Page 27 of Hollow State

“Anything new?” she asked.

Kane arched a brow. "Let's do the medical assessment when we're back at the bunker, okay?"

"Sure."

Darwin wrapped an arm around Kane's waist, and the three of them took off for the employee parking lot. Unfortunately, a large crowd of patients and staff were gathered on the opposite side of the wing. A few of them stared. A couple of people waved, gesturing for the three of them to join the group.

Witnesses to three people running from the institute after an explosion. Not good.

And there was the issue of a John Doe registered at the institute that wouldn't be accounted for. It all made for a sticky situation.

They hurried across the grass toward the parking area beyond a narrow service corridor between the maintenance building and the tree line. Smoke drifted over the roof, turning the afternoon sky a dirty gray.

Darwin stayed beside Kane, one hand at his elbow.

Kane moved as fast as his body allowed. His limp grew more pronounced with every yard.

Wynn checked behind them.

Elis remained on his knees beside Prewit. For a second, her heart tore in two. She knew how close Elis and Prewit had been. Elis had looked up to his father. And Prewit adored his son. They'd do anything for each other, and they had Darwin to thank for that. And now Prewit had been taken from them long before his time.

She couldn't imagine what this was doing to Darwin. He'd saved Elis' life against all odds. He'd brought a nineteen-year-old kid back from a war zone with an injury that if it hadn't killed him, should've left him paralyzed. But Elis got to stand up, hug his parents, and tell them how much he loved them.

But he couldn't save Prewit from the same fate and give him the same opportunity.

Darwin had always downplayed his role in saving Elis. However, she knew how much it meant to Darwin to see that day. And now, he had to run like a criminal while his best friend lay on the pavement, dead, because Finch decided to turn Darwin's groundbreaking medical treatment into a horror show.

That was enough to make her want to march herself into Hyperion and end Finch with a double tap to the chest. It went against who Wynn was, but this war Finch was waging on Darwin had to end.

The first sirens separated into several distinct tones. Fire trucks. Ambulances. At least one police unit.

They were coming from the south. Exactly where Elis said they would.

Wynn rounded the corner of the maintenance building and found the employee lot.

A dozen vehicles sat in uneven rows. A bunch of sedans. Two pickup trucks. And a white utility van near the loading dock.

The silver sedan waited in the far corner.

She glanced at Kane. He was bent over, hands on both knees, sucking in deep breaths. While he was making great strides, this was too much.

“You two wait here. I'll bring the car around.” She pointed. “Keep Kane low and stay behind the maintenance building.”

"Sounds like a plan," Darwin said.

Wynn closed her hand around keys and took off. Her wet scrubs clung to her legs as she ran. Water sloshed inside one shoe.

She checked the roofline. The windows. The tree line bordering the lot. She saw nothing. It was disturbing. The last time a getaway was this easy, she’d nearly died. It happened on a mission six years ago. Different team, different dynamics. All good people. Great soldiers. But the intel was sketchy at best, and it's never good when the medic takes the first round.

She reached the sedan and slammed her back against the driver's side, knees bent, then sucked in a deep breath. She scanned the area and saw no danger. Turning, she took the keys and pressed the unlock button.

The car beeped, flashed its lights, and the side mirrors popped out. Her pulse kicked up as she opened the door and slid behind the steering wheel. She dropped the keys in the cup holder, put her foot on the brake, and reached for the ignition button.

She missed. "Shit." She shook out her hand and tried again. Thankfully, she hit her target.

Sirens wailed in the background. She was normally good at turning that sound into white noise. But right now it was all-consuming.

Squaring her shoulders, she spun the wheel, shifted into drive, and punched the accelerator, heading back to where she'd left Darwin and Kane.