Chapter Five - The List Behind the Backup Door

Sophie looked at him, then at Elliot, then gave the smallest possible nod. Elliot moved. The moment the branch shut, the manifold gave a low, resonant thrum. The cooling coil in level two finally stabilized. The temperature stopped rising, then crawled back by a fraction. Not enough. But enough to matter. The banging at the outside door got louder. Then came a scream from the medical room. Mara was already running before anyone else moved. Elliot followed and rounded the corner in time to see a child on the floor, lips blue, an adult trying to pour water into his mouth and spilling most of it onto the concrete. It was not just heat stroke. It was heat exhaustion and sodium imbalance together, and the boy was slipping out of consciousness.