Killerbyte (byte Series Book 1)

by Cat Connor

  “Okay, tell me,” I said, and hoped my mind would stay with me for a bit. I had as much trouble controlling my field of vision as I did my mind.

  “It’s how we classify head injuries, four is very bad, and fifteen is great.”

  Cool. I went from very bad to great, which must be a good thing. Let’s move on. I have no clue how long I will be able to maintain this minimal level of concentration.

  “Gabrielle?”

  “What’s with the name? It’s so formal.”

  “Look at me?”

  I was trying to look at him.

  He spoke to Mac. “Have you noticed her eyes? How they seem to wander all over the place. I take it she doesn’t usually have one eye looking at you and one eye looking for you?”

  “Not usually, no.”

  I wiped my hand across my mouth. I’d been swallowing a lot. For some reason, I had more saliva than I’d ever had. I was becoming a drooling wreck, my worst fear coming to fruition.

  “I think you were drugged.”

  “Does that mean I won’t be permanently drooling with crazy eyes?”

  The doctor smiled again. “I’ve seen this before but usually in post-operative patients. A high dose of ketamine can cause this particular grouping of symptoms, once you start to come out of it.”

  “I thought I hit my head and as unbelievable as it seems actually fractured my thick skull?” My head hurt. If I didn’t hit it then why did it hurt so much?

  “You did, but even with a skull fracture and diffuse brain injury, you should’ve been more responsive from the beginning and you weren’t. I think we’ll find you ingested ketamine prior to falling.” Leon said.

  “A diffuse what?”

  “Concussion, it’s a concussion,” Leon replied.

  “That sounds better than the other thing.”

  Mac’s eyes remained focused on mine, must’ve been quite hard for him to maintain eye contact with my eyes wandering all over the place, god knows I had trouble. “The only thing you did that I didn’t do, was brush your teeth.”

  I almost smiled but held it back. I had no explanation for why cleaning my teeth was suddenly amusing. “We need to find out if the toothpaste was tampered with,” I said.

  “Can you do that?” Leon asked.

  “FBI will take care of it.” I said. Mac slipped his arm around me and gave me a big squeeze.

  “I’ll be back soon, you rest,” Leon said.

  By the time I looked up he was gone, just like the Lone Ranger. I fought the zany thoughts that tried to break out. I forced away the thoughts of the masked man – ‘Hi ho Silver and away.’ I whispered to Mac, “Guess it was my turn. But it could’ve been either of us, if it was the toothpaste.”

  He whispered back, “Maybe we should get a new tube every day!”

  “Okay.” My eyes closed.

  “Don’t move back, you’ll fall off the edge of the bed,” he cautioned. I heard a noise, and the bed moved slightly. “You can move now. The rail is up.”

  A fresh mountain breeze blew orange and yellow leaves over the steep path; some tumbled back behind me. Leaves trapped by small stones crunched underfoot as I trudged upward, my goal an outcrop of rocks at the very top of the path. A place I knew well, somewhere I could sit and watch the river below as it twisted and babbled through a field of purple wild flowers. The smell of pine was strong in wooded pockets along the trail. I trampled oak and maple, and yet smelled pine. Life was mysterious. Scarlet rhododendron flowers peeked at me as I passed. I’d never liked them and the thought of them falling and turning to slippery brown mush amused me. The warm sun and nasty red flowers would be forgotten. Snow would soon blanket much of western central Virginia, brought by the fast-approaching winter. I paused and looked at the scarlet blooms. The rhododendrons were out of whack. Cool autumn air tugged at my jacket.

  They shouldn’t be flowering yet. Something very peculiar was happening in Virginia. Bunches of scarlet flowers nodded as if they agreed with my thoughts. I pushed the mysterious seasonally-confused flowers from my mind. All too soon my path to serenity would become a treacherous icy slope and the wild flowers I adored would be dormant until the spring thaw. Higher and higher I climbed towards the sun and blue sky.

  Voices floated upward. No one ever came this way. I didn’t want anyone up here now either. This was my sanctuary. I felt that this maybe the last time I would sit and watch the Maury River meander below me. I was saying goodbye to Rockbridge County.

  I climbed the last few feet and paused, breathing clean air. The voices continued yet I could see no one. I stepped off the trail and ducked under overhanging branches. I grabbed a gnarled old tree for support and descended through a small tunnel created by foliage. I emerged onto a platform of solid rock suspended, as if by magic, over the river valley. I checked for snakes before sitting on the edge of the outcrop, my legs dangled way above the river. Wild flowers ran to the very edge rippling in the gentle breeze.

  The murmur of the wind, was that the voices I heard? My mind traversed a twisted path littered with destruction. Faces appeared in the meadow springing from wind-sown seed and accompanied by voices of undetermined origin. One voice rose. It wasn’t anger I heard, it was annoyance mingled with escalating fear. A female voice.

  I didn’t understand why voices intruded into my world. My world! Dammit why can’t I have some peace? I observed the faces of the dead as they faded in and out among the flowers. My eyes drifted to the water. Sunlight caused ripples to sparkle; amidst the sparkle, more faces appeared, all male.

  Her voice didn’t match the distorted faces in the flowers or the indistinct river faces. Maybe she was Roy’s mermaid. That seemed like the only logical explanation.

  Sun warmed my back as I pondered the new development. Everything seemed to twist in my mind. I wasn’t sure what was real anymore or even if I should be concerned about that. Was it my voice I heard trapped forever in the wind? Where was I? I knew what I could see and yet I could hear neither birds chirping nor any other sign of wildlife in the woods above me and behind me. I could see the river but not hear it. Was I dreaming? Was I dead? Is this heaven? My mind filled with images of Mac. I didn’t want to be dead. My life had just started.

  I stretched out my hand and laid it flat, expecting to contact solid rock or maybe chiffon-like cloud. My fingers grasped something soft, not rock at all. Not warmed, sun-drenched rock but cool soft fabric. I blinked. The river below became a murky haze. Faces swam as I blinked again hoping to restore the vista I so enjoyed, but it was gone.

  A vast expanse of a smooth neutral something replaced it. What was I seeing? No flowers, no river, no trees or rocks, what was it? Floor? I stood on the floor in a doorway. I looked behind me and saw a sink and toilet, and could hear the cistern filling. In front of me on the floor, I saw booted feet.

  I recognized the heel of the boots. My eyes traveled upward from heel to legs to waist. I knew the person Mac grappled with. He had him face down on the bed, with one arm bent up behind his back. The river danced before my eyes then disappeared.

  “Aidan?” Did I say that? Did I speak?

  Mac looked from me to the man now gasping and trying to turn his face toward me.

  “Jesus!” Mac released his arm and hauled him to his feet. “Aidan!”

  I stared at the sight in front of me as I became more aware of my surroundings. How I got from a rocky outcrop to a hospital room was a mystery. How my brother got there was puzzling. Simple math would have perplexed me right out of my skull at that instant, so I felt more than justified in finding the situation a little strange.

  My hand rested on the end of a bed. It wasn’t rock or cloud. Something didn’t feel right. My legs didn’t feel right. Why, oh why, was my body so disobedient? I felt my legs rebelling to the point I was about to fall. No wonder. I guessed it was the long walk up that steep hill that made them so reluctant to stand.

  “Jesus, Aidan, what the hell are you doing sneaking around the Intensive Care Unit?
” Mac asked, regaining his composure.

  Aidan smoothed his rumpled clothing then sank onto the bed. “I was looking for my sister!” he replied with a sidelong glance at Mac.

  Mac exhaled then looked over to me. “Damn!” He reached out to take my hand and help me move closer to the bed. I took a few uneasy steps.

  “I’ve been all over the awful hospital. Her name wasn’t on the door,” Aidan said as Mac helped me sit next to him. I felt myself sway a little.

  “Put your arm around her, so she doesn’t fall,” Mac told him, “I need to use the bathroom.”

  Aidan grabbed me as I started to slip sideways from the bed. “Hey, stay with me here.”

  It took great effort to look up at him. “Aidan, why for you here?”

  He laughed. “Why for? Jeez, Ellie, how hard did you bang your head?”

  I tried smiling.

  “Let’s get you back into bed,” Aidan said. He encouraged me onto the bed and pulled the covers over my legs.

  Sometime later Mac appeared in front of me. His shadow blocked the light, so I could see his face and he was frowning. “What’s the matter?” he asked then added, “Damn, you’re pale.” He turned to Aidan. “Pass the white container on the bedside cabinet.”

  He handed it to Mac and Mac settled the container on my knees; within seconds I vomited into it.

  “Hit the buzzer, Aidan, twice,” Mac instructed then added. “Move your ass.”

  He took the container from me. I was cold and shaky. He sat on the end of the bed. I recognized the nurse as she bustled in, Annie.

  She seemed surprised to see Aidan. “No visitors except family in the ICU,” she announced.

  “I’m her brother.” Aidan was snappish.

  Annie glared at him then turned to Mac. “Do you need something?” Her whole manner changed. Her voice was soft and concerned.

  “Ellie vomited, a lot. She doesn’t look too well.”

  The woman picked up the container from where Mac had left it and placed it in the sink by the door. She approached me. “Gabrielle?”

  I flinched. Her voice surprised me.

  “How do you feel?”

  I squinted it was hard to focus on her face. “Sick.” A fresh white container appeared in my hands.

  “I’ll get you something for the nausea.” She spoke to the men and asked them to dim the lights and keep an eye on me. That was lucky because I couldn’t keep an eye on myself without removing my eyeballs and setting them on a shelf somewhere. I stayed semi-sitting. Lying down would’ve involved movement and movement was bad. Hadn’t I done enough for one night?

  Aidan and Mac talked in hushed whispers from chairs close to the bed.

  “Did Caine call you?” Mac asked Aidan.

  “Yeah, he told me not to come. As if!” Aidan leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. They shushed as footsteps approached down the corridor.

  “Nurse maybe?” Mac whispered.

  “Heavy footsteps for a woman,” Aidan replied. “Could be a male nurse but nurses tend to wear soft-soled shoes, too.”

  The footsteps moved away.

  “We’re supposed to have a couple of agents on the door,” Mac said. “No one’s shown up yet.”

  “He wouldn’t try anything here, would he?”

  I replied to Aidan, “Why not? This moron is unfazed by anything so far. Imagine that, a body turning up in a hospital. Would they notice an extra one?”

  “Nice thought, Ellie. Thanks for sharing,” Aidan said.

  “Okay?” Mac asked me.

  “Yep,” I said. I’m okay. “I’m tired of you two annoying me. I could do with being left alone.”

  Mac ignored my comment and returned to Aidan’s question. “Ellie’s right, there’s no reason why he wouldn’t. He’s a psycho.”

  Again, we heard footsteps travel the corridor with slow precision. They came to a halt at regular intervals.

  “It sounds like someone who’s lost,” I mumbled. “Staff wouldn’t walk like that.”

  “True,” Mac replied. “They tend to know where they are going.”

  I heard Aidan move and the chair squeak. He leaned back to get comfortable. We all heard a female voice in the corridor asking someone for identification. Aidan walked past me and stood by the door. The argument happening outside escalated. Mac joined Aidan. I watched Mac disappear and closed my eyes to block out distractions and listened to what was happening outside the room.

  “Problem?” Mac said.

  An undetermined male spoke and sounded annoyed, “Nothing to do with you.”

  “I was talking to the nurse,” Mac said, with clear cold precision.

  “I’ll be with you in a second.” It was Annie. “Just wait here.”

  It was definitely Annie. I hoped she had meds for me. I could do with something to stop these waves of nausea. I grabbed the plastic container and vomited again with renewed force. My head swam. Maybe I fell in the river.

  I heard Mac’s voice; he sounded pissy, “And her name is?”

  Annie spoke, “He said his sister is Gabrielle Conway.”

  How many brothers do I have? Let me see, tricky question. One. I have one. Aidan and I looked at each other for a split second then he left the room.

  I closed my eyes. I was alone. Scuffling went on outside my room. Vomit rose in my throat. Someone touched my arm. I opened my eyes, half-expecting to see a knife plunge into my chest. Close, but no cigar. A needle slid into my arm.

  “You’ll feel better in a few minutes,” Annie said. “Your boyfriend is dealing with someone in the corridor. He’s waiting for security.”

  “Where’s my brother?” I asked.

  “He’s with him.”

  I felt lightheaded. Had the covers not held me down I would’ve been up on the ceiling. Was this the smack to the head or the aftereffects of ketamine?

  “Would you like me to stay with you?” Annie asked. She straightened the bed covers then whisked away the soiled container and brought me another fresh one.

  “I’ll be okay,” I assured her. “What was in the needle?”

  “Something to stop the vomiting and some pain relief. We’ll be monitoring you. Fifteen-minute observations. I know that will be annoying but I will do my best to disturb you as little as possible.”

  “Thank you.” I liked her. She was pleasant and efficient with a great smile. I closed my eyes. I don’t know how long I’d been asleep before I heard Aidan’s voice.

  “Well?” Aidan asked.

  “Well?” Mac repeated back at him.

  I chuckled.

  “Thought you were sleeping,” Aidan said to me.

  “Nah, just resting.” My eyes opened. It was an effort not to squint. “Any clue who that moron was?”

  Mac shook his head. “Yet another sucker, I suspect.” He smiled. “I was worried it was another diversion. I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “Annie came in and gave me something for the nausea and pain.”

  “Feeling better?”

  “Uh huh.” Floaty, spacey, it’s almost fun. Thanks to the Unsub I now had an idea how Mac felt when he was drugged at the café./p>

  “Good.”

  More raised voices in the corridor outside. We all froze and stared at the door.

  The door opened. Caine emerged bathed in pale light. He had a halo for a second or so before he moved from the doorway.

  He leveled a cold stare and pointed at Aidan. “I told you not to come here.” He held his hand up to stop Aidan’s reply and turned to Mac. “You did well. That man you stopped is Eugene Summers. He received fifty dollars to locate Ellie’s room and cause a disturbance. Mr. Summers has an attitude problem and has breached his parole. He’s been taken into custody.”

  “Did he have a description we can use?” I asked. Hoping that was what I actually said and that the words came out in the correct order.

  “Yeah, and again it doesn’t match any we have so far. Except this time there was mention of three deep scratch mar
ks running down the man’s neck.” Caine rolled his eyes. “It was dark he couldn’t see clearly.”

  “What the hell happened to our FBI doormen?” There was a sharp edge to Mac’s voice.

  “I have no clue. I sent two agents over here twenty minutes after you left in the ambulance. No one’s seen or heard from them since. We didn’t know they were missing until the police called about old Eugene.”

  “Oh, man,” my voice groaned, at least I thought it came from my mouth. I had to tell them something. “Parking lot, grounds ... Eugene may have done more than find me.” That was hard work. I liked floating better than trying to concentrate.

  Caine directed himself to Mac. “Is she stable enough to be moved?”

  Mac shook his head. “Not yet. Maybe by tonight.”

  Tonight, did that mean it was daytime already? It’s awful dark for daytime. Maybe there were no windows in my room. I stopped trying to work it out.

  “We must move her as soon as possible. I suspect the Unsub followed the ambulance here. I don’t want you two followed again.”

  “So now what?” Mac’s voice was low and filled with semi-concealed annoyance.

  “A decoy.”

  Silence, the sort of silence that indicated thought. My thoughts scattered to the wind. Nothing made sense anymore. It occurred to me that I might have drowned in the river. Roy’s face came into view. A question needed answering.

  “Caine?”

  He looked at me, stony faced as always, no apparent twitch. “Yes.”

  “Roy told me he called you and Aidan when I was in Chicago. He said he had been investigating Carter for a few months before I showed up.”

  Caine wasn’t stony anymore. He frowned. “When did Roy tell you this?”

  “I don’t know, he came and saw me.”

  “Ellie, think very carefully. When did Roy tell you this?”

  “I think it was tonight. He said someone killed him.”

  Caine’s eyes widened.

  Damn! I shouldn’t have said anything. It must’ve been a dream.

  Panic rose as I watched Caine rub his face with his hands.

  “He was killed within the last twenty-four hours, his body was in your shower, and you are telling me he spoke to you?” Gone was the usual tone I expected from Caine. He replaced it with utter disbelief.