to protect you from the ugly things that are out there.”
“That sounded a little patronizing,” she said.
“Not my intent. We could all use a little protecting
every now and then. It’s why I need your help. But I’m not here now to ask you
questions. I just wanted to make sure you were okay and as comfortable as
possible under these circumstances.”
“I’m fine, really. I am a little tired, though.”
“I know it won’t be easy, but try to get some sleep,”
said Ryan as Michelle returned.
“Good news, Kristina. Emma was released from the E.R.
shortly after you left Richmond. She had a little bruising around her neck, but
she’s fine.”
“She’s going to be worried sick about me. Is there any
way –”
“I’m sorry, there isn’t,” interrupted Ryan. “The men
after you will be watching her every move and listening to every word she says.
If you contact her, you’ll unknowingly put her in harm’s way. She’ll be in more
danger if she knows where you are.”
“Is this where you tell me to trust you again?” asked
Kristina.
“I’m afraid so.”
“If anything else happens to her, I won’t be the only
person I can’t forgive. After I lost my mother, Emma is the closest thing to
family I have left.”
“Try to get some rest. We’ll be starting early.”
Michelle walked Ryan to the door. “Do you think she’ll
try to contact her?”
“I don’t think so, but you need to make sure she
doesn’t.”
“What did you do with her phone?” asked Michelle.
“We threw it away,” smiled Ryan as he left.
*****
“ Yes, I’m sure. According to the GPS in her phone,
you’re right on top of it.”
“Okay, but we don’t see her out in the open – wait.”
The men heard rustling in the dumpster a few feet away.
One held up his finger to his mouth as he pulled his weapon.
“Stand by. We may have found her hiding place,” he
whispered into his radio.
One man held his gun on the large container as the other
quickly flipped open the lid. Pointing his flashlight into the garbage, he
looked down to see their two missing associates bound and covered in blood. On
the severely swollen face of one, a cell phone was duct taped to his forehead.
“Fuck,” said the man holding the gun.
“ What’s your status, Blue Team? Do you have her?”
“Negative. But we did find her phone and Red Team.”
*****
“Colonel, we’ve got a problem,” said Alex Tifton,
walking in to the secure operations center at the Michaels Laboratory in Bar
Harbor, Maine. “Dr. Anderson slipped away, but she seems to have acquired some
help.”
“How do you know?” asked Colonel Marcus Brown.
“Two men from Red Team were just found beaten half to
death, bound, and thrown in a dumpster with her cell phone taped to one of
their foreheads. I don’t think she did that.”
“Jesus Christ,” said the Colonel, rubbing his temples.
“Those civilian security people are about fucking useless. We should’ve picked
her up the same day we rounded up the other scientists. What I should’ve done
was sent you. I knew this would bite us on the ass. If she talks and somebody
with half a brain puts two and two together, that’s the end of us.”
“Who could’ve taken her?” asked Alex.
“It’s not Ryan’s team. They never left New Orleans.
Besides, the deputy director would’ve told us. It’s obviously not us, so who
else would be looking for her?” asked the Colonel.
“You think Joshua or Derek took her, sir?”
“At this point, I’m hoping it was them. They want to
kill everyone who had any involvement in the Didache project. That includes you
and me. We have the other three scientists secured here, so they may have
simply chosen the easiest target as their first. No telling what’s going
through their sick minds.”
“Does this change our plan?”
“Not the end result, but we do need to speed things up,”
said the Colonel. “I want you to head to New Orleans tomorrow alone.
“That sounded a little patronizing,” she said.
“Not my intent. We could all use a little protecting
every now and then. It’s why I need your help. But I’m not here now to ask you
questions. I just wanted to make sure you were okay and as comfortable as
possible under these circumstances.”
“I’m fine, really. I am a little tired, though.”
“I know it won’t be easy, but try to get some sleep,”
said Ryan as Michelle returned.
“Good news, Kristina. Emma was released from the E.R.
shortly after you left Richmond. She had a little bruising around her neck, but
she’s fine.”
“She’s going to be worried sick about me. Is there any
way –”
“I’m sorry, there isn’t,” interrupted Ryan. “The men
after you will be watching her every move and listening to every word she says.
If you contact her, you’ll unknowingly put her in harm’s way. She’ll be in more
danger if she knows where you are.”
“Is this where you tell me to trust you again?” asked
Kristina.
“I’m afraid so.”
“If anything else happens to her, I won’t be the only
person I can’t forgive. After I lost my mother, Emma is the closest thing to
family I have left.”
“Try to get some rest. We’ll be starting early.”
Michelle walked Ryan to the door. “Do you think she’ll
try to contact her?”
“I don’t think so, but you need to make sure she
doesn’t.”
“What did you do with her phone?” asked Michelle.
“We threw it away,” smiled Ryan as he left.
*****
“ Yes, I’m sure. According to the GPS in her phone,
you’re right on top of it.”
“Okay, but we don’t see her out in the open – wait.”
The men heard rustling in the dumpster a few feet away.
One held up his finger to his mouth as he pulled his weapon.
“Stand by. We may have found her hiding place,” he
whispered into his radio.
One man held his gun on the large container as the other
quickly flipped open the lid. Pointing his flashlight into the garbage, he
looked down to see their two missing associates bound and covered in blood. On
the severely swollen face of one, a cell phone was duct taped to his forehead.
“Fuck,” said the man holding the gun.
“ What’s your status, Blue Team? Do you have her?”
“Negative. But we did find her phone and Red Team.”
*****
“Colonel, we’ve got a problem,” said Alex Tifton,
walking in to the secure operations center at the Michaels Laboratory in Bar
Harbor, Maine. “Dr. Anderson slipped away, but she seems to have acquired some
help.”
“How do you know?” asked Colonel Marcus Brown.
“Two men from Red Team were just found beaten half to
death, bound, and thrown in a dumpster with her cell phone taped to one of
their foreheads. I don’t think she did that.”
“Jesus Christ,” said the Colonel, rubbing his temples.
“Those civilian security people are about fucking useless. We should’ve picked
her up the same day we rounded up the other scientists. What I should’ve done
was sent you. I knew this would bite us on the ass. If she talks and somebody
with half a brain puts two and two together, that’s the end of us.”
“Who could’ve taken her?” asked Alex.
“It’s not Ryan’s team. They never left New Orleans.
Besides, the deputy director would’ve told us. It’s obviously not us, so who
else would be looking for her?” asked the Colonel.
“You think Joshua or Derek took her, sir?”
“At this point, I’m hoping it was them. They want to
kill everyone who had any involvement in the Didache project. That includes you
and me. We have the other three scientists secured here, so they may have
simply chosen the easiest target as their first. No telling what’s going
through their sick minds.”
“Does this change our plan?”
“Not the end result, but we do need to speed things up,”
said the Colonel. “I want you to head to New Orleans tomorrow alone.
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