Chapter 9 - The Roof Collapses
""Down!"" Clara screamed, instinctively tackling Elena to the concrete floor.
A suppressed bullet struck the hood of the hatchback with a dull thwack, shattering the laptop screen into a spiderweb of dead pixels and smoking circuitry. The echo of the shot was completely swallowed by the ambient hum of the parking garage ventilation. From the concrete pillars near the entrance ramp, three figures moved in fluid tactical formation, wearing ballistic vests and carrying suppressed submachine guns.
Elena rolled onto her stomach, drawing a compact automatic pistol from her holster and firing two rapid shots toward the advancing figures. One of the men grunted and collapsed behind a concrete pillar, but the remaining two laid down a steady, suppressing fire that ricocheted violently off the silver sedan.
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""They tracked the flatbed!"" Elena yelled over the gunfire. ""They're using street-level surveillance cameras! Crawl toward the service stairs, go!""
Clara crawled on her elbows and knees across the oily concrete, glass shards biting into her palms. The flash drive was burning a hole in her pocket. She reached the heavy fire door of the stairwell, kicking it open with her heel. Elena fired one last shot, threw an empty magazine aside, and scrambled through the door right behind her. Clara slammed the door shut and wedged an abandoned iron rebar through the push-bar handles, barricading it temporarily. From the other side, heavy boots slammed against the steel, buckling the door frame with terrifying force.
