Chapter 8 - The Flatline Protocol
""No, no, no—stay with me!"" Ethan screamed, dropping to the floor beside Claire and ripping open the medical monitor's casing with his bare hands. Sparks flew as he crossed two live wires, trying to manually jump-start the infant's failing cellular regeneration cycle. Ryan stood guard over them, aiming his pistol into the dark tunnel ahead, his heart hammering against his ribs. ""Is he...?"" Ryan started, unable to finish the sentence. ""He's fading,"" Claire sobbed, pressing her ear against the tiny chest. ""The genetic markers are rejecting the stabilization serum."" Ethan's eyes widened in desperation; he grabbed a small vial from his jacket pocket—the very thing he had been trying to administer back in the salon before the police barged in. Without hesitation, he pressed the injector against the baby's tiny leg and pushed the plunger. For three agonizing seconds, nothing happened. The flatline sound continued, echoing endlessly in the confined space. Then, with a sudden, violent gasp, the newborn inhaled, a loud, piercing cry breaking the silence of the tunnel as the monitor flickered back to life with a steady green pulse.
