hallway had fully ignited their
contingency plan. The screechal
fire alarms suddenly tore through the building.
They had set the floor on fire!
To ensure their extraction, the Syndicate was willing to burn the hospital to the ground!
In the midst of an active firefight, the SSD now had to deal with a blazing inferno.
The entire hospital was on federal
lockdown, but with the fire rapidly spreading, hundreds of civilians and medical staff needed immediate evacuation. FindNovel.net
The tactical situation had just devolved into an absolute nightmare.
The department head was incredibly lethal, clearly a top-tier enforcer for the Syndicate.
Though Dane hadn't engaged in black-ops combat in years, his muscle memory was flawless. He didn't yield an inch.
Silas abandoned any pretense of a fair fight. He didn't care about honor; he cared about winning.
He flanked the assassin, throwing devastating strikes while trying to grapple the man to the floor.
He needed the man alive to bypass the biometric lock on the doors.
Working in flawless tandem, Dane and Silas overwhelmed the assassin, finally driving him into the tiles and dislocating his shoulders
"Open the door!"
Dane's eyes were bloodshot, whether from the smoke filling the corridor or sheer, unadulterated rage, it was impossible to tell.
He had no idea if the surgery had already started, or how far they had gotten.
The thought of his fiancée's beautiful face being carved open by these butchers made Dane want to slaughter everyone in the building.