by C. G. Cooper
“All they need to know is that Dr. Price will soon be in custody and that the vaccine is contained.”
“I assume you have a new plan to get Price?”
Cromwell nodded. “I do.”
“Are you going to tell me what it is?”
Cromwell smiled. “You’ll be hearing about it soon enough. Keep an eye on the news today, Senator.”
+++
Everyone, including the normally up-at-the-crack-of-dawn Daniel Briggs, had opted to sleep in. Dr. Price wandered down to the kitchen to find some coffee, nodding to the now familiar faces of Neil Patel and Jonas Layton, who were deep in discussion, probably about some tech innovation that was way over his head.
Two operators, Price couldn’t remember their names, were watching CNN in the living room. The news anchor was talking about the latest string of violence in Iraq. What a waste, Price thought, remembering the friends he’d lost in the desert.
After sipping his coffee, Price moved to the fridge to find breakfast. His hand reached for the handle but stopped. He swiveled toward the television.
“Can you turn that up?” asked Price.
One of the guys did. Price moved closer, his appetite gone, legs weak.
Federal Investigators descended on the offices and warehouses of Price’s Imports. The FBI has taken control of their headquarters in Hoboken, New Jersey as well as satellite offices in New York City, Los Angeles and New Orleans.
An FBI spokesman told us over the phone that the entire Price family, including those not directly involved in the conglomerate’s operations, is now being investigated for links to terrorist organizations in Poland and Ukraine.
At this time we cannot confirm a report that says weapons grade biological components were found in one or more of the company warehouses. We’ll update you as soon as we have more…
Price stared wide-eyed at the television screen. Terrorists? Biological weapons?
He put a hand out and braced himself against the wall for support. Everything was spinning. His entire family. Who had…
His eyes blazed with clarity. Cromwell.
“You okay, Doc?” asked one of the men sitting on the couch.
Price nodded. “Where’s Cal?”
Cal didn’t respond. Another wrinkle. Someone was getting smart, going on the attack instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Worst case, Cromwell knew or at least had some idea of who was helping Dr. Price. Best case, Cromwell was fishing. Cal might’ve played it the same way had he been on the other side. Rattle Price’s nerves by going after his family.
It had worked. The already shaken Price was falling apart in front of the Marine. But now wasn’t the time to panic.
“Look, I know how these things work. I’ve personally been through it before. Let us make a couple calls and the worst that’ll happen is your family spends a little time in questioning. I assume they have the money for attorneys?”
Price nodded, his face a blank sheet of pain.
“Good,” continued Cal, wanting to get Price out of his funk and back to work as soon as possible. He’d learned that lesson time after time in the Corps. Idle mulling wasn’t good. Getting the affected back on task as soon as possible was. “Let’s get everyone together and come up with a game plan. We’ll need your help.”
Again Price nodded, but didn’t say anything.
Chapter 22
Charlottesville, Virginia
10:15am, April 9th
The news wasn’t good. Neil had confirmed that the FBI had, in fact, found biological components in Price’s Imports’s Hoboken warehouse. Worse still, they were starting to connect the dots. Not only were they looking at relationships with overseas suppliers, they were also dusting off Dr. Hunter Price’s old file, the one marked DECEASED.
Suddenly Price was on the government’s radar again and that wasn’t good. Facial recognition technology had improved, as had other passive and overt investigative methods since 9/11. Due to the supposed terrorist connection, the government now had carte blanche. They could shut down Price’s Imports indefinitely and keep the family tied up in investigations for years.
Cal’s inner circle sat in the War Room batting around ideas, trying to come up with a course of action that could work. Unfortunately, Cromwell had them by the proverbial balls. If they took the risk of coming out of the shadows and then somehow got caught, their entire operation could be shut down before they could do any good. Cromwell had already proved to be a master strategist. The only thing he didn’t have was Dr. Price.
“The way I see it, we need two things. First, we need to find out what the hell Cromwell is doing. What’s his plan? Second, we need to get our hands on Cromwell,” said Cal. “Neil, how close are you to getting into his system?”
Neil Patel adjusted his glasses, a sign that things weren’t going according to his typical, exacting schedule. “They’ve got a lot of security surrounding whatever they’re doing. I haven’t seen this level of lockdown in a while. I can keep trying, but I think the best option is to somehow get someone inside.”
No one liked that idea, least of all Cal. It was one thing to break into a remote facility miles from civilization. It was quite another to sneak into a government building in the middle of a densely populated city.
“Who’s got an idea of how we can do that?” asked Cal.
“What if we did both?” asked MSgt Trent.
“You mean nab Cromwell and force him to tell us what’s going on?”
“Yeah. It’d be easier to pick the guy up and have Doc Higgins use his magic juice,” said Trent, throwing an appreciative nod Higgins’s way.
For the first time since they’d gathered, Price spoke up. “That won’t work. Cromwell not only has guys like Malik Vespers watching over him, but he’s got passive alarms in place as well. The second he senses something’s wrong, he’ll push the panic button.”
Cal didn’t know how accurate Price’s claim was, but he kept his thoughts to himself. By the looks of some of the others, they were thinking the same thing.
“Wait!” said Price. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before. There may be an easier way. I’m not supposed to know this, but a few years back Cromwell started outsourcing some of his research to private labs. I only found out because I happened to bump into an old buddy who’d gotten out of the Army and was running a lab up in Delaware. He’s was in town to hand deliver data to Cromwell.”
Cal perked up at the revelation. “Do you know where they’re at?”
“Not exactly. But I assume there has to be some paper trail for the funding, right?”
“That’s not always the case, but we’ll see. Neil, why don’t you start looking into it. Jonas, do you mind helping him?”
“No problem,” said Jonas.
Cal nodded, his pulse quickening. He could feel the familiar tingle of the hunt. “Great. It’s not much, but at least it’s something.”
An hour later they reconvened. Neil stood in front of one of the large computer screens to show them what he’d found.
“Okay. I couldn’t find a lot, but here it is. I was able to track the funding linked to Cromwell’s office. Some of it’s pretty thin, but I connected the dots thanks to Jonas’s help and came up with a list of seven facilities that could be a match.”
Jonas took over. “There were a lot more that we could’ve scrutinized, but based on the research, we figured these were a good bet. We were able to get the names of the lead researcher, the projects they’ve got funding for, and the location of each facility. I’m going to go down the list and I’d appreciate it if you’d tell me if anything sounds familiar, Dr. Price.”
Price nodded.
“Okay,” said Jonas. “The first facility is a small lab just outside Myrtle Beach. The head of the research is a doctor by the name of…”
By the time Jonas had gotten through six of the seven labs, Price was more discouraged than before. Not one of the descriptions came anywhere near something that could be c
onnected to his cancer research. To make matters worse, there’s wasn’t a name listed that he recognized. While that seemed strange given the limited size of the research world, it didn’t surprise Price. Cromwell had been careful. No links. He was sure the seventh would be another dead end.
“The last of the seven is located on the outskirts of Fredericksburg, Virginia. The lead researcher’s name is Marcel Merrifield.”
The name didn’t ring a bell. Price exhaled. Time was ticking and he could only imagine what his family was going through. He was sure his grandfather was rolling over in his grave.
Jonas continued. “Dr. Merrifield got a grant a couple months ago for something called molecular destabilization. It doesn’t give any—”
“Hold on. Say that again,” said Price, something in his subconscious firing from a long discarded memory.
“Which part?”
“What did you say they were studying?”
“Something about molecular destabilization and its origins within racial populations.”
My God. The forgotten conversation came to Price like a crack of thunder. He’d been talking to one of his staff about an X-Men movie. The one where Magneto helps Jean Grey magnify her powers after bringing her over to the dark side. It had come up because of what they were doing with the substance the medicine man had given Price in Colombia. In essence, it was changing cancer on a molecular level, something akin to molecular manipulation. Instead of remaining in its original form, the cancer was being told to change, to morph into something else.
The two researchers hadn’t even noticed Col. Cromwell until he’d asked a question about how it might work in reverse, like in the movie. Price had thought it an innocent enough question, more fantasy than reality, so he’d answered truthfully.
Someone’s voice shook him from his thoughts. It was Cal.
“What is it, Doc?”
Price closed his eyes, replaying the conversation and matching the language with what Jonas had just read. Cold fear gripped him as he considered the implications.
“Doc, what are you thinking?” Cal asked, a bit impatiently.
Price’s face had turned ashen, and he couldn’t keep his hands from shaking.
“We had it all wrong,” he said, just above a whisper.
“What?”
“Cromwell doesn’t want the cure…he’s developing a weapon.”
Chapter 23
Bethesda, Maryland
11:39am, April 9th
Col. Cromwell smiled as he read Dr. Merrifield’s email. Things were finally starting to go his way. Not only were the Feds putting the squeeze on Dr. Price’s family, his handpicked team in Fredericksburg was close to their objective.
Serum viable. Initial tests promising. Not as long-lasting as we’d hoped, but with a few minor adjustments, I foresee successful completion sooner than expected.
Cromwell liked Merrifield’s style. The French-born researcher had the ability to piss off his colleagues, but Cromwell had pegged him right from the start. While most firms might consider Merrifield a maverick, reckless in his pursuits, Cromwell understood what the man wanted. Money and recognition.
Such ambitions were easily manipulated. Not only had he swooped in with funding just as Merrifield had once again been denied for another project, he’d also promised to give the scientist all the credit. To a man who’d been laughed at during dinner parties and talked about behind his back for years, Cromwell’s offer was like the opening of Heaven’s gate for Merrifield.
Cromwell had gone out of his way to make Merrifield feel important. He’d also given him more funding and independence than he’d ever had in his career. The project wasn’t easy, but the French-American devoured the task eagerly. Just as the email had said, not only were they making progress (where others had failed), but they were also months ahead of schedule.
He fired off a quick congratulations and looked forward to seeing him soon. Cromwell ended the email by asking if there was anything else Dr. Merrifield needed, knowing that the snob would probably ask for an overnight getaway to Aspen to recharge or an escort for the night. It was a small price for Cromwell to pay and would keep Merrifield chugging along at his relentless pace.
Cromwell pressed SEND and sat back in his chair. Pretty soon he’d be able to tell everyone, even Senator Thompson, to fuck off because he would be untouchable.
+++
Charlottesville, Virginia
Dr. Price had explained to Cal’s team what he imagined his old boss was doing with the research. It sounded like something out of a fantasy novel to Cal. To have the ability to manipulate a human body on the molecular level.
They had to get inside the research facility and see what they could find. Cal was waiting on a call back from the president with the go-ahead. The quicker they could pin something on Cromwell the better. Cal wondered how high the intrigue went, having experienced more than his share of government conspiracies since leaving the Marine Corps.
There were all kinds of ways politicians and their cronies could misspend taxpayer money. So far it looked like this project had been privately funded, but it still had to be linked to the American government if Cromwell and his office at the NIH were involved. Surely an Army colonel couldn’t be the man sitting behind the curtain. No, there had to be one or more people hiding in the shadows.
+++
The White House
President Zimmer didn’t like what he saw. Another program that had somehow gone unnoticed by the previous administration. How many covert deals were being conducted without his knowledge?
Zimmer looked up from the file.
“Do we know who else is involved? I’m sure Cal will want to know.”
Travis Haden shook his head. “That’s all I could get without Cromwell getting a whiff of my snooping. I’m sure we can get more, but it might send them scattering.”
“So you think we should let Cal try?”
“I think it’s worth a shot. He knows what he’s doing and he knows what’s at stake.”
The president leafed through Travis’s notes. Any kind of biological weapons being developed on American soil, and under the auspices of an Army colonel no less, had the ability to cripple his administration. Anyone and everyone would assume that the president knew about it.
There were risks, but Zimmer agreed with Travis, it was worth it. If Dr. Price’s hunch was right, they needed to know what the research entailed.
“Call Cal and tell him to do it.”
+++
Charlottesville, Virginia
“It’s a go.” Cal stood up from the conference table and stretched.
“When do we leave, boss?” asked Gaucho.
“Let’s hit it tonight. We can plan on the way.”
Gaucho nodded and moved to prep his team.
“Where do you want us?” asked Neil.
“I want you, Jonas, Price and Doc Higgins to hang here. I’m assuming that once we tap into their system we can shoot to you remotely, right?”
“No problem,” said Neil.
Everyone knew their place. Cal didn’t have to do any hand-holding. The warriors would take care of the infiltration and the brains would stay back and support. It was a scenario they’d played out countless times. Hopefully it would go off without a hitch.
+++
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Dr. Marcel Merrifield examined the last batch of slides for the day. He’d been at it for hours. His assistants called him The Machine. Not one to take breaks or let up from his hectic schedule, Dr. Merrifield expected the same from his staff.
Since taking over the project, he’d carefully doled out assignments, keeping information compartmentalized. Opposing sections weren’t even allowed to socialize together. He was the only one who knew the breadth of what they were developing, and he kept his teams under constant watch. They knew they were working on something big, mostly because requests for funds or new equipment were almost always approved right away. The researc
hers didn’t care what the final product was. They were worker bees used to carrying out orders, happy to get paid to do what they loved.
The handful of scientists who’d asked too many questions were quietly ushered to the door.
Merrifield couldn’t sleep most nights, dreaming about the implications of his research. He’d had lofty goals before, but with the seed planted by Cromwell, Merrifield knew his detractors would soon have a change of heart. Much like the sequestered scientists at the Manhattan Project, Merrifield felt like he was on the verge of making history.
He’d show them all, and then he’d reap the rewards.
Chapter 24
Fredericksburg, Virginia
1:49am, April 10th
Their first option had worked. Rather than trying to sneak into a one-story building, somehow avoiding the front desk rent-a-cop, and accessing the sure to be highly secure labs, Neil had suggested they try something else.
“It might be possible to gain access from the outside. As long as you can get me into their wiring system, I can figure out the rest.”
It hadn’t been quite that easy, but almost. They were in the process of uploading the data to Neil when a small convoy pulled up to the front of the office building.
+++
Col. Cromwell knew the value of a surprise inspection. He’d learned it walking the defensive perimeter first in training as a second lieutenant, and then in real combat in remote locations around the world.
He’d given Merrifield a heads-up, but had told him not to say a thing to his staff, a portion of which were on the night shift.
Dressed in a suit and tie, accompanied by Malik Vespers and his handpicked team of seven men, Cromwell strolled into the building.