Pax turned to Ash. “We’re on our own. Just like we’ve always been.”
“The last part of the message is perhaps the most valuable,” Matt said. “It gives us a ray of hope.”
Ash glanced at the paper again, and reread the last line. When he looked up, Matt touched the remote, and a map of the Arctic Circle appeared on the monitor.
“BB refers to Bluebird,” Matt explained. “That’s the name Project Eden uses for its main headquarters. N of sixty-six?” He touched a dotted line on the map. “North of the Arctic Circle, where there are dozens of science facilities—sci fac. Right after we received the message, we sent out several teams to the Arctic in search of the Project’s headquarters.”
The Arctic. It made a certain crazy sense to Ash. The isolation would provide not only a formidable natural defense against any rogue virus, but against man himself. And with technology these days, they could still maintain contact with their people throughout the world even in such harsh terrain.
“Did you find it?” he asked.
Rachel leaned forward. “We might have. One of our teams has gone missing. We sent another team to check on it. They found wreckage and a signal beacon, but no bodies.”
“So it was an accident.”
She shook her head. “The searchers believe that the debris was staged so we would think it was an accident. Looking back, there were also some irregularities in the last several contacts from the missing team. On the surface they could easily be explained away, but given what the searchers found, I think the real answer is something else.” She shot a look at Matt. “I think those transmissions were faked by the Project. I think our team was discovered at an earlier stop.”
“When they found Bluebird.”
She hesitated, then nodded.
“Where?”
She stood up and walked over to the map. “We’ve narrowed it down to what we believe are the two best possibilities.” She touched the screen. “Here on Ellef Ringnes Island, and here, on Yanok Island. After Ellef Ringnes, the inconsistencies become clearer.” She looked back at Ash. “Bluebird is where the orders to start will come from.” She drew a circle with her finger that included both islands. “Somewhere in here is where it will all begin.”
Matt nodded, his eyes also on Ash. “And that’s what we want to talk to you about.”
Ash had guessed as much.
“Let’s be honest,” Matt said. “At this point, our time is better spent using our resources to try and mitigate the damage. Stop the outbreak where we can, minimize the effects where we can’t, and get out as much of our version of the vaccine as possible. The only actual way to stop their Implementation Day from even happening is to cut off the head, but that doesn’t seem very doable given the location and time of year. Rachel, though, has successfully convinced us we need to at least give it a try. Logistically, it would make no sense to send a large detachment. First off, we need the manpower here, doing what they can to keep people alive. But, perhaps more importantly, the larger the team, the likelier its discovery before it even arrives.”
“How many people were on your missing scout team?”
Rachel took a breath. “Two.”
“Two,” Ash said, looking between her and her brother. “So unless you’re sending someone up there solo, there’s a good chance any-sized team is going to be discovered.”
“You’re right. But there’s no way I would send anyone up there alone.”
Ash was quiet for a moment. “You want me on the team.”
“We want you to lead the team,” Matt said.
“Lead the team?”
“I’m sure if you think about it, you’ll realize you’re the best for the job,” Matt said as if reading Ash’s mind. “You have the training and experience. You’ve gone up against these people before in tight situations. If you say no, we’ll understand, but, Ash…” He paused. “It would be a hell of a lot better if you said yes.”
A thousand thoughts crowded Ash’s mind, each vying for his attention. Foremost amongst them were his kids. How could he leave them?
Then again, given what he’d be trying to stop and keep them from experiencing, how could he stay?
“When?” he asked, his voice a whisper.
But before Matt or Rachel could answer, the door slammed open, and Jordan, one of Matt’s top assistants, rushed in.
“The Bluff,” he said. “We’ve lost contact!”
10
THEY RUSHED INTO the communications room, cramming around a computer station manned by a woman named Sarah.
“I’ve been trying to raise the Bluff, but I’m not getting anything at all,” she said. “There’s no connection. It’s as if they turned everything off at their end.”
“Try again,” Michael said, his tone desperate. He had left his wife Janice at the Bluff before flying out to the meeting. She was supposed to have come with him, but an illness had kept her at home.
Sarah did as he asked. Once more there was no answer.
Michael looked at Matt. “Is the plane still here? I need to go. I need to get out there.”
“Hold on, Michael. We’ll get you there, but I want to make sure it’s safe first.”
“I don’t care if it’s safe! Janice needs me, so I need to get out there now!”
Rachel glanced quickly at Browne and Solomon. The two men immediately moved in beside Michael.
“Come on,” Browne said. “We’ll help you get ready.”
“I am ready.”
“Michael,” Rachel said. “Just go with them.”
“If I can’t fly out right now, I need to be here so I know what’s going on.” His voice cracked as he spoke.
Rachel touched his arm. “You’re no help to Janice if you can’t focus and remain calm. Go with them. Get your bag, maybe change your clothes, and get something to eat. Just try to relax. In the meantime we’ll get the plane ready.”
Michael, eyes wide, seemed temporarily paralyzed, but then he seemed to get a grip on himself. With a nod, he let Browne and Solomon lead him from the room.
As soon as he was gone, Matt said, “Has anyone checked the Bluff’s security feed? Is that still running, or did that get cut off, too?”
“Have it here, sir,” a young guy three terminals away said.
Matt walked over, and everyone else followed.
“It cut off about ten minutes ago, sir. But something was definitely going on.”
“Show me.”
After the man clicked a few keys, surveillance footage from near the Bluff’s front gate appeared on screen. “This is from sixteen minutes ago. Two intruders were spotted, a couple that Bluff security calls Adam and Eve. Apparently they’ve hopped the fence before and have been caught messing around on the property.”
On the monitor, the young couple—Adam and Eve—ran playfully down the road before turning into the forest. The operator then skipped ahead forty-five seconds to when a security team appeared from the other direction. When the men reached the same point in the road, they turned after the couple.
“Do we have anything showing the woods?” Matt asked.
“No, sir. No one turned a camera in that direction.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know.” The operator said nothing for a moment, then pointed at the screen. “Here. This is the important part.”
Suddenly one of the Bluff guards staggered into frame and collapsed on the road. A few moments later, the man and woman appeared, and dragged him back into the woods. Less than thirty seconds after that, the picture went dark.
“That’s it?” Matt asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“What about from inside?”
“All the footage inside was normal.”
“Then perhaps the building is still safe.”
“No way to know at the moment.”
Matt looked at Pax. “Fire up the plane and get a team ready. I want you out there now.”
“On it,” Pax said, moving over to a
phone on an empty desk.
“Billy, go grab what you think you’ll need and meet out front.” Matt looked at Ash. “Sorry, we’ll have to continue this later.”
“I’m going.”
Matt cocked his head. “You sure?”
“I’m sure.” Janice was one of the people who had saved Ash’s life. He owed her and Michael at least this much. “I just need to let my kids know.”
“Make it quick.”
__________
ASH FOUND BRANDON in the kitchen, sitting at the long table eating dessert with Bobbie.
“Where’s your sister?”
Brandon had just put a spoonful of chocolate ice cream in his mouth, so Bobbie said, “She’s in the library.”
Careful not to say too much, Ash told her, “You should check in with Pax.”
Bobbie grew instantly alert. As Ash left the room, he heard her get out of her chair and head over to the phone.
The third-floor library was three times the size of the conference room downstairs. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined all four walls, breaking only for the windows, door, and the large fireplace at one end. A rolling ladder attached to a rail allowed access to the upper shelves. There were two long tables with wooden chairs around them in one half of the room, and in the other, a lounge area with overstuffed chairs and sofas near the fireplace, where flames were working their way through a couple of thick logs.
He found Josie on one of the sofas, reading.
“Sweetie, I need to talk to you.”
Without looking up from her book, she said, “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”
Of course she would guess that. “Just for the night.”
“Where are you going?”
“California.”
That caused her to look over. “California?” It was where they’d been living when the Sage Flu struck. Where her mother had died.
“Some friends need help.”
He knew she was conflicted. It was written all over her. For months she’d been vacillating between acting like a disinterested teen and a rebellious youth, but neither fit her. She was too smart, too compassionate. Too old for her age.
“What…what happened?”
“Some others have tried to hurt them.”
“And you’re going to stop that?”
“If I can.”
She considered this for a moment. “You’ll be back tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“You promise?”
“Pinkie promise.” He held out his little finger to her as he said it, like they’d done when she was younger.
She frowned as if that was only for little kids, but after a second wrapped her pinkie around his. A single shake, then a pull in opposite directions, breaking the link.
“You have to now,” she said.
“I know.”
__________
BRANDON WAS EASIER. When Ash returned to the kitchen, he simply told his son he was going to go help Matt and Pax with something, and that Bobbie would take care of him until he got back.
“Don’t worry,” Bobbie said. There was tension in her face that hadn’t been there when Ash came through earlier. “We’re going to have plenty of fun here. You ever ridden a horse, Brandon?”
Brandon lit up. “A horse? No.”
“Maybe we’ll go out for a ride tomorrow.”
The phone on the wall rang, and Bobbie answered. She listened for a few seconds, then said to Ash, “Meet in the front common room in three minutes.”
He nodded, and looked at his son. “Be good, okay?”
“I will, Dad. Have fun.”
Ash gave his son a smile and a hug.
The common room was a large open area, two stories high, just inside the front door. There were two giant stone fireplaces on both sides of the room, each with logs blazing. More of the overstuffed furniture was arranged into several small sitting areas. On the walls were two oversized paintings of the nearby mountains—one a winter scene, and one a summer.
Pax was the only one present when Ash arrived, but less than half a minute later, Michael, Browne, and Solomon arrived. They were followed seconds later by four men Ash had never met. Each had a hard edge to him, something Ash had seen a million times before. Former military, had to be.
Matt and Rachel arrived next. As much as they both wanted to come along, they would be staying at the Ranch. Though they said the reason was because someone had to stay and keep an eye on things, Ash guessed that if it weren’t for Matt’s bum knee, he, at least, would have come along.
“What are we waiting for?” Michael asked, anxious.
“Billy,” Pax said.
Michael looked over at the staircase. “Somebody call him. See what’s taking so long.”
“I’m sure he’s on the way,” Pax said.
“I’m sure I’m on the way, too.”
They all looked toward the voice. Billy was heading toward them from the hallway off to the left. Behind him were three other men, all carrying plastic cases containing what Ash guessed were medical supplies.
Pax stepped toward the door. “All right, everybody. Let’s go.”
Fourteen minutes later, they were in the air, heading west.
11
NAIROBI, KENYA
LAWRENCE MWERLA WAS having none of it. As a rising administrator within the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, he’d been chosen to oversee Project Eradication. The project was yet another in a series of attempts to wipe out the malaria-carrying mosquito population, something that had been attempted over and over for decades.
Like most of the others who tried, the organization behind the chemicals to be used in Project Eradication had been confident that their method would prove to be the one that finally did the job. Given Kenya’s—for that matter, the world’s—history with such attempts, Mwerla was dubious at best.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t hopeful. To rid his country of malaria would be a miracle. Nearly every fifth child born in the country died from the disease. An unacceptable loss in itself, but deaths weren’t only limited to the young. Adults, too, were susceptible. That’s why any chance to curb the disease had to be tried.
But now the project was delayed.
“This is not acceptable,” he said to the representative from the Pishon Health Initiative. They were in the man’s office at Pishon’s temporary headquarters in Nairobi. “My government has already contributed significant amounts of money to facilitate Project Eradication. We have arranged for thousands of volunteers across the country, based, might I remind you, on a timetable you gave us when you brought the project to us. To change the date like this will necessitate further costs. We cannot afford to do this. We are not a rich country like yours.”
Hans Lesser, the Pishon rep, leaned forward in his chair. “Mr. Mwerla, we understand your concerns. The date change, though, is unavoidable and necessary. To truly guarantee the success of Project Eradication, dosing needs to be coordinated across the continent. All the target countries will be participating on the same day.”
“The same day? I do not see the importance of that. If our programs run a week or two apart or even a month, what difference could that make? I believe the timing is just a stunt you are doing for publicity.”
“I guarantee you, publicity is not our aim. Whether you get it or not, we don’t care. Ridding the planet of this deadly disease—that is our goal. According to our scientists, the best chance we have of doing that is by this coordinated effort. If need be, I can have one of them flown down here to give you a full technical briefing, but I’m hoping we can avoid that.” He paused. “The delay is only a few days, but we have no desire for this to be a burden on you. I have spoken with our team in Amsterdam, and have been able to pull together additional funds to cover whatever cost overruns the Kenyan government might incur.”
Mwerla calmed a bit. That was more than he’d been expecting. Still, there was much additional work that would need to be done because of this.
&nbs
p; He stood up. “I will have to bring this up with the minister. He will have the final word.”
Lesser rose to his feet. “Of course.”
He held out his hand, and Mwerla reluctantly shook it.
As the Kenyan official turned for the door, Lesser said, “Please remember, Mr. Mwerla, what we’re doing here is a good thing.”
“Yes. I realize that.” Mwerla nodded grimly. “Good afternoon.”
__________
HANS LESSER KEPT the smile on his face until the door shut behind the Kenyan. He then picked up the phone.
“Do it,” he ordered, and hung up again.
In all likelihood, everything would have gone smoothly and Mwerla would have played along, but taking that chance was not something they had time for.
Within the next thirty minutes, Lawrence Mwerla would be the victim of a tragic car accident, and his second in command—someone considerably more accommodating to the Project—would take over.
There would be no more talk of the date change.
__________
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
SCHOOL HAD COME to consume most of Patricia Mendes’s time, and the long hikes through the city she used to take when she was younger were a luxury she could seldom afford anymore. But it wasn’t just school that was taking up her time. It was also her boyfriend, Sergio. Make that former boyfriend.
Sergio was pig, He knew nothing about what it meant to be in a relationship. Her friends had tried to warn her, but she hadn’t listened. She’d only gone down to the park a week earlier because she knew the latest thing they had told her was a lie. But instead of proving them wrong, she’d found Sergio right where her friends said he would be, hiding behind the old shack in the park with his tongue stuck inside Maria Blanco’s mouth.
She felt like a fool, like she had no worth at all. How could he have done this to her? She had been a good girlfriend—never fighting with him, always agreeing to do whatever he wanted to do. She had even let him put his hand up her shirt once, though when he’d tried for her skirt, she had quickly put a stop to that.
[Project Eden 02] - Exit 9 Page 7