The silence of the room rang in my ears. I met Travis’s eyes briefly and I could see he was just as shaken as I was. I pulled my head away from him, looking back through the window at Eliza, who was sound asleep.
“How did we miss this?” I asked.
No one rushed to answer, but eventually, it was Travis who spoke up. “We missed it because she wanted us to.”
I swallowed. He had asked me a similar question in the past and that was the reason I had given him.
“What do we know about this new drug?” Simmonds asked Dr. March.
“That’s the scary thing.” She was still paging through Eliza’s file, her face growing more and more concerned. “Now, keep in mind that this is still new. I haven’t had the time to investigate anything fully. But it doesn’t look like this is a drug. I ran a very extensive toxicology on her when she came in, and aside from the Gerex, there isn’t any trace of a foreign substance,” she said. “Something else I don’t like is that, from the looks of things, it was injected directly into her brain.”
“What?” I asked. I had to have heard her wrong.
Dr. March nodded. “The bump on the back of her head is from the drill they had to use to get through her skull. That’s why we can still see it. It’s a very direct approach, though I wonder if it’s fully necessary.”
“So they did it for fun?” my dad asked.
“Given that it’s KATO we’re talking about, it’s possible. But it’s more likely that this method would yield the most immediate result.” She sighed. “I can’t begin to guess the specifics, but based on what I’ve seen, the symptoms she has, and what she’s saying she can and can’t do, I think this is related to her oxytocin output.”
My eyebrows knitted together. “What does that mean?”
“Oxytocin is a hormone and neurotransmitter that’s released when a person bonds with another, which includes sharing secrets,” Dr. March explained. “I think whatever is going on isn’t necessarily preventing her from talking, but it’s attacking the area of the brain that releases oxytocin any time she attempts to share a secret. The pain that comes with that is what’s keeping her in check.”
“Can you fix her?” Travis asked, his voice hoarse.
Dr. March tipped her head to the side noncommittally. “I can run some more tests now that we have all of this new information, but I don’t know how conclusive they’ll be.”
I rubbed my forehead, trying to get my brain moving. “Could it be related to her immune system?” I asked. “Jin Su was interested in her and he visited an immunologist.”
Dr. March flipped through some more papers in Eliza’s file. “It’s a possibility. I ran a check on her immune system after that report came in and didn’t find anything, but I can check again.”
“Is there a chance this might kill her?” Simmonds asked.
Dr. March shrugged. “I don’t know nearly enough to answer that. But I’ll say that based on what I’ve seen, the body’s reaction to that amount of pain could do some damage if the pain is prolonged. And my guess is to her, it feels like she might die.”
“That’s all KATO cares about,” I said. “They probably told her it would kill her even if it’s not true.”
“All right,” my dad said, running a hand through his hair. “What can we do about all of this now?”
“Regardless of any information we may already have, the most helpful thing would be to get a look at the original serum,” Dr. March said. “That was crucial to understanding the Gerex.”
“Do you think you can reverse the process?” I asked.
Dr. March gave me a halfhearted shrug. “I honestly don’t know. But there’s at least a chance if I get my hands on the serum.”
“I want this one,” I said to Simmonds. “I have a team of KATO agents who will be highly motivated to track this serum down. And between the four of us, we should have the intel and resources to pull it off.”
“We don’t even know where to go,” Travis said. He sounded frustrated by the entire situation. “If it’s in their headquarters, we’re talking about another trip into North Korea. And we don’t know where they’re rebuilding.”
“It can’t be there,” I said. “Even if it was there at one point, something this important would have been moved after we invaded. That location wasn’t secure anymore.”
“You think they took it outside of North Korea?” my dad asked, following my train of thought.
“If they have safe houses all over the world, why wouldn’t they have an alternate facility outside of the country?” I asked.
He nodded. “It makes sense.”
“If I’m right, they would’ve had to have outsourced the construction,” I said. “We can get Centipede to find out who they used.”
Simmonds ran a hand along his chin, seeming to be seriously considering this. “Reach out to your agents. See what they know and how they can help. I’m hesitant to rely on them so soon for something this important, but they may be our best option.”
“I’ll get right on it,” I said, heading for the door.
“The rest of us will reconvene in my office,” Simmonds said to the others. “We need to figure out an alternative solution.”
• • •
I went back to my room so I could make contact without an audience. I sat cross-legged on my bed, running my fingers along the ruffles on the comforter.
I called Centipede first. When she didn’t pick up, I moved on to Venom.
She answered immediately like she said she would. I didn’t give her too many of the details—if we were doing this, it seemed best to go over everything in person when we were all together. I told her what the job would be: to locate a new developmental serum and retrieve it.
“They make more drugs?” she asked when I was finished.
“Well, we’re not so sure it’s really a drug, but yeah, that’s the general idea,” I said.
There was a pause on her end, and I imagined she was thinking it over. “Yes, I will do this.”
“Okay, I’ll send you a meeting place when I—” She hung up before I could finish. As far as I was concerned, it was a successful communication.
Then I called Misty. She also picked up very quickly. “You have something already?”
“In part thanks to you,” I said. “We got Python talking. Everything you said helped a lot.”
“I’m glad.” It sounded like she truly was.
I filled her in on our task, giving her the same light details I had given Venom. “We’ll talk about everything when we meet. I just need to know if you’re up for this.” I didn’t want to give her any more intel over the phone in case someone was listening.
“I am.”
“Good. I’ll be in touch when I know more,” I said before we disconnected.
Now all I needed was Centipede. It was a while before she called back this time and I found myself pacing the room. The more time passed, the more anxious I became. I was afraid she’d either gotten caught or turned on us. Either one seemed like a real possibility.
Finally she called back and I picked up quickly.
“What do you need?” she asked. There was a hard edge to her voice that I didn’t like. One I hadn’t heard since I’d first convinced her to join. My senses were on high alert.
“Is everything okay?”
“I don’t have time for that,” she said. “Tell me why you called.”
Her attitude made my guard go up, but I told her the same thing I had told everyone else. By the time I was finished, her tone had changed significantly.
“A serum?” she asked. She tried to hide it, but I heard the note of fear in her voice. “What does it do?”
“I’d rather give the details in person,” I said, hoping I didn’t have to explain myself any more than that.
She was quiet for a few second
s. Then she asked, “Is it bad?”
I bit my lip before I answered. “Yeah,” I said. “It’s really bad.”
She exhaled heavily—too heavily. “You need to get Python and everyone else out of the IDA.”
I froze. My heart started to race as her words sunk in. “What’s going on?”
“KATO found a way in,” she said. “I don’t know what their plan is, but I’ve been told I’ll be pulled back in the near future.” She paused. “They said once the ground team arrives, I won’t be needed anymore.”
“How long have you known about this?” I asked. I tried to focus on my breathing, struggling to stay calm.
“Six hours.” The more we talked the softer her voice became.
I ground my teeth together. “And if I didn’t call you, would you have called me?”
She was quiet then for entirely too long.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I was livid and terrified, and I didn’t know what to act on.
“You brought Venom—” She cut herself off. “It doesn’t matter. Now you know. Do you want to keep talking to me or do something about it?”
I exhaled heavily through my nose. “We think the serum is being kept in a facility outside of North Korea. You need to find out who KATO used to build it.”
“What?” she asked. “How am I supposed to do that?”
“Figure it out! You owe us.” I hung up on her and raced out of my room, moving across campus in a dead sprint. I nearly took out a handful of agents who stood between me and the operations building.
I didn’t hesitate to burst into Simmonds’s office. Simmonds, Travis, and my father were all there and looked up abruptly when I came barreling through the door.
“Whatever relocation plan you’re operating on, you need to accelerate it,” I said as I tried to catch my breath. “KATO’s coming.”
“You’re certain?” Simmonds asked.
“Centipede just confirmed it. KATO really wants Eliza back.” I said nothing about the fact that Centipede nearly let us get hit. Ultimately she told us what we needed to know, but I wasn’t so sure Simmonds would see it that way.
“We’re upping relocation to an emergency final phase,” Simmonds said. “Emergency procedure dictates the immediate grounding of in-progress missions and operational suspension until relocation is complete. Your mission will be put on hold in the meantime.”
“Wait a minute.” For the second time in two days my entire mission seemed seconds away from blowing up on me. I wouldn’t let it happen. “I can still make this work. I’m working with KATO agents who aren’t used to any support. All we need are comms so we can talk to each other.”
He gave me a weary look. “You’re suggesting that I authorize an IDA-sanctioned mission while the IDA is effectively shut down.”
“It’s KATO, and they’re messing with people’s minds.” I put my fists on the edge of his desk, my knuckles digging into the edge. “We have the advantage now, but we don’t know how long that will last. We can’t risk waiting until we’re fully operational. Not on this.”
Simmonds’s mouth formed a thin line. I couldn’t tell if he was considering this or if he was irritated that I was pushing.
My dad shifted on his feet. “Roy, no one hates to admit this more than me,” he said, “but she has a point.”
Simmonds grimaced, but nodded. “I have a location in Lyon, France, that you can use as a safe house to meet with your team. I’ll have you and Agent Elton dispatched on a special assignment before initiating the protocol. Your mission is to retrieve the serum and any development information you can get your hands on.” He looked to my dad. “Chris, I’m assigning you as the supervising agent.”
My dad shrugged. “If you didn’t, I was assigning myself.” Simmonds leveled him with a glare that made my dad smirk, and I felt myself relax a fraction.
“If it’s all right, sir,” Travis said, “I’d rather stick around here and help with the relocation.” I felt like a bucket of ice water had been dropped on me. I could not have heard him right. “We have a lot of sensitive intel that needs to be protected.”
I stared straight in front of me, stunned. No matter what he had said yesterday, I didn’t believe he would really bail on me when it came down to it.
“I agree,” Simmonds said, eyeing him. “I had thought Hawthorne and Mathers would be well suited for the role.”
“They would be,” Travis said. “But I’d rather it be me.”
Simmonds looked to me for a moment, as if he were trying to feel me out, but I kept my expression neutral, giving nothing away. “Very well,” he said. “I can’t say I wouldn’t feel better having you around.”
My jaw locked. Travis had just chosen to stay behind. I tried to ignore the way my stomach churned, but it got harder each second. I was desperate to move on before anyone knew how much disappointment coursed through me.
“I’d like Nikki with me,” I said. “She may not be able to go in the field, but with this she won’t need to. We could use her perspective.” And I needed someone on my side.
Simmonds thought for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll allow it,” he said. “I’d rather the two of you not be outnumbered anyway.”
“Can I also get Sam to monitor the situation from the school’s location?” I asked. He was someone else who had never questioned me.
Simmonds’s eyebrows came together. “His building isn’t equipped to run an operation out of. Its intent is for students to have a secure place to learn. They don’t have the same resources as we do here.”
“I don’t need the resources,” I said. “But having a hacker for any background information we may need could be helpful. Sam reached out after the move and offered me help. He’s also proven he can handle it.”
Simmonds nodded. “Very well, then. Agent Steely, I’ll let you prepare for your assignment. I’ll have Agent Edwards sent right to you and I’ll touch base with Sam Lewis.”
“Thank you, sir,” I said. “I can contact Sam on the plane if you’d like. You’ve got enough to worry about.”
“Excellent,” Simmonds said. “I’ll check in with you periodically, but for all intents and purposes, you are on your own.”
I hurried out of the office, refusing to so much as glance in Travis’s direction.
Chapter Twenty-One
HOME BASE
I pushed Travis out of my mind and put my focus on the mission, which was more important anyway. Sam was, as expected, delighted to be called on. I briefed him on the situation and prepped him for a search on KATO’s builders once Centipede arrived. He said he’d start on what he could and told us to check back in when we were set up in France. When I was finished with him, I sent a message to the others with the safe house location.
It was early in the evening when we landed in Lyon—already dark with just enough movement on the street to blend in. The house was a row home located closer to the edge of the city.
There was a keypad next to the door. In order to access the house, my dad had to enter three different codes at specific intervals. We entered into a living room. It was a big space, fully furnished with traditional European furniture. The stiff high backs and carved wooden trim felt a little too nice for our purposes. There was a staircase on the left side heading to the second floor, and an archway in the back right corner that presumably lead to a kitchen.
“I’ll get the equipment set up,” Nikki said, taking in the room. She had been giddy for most of the flight, happy to get off the base. Despite the fact that we had next to no direct IDA support, we’d been sent with monitors, computers, and cameras that would allow us to set up a low-functioning command center in the living room.
We were up and running within the hour, and the girls were due just before midnight. In the meantime, we took inventory of the rest of the house. The kitchen was stocked with enough food to last us a
month, though I was hoping we would be less than a week. My dad also rigged the bedroom doors so they were stuck open. It didn’t seem like a good idea to give the girls too much privacy.
I found myself pacing the living room as my anxiety started to get the better of me. The four of us had never been together before and I was uneasy about how all of this would go. “You two can’t say anything,” I said, looking to Nikki and my dad. “I’ll introduce you and give them your roles, but I’ve been in charge and, for the most part, they’re listening to me. I can’t be outranked.”
“You can run it,” my dad said. “But if things get out of hand, I’m stepping in.” I didn’t argue. His face was set and it was clear this wasn’t a point of negotiation.
The first knock at the door came around eleven thirty. I glanced at the two of them.
My dad tipped his head to the side. “I guess it’s showtime.”
I drew a long tight breath and opened the door.
Misty stood on the other side. She hugged herself as she hunched in the doorway, like she was doing her best to be invisible.
“You’re the first one here,” I said, stepping aside so she could enter.
She shivered slightly as she crossed the threshold. I noticed her face was still purple where Centipede had hit her. “You know,” she said, “I came here still thinking this could be a trap.”
I shrugged. “I’ve been praying none of you went back to KATO with any of this.”
Misty smiled lightly, then a voice on the stairs pulled everyone’s attention.
“I am here.”
My neck snapped up. It was Venom. She stood halfway down the stairs.
“How did you get in?” I asked, trying not to sound alarmed.
“Attic fan.” There was a touch of pride in her voice and I had to remind myself that she was on our side—or at least she was supposed to be. She moved down the steps, swinging her arms ever so slightly. She stopped at the bottom step when she spotted Misty. “Who are you?”
Enemy Exposure Page 19
