by John Locke
Roger says, “Wait!”
I hold up my hand.
Callie says, “Just a minute. Mr. Creed might grant a stay of execution.”
Roger says, “She’s in the hospital at Mount Weather.”
“Callie,” I say, “Tell Jarvis to stand down.”
“Sorry, Jarvis,” she says. “You’re going to have to wait awhile.” She ends the call.
To Roger I say, “Does Sam have access?”
“Access?”
“Clearance. Whatever you call it.”
“I’m not sure I—”
I slap his face. “Is Sam able to gain entry into Mount Weather?”
“Yes, of course.”
To Lou I say, “What do you know about the facility at Mount Weather?”
“No more than you, I expect,” he says.
“Ever been inside?”
“No. You?”
“No.”
We’re silent awhile, realizing what we’re up against. Finally Lou says, “We’re screwed.”
“Not yet,” I say.
39.
Here’s what I know about the facility at Mount Weather: it’s more than a hundred years old. There’s an underground bunker the size of a small city, built to withstand repeated direct strikes from nuclear weapons. It’s where the top government officials were taken by helicopter after the 9/11 attacks, because their lives are so much more valuable than those of us who elected them. I also know this: there has never been a security breach at Mount Weather.
Lou calls me back after doing a quick computer search and adds the following details: “There’s an above-ground section of more than 400 acres, called Area A. The underground bunker, Area B, is more than 600,000 square feet in size, and contains a hospital, crematorium, dining and recreational facilities, self-contained power plants, and is equipped to broadcast TV and radio.”
I was suddenly worried that Sam might be able to determine how close Sensory Resources is to Mount Weather.
“What route did you take to get him there?” I ask. “You didn’t just drive him straight to Bluemont, did you?”
“Of course not. We blindfolded him, sedated him, flew him to Atlanta, stopped, woke him up, drove him to Macon, sedated him again, then flew him back to Sensory, and drove him to Bluemont, still blindfolded.”
“What about his cell phone?” I had removed the battery because I didn’t want him using his GPS system to determine where he was. But he could always get another battery.
“We destroyed the cell phone. But Sam’s a bright guy. He could figure out a way to contact people without it.”
“True. But he wouldn’t be able to tell where he’s been.”
“Well, at least our location appears to be safe.”
We’re both trying to keep from stating the obvious. That Sam is in the bunker with Rachel, and for now, there’s nothing we can do about it.
“Thanks, Lou. You did everything right. But we both know he’s in there with her.”
“Do you have a plan to get her out?”
“I do.”
“How can I help?”
“For now, sit tight.”
To Roger I say, “When did Sam start working with you?”
“Let my family go, and I’ll tell you everything I know.”
“Why the sudden change of heart?”
“Because killing my family won’t help you get what you want. And when I tell you everything I know, you’ll see that I can’t help you, either.”
“I’ll spare Bug if you tell me what you know about Sam. Or I can kill Ellen while you think about it.”
“I have your word about sparing my granddaughter?”
“You do. Unless I catch you in a lie, in which case she’ll be the first to go.”
“I’ll tell the truth, as I know it.”
“Go ahead, then.”
“I don’t know when these events first occurred,” Roger says, “but Sam made his deal after the first kidnapping.”
“What kidnapping are you talking about? Dr. D’Angelo?”
“Is that Rachel’s doctor?”
“He was her doctor.”
“Well, you say he’s been killed, but I don’t know anything about that.” He takes a breath, fighting to make his voice clear. Then says, “All I’ve heard is that Rachel Case went to a doctor and gave blood for the first time in her life. When our computers generated a match, the Department of Health contacted whoever they contact for such matters of national security, and they went to Rachel’s home to extract her.”
“That’s ancient history. What’s all this about the first kidnapping?”
“When Rachel filled out the forms at the doctor’s office, she used her old address, from when she lived with Sam. That’s where the security team went to find her, but of course, she was living somewhere else. Sam agreed to cooperate, on the condition we put him in the loop. When he learned why we wanted her, and where we planned to keep her, he gave the team her new address, and even provided a key to her apartment.”
His comment about the key hits me hard. If Roger’s telling the truth, Rachel’s been in contact with Sam, and gave him a key. I think about that a moment. No. She wouldn’t give him a key. Like Lou said, Sam’s a clever guy. He found a way to get a copy of Rachel’s house key. I don’t know how, but I’m certain she didn’t give him a key.
“Did he go with the team to kidnap Rachel last Monday?”
“I don’t know. I do know that Sam’s only condition for helping us was that he be allowed to live in Area B as long as Rachel was there. We agreed, because he’s her husband, and because he’s brilliant. He plans to work full-time to help us develop a synthetic gene, based on Rachel’s blood cells. Of course, being her husband, it makes sense that he live there, because he and Rachel can raise their children together.”
“Rachel is an unwilling participant in this scheme.”
Roger Asprin smiles wearily. “Aren’t we all?”
“So Sam’s plan is to buddy up to her, and manipulate her into getting back with him. Meanwhile, he gets to work on the synthetic gene that can cure the Spanish Flu, at which point he’ll be a hero. You guys will release them both, and he will have saved her and their children.”
“You think he can do all that?” Roger says.
“I don’t give a shit. I want her back. And I’m willing to kill your family to get her.”
“How will killing my family bring Rachel back?”
“It won’t. But using them as a bargaining chip might. I’ll spare your family, and your life as well, if you tell the scientists you were wrong about Rachel’s blood.”
“But I wasn’t wrong.”
“I understand that. But if you tell them you made a mistake, they’ll have no reason to hold her there. Especially if it means keeping the heat off the government.”
“What heat?”
“Ever hear of WikiLeaks?”
“Of course.”
“They’re one of more than a hundred international sources I plan to use to announce what’s happening in Area B with Rachel, and how you plan to harvest her eggs and keep her children hostages forever.”
“Not forever. Just until we can develop a synthetic form of the gene.”
“How long will that take?”
“Ten years, give or take.”
“That’s unacceptable.”
“Is this your plan?” Roger says.
“It is.”
“It won’t work. “The government will discredit your announcement as so much nonsense. They’ll call it the latest conspiracy theory. In the absence of any hard evidence to back up your story, your information sources will quickly pull your comments, to avoid looking foolish. Not only that, but the idea of a human conduit to the Spanish Flu virus is so unimaginable, I doubt the respected news stations will even broadcast your story.”
“I don’t buy that, and when it comes down to watching us put a knife to your children’s throats, I think you’ll choose to let your family live. All you have to
do to save them is tell your people that Rachel’s blood cells don’t match after all.”
“That’s the other part of your plan that won’t work.”
“Why not?”
“You’re too late,” Roger says.
“What do you mean?”
“I already gave them the go ahead, based on the preliminary tests. That’s why we allowed Sam to enter the facility yesterday. The project has been given a green light. As a bonus, Rachel has already given us an egg to test.”
Crestfallen, I look at Callie for support.
“I’m sorry, Donovan,” she says. “But that sounds like game, set and match. We can still kill his kids, though.”
“Wait here,” I say.
I leave the room, take the elevator to the parking garage, and get my duffel bag from the trunk of my rental car. When I get back to Roger’s room, I open the case and remove a metal cuff. After attaching it to Roger’s left ankle, I say, “You’re going to wear this until I personally remove it. In the meantime, you’re going to continue hosting the conference, and I’m going to be fifteen feet away from you, day and night, until it’s over. In addition, you’ll have no use of your cell phone, and I’ll be in your room, to monitor your calls.”
“You can’t just show up at this conference. It’s by invitation only. The world’s greatest scientists are there. Government officials. Ministers of Health from around the world—”
“And me.”
“How can I possibly explain your presence?”
“Tell them I’m your government-appointed body guard.”
He thinks about it. Then says, “What about my family?”
“I’ll hang onto them awhile longer.”
“You’ve cut off my son’s leg. How do I know he’s receiving proper treatment?”
“You’ll have to trust us on that.”
“What about the private meetings I have to attend? The one-on-ones? You can’t be privy to those exchanges.”
“I can and I will. You’ll have to think up a way to explain my presence.”
He sighs. “What’s the ankle band for?”
“It contains an explosive device. If you so much as hint that something’s amiss, I’ll detonate the cuff. When I do, it’ll take out everything in a twelve-foot radius.”
“What do you hope to achieve by doing this?”
“I intend to rescue Rachel.”
“But I’ve already explained. That’s impossible.”
“Plan A might be impossible. But I’ve got a Plan B.”
40.
“What’s Plan B?” Callie asks. We’re sitting in the parlor. Close enough to see Roger lying on the floor in the bedroom, far enough to keep from being heard.
“Plan B is a shot in the dark. A last-second buzzer beater.”
“Care to be more specific?”
“You remember the crack whore I put on the jet in Atlanta? The one I put in a padded cell?”
“Of course.”
“That’s Rachel’s mother.”
“What? I thought her mother was deceased.”
“Everyone thinks that. But I lived in Rachel’s attic for nearly two years, watching her every move. I went through all her papers. I listened as she talked in her sleep on the nights I drugged her. I came to realize Rachel’s mother was dead to her, but very much alive. If you can call it living. I spent months searching for her, and finally found her. I sat with her until she was coherent, spoke to her about her daughter, and put her in rehab, hoping to reunite them.”
“What happened?”
“She relapsed the same day. But I bought a house she could live in, until I decided to make another run at cleaning her up. I just haven’t gotten around to doing it till now.”
“If Rachel suspected her mother was alive, why didn’t you tell her you’d found her?”
“Rachel hates her mother for abandoning her. As far as she’s concerned, her mother’s dead. She’s listed both her parents as deceased on all paperwork she’s filled out as an adult. Not only that, but she’s told everyone who’s asked, that her mother killed herself with drugs. If I’d told Rachel I found her mother, but she’s back on smack, it wouldn’t have been much of a reunion.”
Callie and I are quiet a minute. Then she says, “I don’t understand how getting Rachel’s mother sober will help you save Rachel.”
“It won’t. Unless her blood contains the gene.”
Callie smiles. “Has she never given blood either?”
“Obviously not. Or if she did, it wasn’t picked up by the government’s computers.”
“Or maybe she wasn’t a match.”
“Also possible,” I say.
Callie frowns. “If Plan B fails, what’s left?”
“I’ll have to offer them something so politically valuable, they’ll be willing to walk away from a cure for the Spanish Flu.”
“What could possibly be that valuable to them?”
“I don’t know. What if I bring them Bin Laden?”
“Excuse me?”
“I know it sounds desperate…”
“Crazy, it what it sounds. Tell me you don’t know where he’s hiding!”
“Of course not. But how hard could it be?”
“Are you shitting me?”
“Look, I haven’t discarded Plan B yet.”
“How can I help you?” Callie says. “With Plan B, that is.”
“I’ll handle it from here. I’ll have Lou get you back to L.A. so you can pick up your car.”
“I don’t mind staying.”
“I know, and I appreciate it. But for now, all I can do is wait for Sherry’s blood tests to come back.”
“Doc Howard?”
“Yup.”
“And of course, his computers won’t be linked to a different branch of the government.”
“Darwin would never allow it.”
“Well, I hope it works. If it doesn’t, are you still going to kill Roger and his family?”
“What type of hit man would I be if I didn’t?”
41.
For the next three days I’m on Roger Asprin like his shadow. The only breaks I take are to check on Nadine, who has been released and is back in Rachel’s apartment. At night, in his hotel room, Roger and I talk. He’s a decent guy who loves his wife and kids. I feel terrible that his wife is cheating on him, but it’s not my place to tell him about it. On the other hand, Roger’s being very forthright with me, hoping, I assume, that if we’re friends, I’ll let his family go. On the third night, I ask, “Tell me how this harvesting works.”
Roger looks up from the notes he’d been studying and says, “Rachel’s eggs?”
I nod.
“It involves in vitro fertilization. Now that she’s given her first egg, they’ll administer a series of fertility drugs to stimulate her ovaries to produce a number of eggs at the same time. Removing the eggs from her ovaries will require minor surgery.”
“It’s unnatural.”
“Everything about this science is unnatural,” Roger says.
“Who fertilizes the eggs? A sperm donor? Who carries the babies to term? A surrogate?”
“You’re not going to like this.”
“Say it anyway.”
“Since Sam is Rachel’s husband, they’ll mix his sperm with her eggs in the hospital’s laboratory. If embryos develop, they’ll be grown in a lab dish until one or more are placed into the uterus of the surrogate.”
“The babies would belong to the surrogate, though,” I say.
“Under normal circumstances, they would. But in this case, they’ll belong to the government, though I expect Rachel and Sam will be allowed to raise them and keep them, after the synthetic gene is created.”
Before I have a chance to comment, my cell phone rings. Doc Howard says, “I’m not sure what we’re looking for, but you were right about the blood tests.”
“How’s that?”
“They show substantial contamination.”
“All thre
e?”
“All three.”
“Can your fax be traced?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then send them to me.”
“Where?”
“I don’t officially have a room here, so fax them to Roger Asprin.” I give him the name and phone number of the hotel. Moments later, Roger’s phone rings. I tell the front desk lady I’m sending Donovan Creed down to pick it up. The first thing I do is check to make sure there’s no phone number or point of origin on the pages. Once satisfied, I go back to Roger’s room and hand him one of the pages.
“Where did you get this?” he says. There’s alarm in his voice. Or maybe it’s excitement.
“Is it a match?” I say.
“It’s Rachel’s blood work,” Roger says.
“There are two more,” I say, handing him the other results.
“Who gave you these?”
“A new donor.”
“This must be a trick of some sort.”
“It’s no trick,” I say. “It’s Plan B.”
“What’s Plan B?”
“These blood tests came from Rachel’s mother.”
“Rachel’s parents are deceased. We checked. And there are no siblings.”
“The papers in your hand suggest otherwise. Anyway, I’m willing to exchange her for Rachel.”
“What?”
“You need the gene, Rachel’s mother has it. I’ll trade you the mom for the daughter.”
“She’d be willing to do that?”
“Who gives a shit? I can deliver her. That’s all you need to know.”
Roger shakes his head. “It won’t work.”
“Why not?”
“Because they’ll want both of them. They won’t give one up for the other, especially not the daughter for the mother. Her mother is almost certainly too old to produce eggs.”
“True.”
Roger says, “You must have realized that all along. I mean, surely you didn’t think we’d accept such a trade.”
“I did and still do.”
“It won’t work. And now that we know about Rachel’s mother, it’ll be impossible for you to hide her.”
“I don’t need to hide her.”
“What do you mean?”
“Plan B isn’t just about trading Rachel for her mom. It’s about keeping her in the U.S.A. You might have Rachel, but if you refuse to trade, I’ll sell her mother to the highest bidding enemy. Who knows what type of mutant virus they might be able to produce and unleash on the world.”
