Chapter 8
Gas Lines and Ghosts
INT. CHICAGO WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
The Chicago PD Intelligence Unit stormed into the dilapidated warehouse, weapons drawn. The air hung thick with the smell of decay and fear.
"Police! Freeze!" Voight yelled, his voice booming.
The warehouse was filled with makeshift living quarters, rows of cots, and huddled figures. Panic erupted as the team moved through the space, identifying and separating the victims from the traffickers.
"Clear!" Halstead shouted, sweeping through a darkened corner.
Lindsay discovered a hidden passageway behind a stack of crates, leading to an underground tunnel.
"Voight, we've got a gas line," she said urgently. "They're moving kids through the city's utility tunnels."
INT. NEW YORK CITY SUBWAY TUNNEL - NIGHT
Robyn McCall, The Equalizer, moved silently through the labyrinthine subway tunnels beneath New York. Her sources had pinpointed a transfer point for trafficked individuals being moved through the city.
She found a group of children huddled in a dark alcove, guarded by armed men. Without a word, McCall engaged, her movements swift and lethal. Within seconds, the guards were disarmed and restrained.
"You're safe now," McCall said to the children, her voice calm and reassuring. "I'm here to help you."
INT. BRENNAN'S LAB – JEFFERSONIAN INSTITUTE – DAY
Dr. Brennan examined the remains of a young woman discovered near the Chicago warehouse. Her team meticulously documented every detail, searching for clues that could help unravel The Eye's operation.
"There are traces of a synthetic opioid in her system," Hodgins announced. "Combined with a neurotoxin that suppresses memory and cognitive function."
Brennan nodded. "They're using a cocktail of drugs to control the victims and erase their identities."
Saroyan added, "And the barcode tattoo… It's not just a mark. It's a digital key—linked to a database containing the victims' personal information and psychological profiles."
INT. SVU SQUAD ROOM – NIGHT
Olivia gathered the team, the pieces of the puzzle coming into sharper focus.
"Voight's team shut down a trafficking operation in Chicago, and McCall rescued a group of children from the subway tunnels," she said. "But this is just the tip of the iceberg. The Eye's network is vast, and their reach is global."
Reid stepped forward, holding a decoded message. "I've identified a key location—a remote facility in upstate New York. It's where they're conducting the mind control experiments and erasing the victims' identities."
Olivia's eyes hardened. "Then that's where we're going."
End of Chapter 8