factors they'd discovered so far. But the Synbats must have gotten away from that person, since there were no human tracks where they'd found the collars. But if no humans were present, how were the collars cut off?
Ward was still grappling with that problem when they turned into the lab parking lot. Two plain white vans with government plates had joined the other three vehicles there. The vans were unmarked and had tinted windows in the front, preventing him from looking in the vehicles. Ward told the soldier to stay with the helicopters and he entered the building.
Merrit was still at her position behind the counter. A tall man wearing unmarked khaki pants and shirt was with her. Ward didn't recognize the stranger. The man had dark hair flecked with gray, and a patrician face. His bearing and stance immediately suggested to Ward that this man was military. Merrit and the stranger turned from the portable computer and faced Ward as he strode in.
Merrit stood up and gestured. "Doctor Ward, this is Mister Lewis. He's -- "
The man interrupted in a voice accustomed to command. "That's _Colonel_ Lewis. I'm the DIA chief of CONUS security. I just flew in from Washington to Fort Campbell by military flight along with my team and our vans. My men are downstairs right now sweeping up."
Ward wondered what Lewis meant by "sweeping up." But he didn't have time to waste -- he needed to get back out into the woods.
Ward stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you. You'll excuse me if I don't have time to talk with you right now. I have to get our tranquilizer rifles and go back out."
Lewis didn't shake the offered hand. "Slow down, Doctor. I thought the creatures were terminated by remote detonation."
"We did do that, but we just found the collars out in the woods and no bodies. It looks like the collars were somehow cut off prior to detonation. The Synbats are still alive. The soldiers and your man Freeman are tracking them. Now, if..."
Ward paused. Four men carrying a body bag pushed open the doors to the corridor and walked by with their bundle.
Lewis watched as the two men went outside and threw the bag into the back of a van. One of the men got into the pickup truck and the two vehicles drove off. Lewis turned his attention back to Ward. "Doctor Merrit has filled me in on what she knows. Perhaps you'd better give me your version, and then tell me what's presently going on out there in the woods."
Ward shook his head. "I've got to get back out there. The -- "
Lewis held up a hand. "Doctor, let me explain something to you. This may have been your lab but I'm in charge here now. You've got a fuckup on your hands and my job is to clean up the mess. Freeman knows to kill those things if he spots them. In fact, he made a mistake by even allowing you to think we'd let you tranquilize them. Those things have already killed. If they attack some civilian, it will make the situation that much worse. Just their existence being discovered is unacceptable."
The colonel poked a finger in Ward's chest. "Listen closely. This is the way it's going to work from here on out. I've already explained it to Doctor Merrit. _I_ ask the questions. _You_ give the answers. I tell you what to do. You do it without question."
He stared hard at Ward. "If you have a problem with that, you can pick up the phone and call General Trollers. Let me warn you before you do that, though, that you're not a very popular person with the general right now. Congress is looking to kill the Black Budget programs, and your screwup here could hand them the scalpel they need."
"This wasn't my fault," Ward defended himself. "Those people -- whoever they were -- broke in and tried to steal the Synbats. The security -- "
"Those _people_," Lewis interrupted, "were three convicts from Eddyville State Prison who escaped last night. We have a positive ID on the remains. We're holding that information from the local authorities because they're our ace in the hole in
Ward was still grappling with that problem when they turned into the lab parking lot. Two plain white vans with government plates had joined the other three vehicles there. The vans were unmarked and had tinted windows in the front, preventing him from looking in the vehicles. Ward told the soldier to stay with the helicopters and he entered the building.
Merrit was still at her position behind the counter. A tall man wearing unmarked khaki pants and shirt was with her. Ward didn't recognize the stranger. The man had dark hair flecked with gray, and a patrician face. His bearing and stance immediately suggested to Ward that this man was military. Merrit and the stranger turned from the portable computer and faced Ward as he strode in.
Merrit stood up and gestured. "Doctor Ward, this is Mister Lewis. He's -- "
The man interrupted in a voice accustomed to command. "That's _Colonel_ Lewis. I'm the DIA chief of CONUS security. I just flew in from Washington to Fort Campbell by military flight along with my team and our vans. My men are downstairs right now sweeping up."
Ward wondered what Lewis meant by "sweeping up." But he didn't have time to waste -- he needed to get back out into the woods.
Ward stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you. You'll excuse me if I don't have time to talk with you right now. I have to get our tranquilizer rifles and go back out."
Lewis didn't shake the offered hand. "Slow down, Doctor. I thought the creatures were terminated by remote detonation."
"We did do that, but we just found the collars out in the woods and no bodies. It looks like the collars were somehow cut off prior to detonation. The Synbats are still alive. The soldiers and your man Freeman are tracking them. Now, if..."
Ward paused. Four men carrying a body bag pushed open the doors to the corridor and walked by with their bundle.
Lewis watched as the two men went outside and threw the bag into the back of a van. One of the men got into the pickup truck and the two vehicles drove off. Lewis turned his attention back to Ward. "Doctor Merrit has filled me in on what she knows. Perhaps you'd better give me your version, and then tell me what's presently going on out there in the woods."
Ward shook his head. "I've got to get back out there. The -- "
Lewis held up a hand. "Doctor, let me explain something to you. This may have been your lab but I'm in charge here now. You've got a fuckup on your hands and my job is to clean up the mess. Freeman knows to kill those things if he spots them. In fact, he made a mistake by even allowing you to think we'd let you tranquilize them. Those things have already killed. If they attack some civilian, it will make the situation that much worse. Just their existence being discovered is unacceptable."
The colonel poked a finger in Ward's chest. "Listen closely. This is the way it's going to work from here on out. I've already explained it to Doctor Merrit. _I_ ask the questions. _You_ give the answers. I tell you what to do. You do it without question."
He stared hard at Ward. "If you have a problem with that, you can pick up the phone and call General Trollers. Let me warn you before you do that, though, that you're not a very popular person with the general right now. Congress is looking to kill the Black Budget programs, and your screwup here could hand them the scalpel they need."
"This wasn't my fault," Ward defended himself. "Those people -- whoever they were -- broke in and tried to steal the Synbats. The security -- "
"Those _people_," Lewis interrupted, "were three convicts from Eddyville State Prison who escaped last night. We have a positive ID on the remains. We're holding that information from the local authorities because they're our ace in the hole in
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