crawling out from his hiding place, still clinging to the fire-extinguisher like a safety blanket.
“Don’t give us a reason to,” Brennan told him, looking around the messy room. “What’s your name?”
“Lam.”
“Okay, Lam. How many people have you got here? And I’d put that down, by the way.”
Reluctantly, Lam did as he was told, although his eyes flicked to Curtis, who was massaging his bruised hand.
“Fifty-eight,” came the reply. “Well, there was, before...” He glanced at the screens, many of which showed dead and injured guards slumped on the floor.
“Fifty-eight?” Fenton echoed. “All this for fifty-eight people?”
“What do you do here?” Beck demanded.
Lam shrugged. “Research.”
Beck’s grip on her gun tightened. “What kind of research?”
“Medical research,” Lam babbled. “Experiments. I don’t know much about them. I’m only the technician.”
All this time, I had been checking the cameras. The wall was a mass of screens, all showing feeds from around the complex, except for the top row, which were all blank. One of them had a scrap of masking tape beneath it, half pulled off. I reached up and yanked it away. It read Katy . Curious.
“Well?” said Brennan, joining me at the console.
“Your people are in the grounds,” I reported, working the controls to cycle through the external cameras. “Although the buildings are still secure.”
“Not now we’re here,” said Fenton, smirking.
I turned to Lam and pointed at the blank screens. “What should those show?”
“Nothing. We don’t use them.” The reply had come too quickly.
“Is that right?” I showed him the scrap of masking tape. “Who’s Katy?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, man. I’m just here to push the buttons, not ask questions.”
Brennan was flicking through the internal cameras.
“Wait there,” I said, as she brought up images of what looked like hospital beds. “Are those... children?”
“What are these rooms?” Brennan barked, pointing at the screen.
“I told you,” Lam whined. “We... well, the medical team... do research. I really don’t understand what. Diseases and stuff.”
That was worrying.
“What kind of diseases?” Beck asked. I was interested to know myself.
“I don’t know. Viruses. DNA.”
“And those kids?” I said.
He looked even more uncomfortable. “They’re the test subjects.”
Even Fenton was incredulous. “Test subjects? Like guinea pigs? Shit, what have you guys been doing here?”
Lam started to stammer a reply. “I-I—”
“You don’t know,” interrupted Brennan. “We get it, but you must know how to work all this. You’re the technician. You press buttons.”
“Y-yeah, I guess.”
“Then show me how to unlock the doors.”
“I can’t!”
Beck hefted the gun in her hands.
“Some technician.”
“No, you don’t understand. There’s something wrong with the computer. We can’t get access to anything except the cameras.”
How convenient.
“So you’re useless?” Fenton sneered.
“Not yet,” I cut in, tapping on the picture of the hospital. “Where is this?”
“Neighbour Three, in the east wing. That’s where all the research takes place.”
“And this is Neighbourhood One, right?” Brennan asked.
Lam nodded. “Support and security.”
“And the rest of your people.”
“Mostly in N-2, in their quarters.”
Now Brennan returned her attention to me. “We can move from building to building through those tunnels?”
“That’s the idea.”
Brennan turned to Lam, looking at the lanyard around his neck. “Will that get us through the doors? I’d like to keep at least some of the locks intact.”
Lam fingered his ID card with shaking hands. “Yeah. There’s a box of them, in that cupboard,” he said, pointing at a metal cabinet across the room.
“Now you’re using your brains,” said Brennan, crossing over to the cupboard. She opened the doors, checking the shelves, Fenton
“Don’t give us a reason to,” Brennan told him, looking around the messy room. “What’s your name?”
“Lam.”
“Okay, Lam. How many people have you got here? And I’d put that down, by the way.”
Reluctantly, Lam did as he was told, although his eyes flicked to Curtis, who was massaging his bruised hand.
“Fifty-eight,” came the reply. “Well, there was, before...” He glanced at the screens, many of which showed dead and injured guards slumped on the floor.
“Fifty-eight?” Fenton echoed. “All this for fifty-eight people?”
“What do you do here?” Beck demanded.
Lam shrugged. “Research.”
Beck’s grip on her gun tightened. “What kind of research?”
“Medical research,” Lam babbled. “Experiments. I don’t know much about them. I’m only the technician.”
All this time, I had been checking the cameras. The wall was a mass of screens, all showing feeds from around the complex, except for the top row, which were all blank. One of them had a scrap of masking tape beneath it, half pulled off. I reached up and yanked it away. It read Katy . Curious.
“Well?” said Brennan, joining me at the console.
“Your people are in the grounds,” I reported, working the controls to cycle through the external cameras. “Although the buildings are still secure.”
“Not now we’re here,” said Fenton, smirking.
I turned to Lam and pointed at the blank screens. “What should those show?”
“Nothing. We don’t use them.” The reply had come too quickly.
“Is that right?” I showed him the scrap of masking tape. “Who’s Katy?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, man. I’m just here to push the buttons, not ask questions.”
Brennan was flicking through the internal cameras.
“Wait there,” I said, as she brought up images of what looked like hospital beds. “Are those... children?”
“What are these rooms?” Brennan barked, pointing at the screen.
“I told you,” Lam whined. “We... well, the medical team... do research. I really don’t understand what. Diseases and stuff.”
That was worrying.
“What kind of diseases?” Beck asked. I was interested to know myself.
“I don’t know. Viruses. DNA.”
“And those kids?” I said.
He looked even more uncomfortable. “They’re the test subjects.”
Even Fenton was incredulous. “Test subjects? Like guinea pigs? Shit, what have you guys been doing here?”
Lam started to stammer a reply. “I-I—”
“You don’t know,” interrupted Brennan. “We get it, but you must know how to work all this. You’re the technician. You press buttons.”
“Y-yeah, I guess.”
“Then show me how to unlock the doors.”
“I can’t!”
Beck hefted the gun in her hands.
“Some technician.”
“No, you don’t understand. There’s something wrong with the computer. We can’t get access to anything except the cameras.”
How convenient.
“So you’re useless?” Fenton sneered.
“Not yet,” I cut in, tapping on the picture of the hospital. “Where is this?”
“Neighbour Three, in the east wing. That’s where all the research takes place.”
“And this is Neighbourhood One, right?” Brennan asked.
Lam nodded. “Support and security.”
“And the rest of your people.”
“Mostly in N-2, in their quarters.”
Now Brennan returned her attention to me. “We can move from building to building through those tunnels?”
“That’s the idea.”
Brennan turned to Lam, looking at the lanyard around his neck. “Will that get us through the doors? I’d like to keep at least some of the locks intact.”
Lam fingered his ID card with shaking hands. “Yeah. There’s a box of them, in that cupboard,” he said, pointing at a metal cabinet across the room.
“Now you’re using your brains,” said Brennan, crossing over to the cupboard. She opened the doors, checking the shelves, Fenton
Similar Books
