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Home / Mystery/Thriller / Blackout Protocol / Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Five
Author: Rhoodie Writes
last update2025-12-17 19:51:28

Sarah made it back to the library at 5:03 PM.

Park was still in the same spot. Still in the chair at the study carrel. But she'd moved on to a different book. Something thick. History, from the looks of it.

She looked up when Sarah approached. Relief washed over her face.

"You're back."

"Said I would be." Sarah sat down in the other chair. Her legs ached from the walking. From the reconnaissance. From everything.

"And?"

"And it looks clear. No obvious surveillance. No cops stationed outside. Just normal tourist traffic."

"That's good, right?"

"Maybe. Or maybe they're just better at hiding than I am at spotting."

Park set down her book. "You think it's a trap."

"I think we need to be prepared for it to be a trap." Sarah pulled out the atlas. Opened it to the downtown area. "But I also think we don't have a choice. This is the meet point. This is where Marcus said to be. So we'll be there."

"At midnight."

"At midnight."

Park looked at the clock on the wall. 5:04 PM. "That's seven hours
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  • Chapter Forty-Seven

    7:43 PM.Sarah returned to the carrel. Park was awake now. Alert. She'd moved the chairs so they were both facing the same direction. Both could see the aisle. Both could see anyone approaching.Smart."Anything?" Park asked."No. Just walked. Thought." Sarah sat down. "How are you feeling?""Nervous. Tired. Scared." Park's hands were in her lap. Fingers interlaced. Knuckles white. "The usual.""That's normal.""Is it? Does it ever get easier? The fear?"Sarah thought about that. About all the operations she'd been on. All the times she'd gone into danger knowing she might not come out."No," she said honestly. "It doesn't get easier. You just get better at functioning through it.""That's not reassuring.""You asked for honesty."Park almost smiled. Almost.7:51 PM.The library was quieter now. Most of the daytime crowd had left. Just the evening people remained. Students grinding through papers. People with nowhere else to go. The homeless using the space for warmth and safety.Sara

  • Chapter Forty-Six

    The coffee shop was warm. Almost too warm after the chill outside.Marcus sat at the window table, nursing his second cup of coffee. It had gone cold twenty minutes ago but he kept holding it anyway. Gave him something to do with his hands. Made him look like he belonged here.Torres was across from him. Staring at his phone. Not turned on; they'd agreed no phones, just turning it over and over in his hands. Nervous habit."You're going to wear a hole in that thing," Marcus said quietly.Torres set the phone down. "Sorry. Just... waiting is harder than moving.""Always is."Through the window, Marcus watched Willis Tower. Watched the people coming and going. Tourists mostly. Families finishing their day at the Skydeck. Couples taking evening photos.Normal activity. Nothing suspicious.But normal could be deceiving.6:51 PM.A waitress came by. Young. College age. Tired smile. "You guys want anything else? More coffee?"Marcus shook his head. "We're good. Thank you."She left the chec

  • Chapter Forty-Five

    Sarah made it back to the library at 5:03 PM.Park was still in the same spot. Still in the chair at the study carrel. But she'd moved on to a different book. Something thick. History, from the looks of it.She looked up when Sarah approached. Relief washed over her face."You're back.""Said I would be." Sarah sat down in the other chair. Her legs ached from the walking. From the reconnaissance. From everything."And?""And it looks clear. No obvious surveillance. No cops stationed outside. Just normal tourist traffic.""That's good, right?""Maybe. Or maybe they're just better at hiding than I am at spotting."Park set down her book. "You think it's a trap.""I think we need to be prepared for it to be a trap." Sarah pulled out the atlas. Opened it to the downtown area. "But I also think we don't have a choice. This is the meet point. This is where Marcus said to be. So we'll be there.""At midnight.""At midnight."Park looked at the clock on the wall. 5:04 PM. "That's seven hours

  • Chapter Forty-Four

    Marcus woke to the sound of sirens.His hand was on his weapon before his eyes were fully open. Instinct. Muscle memory from too many years in combat zones.The sirens were distant. Moving away, not toward them. Just an ambulance or fire truck. Nothing to do with him.He relaxed. Marginally.Torres was still asleep on the bench beside him. Mouth open. Snoring softly. Dead to the world.Marcus checked his watch. 4:47 PM.He'd slept for almost six hours. Hadn't meant to. Had only meant to rest his eyes for a few minutes while Torres took over watch. But exhaustion had won.Sloppy. Dangerous.He looked around the park. Late afternoon now. The light was different. Golden. The sun low in the sky. More people than there had been this morning. Kids on the playground. A couple throwing a frisbee. An old man feeding pigeons.No one paying attention to two men sleeping on a bench.Good.Marcus stood. His back screamed in protest. Sleeping sitting up was never comfortable. Sleeping on a park ben

  • Chapter Forty-Three

    Union Station was massive.Sarah stood just inside the entrance, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of it. Vaulted ceilings that stretched up into shadows. Marble columns thick as tree trunks. The great hall filled with hundreds of people moving in every direction.Travelers. Commuters. Tourists. All of them with somewhere to be.Sarah and Park were just two more faces in the crowd.Good. That's what they needed."Stay close," Sarah said quietly. "We move through. Don't stop. Don't make eye contact."Park nodded. She looked small in the vast space. Overwhelmed.They started walking. Across the great hall. Past the ticket counters. Past the coffee shops and newsstands. Heading for the Adams Street exit.Sarah kept her head down but her eyes up. Scanning constantly. Looking for threats. For police. For anyone paying too much attention.There were cops. She saw at least three. But they weren't looking at her. Just standing at their posts. Bored. Going through the motions.Still, Sarah's hear

  • Chapter Forty-Two

    Platform two was open-air. Just a concrete slab with a metal awning that provided minimal shelter from the wind.Sarah stood near the edge, watching the street. Park was beside her, hands shoved deep in her pockets. Neither of them spoke.The wind coming off the lake was cold. Bitter. It cut through Sarah's jacket like the fabric wasn't even there. She was already shivering.How long had they been standing here? Ten minutes? Fifteen?The digital display above the platform said the next Chicago bus would arrive at 1:30 PM. Sarah checked the time on a clock mounted to the station building. 1:18 PM.Twelve more minutes.She could last twelve more minutes.Around them, other passengers waited. A handful of people. Most looked like they'd been traveling for days. Worn clothes. Tired eyes. The kind of people who took buses because they had no other choice.Sarah and Park fit right in.A man in a heavy coat stood near the trash can, smoking. The smoke drifted over, acrid and stale. Sarah fou

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