Chapter 11 - THE NIGHT THE HOSPITAL WENT DARKThe hospital went dark at 2:17 a.m.
Emergency generators came on.
But the ICU remained without power.
The machines stopped.
Nurses shouted.
Doctors ran.
James grabbed Anna.
“Where is Oliver?”
She turned.
The nursery doors were open.
The bed was empty.
Anna screamed.
“No!”
Dr. Vell ran inside.
The oxygen monitor was disconnected.
The blanket lay on the floor.
Oliver was gone.
James felt something inside him break.
“Lock the hospital.”
Security rushed in.
Doors were sealed.
Elevators stopped.
Cameras were checked.
But there was no footage.
Someone had disabled the system.
Then Eli appeared.
He stood in the corridor.
His face was pale.
“Where is Oliver?”
James grabbed him.
“Did you see anything?”
Eli looked toward the stairs.
“A man.”
“What man?”
“Gray hair.”
“Cross?”
Eli nodded.
“Where did he go?”
Eli pointed.
“Down.”
Dr. Vell looked toward the basement.
The hospital had old service tunnels.
James ran.
Anna followed.
Eli followed them.
They descended.
The basement was dark.
A single door stood open.
Inside was an old maintenance tunnel.
They ran.
At the end, they found a discarded blanket.
And a small black bird symbol painted on the wall.
James nearly collapsed.
“He took my son.”
Eli touched the symbol.
Then froze.
“I know this.”
“What?”
“This is where they took Lily.”
James stared.
The tunnel connected to an old building outside the hospital.
A building that had once belonged to the Cross Institute.
The police were called.
But James did not wait.
He ran into the darkness.
Inside the building, they heard a baby crying.
Anna screamed:
“Oliver!”
They followed the sound.
The crying stopped.
Then a man's voice spoke.
“James.”
Adrian Cross.
James turned.
“Give me my son.”
Cross stood in the doorway.
Oliver was in his arms.
The baby was alive.
But there was a small device attached to his neck.
James felt rage.
“What did you do?”
Cross smiled.
“Nothing permanent.”
Dr. Vell stepped forward.
“Put the child down.”
Cross looked at him.
“You should have stayed out of this.”
“You experimented on children.”
“I studied them.”
“You killed them.”
Cross's expression hardened.
“Some discoveries require sacrifice.”
James moved forward.
Cross raised the device.
“Another step and I activate it.”
Anna screamed.
“Don't!”
Cross looked at her.
“You remember now.”
Anna froze.
“What?”
“You remember the contract.”
James looked at her.
Cross smiled.
“She agreed.”
Anna shook her head.
“I was deceived.”
“You signed.”
“You manipulated me.”
“You wanted your child to survive.”
Cross looked at James.
“And you wanted to save your family.”
James stared.
Cross said:
“Your father understood.”
James felt cold.
“My father?”
Cross smiled.
“He knew exactly what Project Lantern was.”
May you like
Then he looked at Oliver.
“And now your son is ready.”
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