Arriving at the private hospital, the van entered through a hidden entrance. The building looked unassuming from the outside—a vacant office complex in an industrial zone, its windows tinted dark, surrounded by an unremarkable perimeter fence.
The driver punched a code into a small keypad disguised as an electrical box. A section of wall silently slid aside, revealing a ramp that descended underground.
"Get medical on standby," the team leader barked into his comm. "Two patients, one critical, one unconscious."
The van drove down the ramp into a brightly lit receiving bay. Unlike the abandoned appearance above, the facility below was state-of-the-art—polished floors, gleaming equipment, staff in crisp uniforms.
Gates was already waiting, his normally composed face tight with tension.
"Status?" he demanded as the doors opened.
"The girl's alive but unstable. The boy is unconscious but appears uninjured," the leader reported.
