Chapter 7 - The Road to North Bend
By 3:30 a.m., the storm had pushed inland toward the Cascade Mountains.
Claire had managed to hotwire an old farm truck parked behind an auto repair shop three blocks from the warehouse roof—a rust-bucket Ford pickup that smelled like diesel and wet hay. It wasn't fast, but it had no digital GPS tracking, no smart systems, and no connection to any rental database Graham Holloway could buy.
They were driving east on Interstate 90, heading toward the dark, jagged peaks of North Bend.
Mia sat in the middle seat, her head resting against Claire’s shoulder. She was exhausted, her small frame shivering despite the truck's blast of warm air from the dashboard heater.
Claire kept one hand on the steering wheel and reached out with her other hand to sign discreetly in the dim dashboard light.
How are you holding up?
Mia lifted her head, her face pale but resolute. I’m okay. Where are we going?
The file contained a GPS tag for the Holloway Bio-Tech facility, Claire signed. It’s hidden inside a private timber reserve near Rattlesnake Ridge. Mark managed to broadcast the encrypted folder to three major news outlets before they took his servers offline.
Mia’s eyes lit up. The media has it?
They have the encrypted container, Claire explained carefully. But the decryption master-key is on the laptop in your lap. The news stations won't publish the story until the key is released and verified. If we can get your mother out alive, she can unlock it publicly. It will shatter your father’s company in twenty-four hours.
Mia looked out the side window at the towering, dark silhouettes of the pine trees lining the highway.
Why did you help me, Claire? Mia signed suddenly, looking into Claire’s eyes. You don't know me. You lost your job tonight. You put your life in danger. Why?
Claire felt a warm, painful tightening in her chest. She remembered her own childhood—growing up with a Deaf younger cousin whom the school district had tried to force into segregated, non-signing classrooms, treating her as if she were intellectually disabled simply because she couldn't hear. She remembered the rage she had felt watching authority figures dismiss a brilliant child’s mind.
Because language isn't a gift granted by powerful men, Claire signed softly, her fingers moving with quiet grace. It is your birthright. No one has the right to make you invisible, Mia. Not even your father.
Mia’s lip trembled. She reached out and hugged Claire tightly around the waist, burying her face in Claire’s damp coat. Claire rested her chin on the girl’s head, keeping her eyes fixed on the dark road ahead.
They exited the highway at North Bend, turning onto a winding, unpaved logging road that snaked deep into the dense rainforest.
The trees grew tall and thick, blocking out even the dim moonlight.
After three miles of bouncing over rutted dirt, the trees cleared, revealing a high chain-link fence topped with razor wire. Beyond the fence sat a sleek, low-slung modern building made of dark concrete and smoked glass, nestled invisibly into the side of the mountain.
No company signs. No logos. Just a heavily guarded security checkpoint with a concrete gatehouse and automated floodlights.
We’re here, Claire signed, pulling the truck into the shadows of a thick pine grove fifty yards from the fence line.
Mia looked at the high-tech facility, her jaw setting into a hard line. How do we get inside?
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Claire reached under the truck seat and pulled out a heavy pair of wire cutters she had found in the glove box.
We don't go through the gate, Claire signed with a small, dangerous smile. We go through the mountain.
