Semi-quiet. The room existed as a collection of heaving breaths and a void where death ferried the soulless to another realm.
Firefights typically lasted seconds to minutes, stretched out in the minds of the participants until each action occurred as a separate entity. To Luc’s perception it’d been hours since he stepped into the room. He looked around at what the marriage of greed and lunacy had wrought.
Ethan tended to the Kilregard’s partner, who was wounded and sitting with his back against the wall, his hand pressing on Kilregard’s abdomen. Blood oozed between his fingers.
Ethan asked, “What’s your name?”
“Bayler, and I’ll be fine. Help my partner.”
“Guys? Kilregard’s not looking so good. Pulse is fast and thready.” Ethan brushed Bayler’s hand aside to assess the wound. “Megan? A hand please?”
Matt finished cuffing an unconscious Morfran while Luc strode to the opposite side where the other traitorous agent had gone down. After crouching to check the two bodies, he murmured, “Metger and this partner are dead. The other sidekick took the elevator. We’ll have to track him later.”
Hesitation in Megan’s voice wasn’t typical or expected. “I’m not a people doctor, guys, but this doesn’t look good. I think the bullet missed the larger vessels and organs but probably perforated his bowel. We’ve got to get him out of here and to a hospital.”
Smashing glass brought everyone’s gun up and aimed at the office until Matt shouted. “No. It’s Lexi going for the files.”
“Shit.” Ethan stood and helped the younger agent up. “Megan, can you stabilize Kilregard till we reach EMS?”
“I’ll do what I can. He needs emergency surgery.” Megan wiped her hands on her jacket and felt the officer’s pulse again. “What’s the situation upstairs?” Her inquiry heralded an ominous stillness. Each looked to Kilregard’s backup for answers.
“Don’t know. Metger sent Kilregard down the east wing. I snuck in and joined Kilregard after they split. We made our way here, but I don’t know what’s going on topside.” Despite his leg wound and a slight wobble in his voice, Bayler’s gaze and voice were steady.
“Lexi?” Ethan eased Bayler to sit in a nearby chair.
“I’m on it.” Lexi swiveled in Reinhardt’s chair. Dysrhythmic tapping coincided with the remaining basement lights dispelling shadows, the radiance emphasizing the carnage wrought. “I’m in their CCTV. Looks like three men heading toward the elevator and two more going for Reinhardt’s office upstairs. Whatever we’re gonna do, now’s the time. I can lock them all out from entering the basement, at least for a short while, but we’re trapped down here.”
Matt looked to Billy and Lucas. “There’s too many ways for this to go sideways. We don’t know if Metger had other help or if the guards upstairs have called in reserves.”
“I can trigger the fire alarm electronically. If it doesn’t send the remainder fleeing like rats, at least we might have reinforcements or enough confusion with EMS’ arrival to slip out the back.” Lexi glanced from Matt to Ethan before returning her concentration to the keyboard.
Lucas scanned the senseless bloodshed and destruction surrounding him. For what? A psychopath’s hunger for power? Quiet steps carried him to Megan’s side. “C’mon, Megs. You’ve done what you can for him now. Billy can hold pressure. We have to clear out their supplies while Lexi wipes their hard drives.”
Hopelessness and despair were not expressions normally etched in her features. “There’s too much.” She pointed to the glass-fronted refrigerators. “There’s twice what we can carry. We’d need to burn it to destroy traces of this shit.”
“Same here.” Lexi’s words froze all in their tracks. “I’ve sent a virus to the parent office to infect all the files in Dover. But there are other external, hard drives here that I don’t have time to connect to and erase.”
Lexi pointed to the hidden door to Reinhardt’s first floor office. “Guys, block that door with a file cabinet in case they have a secondary way to open it. I’ve disabled the elevator.”
Ethan and Matt shoved a bulky cabinet against the door, buying some time.
“We’ll have to light this place up to clear out the building. Problem is, some asshole might call the fire department and declare it a false alarm,” Luc suggested. “Anyway, fire won’t work fast enough with the way this building is constructed.”
“We blow it. The whole damn thing. We’ve got the charges.” Matt reached for his backpack.
“As a last resort! I thought you’d just destroy everything down here, not bring the entire building down. What if other employees come? What if EMS gets here first?” Megan looked to Luc for support.
“Lexi, check the video feeds, make sure the building is clear,” From his pack, Matt retrieved several small blocks. The use of explosives obtained through Billy’s contacts, combined with the information given by Reinhardt on the building’s construction, would eliminate the possibility of any evidence falling into the wrong hands.
“I’ll take the south side. You take the north, Matt.” Ethan retrieved his pack and mimicked Matt’s actions. “I’m not good for timing.”
“Megan, tend to Kilregard while we set charges.” Billy’s quick and efficient movements wasted little time.
“Lexi, wait until we give the word before alerting EMS. We can detonate with Metger’s cell phone once we’re clear.” Luc set his charges on the remaining side then turned to Billy. “You’re best with demolition.”
“Lexi, status upstairs.” Matt inserted the electronic blasting caps into his plastic explosive, then unrolled the wire, leading the trail to the opposite corner.
“Hey, McAllisters. I can’t legally be involved in this.” Bayler limped over to Kilregard. “Somebody help me get him to the back passage. Once we’re ready to go up, Lexi can activate the fire alarms. When the pricks jump ship, we’ll have a few minutes to get clear. What you all do after that, I don’t want to know.”
“Two guards at the elevator. Meredith and Charlotte have left. Two SUV’s just pulled up in the front lot. Lots of company coming.” After a few seconds, she added, “They’re all coming in the front. I don’t think they know about the back entrance.”
“Which doesn’t mean others aren’t taking a similar path through the woods and approaching from the back. Either way, it’s our way out. Billy, you set?” Once finished, Matt helped Ethan carry Kilregard to their back passageway.
“Yeah, just about. Don’t forget our friend, Morfran.” Billy rolled Metger’s body over and retrieved his phone.
“That prick is mine.” As much as Luc wanted to bury the assassin in the rubble, they needed him alive. Once the feds found conclusive evidence of the enforcer’s killings, federal authorities could wrap the conspiracy in a neat little bow.
“Okay, Lexi. Yank the alarm and let’s bug out.” Matt instructed as he and Ethan struggled with Kilregard’s unconscious form in the narrow confines of the exterior corridor.
“Hold on Matt, I can help Ethan while you open the hatch above.” Megan paused before adding, “What if they’re waiting for us topside?” The tremor in her voice signaled the decline of adrenaline and her reserves.
Lexi shouldered her backpack after securing her laptop. “I’m directing too much attention this way. The guards will cut bait and run while they can.” Above them, the fire alarm sounded throughout the first floor. “You asked to have the building cleared?” A wide grin tilted one side of her mouth as she rounded the desk and exited the basement office. “That should do it. I’ve sent the video feed to my phone. I disabled their landlines, which they’ll figure out soon enough. They have their cell phones and might try to call EMS off, but they’ve got to realize we also have cells, and that we’ve called for backup. I’m looped into their PA system, so before you blow it, we can give anyone stupid enough to remain, fair warning.”
“They certainly won’t hang around with an avalanche of fire fighters and police on the way. I’ve got the
hatch.” Lucas brushed past his brothers and Bayler, then climbed the ladder. At the top, he paused. “Lexi, anything out back on the monitors?”
Lexi tapped on her cell phone. “No, and the parking lot is clearing out. We’re clear. I can’t hook into PFD until I get my laptop open again.”
“What if some of this stuff survives?” Megan began.
“Don’t worry. It won’t. This will be a pile of rubble before PFD arrives.” Luc pushed the hatch open several inches before tuning to Billy. “You ready?”
“Yep.” Billy paused at the door to the corridor. “Guys, why do they have bio printers?”
“What? Who knows? We’ll worry about that later.” Matt signaled Luc to go.
“On it.” Luc opened the hatch, the weight of his effort slamming the hatch open wide. With Ethan’s coordinated effort, they lifted Kilregard out, his makeshift bandage soaked with blood. Lexi and Megan followed, then Bayler.
Descending the ladder again, Luc debated on leaving Morfran. The choice was moot, as Billy ascended with the unconscious man over his shoulder.
“Help me with this prick, Luc. The bastard weighs a ton.”
A low groan from the assassin preceded him shaking his head.
“No, asshole. Back to sleep.” Luc’s solid punch to the jaw sent Morfran back to an unconscious state.
Halfway up the ladder, Billy paused for a breath. “Matt, help me with this turd.”
“How much time do we have to get to the woods?” Megan crossed her arms over her chest in a self-comforting gesture.
“We’re good. I won’t blow it until we’ve cleared the fence,” Billy replied.
Bayler, with gun in hand, surveyed the area. The fire alarm still screeched, but no sirens pierced the air in the distance. “We couldn’t have done this without McAllister help.”
“Then repay the favor. Keep us out of the loop as much as possible,” Matt replied.
“We’ll get straight on the way to the hospital,” Bayler replied.
“What about Metger and his buddy?” Lexi turned to Ethan. “Don’t you need evidence of their betrayal?”
“My report plus Metger’s bullet in Kilregard will be enough, once they dig out the senior agent’s body.” Bayler gestured toward the structure. “With the electronics destroyed—what about the victims who’ve already been chipped?” The younger agent limped to where Matt and Ethan dropped Morfran. “I wish we could’ve left him down there.”
“I got him from here.” Ethan grimaced as he hoisted Morfran’s unconscious form over his shoulder. “I’d like to leave him, too, but that’s not how we operate. If he’s smart, he’ll turn on the higher-ups in Delaware. Damn science fiction bullshit.”
Luc circled Megan’s waist and pulled her in for a quick hug. Her body shook so hard he worried he’d have to carry her to the woods. “Can you make it to the fence, Megan?” Luc glanced from the unconscious agent, to Bayler, and then Morfran. Each either needed to be carried or helped.
“Hell yes. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
* * * *
Luc urged Megan ahead of him as he took rear guard in the rush for the fence. With every step, she anticipated a slug to knock her to the ground. When they reached the opening, she clenched her jaw shut on a sob. Only a few yards left. Logic dictated they’d run into no opposition, but nothing in her world had seen logic for weeks. She didn’t expect it now.
Luc paced close behind, his presence a barrier both appreciated and dreaded. He would protect her with his body, his dying breath.
Once at the edge of the woods, Luc turned to Matt. “I’ll stay with Billy while he brings this thing down. You guys get the wounded to the vehicles.”
“I’m staying with you.” Megan latched onto Luc’s belt and stepped close. She had survived too much to not have her priorities in order.
Matt looked like he would argue, then shook his head. “She’s yours Luc. You decide.”
Luc pulled her close and kissed the crown of her head, confirming her place by his side.
Once again opening his pack, Billy hunched down and retrieved several items. Megan couldn’t see what new nightmare was being prepared and at that point, didn’t care. She was safe in Luc’s arms. Her world consisted of sick or injured animals, not nanotechnology, conspiracies, and bombs.
The explosion eclipsed the sound of distant sirens with chunks of rubble, glass, and debris, belching into the night. Smoke billowed out in waves, spreading ash and crumbled remains.
The ground rumbled under her feet as a fireball belched upwards from the secondary gas explosion. Dust and wreckage filled the air. The resultant carnage was something she had never witnessed and prayed to never see again.
The entire building crumbled in slow degrees of madness.
“How is it that possible? There has to be steel…”
“Thermite,” Billy answered.
“That’s why Luc spent so much time grilling Reinhardt about the construction process. But how will they explain Morfran blowing the place up after he was captured?” Megan asked.
“Got it covered,” Billy replied.
Luc held Megan close as tortuous metal shrieked and the last of the structure collapsed.
Her mind struggled to make sense of everything the men had already sorted out. “Destruction of the electronics shouldn’t release nanos. We’ve got the list of the infected.”
“They’ll need a good cover story in administering the antidote, but that’s gonna be Bayler’s problem.” Luc chuckled as he pressed her face to his chest.
“Right. Delegate when you can,” Billy’s feral grin and deep breath signaled his satisfaction as he packed up his gear.
“Why didn’t Metger kill us at the cabin? Megan struggled to absorb too much information, shocked at how easily they’d brought down an entire building.
“Remember how he asked what Caden was doing and where he was stashing Abby and the folks?” Luc grimaced and shook his head. “The motherfucker.”
“Yea. It makes sense, now,” Billy added. “Everyone who knows us, knows we stick together. I’ll bet Kilregard had Bayler read dossiers on us as soon as he signed on this mission from hell.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
“It’s official, Megan. You’re no longer dating a rogue cop with a warrant out for murder. You’re both in the clear.” Billy slapped Lucas on the back as he thumbed off his phone. “Between Abby and the newbie agent’s report, they wouldn’t have dared bring charges against you.”
After returning to the safe house, Megan was too wired to sleep. Nestling against Luc on the couch provided the serenity she needed. Surrounded by the McAllister brothers offered serenity of family. “Convenient that your sister’s a lawyer. Probably saves you guys a bundle in legal fees.” She smiled when Luc feathered his touch over her jaw.
Most of the night had been spent giving statements, leaving each member of the rag-tag team exhausted. Hour after hour of detailed explanations supported by partially redacted research received from Jackie verified their individual accounts, despite lack of physical evidence.
“On the other hand, I kinda liked the idea of dating an outlaw.” Megan leaned into Lucas. They had left late evening for the crazy mission, and she’d wondered if they would return. Less than twenty-four hours later, she prayed to never have the need for any kind of refuge again, other than Luc’s arms surrounding her.
Each McAllister shook his head amid grumblings of uncomfortable beds, improper junk food, and claustrophobia. Billy and Matt were rummaging through the cabinets when the front door opened.
Four guns faced their visitor.
“Ah, we wondered when the government machine would spit you out.” Matt stepped forward to offer a handshake.
“Well, that’s a fine welcome.” Agent Bayler shut the door and crutch-walked to the kitchen. “I spoke with Kilregard this afternoon after my debriefing and his surgery. My leg’s fine by the way and thank you for asking.” Taking down a glass from the cabinet, he poured hims
elf some water from the tap. “Since the explosion, they’ve gathered evidence that’s nailed Morfran dead to rights on several counts of murder, including Reinhardt’s. When they match Metger’s gun to the bullet pulled out of Kilregard, that’ll be icing on the cake. But between Schmidt’s confessions and the evidence they have, you all are in the clear.” Leaning against the counter, he took a long draw before continuing. “As a side note, our infamous Dr. Schmidt has declined to reveal how he got his surgical scar.” Bayler’s narrowed gaze swiveled between Megan and Lucas before he shrugged and smiled. “Oh, and Kilregard sends his thanks.”
“What about Metger’s underling?”
“Caught boarding a bus north. Key personnel from CSV Pharmaceuticals are still squealing. That’s going to take a while to sort since no one could explain why so many of their computer files have been mysteriously deleted.”
Everyone smiled at Lexi, content on Ethan’s lap.
“And the antidote?” Matt quizzed the agent after dropping into a wing chair.
“Will be given to each person on the list of those chipped. Since we won’t give details of each unauthorized surgery, the injections are raising a few eyebrows. Plus, we have to give some placebos to others to maintain our cover story. But, it’s working. We’ll have strict over watch so the remaining antidote is destroyed.” Bayler grinned before adding, “To top it off, I’ve made some very influential friends from this mess.”
“I’d love to hear the explanation given to the infected. It probably garnered questions concerning tin-foil hats.” Billy chuckled.
“No, just explanations concerning exposure to a viral contagion,” Bayler replied.
“What about the explosion of ClickChip?” Lucas asked.
“They’re chalking it up to employees covering their tracks since the only bodies present were Metger and his crony.”
“When will Kilregard be discharged?” Megan shivered with the many ways the mission could have ended in disaster.
It’ll be a few days yet. He was asking about you, Megan.” Like the rest of the McAllisters, Bayler smiled at Lucas.
McAllister Justice Series Box Set Volume Two Page 26