The Cage by Ethan Cross Read Free Book Online Page A

and called for attention. His men gathered around, and he tried to bring order to the chaos. “Okay, guys, we’ve got no time here and no room for mistakes. Johnson,” he said, pointing to a thin black man, “I want you to organize all of the orderlies and hospital staff on duty and have them help cover the exits and evacuate the residents into the cafeteria. All of the windows are barred and secured, so it’s unlikely that Ackerman will try to get through any of those. Clear out the armory and distribute a shotgun to everyone in this room. Give Tasers to all the hospital staff. Take Ramirez and Haskins with you.”
    Johnson nodded and headed for the door. David snapped his head toward a big man with glasses. “Banks, get on those monitors and find him.”
    “Yes, sir. He must be avoiding the cameras, but we’ll track him down.”
    “Good. Get on it.” David then turned to his second-in-command and the last of his available men. “Ferris, get on the phone to all of the local law enforcement agencies and have them send support and seal off the surrounding areas. We may not be able to contain him within the hospital, so we’re going to need air support and trackers to follow him through the woods. Tell them—”
    “We’re going to handle this in house, Mr. McNamara.”
    David’s head swiveled toward the new voice, and he saw Kendrick standing in the doorway. His boss wore a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Kendrick had never married and lived in a luxurious cottage on the edge of the hospital’s property, a perk of his position. David suspected that someone woke him the moment the alarm had sounded. “Sir, with all due respect, we are not equipped to handle this situation. We need to bring in someone who is.”
    Kendrick’s eyes burrowed into him. “It’s your job to be prepared for this, Mr. McNamara. You assured me that your security measures could hold anyone.”
    He thought of Jennifer but didn’t want to get into the details with Kendrick. “That doesn’t matter now, sir. He’s out of the secure wing, and the rest of the hospital is barely minimum security. There’s no way that we can contain a man like Ackerman. The situation is out of our control.”
    The rest of the men in the room had ceased their activities and were watching the confrontation. Kendrick’s jaw clenched, and he motioned for David to step into the hallway. Once in the hall, the doctor slammed the door and wheeled on David, a manicured finger jabbing into the soldier’s chest. “You listen up. I’m in charge here. This is my hospital, and I won’t let your incompetence ruin everything I’ve worked for. This could destroy me and set my research back a de-cade in the clinical trials. It’s the ammunition that my opponents need to shut me down, and I’m not about to let that happen. We’ll handle this matter internally.”
    David couldn’t comprehend what he was hearing, and he knew that more innocent people’s lives de-pended upon his actions. He batted Kendrick’s finger away and pushed closer to the much smaller doctor. “One good man has already lost his life. I won’t risk anyone else getting hurt.”
    “The loss of your man is tragic, but my research has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives. We can’t let some minor setback halt such important—”
    David lashed out and grabbed Kendrick by the shirt. He lifted the doctor from the floor and slammed him into the wall. “His name was Bert!” he screamed. “He was my friend, not some ‘minor setback.’”
    Kendrick’s eyes flashed with fear for a brief moment, but then they melted into rage. He pushed David away and said, “I’m in charge here. If you don’t want to follow orders, then I’ll find someone who will. Do I make myself clear?”
    David’s limbs trembled with impotent rage. He wanted to beat Kendrick into a bloody mess, but he had no choice other than to follow orders. He could serve his men better in the field than locked