“Let’s get Paul, load the animals, and get out of here before they wake up.”
Paul was waiting for them by the slumbering wolves. Reed jumped out and wrapped his arms around one hybrid, its bristly fur scratching his skin as Paul grabbed the hips and they lifted the animal into the ATV’s bed. They repeated the process with the other hybrid, and as the first hints of daylight began to lighten the sky, they rumbled over the plains back to Soter.
Chapter 19
Northwestern Tanzania
May 25th
The rich scent of brewing coffee drew Reed out of bed. Or at least it got him partway. Fire lanced through his neck and back when he sat up, enough to stop him cold. He put a hand to his neck and gingerly probed the fresh stitches. Sarah had sewn him up after they had returned last night and he’d dropped into bed like a stone. He’d be fine, and really, his pride hurt just as much as his neck.
What kind of guide can’t keep himself safe? Paul he didn’t worry about. It was Sarah, a novice in way over her head, even if she wouldn’t admit it. He’d brought them out here, decided to dive into this mess headfirst, so he needed to get everyone back home safely. As long as he did that, they were okay. And even though he wouldn’t admit it, the adrenaline felt good. It had been too long since his veins had crackled with electricity, the kind of rush hunting had once offered him. Now he’d tasted it again. Except it’s not just your ass on the line now.
Once the sharp pains subsided, Reed followed his nose to the coffee pot and soon the world didn’t seem so bad. His neck loosened after a few shoulder rolls, though his stitches seemed sewn on too tightly. As he started to feel human again, a muffled voice came from behind the laboratory door. Sarah, already at work on the two sedated wolves.
He’d convinced her to leave them alone last night, sedated and secured in reinforced cages, but he hadn’t said anything about this morning. He sighed. The lab door opened without a sound to reveal Sarah hunched over a steel exam table with her nose inches from an unconscious wolf’s chest.
“Good morning,” Reed said.
“Are you alive?” Sarah stood, the metal shears in her hand flashing under bright halogen lights.
“Getting old is no fun.”
That got a smile. “I’ve heard the other side of forty isn’t any better, so I know it will only get worse.” The grin faded and her eyes narrowed. “You need to see what I found.” She glanced toward the door. “Is anyone else around?”
“I don’t know where Paul is.”
“He’s checking the weapons,” Sarah said. “I’m not talking about him.” Her voice lowered. “Has anyone from Soter come around?”
Reed shrugged. “I only woke up five minutes ago.” He frowned. “Did Dorcy come around? I gave him hell last night until he agreed we could study these wolves for now.”
“He hasn’t shown up, thank goodness. Come here.” Only when he stood close enough to feel the warmth of her breath did she continue. “Look at this.”
She grabbed his shoulders and twisted him around, pointing to a page filled with graphs and figures. “Interesting.” He looked up. “What is it?”
“An analysis of the two wolves we caught last night. Blood work, metabolic panel. I know it doesn’t make much sense by itself, so look at this.” Another sheet came out, with similarly confusing diagrams and details. “Notice anything?”
“It looks like the first chart.”
“More than that.” She looked over her shoulder, then leaned closer. “It’s nearly identical. The second report is testing I did on the wolf your Maasai friends killed. And this,” another sheet came out, “is from the wolves in Zurich. I kept the hair and tissue samples. They show the same results as the wolves we caught and the one from Mwanza. All of them.”
A chill raced up his spine. “Soter is involved with creating these monsters.”
“And probably with the attacks on your compound and my team,” she added. “They definitely know more than they’re telling us.”
“Is it possible they’re not the only research team developing these wolves?”
“You’re kidding,” Sarah scoffed. “Two teams independently developing identical hybrid animals in the same time period? I’m not buying it.”
“I didn’t say independent teams. What if there’s a research consortium of some kind? Like your group in Zurich.”
“That’s a stretch. Possible, but who would do this?”
Reed spread his arms out wide. “I’m sure there are companies out there with the capacity to do this research. Think about what you could do with this technology. I’m sure you’ve considered the possibilities.”
“If you look at it that way, there are possibilities.” Sarah frowned.
Reed leaned an elbow on the table. “Multiple groups could be working on a project, and none of them know the others exist. All you’d need is someone in control, probably the money people. They divvy up responsibilities, let each group work, and take all the results.”
“Why go to all the trouble? Any one team with enough money can do this testing on their own.”
“Not if they don’t know how. These genome-alteration methods are a breakthrough. Maybe different teams created the wolves in short order after learning about your work.”
“No one is that good,” Sarah said. “You’d need your own army to do that.”
Her eyes went unfocused, as though she’d fallen asleep with them open. “Hey.” Reed touched her arm. “You okay?”
She responded so softly he almost didn’t catch it. “An army.” Sarah darted over to her laptop. “It’s in here.” Letters and numbers scrolled down the screen in a blur. “Look who signed off on requisitions for material.”
“T.P.D.F. The Tanzania People’s Defense Force. They were mentioned in here before.”
“And are the same people who funded our research in Zurich,” Sarah said. “I was too focused on the test results when I saw the initials earlier this morning. It went right past me.”
“Could the government have a joint project with Soter?” Reed asked. “Did anyone on your Zurich team work for the military?”
Sarah’s fingers drummed against the desk. “No one I can think of. But if Soter is working with the Tanzanian army, why send their people in with other researchers? Let us work in the lab, and then they could access our test results and information without any of us knowing.”
“If you want to keep the connection secret, that is.”
“Which leads me to another question. Why the secrecy about the military being involved?” The way she asked it did not beg an answer. “I can think of a few reasons. None of them good.”
“I’m listening.”
“One possibility: the Tanzanian army is a front. Another organization could be the real money behind this.” Sarah pulled out a stool and sat down. “Or a group based in Tanzania could be funding this through the army, using them as cover.”
“What about an outside government?” Reed asked. “A bigger country that can entice the Tanzanians to cooperate.”
“If that’s true, I have no idea how to figure it out.” Her fingers again drummed the tabletop. “Those trails would have to be buried deeply.”
A noise caught Reed’s ear and he turned toward the entrance. Seconds later cool air washed over him as the air conditioner kicked on. “Government involvement is way over our heads,” he said. “Let’s focus on what we can control, which is finding the other wolves and then getting out of here alive. We take any data with us for you to analyze later.” He pointed at her. “Remember, this all started with keeping you alive. Don’t lose sight of that.”
Sarah sighed. “Thank you.”
Without warning, she stepped in and hugged him. It was so unexpected he didn’t even unfold his arms – but, he noticed, nor did he resist. As quickly as it happened it was over, and she went back to her computer. “Do you want to tell Paul about this?” she asked.
Reed blinked a few times. So the formerly distant veterinarian wa
s coming around. Maybe she thinks I’m not all bad.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” He couldn’t help but grin. “Yes, we tell him when we go out today. Better to figure things out with no one else around.”
Sarah’s fingers clicked over the keyboard and another thought sprang into Reed’s mind. He leaned closer to her, planting his elbows on the table. “Have you found anything else about the gorilla testing? You said primate testing data was in the material in Zurich.”
“Not yet, but I’ve been looking. The words primate and gorilla aren’t in any of these documents.”
“If we’re dealing with another government or a private corporation, one powerful enough to use the army as cover, this may be way bigger than we realized. Bigger means more money and more testing.”
“Nothing in here confirms it,” she said. “Doesn’t mean it’s not true. Of course,” she waved a hand around the room, “who knows how many of these research facilities might be out there. Just because it’s not happening right here doesn’t mean the research and the gorillas aren’t elsewhere.”
“The wolves are enough trouble for me.”
Both of them looked up as the bay garage door in the adjacent room clattered open, its deep rumble filling the air before Paul pushed through the connecting door.
“Good morning,” he said. “The weapons are checked and loaded. When do we go?”
“Morning, Paul. We’ll leave shortly.”
Reed’s phone buzzed. “It’s Chief Ereng,” he said. “I need to take this. Check with Ray Dorcy to make sure there’s fresh meat for tonight,” he told Paul. “We’ll go scout after I talk with Nixon.” Reed walked through the garage area and outside as he connected the call. “Hello, Chief Ereng.”
“Good day, Reed. I have an update for you.”
Reed walked well away from the building. Nothing but blue sky overhead and waving grass all around. “What did you find?”
“The district regulators near this Soter facility do not directly process the permits as our region does. However, I asked for a favor and I received a listing of all permits filed in the area.”
“I owe you one, Chief.”
“Not at all,” Nixon said. “I have not broken any laws. The permits are not private. It is simply the politics of this region. But I am afraid that you may not like the news.”
A weight settled on Reed’s chest. Damn. He ran a hand through his stubble. “Why is that?”
“Soter Corporation has not applied for a drilling permit. They are not mentioned in any documents filed in the past six months.”
“Were any drilling permits filed at all?”
“Yes. Do you have a pen?”
“Hold on.” Reed pulled one from his shirt pocket, along with a wrinkled piece of paper. He held the phone between his ear and his shoulder, set the paper against his leg and held the pen at the ready. “Go ahead.”
“These are the company names on all permits filed.” Nixon rattled off a host of unfamiliar company names, some of which Reed asked him to spell.
“Does this help you in any way?” Nixon asked once he’d finished.
“It’s great.” Reed stuffed the paper in his back pocket. “We’ll review this and I’ll be in touch. Thanks again, Chief.” He went back inside to show Sarah the list.
“I don’t recognize any of them,” she said after reading it. “Let’s see what they do.”
Reed grabbed her arm before she started typing. “Are you on their internal network?” Sarah nodded. “Don’t search on there. Use my phone instead.”
“Good call.” Several furious minutes of searching and note-taking later, she handed back his phone. “No companies on the list seem to tie to Soter Corporation. Some are exploration outfits, mostly mineral or geologic.”
“Is it possible they’re linked to Soter and we cannot tell?” Paul asked.
“Very,” Sarah said. “Soter could own one of them. Multinational corporations normally have subsidiaries or interests nobody knows about. In fact, I’d be surprised if they didn’t own a company to handle exploration.”
“Which doesn’t help us.” Reed crumpled the list and tossed it toward a wastebasket.
“Not so fast.” Sarah grabbed the paper ball from mid-air. “This list isn’t useless.” Reed raised an eyebrow. “Who owns the companies isn’t the only question to ask. What they do is a second issue.”
“We know that,” Reed said. “They drill.”
“For what?”
Was she joking? “Minerals. Geologic materials. Hell, maybe fossils, I don’t know.” He pointed to the floor. “Stuff that’s underground.”
Sarah threw the paper ball at his chest. “Right, but oh, so wrong. Tell me, do you know any geologists?” Reed did not. “Lucky for you I’m here, because I do.” Her hand came out. “I need your satellite phone.”
A short while later Reed was leaning on an all-terrain vehicle outside the garage. Beside him Sarah had his phone pressed to her ear and a notepad balanced on one knee, scribbling madly as she muttered in a language Reed knew to be English, but which may as well have been Aramaic for all he understood of it. Paul had another vehicle running near the open bay door to provide sound cover.
“Okay, thanks. That’s a huge help. I’ll be in touch.” Sarah ended her call, thrusting the notepad toward Reed. “Did you hear that?”
“Yep. Didn’t understand a word of it.”
“That was a colleague of mine. A geologist.”
“And?”
“He used to work for the U.S. Geological Survey.”
“Okay. I’ve heard of them.”
“He’s familiar with drilling outfits and the equipment they use.”
“Go on.”
“He pulled up U.S.G.S. records on the rock strata in this area. Guess what he found.”
“We’re sitting on top of a gold mine.”
“Wrong.” Sarah pointed to her notes, all of which made no sense to him. “From what he could tell, the composition of rocks in this area is unremarkable.”
“And by unremarkable you mean not worth dirt.”
“Well, it’s good dirt. Useful for farming, plenty of nutrients, but under all that dirt it’s just rock. No precious metals or gemstones.”
“Soter wouldn’t dig without reason. They must have information we don’t.”
“We didn’t.”
His head whipped around. “What?”
“My friend found a clue about what might make Soter or anyone else interested in this area.” Sarah leaned toward him, her eyes wide. “He compared the ground composition around here with similar areas around the world and he found a match.”
The hair rose on his arms.
“The composition in this area is identical to that in parts of China and India,” Sarah said. “Areas that produce rare earth elements.”
Not what he’d expected. “That’s interesting. What’s a rare earth element?”
“Elements that are part of devices we use every day.” She picked up the notepad, peering at it over the bridge of her nose. “Neodymium and samarium are the ones I can pronounce.”
“Your friend believes those elements are in the soil?”
“That’s his guess.”
Reed leaned back, one hand on his chin. Rare earth elements? He’d never heard of the stuff before today. “Why does an international pharmaceutical company want them?”
“REEs are used for a variety of reasons. Cell phones, certain types of magnets.”
“Not much money in that. At least not enough to convince Soter to open an entirely new division. Are they used to make anything more valuable?”
Sarah set the notepad down, fingers drumming on her knees. “The two elements I mentioned are both used in military-grade communications and guidance systems, as well as precision-guided weapons and stealth technology.”
“There must be large deposits of them if Soter’s going to all this trouble.” Reed’s wristwatch chirped. It was the top of the
hour. Almost time for their hunt.
“He said ninety percent of REEs mined today are in China. No other significant amounts are known to exist anywhere else.”
“Which makes a new source of the stuff valuable.” Reed stood, pacing as he talked it through. “Say we are sitting on an untapped REE deposit. Whoever owns and mines them could name their price. I can think of one group who would fund a dig.”
“A government,” Sarah said.
“Or their military.”
She nodded, then her hand came up, palm out. Reed smirked and smacked her five.
“Not bad for a hunting guide,” she said. “Now the army funding our research makes sense.”
“And scares the hell out of me.” Messing with a legitimate army was trouble. If that’s who they were up against, why was he still alive? Using amateurs to invade his compound didn’t make sense if trained soldiers could have carried out the raid. Reed frowned. “Now we have two problems.” He held up one finger. “First, somebody likely used your research on those altered wolves.” A second finger went up. “Second, it looks like someone within the government is searching for rare earth elements and doesn’t want the world to know. I hope you can tell me how those two problems are connected.”
Sarah offered a less than promising reply. “I haven’t heard of rare earth elements since college. They have no relation to genome editing that I know of.”
They fell into silence. A thought nagged at him, but it hid in the back of his mind and he couldn’t pull it loose. What was it? Something Sarah had said, back when she’d been in Zurich. As birds chirped, the memory tucked away from earlier burst to life. Reed snapped his fingers. “You saw soldiers inside the Zurich lab.”
Sarah nodded. “One of the employees told me they partially funded the research.”
“Did they say which country?”
“I’m afraid not. And their uniforms had that colorful patch on the side, though I can’t confirm which country it represented.”
Another memory came calling. “So some military funded part of your research. Problem is, the military doesn’t generate revenue. They get their funding from governments. Which begs the question: Who had funding to contribute to the Zurich research?” Despite the fact nobody but Paul was in sight and they were far from the building, Reed took a step closer to Sarah and lowered his voice. “I think I know someone who falls into both categories – military and access to funding. They’re Tanzanian, too.” Out came his satellite phone. “I have to call Chief Ereng and make sure I’m not right.”
The Turn Series Box Set Page 29