by Bianca D’Arc
“Only if you’re guilty of something, Doctor. Right now we need to pick your brain for anything you might know about your former colleague Dr. Sellars.”
Her brows swept downward in an angry frown. “I want nothing to do with that man.”
“That may be, but we know he’s been in contact with you.” Xavier sighed heavily. It didn’t look like she would come willingly, and time was wasting.
“Why don’t you signal your team and come inside?” She opened the door wide. “You can question me here and I’ll give you what little I have on Dr. Sellars. I never liked that man.”
That last bit was almost muttered under her breath, but Xavier heard it. She didn’t look happy, but from what he could tell, she was willing to help.
Xavier considered his options. They weren’t many and they weren’t good. He pursed his lips and gave a short whistle. That signal would bring his men in. One by one, they appeared from behind the house.
Dr. McCormick stepped back from the door and ushered them inside the small house. Xavier looked around as he sent his men off to clear each room. Oddly, she didn’t object.
She must’ve sensed his surprise, for she explained. “I worked for the navy on top-secret projects for more than a few years, Captain. I’m familiar with the need for security and the way you soldiers go about assuring it.” She sat on a flowered chair that had a matching sofa.
When the guys returned, reporting the house was clear, they took up protective positions around the room. Only the woman sat.
Xavier started with a question. “You know why I’m here?”
“I can guess. I know Dr. Sellars got a job in Stony Brook. He tried to get me to meet him for dinner, but I’ve declined. He always gave me the creeps. What’s he been doing to get your attention?”
Xavier did his best to read her. So far, she seemed on the level.
“He’s up to his old tricks. Doing experiments on coeds.” He was satisfied when she went pale. Nobody could fake that kind of shock. She truly hadn’t known. “So far we’ve had over a dozen killed. No bodies to show to their parents or loved ones, if you understand my meaning.”
She nodded tightly. “I do.” The small woman started to shake, but Xavier had no mercy. Sarah was missing and he needed to find her. Every moment lost was a moment when she could be undergoing torture. A moment when she might be killed.
“Then you understand my urgency. One of the first to be attacked was a Suffolk County cop. She survived. About an hour ago, Sellars abducted her. We know he wanted to run tests on her to figure out why she was immune. Dr. McCormick, he’s going to sell the technology to the highest bidder.”
“Dear Lord.” The woman looked stricken.
“I need to know anything you know about Sellars and where he might have taken Sarah.” Xavier had slipped and used her name.
“Sarah,” McCormick repeated. “Is that the police officer’s name?”
“Yes. Sarah’s in grave danger, Dr. McCormick. Do you have any idea where Sellars might have taken her?”
“No.” She seemed to rethink her answer. “Not really. Maybe.” She stood and reached for a black bag that had been propped up next to the armchair. It was a computer bag. She quickly unzipped it and pulled out a slim laptop, opening it and powering it up. She looked up at Xavier as the machine whirred to life. “He invited me to dinner. I accepted at first and he sent me directions to a place nearby. I looked it up online and realized it was a private residence in a very exclusive neighborhood. I thought he was trying to impress me.” She rolled her eyes in a mocking expression. “I didn’t want to be alone with him, so I cancelled and haven’t rescheduled. I thought a nice public place like a restaurant would be ideal to tell him I want nothing to do with him. I didn’t want to be stuck someplace alone with him.” She placed the computer on the coffee table and began to open software and connect to her files.
“I don’t blame you at all.” Xavier crouched nearby. She had an advanced system but one he was very familiar with. He was almost vibrating with the need to get to Sarah. He watched impatiently as Dr. McCormick opened one last file and sent it to the wireless printer across the room.
Reno grabbed the paper before it even had time to hit the tray. He nodded to Xavier, who interpreted that to mean it had an address printed on it that Reno could find.
“Thank you, Doctor. Now, I need you to come with us. Sellars could come after you.” He stood, expecting her to follow.
“Where do you propose I go?”
Damn, she was going to balk. He could feel it. Xavier didn’t have time for this crap.
Sam came over, clandestinely pushing Xavier aside and extending a hand to the woman in the chair. She took it hesitantly but stood, looking up into Sam’s smiling face. The man could turn on the charm when he had to, and Xavier was never more thankful for that than now. He didn’t have the time or patience to deal with the doctor’s fears. Thank goodness Sam had his back, as usual.
“We’re going to take you to the local police station. We have some friends there who will keep you safe until we have the situation under control.” Sam spoke in even tones. “Maybe you should pack a few things, just in case.”
McCormick eyed him suspiciously for a moment, then relented. She disappeared into another room for a few minutes and returned with an overnight bag. Sam took it from her as he led the doctor toward the door.
But she stopped short of their goal. “Am I under arrest?”
“No, ma’am,” Sam said, trying to placate her. “More like protective custody until we’re sure the situation with Sellars is under control. He might target you because of your past association.”
“So you’re going up against him and his creations?” She looked around the room, pinning each man with her glance. “Are any of you immune?”
Xavier was surprised by the question, but then he realized she knew exactly what this experiment was all about. She’d been in on the initial experiment. She knew firsthand what the contagion could do. He wasn’t certain which side she was on, though her aversion to getting involved with Sellars and willingness to give them his address had to count in her favor.
“I am.” Xavier stepped forward and her gaze met his. He could see concern in her eyes as she looked back at the others.
“I have something you might need, then.” She lowered the laptop she’d been clutching to her chest and handed it to Sam.
Xavier jerked his chin at Kauffman and Reno to keep an eye on the doctor, who was well on her way toward another room in the small house. They followed behind like well-trained puppies while Sam stowed her computer in the bag she’d taken it from and slung the strap over his shoulder.
“What do you think?” Xavier asked his friend and XO.
“I think she’s beautiful.” Sam surprised him with the all-too-serious comment. “I’m also pretty sure she’s innocent since she didn’t want anything to do with Sellars.”
“That’s my read, too.”
She bustled back into the room, holding a small, flat black case that zippered all the way around. It was about an inch thick and roughly five-by-seven inches. She opened it as she moved, and Xavier went instantly on guard when he saw the vials inside.
“What is it?” he asked, suspicion in every bone of his body. For all he knew, this harmless-looking pixie could go all mad scientist on their asses without a moment’s hesitation.
“Not an antidote, unfortunately, but the next best thing. If I’m right, it will provoke the immune response in some people after exposure to the contagion. I’ve been working on it on my own time. I know that puts me in violation of the agreement I made with the navy when they dumped me, but it had to be done. I was afraid some of the other members of the team wouldn’t let the work rest, and I feared something like this would happen. I made this”—she held up the small holder full of vials—“to help when the time came. It appears that time is now.”
“So if one of us gets bit and we take that stuff, we’ll end up like the capta
in?” Reno asked. “We’ll be immune?”
“It should redirect the contagion to act as it was supposed to, but only for some people. It’s not perfect yet. I haven’t had the time—or the desire—to really test it. Think of this as a last resort. Do everything you can not to get bitten. But if you do get bitten, this is something you can try before dying. I wish it was more.”
“It’s more than we could have expected, Doctor.” Sam stepped in and took the case from her with gentle hands. “Thank you.”
“Okay, I’m ready.” She headed toward the front door without further urging.
Kauffman drove them all back to the police station with Reno and Sam sitting in back, flanking the doctor. Sam had given her the laptop case and she clutched it on her lap.
Reno had engaged her in a somewhat scientific discussion of how the immune boosting compound she’d developed worked. It wasn’t Xavier’s field, but he found her talk interesting, to say the least.
“So why would it work for some people and not others?” Reno asked.
Xavier wanted to know, too.
“It has to do with certain antigens. If they are present, the serum seems to work. If not, it has no effect. I haven’t nailed down all the factors yet, but I believe the serum will work if the right combination of antigens is present in the person already.”
Reno thought out loud. “Tricky. There’s no real way to know if the person you want to treat has the right antigens before you administer the serum. Not in an emergency situation.” He knew more about science and medicine than the rest of them combined.
“And it doesn’t work to create a cocktail of antigens and administer them first,” McCormick said. “The substances have to be an integral part of the patient’s body before administering the serum, and there wouldn’t be enough time for the antigen cocktail to get around enough in someone’s system for the serum to work. In fact, the results might be disastrous: a half-turned creature capable of thought and still very, very deadly.” She shuddered.
“Could that be part of what Sellars has been doing?” Xavier asked quickly. “His new strain of zombies are capable of some limited speech and following his directions.”
McCormick paled. “I don’t know what line of research he’s been following, but that sounds very bad, Captain. One of the reasons I don’t like him is that he once talked about making an army of the creatures, back when we first discovered what had happened to the cadavers they’d decided to use for testing.”
“The ones that got up and walked out of the lab in the middle of the night?” Reno asked with a hint of dark humor. “We heard about that. When the trouble started up on our base, the navy guys filled us in.”
“It’s happening elsewhere?” Dread filled her expression.
“Back at our base,” Xavier confirmed. “And here on Long Island. They sent us up to take care of this problem while others are dealing with the one back home.”
“That is truly awful.” She looked thoughtful and very concerned. “Some of our team struck me as unethical. I was going to request a transfer right before that final, terrible experiment. Then all hell broke loose and we were sequestered for weeks on end. Eventually we were cut loose from our military contracts with all kinds of dire warnings. I suspected a few of my colleagues wouldn’t go quietly. I’m sad to say I’m not surprised that Dr. Sellars did this. The man is a snake. I hope you catch him before he kills anyone else and I’ll help in any way I can.”
“You’ve already helped a great deal, Doctor. The best thing you can do to help us right now is to remain with the police while we go get Sarah.” Xavier was focused on his mission. He was already formulating plans in his mind. They’d take the chopper to the house and he’d rappel in from above.
“Once we’ve nipped this in the bud, I’m pretty sure our superiors will want to talk to you about that serum you’re developing,” Sam put in. “We’ve already had two flare-ups and I think they’re afraid there will be more before all is said and done. You and your serum could come in mighty useful.”
“I’ll be glad to help,” she assured them all.
Kauffman pulled into the police station lot, having broken every speed limit along the way.
Impatience was riding Xavier. He wanted to be off. “Sam, settle things with the locals. I’m going to gear up at the chopper. Have the team meet me there ASAP.”
“Yes, sir.” Sam escorted the scientist toward the police station.
The SWAT vehicle was parked, ready and waiting, right next to them. No doubt the officers from that emergency services division were also ready and waiting, but Xavier wouldn’t be using their expertise today if he could help it.
Xavier jogged the short distance to the helipad. It was behind the station, in a clearing. The chopper was equipped with special biometric locks, so nobody could get in it without one of the team members present. Xavier opened it up and went straight for the weapons cache. Loading his gear with the toxic darts he’d need against the zombies, he tried to calm himself. He needed to get into a bright head space to accomplish his mission and save Sarah. Going in half-cocked would be the worst mistake of his life. He counted on his training to kick him in the right direction as he deliberately slowed his breathing and focused on the task at hand.
Sam, Reno and Kauffman were back just as he began to get impatient. He was ready. His mind was set on the mission like an Olympic athlete focused on his few seconds of glory. Nothing would stop him now. It was free Sarah or die trying.
Sarah woke by slow degrees. She was in the dark, in a damp place, probably a basement, and she was strapped down to a hard surface. Probably a gurney or operating table, knowing who had her.
Those last frightening moments came back to her. She’d been struggling with three zombies. Two had her legs and one had her torso in a bear hug from behind. She couldn’t move. The bastard who’d grabbed her from behind effectively pinned her arms, and the other two made sure she couldn’t kick her way out of their grasp.
Xavier had plugged the creatures full of toxin in a display of incredible marksmanship, but they’d taken so long to dissolve. The moment the two at her feet turned to mush, she felt a needle pierce her throat. She’d been injected in the jugular, and none too gently. Whatever they’d hit her with acted fast. She remembered being lifted by human arms as the zombie behind her disintegrated and dropped on the cold metal floor of the waiting van. Bumpy motion as they drove fast out of the grassy field, and then…nothing.
Nothing until a few minutes ago when she woke up here. Wherever here was.
She found she could make out faint outlines of things if she used her peripheral vision. There was a line of light around the seam of a door, and she could see a tray at eye level to her right. Yeah, she was in trouble all right. Those were medical instruments on that tray.
All sorts of scary ideas entered her head. Would Sellars dissect her while she was still alive? Would he torture her? Or did he have something else in mind?
Her blouse had been unbuttoned, and she could feel the coldness of gel, plastic and metal. Some kind of sensors had been attached to her skin. Probably a heart monitor and some others. She could feel them on her legs, too. Her shoes and socks had been removed, and it felt like her uniform pants had been either cut or ripped up the sides to give them access for their sensors. She’d been hooked up to all kinds of machines and she hadn’t even known it.
The door opened and an overhead light switched on. Brightness flooded the room, assaulting her eyes. She shut them quickly, trying not to scrunch them up against the sudden glare. If she could play possum for a bit, maybe they’d talk amongst themselves and she could learn something about where she was being held.
“Come now, Sarah.” A tsking sound reached her ears. “I know full well you’re awake. I saw it on the monitors.”
“The light hurts my eyes,” she groused. No way was she going to be a good little prisoner for this son of a bitch.
“Ah, yes. I suppose that would be true. No mat
ter.”
She felt him fussing at her side, and she was almost afraid to open her eyes and see what he was up to. A moment later, she felt him swab her inner elbow with something cold. Her eyes popped open.
Sure enough, he had a needle in his hand. It was Sellars, but not. He’d changed his appearance from the last time she’d seen him, as he’d said on his video. His hair had been cut short and dyed an unlikely shade of auburn. He had colored contacts that turned his dark brown eyes to hazel, and it looked like he’d had a spray tan treatment or two. The changes weren’t anything earth shattering, but taken all together, he certainly didn’t look like the man in his personnel photo.
“I see you’ve decided to take an interest in your own welfare. How nice.”
The sadistic bastard smiled at her.
“I’m just hooking you up so I can tap your veins at will. I can foresee I’ll need a number of blood samples from you as my testing proceeds.”
“Testing?”
“Of course. Why else do you think I’d go through the trouble of capturing you? I need to know what makes you immune, Sarah. With that final piece of the puzzle, I can finally sell this technology and retire a rich man. Filthy rich, in fact.”
He grinned like a fool, making her stomach turn. Sellars was clearly a greedy bastard. He stuck an IV in her arm with no regard to delicacy. She tried not to flinch at the pain.
“You’d let someone unleash that horror on an unsuspecting world?” He met her gaze and she saw no remorse, no conscience there. “And here I thought the zombies were the monsters.”
“Touché, Sarah. I’m wounded by your wit.” His insulting tone told her he was anything but. “Personally, I don’t care what the highest bidder does with my work as long as I’m immune and rich. They could kill off the whole damn species as far as I’m concerned. In fact, that might be for the best. Cleanse the planet and start over with just a few immune souls as seed stock. The more I think of it, the more I like that idea.”
“You’re nuts.”
“Compliments, my dear. You’ll turn my head.”
