Blood Hunter

by Debra Jess

  That's what she liked most about Thomas — he got right to the point. He would have to, if he wanted to take care of T-CASS operations and handle his own security company at the same time. Hannah relayed as succinctly as she could what she had, and, more importantly, hadn't found in Jimmy's file.

  "Do you suppose that Jimmy's name was accidentally entered into someone else's medical file?" Scott asked.

  Thomas leaned back in his chair, a doubtful look on his face. "I would venture to say it's possible, but not likely. My company handles hospital security, but we don't deal with electronic medical records. I could find out who does, though. If there are any reports of errors in their system, I'll let you know. What else?"

  Hannah jumped in with her own question. "Do you know if there are currently any Alts in Thunder City, either T-CASS or Neutral, that can create auditory hallucinations?"

  Thomas looked down at his own screen. "I remember a guy from many years ago — before Catherine formed T-CASS — but I think he retired and moved south. I'm checking the database now to see if there's anyone else I'm not familiar with."

  Scott threw Hannah a quick wink while she drummed her fingers on the coffee table and waited for Thomas to finish.

  "I was right. He left Thunder City four years ago. There's no one else listed with that ability. Do you think Jimmy's mother was right? Did you see the tie linking Jimmy to an Alt power while you were bloodsurfing?"

  "No. No, I didn't." Thomas knew a tie existed, he just didn't know what or where it was. "The thing is, I've been hearing things in the hospital that aren't there."

  "That aren't there? Like what?"

  Oh, boy, how to explain it? "At first it was rain falling, but McNamara said it was water from the toilets above us, then I heard dogs barking, which McNamara said were probably security dogs. It was right after the harbor attack, so it sounded reasonable that there would be security dogs sniffing about for bombs. I've also heard the wind, like during a storm, but I brushed it off as the air conditioning blowing through the vents.

  "This afternoon, though, I heard someone calling mommy. It took me a minute to figure it out, but it sounded exactly like a clip from a movie that airs on TV where a little boy calls out mommy, mommy, mommy at the end. I thought maybe Jimmy was in the hospital getting a check-up and he wanted his mommy and threw the hallucination, hoping she'd hear him. Except Doctor McNamara checked for me. Jimmy wasn't in the hospital or the clinic next door."

  Neither Thomas nor Scott said anything, but she could see the two of them look at her, then look at each other, then look back to her again.

  "I know it sounds crazy."

  Thomas clicked on his keyboard again. "Not crazy, but if we have an unidentified Alt out there we need to find him. Where were you when you heard these sounds?"

  "In Doctor McNamara's office. Not the one he has in the regular pathology department, the other one in the VIP level."

  Thomas looked up at her with a frown. "Do you mean the clinic next door?"

  "No, I mean the level under the regular pathology department. The one you need a special key to get to."

  Both Thomas and Scott looked confused. "Hannah, I provide security for the entire hospital and for the clinic. There is no level under pathology."

  "Yes, there is. I've been there, several times." A sick feeling sank her stomach. Doctor McNamara had said it was a secret, but she'd assumed Thomas would know. How could he not?

  "Do you have this key?" Scott asked.

  Since she'd already spilled the beans, she pulled out the key from her pocket.

  "How do you use it?"

  "I insert it into the side of the key pad in the main elevators. It only works when the elevators are empty."

  The absolute stillness of both Scott and Thomas as they stared at the white card in her hand made her think maybe the screen had frozen. "I'm not lying. It's there. McNamara performed an autopsy with me right there."

  She didn't tell them about bloodsurfing though the dead. This conversation was already complicated enough.

  "Hannah. I'll need to see that key." Thomas’s jaw hardened. His usual flirty self disappeared and was replaced by a rock-hard authority figure. "In fact, I want you to meet me at the hospital first thing tomorrow and show me exactly where this elevator is taking you."

  "But, Doctor McNamara — "

  " — will have to wait."

  "I don't want to be fired." Oh, Lord, did she sound whiney? "McNamara worked hard to circumvent the Oversight Committee to get me this job. He's protected me from the Committee. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but I assumed you would know since you're a big VIP in Thunder City."

  "Regardless, I want to see this mysterious level. I'll bring you to the hospital first thing in the morning. No excuses."

  She was so screwed, trapped between Carraro and McNamara.

  "In the meantime, I'll put out an alert and assign someone to investigate this mysterious Alt, but with everything that's happening, it's going to be a low priority for a while."

  She had expected as much. "I'll let you know if it happens again."

  "Please do," Thomas said with a finality that brooked no more arguments. He looked at Scott. "You said there were two items you needed me to check."

  "Uh, yeah. I'd like to know more about a Neutral who calls himself the Shield. I don't know what his real name is."

  Thomas's frown deepened as he started typing. "I must be losing my touch. I used to know all of the Alts in Thunder City. This is the second Alt I'm not familiar with today."

  "You've been more than a little busy," Scott said. "And more than a little tired."

  "Aren't we all?" Thomas typed a little more. "What ability does this 'Shield' have?"

  "Exactly what his moniker says. He can create a shield that can deflect pretty much anything, including bullets. It's a flexible shield he can wrap around himself and others. He can also extend it out to form a barrier."

  Again, Thomas threw his son a concerned look.

  Scott rolled his eyes. "I know, I know, it sounds like the ability my biological father had. I'm not that fragile, Thomas, you can say his name. I know who my real father is."

  A small smile cracked Thomas's hardened features, but the worried look remained. "I'm sorry, Scott, but there's no one in the database with the moniker 'The Shield' or just "Shield', nor is there anyone else with that ability."

  Scott shook his head, his disbelief clear. "That's not possible."

  "Why isn't it possible?" Thomas asked.

  Scott hesitated, and Hannah remembered how the Shield had ordered them not to tell T-CASS he was with them as they fled the harbor.

  "Scott — " She didn't say tell him, but her meaning was as clear as she could make it. Thomas was already stressed. Keeping more secrets from him was going to make matters worse if he ever found out.

  "Scott, if there's something going on and we need to have a private conversation, just say so. I'm sure Hannah would understand."

  Hannah held her breath, wondering if Scott would cut her out.

  "He's been in the Arena." Scott ducked his head, like a little boy forced to tell the truth.

  "Has the world gone mad?"

  Hannah jumped. She'd never seen Thomas get so angry.

  "You let an unregistered Alt into the most secure facility in Thunder City? What the hell were you thinking?"

  "I didn't let him in, he was just there." Scott looked at his father, eyes begging for understanding. "I figured he was like Spook, a T-CASS member, but working only when called in for special assignments, and freelancing on the side. We've sparred a couple of times, and he's been helping with training. Not officially, but this afternoon I was able to pull all the beanbags Highlight laid out in front of me without even thinking about it."

  Thomas rubbed his forehead. "There is no way anyone could bypass my system. We test it regularly. There's just no way — "

  No one said anything until Thomas pulled himself together. "I have to lock down headqua
rters — hell, I'll have to lock down the entire Arena. No one gets in or out until we figure out who this Alt is."

  "There's a basketball game tonight."

  Thomas ignored Scott. He picked up his phone and punched a number. He turned away from the screen, issuing orders. Scott looked at Hannah. His distress at causing his father more aggravation at a time when the entire city was in an uproar was obvious. Hannah suspected she didn't look much better.

  Thomas turned back to the screen. "Both of you, go to bed. Catherine's just been notified that Johnson has called for another hearing with the judge. We think he's going to press for an arrest warrant for both of you. We're heading to Harbor Regional first thing tomorrow. Then we're going to the Arena. I want these two mysteries cleared up before either one of you is arrested."

  Thomas's side of the screen blacked out. Hannah couldn't think of anything to say, so she blew a kiss to Scott, which he caught and returned before he logged out too.

  18

  Hannah stood between Thomas and Scott in front of the main hospital elevators after a quiet, tense ride from the Blackwoods’ estate. She'd just finished her scrambled eggs and bagel when Thomas had appeared, car keys in hand, to ask if she was ready. She had abandoned her orange juice so as not to exacerbate his annoyance.

  Now, Hannah held up her key card. "I don't know if this is going to work with both of you inside the elevator. McNamara said it would only work if the elevator was empty."

  "The elevator is hooked to a system which tracks the weight it carries. The maximum weight is 6,000 pounds." Thomas didn't look at her. His voice, rough from what she suspected was too little sleep, spoke into his phone. "Isolate elevator number three as soon as it's empty. Bring it the main floor."

  The phone chimed, and Thomas switched numbers. "Yes, dear."

  He must be talking to Catherine.

  "They're with me." He stopped and listened again. She could feel Scott slide up behind her, but he was careful not to touch her. "We're at the hospital. We're going to go exploring for this mysterious VIP level I told you about last night."

  Hannah winced. Of course Thomas would tell his wife. Thomas continued to listen to whatever Catherine was saying.

  "I'll let them know. Stall them for as long as you can. Joanna's on her way."

  Thomas hung up and looked at both her and Scott. "Johnson's at the courthouse again, asking the judge to issue a warrant for your arrest. Short of a miracle, we might not be able to stop him this time."

  Hannah's heart fled to her throat. "What can we do?"

  Thomas slipped his phone under his jacket. It was the first time she'd ever seen him dressed so casually, almost rumpled. Even his hair had lost the perfect style of careful grooming. She could only imagine the pressure he was under. "Rely on the court of public opinion. I'll arrange for a press release to be issued. In the meantime, Joanna will mount a defense on your behalf."

  "I can't be locked up." Hannah could already feel her urge to flee taking over her good sense.

  "You won't have a choice if the warrant is issued. I warned you about this. Joanna will be with you every step of the way."

  "Joanna's not exactly Ms. Tea and Sympathy," Scott said.

  "Would you prefer a public defender?" Thomas snapped, then stopped. "I've tried everything I can to keep this all above-board. I warned you not to run from the Committee in the first place. The gray areas I have to work with are shrinking rapidly. Short of a jail break, there isn't much else I can do to protect the two of you."

  The elevator arrived, the doors opening to disgorge a group of people who looked as if they, too, had been through the wringer. Maybe they were relatives of those hurt at the harbor? Hannah stepped back to let them pass by.

  Scott said nothing, but motioned Hannah to enter in front of them with Thomas following behind. The doors slid shut with finality.

  "I'm sorry, Thomas." Her voice shook as the urge to flee intensified, but again, she dug her nails into her palms. She was sorry. For Thomas, for Scott, for everyone who had been so kind to her since her escape. The elevator walls appeared to creep closer. Her heart raced beyond her control. "I didn't mean to make things so difficult."

  Thomas took a deep breath. "I know you didn’t. I know you don't look for trouble, but by God you have a talent for finding it. I used to think Scott specialized in driving me crazy with his antics."

  Hannah pulled out her key card, but her hand shook so badly that she had to run the card along the edge of the key pad three times before it disappeared.

  Thomas snatched it when it reappeared. "I'm going to have this analyzed. You said McNamara gave it to you?"

  Hannah nodded. She was beyond words at this point. Thomas had been nothing but kind and supportive ever since he’d evacuated her and Scott from Star Haven. It had to be the pressure of the harbor attack, plus the Committee investigation, that was making him so cross.

  The doors opened and they stepped out into the hallway. The quiet only emphasized the unreality of the situation.

  "What is this place?" Thomas looked around, as did Scott.

  "The autopsy rooms are this way." Hannah pointed toward the rooms leading to the emergency door. "There's also a room with a generator. McNamara's office is the other way."

  Scott placed his hand on her back, a comforting rub along her tense muscles. It might be the last time he would have the opportunity to touch her.

  "This place — it doesn't exist. It's not on the blueprints. I double checked them last night. How the hell did it get here?"

  Scott cleared his throat. "Someone must have erased it from the blueprints?"

  "Erased it from the blueprints and managed to install the elevator, surgical suites, equipment, electricity, plumbing, without anyone noticing?" Thomas pushed past them toward McNamara's office. The door wasn't locked and swung open.

  Hannah followed him, but didn't try to enter the office because Thomas appeared to take up the entire space with his growing anger.

  "This is where you heard the voice?" he asked. "And the dogs?"

  "Yes." Her tears blurred her eyes. "I'm sorry. I trusted McNamara. He made it all sound normal. Everything sounded reasonable, so I just went along with what he wanted me to do."

  Thomas slipped behind the desk, played with the mouse, then typed on the keyboard. He slipped out what she thought looked like an external drive and attached it. He started typing again. "What did he have you do Hannah? What haven't you told me yet?"

  Her voice hitched. "I bloodsurfed through the cadavers."

  "What?" Scott's outrage in her ear made her tears spill.

  "At first, he just wanted to see if I could get into a body without blood. It worked, but I couldn't move, so he set up a cadaver hooked up to a cardiopulmonary bypass. It worked. I bloodsurfed through a dead body."

  Thomas disengaged the external drive and shoved it into his breast pocket along with his phone.

  "Did he tell you why he wanted you to do this?"

  "He said it would be an experiment. To see what I was really capable of. He thinks — he treats me like I'm remarkable, that I can do things that I never even imagined."

  A shout behind her shut her up. All three of them saw McNamara and the Shield enter the corridor through the emergency exit. No alarm sounded.

  "Stay behind me," Thomas ordered.

  Scott pushed her behind him, but she still followed him as he went with Thomas to meet McNamara and the Shield at the elevators.

  McNamara got there first. "I'm disappointed in you, Hannah. I thought I told you to keep this area a secret."

  Hannah stepped around Scott, then around Thomas, though he tried to keep her behind him. It all grew so tiresome, everyone trying to keep her behind them, trying to keep her safe. She faced McNamara.

  "You told me it was the VIP floor. That it was a half-secret. Thomas Carraro is one of the biggest VIPs in Thunder City. He designed the security system for the entire hospital. How could he not know about this floor? How could I know h
e wouldn't know?" She looked back at Thomas, her old friend — anger — taking the place of her sorrow and fear. "Why does everyone blame me for making a perfectly reasonable assumption? Why are you blaming me when you've been manipulating me all this time?"

  McNamara stared at her for a moment. "Good point." He held out his hand to Hannah. "I apologize, Hannah. I should have explained things to you from the beginning, but if you'll come with me, I will show you what you need to know."

  "You'll show all of us," Thomas said. Scott stood side-by-side with his father.

  McNamara pulled Hannah closer to him. "I'm afraid not." He turned to the Shield. "Shoot them."

  "What?" Hannah tried to yank her hand away from McNamara, but he tightened his grip and dragged her closer until he clamped his arms around her body. She struggled but could only watch as the Shield raised two guns. "No! Stop! Leave them — "

  Bang. Bang. Bang. Thomas fell, Scott fell, blood pooling on the floor.

  McNamara's arms tightened even more. She had no breath left to scream. McNamara turned her away so she couldn't see what the Shield was doing to — oh, God, to the bodies.

  Damn her gloves. Why did she have to wear them? If she hadn't obeyed the Committee's rules she could bloodsurf through McNamara right now. Kill him. And the Shield. Then save Scott and Thomas.

  Instead, she could only kick as hard as she could, the whole way down the hall, as McNamara dragged to her to the emergency room door. She slammed her sneaker between his legs, almost forcing him to drop her.

  "Leave the bodies," McNamara shouted back to the Shield. "Help me get her through the door!"

  The Shield appeared in her peripheral vision. He opened the emergency room door before grabbing her legs. With her legs locked together, she couldn't kick, but she could arch her back, desperate to gain some leverage to throw them off. She needed to remove her gloves. Just two seconds to remove her gloves. They couldn't stop her from fighting. She would fight to her last breath, damn them, and damn her for thinking McNamara cared. Despite her thrashing, they shoved her through the door.

  "Get the syringe, top shelf to the left."