by Lisa Harris
Dangerous Deceptions
Lisa Harris
Lynne Gentry
Elizabeth Goddard
Robin Patchen
Lisa Phillips
Lynnette Bonner
Jan Thompson
Luana Ehrlich
D.L. Wood
Dangerous Deceptions
Published by Pacific Lights Publishing
Copyright © 2020 by Lisa Harris, Lynne Gentry, Elizabeth Goddard, Robin Patchen, Lisa Phillips, Lynnette Bonner, Jan Thompson, Luana Ehrlich, and D.L. Wood. All rights reserved.
Cover design by Lynnette Bonner of Indie Cover Design
Images ©
Depositphotos File #: 176462258 – woman
Depositphotos File #: 11177989 – city skyline
eBook design by Lisa Harris
ISBN: 978-1-942982-14-2
Some scriptures from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
* * *
Some scripture quotations are from the public domain King James Version of the Holy Bible.
* * *
Some scripture references are from the NASB. NASB passages are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE (registered), Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
* * *
Each book in this collection is the intellectual property and copyrighted material of the respective author and/or publisher and is reprinted as a part of this collection (anthology) only once, only for a limited time, and only by permission of the owners. Pacific Lights Publishing makes absolutely no claim on, or to, the property of the owner(s) which exceeds that permission.
Contents
Lethal Outbreak by Lisa Harris and Lynne Gentry
Collision Course by Elizabeth Goddard
Glimmer In The Darkness by Robin Patchen
Expired Plot by Lisa Phillips
Ice by Lynnette Bonner
Never a Traitor by Jan Thompson
Ben in Love by Luana Ehrlich
Liar Like Her by D.L. Wood
A Note From the Authors
About D.L. Wood
Also by D.L. Wood
About Luana Ehrlich
Also by Luana Ehrlich
About Jan Thompson
Also by Jan Thompson
About Lynnette Bonner
Also by Lynnette Bonner
About Lisa Phillips
Also by Lisa Phillips
About Robin Patchen
Also By Robin Patchen
About Elizabeth Goddard
Also by Elizabeth Goddard
About Lynne Gentry
Also by Lynne Gentry
About Lisa Harris
Also by Lisa Harris
Lethal Outbreak
Agents of Mercy Book 3
By Lisa Harris and Lynne Gentry
Copyright © 2020 by Harris-Gentry Suspense
Cover design: Lisa Harris
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission from the authors.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, please, and incidents are either products of the authors’ imaginations or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
For those who daily risk their lives on the medical frontlines. . .thank you.
Chapter One
Aiden Ballinger stepped outside the makeshift laboratory and felt the frigid winter air slip its icy fingers through the fabric of his heavy coat. He’d found every movement at the high altitude exhausting, but he’d also found a sense of tranquility he hadn’t expected in the frozen tundra’s barren landscape. The roof of the world was a fitting description for the Tibetan Plateau, standing over three miles above sea level and surrounded by the spectacular peaks of the Himalayan mountain range. But the very thing that mesmerized him, also terrified him.
Because this find was different.
He sucked in a breath and felt his lungs burn. He’d checked the results from the field testing a dozen times, then checked them again. It wasn’t the first time an unknown bacteria or virus had been discovered in frozen tundra. Outbreaks like the one his Rapid Response Team had come to investigate were becoming more and more common. Industrial expansion across the globe was excavating viruses that had been buried for centuries as well as destroying the natural habitats of animals. With the ease and increase in international travel opportunities, it wouldn’t take much to turn a small, localized outbreak into a worldwide pandemic. His job was to isolate and eliminate deadly pathogens before that happened. But this time, he hadn’t been quick enough. His team had evidence, in the form of some very sick villagers, that the genetic signature of the recently uncovered virus was dangerous to humans right out of the gate. And that had him more than worried.
Aiden’s SAT phone buzzed, and he took the call from his boss, hoping for better reception than last time. “Shepherd?”
“Aiden. . .sorry it took me so long to get through. Tell me what you’ve got.”
“I sent you an encrypted email with the test results from the virus, but we need to move fast on this. We’ve recorded at least thirty-five newly infected people in the nearby village in the past forty-eight hours, and it’s not slowing down.”
“So the results are conclusive?”
“Conclusive enough that we need to do further testing in the States. We’ve been able to do an initial match between the virus we retrieved and those infected. Once verified, we’ll be able to better respond.”
“Agreed. I’m working on getting you out of there as soon as possible.”
Aiden hesitated for a moment. “I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen anything quite like this. We’re looking at a viable giant virus with the potential—as already seen—to spread rapidly—”
“We need. . .exposed . . .spell disaster. . .”
“Shepherd. . .” Aiden tried moving up a slight incline, searching for better reception. “Shepherd, you’re breaking up.”
“Check. . .get packed. . .I’ll arrange. . .”
Aiden hung up the call, frustrated. But cell reception was the least of his problems right now. They had yet to attempt to revive any of the pathogens they’d found, even though that didn’t matter at this point. Not when they had evidence pointing to the fact that the virus had already found viable host cells in humans.
Calum “Iceman” Lewis stepped out of the Quonset hut designed for arctic conditions, then pulled his hood tighter around his face. “What are you doing out here, man? It’s freezing.”
“Trying to get a better signal. Trying to clear my head.” Aiden walked back to his long-time friend and caught his gaze. “You looked at the last round of test results?”
“I did, but it’s still inconclusive. We need to study the DNA’s degradation—”
“If the virus’s DNA wasn’t viable, there wouldn’t be an outbreak.”
“Agreed, but I still think you’re jumping to conclusions.”
Aiden shook his head. “I might not be able to conclusively prove what we’ve found, but we both know that if t
here’s going to be a viral outbreak on a grand scale, it’s going to come from this exact scenario. These giant viruses have proven they can survive for long periods of time in harsh conditions. And we have evidence that it can infect humans.”
Scientists had been warning about the situation for years. Ancient bacteria, viruses, and infectious microorganisms thawing and being released. Some believed there was little threat to humans because most of these pathogens couldn’t survive indefinitely in harsh conditions or without a host. But in nature, there were always exceptions. Ebola was the perfect example of a virus that went into hiding only to emerge somewhere else unexpectedly. Up until now, there had never been any clear indication of where it had been or where it would show up again. But Ebola, like every virus, needed a place to hide between deadly outbreaks. Both bats and primates had been thought to be the place it chose, but there were still as many questions as answers.
“What do you want us to do?” Iceman’s question broke through his thoughts.
“I’m going to head back to the States with samples of the virus while you finish up here. I want to have our initial findings retested in a high-security biolab in the US. We need to know exactly what we’re dealing with.”
“Okay.”
“And Iceman. . .” Aiden turned and caught his friend’s gaze. “We can’t talk about this. To anyone. At least not until we can unequivocally verify the connection. News of the discovery of a prehistoric giant virus that has already infected humans and is spreading rapidly will only cause panic. Shepherd is working with the local government to ensure measures are put into place to slow the outbreak, but we need to tread carefully. And quickly.”
“Agreed, but maybe you need to slow down.” His friend reached out and squeezed Aiden’s shoulder. “I can tell that your mind has already gone well past a viable threat—which admittedly we have—to a worldwide pandemic.”
Aiden shook his head. “If my gut is right, we just opened Pandora’s box.”
Chapter Two
Clad in a head-to-toe protective hazmat suit, Rachel Allen slowed her breathing to match the rate of the respirator mounted on her belt. With each exhale of the purified air pumped into her helmet, lip-shaped condensation formed on her acrylic face mask.
“Dr. Moreno, I don’t understand the rush,” she said to her boss who was suited up and impatient for her to finish taping her gloves to her suit so that she could follow him into the Level 4 biocontainment lab. “You know that whatever this—virus—is, it’s going to take time to analyze.”
“I know.” He waved her on. “I’ve spent the past twenty-four hours doing just that.”
“Wait a minute. . .Is that why I’m here?” she asked. “Were your results inconclusive?”
Dr. Moreno hesitated, clearly not wanting to give her the entire picture. “Not inconclusive, but I need a second opinion.”
“Of course. You know I’m always willing to help—”
“Just remember, this is a time-sensitive sample. Level one priority.”
She wanted to say obviously, from the crazy way you’re behaving, but instead she said, “I’ve cleared my schedule for the next forty-eight hours as you requested.”
“Good.”
Once the negative pressure registered that the lab door had sealed behind them, Dr. Moreno flipped on the light to the biosafety hood. Four vials glittered in the rack behind a protective glass front.
He turned to Rachel, his breath inside his helmet fogging his glasses. “I’m sorry you’ll miss the fundraiser tonight.”
Rachel shrugged. She hadn’t wanted to go, and now she had a legitimate excuse. Swanky parties always made her feel like an unwanted virus trying to gain access to a stubborn host cell. Maybe she could return the cocktail dress and strappy heels her colleague, Cara, had insisted she buy last weekend.
“Okay by me,” Rachel assured him. “I’m not good at rubbing elbows.”
“This stays between us, Dr. Allen, agreed?”
Rachel’s brow furrowed. “What stays between us?”
“Everything.” He waved his gloved hand at the vials. “About this.”
Still not clear as to why her boss had summoned her to his office, instructed her to suit up, and then locked the two of them inside Gaumond Labs’ highest-level biocontainment lab, Rachel pressed for answers. “What is. . .this?”
Dr. Moreno’s furtive gaze traveled the negative pressure room as if searching for hidden cameras, then he leaned in. “Construction of a Tibetan railroad uncovered what we believe to be an ancient virus buried beneath the permafrost. A friend of mine asked me to test the samples they found in ice cores drilled from the glacier.”
“Did the researchers use decontamination protocols?”
“They did everything by the book.”
“So what exactly are you looking for?”
“I need you to confirm the virus’s viability.”
Rachel laughed. “Viability?”
She stopped laughing when her boss’s eyes narrowed behind his mask, suddenly grateful her protective gear had muffled the depth of her scoffing skepticism. But still. . .
“Surely you told whoever sent this virus that has been dead and frozen for decades, if not centuries, that it cannot be thawed and brought back to life?”
Her boss eyed her then slowly shook his head.
“Dr. Moreno, you and I both know that to even propose the possibility is science fiction, not real science.”
“Yes, but there are exceptions to every rule. In 2016, an anthrax outbreak was attributed to melting permafrost in Siberia.”
“The deaths of those reindeer were never definitively linked to the revival of dormant anthrax. Even if it were proven that climate change had activated long-buried spores, anthrax is bacterial not viral,” Rachel argued despite knowing Dr. Moreno had forgotten more about the pathology of dangerous pathogens than she would ever know. “They don’t play by the same rules.”
“If you can’t handle this unique advancement opportunity, Dr. Allen, then I’ll assign this job to someone else.”
His insistence they waste time on a scientific improbability had her puzzled, but his threat of stalling her career made her blood boil. She’d put off marriage and family for the sake of proving herself capable of carving out a place in the medical field that would garner the respect her father and brother had achieved. Besides, what was another night in the lab?
“That won’t be necessary.” She clenched her fists. “Viruses are my sole focus.”
“I know. That’s why I’m bringing you into this.” If her decision to forgo a private life impressed him, it did not register on his face. “Use protozoa and primate cells.”
“Both?” The absurdity flew from her lips. “If you want this ancient virus to resurrect itself, primate cells are a waste of time. Few modern viruses are capable of replicating in both.”
“Dr. Allen. . .” He hesitated as if searching for the words to explain. “Not only are you confirming viability of the virus, but you are testing to confirm or deny its ability to jump to humans.”
“This is crazy.”
His frustration and anxiety were evident on his face. “I hope you’re right, but there is evidence it’s already made the jump.”
Rachel’s mind spun around the improbability. The man might have lost perspective for the sake of the friend who’d sent him down this rabbit hole, but he had her attention. “When?”
“That’s all I can tell you at this point.” Dr. Moreno handed her a small spiral notebook. “Write down all your findings and bring them directly to me when you’re finished. I have responsibilities for tonight’s function that would be questioned if I didn’t show up. Otherwise, I would stay right here. Understand?”
Normally, everything they did was meticulously tracked with computerized data management software. Never by scribbled notes on a page. Without a digital footprint, the notebook could disappear along with whatever she’d discovered. It would be his word against hers.
<
br /> “Perfectly.” Rachel waited for the click of the slamming door’s airlock before she slid her triple-gloved hands inside the biosafety cabinet. Viruses needed a living host to survive. There was no way for a virus that had been languishing for centuries in frozen tundra to thaw then suddenly spring to life.
Then why were her hands shaking?
She was used to working with exotic strains of flu, SARS, MERS, plague, Ebola, Marburg. She’d even done a wide range study of bioterrorism pathogens like tularemia, Q fever, and melioidosis. Being terrified of a dead virus, no matter how much havoc it had dealt the world thousands of years ago, was crazy. Dead viruses did not miraculously resurrect. Even if climate change continued to melt the earth’s permafrost, the world was at far greater risk from the release of all of the carbon dioxide and methane stored beneath the icy crust than the awakening of killer Zombie viruses.
But no matter how ridiculous she considered this assignment, her training would not allow her to step outside of the safety regulation protocols imposed upon a Level B4 lab.
Rachel took a deep breath then glanced at the handwritten label on the package sitting on the counter next to her that had held the vials.
Dr. Aiden Ballinger.
Seeing the familiar name of the world’s foremost virus hunter surprised her. She regularly followed his YouTube channel and had read every article the acclaimed explorer had ever written about his enviable and dangerous scientific adventures in remote locations. A man who’d worked so hard to acquire such a renowned body of work would not risk his reputation on a scientific impossibility. Dr. Moreno had hinted this virus had already been confirmed viable by the sender. But what kind of proof did Dr. Ballinger have? What kind of tests had he run? Who was sick, and why did he think the cause could be traced to this virus?
