Ripper (39 page)

The large man placed his silenced weapon into a shoulder holster and walked past the spilled blood
of the sergeant but came to a stop when he saw that another one of his team was down in the back-office portion of the pawn shop. He angrily grabbed Sarah by the arm and shook her. “Before I leave here I’m going to find out just exactly who you people are. To have a security element that is capable of killing my men with such abandon, well, let’s just say that I’m impressed.”

As McIntire looked
down, she saw the darts protruding from the men lying on the floor. The anesthetic projectiles had been exploded outward from a false-fronted computer and the facing of the large desk it sat upon. She could still see the smoke rising from the wood and plastic as the security man, who was now lying dead on the floor next to the desk, had triggered the booby trap that had sent three hundred darts
into the Black Team’s faces and necks. As they stepped over them, she could see the men were out cold and would be for hours.

“I am duly impressed. Booby traps and such a fast response to our assault could only mean your man Collins trained his men well.” Smith angrily hit Sarah on the side of her head as he saw the red flashing light illuminating the room. Sarah went to one knee from the harshness
of the blow to her head. She shook her head but refused to wipe the blood away from her slashed cheek.

The entire assault team was shocked when the synthesized voice of Europa sounded through a small speaker overhead. The suddenness of the announcement made the armed team jump and aim their weapons in every direction.

A Code One contamination alert on level seventeen has been detected. All departmental
personnel are required to gather in secure locations for possible complex-wide evacuation.

Sarah was stunned and angry that the warning wasn’t about the security breach at gate number two but about another emergency somewhere deep inside the complex.

“It seems your people have a larger problem than just a break-in at the pawn shop.” Smith again reached down and pulled Sarah to her feet. “I think
this could be rather fortuitous. You men bring the sergeant along.” He glared at Sarah. “If you don’t get inside, the sergeant here will take many more bullets to areas that merely cause pain. Then I’ll personally place one into his head. Understand?” Sarah was pushed toward the wall. “I didn’t want all of this damage, especially to American personnel, so that should tell you the seriousness
of the matter at hand. Now my dear, shall we go see what all of the commotion is about?”

Sarah lowered her head but placed her palm on the disguised plate in the wall so the security system of Europa could read her palm print. As it did, a small false-fronted wall slid up and into its frame. Beyond the false wall Smith was amazed and pleased to see a set of shiny stainless-steel elevator doors.

“Now
this
is impressive.”

EVENT GROUP COMPLEX,
NELLIS AFB, NEVADA

Everett and ten members of the Group’s security team were the first to arrive on level seventeen. They were greeted by the flashing red emergency lights lining the upper portion of the curving hallway. The Europa computer station was flashing green and the audible warnings she produced alerted everyone on that level to evacuate.
Carl waved men left and right to viral contamination suits that were kept every fifteen feet along the wall. Carl moved quickly to the Europa station and placed his thumbprint against the glass. Europa quickly identified it.

“Europa, shut down the alarm warnings on seventeen; we can’t think down here.”

“Yes, Captain Everett.”

As he looked around, the alarms ceased, but the red flashing lights
continued as a visual warning. Several Event Group staff hurried down the hallway and Carl held out an arm to slow them down.

“Take it easy, nobody’s dropping dead yet. Europa is routing all of the elevators to the center hallway and the far end away from lab 700-2.”

The man and the woman, two people Everett recognized from the Biology Department, nodded their heads, gaining confidence when
they saw the ex-SEAL giving orders. “How many Group people on this level?” Everett asked.

“I’m not sure. I think I saw Dr. Pollock earlier inside the lab where the viral alarm sounded,” the thin male technician said trying to catch his breath.

“I know Lieutenant Mendenhall was here also; that’s every one of our people,” the woman added.

“Good, now take the elevator to the gymnasium; everyone
will go there for the evacuation.”

Carl watched the man and woman turn and start walking at a fast gait toward the elevator he just used. He shook his head and turned as one of his men handed him the plastic package with the viral suit inside. As he tore it open he heard a voice from about fifteen feet away. He looked up and saw Colonel Bannister and Virginia Pollock walking toward him.

“You
don’t need that captain,” the colonel said as he stopped in front of the stern-looking Everett. “The spill is contained inside of the clean room. We have lost about three CCs of the material.”

“How in the hell did this happen, Doc?” Carl asked Virginia, not trusting the opinion of a man that has had his status as a Group member deactivated.

“The atomic spectroscopy unit didn’t burn the sample
at the specified temperature. Instead of burning the sample to vaporize it, it only evaporated into the air. The protocol was right; they just didn’t make the correct entry.” Virginia looked over at the colonel with a shake of her head. “It seems our guests were in too much of a hurry.”

“That’s not fair Doctor. We don’t know your equipment as well as you.”

Everett saw that Virginia was about
to respond when he shook his head.

“I don’t think the need is there to evacuate your facility. We have been through this before. As long as the room remains sealed, we can clean up any leftover particles using robotic means.”

Everett looked from the colonel to Virginia just as Will Mendenhall ran up to the trio. He was soon followed by the other Dr. Bannister. Carl made a quick decision and
then stepped up to the Europa terminal once more. He placed his thumb on the touch screen again.

“Europa, continue the alarm on all levels. Order the evacuation of the complex authorized by Everett, Carl C. Security 11789, code 1-1-A.”

Virginia looked from Everett to the colonel. “We don’t take chances with our people, Colonel. You should remember at least that. The captain knows what he’s doing.”

Everett lifted the phone next to the terminal and made the announcement himself. The protocol would have the four hundred and twelve personnel on base that night gather in the gymnasium and sports field for a head count, and then they would take the massive cargo elevator up to level one where they would exit through gate one inside the old dilapidated hangar to be met by fifteen air force buses
supplied by Nellis.

“I know this is just a precaution, but it’s totally unnecessary,” Bannister said even as Gloria took his elbow and shook her head.

“No, we don’t know the unknown element that was in that formula. If it’s a fogging agent, we don’t know what the lessened burn will do to it. We need these people out of here until we get that sample sealed and under control. We can utilize the
supercomputer and verify it’s under control,” Gloria said.

The colonel was not pleased with his daughter’s overestimation of the strength of Perdition’s Fire.

“You’re qualifying this formula as a possible viral agent, whereas we are not convinced.”

“Dad, we have this gentleman,” she turned and faced Mendenhall, “and the lieutenant’s testimony that says it’s more than likely a viral inhalant.
That means any sample not cleaned up could be missed and spread.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Everett said as he nodded to Mendenhall. “Will, take the doctors back to the lab and make sure protocol is followed. Have Europa and Virginia take them through it step by step with not so much as a period or comma overlooked.”

“Yes, sir,” Will said as he gestured for the two Bannisters to follow him
back to the lab.

Everett faced Virginia next. “Doc, get this thing under control as fast as you can. As long as I have people on the surface, this Group’s security status is compromised.”

“Carl, get Niles to the surface. He’s the priority. I’ll be here, that’s enough.”

Everett knew his duty as laid down by Jack’s new safety standards initiated not long after he took over the Security Department.
The number-one rule, and Compton hated it, was to get the director out of the complex.

“Good luck, Doc. If you think things are going to go south inside that lab, get to the sports complex,” he said smiling. “You remember where that is, Bronco Nagurski?”

“You bet,” she said returning the smile.

Everett watched her leave to follow the CDC people being herded by Mendenhall back to laboratory
number 700-2—the chemical and viral containment clean room.

Everett only hoped the expensive laboratory held up to its impressive name.

CIA HEADQUARTERS
LANGLEY, VIRGINIA

Director of Operations Samuel Peachtree angrily closed his door and turned on Hiram Vickers. He paced to his desk but didn’t sit down. He made sure to reach under his desk and switch off the office recording device.

“Do you
think that was low key?” he asked angrily, placing his hands squarely on his desk and leaning far enough forward that Vickers thought he would fall over.

Hiram took the anger in stride. “I did what was necessary.”

“Those two people were not only citizens of the United States, they were fellow agents. How could you allow this to get to that level of dysfunction? All you had to do was follow protocol
and inform her desk of the fucking test!” Peachtree angrily straightened and turned toward his office window, looking out into the woods surrounding the complex at Langley. “It’s such a natural function of your office that she probably would have ignored it.”

“Not her type. She’s one of those people who happen to take her job seriously, thus we couldn’t allow her to see we were tracking a possible
American military asset.”

Peachtree turned so suddenly that Vickers was impressed with the old man’s agility.

“That is exactly my point you idiot. She was good at her job, which was why trying to sneak this test by her desk was a moronic move! We could have explained it far better if a goddamn spotlight hadn’t been placed on it.”

“Regardless, the problem has been solved.”

“May I remind you
that our job with this new department is to gather corporate intelligence through the use of the Black Teams, not the killing of innocents? If you can’t do that without killing people you work with, we obviously chose the wrong man for the job,” he hissed as he glared at Vickers.

“If that’s the case we better stop our Black Team in Nevada because they just eliminated one hell of a lot of American
citizens for the same exact reason I did—self-preservation, Mr. Director of Operations. Sometimes the money collected comes with hidden costs,” Vickers countered.

The director of operations managed to ignore the comment about money, as that was the dirtiest part of their covert operations—the gathering of wealth. It wasn’t just for themselves for their hard work and patriotism, but because utilizing
the Black Teams was an expensive proposition. The older man calmed visibly as he tried to put his house back in order.

“Now, this Lynn Simpson just happened to be a favorite of Director Easterbrook.”

“You sent her to me in Georgetown. How was I to interpret that?”

“You idiot, I knew what you had planned; the point is you let it get that far!”

“Do you want to cancel with the British?”

Peachtree
exhaled and slowly sat down in his large chair. “Of course not. Things have progressed too far for us to end up with nothing. Who in the hell would have thought that the CDC had a lab in place in Nevada? Order Mr. Smith to get this business over with and get out of there, preferably without anyone else dying.”

Hiram Vickers stood while buttoning his jacket. “Have you a list of this Simpson woman’s
next of kin? We don’t want someone coming out of the woodwork asking too many questions. As it stands she was ambushed in Georgetown by unknown elements and the technician just disappeared—happens all the time.”

Peachtree looked down at a file on his desk and opened it.

“Well, the girl has parents living in Wyoming; they shouldn’t be a problem. Ms. Simpson has a mother in Texas, no other next
of kin.”

“See, if you don’t panic everything works itself out.” Vickers smiled and then turned and left the office.

The director of operations watched Vickers leave and then looked at Lynn Simpson’s picture in her file once more. He shook his head as he remembered the beautiful face of the young woman.

“At least she’ll only leave behind a grieving mother and no one else.” Peachtree closed the
file and slid it away from him.

“Pity.”

THE GOLD CITY PAWN SHOP
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

The man talking with the four Las Vegas police officers didn’t feel the eyes on him from across the street. Jack Collins ripped the bandage away from his forehead, not feeling the pain of the tape Alice and his mother Cally had applied earlier. He watched as another man came from the deepest reaches of the pawn
shop to join in the conversation with Las Vegas’ finest. Jack watched as another policeman examined the large hole in the wall on the left side of the shop with a flashlight and then walked back around the building to join his fellow officers. The two strangers were gesturing and laughing with the officers as if they had merely had a break-in at the Gold City Pawn Shop.

The employees signed a
report and Jack watched as the police returned to their cars, shut down their overhead lights, and then drove away, being watched until they were out of sight down the road. The two men turned and reentered the shop, placing the
closed
sign in the door. With one last look around they locked it and pulled down the shade. It was completely understandable after a break-in to shut the doors for repairs.
There was only one problem: Jack knew these men weren’t a part of his security team.