by M. C. Miller
“Yes, sir.” The agent hustled back to the security vehicle.
Colin adjusted the zoom and night vision resolution. As he did, a wisp of a heat trace was detected. His eyes were drawn to it even as it streaked across his field of vision. The arc of heat traced a deadly path through the darkness. It only took a second for it to intercept the fire truck’s flashing strobes. A moment later, Colin’s green screen erupted with a fireball of destruction. A moment after that, the distant roar of what he had just witnessed arrived at his ears.
Colin jerked the binoculars down. He was too angry to yell, too determined to stay put. Ignoring the pain in his arm, he jogged back to the bullet-riddled security vehicle where two agents operated separate radios. Colin jerked open the driver side door and motioned to the agent.
“Stay here with the guard. Secure and hold this point.”
The agent hustled out of the way. “Yes, sir.”
Colin jumped behind the wheel and revved the engine. He spoke to the remaining agent in the passenger seat. “We’ve got to get down there. We need those roads open.”
The agent held a satellite phone to his ear. “There’s a Medevac chopper standing by, ETA ten minutes as soon as we give the word.”
Colin stomped on the accelerator and spun them around headed downhill.
“There are too many places in these hills to hide. We’ve pushed them back but now we have to go beyond the perimeter and finish them off.”
The tattered vehicle rumbled on one flat tire. The agent reloaded his sidearm. “They knew right where to hit us.”
Colin increased their rate of speed. “What’s the latest damage assessment?”
The agent braced himself with one hand holding onto the dashboard. “Municipal and onsite backup power generation was hit first along with key security substations. Next, a barrage of RPGs slammed Building 3 and its support sub-plant. None of the hits appear random. Strike locations were chosen surgically. At a minimum, somebody had access to plant schematics and floor plans.”
Nearing the main campus, Colin’s gaze gravitated to the burning and blown-away sections of Building 3. “They ignored the other buildings…”
“Luckily, the lab’s in the basement.”
Colin’s grip on the wheel tightened. “Any word from there?”
“Not since the initial call.”
“And no one’s been able to get downstairs?”
“Not yet. They’re still fighting a first-floor fire blocking the stairwell.”
“Is sub-basement air exchange still working?”
“On backup power. We’ve had to move a generator into position from building 2. The primary backup for building 3 was damaged.”
“What about communications?”
“We haven’t been able to reestablish the landline. We’re rerouting any incoming calls to Building 3 security to GPAX Mobile One.”
Colin paused to clear anxious thoughts. “Keep dialing the private line for Janis Insworth. We have to get through.”
“If she’s taken cover in the BSL4 lab, cell phone signals won’t work in there.”
“Do it anyway!”
“Yes, sir.”
Stopping the vehicle, Colin jumped out and motioned the agent into the driver seat. As the agent slid across, Colin held up the binoculars. “Where’s the RIDIS coupler for these?”
The agent lifted a flap on a shoulder bag and handed over a dark object.
Colin took it and made quick work of snapping it in place over the eyepiece. He gestured to the agent’s rifle. “Give me that too.”
“Where are you going?”
“Outside the line.”
The agent hesitated to close the door. “By yourself?”
Colin shouldered the assault rifle. “I know; it’s not standard procedure. I’m hoping that’s exactly why they won’t expect it.”
“Don’t you think most of them have already scattered? They’ll want to get off the island quick. It’s typical hit-and-run.”
“If these were professionals, I’d agree with you. But somebody just took out a fire truck. I think some of them want to stick around long enough to enjoy their handiwork.”
The agent wasn’t convinced. “If they’re out there, they’re risking a lot just to watch something burn. They have to know the hit was clean and surgical.”
Colin closed the door. “It shows you what inside information can do. Keep a GPS track on my phone. I’ll signal if I need support.”
The agent put the vehicle in gear. “Roger that.”
Colin watched for a moment as the agent drove off towards the flaming wreck of Building 3. It took all the discipline Colin had not to rush to the building and fight his way to the sub-basement. Not knowing the fate of Janis and Alyssa was both torture and impetus to fight on. There was only one hope to cling to. Everything hinged upon the unique protective features and redundancies of a BSL4 lab.
Turning into drifting embers and dust, Colin scampered off down the road and into the brush. Navigating by the position of city lights twinkling at the base of the hills, he headed into the area where he had watched the RPG arc into the fire truck. Most of the time, he crept with night vision binoculars before his eyes. Analyzing the slope of the hillsides, he estimated the best observation and launch-point for the projectile and angled his advance for a position upslope above it.
After several minutes of stealthy approach, Colin crouched down and trained his eyes on the green display in the viewfinder. No heat signatures displayed. Sweeping the area, all was clear. Patiently, he waited. Lying on his stomach, he kept a steady gaze on the key area of interest.
After ten minutes, the beat of helicopter blades approached from the north. Colin tensed. The Project must have ordered the Medevac despite the risks. As the chopper made its descent towards the GeLixCo campus, Colin drew extra alert on his field of vision. Off to one side, two specks flashed on the infrared. Angling over and zooming in, two bodies could be seen rising up from behind a rocky outcrop. On the shoulder of one of them was poised a RPG.
Colin noted the range to target in the binoculars’ viewfinder. He then shifted to the assault rifle, knowing full well that it lacked night vision or scope. It would be a shot in the dark but hopefully enough to prevent them from firing.
Taking aim as best he could, he squeezed off several shots.
Shifting back to the binoculars, he watched as the two forms scurried away down the hillside. He hadn’t hit them but the near approach of a sniper had changed their plans.
Colin stood and activated the RIDIS coupler. With viewfinder pressed to his eyes, his fingers deftly manipulated the controls. Just as the calibration was complete, the fleeing pair disappeared on the other side of a ridgeline.
Colin took off in a sprint down the hillside. Brush and brambles snared his legs and scratched at his arms. By the time he reached a better viewpoint, the escaping pair had reached a motorcycle hidden off road. In the distance, Colin could hear the bike’s engine throttle up. The white front light and red taillight flared into view.
Colin drew a steady bead on the light source with the binoculars. With fingers poised at the coupler controls, he tracked the bike’s movement as it sped away. The bike’s driver hunched over the controls. His passenger held on from behind. Before the two of them could zip out of view, Colin activated the RIDIS beam. Locking on, pulsating green crosshairs divided over the subjects and snapped back together. On snap, the crosshairs turned red, signaling RIDIS capture was complete.
A second later, the bike sped out of range and was gone.
Looking back over his shoulder, Colin watched the helicopter settle down for a landing in GeLixCo’s parking lot before shifting his attention back to the coupler in hand. Thumb-pressing the controls, he activated a request for transmission and analysis. The command was picked up by satellite and relayed to Granite Peak.
Drawing his sidearm, Colin raced back up the hill to the spot where, in his hurry, he had left his rifle. Shouldering the weapo
n, he noted a blinking receive indicator on the coupler. He pressed activation of the heads-up overlay and a drop-down readout appeared in the night vision eyepiece. Crouching on the ridgeline, he watched as RIDIS database confirmation returned from Granite Peak.
DPG/GPI RIDIS IDREPORT / 11:09:49PM MT
Field scan data received via NVCD/64/1-2M
[18.4274454 -67.1540698]
Subject-1……………………..André Bolard
Subject-2…………………......Noah Labon
Match%-99.99999
Colin didn’t have time to react. In his pocket, his phone vibrated. “This is Colin…”
“Sir, you wanted to be informed of any transmissions with Turnberry Tower…”
“That’s correct.”
“In the last half hour there’s been one call out and one call returned.”
Colin lowered the binoculars to his side and turned back towards GeLixCo. “Who made the call out?”
“One of the three new security agents you instructed us to monitor.”
“Can you sum up the exchange?”
“Yes sir. The outcall informed Turnberry of tonight’s attack.”
“And what was the response?”
“It just came in,” stressed the caller. “It was brief…”
Colin started walking back to the campus.
The caller finished. “…All it said was: Decision Point Self-Destruct.”
Colin halted, letting the phrase find context. As possibilities coalesced around all he knew, he stepped forward. With every step, a slow burn of anxiety caught fire.
“Has a security team gotten to the basement of Building 3 yet?”
“I’m not sure. Last I heard, they were still fighting the fires.”
“Damn it! Get somebody down there! Do whatever it takes!”
Colin broke out in a dead run.
Chapter 52
BSL4 Locker Room
Sub-Basement Lab
Emergency lights had come back on minutes before but Janis and Alyssa remained huddled together in the windowless locker room. The smell of acrid smoke and caustic chemicals seeped in from cracks the room had suffered during a series of thunderous concussions. The explosions had stopped and yet there was no way to know what was on the other side of the door. Janis realized that opening it might release the last bit of fresh-air exchange provided by the isolated BSL4 systems.
Even as she found it difficult to move, she knew staying in place was equally untenable. The building’s landlines were dead and private cell phones didn’t operate within the shielded confines of the inner lab. If no one showed up to rescue them, there was only one way she could try to make a call to the outside world.
She’d have to leave the relative security of the locker room and step back into the Outer Work and Interaction Area. That area had suffered untold damage. She considered trying to venture out alone to attempt a call but up until now terrified Alyssa refused to leave her side. One thing was for sure: if no one was showing up to help them, they’d have to risk venturing beyond the locker room to help themselves.
Janis shifted in place, causing Alyssa to startle and clutch tighter.
“I’m going to have to try to make a call,” announced Janis.
“Can’t you do it here?” asked Alyssa.
“There’s no signal in here…”
“But we can’t go out there!”
“Shh-shh,” quieted Janis. “It’ll be all right. I’m just going to take one step outside the door. You’ll still be able to see me.”
“But what about the fire?”
“I’ll open the door a crack. If it’s too hot, I’ll close it right away.” Janis steadied Alyssa by grabbing her by the shoulder. “Listen, I’ve got to do this. We may be OK in here right now, but we don’t know how long that’ll last. Now stay put; I’ll be right back.”
Alyssa had no choice but watch her mother move away.
Janis drew near the locker room door and felt it. There was no heat so she turned the handle and gave a slight push. Through the open crack came darkness and the stench of fiery destruction. It appeared emergency power was only on in the BSL4 lab environments. There was no fire in the Outer Work and Interaction Area but the smoke level was dangerous for prolonged exposure. Janis poked her head out, finding conditions acceptable for the time it would take to make one call.
Janis swung the door wider and took a step into black. Mindful to keep Alyssa in sight, she activated her cell phone and redialed the security desk number from before. A series of crackles and line exchanges transferred her call.
To her great relief, a voice answered as before. “GPAX Mobile One…”
“Oh, thank God!” she sighed.
“Who is this?”
“Janis Insworth…I’m in the lab…”
On mention of the name, the voice interrupted. “Ms. Insworth, please stay on the line. We’re trying to get to you. We need to know your situation.”
Janis coughed away a lungful of smoke. “We have emergency power in the BSL4 lab. The rest of the floor is without power and heavy with smoke and debris.”
“We’re trying to get to you by way of the western stairwell. A chemical fire from the auxiliary plant has been blocking our way.”
“What the hell happened up there?” asked Janis.
“There was an attack. That’s all I can say right now. Please stay on the line. I was ordered to transfer your call in case we heard from you. Just a moment. Whatever you do, stay on the line. This is critically important.”
Janis ducked her head back into the locker room for a draft of fresh air before returning to the phone. “You don’t understand…I can’t stay on the line…there’s too much smoke…”
The call was already in the process of being transferred. For an instant, Janis considered ending the call and diving back into the more survivable environment of the locker room. She watched the fear in Alyssa’s eyes grow more serious as a stinging waft of chemical smoke triggered more coughing. Janis held the phone at arm’s length into the smoke while leaning back into the fresh air. In the silence of the smoky darkness, she heard a voice squawking through the phone’s small speaker.
She pulled herself back into the smoke and pressed phone to ear.
“…Janis…Janis…are you there?”
It was Colin’s voice, frantic and more serious than she had ever heard it.
“I’m here!”
He spoke as he ran. “We’re trying to get down to you…”
“You have to make this quick…”
“Then understand I don’t have time to explain. You have to trust me…”
“Trust you about what?”
“I’ve intercepted a call from The Project. You must act right away. They’re going to self-destruct the lab.”
Janis closed her eyes to prevent the sting of the smoke. “What are you talking about? Is the attack over?”
“We’ve secured the perimeter.”
“Who did it? Do you know?”
“New Class Order.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive but listen; what NCO didn’t destroy the Project intends on finishing.”
“I don’t understand. If the fire’s out, the lab is stabilized. Why would they want to destroy it?”
“You have to listen to me,” ordered Colin. “I was going to tell you and Faye together…”
“Tell me what?” Janis thought back to Faye’s plea to meet with Colin.
“Your plans for 2GenGEN…the last option for survivors...,” started Colin.
“What about it?”
“I found out The Project has no intention of following through on their promise. They only agreed to it to get you to synthesize 2GenGEN for them.”
Janis struggled to speak. “They’re not going to release it for plague survivors?”
“No – and now that your process for making it has been transferred on the mirrored servers to Granite Peak, they don’t need your sample. They can rec
reate 2GenGEN any time they want.”
Janis struggled to comprehend and maintain her position in the smoky darkness. “But why destroy what we’ve already created?”
“The attack tonight was a surprise but they’ve decided to use it, to give them a way out, an opportunity to accelerate their schedule. It’s what they always intended.”
“What do you mean?” gasped Janis.
“They want sole control of single-dose GenLET. With your sample gone, they can be certain your final option won’t take place. It’s just as you suspected; they plan on distributing 2GenGEN according to a select plan. Not everyone will get it…and Janis…from what I’ve overheard this past week – it’s clear the same holds true for the sterility fix. They plan a phased and selective application of the sterility fix.”
“You can’t be serious!” Through the smoke, The Project deception became clear. Janis jerked around and stared back into the locker room but saw beyond it. “Then we have to save what we have. The rest of the world will need time to discover the problem and solution on its own – independent of The Project.”
“There may not be enough time. We have no way of knowing what kind of self-destruct device they’ve planted or when it’ll go off. We need to get you two out of there right away!”
Janis only had a second to consider her options. “Get down here and evacuate Alyssa. I’m going back in and save 2GenGEN.”
“No! It’s too risky. We’ll find some other way…”
“From what you’re saying, The Project won’t let that happen,” snapped Janis. “When will they ever allow me to have GenLET, 2nd Protocol, and 3rd Protocol all together again to work with? What are we working for? What good is coming up with a sterility fix if they’re not going to give it to everyone!”
Colin knew a direct and true answer would only feed Janis’ resolve. “If you die in that lab, there’s no chance of recovering anything you planned.”
“If I don’t recover the sample of 2GenGEN, everyone may die before humanity finds an answer to sterility. If The Project is the only one with answers, we can’t trust them to do the right thing. We all agreed – the survivors need more time!”
