The two-thousand-four-hundred-hertz fire distress alarm pierced through the ceiling of Nurse Station 4B.
Above the central counter, a red revolving emergency beacon bathed the oak walls in rhythmic flashes of crimson light.
The IBM synchronous wall clock clicked forward with a loud, metallic strike: 02:09:15 AM.
Four minutes and forty-five seconds remained before the Audit Minute.
“Tallow pulled the emergency fire lever inside Alcove Thirteen,” Elena Rostova shouted over the blaring siren. “He triggered Room Four-Fourteen’s Chief Fire Marshal override!”
“Listen to the frequency,” Julian Vance said, his eyes fixed on the ceiling speaker. “Two thousand four hundred hertz square wave. In nineteen-seventy-four, that was the master evacuation code for Ward Four-B.”
“Under Red Rule R-Three, an Attending Physician has mandatory legal clearance to enter any adjacent room to stage an emergency evacuation!” Elena yelled. “If Room Four-Fourteen’s fire alarm rings without an orderly response, Tallow can kick down Clara’s door at zero-two-fourteen!”
“He wants us to run to Room Four-Fourteen to check the alarm,” Julian replied, his voice calm and focused. “If we run to Four-Fourteen, we leave Station Four-B unmanned. If we stay here, he claims Clara’s bed under emergency salvage rights.”
