“Why the immortal Bob Pratt, with a career record of 681, from 1930 to 1939.”
David’s eye widened in shock.
“Wrong!” Charlie said.
Burke smiled a sly grin and said, “You’re saying that because he didn’t kick number 681 until his comeback year in 1946, right?”
Charlie’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the badge again. She raised her hand as if to reach for it, but instead clapped Burke on the back. “About time we got a real fan at the Hub. And they say Yanks don’t know about the finer things! Welcome aboard, Dr. Markham.” She stepped aside and allowed Burke to pass through the detector.
“We still need to get together for that beer, David,” she called as the men moved quickly toward the locker room.
“First round’s on me, Charlie!”
“They're all gonna be on you, ya tight bastard!” she shouted with a smile.
Once inside the locker room, David did a quick check to make sure they were alone, then asked, “How in the hell did you pull that off?”
Burke started to put his clothes on the hook he found inside a vacant locker David had pointed to. “I actually do love Australian Football,” he said. “You can thank cable TV for getting us through that little challenge.”
“Jesus, Burke. I thought I going to soil ‘em for a minute there.”
Burke stripped to his underwear, then put on a white terry robe from a pile by the lockers. He pulled off his shorts and stepped into the UV radiation room. Once inside, he closed the door behind him. A pair of protective goggles hung from a hook, and he put them on before removing the robe and tossing it into a bin. He then pushed the blue button on the wall and was immediately bombarded from all angles by an array of ultraviolet lights, which killed the microbes on his skin. After a short interval, a tone sounded and the lights shut off. He hung the goggles where he’d found them, then selected a clean suit that fit him and redressed. There were even a variety of boat-style slip-on shoes and he found a pair in his size, then slipped the shoe covers over them. Finally, he covered his hair with the white hood of the suit, kept close to his head with snug elastic, and finished the ensemble with a face mask to catch exhaled moisture and germs. He clipped his badge onto the clean suit and stepped through the door, which opened to an airlock just as David emerged from a second UV station, similarly dressed. He was shaking his head.
“A footy fan,” he mumbled.
THE NANOSCIENCE HUB actually housed several laboratories, but the one into which David led Burke was the showpiece of them all. Burke had been looking forward to seeing it, having done some research prior to the visit. It was the Quantum Lab, built snugly in the northwest corner of the Hub. With a price tag of over $83,000 per square meter, it is considered one of the most environmentally stable rooms in the world and the work done within its confines involved the control and manipulation of single electrons, atoms, and photons. It “floated” independently of the main building, thereby minimizing vibrations; even those of footsteps caused by people walking in the hallways needed to be suppressed to keep from interfering with the building-block-of-matter level work done there. Its magnetic shielding completely blocked external cell phone and Wi-Fi interference, and could respond to fluctuations within 1/1000th of a second. The airlock in which David and Burke now stood was the first element in an atmospheric control system which completely replaced the room’s air every 68 seconds, although no airflow was perceptible. Doors that reminded Burke of those on the USS Enterprise from Star Trek hissed as they opened to allow them to pass inside.
Once in the Quantum Lab, Burke’s eyes were drawn to the man who was obviously holding court, and around whom a group of nine other scientists and techs were gathered. He was garbed identically to Burke, as were all the others, but his ridiculously small eyeglasses peeked from between his head protection and mask, and Burke knew at once he was in the presence of Dr. Leonard Allcock. He and David approached the group, Burke hanging to the rear.
To hear Allcock’s rhetoric, one would never know his field of expertise was nanotechnology. Burke realized much of what he was hearing was the same claptrap the scientist had been spouting when he’d caught the brief news item on TV the day he’d first settled into his hotel.
“You must not view North Korea’s statements as indicative of an aggressive nature, but rather as an aggressive posturing of a defensive nature.”
Burke let out an almost involuntary scoff, which Allcock heard but could not attach to a face, thanks to the ubiquitous masks.
“One of you thinks I’m incorrect. That is indicative of small thinking.”
Burke couldn’t hold back. “I would think small thinking was just the sort you’d look for in a nanoscience lab.”
This time, Allcock was able to identify the speaker. He leaned forward. “Do I know you? It is highly irregular for someone I don’t know to be in my laboratory.”
David spoke up. “This is Dr. Markham from America, Dr. Allcock. We’ve worked together in the past, and he’s attached to the U.S. government now.”
“Hmm, the mighty American sledgehammer has reached my humble lab. What branch of the government, Dr. Markham?”
“I’m with the Pentagon,” Burke said. “There’s been so much talk of the advancements being made in Australia and especially here at the University of Sydney that I was asked to put together a research proposal to come and see firsthand just how much ground you’ve gained.”
“I’ve received no paperwork pertaining to a visiting research fellow, especially not one from the Pentagon.”
“Well, if there’s one thing governments everywhere have in common, it’s their inability to cut through their own bureaucracy, even when doing so would be beneficial. Red tape and whatnot.”
Allcock’s beady eyes peered at Burke for several uncomfortable seconds. “I can’t debate you on that point. But as for your initial statement, we do indeed think about small things, but no breakthroughs have ever been made through small thinking.”
“I agree completely. I suppose I was just looking for a clever way to introduce myself, since we’re going to be working together.”
“On that point, I can debate you. You’ll be doing no work directly with me. I am really loath to spare any of my team to hold your hand, but I suppose since you have history with David, he would be the most likely candidate. As soon as I conclude my morning briefing, he can show you some of our most exciting projects.”
“By all means!” Burke said, waving a hand to indicate Allcock should continue, which he immediately did.
“All of you know the QNM would do a great deal for the North Koreans should they obtain it. Not only would it instantly increase the range of their missiles, but likely spur their scientists to accelerate their own research. The increased range would be a jumping off point, presumably for a further upturn in that aspect, as well as the potential for more powerful warheads, made possible by the decrease in overall payload weight.”
“And just how likely are they to attain your technology?” Burke asked, interrupting once more.
Allcock turned to face Burke again, and although his face was covered, acrimony could be clearly felt. “Since there is only the prototype, and since obtaining it would have to be done over my dead body, as the saying goes, I would say the prospect of that happening is very, very unlikely. Not that they haven’t expressed interest. Agents of the North Korean leadership have contacted me on numerous occasions attempting to purchase the technology.”
“But you’ve said no.”
“I’ve said it was not ready. I’ve said I’ve received better offers. I’ve said a number of things, but I’ve never said, ‘come by and take delivery today,’ if that’s what you’re getting at.”
“I see. Thank you. Carry on.”
“No, I rather think the briefing is concluded for today.”
A couple of the masked scientists actually groaned in disappointment, but Allcock waved their protests off. “No more talk. Let’s get to work,
” he said, stalking off in as much of a huff as someone in a cleansuit could manage.
David and Burke moved off to an unoccupied corner of the workspace.
“You probably shouldn’t antagonize him too much, mate,” David said. “Our cover story aside, he does have the authority to terminate any visiting research, pending paperwork or no. It won’t do to get yourself bounced out before you find out anything.”
“I’ve already found out plenty. First, I know that there’s only the prototype of the…what did he call it?”
“The QNM. Quantum Navigational Module.”
“QNM, right. There’s only the one, so that reduces my headache considerably. If he’d popped off a handful of them, I’d have a lot more to worry about. I’ve also learned a bit about Allcock himself. I suspected it from the first time I heard him on TV, and I was hoping to confirm my suspicions at the debate, but five minutes with him today told me all I need to know. He doesn’t really give a shit about North Korea. He’s hitched his pony to them for the exposure that being purposefully controversial brings him. I don’t doubt that they’ve contacted him. I’d be very surprised if they and every other nuclear power on the planet haven’t found his phone number. But he has no intention of selling his module to them. He just wants people to think he might.”
David considered this, then said, “Well, unless that’s all you hoped to learn, it might be a good idea to back off just a bit. Let’s make ourselves look busy for an hour or so.”
“Why an hour?”
“Allcock prances around looking over shoulders till ten every morning, then retires to his private office until noon. Once he’s out of our hair, I can show you some real interesting stuff. But for now, maybe look into a microscope or something.” David indicated a microscope that was unlike any Burke had ever seen, not that he’d spent a lot of time looking through microscopes since high school biology. It stood a good three feet tall and had several knobs and dials. The stereoscopic eye pieces were oversized as well.
“Does this thing get HBO?” Burke joked as he lowered his eyes to the lenses.
David found enough work to keep them occupied until Allcock finished overseeing the work of his many serfs and made his way through a door at the extreme right side of the lab. He waited for a moment to make sure the scientist wasn’t going to come back out, then turned to Burke.
“Alright. Now stay close and act like a scientist. I’ll show you something very interesting.”
At that moment, Burke heard a buzzing sound. David reached into the pocket of his cleansuit and pulled out his cellphone.
“Damn. I’ve got to take this quick. Hang here. I’ll be right back.”
He hurried off in the same direction Allcock had gone, returning a few moments later.
“What’s up?” Burke asked.
“Women hassles,” David said, dismissing the issue. “Now let’s get to the juicy tech I want you to see.”
They reached a long workbench that was being used by one other tech, but who was positioned well away from them. David reached for a small box on the shelf, but before his gloved hand could reach it, there was a scream from the other side of the lab.
Burke turned to see a woman standing just inside the lab, her white cleansuit showing a large red stain.
“Dr. Allcock is dead!” she shouted. “And his safe’s been opened. I think the QNM is gone!”
10
Almost before the words were out of the woman’s mouth, David was running toward the far wall, where a red button was encased in a glass cube. A metal bar hung on a chain and he used this to break the glass before pressing the button hard with the flat of his palm. Immediately, a siren blared and Burke heard the doors locking. The lights blinked, went out, and then came back dimly, as if a generator had kicked on.
David waved to Burke. “Come on, let’s get to Allcock’s office.”
“Didn’t I hear the doors locking themselves?”
“I put the lab on lockdown. This locks the doors leading to the outer ring of the lab, as well as the ones to the outside. We can still move deeper into the lab. We just can’t leave.”
“Then let’s go. Allcock may still be alive.”
Upon arriving at Allcock’s office, it became instantly clear no first aid would be necessary. The good doctor’s skull had taken on a rather irregular shape and his brains seemed to be leaking from the back of his head. Burke wished he’d tried harder to get a gun into the lab. Whoever had offed Allcock wasn’t fooling around and unless they’d exited before David initiated the lockdown, they were still in the lab.
A small crowd had gathered outside the office and Burke heard the usual gasps, breathy profanities, and the odd retch or two as the employees got their first glimpses of the murder scene. Burke had to imagine not all of them were sorry to see Allcock get his, but murdering someone via blunt trauma was never a pretty sight, and bashing in someone’s head is one of the messier ways to say goodbye. Blood was everywhere: the floor, the walls, the desk. In a macabre reflection of reality, a portrait of Allcock hung on the wall and now dripped with both blood and a clot of what appeared to be skull and brain.
David knelt by the body, blood immediately staining his white coveralls. “Jesus,” he breathed. “He’s really dead, isn’t he?”
Burke had the sudden urge to let his dark sense of humor take the foreground and say, “Damn it, David, I’m an undercover espionage agent, not a doctor!” but resisted. Instead, he went with the much more concise, though boring, “Sure looks that way.”
David stood, all business, and said briskly, “All right, everyone back to the main lab. Now. No exceptions. And go straight there. Don’t stop anywhere along the way.”
“Wait a minute,” said a male voice from the group. “Does this mean we’re all, like, suspects?”
“It’s only a precaution,” David said. “Now move.” The crowd began shifting in the general direction of the main laboratory. David gave Burke a glance. “You too, mate.”
“You’re suspecting me?”
“Everyone’s a suspect at this point, Burke. You know how this works.”
“Surely you can’t—”
“I left you alone while I took that phone call. Who knows what you did while I was away.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
“Burke, just go! I’m not messing around here.”
Burke said nothing but stood his ground. The two men stared at each other for a long moment, and then David sighed.
“Sorry, mate. I know you didn’t do it. It’s just—shit’s really hit the fan and on my watch. Maybe you can excuse my feeling as if the world is sitting on my shoulders.”
“Don’t worry about it. I get it.”
David nodded. “All right, then. I suppose we should join the others.”
A new voice spoke from the doorway. “What’s your hurry?”
Burke wheeled around and saw none other than the woman who’d been watching him and Tina on their walk, the woman who’d tailed him to the lecture, who’d likely bugged his clothing, and whose slight stature was exaggerated by the enormous Desert Eagle Mark VII she gripped in both hands.
David scowled. “I assume you’re responsible for this?”
Ji-Woo Park shrugged. “So what if I was? He had it coming.”
“I wasn’t a big fan either, but reconfiguring his skull was a little personal and excessive, don’t you think?” Burke asked.
“And fun. You left out fun.”
Burke was no stranger to donning the Reaper’s robe, but Park’s level of cold-bloodedness caused him to shiver.
“And the QNM?”
“Secured.”
“So why are you still here? Get caught in the lockdown?”
“The lockdown is a mere charade,” Park said. “Easily broken, if you know how. But I couldn’t resist the temptation to get rid of the famed Agent Burke.”
Burke wondered how she had known where to find him; he was certain he wasn’t playing host to any elec
tronic parasites today. For that matter, how the hell had she gotten a gun into the building?
“So I suppose this is where you kill us and disappear into the sunset with what might as well be a doomsday device?”
“You are almost correct, Agent Burke. You are going to die. I still have need of your friend.”
Burke feigned a pout. “Now I feel insulted. What am I, chopped liver?”
“You will be soon,” Park said.
“How ominous. What do you need with David?”
“I said it was easy to foil the lockdown if you knew how. And I’m gambling that your friend—David, is it?—knows how. I’ve been briefed on the technology, but it wouldn’t hurt to have an insider along in case my memory fails me, or in case the system has been updated since my briefing.” She waved her gun at David. “Shall we?”
David stabbed a forefinger at Park. “If you think for one minute that I’m going to help you—”
“Oh, you’ll help. If you don’t, I’ll kill everyone in the building. Think of all those loved ones left grieving because you wanted to be a hero.”
Burke could tell David was wavering. He gripped the man’s arm. “David—think this through. How many more lives will be lost if we let her out of here with the QNM!”
“That’s all supposition, Burke. This is real—and happening now. I can’t sign all those death warrants. Hell, I know most of those people personally!”
The Desert Eagle blasted once, sending a .44 slug deep into the wall behind the two men, both of whom jumped at the sudden shot.
“You’re out of time,” Park said, her voice level and ice cold. “Let’s go.”
With only a moment’s more hesitation, David moved forward.
Burke tried to hold the man’s arm, but he twisted free. “David!”
“Sorry, Burke. I have to do this.”
With the Desert Eagle pointed directly at his middle, Burke had no choice but to watch David walk from the office. He was practically shaking with rage and the raw desire to break Park into a hundred pieces.
Park waved the semi-automatic in the direction of the office closet. “Get inside.”
Assignment- Danger A SpyCo Collection 4-6 Page 7