Retribution (SSU Trilogy Book 3) (The Surgical Strike Unit) (28 page)

Kaufmann cursed. “Fine. Let her come out of it naturally. But I want to be alerted the second she’s conscious.”

Gabby heard the door close as Kaufmann left, but the other man continued to move around the room. Gabby kept her breathing shallow, terrified that at any moment the man would discover she was awake and call Kaufmann back.

The scientist muttered under his breath. Gabby heard papers shift, then the click of a retractable pen. Great. Wasn’t he ever going to leave her alone? She didn’t know how much longer she could play possum. The need to move and stretch was becoming increasingly urgent.

She tried to relax. Tried to drift back into the hazy state between awake and asleep. But her body decided it was ready for action. As if trying to force her to move, the center of her right foot started to itch.

The sensation started out mild, so she had no problem ignoring it. But the need to scratch quickly grew. Gabby’s muscles tensed and it became a struggle to keep her breathing deep and even. If the scientist looked at her, he’d surely notice she wasn’t nearly as relaxed as she’d been a few minutes ago.

Finally, the scientist muttered a curse and slapped what sounded like a soft cover notebook against a hard surface. She heard his footsteps cross the room, then the door banged open and slammed shut.

Gabby was too wary to let out the breath she was holding. This could be a trap. If she handled this wrong and bolted awake, she might find herself facing a silent a guard.

Still, she couldn’t do nothing. So she mentally crossed her fingers and cracked her eyelids open.

She was lying on a narrow bed along the right wall of an exam room. Cabinets and counters ringed the other three sides, with a gap only for the door. A microscope sat at the edge of the counter directly to Gabby’s left. To the right of the microscope a spiral notebook lay at a haphazard angle, as if slammed down in anger. Test tubes sat empty in a drying rack. Other tubes filled with unknown substances sat in well organized holders.

Gabby desperately wanted to get up and look through the notebook while she had the chance. She hoped it would show information on what drugs they’d given her. And maybe she’d be able to find a drug to take to counteract the lethargy that still had a grip on her mind.

Yet she hesitated, remembering Kaufmann’s paranoia. Normally he didn’t place security cameras in the labs because he was afraid someone might leak the tape to people on the outside. This was hardly a normal situation, though. He’d made clear that he was impatient to talk with her. She had no doubt he wanted to question her about Rafe’s progress.

Oh, God. Rafe. Did Kaufmann have him prisoner as well? It would kill Rafe to be back under Kaufmann’s control. No. Kaufmann hadn’t mentioned his name, so she had to believe Rafe was free.

So what should she do? Continue to pretend to be unconscious on the assumption that the room was being monitored? Or take a chance and gather as much information as she could about what was going on?

She gave a mental sigh. Everything she knew about Kaufmann pointed to him having cameras in the room. And if she was caught trying to escape, it might cause Kaufmann to let his subjects go to work on her.

So, without lifting her head, she lifted her eyelids just enough to let her scope out the room. The door was the only exit. The air vents were too small for her body to squeeze through. The pen on the counter could be used as a weapon, if she could snatch it without being stopped.

Likewise the beakers and test tubes. She could break them and hope she ended up with a shard long enough and sharp enough to serve as a makeshift knife.

She wished she could count on the SSU to come to her rescue, but unless Rafe’s memory had miraculously given up the lab’s coordinates since this morning, or the security team had managed to track the men who brought her here, no one would be able to find her. Gabby needed to stall Kaufmann’s plans long enough to escape. Because once he got his hands on her, she had no illusions. She’d give him exactly what he wanted.

M
ark Tonelli called Ryker with the intention of turning over some new information, but the first words out of the man’s mouth were, “Do you know where Kaufmann moved his lab?”

“Not yet.” Jamieson kept the location secret and Mark hadn’t been able to discover the data on his own.

He lined up the pencils on the desk in front of him so all the erasers were side-by-side. “I have more important information, though.” Here it was, his big bargaining chip. But he needed Ryker’s promise first.

“Before I continue, I want your promise that if the SSU gets involved, they’ll leave one of the subjects alone. He’s the brother of a friend of mine and I don’t want him hurt, just contained.”

He had the sudden urge to roll his eyes. Just months ago he would have been horrified to think of being reduced to bargaining with the SSU. Willing to beg to make sure Faith’s brother wasn’t killed if the SSU used force to stop Kaufmann’s men. Before Moscow, Mark had worked with Jamieson to arrange for the SSU’s destruction.

Now he only trusted the SSU.

“I also want the doctor who defected from Kaufmann’s lab to talk to me and my friend,” Mark continued. “We need to understand what’s been done to her brother, what behavior to expect and what the doctor can do to help him.”

If Ryker thought it odd that Mark was making a request on behalf of a friend, he didn’t give any indication. “Done. Unless your man tries to kill one of ours, we won’t use lethal force. My men will defend themselves.”

Mark thought that situation was all too likely. While he understood Ryker’s point, Faith would have a hard time accepting the death of her brother under any circumstances. So he just wouldn’t tell her about Ryker’s condition, and hope that it all turned out all right in the end. “Agreed.”

“We have a problem, though,” Ryker added. “Dr. Montague was kidnapped by Kaufmann’s men.”

Mark cursed. “I’ll do what I can to find the location of the lab for you.”

He took a deep breath, knowing he was about to cross a line that would forever change his future. “I’ve learned that a team of Kaufmann’s subjects is scheduled to carry out an attack on an island in the South Pacific in a few days. By order of the President.”

“The anniversary demonstration,” Ryker said. “Damn, the rumors were right.”

Mark felt a great weight lift off his shoulders. He didn’t have to explain the situation or the consequences to Ryker. In truth, the man probably understood far better than Mark. Which made the next part of his mission even easier.

“I’ve been ordered to distract the SSU,” he said.

“Find me the lab and our assault team will appear suitably distracted. No one expects us to be large enough to stage two nearly simultaneous attacks,” Ryker said. “Can you give me any details that will help us locate the island?”

“My boss claimed that the island is where several of the terrorists grew up, but I’ve been unable to find any information linking the suspected terrorists to any of the regional islands.” As best he could, Mark described the scenery shown in satellite photo. “They’re going to put something in the water that will kill everyone.”

Ryker cursed. “Something they already have access to? Or is a new product from Kaufmann?”

Mark thought back. “I don’t know. My boss said they were very proud of the chemical and that the test runs had been perfect. I think…” He closed his eyes, picturing Jamieson in his mind. “I think he said that after years of trials they’d finally achieved the results they wanted.”

“I need everything you can get me on this chemical so we can create a counteragent,” Ryker said.

“I’ll do my best.” Despite the rapidly approaching anniversary date, Mark had to proceed very carefully or risk being caught.

SSU Laboratories

Georgia

R
yker stared at the e-mail from Gabby sitting in his inbox. The subject line read “In case of my death or disappearance.”

Mouth set in a grim line, he opened the e-mail. Thank God, Rafe wasn’t here with him. The last thing Rafe needed was proof that Gabby had not only anticipated an attack, but hadn’t expected to survive. And it said something about the persistent danger in her life that Gabby hadn’t trusted the SSU to keep her safe.

Five minutes later he pushed out of his office chair and stalked across the room to the window. His office hadn’t suffered anything more than a few cracks in the ceiling during the attack. Several holes had been blown in the exterior walls, and two of the administrative offices had collapsed ceilings, but overall the physical damage had been limited. The assault team had known exactly where to place their explosives for maximum impact. They’d moved in, split up and headed without hesitation toward two locations: The lower level where Rafe had been in one of the treatment rooms, and Gabby’s apartment on the second floor of the staff wing. Whoever had provided the information to Kaufmann not only had detailed knowledge of the inside of the buildings, but knew the schedules for both Gabby and Rafe.

SSU cleanup crews had already patched the walls, and Ryker had put enhanced security measures in place in case another incident occurred. He considered that unlikely. Kaufmann had Gabby and right now, she was more valuable to him than Rafe.

Luckily, Rafe hadn’t been captured. Despite Dr. Steuart’s assurances that Rafe’s mental condition was stable, Ryker didn’t think the man would survive being under Kaufmann’s control again.

Ryker glanced out the window, watching with approval as a pair of security guards walked the perimeter. He didn’t want to believe that another traitor existed within the SSU. He’d hoped that after discovering how Gonzales had worked with Tonelli to turn Susana Dias over to Dr. Ivanov, the SSU was finally clean. Another series of background checks was underway, but so far nothing suspicious had been discovered.

However, thanks to Gabby’s e-mail, he realized that the people behind Kaufmann’s lab were much more powerful than he’d expected. Throwing into question the results of this latest background search. With the right connections, a past could be created that even the SSU’s prime hackers wouldn’t find a hole in.

Rubbing his hand over his jaw, he paced back and forth in front of his desk. Knowing the ramifications of Gabby’s discovery had the potential to destroy lives.

Gabby had found traces of Agent Styx in Kaufmann’s subjects.

Christ. No wonder Rafe’s temper had reminded him of the soldiers he’d seen in Vietnam. According to Gabby, the data on the microchip included evidence that Nevsky had been part of the team that created Agent Styx. Something Ryker had never even suspected.

Gabby’s email included a transcription of notes from her father detailing his investigation into Agent Styx. He’d been close to uncovering Nevsky’s involvement. Had already determined that two other scientists had been involved in the original program but neither had survived the war. Based on that information, Ryker had to agree with Gabby’s assessment that the car accident that killed her parents had been staged to stop her father’s investigation.

His hand automatically reached out to give a calming spin to his antique globe before he remembered that he wasn’t in his D.C. office. He closed his fingers into a fist and stared out at the front lawn.

Gabby’s email had also included a coded list of people her father suspected had covered up the misuse of Agent Styx during the war. Gabby hadn’t been able to break the code, but Ryker recognized it. The key wasn’t something he could pull accurately from his memory today. Too many years had passed since the special ops units had used this unique code during the war.

But he had the key in a box of wartime paraphernalia he kept in a secure vault in his basement. Part sentimental mementos, part reminders of how wrong things had gone, for once he was glad he’d held onto the items. Because if he was right, then the man or men who funded Kaufmann might very well be on her father’s list.

He sighed. Under the current circumstances, bringing down the powers behind Kaufmann no longer held top priority. Based on Tonelli’s information, Ryker was certain that Kaufmann planned on arming his soldiers with Agent Styx for the upcoming anniversary attack.

He needed Gabby back. Her email explained that she’d worked with samples of the chemical over the years, trying to mitigate its side effects. With the anniversary of the death of the President’s son fast approaching, Gabby was the SSU’s only hope of creating a counteragent in time.

Unfortunately, the key to finding Gabby was locked in Rafe’s memories.

Chapter 23

The Next Day

SSU Laboratories

Georgia

A
s Rafe marched down the corridor toward the psychiatrist’s office, he felt the knowledge of the lab’s location lurking just out of reach behind that damned veil in his mind. Since the second injection, he’d remembered more of his days at the lab. The torture. The conditioning. The sounds of men going insane. The look and smell of the cell he’d been chained in.

But no matter how hard he concentrated, no matter how many times he ordered himself to break through and
remember
, the location of Kaufmann’s lab remained hidden. He tried every mental trick he knew. Hell, he’d even let the doctors hypnotize and regress him again.

Nothing.

Meanwhile, his fear for Gabby had grown claws and tore at his soul because instinct told him she was nearly out of time.

And yeah, he knew that made him a bastard. His primary concern should be to help locate the lab so the SSU could stop Kaufmann’s soldiers from killing scores of innocent civilians. The life of one woman shouldn’t matter.

To Rafe, though, Gabby’s life was everything.

“Tell me again why you think this will work,” Kai muttered beside him. “You really think Kaufmann let you keep the knowledge of the lab’s coordinates?”

“Yes,” Rafe snapped. “I told you. Last night I dreamed about Kaufmann sending us out on test missions with instructions to call him when our mission was complete. At that time he’d give us the command that would allow us to remember the coordinates and return to the compound.”