William did not hesitate, rushing over to Ryan, who was gaping, his hands on top of his head. He lifted the boy off the table, finding that the divide in the water around Jane had splintered off and was reaching towards them. When the split got close enough, William practically threw Ryan between the parting waters and then jumped into the clearing as well.

They rushed to catch up to Jane, who was now out in the hallway, the water almost up to her neck but cascading around her.

“Holy Moses,” Ryan whispered, looking back and forth at the water rushing around them.

The water parted for them to approach the door to the stairwell and William flashed the badge. Jane led them through and up the first flight of stairs, finally reaching a point where the water was beneath them but rising every moment.

“Jane—” William said, reaching for her as they climbed.

“This is not me. This is not me. I want it out of me. I want it out.”

He took her hand. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You’ll freeze if we don’t get out of here now.”

She snatched her hand away, hurrying up the stairs and away from him.

In the nearby parking deck, the security team for Congressman Flip Smith waited to die.

The two men, fiercely devoted to the politician, did not like the fact that he had entered the building with the smart-ass tech billionaire before they could sweep it, but Flip insisted it was a safe government facility.

They also didn’t approve when he directed them to discreetly wait for him in what appeared to be an empty and practically abandoned old parking garage across the street. “I’ll call you when I’m ready,” he’d said.

So they’d come here, parking on the second level. Their position gave them a view of the protests. They’d watched with some amusement when a hell of a storm had blown in, scattering the crazies like leaves. Not long after, the wind and rain had picked up to such an alarming degree, they saw street signs starting to blow off their poles. Even their car had rocked a little, and they were thankful for the concrete around them.

The rain had started to come down with such force they could barely make out the people and soldiers rushing from the building and heading into a warehouse across the street, which obviously doubled as private parking. Seeing that, they’d opened the car doors to go and find the congressman, only to be practically blown off the deck. When they saw the top of a funnel hovering over the Potomac on the other side of the building, survival instinct kicked in.