Chapter 4 - The Threat in the Night
At 2:00 AM, the lights of the Whitmore Burn Recovery Wing flickered as a team of federal investigators, accompanied by Dr. Hale and Claire’s legal team, walked through the glass doors.
The private research lab at the end of the hall was locked behind a heavy biometric scanner. But Dr. Hale didn't try to bypass the code. He stepped back as a federal agent used a hydraulic breach tool to pop the lock, the metal groaning before the door swung open.
Inside, the lab was pristine, smelling of ozone and harsh chemicals. Rows of refrigerated glass cases held vials of the milky-white Dermacur-B compound.
"Look at the serial numbers, Dr. Hale," one of the agents said, pointing to the digital log on a central terminal. "They aren't distributing this to standard clinics. These orders are marked for private plastic surgery centers across Europe and South America. They were selling an unapproved, highly dangerous skin-regeneration serum to wealthy clients for millions of dollars, completely tax-free."
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Dr. Hale walked over to a secure filing cabinet, pulling out a stack of physical documents that hadn't been uploaded to the network. His eyes scanned the pages, his jaw tightening.
"Claire wasn't just going to find a financial discrepancy," Ethan said, his voice tight. "She already found it. Look at this—three weeks ago, right before the attack, Claire filed an internal audit request regarding the raw chemical imports. Margaret knew that if the audit went through, the entire operation would be exposed."
