The pilot frowned but nodded silent agreement.
“There could be a reason she’s not showing up,” she added, her attention returning to Gabe.
“Agreed,” he said, “but Cutter’s convinced there’s foul play. I can hear it in his tone. He’s always been able to bypass her DND, but he can’t do it if her ID token can’t be found.”
Jonathan tossed the rag onto a nearby bench. “I’m coming with you.”
Snell had been standing silently to one side up to this point. Now, he turned to pin Jonathan with a stare. “Against protocol. Micah’s out with Wraith. That means you’re ghosting, Captain.”
Jonathan scowled back at Snell. Before he said anything that would get him in trouble, Gabe intervened.
“I appreciate the offer, Captain, but the major’s right. Besides, Hyer’s here with me at the Center. Mind if I borrow her for this?”
Jonathan’s gaze bounced between Gabe and Valenti. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is time-sensitive. I know where she spends most of her time when she’s at the Planck Centre, and Micah’s the only one on the team who’s visited Sam there—he’s done so several times. And what he knows, I know.”
Valenti shook her head. “You’re on an op, too, Captain. You’re running overwatch for Mercer.”
“They just jumped to Scharnhorst space, so there’s nothing left for me to do,” Jonathan countered. “I can hitch a ride down in one of the Novastrikes. That way, I’m off the books with STC.”
Valenti exchanged an unreadable look with Snell before shifting her attention back to Gabe, a question in her eyes. Gabe tilted his head to one side in an unspoken ‘it’s your call’ gesture.
Gabe could tell Snell was itching to deny Jonathan’s request. He wasn’t certain it was the best idea himself, but…
“I wouldn’t mind the help,” he admitted finally.
Valenti nodded. “Very, well, then. But don’t make me regret it.”
Snell’s expression took on a look of annoyance at her words. Pointing his bladed hand at Jonathan, he warned, “You wear a cover at all times, you got me, Case?”
“Yessir,” was Jonathan’s quiet reply. He tossed a quick “Thanks” to Valenti and Gabe, and then launched himself across the hangar.
Gabe saw him scoop up a jacket, a billed cap, and what looked like a pair of ancient aviators from where they rested on top of a stool.
As he jogged out of range of the holo’s pickups, Snell shot a look off to the side, where one of the Shadow Recon pilots stood, watching the exchange. He jerked a thumb in Jonathan’s direction and pointed to a Novastrike, before turning to stalk off.
“We’ll be careful,” Gabe assured Valenti.
Her expression granite, she nodded. “See that you do.”
OLD ENEMIES
University of Ceriba, St. Clair
St. Clair Township, Ceriba
Katie Hyer’s flight from the Center to the university was done in record time. At Gabe’s direction, she brought the shuttle down right in front of the university’s Planck Center for Physics.
Gabe unwebbed and stepped toward the hatch, and was surprised when Hyer joined him.
“I’ve got this, Chief,” he assured her.
“If it’s all the same, sir, I’d like to help. I’ll stay out of trouble, I promise.”
Gabe sighed. “All right. But do me a favor?” He pointed out the open hatch to where a shadowed figure stood, ballcap drawn low over his face. “Help me keep that guy off everyone’s radar, will you?”
Hyer sent him a sloppy salute, swung her legs over the side of the ramp and hopped down. “You got it, boss.”
While she retracted the ramp and secured the ship, Gabe walked over to where Jonathan stood. When he caught the other man’s eyes from under the brim of his hat, Gabe held up a hand.
“My investigation. My rules.”
Jonathan pulled a pair of aviators from his pocket. Donning them, he gave a brief nod. “Understood.”
As Hyer joined them, Gabe brought them both into a three-way connection over their wires.
{Let’s do this.}
He headed for the Planck Centre’s entrance, and Jonathan fell into step beside him. Hyer came up on his other side, her long, coltish stride a counterpoint to Jonathan’s cat-like grace.
{You think we might run into trouble?} she asked.
Gabe slid her a sidelong look. {No. I think trouble already found Sam. I’m hoping she either left us some clues or has managed to evade them. If it’s the latter, they might still be down here, trying to find where she holed up.}
Jonathan’s jaw worked from side to side. {If they have her—}
Gabe cut him off. {That’s one of the reasons we asked you not to tell Micah. He has his own mission he needs to focus on right now.}
There was a beat of silence. {I know. I don’t like it, but yeah, I get it.}
The university was surprisingly quiet, causing Gabe to check his wire’s chrono. He realized they’d likely arrived during the break between regular and evening classes.
An invitation to join the university’s network flashed on his display as they passed through its doors. He accepted it, shunting the connection to a firewalled public sector he’d partitioned off on his wire when he’d first joined NCIC.
He pulled up the school’s directory, highlighted the lecture hall that was Sam’s last known location, and then shared the map with the others.
{That’s our first stop.}
Jonathan nodded and then pointed to a bank of lifts on the opposite side of the large, open atrium, and they headed in that direction.
They ascended in silence. Hyer stood comfortably in a loose slouch; Jonathan shifted restlessly, flexing and clenching his hands.
{Let go of some of that,} Gabe advised. {I need your head in the game.}
Jonathan emitted a mental growl as the lift doors parted, and they saw a figure across the mezzanine that had no business being there.
{No can do, Alvarez. This here’s the reason I came.}
Clint Janus looked up as they poured out of the lift, his eyes widening as they took in the three people approaching. Gabe saw Janus’s gaze dip to his holster—and then the man was running.
The mezzanine circled the perimeter of the lobby atrium, terminating in wide, curving stairs, set opposite of the lifts, that led down to the ground floor. When Janus bolted for the steps, Gabe motioned Jonathan and Hyer to the left while he moved to the right.
“Doctor, stop!” Gabe called out, but his words merely served to push the man to greater speed.
When Janus saw Jonathan maneuvering to cut him off, Hyer hot on his heels, he leapt the railing and dropped to the atrium below.
Jonathan vaulted after him, and Hyer followed suit.
Gabe saw Janus dart through the door and cut right. A quick glance to his right showed a stairwell sign at the end of the hall that led off the mezzanine. Gabe raced for it, opting to remain inside.
{Talk to me,} he ordered.
{Janus is heading up the hill on the side of the building,} Hyer reported. {Giving chase.}
It was exactly what Gabe had hoped he would do. It also meant his gamble would pay off.
He hit the stairwell at a run, hooking a hand around the railing and dropping to the floor just beside the emergency exit doors. Pulling his CUSP, he burst outside just as Janus blew past.
The biochemist was agile for a person who spent more time with experiments than he did in a gym. He grabbed a nearby potted tree and toppled it, spoiling Gabe’s initial shot.
Gabe hurdled the downed plant just as Jonathan and the chief joined him. Janus ducked around the side of the building, and startled shouts rang out. Gabe rounded the corner to see surprised faculty dodging out of the man’s way.
“Police!” Gabe called out to them as he raced past.
Hyer pointed. “He’s heading for that transport lot.”
The enclosed lot held plenty of opportunity for cover. Gabe didn’t intend to give Janus the
opportunity to take advantage of it.
A fabric banner was draped across its entrance, secured by a group of papier-mâché flowers—a student art installation. Gabe let Hyer and Jonathan give chase while he reached for his holdout holster, pulled out the handgun, and aimed for the flowers.
He timed it for the moment just before Janus hit the entrance. The first shot had flowers raining down upon him; the second caused the banner to fall, wrapping the biochemist in meters of cloth.
Holstering the weapon, Gabe broke into a jog. By the time he caught up, Jonathan had Janus up, arms behind his back.
A CUSP had materialized in Hyer’s hands, and the moment he spotted it, Janus stopped struggling.
“Why did you run, doctor?” Gabe asked as he drew to a stop in front of him.
The man’s eyes were wild, his breaths coming in great gasps. “You were chasing me!” Janus pulled against Jonathan’s hold.
“Doctor.”
He turned at Gabe’s voice, and recognition dawned. “You’re that security guard from deGrasse. What are you doing here?”
“Look at you, doc, remembering us and all,” Hyer’s voice sounded from behind Gabe.
She slid past him, her CUSP now holstered. Stepping up to Janus, she brushed the shoulder of his suit as if to straighten it.
“Can you imagine that?” she drawled, accent thickening as she waggled a finger between the three of them. “What’re the odds? I mean, really. All of us deGrasse survivors, bumpin’ into each other on a college campus. Y’know I always did wonder what college life would be like.”
The look on Janus’s face told Gabe he was suffering from mental whiplash at Hyer’s sudden familiarity. Gabe was wondering about it, himself.
The chief patted Janus on the cheek before waving a hand expansively. “Would you look at this place, sir? Swank, ain’t it?”
Janus smoothed the front of his suit and glared at the chief warrant as if Hyer’s touch had soiled it. “This is an institute of higher learning,” he said. “It is not, nor has it ever been, swank.”
{Hyer, what the hell….}
{Just like last time, boss,} she told Gabe as she stepped back beside him. {One douchebag, tagged and tapped.}
As she passed him the feed, her actions made sense. It was a smart move… The spike she’d tagged him with would allow them to follow his movements. The surveillance bug she’d dropped would allow them to listen in on his conversations after they parted ways.
That wouldn’t be any time soon. Gabe had questions he wanted the man to answer first.
He motioned for Jonathan to escort Janus back into the building. “What brings you here, doctor? I thought you worked for Brower Biologics. They don’t have a research facility on Ceriba.”
“Alma mater,” the biochemist said, as if that explained everything.
When Gabe didn’t give any indication that he understood, Janus appeared peeved.
“Occasionally, the university asks that some of its more successful graduates return to deliver the occasional lecture.”
“Well, I assume you’ve just finished whatever it was you were doing, since it’s the end of the day. Perfect timing.”
“I’m afraid I can’t—”
“I’m going to have to insist,” Gabe said firmly.
Stopping by the side door he’d used earlier, Gabe lifted the back of his hand, engaging the holographic nanolayer that would display his NCIC credentials.
“I’m Special Agent Alvarez, Doctor Janus,” he said, gesturing the man inside. “We’re going to have to ask you some questions.”
Janus jerked back as if he’d been stung. “Impossible. I’m late for an appointment.”
“Reschedule it.” Jonathan’s voice came from behind Janus. It was pitched low and sounded menacing—and thankfully, nothing like Jonathan Micah Case.
Janus’s eyes widened, and he craned his neck to get a look at the man behind him.
{Back off, Case. Dammit, if he recognizes you….}
{He won’t.}
Gabe stepped forward, subtly crowding the man and forcing his attention away from Jonathan.
“You…you have no right to detain me,” Janus spluttered as Jonathan pushed him up the steps.
Gabe lifted a brow. “Who said anything about detaining you? Did you do something you think would require such drastic action?”
Janus gave a nervous laugh. “Of course not. I just—”
“Then you should have no trouble helping out a naval investigation.”
Janus had started nodding as Gabe spoke, but the nod quickly turned to a head-shake. “I’m sure you can find someone else—”
Gabe dropped a hand onto the man’s shoulder, squeezing a bit harder than strictly necessary as he pushed Janus out into the second-floor hallway. “Now,” he said softly, “why don’t you show us where Doctor Travis is?”
And there it was. The telltale flicker Gabe had set Janus up to reveal. He’d worked to ensure the man was off balance, physical cues giving off a subtle threat while his voice remained cordial.
Emotion chased across Janus’s face. Anger was replaced by a flash of fear that disappeared so fast, Gabe could have easily missed it. And then a crafty look settled in his eyes.
{He knows something.} Jonathan’s voice sliced through his head.
{Yeah, he does. Stay chill, man. This is what I do. Now both of you, back off and give me room to work.} Gabe pushed Janus forward, pointing down the hallway. “Is her office down here? Show me.”
Janus had no choice but to follow the relentless pressure Gabe applied—at least, not without drawing attention to himself. Somehow, Gabe sensed this was not what the man wanted.
“Uh, yes. I believe it is.”
He heard Janus swallow hard.
“Good. Good.” Gabe began to move, and Janus had no choice but to follow. “So, how’ve you been since deGrasse? I heard you were tortured by those Akkadians.”
Janus attempted a shaky laugh. “Yeah, uh, the way they treat people is pretty harsh. They’re horrid human beings.”
Truth… and a lie. Gabe sensed fragments of both in the man’s words.
“What do you do for Brower?”
Janus cleared his throat. “Proprietary IP things. I’m not at liberty to discuss. I’m sure you understand.”
“I can imagine,” he said readily. “Did you know that Akkadia holds a controlling share in your company’s firm? After what they did to you in Luyten’s Star, I’d have assumed you’d want nothing to do with anything associated with those bastards.”
With his hand clamped around the other man’s shoulder as it was, Gabe could feel the involuntary shudder of fear that ran through the man at mention of Akkadia.
“Oh, really?” Janus’s voice was faint.
He drew to a stop in front of a closed office door. Pointing to Sam’s nameplate, he said, “There you are. I really have to go now.” He attempted to pull away, and Gabe let him go.
Jonathan stepped up behind Janus once more, leaving him no room to maneuver.
{Hyer. Got a Crowbar on you by chance?} Gabe asked.
She shot him a saucy grin. {Never leave home without it.}
He tilted his head to indicate the door. {See if it’s unlocked.}
Hyer’s palm came to rest upon the access panel, and nothing happened.
{Crack her open, Chief.}
A canister appeared in Hyer’s hand, and she pressed it against the mechanism. The Crowbar activated the lock almost instantly.
As it slid open and the lights came on, the biochemist went stumbling in, propelled forcefully by Jonathan. He caught his hands on the top of Samantha’s desk, and whirled to face Gabe as Jonathan sealed them inside.
“Now,” Gabe said, nodding to a chair. “Have a seat.”
Janus surprised him by growing a spine.
Drawing an air of effrontery about him, the scientist frowned at Gabe. “I will not,” he stated firmly. “You have no right to detain me. I’ll alert university security, and th
ey’ll—”
Gabe pulled his CUSP. “They’ll understand my concerns when I tell them that Samantha Travis is missing, and you’re wanted for questioning about it.” He motioned to the chair with the CUSP’s barrel as he slowly advanced. “Now, sit. Down.”
Janus sat.
Gabe spared a quick look at his team. Hyer leaned against the door, arms crossed. Jonathan was tucked into a shadowy corner, head down, face completely obscured by the bill of his cap.
He gave them both a quick nod of approval and then swung his attention back to the man seated in front of him. Holstering his weapon, he snagged a second chair, hauled it in front of Janus, and took a seat opposite the scientist.
“Now, let’s try this again,” he said in a low, even tone. “When was the last time you saw Samantha Travis?”
Janus cleared his throat, his eyes darting first to Hyer, and then to where Jonathan slouched before returning to Gabe. “I have no idea why you think I might know where Doctor Travis is, but as it happens, I did see her, about an hour ago.”
Gabe nodded, but when he heard Jonathan shift in the corner, he barked, {Stay still, or leave.} He continued on aloud as if his teammate’s restlessness was nothing of note. “What can you tell me about her whereabouts? I’ve been trying to reach her for a while now, and her wire’s been set to Do Not Disturb.”
He let the implication ride that he believed it was still set that way.
“I understand she was delivering a radiation lecture to the medical residents,” Janus began after a moment. “When I saw her, she was on her way out.”
“Did she stop to talk to anyone? Was anyone with her?” Gabe pressed.
Janus tried and failed to hide a smirk. Gabe sensed the man’s rising confidence, and something else. Satisfaction, maybe? He knew the man held no love for Samantha.
“As a matter of fact, there were two people with her when I saw her last,” he said. “A man and a woman.”
Gabe leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “Can you describe them for me, please?”
Janus’s smirk deepened into a smile. “They were dressed in dark suits and looked official. The way they walked, I’d say they were from the government.” His gaze swept Gabe’s seated form. “You know, like you.”
The Chiral Protocol – A Military Science Fiction Thriller: Biogenesis War Book 2 (The Biogenesis War) Page 16