All Chapters of Blackout Protocol : Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
63 chapters
Chapter Twenty
The medical team arrived twelve minutes later. Two paramedics who looked like they'd been pulled from sleep, carrying equipment cases and moving with practiced efficiency through the bunker's cramped space.Sarah watched them work on Whitmore's shoulder first. The bullet had passed through clean; no bone damage, no arterial bleeding, but it still needed cleaning and proper bandaging. Whitmore sat silent through the procedure, staring at nothing, barely reacting when they irrigated the wound."Detective?" The younger paramedic waved a hand in front of Whitmore's face. "Can you hear me? Are you experiencing any dizziness? Nausea?""I'm fine," Whitmore said flatly."You were just shot.""I've been shot before. Afghanistan. Took a round in the leg during a patrol in Kandahar." Whitmore's voice was mechanical, reciting facts without emotion. "This is nothing."The paramedic exchanged a glance with his partner. They'd been briefed on the situation; programmed cops, activation attempts, the
Chapter Twenty-One
The armored transport was a windowless box on wheels. Marcus sat in the back with Sarah, the jammer secured between them, watching the four subjects across the narrow aisle. Ellis and Agent Torres rode up front with the driver.Nobody spoke. The only sound was the engine's steady rumble and the occasional crackle of the radio as Ellis communicated with his teams.Whitmore stared at the floor, good hand pressing against his wounded shoulder. Park kept her eyes closed, head tilted back against the metal wall. Williams and Sergeant Torres sat rigidly, like soldiers at attention, though neither seemed fully present.Marcus understood that distance. That need to retreat somewhere inside yourself when the outside world became too much. He'd done it himself in Afghanistan, after particularly bad missions. After seeing things that couldn't be unseen.The transport hit a pothole. The jammer shifted, and Marcus's hand shot out to steady it. His shoulder screamed in protest, the wound from the b
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sarah's hand stayed near her weapon, every instinct screaming to draw and fire. But Marcus had said to trust him. And despite everything, she did.Devereaux stepped into the transport, moving with casual confidence. He wore civilian clothes; dark slacks, pressed shirt, no badge, but carried himself like he was still in command."Detective Kane. Detective Chen." His voice was cordial. "And my four missing officers. I've been worried about you all.""Bullshit," Park said. "You tried to kill us.""I tried to protect you. There's a difference." Devereaux's gaze moved to the deactivated jammer. "Clever device. Where did you acquire it?"Marcus said nothing. Just stared at Devereaux with cold calculation."Agent Ellis," Devereaux called toward the cab. "Step out of the vehicle. Slowly. Hands visible.""Captain, I'm operating under federal authority…""These are my officers. My jurisdiction." Devereaux gestured to the state troopers behind him. "Step out. Or they'll extract you."Ellis appea
Chapter Twenty-Three
The hunting cabin sat thirty miles outside of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, accessible only by a dirt road that hadn't seen maintenance in years. Marcus directed Ellis through the darkness, memory guiding them past overgrown markers and forgotten turnoffs. "There," he pointed to a gap between two massive pines. "That's the access road." The transport lurched by Ellis turned onto what could barely be called a road. More like two tire ruts separated by weeds and saplings. Branches scraped against the metal sides, creating an unsettling screech. "You sure about this place?" Sarah asked, gripping the wall as they bounced over a pothole. "My uncle bought it in the seventies. Hunting retreat. He died eight years ago, left it to my dad, who never came up here. Property taxes got paid automatically from the estate account, but otherwise it's been abandoned." Marcus watched the darkness slide past. "Nobody knows it exists except family. And most of them have forgotten." "Most?" Park asked f
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sarah woke to the smell of woodsmoke and coffee. For a moment, disoriented in the pre-dawn darkness, she didn't remember where she was. Then the events of the past days came flooding back; the bunker, Devereaux, the escape.She sat up on the bunk, bones aching from the thin mattress. Across the cabin, Marcus sat by the wood stove, feeding logs into the fire. His face was drawn, exhausted, but his eyes were alert."Morning," she said quietly, not wanting to wake the others."Morning. Coffee?" He gestured to a battered pot heating on the stove."God, yes." Sarah climbed down, wrapped a blanket around her shoulders against the cold, and accepted the chipped mug he offered. The coffee was instant, weak, but hot. "How long have you been up?""Never went to sleep. Couldn't." Marcus poked at the fire, sending sparks spiraling up the chimney. "Been thinking about what Ellis said. About needing leverage.""And?""I want to try something. With Whitmore. See if we can access those memories he me
Chapter Twenty-five
"The USB drive," Marcus prompted. "What did it do?"Whitmore's eyes remained closed, his face pale and tense. "It copied files. Automatically. I didn't control it…just plugged it in and watched the progress bar fill. Two minutes. Then I pulled it out, put it in my pocket, and left.""Where did you take it?""I don't remember leaving the apartment. Next thing I knew, I was home again. The hour was over. The drive was gone." Whitmore's breathing accelerated. "But I could feel it. The weight of it in my pocket during the drive. Like a ghost memory."Marcus leaned forward. "Think about that drive, James. Focus on it. Did you see any markings? Labels? Anything that indicated where it came from?"Whitmore's brow furrowed deeper. "No markings. Black plastic. Generic. But there was something... a serial number. Etched into the casing. Small. I noticed it when I plugged it in.""What was the number?""I can't... it's fuzzy. Like looking through water." Whitmore's hands gripped the chair arms.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The planning took three hours. They spread maps across the cabin's table; topographical surveys Ellis had in the transport, highway maps, satellite imagery on Sarah's phone when they could get sporadic signal."We need urban," Ellis said, tracing routes with his finger. "Enough population that Vance can't just carpet bomb us. Witnesses. Media. People who'll see what happens.""But not so populated we endanger civilians," Sarah countered. "If subjects activate in a crowd…""Then we control the crowd. Limit who's present." Marcus leaned over the map, studying Chicago's layout. "Somewhere with multiple exit routes. High ground for observation. Contained enough to monitor."Park stood near the wood stove, arms crossed. "You're talking about using us as weapons. Again.""No," Marcus looked up. "We're talking about using you as allies. People with unique abilities who choose to fight back.""Abilities." Park's laugh was bitter. "You mean programming. Mind control. The thing that makes us ki
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Marcus woke to shouting. His body jerked upright, ribs screaming in protest, and he was on his feet before he fully registered where he was.The cabin. Wisconsin. Safety.Except it didn't sound safe.Through the window, he saw Ellis and Agent Torres running from the transport, weapons drawn. Behind them, headlights cut through the dusk; two vehicles closing fast on the access road."We've got company!" Ellis burst through the door. "State police. Maybe worse. They followed us from town.""How?" Sarah was already moving, grabbing the jammer. "You said you were careful.""We were. But someone tagged the transport. Probably at the checkpoint." Torres moved to the window, assessing the approaching vehicles. "We've got maybe ninety seconds before they're on us."Marcus's mind raced through options. Fight? but they were outgunned and the subjects were unstable. Run? but where? The forest was dense, dark, and they had wounded. Hide? impossible in a structure this small."We split up," he sai
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The ranger station materialized through the trees like a mirage. Small, wooden, snow dusting the sloped roof. The door hung slightly ajar, padlock broken, probably by teenagers or hunters seeking shelter.Sarah pushed inside first, weapon drawn, clearing the single room. Empty. Just a desk, some chairs, a metal cabinet, and a wood stove in the corner."Clear," she called softly.The others filed in, dripping creek water onto the plank floor. Everyone was shaking violently now, lips purple, movements sluggish. Hypothermia was progressing faster than Sarah had feared."Wood stove," Marcus managed through chattering teeth. "Need fire. Now."Torres moved to the metal cabinet, forcing it open. Inside: emergency supplies. Blankets. First aid kit. And mercifully, a stack of dry firewood and matches sealed in a waterproof container."God bless the Forest Service," Torres muttered, pulling out the supplies.Within minutes, she had a fire going. Small at first, then building as the wood caught.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Park's weight pressed against Marcus's injured ribs with every step. Pain shot through his chest, sharp and immediate, but he didn't slow. Behind them, the helicopter's rotors grew louder, a mechanical thunder cutting through the forest."Marcus, there!" Sarah pointed to a rocky outcrop ahead, barely visible through the trees. "Overhang. Might hide us from aerial."They pushed toward it, legs burning, lungs screaming. The outcrop formed a shallow cave, barely deep enough for three people but surrounded by dense evergreen branches that might obscure them from above.Marcus slid Park inside, then crawled in after her. Sarah followed, pressing tight against the cold stone. Through gaps in the branches, they watched the helicopter pass overhead; dark silhouette against the lightening sky.It circled once. Twice. Then moved north, toward the ranger station."They're going to find the others," Sarah whispered."Ellis knows what he's doing. He'll keep them moving." Marcus checked Park's puls