Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 140965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
She shook her head and pointed to one of three hazardous waste cans. It was empty other than a single empty ampule.
“They used what they had in one vial while working with it, which meant they had a minuscule amount, but it doesn’t take much at all to wreak havoc. A drop in the air. If they’ve already perfected the virus, then they had to be looking for a way to be immune to it.” He looked around at the various hazard bags he could see into.
“Here’s the computer.” Shylah flipped the switch. “It’s powering up.”
He continued to look around the room at the equipment. There was a tiny freezer and refrigerator, Bunsen burner, a variety of graduated pipettes with disposable tips and conical tubes. He paced through the small space looking at everything, trying to re-create what the three virologists were doing out in the middle of a forest. Nitrile gloves, the computer, an electron microscope, glass slides, centrifuge and the all-important hood, which meant they were actively testing the virus. The suits and respirators were next to the wall where a small washing station had been set up.
“We’re up and running,” Shylah reported.
Draden immediately switched his attention to the computer. The notes were right there in plain sight. No passwords, nothing to protect their work. They’d left in such a hurry they hadn’t destroyed anything at all. Again, he didn’t have the answer for why they would do that, but he was going to figure it out. Just not this minute.
He hit up Trap Dawkins, the smartest man he knew, ringing him, uncaring of the distance. Trap answered almost immediately, his face swimming into view. He didn’t say a word but waited until he saw Draden’s face. There was no visible change of expression, but his breath hitched and his eyes lit up.
“Draden. Who did you sell your soul to in order to get online? You doing okay?”
“No signs yet, but I’m fuckin’ tired. I’m sending you all kinds of data in the hopes that you can find me a therapy to counter this thing. I think the three bastards working on it were also working on a vaccine. Their original job with Whitney was to create viruses to infect the girls Whitney needed to keep under his control. Each virus was a designer, threatening a particular woman. He then had an antiserum he could inject into them if the capsule broke open and infected them. They hadn’t perfected the last with this virus, nor had they come up with a vaccine. At least, that’s what it looks like to me.”
“What happened to your head?”
“Got shot and then I knocked myself out diving into a river. Bellisia and Zara’s friend, Shylah Cosmos, rescued me. Whitney sent her here to kill the three men. They worked for him and developed this shit. I’m sending you an audio file as well, explaining everything. I’ve got their notes here. I’ll work here when I can, but I have more faith in your ability to find a therapy in time, at least for Shylah. She gave me CPR and she’s infected as well. We can’t go after these men ourselves, and they have to be stopped.”
“I’m here in Indonesia. In Sumatra. The military set up a lab for me. Wyatt and Joe are with me. I’m bringing in Louisiana and Ezekiel.”
Others crowded around Trap. Draden found himself grinning, which he never would have done before. He leaned into Shylah. “He’ll hate that. He doesn’t like to be in close proximity of anyone other than Cayenne, his wife. Especially if they’re touching him.”
He put his arm around her and drew her into view of the camera. “The three virologists are Tyler and Cameron Williams from Mississippi and Agus Orucov from here in Sumatra. They worked for Whitney developing the viruses to kill the girls if they didn’t get back to their handlers fast enough. We think they will be targeting the GhostWalkers, so alert all teams and be very careful.”
“Will do,” Trap said. “Are you showing any signs of infection yet?”
The screen split, and Ezekiel was there with a few of the other GhostWalkers and Bellisia and Zara in the background.
“It’s early,” Draden hedged. “I’m going to take a sample of both of our blood. This place has a remote lab set up. It’s done too well. Obviously these three men, or at least the Williams brothers, have worked in the field before. Everything is contained, but they left in a hurry. I need to find out why.”
“I need to know what’s happening with your blood as soon as possible, Draden,” Trap said. “In the meantime, send me everything you’ve got. I’ll look over the notes, everything you’re sending me now and I’ll be working out of there to increase our times. Wyatt and I will divide it up and come at it from two different angles. We’ll share with every other military lab with good people so we up the chances of coming up with a therapy. We’re running against the clock.”