Lethal Misconduct (10 page)

“Jeez, Dad. You okay?”

Thompson moved so they were now forehead to forehead, the closeness something the elder Thompson needed. “We’re gonna be okay, son. We’re gonna be okay.”

Chapter 16

Charlottesville, Virginia

1:27pm, April 6
th

They’d spent almost two hours peppering Dr. Price with questions, trying to come to grips with what they’d heard. It was as if God had sent Jesus back to Earth and they were there to witness it. Gaucho made the sign of the cross more than once. Jonas kept mumbling to himself, something about the possibilities and the impact on the world. Daniel sat with a look of utter tranquility, as if to say “I told you so” to the world he’d come to view with a more enlightened sense of being.

Cal was the only one who still seemed rooted to reality. While he appreciated the revelation, he was still very concerned about why Price was doing it on his own. Where was his staff? Who had funded the research? Cal had allowed his team to ask their questions first, following the old Marine Corps system of allowing the most junior to chime in before their leaders. He’d gotten better at it since joining SSI, tempering his emotions once he realized the importance of allowing each team member the chance to ask questions or submit their own recommendations. Cal had found that the system worked, often allowing him to reconsider his initial thoughts and devise a better game plan as a result.

So after everyone had their chance to ask Price about the villagers, Colombia, the intricacies of his research, and his time on the road, his men looked to him. It was their leader’s turn.

“You still haven’t told us why you’re doing this, Doctor Price. Why you and why all by yourself?” asked Cal.

Price considered the question, obviously hesitant with a response.

“That’s a question with a very complicated answer.”

“We’ve got time,” said Cal, crossing his arms across his chest. Now they were getting somewhere, to the meat of it.

Again the hesitation from Price, but with averted eyes, he said, “Like I said, it’s a long story, but the long and the short of it is that I am a fugitive.”

“So you stole the cure?” asked Cal.

“Yes and no,” said Price, the struggle to explain evident in his tone.

“Who are you running from?”

Price explained his background, his time with the SEALs, the time spent overseas and his last assignment with the National Institutes of Health and his collaboration with the CDC.

“Not long after my team and I perfected the vaccine, things changed. One of my lead researchers was reassigned to Atlanta, another got an obscure grant she’d submitted ten years before while in grad school. Pretty soon it was just me. They kept telling me that replacements were on the way but none came. Honestly, I noticed it, but I didn’t. The implications of my research had consumed me to such a level that I rarely left the office, never made time for friends and almost never saw my family. I’d shut myself in, disconnected from the world I’d promised to help. My work consumed me until it was too late.”

“What happened?” asked Cal.

“One morning, after returning from a forced vacation with my family, I got back to the office and noticed that certain things were out of place. We had a housekeeping staff member who would occasionally put things out of place, but something felt different. Maybe it was the fact that I’d finally gotten a decent week’s rest. Whatever it was, I started looking around. Sure enough, I found that certain files had been tampered with. Early on I’d had the wherewithal to load a tracking program on my collection of work computers. I wanted to make sure no one was tampering with my files. It was pretty basic and probably why it wasn’t noticed. Rather than keep people out, it simply recorded changes made and unique logins. With the push of a button I could pull up a report. That morning I ran the report and found that my files had been accessed multiple times while I was away.”

“Did the files technically belong to you?” asked Cal, familiar with the way government agencies worked within the realm of “need to know.”

“Not technically, but other than my former staff and myself, no one had ever attempted to access those files. I was given autonomy and people rarely asked for anything as long as my team produced. This was blatant. This was someone trying to take my research.”

“Did you tell your boss?”

“Not right away. One of the few smart things I did was to make a copy of the most important data and formulations. I hid them away just in case someone tried to go around me. I’m lucky I did. When I got around to telling my boss, he gave me some line about routine software updates and security sweeps. Someone else might have believed him, but my antenna was way up by that point. After that day, I didn’t confide in him more than I was required to.”

“So you find out someone’s snooping on you, you’ve got no team and your boss is lying to you. What made you jump off the deep end?” asked Cal.

Price exhaled, his energy suddenly drained.

“One morning I showed up to work and a crew was packing up all my things. My boss was right there with them, so I asked him what was going on. He said that the program was being handed to a senior team in another department who’d be in charge of the implementation. I was being shipped off to London for some collaborative tour. To say that I was irate is an understatement. I wanted to deck him right there, but I held my tongue and my fist.”

“And?”

“I did the only thing I could think of. Apparently they hadn’t rescinded my security clearance yet. They also hadn’t relocated the live vaccines. It was just a matter of walking down to the lab and throwing a few in my backpack along with some of my personal belongings. They didn’t even search me when I left. I guess they didn’t think I was that big of a threat.”

There were chuckles from the others. Even Cal smiled. “I guess they learned their lesson.”

Priced nodded. “I never went back. I found out later that a bunch of black masked guys descended on my house hours later. Got that tidbit from a neighbor who decided to email me to see if I was okay. I shuffled my money around as quickly as I could. Anything I hadn’t moved was confiscated in a matter of hours.”

“Where did you go?” asked Cal.

“I found a crappy little motel, paid with cash, and hunkered down for a week. The fourth night there I happened to be surfing the web when the Google alert I’d set up with my name popped up in my email. It was a brief article based on a press report issued by the CDC. It said that I’d been killed in a mugging. Body found on the banks of the Potomac. Christ, the reporter had even contacted my family who’d just heard of the accident. He said they were planning the funeral service for later that week.”

By then there were tears in Price’s eyes. He looked like what he was, a man who’d lost everything. Cal could sympathize. He’d not only lost his parents, but then later his fiancé to a crazy gangster. More than the story of the cure, the fact that Price had been wronged in such an egregious way made Cal want to fight for the man.

“Last question and then we’ll grab some lunch,” said Cal.

Price looked up, wiping the tears from his eyes with his shirt sleeve. “Sure.”

“What was your old boss’s name?”

Price’s eyes hardened and he sat a little bit straighter.

“Cromwell. Colonel Gormon Cromwell.”

Chapter 17

National Institutes of Health Headquarters

Bethesda, Maryland

2:19pm, April 6
th

Col. Cromwell told his secretary to hold all calls and to reschedule his afternoon meetings. He needed time to think, time to reorganize. The latest report from his scientists was not promising. They were no closer to replicating Dr. Price’s work. To make matters worse, they were down to their last vial of the starter agent. He’d hoped to either have his overpaid brains come up with a copy of the vaccine, or have Price under his control to do it himself.

While there were still plenty of funds left at his disposal, the money men were getting anxious. They wanted results and they wanted them now. Cromwell wasn’t used to having people breathing down his neck. He’d lasted as long as he had because of his reputation and the fact that most people left him alone. Those who didn’t either found themselves without a job, reassigned to Alaska or worse.

But Hunter Price was the problem that just wouldn’t go away. They’d been so close to nabbing him on more than one occasion. He couldn’t fault his trusted Malik Vespers. The man was an enforcer, not a tracker. Cromwell was the one who fed Vespers the information and the silent sentinel then rode off to demolish whatever obstacle was in his way. More eunuch than bodyguard, the man was an immovable object, never having failed to serve his master.

Cromwell let his eyes roam, taking in the pictures of death and pestilence, destruction cast down by incurable disease, abject poverty and the sheer evil of man. His gaze lingered on one picture, remembering the time and place, once again smelling the putridity of rotting corpses. It made him smile. He had his answer.

+++

Charlottesville, Virginia

Daniel picked up the War Room telephone.

“Yes, sir. He’s right here.” He motioned to Cal. “It’s Brandon.”

Cal nodded and took the phone. “What’s up Mister President?”

“I know this is last minute, but I was wondering if you could run by the Charlottesville airport and say hello. We’ll be touching down in twenty minutes.”

“Perfect timing. It just so happens that I have an update for you,” said Cal.

“Wanna give me a hint?” asked the president.

“I think it’ll be better if I tell you in person. See you in twenty.”

Cal hung up the phone and turned to Dr. Price, who was just finishing his lunch, a nuclear sub from Little John’s Deli. He’d torn it apart like a starving orphan. “Hey, Doc. You ready to see the president?”

Twenty minutes later, Air Force One landed, effectively shutting down all traffic in and out of the Charlottesville Airport. The crew and their Secret Service counterparts knew the havoc caused by a presidential landing and were careful not to overstay their welcome. The good news was that they weren’t landing in a major hub like Atlanta or Los Angeles.

As soon as the stairs were wheeled to the huge aircraft’s door, Cal, Dr. Price, Daniel and MSgt Trent ran up the steps even as the portal opened.

The president was waiting inside his office wearing a relaxed golf outfit over his fit and recently tanned body. Cal had been through a lot with Brandon Zimmer, and he’d had his doubts about the democrat’s abilities, but over the past months he’d come to view the good-looking politician as someone who looked and acted like a president. 

Price stood to the side and the others greeted the president with a mix of handshakes and hugs. These men were friends of the president, not just acquaintances.

Zimmer smiled and extended his hand after escaping MSgt Trent’s bear hug. “Brandon Zimmer.”

“It’s a pleasure, Mr. President. Doctor Hunter Price, sir.”

“I’d love to know what you’re doing hanging out with these misfits, Dr. Price. Is Cal finally having his head checked out?”

Price’s eyebrow’s rose as Zimmer threw his friends a wink. He obviously didn’t know what to say.

“Don’t listen to him, Doc. The president’s just as big of a misfit as the rest of us,” said MSgt Trent, patting Price on the back.

Price nodded, but didn’t say anything.

Zimmer turned back to Cal. “Does Dr. Price have something to do with what you wanted to tell me?”

“He does.”

“Let’s take a seat and you can fill me in on what you’ve been up to.”

It took Cal two minutes to get Zimmer up to date on what they’d accomplished with their new dual headquarters and finding viable missions. Ten minutes later he’d detailed the search for Dr. Price and the naval officer’s incredible story.

Zimmer had heard all manner of story since entering politics, but the fact that a cure for cancer had supposedly been found seemed to top them all.

“And you’re sure this is a permanent fix, doctor?” asked Zimmer.

“Yes, sir. While the data is still young, every patient I’ve dosed has yet to relapse. No degradation. I’m sure the vaccine will work for the lifetime of the person.”

Zimmer shook his head. “This is…incredible.”

“There’s the problem of this Colonel Cromwell,” said Cal. “What do you want us to do about him?”

“Travis is staying in D.C. while I fly out to Seattle for a day. I’ll have him make some discreet inquiries. Until then, I think you should do what you can to secure the material you need to duplicate the vaccine.”

Travis Haden was Cal’s first cousin and former CEO of Stokes Security International. The former SEAL was almost as big of a smart ass as Cal and now served as Zimmer’s chief of staff, a reluctant choice he’d quickly grown to excel at. There weren’t many people Cal trusted more than Travis. The last thing he needed was Cromwell getting any whiff of them looking into his background. Travis would know how to handle it.