Chapter 6 — Zero
404 Words
The plunger slid down—
—until the needle tip touched the port.
Evelyn froze. Her thumb held steady, no liquid moving. From the camera’s angle, it looked done.
She counted three seconds in her head, then pulled the syringe free. “It’s in,” she said aloud, her voice flat.
The speaker was silent for a moment, then the male voice returned, satisfied. “Good girl. Now wait for the change.”
Evelyn kept her face neutral, hiding the fact that the syringe’s contents were still inside.
In D Level, Blackwell caught the flicker on the feed—no pressure on the plunger, no air bubble in the line. He almost smiled. She’s not that easy to train.
The man in the suit noticed his look. “Something amusing, Doctor?”
“Yeah,” Blackwell said. “You’re betting against the wrong Hart.”
In the ICU, the monitors stayed steady. No spike, no crash.
The voice came back, sharp now. “Report vitals.”
Evelyn stepped aside so they could see the screen through the camera. “Holding at ninety-three.”
Silence. Then, “Interesting. We’ll be in touch.”
The yellow-striped door clicked, unlocking.
She didn’t move. “You first,” she told the empty room.
D Level, Door 17’s feed shut off. The gray suits exchanged a glance.
“Looks like your little patient isn’t responding as expected,” Blackwell said.
The first man’s tone cooled. “It’s not over.”
“It is for today.” Blackwell turned toward the elevator. “Unless you want to explain to your boss why I walk out of here and into the police wing with your faces on record.”
Neither man stopped him. But their eyes promised it wouldn’t be that easy next time.
In the ICU, Evelyn tucked the syringe into her pocket and returned to her father’s side. His breathing hadn’t changed; the same fragile, steady rhythm held.
She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.
Blackwell appeared in the doorway a minute later, scanning her before the patient. His eyes narrowed at the sight of her empty hands.
“They think you injected it,” he said quietly.
“They think wrong.”
His mouth twitched—approval, maybe. “Good. Now we make them think twice before sending Step Four.”
Her phone buzzed again. Just three words: Next time, no games.
- Writer
