阿尔达·麦克尤恩身穿护士服走进医院办公室。但阿尔达并非真正的护士——她是一名卧底警员，在医院值夜班。

过去几个月里，医院里一种含有稀有珍贵化合物的药物不断失窃。当局怀疑当地一个犯罪组织是幕后黑手，阿尔达被指派从内部展开调查。

当她安静地在办公室翻阅记录时，一个蒙面男子突然从背后抓住她，在她来不及尖叫之前就用手紧紧捂住了她的嘴。阿尔达拼命挣扎，但袭击者迅速用结实的塑料扎带将她的手腕反绑在背后。然后，他又用几条微孔泡沫胶带封住了她的嘴，让她完全无法动弹。

男子消失了几分钟，留下阿尔达独自一人。她拼命想要挣脱，但扎带勒得太紧，根本动弹不得。

不久后，医院护士米娜走进办公室，震惊地发现阿尔达被捆绑着，嘴也被堵住了，倒在地上。米娜立刻冲过去帮忙，但尽管她使尽全力，捆绑的绳子还是太紧，徒手根本解不开。没有剪刀，她也无计可施。

米娜还没来得及想出别的办法，那个蒙面入侵者又回来了。

米娜很快就被制服了，她的手腕也被同样的塑料扎带绑了起来。和阿尔达一样，她的嘴也被微孔胶带封住了，无助地被扔在阿尔达身边。

将近一个小时过去了，米娜终于设法挪动身子，靠近了一把剪刀。经过一番精疲力竭的挣扎，她剪断了捆绑的绳子，挣脱了束缚。

阿尔达满怀希望地看着米娜走过来解开她的绳子。米娜小心翼翼地撕下胶带，阿尔达立刻吐露了真相。

“我其实不是护士，”她低声说道。 “我是个卧底警察。”

令阿尔达惊讶的是，米娜的表情瞬间变了。

米娜没有放开她，反而突然捂住了阿尔达的嘴。

“小声点。”米娜轻声说道。

阿尔达困惑地看着她，米娜向她解释了真相。她一直以来都在帮助那些盗贼。她作为护士的薪水勉强糊口，当那些罪犯提出用丰厚的报酬换取情报和人脉时，她接受了。

“我别无选择。”米娜说，“但现在我知道你的真实身份了……我不能放你走。”

米娜捂住阿尔达嘴的手更用力了，阿尔达的眼睛瞪得老大。

她原本期待的营救，如今却变得更加危险。

未完待续……Alda McEwen walks into the hospital office wearing her nurse's uniform. But Alda is not really a nurse—she is a police officer working undercover on the hospital's night shift.

Over the past several months, medication containing a rare and valuable chemical compound has been disappearing from the hospital. Authorities suspect a local criminal organization is behind the thefts, and Alda has been assigned to investigate from the inside.

As she quietly searches through records in the office, a masked man suddenly grabs her from behind, clamping a hand firmly over her mouth before she can scream. Alda struggles fiercely, but the attacker quickly secures her wrists behind her back with heavy-duty plastic zip ties. He then seals her mouth with several strips of microfoam tape, leaving her completely gagged.

The man disappears for a few minutes, leaving Alda alone. She desperately tries to free herself, but the zip ties are impossibly tight.

A short time later, Mina, one of the hospital's nurses, enters the office and is shocked to find Alda bound and gagged on the floor. Mina immediately rushes to help, but despite her efforts, the restraints are too tight to remove by hand. Without scissors, she has no way of freeing Alda.

Before Mina can find another solution, the masked intruder returns.

Mina is quickly overpowered, her wrists bound with the same plastic zip ties. Like Alda, she is gagged with strips of microfoam tape and left helpless beside her.

Nearly an hour passes before Mina finally manages to maneuver herself close enough to a pair of scissors. After an exhausting struggle, she cuts through her restraints and frees herself.

Alda watches hopefully as Mina approaches to untie her. Mina carefully peels away the tape gag, and Alda immediately reveals the truth.

"I'm not really a nurse," she whispers. "I'm an undercover police officer."

To Alda's surprise, Mina's expression changes instantly.

Instead of freeing her, Mina suddenly places a hand over Alda's mouth.

"Keep your voice down," Mina says quietly.

Alda stares at her in confusion as Mina explains the truth. She has been helping the thieves all along. Her salary as a nurse barely covers her expenses, and when the criminals offered her a good share in exchange for information and access, she accepted.

"I didn't have much choice," Mina says. "But now that I know who you really are... I can't let you go."

Alda's eyes widen as Mina presses her hand more firmly over her mouth.

The rescue she had been counting on has just become something far more dangerous.

To be continued...