The Rescue of Rhea Dunn

Bawer keeps her rifle trained along the service lane, but does not touch the garage door. Beneath the peeling evacuation notice, fresh drag marks cross the dust toward the threshold.

The dark security camera hangs motionless above them. No voices, footsteps, or radio signals come from within the garage, while the lane behind Rhea remains empty.

Bawer glances toward Rhea without lowering her weapon. The silence gives them a narrow moment to question her before the garage, the lane, or the waiting unit demands movement.

Rhea examines the garage door first, tracing the fresh drag marks to the threshold and checking the lock, hinges, and frame for disturbed metal or forced entry.

The lock appears intact, but dust crumbles from the lower seal when Rhea leans closer. A faint scrape inside the jamb shifts the door by a fraction.

Rhea turns to the security camera and studies its housing. The lens is clouded with grime, and its mounting screws show fresh bright scratches.

The inspection fails to reveal whether the camera works. However, the loosened housing exposes a narrow cable conduit running down the wall toward a side utility panel.

Rhea turns to cover the empty service lane while Cpl. Bawer crosses to the side utility panel, keeping low beneath the camera’s blind angle.

Cpl. Bawer works a flat tool beneath the corroded cover. The panel resists, then snaps open suddenly, dragging a cable loose from its fitting.

A tiny red indicator appears behind the clouded lens. The panel hangs open with exposed wiring, but its cutoff switch is sealed behind a second locked compartment.

Rhea settles beneath the camera’s blind angle and keeps their weapon trained along the empty service lane. Dust hangs undisturbed around the garage entrance.

Cpl. Bawer stays low beside the open utility panel, shielding the exposed wiring with her body while studying the sealed compartment.

The red camera indicator remains steady, but nothing answers from inside the garage. The service lane stays empty, and no alarm follows the brief power shift.

Rhea raises two fingers, then curls them toward the garage, giving Grant the agreed signal to approach from the service lane. Their weapon remains trained downrange.

A moment later, Grant appears between the loading signs, moving in a crouch with his rifle ready. He reaches Rhea and Cpl. Bawer without disturbing the quiet.

Grant studies the fresh drag marks and the intact lock, then crouches beside the door without touching it. The camera’s red indicator stays fixed above him.

Grant raises one hand, and the three Marines freeze around the threshold. From inside the garage comes a faint scrape, followed by the careful movement of something heavy.

A muffled voice answers from beyond the sealed door, too low to identify. The words blur through metal, but the tone is strained and unmistakably human.

Silence follows. Then three quick knocks strike the door from within, pause, and repeat. The drag marks end at the threshold, confirming that someone inside moved or was brought there.

Rhea’s voice carries through the steel door and into the silent garage. The live camera catches the exchange, its red indicator steady above the threshold.

Grant lowers his rifle several inches. Bawer keeps watch on the lane, while the three knocks come again, slower now and deliberate.

The cost becomes clear as a distant alarm chirps from the camera housing, broadcasting their voices into the garage network. Still, contact is established, and Rhea Dunn has answered.