A Darker Shade of Dead

by Bianca D’Arc

  Matt came back to her, his tray heaped with a lunch about double the size of hers. Then again, he had to weigh close to twice what she did. The man was pure muscle and built on the large side, well over six feet tall. He sat opposite her with a grin that she returned unconsciously. He had such a great smile. It was hard not to respond to it.

  “I’m glad you’re still talking to me after yesterday,” he said with an attractively innocent lift of his lips. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Matt was both a charmer and a take-charge kind of guy. It made sense he would approach their strained situation head on.

  “Of course I’m still talking to you. I meant what I said, Commander. Let’s just put yesterday behind us and move forward from here.” She began eating. She hoped he’d let the topic die there.

  “Still, I owe you an apology.”

  Darnit, he just wouldn’t let sleeping dogs lie.

  “Not necessary. It’s best to just forget it.”

  He stilled, drawing her attention. When she met his gaze he was as solemn as she’d ever seen him.

  “What if I can’t forget?”

  That knocked the wind from her sails.

  “We have to.” It was as simple as that. Couldn’t he see how hard it would be otherwise?

  “Says who?”

  Sandra wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Looking downward, she toyed with the fork in her hand, stirring her food around on the plate. She could feel Matt staring at her until finally he sighed and sat back.

  “Sorry. I’m pushing too hard. I sincerely didn’t mean to do that, Sandra, and I hope you’ll forgive me yet again.” She chanced a look upward to meet his gaze. Frustration was evident in his expression. Good. So she wasn’t the only one feeling out of sorts with this entire situation.

  “Don’t apologize.” She wasn’t going to let him shoulder all the blame. “This is just a little beyond my experience. I don’t know how to deal with it and frankly, I can’t spare the energy. Not with so much riding on our shared mission. Fixing that problem has to come first. I’m sorry, but that’s the way it has to be.”

  “You’re right.” Matt looked away, appearing chastised or perhaps angry with himself. When he turned back to meet her eyes, he looked resolved. “Of course you’re right. Again, you have my apologies. You’re thinking much more clearly than I am at the moment.”

  “I sincerely doubt that. My stress level is off the charts lately.” She chuckled, allowing at least that much of the truth out. It was a relief to admit it. “I’m not very clearheaded about even the simplest things lately. There’s too much riding on our work and too many things that could go wrong. I wasn’t built for this kind of pressure. I always thought lab work would be quiet and a nonstressful kind of job. Boy, was I wrong.” She made a face and Matt beamed. The man had a killer smile that still managed to turn her insides to molten lava. Damn.

  “You’re doing a great job, Sandra. Just in case nobody’s said it, I want you to know you’ve already earned the team’s respect for creating the serum that saved Sam’s life. And I can see you’re holding up extraordinarily well under really tough circumstances. Everyone knows that and nobody appreciates your hard work and loyalty more than I do.” He reached across the table to place one hand over hers. His sincerity warmed her heart, and his unexpected words made her feel even more like a louse.

  “So how’s your back?” She made a rather obvious volley to change the topic. Thankfully, he allowed it, removing his hand from hers and returning his attention to his meal.

  “It’s okay. In fact, I’ll be getting more of a workout for the next few days. I sent John and Donna on a fact-finding mission to California. They developed some leads that I want them to follow up. It’ll be a good chance for Donna to get some investigative experience, but that also means I’ll be leading the PT sessions while he’s gone.”

  “You won’t work out with the guys, will you?” She cringed at the way that sounded. “I mean, who will teach us girls?” she amended, but the look he gave her said he knew what she’d really meant.

  “I’ll still work with you and Sarah. I figured I’d leave the guys to beat each other up during the sparring part of the class. They ought to be good at that. They’re all self-starters and most have about the same skill set as me. I don’t really need to lead them because I can’t show them much that’s new. John is the man for that. He was a highly ranked martial artist even before he joined the Corps. They only made him better. He was the guy who taught the instructors that would then go out and teach their men. The teachers’ teacher, if you will.”

  “He seems so quiet. I never would have guessed.”

  “It’s usually the quiet ones you have to be careful of.” He winked playfully as he finished the last bite of his lunch.

  “Well, just promise me you’ll take it easy, even if you’re leading the PT classes. You don’t want to risk re-injury.”

  “Yes, Mother.” He saluted her with his bottled water before draining the last few swallows.

  “I am nobody’s mother.”

  He laughed outright at her disgusted tone.

  “You ready? I don’t want to rush you but I’m heading back to my office. If you’re going back to the lab, I could walk with you.”

  “I’m done.” She stood, grateful for the escort. She didn’t want to run into that fake officer again. Matt would be an effective shield for the time being. At least until she got back to her lab.

  The phone on Matt’s desk rang as soon as he walked in the door. He picked it up, identifying himself as he placed his hat on the desk for the time being.

  “Please hold for Admiral Chester, sir.”

  Well that was a surprise. Chester was Matt’s immediate superior in the chain of command. He’d been giving Matt a lot of leeway up till now, allowing him to bypass Chester and report up to the Special Ops Command admiral instead. So it was interesting to hear from him now.

  “Sykes? How are things going down there? I heard you had a problem with your office staff.”

  Now that was interesting.

  “There have been some small issues,” Matt allowed. He wasn’t sure what this phone call—on an unsecured line—was all about, but he’d play along. Cautiously.

  “I want you to do a full review of all your staff. I’m going to send someone I trust along to help you. A bright young officer who specializes in personnel issues. She has my highest recommendation. Ensign Bartles will be of great help to you, I’m sure.”

  Matt didn’t like the sound of this at all. Up till this point he’d been able to carefully pick and choose who he wanted on his team. Except for the folks who’d been added to his team by reason of their immunity, he knew all the personnel and had worked with them before. Adding a new person would be difficult.

  But he couldn’t refuse. Not when the person came highly recommended from his direct superior. Matt had to suck it up and accept the newcomer. He’d also have to keep his eyes wide open. This move was suspect and would alert whoever was spying on him already that they had to be more careful. Altogether not the move Matt would have taken had he been in Admiral Chester’s shoes. Then again, Chester had never impressed Matt as being all that bright.

  “Thank you, sir.” The words nearly choked him, but Matt had to comply with his superior’s wishes.

  “Bartles should be arriving today and will be in your office tomorrow. I expect you to put the personnel matter in her capable hands. She’ll clear the decks for you. Mark my words.”

  Great, Matt thought. Just great. Another chess piece being thrown into the game. Just what he needed

  Sure enough, bright and early the next morning a blond bombshell of an ensign showed up polished and perfect in his office at the appointed hour. Matt had to hand it to Admiral Chester. This woman was a first-class stunner. If she’d been sent as a distraction or as Chester’s personal spy, he was in for a rude awakening.

  While Ensign Beverly Bartles would have been enough to turn the head of just about any man, Matt
was surprisingly immune. He realized with a nervous pang that the only woman who had the power to distract him lately was a petite and powerful scientist with red hair and green eyes. Damn. When had she gotten to him so completely? Matt didn’t know but he suspected it was only moments after he’d seen her in person for the first time. She was just that potent.

  “Sir, I’ve been tasked by Admiral Chester to review your personnel and assist your command in any way possible.”

  Matt didn’t miss the deliberate double entendre in her otherwise circumspect words.

  “Thank you, Ensign. You’ll find the personnel files in that drawer.” He pointed toward a filing cabinet at the back of the room. “You may take the files to your desk, which is out in the main area, past Lieutenant Riley’s desk. He’ll show you where, if you can’t find it. I expect you to return the files to Riley’s possession each time you leave your desk. They are not to be left unattended at any time. Understood?”

  She agreed and with little room for conversation, she headed over to the filing cabinet and dug in. Her head popped up only a moment later.

  “Sir, there seems to be some files missing. I was told there were combat troops assigned to your team as well as support people. These files seem to be all support personnel.”

  “You’re correct, Ensign. I want you to start with those. I’ll be reviewing the combat troops myself.” His tone brooked no argument though she looked like she dearly wanted to object. “If you have what you need to get started, you’re dismissed, Ensign. I have a lot of work to do.”

  “Aye, aye, sir.” She saluted and took a stack of folders with her on her way out the door.

  Matt wasn’t looking forward to working with her. She’d just raised an internal alarm inside Matt. She was after the identities of the combat troops. Whether for Chester’s personal knowledge or some more nefarious purpose, he didn’t know, but she’d get that information over his dead body.

  What Chester and his spy didn’t know was that there were no files on any of the combat personnel. Not here, at any rate. And none that mentioned their special qualification to be on his team. There were no records of who was immune and who wasn’t, by Matt’s specific command. The only files were in his head, and he was doing his best to keep it that way.

  “Hi, Tim.” Beverly Bartles nodded to Lieutenant Tim Riley, Matt’s personal assistant. She’d known him for years. They’d served together under Admiral Chester’s command before.

  “Hey, Bev, you’re looking good.” The appreciative gleam in the man’s eyes wasn’t unexpected. Beverly had invested a lot of money in plastic surgeons to look this good. Her body was just one of the weapons in her arsenal, and she used it to full advantage.

  “Are we secure here?”

  “Unless he comes out of his office, we’re good.” Tim waved negligently to Matt’s closed office door.

  “Well then, the admiral wants you to know that he’s pleased with the information you’ve been able to give him to date. In fact, he sent me as a replacement. He has a new mission for you since you’ve done such a good job here.”

  “Really?” Tim was so gullible. Beverly wondered how he’d ever lasted this long working private missions for Chester.

  She handed him a slip of paper with an address neatly typed on it. “You’re to report to this address tonight when you get off duty. Don’t even go back to your quarters. Go directly here. Understood?”

  “Got it. So, after I’m done there, you want to meet up at my place? It’s been too long, Bev.”

  She smiled, knowing he’d never make the rendezvous but happy to play along. Let the poor sucker believe he was going to get laid. It didn’t matter to her.

  “I’ve missed you, too, Tim. I’ll look forward to it.”

  When Tim Riley went AWOL, Beverly Bartles was ready with proof that he was the spy. She’d uncovered suspect information in his past that looked just a little too pat to Matt, but he wasn’t in any position to argue. She was the handpicked, trusted confidant of an admiral. The USSOCOM commander was pleased to have the issue resolved so easily and quickly, though a manhunt was on for Tim Riley.

  Matt doubted they’d ever find him. It was a shame, really. Matt had liked Riley, though he’d been the number one suspect for bugging his office. He’d been a rather harmless young officer with more hair than sense.

  Now that Riley’s position was open, Admiral Chester insisted that Beverly stay on to take Riley’s place since she’d already been briefed on the mission. Matt had little choice but to keep her. That didn’t mean he trusted her. In fact, he trusted her even less than he’d trusted Riley. But he’d keep her around. Better to keep your enemies in plain sight, he always thought.

  Chapter Six

  Things rolled along well after that for about a week. Twice in the intervening days, Sandra found messages from Rodriguez meant for her. The first was a slip of paper slid under her door in the middle of the night. It was handwritten and contained only a phone number and the stylized letter R.

  She recognized that initial right away. Doctor Rodriguez had signed off on all his reports just the same way. The pompous ass.

  No way would she ever dial that number. She set fire to the paper and washed the ashes down the drain in her lab, the same way she’d disposed of the card he’d given her on the road. She didn’t want to leave any evidence lying around that could link her to that bastard.

  The second message was more direct. Someone left a disemboweled squirrel in front of her lab door, using the poor beast’s blood to write the words “you’re next” on the door panel above.

  Gagging, she’d disposed of the poor little thing as humanely as possible, burying it after dark under the bushes at the back of her building. It was clear that Rodriguez—the sadistic bastard—was tired of waiting for her to change her mind.

  She hoped it would end there. She hoped that Rodriguez would accept that she wouldn’t work for him and leave it at that. He’d threatened her, but what good would it do him to send someone to kill her? She obviously wasn’t talking, or he’d have heard it by now. He appeared to have easy access to the base. Chances were, he thought he would know if she’d told anyone about his approach.

  But she couldn’t have been more wrong.

  Matt had sent the combat team on night maneuvers in the woods surrounding the base after reports of strange activity out near the perimeter of the base. John and Donna had flown to Tennessee earlier that day in a continuation of their mission. Matt had briefed everyone at the afternoon meeting that lasted until dinner.

  The field operatives had moved out before dark and Sandra had eaten a quiet meal by herself in the base cafeteria before returning to her lab.

  Opening her laboratory door, she realized almost immediately that something was horribly wrong. Someone had left her a nasty surprise of the undead kind.

  The moaning was her first clue. That and the shuffling sound of human feet moving awkwardly along the concrete floor. It was coming from the small bedroom at the rear of the lab.

  As she listened in growing horror, that night in the lab turned morgue at Quantico came back to her in full force. The inhuman sounds coming from the creature’s mouth made her spine turn to jelly as her knees threatened to buckle. The sound of it drawing closer was the only thing that spurred her to action.

  Sandra reached for the cell phone she’d been issued, flipping it open and hitting the speed dial.

  “Sykes,” came the crisp reply as Matt picked up on the other end.

  “Matt, it’s Sandra. There’s a zombie in my lab.” She heard the tremor in her voice as the creature finally showed itself, emerging from the small bedroom into the dim light of the main laboratory. “Oh, my God, it’s Dr. Jennings. They killed him.”

  Jennings was still recognizable. He didn’t have the brown stains of old blood on his hands or the face the combat team had described or the grotesque wounds another creature would have inflicted on him as it attacked. No, Dr. Jennings looked whole, though his skin w
as gray and his eyes were blank. A walking corpse. And that was frightening enough.

  Even more daunting was the knowledge that he hadn’t been attacked and he apparently hadn’t had time to attack anyone else yet. No, Dr. Jennings had most likely been injected with the contagion deliberately and then dumped here in her lab. She was probably supposed to be his first victim.

  No doubt Rodriguez was aiming to kill two birds with one stone. He’d murdered Jennings and intended Jennings to take her out in the messiest, scariest, most gruesome way possible.

  “Get out of there, Sandra!” Matt’s urgent command barked from the tiny speaker on the phone.

  “I can’t let him escape.” Grim flashes of that open doorway through which the original specimens had escaped into the night sped through her mind. She couldn’t let that happen again. If Jennings got out and started attacking people on base, this terrible situation could morph into something much worse.

  She couldn’t have that on her conscience. Not again.

  “I’ll try to hold him in the lab until you get here.”

  “Stay on the line, Sandra. I’m on my way.” She could hear clicking sounds followed by doors opening and the pounding of feet as Matt made his way to her. “I’m almost there, sweetheart. Tell me what’s happening.”

  “He’s coming toward me.” Her legs were literally frozen with fear.

  “Where are you? Give me exact positions.”

  “He was in the bedroom. I’m at the doorway that leads to the hall. He’s about twenty feet away now, near the sink area.”

  Jennings let out an inhuman moan that Matt apparently heard over the phone.

  “Shit! Get out of there, Sandra. I’m at the stairs. I’ll be there in a minute, tops. Clear out and leave me an open shot.”