Exit 9 pe-2

by Brett Battles

  She pointed him in the right direction then headed back to Emergency Care.

  The linen closet was unoccupied. In the back corner was a folding chair stuffed between shelving units. He pulled it out and opened it for the girl. Once she was sitting, he leaned against the wall so that he wouldn’t tower over her.

  “I know this has been a very difficult time for you, and that some of the questions I’m going to ask you’ve already answered. I want you to understand that this is important, and that whatever you can tell me is going to be a big help.”

  “Sure, no problem.” She sounded even more defeated than she looked.

  “Corey’s your boyfriend?”

  She nodded.

  “Do you know how he might have gotten sick?”

  A headshake, but with a slight hesitation.

  “Before you found him, when was the last time you saw him?”

  “Uh…the night before. At Old Tom’s.”

  “Old Tom’s?”

  “It’s a pub. We had a drink and then…he went home.”

  “Alone?”

  “Of course.”

  Billy leaned back. “You’re lying,” he said. There was no time to waste trying to slowly extract what he needed from her.

  She looked up, surprised. “What?”

  “You’re lying, Jeannie.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Let me lay it out for you. Your boyfriend is dying. You could very easily be next. Potentially thousands of others could be in danger, too. If you know something and aren’t telling me, their deaths will be due to your inaction. Do you understand what I’m saying? If you think telling me is going to get you into trouble, you’re wrong. I’m just looking for the source so I can stop this as quickly as possible.”

  Her eyes shifted to the floor as she clenched her hands to stifle her shaking fingers. “We…we weren’t supposed to be there.”

  “Where?”

  “It’s some kind of factory, I think,” Billy told Matt over the phone as he made his way to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. “From her description, it sounds similar to the virus factory in the video. She said it looked like the place had been cleared out, though. Corey-patient zero-apparently looked inside one of the vats. She said they appeared empty, but…”

  “…but you can’t see a bug,” Matt finished for him.

  “Right.”

  Two hours later, Billy was in the Chicago area, hunting down the address the girl had given him. When he finally turned down the right street, he wasn’t surprised to see a dozen emergency vehicles parked next to the building he was looking for.

  Fire had completely gutted the structure, and while the machinery inside would, no doubt, still be partially intact, there was no way he could get to it with all these people around. Not that he really needed to anymore. The blaze was more than enough confirmation of the girl’s story.

  At some point within the last several weeks, this building had been churning out the virus and shipping it off to God-only-knew-where. He was sure of it.

  There was a silver lining, though.

  “Why were you there?” he’d asked the girl before he left St. Louis.

  “Do you really need to know that?”

  “It might help.”

  She took a breath, then said, “It was Corey’s idea.”

  “Same question. Why?”

  “He’s writing this paper…was, I guess…oh, Jesus.”

  “Stay focused. What paper?”

  “He was supposed to write a company profile, only he wasn’t having any luck finding information about the company he chose. Then his friend found an address in Chicago, so…so we decided to go up and check it out.”

  “The address you visited.”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Do you know the name of the company?”

  She thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I don’t remember. Hid-something, I think.”

  She coughed. If she realized what that meant, she didn’t show it.

  “The other friend you went with, would he know the name?”

  “He should.”

  Before leaving the hospital, Billy located the kid named Blanton Kirn.

  “Sure, I remember. Hidde-Kel Holdings. With a hyphen after the first ‘e.’”

  Hidde-Kel.

  It was a start.

  26

  I.D. MINUS 39 HOURS

  Ash and his team arrived in Grise Fiord after eight p.m. It had been a mind-numbing, exhausting two days. They had tried to leave Baker Lake the day before, but had barely gotten into the air when it became obvious the weather wasn’t going to cooperate. The storm had finally broken around 6 a.m. that day, but by the time the runway was cleared and they could get on their way, it was the middle of the afternoon.

  Grise Fiord was as far as the jet would take them. Unless needed elsewhere, the pilot and plane would remain there for exactly one week. If Ash or another member of the team failed to show up prior to that, the plane would return to the Ranch. From Grise Fiord, Gagnon would fly them in a smaller, more agile craft equipped with a combination water pontoon/snow skid.

  The first thing Ash did was check the weather report. It didn’t look good. One, maybe two days of relative calm, then another storm, a big one that might last several days-several days they couldn’t afford to sit idle.

  Once they arrived at the CF Guest Quarters, he told the team what he’d decided. “We’ll have to split up. Four in one, three in the other, with Gagnon in the plane.”

  Chloe nodded in agreement, but Pax didn’t look as comfortable with the idea.

  “The weather isn’t giving us a choice,” Ash said to him.

  “I know. It’s the decision I’d make, too, but I still don’t like it.”

  Ash nodded. He felt the same way. “I want you to head up the second group. Browne, Solomon, and Wright will go with you. Chloe and Red will be with me. Which island do you want?”

  “You’re the boss. Which one do you want?” Pax asked.

  Before Ash could respond, Chloe said, “We’ll take Yanok.”

  They all looked at her.

  “If you know something, you should tell us,” Ash said.

  She shook her head. “Just a feeling.”

  Ash stared at her a moment longer. He knew firsthand that her instincts were far better than average, but kept the thought to himself. “Okay. Gagnon, you’ll fly the first group out to Amund Ringnes in-” He looked at his watch. “-six hours. As soon as you get back, you’ll take us to Yanok. Anyone have any questions?”

  There were none.

  “Then that’s it, I guess. Tomorrow we start what we came here to do. No pressure, but the whole human race is hanging in the balance.”

  “There is that, isn’t there?” Pax said.

  Security had always been a priority for the Project. The last thing they wanted was for Bluebird to be discovered. They had come close already with the men who’d made it all the way onto the island, but it seemed as if Major Ross’s diversionary tactics had been successful in cutting off any trail that might have led back to their headquarters.

  From even before they had taken full control of the facility on Yanok, they had stationed a two-man observation team in Grise Fiord. The men-Rogers and Perry-posed as climatologists for a European consulting group, and had slowly worked their way into the tolerance of the locals, if not their trust.

  Because of this, whenever something happened in Grise Fiord, they heard about it almost right away, like everyone else in town. This was particularly true of new arrivals.

  When the news got around that evening about a jet touching down with a group of scientists, Rogers had been having a beer with a few of the local residents. Upon hearing the story, he casually finished off his Molson’s and excused himself for the night.

  He did not, however, return home. Instead, he took the cold bumpy drive out to the airstrip.

  Just like he’d been told, there was a private jet sitting off to the si
de. They didn’t get a lot of traffic out here, especially not jets. Usually those who arrived in one were oil and energy people looking for a new resource to exploit.

  Unable to recall ever seeing this particular plane before, he wrote down the tail number so someone back at Bluebird could run it through the system. Next, he went to see if the plane might be open. He wasn’t worried about being seen. Chances were he was the only one outside for a thousand miles in any direction. The aircraft, however, was locked up.

  He drove back into town and woke up Perry. Together they headed over to the building the supposed scientists were using for the night.

  All the lights inside were off, so it was a pretty good bet that everyone was asleep. Over a period of time, he and Perry had been able to make keys to all the buildings in town as a precaution. Not that they needed them often. There was no crime up here, so most places were seldom ever locked.

  That message had obviously not been passed on to the new arrivals yet since the door to the CF Guest Quarters was secured. Rogers thought for a moment, bringing up a layout of the building in his mind. If he remembered correctly, there was a long, narrow mudroom on the other side of the main entrance, then another door that opened into the central room where everyone would be sleeping.

  Easy enough.

  He found the appropriate key from his master ring, slipped it into the lock, and turned it. The door opened with barely a protest. He motioned Perry in first then followed.

  The front room was pretty much empty. Unfortunate. He’d been hoping their luggage would be there. Having no other choice, he moved quietly to the other door, listened for a second, then turned the knob and pulled the door open.

  Chloe’s eyes opened.

  She’d heard something, but didn’t know if it was real or in her dreams.

  She tried to recall the noise. Something bumping something else, maybe? A click?

  Even as this thought was going through her mind, the wind suddenly howled across the roof.

  Maybe that’s what it was?

  Click.

  No, not the wind. Not even from outside. The noise had come from somewhere in the room.

  She raised herself on her elbow and looked around. All the other cots were full, so whatever was making the sound was either the building itself, or…

  A shadow moved over near where they’d left their backpacks.

  Son of a bitch! Someone was trying to steal their things.

  Silently, she slipped from the cot, and moved along the back end of the beds in a crouch, using them as cover to get closer to the packs. She stopped behind the last cot.

  Not one shadow. Two.

  They seemed to be carefully looking through the bags. Why? If they were thieves, they would just grab and go. It was almost like they were looking for something in particular.

  She glanced around for anything she could use as a weapon, but apart from a pair of boots, there was nothing handy.

  To hell with it. She didn’t need a weapon.

  The packs were stuffed with all the items one would expect for cold weather survival-clothes, goggles, extreme-rated sleeping bags, and similar items. But so far, Rogers and Perry had found nothing identifying the people sleeping on the cots.

  Rogers leaned toward his companion. “There are a couple bags by the door,” he whispered in Perry’s ear. “I’m going to check ’em out. You stay on these.”

  Chloe smiled. Whoever the intruders were, they’d just made a critical error.

  There was no question which one she should go after first. The guy sneaking across the room was headed straight for the bags containing weapons and other specialized gear.

  Being sure to stay out of either man’s line of sight, she quietly closed in on her target.

  There were three large, duffel-type bags shoved against the wall. Rogers started with the one farthest from the door, and carefully unzipped it. When he had it open enough to look inside, he pulled out his flashlight and aimed the beam into the bag.

  Guns. At least half a dozen. And not the kind that might be needed in the unlikely event they ran into a wild animal. These were handguns.

  Why would a group of scientists need pistols? Only one answer came to mind: because they weren’t scientists.

  He turned to get his partner’s attention.

  When the man finished looking in the bag, Chloe was two feet behind him, her arm drawn back.

  He paused for a second, undoubtedly working through what he’d just found. Then, as she knew he would, he turned.

  The base of her palm rammed into the side of his jaw before he even registered her presence. The blow sent him reeling backward. His feet caught on one of the bags, and he fell across them, his head slapping loudly against the wall.

  Chloe whirled around and sprinted across the room toward the other man. He was staring at her, surprised. His hand suddenly shot to the pocket of his jacket, where it began fumbling with the opening, going for a weapon, no doubt. But by that point, he was too late.

  Chloe all but leaped the final few feet, hitting him in the chest and sending both of them to the floor. She tried to pin him down, but he had a size advantage on her, and easily shoved her off to the side.

  “I could use a little help!” she yelled.

  The intruder pushed himself back up, but was on his feet for only a second before Chloe grabbed his ankles and yanked his legs out from under him.

  “What’s going on?” a sleepy voice called out.

  The man jerked Chloe toward him by her hair, and threw his arm around her neck, choking her from behind. She slammed her elbow repeatedly into his ribs, but he held on tight. Gray started to invade the edge of her vision as the blood flow to her brain decreased. Desperate, she brought her leg up into the air, bending it at the knee, and slammed her foot down into his groin.

  Air rushed out of his lungs as his grip around her throat loosened.

  Chloe twisted free, hopped to her feet, and looked back toward the other guy. He was still on the floor in the same place she’d left him.

  Suddenly, the lights came on.

  Ash was first to jump up. He ran across the room to the light switch and flipped it on.

  Chloe was standing in the middle of the room, her fists hovering ready at her waist. She was looking back and forth between two figures on the ground. The one nearest her was rocking in obvious pain. The other one lay unmoving only a few feet away from where Ash stood.

  The rest of Ash’s team were throwing off their blankets and hopping out of their cots, ready if another fight broke out.

  Ash jogged over to Chloe. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  There was a patch of red on her neck, but otherwise she looked fine.

  “What happened?”

  “These two assholes were taking a look through our stuff.”

  “Who are they?”

  She frowned at Ash. “I didn’t stop to ask.”

  The one who’d been rocking had recovered enough to put his hands on the ground and try to stand.

  “Uh-uh,” Chloe said, shoving him back down with her foot.

  Ash pointed at the unconscious one. “Pax, check him.” He then knelt next to the nearer guy. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Nothing, okay?” the guy said defiantly.

  “Not okay. Why were you going through our stuff?”

  The man remained silent for a few seconds, then shrugged. “Looking for something we could sell. That’s all. You got us, okay?”

  “Sell? Here in Grise Fiord? I’m guessing there’s not much of a black market.”

  “You’d be surprised.”

  “You got that right.”

  Chloe moved up next to Ash, and put her foot on the man’s neck. “Who the hell are you?”

  “Stop!” the man croaked.

  “I think you should probably answer her question,” Ash said.

  “Just a couple of guys, all right? Trying to entertain ourselves.”
>
  Chloe pushed down on his throat.

  “Come on…stop…it.” His voice was even more strained.

  Pax walked up behind them. “Ash, a moment if you don’t mind.” Once they were several feet away, he whispered, “The other guy’s dead. I’d say he cracked his head against the wall.”

  “Dammit,” Ash said. That was a mess they didn’t need.

  “I wouldn’t worry too much. I don’t think these guys were just burglars.”

  “Why not?”

  Pax held up his hand. In it was a small notebook. He opened it to a page near the back, and showed it to Ash. There was a date, a number, and the words: 7 MEN 1 WOMEN, PLUS 2 MAN FLIGHT CREW. Pax pointed at the second item. “That’s the tail number of our jet.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’ve flown in the thing nearly a hundred times. Yeah, I’m sure. Now take a look at this.” He flipped back to earlier pages in the book. It was a log with more dates, both arrival and departing; plane numbers; and passenger descriptions. “He’s been tracking visitors. I’ll bet this is everyone who’s set foot in this town since he’s been here.” He paused, and locked eyes with Ash. “I think they’re with the Project.”

  Ash looked at the book, and pointed at several dots that were printed at the end of each entry. “What are these?”

  “I’m not sure. But if I had to guess, I’d say those were times they reported in.”

  Ash flipped to the last entry. Theirs. At the end was a blue dot.

  With a nod, he walked back over to their captive. He motioned for Chloe to remove her foot, then crouched down beside the intruder, making sure the man could see the notebook in his hand.

  “I have a very simple question for you. Where is Bluebird?”

  “Bluebird? What’s that?” The response was automatic, too quick.

  Ash opened the notebook to the page containing the team’s information. He tapped the blue dot. “What did you tell them?”

  The guy snorted and shook his head, but kept his lips sealed this time.

  Ash stood up and looked over at Browne and Solomon. “Search him.”

  They pulled the intruder to his feet and checked him over, but the only items they found were a pistol, a flashlight, and a key ring with four keys on it.