Carrion Virus (Book 2): The Athena Protocol (14 page)

***

Roy held up both hands, indicating two vehicles approached, then crouched down into position tracking the movement with his rifle. Sinking down at the summit of the dune he disappeared from view. The dead and Daniel were moved into a makeshift shelter, hidden away and protected from the sun. The infected had been dragged a five-minute walk from the crash site and left. Brutus could not afford to leave any of the team as a guard. He needed everyone on point. The infected would likely never regain its footing. If it did, it would not be difficult to track.

Brutus concealed himself next to the ruined rotors. Lying flat on his stomach, he held the AK-47 ready. The other members of the team concealed themselves as best they could.

Three aging Land Rovers, their windows tinted dark and the number plates obscured by tape bounced over a dune and into the shallow at the crash site. They halted a short distance away. The doors opened and heavily armed men alighted. Brutus counted twelve in total, dressed in body armour and armed with AR-15s. The team leader directed them with hand signals. They spread into a well-practised line. Did a driver remain in each vehicle? Brutus doubted it.

They moved forward, slow and steady, moving weapons about searching for targets. Brutus knew Roy would be tracking the team leader. He would be the first to die. That would be the signal. He would be taken out and Brutus and his team would open up on the rest, emptying everything they had, avoiding damage to the Land Rovers in the process. The vehicles were their only method of leaving the Sinai alive. He almost pitied the newcomers. They probably knew as much about the mission as Brutus. Vague half-truths and golden promises. But they were obstacles Brutus needed to go through.

A high-powered sniper round blasted the team leader and sent him careering backwards. The whole crash site opened up on the new arrivals. Brutus fired controlled, single shots. The new operators returned fire, an undisciplined, unfocused move. They still hadn’t located where the fire was coming from. Two went down to the left, and a third was taken by Roy. They scattered seeking the scant cover available to them. Bullets sprayed the helicopter carcass. Brutus ducked his head a moment, but kept firing.

One of the operators leapt back into the closet vehicle. Before Brutus could direct fire on him, the entire windscreen shattered, the operator slain in the driver’s seat. Roy was in a perfect position. One operator leapt to his feet, and ran across the open ground, seeking to make it to the helicopter. His eyes went wide when he saw Brutus lying in its shadow. Brutus opened up on him, dropping the operator without a second thought. He changed to his last magazine.

Magnus stepped from behind his sand cover and lobbed a grenade at the cluster of the remaining enemy, then fired as he slid back to cover. The explosion felled three soldiers who lay too close to each other. Freddo took out another.

Gunfire continued, and it became obvious that nobody was shooting back. The crash site fell to silence. Brutus snuck forward on his belly, wriggling like a snake in the sand. Only two operators remained, both knelt, holding their AR-15s above their heads. Brutus stood and held his hand in the air, motioning for a cease fire. It made sense to question them before he killed them. And they had to die.

Freddo and Ash Gibbons joined Brutus. Freddo pulled his combat shotgun free. He kept the two surrendering enemies in his sights.

“Weapons down, five steps back. Hands on your heads.”

They did as Brutus commanded. Freddo stepped up, pushing the barrel of his shotgun into one of the faces.

“Move, and you’re dead,” he said matter-of-factly.

Brutus let his AK go, resting it on the sling. He picked up one of the AR-15s, checked the weapon and sights before moving up to the two prisoners.

“You were sent here to kill us, to destroy the evidence of our mission?”

Neither man spoke. They kept their eyes to the ground. Freddo laid a meaty fist into the closet man’s stomach, doubling him over.

“Answer his goddamned question, you bastards,” he roared.

“No survivors,” said the man doubled over. “We were told to leave no survivors and destroy the helicopter.”

“What’s your name?” asked Brutus.

“Fisayo,” he said, with the accented style of a Nigerian national. He straightened, his dark skin beading with sweat.

“Who sent you? Tell us and I promise you won’t be harmed.”

Fisayo looked about him.

Freddo stepped forward. “Who sent you?” He pushed the shotgun close to his face. “Speak.”

“Andor Toth.”

Freddo sent Brutus a sideway glance.

“What happens once you’ve mopped up here?” said Brutus.

“Say nothing,” said the other operator.

Brutus stepped up and smashed the butt of the AR-15 into the side of his head. He fell to the ground, unconscious. He rounded on Fisayo.

“I don’t want any more bloodshed. Don’t give my men or me an excuse. You were just following orders. We understand how it works. Andor Toth. You’re meeting with him after this? Once the mission is complete?”

He nodded.

“When and where?”

Fisayo licked his lips. “I’ll show you. I’ll show you where and then you let me go.”

Brutus weighed up his options. Would he be able to find Toth on his own? Unlikely. Fisayo was key to gaining access to Toth. Besides, he would suffice as a guide on the journey out of the desert and back to Cairo.

“When do you make contact with Toth?”

“Four days from now. In Cairo.”

Brutus let a smile split his face. “Fisayo, you just saved your life. Get up.”

“Freddo, keep an eye on him. He’s not to be harmed.”

“What about the other one?” He kicked at the unconscious operator.

“Leave him here.”

It was a death sentence.

Brutus waved to Niall and the others. “We’re driving out.”

He checked the three Land Rovers. Fuel tanks close to full. The boots contained more ammunition and supplies, and canisters of drinkable water. It would take the rest of the day to get out of the Sinai and then another to Cairo. One day in Cairo to find somewhere to lie low. The fourth day, Brutus would arrange a reckoning with Toth. The puppet had just cut his own strings.

***

Chapter Six

Panopticon

Jane walked the corridors of the facility, her heart pounding. This was a prison by another name
.
Her movements were restricted.

Nobody gave the scrubs-clad woman a second glance, and she understood why. Everyone had a job to do. For her, she was Holden’s assistant. The doctor slept off a raging hangover. If anyone asked, she would tell them he was under the weather.

Jane promised Holden they would form some kind of escape plan. Hyde held the key. He possessed a functioning satellite telephone. Jane needed to acquire it somehow and call for help.

Hyde’s office was before her, the electronic lock blinked a red light. A bulky, black orb hung above the doorway, silently observing, no doubt broadcasting to a security station. How many guards watched her now on a monitor screen?

She snapped her attention away and moved off toward Holden’s office. It was with some surprise that she found Holden sitting at his desk, head in hand. Two dissolvable tablets bubbled at the bottom of his glass of water.

“I didn’t expect to see you up today, Eugene. How are you feeling?”

Holden looked up, his eyes narrowed as if the light burned. “Delicate. Take a seat. I feel as though I should apologise for last night. I tend not to drink so heavily. I fear I may have said some things I shouldn’t have.”

“We were speaking honestly for the first time, I think.”

Holden nodded, squeezing his eyes closed. “We did.”

Jane checked behind her. The work space was near empty. Even here, Christmas Day was observed. Someone would be tasked to check on the infected, feed them and keep them hydrated. The guards would still be on rotation, keeping everyone where they should be.

“What I don’t understand is why the others working here accept that they can’t leave, especially at this time of year.”

“You have to understand, Jane, the medical staff and researchers believe themselves to be in a pivotal position to help combat the outbreak. Their egos are being stroked, and their pockets are being filled. Who knows what else they’ve been offered.” Holden chugged back his drink.

“We’re still getting out of here, Eugene.”

“I don’t see how we can.”

Jane leaned closer. They were alone but she did not want to risk being overheard. “Hyde has a satellite telephone. If one of us manages to get a hand on it then we can make a call outside, and get some help.”

“And who would we call?”

“Williamson?”

“I don’t know how far his knowledge of this place goes. I get the feeling he is a good man, but it was under his advice that I came here. Yet, we can’t call the police, so Williamson may be our only hope. He did leave me his personal number. But if it’s the wrong decision we could be putting ourselves in danger.”

“What choice do we have?”

Holden shrugged. “None. We can either act or remain.”

“I’ll get Hyde’s phone. You’ll need to distract him. We need his keycard to get into his office. There is a lot of security cameras in this facility. I’ll need to find out if someone watches them all the time or if they’re just recorded. It’ll take a couple of days to check up on all these things.”

“How will you get Hyde’s card?”

Jane bit her lip. “I don’t know. I don’t have all the answers, or any for that matter. I just know we have to act. We can’t let what’s going on to continue.”

Jane was not sure Holden agreed with her due to his moral compulsions or whether he was simply tired of wrestling with the herculean task of the virus and the infected. Whatever his motivations, their aims were the same.

The hydraulics of the door hissed. Both Jane and Holden turned. One of the research assistants entered. He waved a friendly greeting and wished them both a Merry Christmas. Holden smiled thinly while Jane returned the season’s wishes with a more convincing smile. When he was far from ear shot, they returned to their conversation.

“You’re too important to not be noticed if you weren’t to go about your duties. I can move about far more freely. Over the next few days, I’ll find out what I can.”

Holden reached out and touched her arm. “Jane, what we’re embarking on is dangerous. I want you to realise the gravity of the situation. It might be safer to remain here and let events run their course.”

“Eugene, that’s not an option.”

“If we fail, the consequences could be dire. I only want you to go into action with your eyes open.”

“My eyes are open,” said Jane, resolutely. “This can’t continue.”

Holden rolled his glass in his hands. “I feel I should do more, most of this relies on you.”

“I can move about more freely than you. Just be ready. If we have to leave suddenly, we won’t have time to prepare.”

Holden leaned back, a small groan escaping his lips. “When I think back to all that has transpired over the last few months, I see nothing but an entire world turned upside down.” He shook his head. “I should have continued with my plans for retirement, I would have been sitting by my fire right now, reading
A Tale of Two Cities
. Instead, here I am, a fugitive, my academic and personal life in tatters, a refugee, hiding from the world, inflicting grievous wounds on ill people all in the name of progress. You and I are embroiled in an event that has changed the course of human history. If we’re not careful, we’ll be swallowed up and forgotten.”

Holden looked nothing like the exceptionally gifted academic professor that he was, and more a tired and frightened old man. Jane wanted to reach out and offer some succour as was her nature, but no, she remained silent. Perhaps the situation was too far beyond words. Nothing was said for an inordinate amount of time.

Jane breathed in deeply. “You’re thinking too much, Eugene. Try relax a little. We’ll work this out together. A few days and we could be ready to act.”

***

Jane moved between her duties as fluidly as she could, stopping to chat to a researcher here, making conversation with guards there, loitering in the corridor, eyes seemingly scanning the many bulletin boards. Over the past two days Jane counted twenty-five guards on duty at any given time. A quick peep into the control room at changeover discovered only one of the guards positioned at the monitors.

Holden went about his work as if on autopilot, with several researchers enquiring as to his welfare. The excuse of exhaustion was believable.

“Let’s get some fresh air, Eugene. You look as though you need a break.”

Holden grabbed his mug of coffee and followed without comment. They had agreed it was too dangerous to speak of their plans within the complex. Gaining access to outside the facility was not something that was encouraged, but even the guards knew they could not keep one-hundred or more people cooped up forever in the subterranean vault.

They walked in silence, their footfalls providing a lonely accompaniment. They reached the stairs and climbed, Holden grasping the rail, his breath laboured.

“Eugene?”

“I’m okay. Just a little unfit.”

At the summit, a guard stood, weapon strapped to his chest. It had initially shocked Jane seeing so many armed men, but time acclimatised her thoughts. Weapons were her reality for now. Jane recognised the guard, having spoken to him a few times over the last couple of days. His name was lost in a jumble of faces.

The guard held up a hand, his ID badge being uncovered in the movement. “What can I do for you both?”

“Afternoon, Jon,” Jane said, ripping her eyes from the guard’s ID badge as quickly as she could. “Doctor Holden and I are just stepping out for a breath of fresh air.”

Jon checked his watch. “You shouldn’t be going out at this time.”

“Jon, look at Doctor Holden. He looks dreadful. The ventilation system here is stifling. We’ll only be ten minutes. It’s too cold to be out longer.”

Jon ran a hand through his red hair. “I guess, since it’s you, Jane. Ten minutes. You know not to stray too far. It’s dangerous out there, and the weather is getting worse, too.”

“You’re a star,” said Jane, flashing one of her smiles.

He waved away the compliment and swiped his keycard to open the lock. The door swung inward.

“Ten minutes, Jane. No more.”

She nodded. “We won’t go far.”

They stepped out into the winter world. The wind howled and snow blustered in every direction. The frigid air hurt as Jane took a breath. She wished she had dressed more appropriately. Holden pulled his coat tight about him. The snow that accumulated on the ground came almost to knee height. Narrow trenches had been shovelled through the drift, allowing easier access to the outer buildings and accommodation sites.

They walked a little from the doorway, out of earshot of the guard, not that he would have been able to hear them over the clamour of the storm. The narrow passages forced Jane to walk ahead of Holden. They made it to one of the outbuildings, a storage garage.

“I’ve got an idea,” said Jane, checking they were alone.

“Go on.”

“I can’t get Hyde’s phone unless I find a way into his office. Even if I make it in there, security will know I’m there.”

“That’s not necessarily an obstacle to everything,” said Holden, his teeth beginning to chatter. “You said the guards rotate. Well, I wonder if they would know who has access to which rooms. Should we be able to acquire his keycard then you could simply walk in and get the phone, and walk out.”

“And when Hyde discovers that his phone is missing, then what? They’ll review the tapes and see me. Help won’t reach us in time.”

Holden flicked snowflakes from his glasses. “You have a point. Unless … well … unless Hyde isn’t available to make anyone aware that his phone is missing. You said we needed a distraction. What if I allow one of the infected to slip from some of its restraints? Not release it, but allow it some movement, enough to get their attention. In the confusion and panic we would find a window of opportunity to act, and Hyde would not be missed.”

“I don’t know, Eugene. That sounds too—”

“If you have a better suggestion, I’m willing to listen,” said Holden curtly. “I understand your hesitation. I feel the same, but I see no other way.”

The cold was becoming too much. Jane could only guess at the temperature, well below minus-ten. “If that’s the only way?”

“It is.”

“We should head back inside.”

Jane could just make out Jon at the doorway. Was he waving them back? Possibly. They returned to their prison, the door closing with a bang of finality. They both shook the snow from their clothes. Holden removed his glasses and cleaned them off.

“Thank you for letting us out, Jon.” Jane smiled her best smile again. She might need Jon’s favour again.

“Are you feeling better, Doctor?”             

“Oh, yes. Thank you. A brisk walk in the winter air does wonders.”

***

Holden checked his watch. Jane was scheduled to attempt her part of the plan in fifteen minutes, and once successful, she would appear in his office. He would then put his part into action.

The chaos which would ensue would give them the opportunity to make a call and form some kind of escape. He pushed his foot against the bundle under his desk, a heavy winter coat and some snow-proof boots. He had the same ready for Jane.

He moved to one of the examination tables. The infected strapped and secured to it watched him, muscles bulging as it struggled against the restraints. Holden checked the chart.
Infected seventy-six.
They were experimenting on how cold affected the subject. It had been submerged in icy water for five hours, and its reaction times and resilience were measured and recorded. The virus was remarkable in a fashion. It provided a great deal of resilience against physical wounds and went some way to regenerating them, too. The Carrion Virus granted the infected abnormal strength. It certainly warranted more study under a controlled environment. That was the issue. With the infected, was there such a thing as control?

He checked his watch again. It was nearing time. Infected seventy-six would be his distraction, the one that he would allow a measure of freedom.

***

Jane kept a hand in her pocket, holding the thin syringe Holden provided. A plastic guard covered the needle. He had explained it would render Hyde unconscious within thirty seconds and would keep him that way for forty-eight hours.

She passed Hyde’s office several times, without a real idea as to how to gain access. Knocking on the door would probably result in her being ignored or fobbed off. She had to wait for him to come out. Perhaps then she would have the opportunity to get him on his own.

Time dragged. Eugene would be waiting impatiently, ready to implement his part of the plan. She had to get to Hyde!

The door opened. Hyde stepped out and walked down the corridor, his nose buried in a report. Jane followed at a discreet distance, taking uncomfortably short steps to maintain the space. Hyde rounded the corner and moved out of sight. Jane rounded the same corner. The door to the male bathrooms swung shut.