D.E.A.D. (The A.L.I.V.E. Series Book 2)

by R. D. Brady

  Or perhaps someone has gotten a little too compassionate. He’d read the case notes from Maxwell, who said Tidwell’s behavior was off during the first day of searching. That she had questioned the kill order. He needed to check and see what Maxwell’s latest report said.

  Martin’s phone rang and he glared at it. He hated phone calls. But the caller ID indicated it was Julio Sanders from the D.E.A.D. He answered it, forcing the annoyance out of his tone. “Julio, how are you?”

  “Good, Mr. Drummond, good. Um, I have an update on the Salt Lake City case.”

  “Has the Maldek been caught?”

  “Um, no, sir. There have been no further sightings on the creature. But Agent Maxwell just called with what could be a problem.”

  “A problem?”

  “Yes, sir. It seems Agent Tidwell reported that she was not feeling well and requested a few days off. She’s been a good agent, so I had no problem with the request. But Maxwell said she was acting weird. So he put a tracer on her rental car.”

  “And?”

  “And she said she was going to rest and maybe take off the next morning, but she started driving that night. She’s headed east.”

  Martin was quiet for a moment. East from Salt Lake City. Denver—where Leander was. Could be a coincidence. But Martin didn’t believe in those.

  “Where is Agent Maxwell now?”

  “He’s following her.” Sanders rattled off Maxwell’s location, his cell phone number, and the GPS on his car.

  “Good. I’ll have a team meet him.”

  “Are … are you sure that’s necessary? She could just—”

  “If she’s doing nothing wrong, then she will have nothing to worry about.”

  “Norah’s a good person. I’m sure—”

  “If she’s a good person, she’s in the wrong line of work. Besides, you work for me now. And now the problem is mine.” He disconnected the call and brought up the GPS on Maxwell’s car. Then he dialed his enforcement detail. “I need a team ready to go.”

  “Yes, sir. Where are we heading?”

  “Colorado. I’ll give you more specific coordinates when you are in the air.”

  “Yes, sir. What kind of mission?”

  “Not sure yet. We could have an escapee that is being aided by a human.”

  The other end of the line was silent for a moment. “I see. And how would you like this human to be handled?”

  “If this human is aiding and abetting the enemy, they deserve no consideration. Terminate.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I’ll send you the details I have. Keep me updated.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Martin disconnected the call and brought up Tidwell’s file. He reviewed it again and then brought up her picture. He tsked, looking at the screen. Such a shame. She was a pretty girl.

  Then he clicked off the screen and stood up. He pushed the intercom button. “I need some lunch. I’m in the mood for Chinese.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  Maeve felt numb. She kept seeing Alvie fall over and over again in her mind. She checked the triplets, whose breathing was even, but they were still out. She was vaguely aware of Greg yelling at Tilda and Adam, but she didn’t have the ability to focus on what they were saying.

  Alvie …

  The Jeep came to a stop. Adam got out and Greg took his place. He placed his hands on Maeve’s shoulders. “Maeve.”

  She looked into his eyes.

  “Maeve, I need you to say something.” He wrapped his jacket around her shoulders. “Say something.”

  “Alvie,” she whispered, tears springing to her eyes.

  “I know, I know.” Greg pulled her into his shoulders and the tears flowed down Maeve’s cheeks. She hadn’t protected him. She’d let him get taken. Her shoulders shook and her chest felt like a hole had been carved into it.

  Adam reappeared. “We’re not being followed.”

  “Really?” Greg’s voice was hard, and Maeve had never heard him like that before. “And why should we believe you? After all, you said there were alarms around the safe house. I didn’t hear any alarms go off. And they didn’t follow us. They let us go. So what the hell is going on?”

  Adam’s voice was quiet. “They let us go because they had what they came for.”

  Maeve pushed up from Greg and looked at Tilda. “Why didn’t the alarms go off? How did they find us?”

  “I don’t know. They shouldn’t have.” Tilda’s gaze shifted away to look at Adam.

  “She’s right,” Adam said, and for the first time since Maeve had met him, he sounded angry. “They shouldn’t have found us. And they definitely shouldn’t have gotten so close.”

  “So what the hell happened? What are you not telling us?” Greg demanded.

  Tilda shook her head. “Nothing. Nothing for sure. I don’t know what went wrong.”

  “You might not know, but you suspect,” Maeve said.

  “Perhaps. But that won’t help us now. Now we need to figure out our next steps. We can hide—”

  “We’re getting Alvie back,” Maeve said.

  Tilda shook her head. “No. Where they’ve taken him, there’s no way to—”

  “We. Are. Getting. Alvie. Back. If you are not on board with that, then this is where I leave you.”

  Greg took her hand. “You mean where they leave us. I’m with you.”

  “And so am I,” Adam said softly.

  Tilda’s eyes went wide. “Adam?”

  “I’m helping them.”

  “You can’t go back there,” Tilda said. And for the first time, Maeve heard a sliver of fear in her voice.

  “Yes, I can,” he said.

  The two stared at each other, and Maeve wondered what the hell was going on because obviously whatever this silent argument had nothing to do with Alvie.

  Finally, Tilda nodded. “Okay. But we’ll need help.”

  “What about Guardian?” Greg asked.

  “I don’t know how to contact him. But there are some other people who can help.” Tilda stepped out of the Jeep with her phone and walked away from them. Maeve felt all the energy leave her. She pictured Alvie being grabbed, imagined him being poked and prodded in some lab somewhere. She scrambled to the side of the Jeep and Adam leapt out of the way as she threw up.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  JENSEN, UTAH

  Dawn was breaking when Norah finally pulled over. They had just passed the Uintah and Ouray reservations to the west of Denver. Another few hours and they’d be in the city limits. Of course, she still wasn’t exactly sure where she was headed, but that was a problem for later. Right now, even though most people were just starting their day, she needed sleep.

  Paying cash, she got a room at a no-frills motel and after Iggy crawled back into the duffel, she headed inside along with the bags of food she’d picked up down the street. After a quick breakfast, both collapsed into bed. Iggy fell asleep almost immediately.

  But Norah stretched out on the other bed, stared at the water-damaged ceiling, and wondered what it was about driving long distances that was so exhausting. It wasn’t like you were using up that much energy. She’d prefer a nice, exhausting run to a long car ride any day. Of course, Iggy had actually been pretty good company. He’d be-bopped along to the radio most of the way.

  She smiled, picturing him in the passenger seat wiggling away. Finally, she closed her eyes. They’d sleep for a few hours and then see what she could figure out about Leander. They had to be somewhere, being guarded. She just needed to find a place that the U.S. government was keeping secret.

  Yeah, sure, that should be easy.

  Feeling eyes on her, she cracked open one eyelid. Iggy had climbed out of his bed, his teddy bear dangling from one hand. He now stood next to her bed, staring at her expectantly. She sighed and pulled the covers back on the bed next to her. “Come on.”

  He hopped up and nestled down next to her. She closed her eyes again and then felt his hand slip into hers. She opened h
er eyes in surprise. But Iggy, with the teddy clutched to his chest, had his eyes closed, a little smile on his face. And Norah realized the loneliness she’d felt coming off him when she first met him had disappeared. Instead she felt contentment. And she realized at the same time that some of the loneliness she felt had also disappeared.

  She closed her eyes, amazed once more at how much her life had changed in such a short time. But she didn’t focus on it, because sleep was calling her. And right now that was one call she was happy to take.

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  UNDISCLOSED LOCATION

  On screen, Martin Drummond’s men loaded Alvie into a container and pulled away from the ranch. Guardian trailed them, switching from road cameras to satellites to bank cameras. Guardian rerouted them by setting up construction sites and closing down certain roads. They needed to get back to Dulce, but they needed to get there slowly. It’s why Guardian had hacked into their plane and wrecked their hydraulics system, forcing them to transfer the subject by road.

  Guardian nodded, setting up the rest of the road trip. That should work.

  Guardian shifted focus to Agent Tidwell. Sifting through the D.E.A.D. records, Guardian saw that her partner was suspicious of her. He’d set up a tracker. Checking Tidwell’s route, it was clear the agent was unaware, and she checked into a motel with the Maldek. Guardian had set up her phone to turn on and off every half hour to record for a minute and then power down again. Listening to the recording, Guardian frowned. Was that singing? And there was a small hum in the background. Was that the Maldek?

  Guardian pulled up the background on the Maldek. Nothing mentioned bonding. Although Guardian did find some information that suggested the Maldek bonded fiercely and protectively to one person. Had it bonded to the agent? That could be a problem.

  Shifting to the communications between Maxwell and the D.E.A.D., Guardian frowned. Agent Tidwell was in trouble. Which meant the Maldek was in trouble. Guardian paused, weighing possible scenarios, then hunched over the keyboard, fingers moving rapidly.

  I may need to change some plans.

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  JENSEN, UTAH

  Iggy’s squeals jarred Norah from her sleep. She had been in deep, and even when her eyes opened it took her a few precious seconds for Iggy’s urgency to register. She bolted upright. “What’s wrong?”

  “Ig.” He pushed at her shoulder and then leapt off the bed, running for the door. Oh no. She grabbed her keys and the duffel and peered into the parking lot. They’d slept for hours. From the angle of the sun, it was around noon. She frowned, not seeing any reason for alarm.

  Why was—

  A man walked casually across the parking lot, a cap down covering his face—too casually. Shit. Bob. The only thing he’d done to change his appearance was add a ball cap—a ball cap she saw him wear at least once a week. She grabbed the duffel bag, holding it open. “Get in.”

  Iggy hopped in and Norah looped it over her arm, struggling to figure out how he’d found her and how she was going to lose him. She pulled her weapon from the holster, making sure the safety was off. She watched Bob move out of view and she prayed there were no other eyes on her. Her mind whirled, trying to figure out options. He’d tracked her here. She hadn’t seen his car, which meant …

  She pulled out her phone and double checked that she’d disabled the GPS on her phone. Yup. She shoved the phone back in her pocket. The bastard must have put a tracker on my car. But with Bob out there, she didn’t have time to look for it.

  Okay, get to the car. Put as much distance between us and Bob, and then change cars or remove the tracker. The only other options right now would be to try and lose him on foot and find another car in the area. But she didn’t know the area well enough to hope she could pull that off.

  Mind made up, she glanced back outside, trying to figure out how she could possibly get to the car without Bob noticing. A man and woman stepped out of their room across the way, yelling at one another. The woman threw the man’s clothes into the parking lot, telling him to get out.

  Move, Norah, move. She slipped out the door and walked quickly to her car. Tossing the duffel on the passenger seat, she started the car, pulling out of the lot.

  “Norah, stop!” In the rearview mirror, she saw Bob standing, legs braced, his weapon aimed at her.

  Her mouth dropped open. He was pulling a gun on her? In the mirror, she saw his hand tighten on the grip. He’s going to shoot me. Fear fueled her and she slammed on the accelerator. Bob pulled the trigger and the passenger-side mirror exploded.

  “Stay down!” she yelled at Iggy as she tore out of the parking lot, sideswiping a car on the street in her haste.

  She sped down the street, her whole body shaking.

  Bob shot at me. Holy crap. He shot at me! Her eyes flew to her rearview mirror as Bob’s SUV swung out onto the street behind her with a squeal of tires. But it was only his car that pulled out. No backup, at least not yet. Good.

  Norah’s mind raced as she flew down the street. Luckily it was a small city and not too many people were out. But ahead she could see a busier intersection and the entrance ramp for the highway. What to do—on the highway or try and lose him here? The highway was a long, straight shot with few offshoots. She’d never lose him there. It would simply be a race. Side streets it is. She swung the wheel to the left, cutting off three cars.

  Horns screamed and brakes squealed, but Norah just pressed down harder on the accelerator. The cars she’d cut off moved forward as Bob reached the turn, blocking his way.

  She quickly turned left. She slammed on the brakes and threw the car in park. She ran to the rear passenger tire. Reaching into the tire well, she pulled the tracker out. Always in the same spot. She threw it into a pickup that passed her going in the opposite direction.

  Sprinting back for the driver’s seat, she took off in a squeal of tires, turning again and then again, her eyes continually straying to the rearview mirror, but she didn’t see a black SUV.

  She turned onto a four-lane road and turned left, no destination in mind, just a need to put as much distance between herself and Bob as possible.

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  DULCE, NEW MEXICO

  The hacker had interceded when his team moved in on Tidwell. They were supposed to meet Agent Maxwell at the motel. But their GPS sent them two hours away instead. Martin was still smarting at how the hacker had outsmarted them … again. There had been no sign of Tidwell since the motel. No doubt the hacker’s doing. He glowered, but then calmed himself, knowing the woman could only hide for so long. After all, she had an alien holding her back. There weren’t too many places she could hole up.

  The bigger problem was the hacker who seemed to be covering everybody’s escapes. Hamish assured him, though, that he was getting closer to finding him. And once they found the hacker, all the people he was protecting would be thrust out into the light. It was only a matter of time.

  But that was not the only problem occupying Martin’s thoughts. Hamish had managed to get the files from D.E.A.D. an hour ago. The analysts had collated the data and now Martin had a preliminary overview of the D.E.A.D. success rate. The D.E.A.D. teams had managed to track down thirty-two escapees in the last four weeks. On the one hand, that was more efficient than he had expected. Tidwell and Maxwell had proven to be perhaps the most efficient team.

  But although there were thirty-two caught, the sightings numbered closer to sixty. Martin frowned, knowing that number was high. Some of the sightings were no doubt duplicate sightings of the same creature. Even taking that into account, that still left a significant amount unaccounted for, although they couldn’t be a hundred percent sure about how many had died in the blast. He scanned the reports and then flipped to the last page, which held a statistical summation of the captures.

  As he read the scores, his concern grew. That wasn’t right. He strode over to his desk and brought up the files from Project Vault. Twelve Augustin-AG1, six Kingman-AG2, Lared
o-AG1, and the list went on.

  He glanced back at the D.E.A.D. report. Six Kingman-AG2. But Martin knew that three had been killed at 51. So the most that could have been caught were three. Which could only mean one thing …

  “They’re breeding,” he murmured. That had always been a risk. The creatures’ reproductive capabilities had been closely controlled in captivity. In some cases, eliminated entirely. But it had proven a difficult aspect of the A.L.I.V.E. projects. The subjects’ anatomy was so different from anything on Earth that figuring out exactly what controlled reproduction had been daunting. In some cases, removing reproductive organs resulted in the creatures regenerating those organs, which had opened a whole new line of experimentation. One species of the Grays appeared particularly good at regenerating body parts, just like the starfish.

  But there had only been a dozen cases of creatures being reproduced in captivity, and those had all been created through asexual reproduction. And each offspring had been examined and then destroyed. But that process had led to numerous behavior problems with the subjects. Apparently the need to defend offspring was well established across the universe.

  Now that the creatures were free, though, had they reproduced? The idea was terrifying. They knew nothing of gestation periods for most of the creatures, the number of offspring that could be potentially born to each species at one time, or the capabilities of the offspring; could be anything. But the numbers Martin was looking at now suggested something was at play, and it suggested nothing good.

  Gestation wasn’t a straightforward matter, even for Earth-origin animals. Larger animals tended to have longer gestations than smaller ones. But gestations are also affected by factors such as food abundance as well as the habitat of the animals. Animals that live out in the open tend to have longer gestations, and the child is born more mature. But creatures that burrow and hide can have short gestations because the newborn is hidden from predators.