by N M Tatum
Reggie groaned as he stood. “We’ve got a name, a way to find them, and a way to kill them. That’s more than we usually have.”
“I suppose this is the part where we finish the job?” Joel said.
Reggie nodded as he adjusted the straps on his gloves. “How long until you can start scanning for the shielded containers?”
Cody didn’t look up. A rush of heat hit his cheeks. He hadn’t even started making the adjustments—he was too busy researching the Lophius. He’d gotten sidetracked.
He minimized the research paper and raised the cloned security system.
“Two minutes.”
Chapter Thirteen
Five minutes later…
Joel was on his back again, feeling the full force of a Lophius slap to the face. They’d busted into the next shielded shipping container, just a few rows over, after dispatching the Rapoo and ShimVen watchdogs.
They went in like newbies, thinking that because they’d killed a few and had a little more info, it would be easy. Reggie popped the door and Joel tossed in a grenade. Unfortunately, all the grenade did was break open the crate housing the Lophius. Its flames didn’t reach the creatures, only set them free.
So when the Notches opened the container again, expecting to see it full of dead slugs, they were instead attacked by very alive and very angry Lophius. Joel didn’t see the creature that bit him, but he felt the pain that shot from his knee up his spine. When he looked down, a wriggling Lophius was still attached to his leg, its teeth dug in deep. With his eyes focused downward, he didn’t see the second Lophius rocketing straight at his face.
It smacked into him with the same wet slapping sound that had made him crack up earlier. It wasn’t so funny anymore. The force and surprise knocked him backward. He couldn’t tell if he’d lost consciousness when he slammed into the floor, or if he just couldn’t see through the slippery mass of Lophius.
Reggie snatched the Lophius off Joel’s face and slapped it to the ground. Just then, something occurred to him. Fire cooks the Lophius, making them more solid and susceptible to physical attack. He didn’t have any fire, but he did have electricity. If he couldn’t roast them, he’d give them a shock and see if that had any effect.
Reggie tweaked the settings on his gloves, tuning them down to a focused release of energy. He tapped his knuckles to the Lophius. The energy buzzed out of his gloves and ran through the squishy creature. The Lophius shrieked. Its gelatinous body twitched and hardened. Reggie punched it again, and the Lophius popped.
With his new tactic, Reggie was able to dispatch most of the Lophius with ease. Now, with some solid tactics and a further understanding of the Lophius, the Notches moved through the storehouse, eradicating the infestation.
Six shipping containers filled with ShimVens, Rapoo, and Lophius had been sent to the storehouse. The Notches had been notified and were able to eliminate the Lophius before they’d fully evolved into whatever horrid creature they were meant to be. The team pushed the thought of facing an even more dangerous pest out of their heads.
For now, they were victorious. Another job completed.
And, for Cody, the opportunity to go through the storehouse security system and shipping manifests for more proof was cause to celebrate. He needed to know if this was a targeted attack and get closer to determining the identity of the person behind it.
The team cleaned up the site and loaded the gear onto the ship as Cody downloaded the data from the security system. He was glad he’d decided to download it now and read it later. It might have been awkward to have still been scanning through sensitive Jasob information when the site director arrived unexpectedly.
He didn’t look like the sort of person who was entertained by intruders or rule-breakers or…well, he didn’t seem like the sort of person who was entertained by much at all. He wore a permanent scowl that was partially obscured by his bushy mustache. His black, pinstriped suit clung to his large body in a way that caused Cody to doubt that the man could move in it. Somehow, though, the director managed.
His ship landed less than an hour after Reggie contacted him to say the storehouse was clear. Cody thought he had way more time. The download was only partially complete. He muted his wristcom, fearful the lights and sounds would attract Director Dewayne’s attention.
Reggie called them all together to greet Dewayne as the stuffy man disembarked from his ship.
Dewayne stood at the bottom of his ship’s ramp, his hands folded behind him. His head swept from side to side, scanning the area with a look of surprised approval.
“Well done,” he commended.
“Wasn’t easy,” Joel said, his brusque tone drawing a sharp look from Reggie.
“But we met the challenge with patented IPC gusto and determination,” Reggie said, hoping to smooth Joel’s effect.
But neither Joel nor Reggie seemed to have much effect on Dewayne at all. The director walked past them with a steady gait, marching straight for Cody. He stopped and clicked his heels together, standing like he was a military officer and Cody was his recruit.
“Someone has accessed privileged Jasob files.” Dewayne looked down at Cody without lowering his head.
His eyes were dark, and they cast that darkness over Cody like they had the power to produce storm clouds. After swallowing Cody in darkness, his eyes wandered down to the wristcom. Then they drifted back to Cody’s face.
Cody squirmed under the weight of Dewayne’s glare. “Yeah, so, funny story. I…it was an accident?”
A low grumble built in Dewayne’s chest. “I don’t appreciate being lied to.”
Cody winced, expecting the man to wrap his meaty hands around his head and squeeze until it popped like a grape.
But Dewayne’s stormy stare broke. “Fortunately, I had planned on sharing that information with you anyway.”
Cody’s mouth fell open. He didn’t speak, waiting for Dewayne to start making sense and tell him that he was going to spend the next five years in prison for corporate espionage.
When that didn’t happen, Cody finally said, “What?”
“I researched you a great deal before hiring you for this job,” Dewayne said. “After your work on Jasob’s station, I dug extensively into your company’s work history, which is limited. But the few jobs you have taken are of great interest to me. They seem to exhibit certain similarities.”
The trepidation in Cody’s muscles eased and seeped out of his body. He sensed that he and Dewayne shared a belief about those certain similarities.
“Layton?” he guessed.
Dewayne nodded. He almost smiled, but Cody got the impression that Dewayne rarely smiled.
“Let’s talk inside.” Dewayne walked past the Notches, into the storehouse.
The team exchanged looks, all of them seeming unsure. Cody, though, looked excited.
The director’s office, though attached with a lofty title, was little more than utilitarian. A simple wooden desk sat at the far end of the room, facing in. There were two black, cloth-covered chairs in front of the desk. A small, round table sat between the chairs and held a lamp that could have come from any department store.
Dewayne gestured for them to sit. Cody did so without hesitation. The others looked at each other, silently deciding amongst themselves who got the chair. Reggie won. He wasn’t going to allow Joel to take the lead. Sam leaned against the back wall.
Dewayne leaned back in his chair, the springs of it squealing under his weight. He folded his hands across his belly. “So, tell me what you know.”
Reggie squirmed. “Well, not much, really. Just ideas and theories and, quite frankly—”
“Layton is targeting Jasob,” Cody said. “And other major competitors.”
Dewayne nodded and let out a deep sigh. “That’s what I thought. In researching your past jobs, I noticed a pattern. The infestations. And Layton had yet to experience one. Though, it’s just a working theory.”
“That’s all we have, too,” Sam said.
“Cody’s put together a pretty solid picture, but we haven’t been able to locate any concrete proof.”
Sam’s acknowledgment that he’d been the one to recognize the pattern and develop a theory made Cody blush. “I know that Layton cargo has been present at every one of the infestation sites. All of the sites have been Layton competitors. And the creatures at each site had been created with some very sophisticated genetic engineering. Someone with a lot of resources had to have been behind it. And there’s something else to it. Something I can’t quite explain. A feeling, really, that this is all personal.”
Dewayne leaned further back in his chair and drummed on his belly with his fingers. He seemed to be adding all that data to his own database and recalculating his working theory.
“Anything you can add?” Sam said.
Dewayne looked off into the distance, his dark eyes growing even darker. “After what happened to our space station, Jasob was on the brink of total collapse. This storehouse is our last asset. All our high-value inventory is kept here, as well as proprietary technology that has yet to hit the market. Items that could put us back on the map. Being so crucial to Jasob’s survival, the location of this storehouse has been kept strictly confidential. Staff sign nondisclosure agreements and are subjected to the most intense scrutiny before they are allowed to work here. Some of Jasob’s top executives don’t even know where this site is. Current staff communications are monitored to ensure the location is not leaked.”
“Current staff,” Sam said. “What about former staff?”
That triggered something in Dewayne’s memory. A shortlist of names ran through his head. Cody watched as he ticked through them, and as one set off an alarm.
“There may be one,” Dewayne said. “One of Jasob’s founders. A brilliant chemist and geneticist. This company would not be what it is without her. But there was a falling out between her and her partner. I don’t know the details. Company mythology. But, as the story goes, it was ugly. She’s now the CEO and head scientist at Layton. Her name is Dr. Suzz.”
Cody's eyes widened. “Dr. Elizabeth Suzz? She’s the author of the research paper I found on the Lophius. She has to be the person.”
Dewayne shook his head. “I don’t know. I knew Dr. Suzz. Not as well as some, mind you, but well enough. She doesn’t strike me as the sort of person who could do something like this.”
“If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck,” Joel said. “It may be an evil scientist trying to bury you under a mountain of genetically modified monsters.”
Dewayne wasn’t amused. “All the circumstantial evidence in the galaxy will never convince me that Dr. Suzz is behind this, but if you can find solid evidence, I will concede the fact.”
Sam pushed herself off the back wall and walked to Dewayne’s desk. “You seem to have some idea of how we might do that.”
Dewayne shifted uneasily in his chair, its springs protesting underneath him. “I might know a place to start. There’s a pharmaceutical conference this weekend. It’s the biggest of the year, one of the most important industry events. All the big companies will be there. If this is about removing the competition, then I can’t think of a better time to do it. All of Layton’s competition will be there. And if this is about revenge, well, the same goes.”
“You want us to go to a pharmaceutical conference?” Joel said. “Snore. And we’re exterminators. What possible reason would we have to attend a pharmaceutical conference?”
“You wouldn’t attend as exterminators,” Dewayne said. “You’d attend as Jasob employees. Something low-level, a position that wouldn’t draw any attention.”
“Like an intern?” Cody’s voice was heavy with gloating.
“Exactly,” Dewayne said. “Interns attend these things all the time, and no one gives them a second look. You’d blend in with the crowd. You’d be on hand in case something happens, and you’d be able to gather information while there. Maybe learn something that could end all this.”
Reggie waved his hand. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Mr. Dewayne, but we’re exterminators. This sounds like a job for private security or the police or something. Not us.”
Cody deflated. He felt the opportunity to dig into this conspiracy slipping away.
“You’re perfect for this,” Dewayne said. “Alerting the authorities will tip our hand. The perpetrator will know that we’re onto them. With you, we have the element of surprise.
And you are already apprised of the situation. You’ve seen the infestations firsthand.” He looked at Cody. “You have a sense of the problem, of the kind of person who is behind it. I can think of no better people for this.”
Joel puffed out his chest, it inflating along with his head. “Well, when you put it like that. We are pretty amazing.”
“Makes sense to me,” Sam said.
Reggie sank in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. “How would we even bill for something like this?”
Dewayne sat forward, digging his elbows into his desk. “Handsomely.”
Cody looked like a child who had just been told he was going to Disneyland. He spun in his chair, eyes, and mouth wide with disbelief, looking at each of the team for confirmation. “Are we really doing this?”
Reggie rose from his chair, doubting. He paced the room, deep in debate with himself. He’d never set out to take on vast corporate conspiracies. He’d never wanted to go undercover and expose villainous masterminds. He just wanted to build something that was his own, a life that he could live on his terms. This was not that.
But he couldn’t ignore it. The person responsible for these infestations had caused death and untold destruction. And there was no sign that it would stop. If he had the ability to help stop it, then he had the obligation to do so.
“What do we wear to a pharmaceutical conference?”
Chapter Fourteen
The team had suffered through a lot since starting this job. Constant threat of death. Always being covered in guts of one kind or another. But this was the next level.
Cody tugged at his collar, fighting it like it was trying to strangle him. “How do people wear these things? This tie is cutting off my oxygen. I feel lightheaded.”
Millie slapped him playfully on the back of the head. “Stop fussing. You boys look great.”
“Don’t I know it.” Joel adjusted his tie as he admired himself in the mirror. “I haven’t worn a suit since prom. I can’t believe I’ve been depriving the galaxy of this for so long.”
Millie slapped Joel less playfully.
Reggie fumbled with his cufflinks. “Isn’t this a little overkill? I mean, this is a conference, not one of your galas. And we’re just supposed to be interns.”
Millie swatted Reggie’s hand away and affixed his cufflinks. “You cannot overdress for such an occasion. CEOs. Executives. Board of Directors. The richest and most powerful people in the system will be in attendance. You cannot walk in looking like…well, you. You are interns aspiring to join the ranks of elite companies.” She brushed Reggie’s shoulders off and smiled at him in the mirror. “If I know anything, it’s that you must dress the part.”
“Thanks for doing this, Millie,” Reggie said. “This stuff must cost a fortune.”
“A pittance compared to how much you saved me when you saved Malibu.” Millie stepped back and waved her arms, looking like she was a farmer walking behind a flock of chickens, herding them into their coop. She lined the guys up to get a good look at them. She looked like a proud mom about to send her boys off on their first boy/girl dance. “Well, aren’t y’all something?”
Cody couldn’t stop pulling at his collar. He wore a straightforward navy-blue suit with a white shirt and black tie.
Reggie looked equally as uncomfortable. He stood straight as a pole in his brown suit, unsure what to do with his hands. He fingered the end of his jacket, wanting to move it so he could shove his hands in his pockets, but stuck with the feeling that he should leave it be.
&n
bsp; Joel felt like James Bond. He swept one side of his black suit jacket back and showed off his slick leather belt. He shot Millie with his finger-gun, even daring to wink. “Hello there. Name’s Eric. Eric von Titmouse. Billionaire CEO and all-around marvelous person. Would you like to see my chalet?”
“Do you even know what a chalet is?” Cody said.
Joel shrugged. “Some kind of cup or something? Doesn’t matter. I look fantastic.” He straightened his coat. “Now, what will Peppy be wearing?”
Millie stared at him with a blank face. “What is a Peppy?”
“My dog. The one who saved this station? He was pretty covered in rat blood the last time you saw him, but he cleans up nice.”
Millie shook her head. “I do not dress up dogs.”
Joel looked to Cody and Reggie for support. Cody was too distracted fighting off his necktie. Reggie shrugged, not wanting to get involved.
“Oh, come on,” Joel said. “Peppy is part of the team. If we go on a job, he comes with us. We would have been totally fucked before if not for him.”
Reggie winced at the profanity.
“You know I’m right,” Joel said to Reggie. He knew he needed Reggie on board if this was going to happen. Millie seemed to like him and his polite way. She didn’t like Joel at all.
Reggie’s chin dug into his chest. He didn’t want to wear a suit. He didn’t want to go undercover and pretend to be someone else. Now he needed to convince someone to dress the dog up so he could come too?
He looked at Millie with puppy dog eyes. “Is there anything you can do?”
She tried to remain stone-faced, but after a second of Reggie’s sappy face, she cracked. “I’ll see what I can do. Fetch the beast.”
Joel ran off like an excited child.
“While he’s off doing that,” Millie said. “I’ll check on the other member of your troupe.”
