A.D.A.M. Read online

“I have two more boxes of supplies. I’ll return shortly with them.”

  Jessica sat on the couch as Rebecca sat in the oversized chair, both holding a full cup of coffee.

  Rebecca sipped hers. “Turn on the news.”

  “Okay.” Jessica grabbed the remote and powered on the television. “I’m glad you let me call Agent Morrison. He said he was going to check on her for us, and if he hears anything at all, he’ll call.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up.”

  “Welcome to What Matters. What matters to you, matters to us. I’m Patrick Algiers. Rebecca Newcombe is out ill today; and, yes, I’m a little under the weather too and will be flying solo. It looks like my co-anchor may have gotten that nasty virus going around.”

  “Like Hell, I did.”

  “Today’s top story confirms the deaths of four N.A.E.T. members by arsenic poisoning.” Rebecca powered off the television. “I don’t like the way any of this sounds.”

  “Well, it’s not over until the fat lady sings.”

  “Jess, what do you mean by that?”

  “Remember the message you gave me from Dr. B and the hiding place of the remaining samples?”

  “I thought you said the samples were destroyed when the janitor caught you.”

  “Well, not all of them.” Jessica nervously bit her lower lip.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I think you need to know something.”

  “Spit it out, Jess; what is it?”

  Jessica huffed and then drew a long deep breath. “Auh ommm. Auh ommm.”

  “Stop that. Just tell me what you know.”

  “Okay. You know, after the government took Dr. B’s samples and her research, it really pissed us off.”

  “That’s not newsworthy.”

  “Well, this will be.”

  “Spit it out, Jess.”

  “We went back to Mono Lake with Dr. Peterson the night he was murdered.”

  “What?”

  “Dr. B decided she wanted to obtain additional samples; so, the three of us went. We took the canoe, our diving equipment and went out in the middle of the lake. The weather was terrible.”

  “Jess cut to the chase. Simplify.”

  “I’m getting there.”

  “Not fast enough.”

  “Okay, Dr. B and I were putting on our scuba gear when I saw a boat on the horizon. Dr. Peterson decided to stay in the canoe as we dove down. We each had three vials marked sample A, B, and C.”

  “That’s illegal. The national guard blocked off Mono Lake.”

  “I know. That’s when shit hit the fan. This boat was coming up fast, so we had to make it quick. Dr. B and I dove down, and when we surfaced, the canoe and Dr. Peterson were gone. We saw the boat pulling the canoe.”

  “You’re just now telling me this.”

  “It gets better. Dr. B and I had three vials each. Somehow, on our way home, which is another story, I thought I lost one of the vials. She was pissed; really pissed.”

  “I would be too. You know how important those samples are for her research.”

  “Trust me, I do. Here’s the good news. I found the vial yesterday. I still have it.”

  “You mean to tell me you have a sample from Mono Lake?”

  Jessica proudly nodded in affirmation. “So, the moral of this story is not all is lost. We can still prove things.”

  “Where is it, Jessica?”

  “Auh ommm.”

  “Jessica!”

  General Anbar and Lieutenant Commander Anderson stood outside the glass conference room. The General cleared his throat. “Do you have any idea how much Ms. Newcombe knows?”

  “Not exactly, General. However, she may know more than we realize. She questioned me on several military bases and mentioned Fort Huachuca by name. I think she suspects the government has taken Dr. Bradford to an isolated area.”

  “How much information did you provide?”

  “Nothing General, but she is a reporter who gets the story. She has an uncanny way of finding out things. You must remember her mother was CIA and her dad a high-ranking military official. She knows a lot of powerful people, and her informants go deep.”

  “Have the agents been able to ascertain whether Ms. Parker has another sample?”

  “Negative General, but they have a constant watch on both Ms. Newcombe and Ms. Parker.”

  “They split up? One agent is following each woman?”

  “Negative General, for the moment Ms. Parker and Ms. Newcombe are holed up inside Dr. Bradford’s home.”

  “Damn it, Commander. Those two are up to no good. It’s highly likely Ms. Parker has another sample and is going to release that information to the news. You must prevent it at all costs.”

  “Just stay on top of things. We can’t afford another Roswell.”

  “I think the Agents should go and see what Ms. Parker and Ms. Newcombe have to say. First, Ms. Parker works with Dr. Bradford. If there are any additional samples out there, she’d know where. Secondly, Ms. Newcombe will not let things drop. It’s her job to report the news. Send the agents in.”

  “General, I’ve already made that order.”

  Giles placed the last box, larger than the two he delivered earlier in front of Dr. Bradford’s desk. “This should do it. All three boxes are now delivered.”

  “Thank you. Any update on those beignets?”

  “I’m trying to get the mix. I know I asked before, but some of these boxes are rather heavy. I’d be glad to help you unpack them.”

  “It really won’t be necessary but thank you anyway.”

  Giles nodded and moved toward the door. “If you change your mind or need me for anything else, just press the intercom. I’m never far.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Have a good day, Giles.”

  “You too, Dr. Bradford.” Giles left.

  Dr. Bradford struggled to lift one of the packages that Giles delivered, but it didn’t budge. “Damn, this one is heavy.” She tried to move a different box that proved cumbersome too.

  She strode to the door and pressed the intercom button. “This is Dr. Bradford. Please send Giles back. I need help with these boxes.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  How in the hell did I get into this situation?

  She moved close to the tank; her knees weakened as she felt an overwhelming tingle jet throughout her spine. Her hands trembled as she raised them waist high, and she took a deep breath.

  Three taps on the door caused her to move away from the tank. “Enter.”

  “Is there something you need Dr. Bradford?” Giles waited at the door.

  “Those boxes you brought in; I can’t lift them. You were right. I do need your help, after all.”

  He briskly strode to the boxes with a happy-to-help grin across his lips; his scar almost invisible.

  “Please place the larger one next to the microscope and help me unpack it?”

  “Sure, I’d be glad to.” He smiled with the utmost satisfaction as he lifted the larger box as if it weighed nothing and placed it where Dr. Bradford requested. “This ought to do it for you.”

  “You lifted that with ease. It must weigh at least one hundred and fifty pounds.”

  “Not sure, but it’s no problem. I like being useful.”

  “Are you sure we’ve never met?”

  “Not likely. I was a military brat, then turned military. Been overseas most of my life.”

  “You just seem so familiar to me.”

  “People say that to me all the time.” He reached into his pocket, retrieved a pocketknife, and sliced the tape securing the box. “Do you want me to lift whatever this is out for you?”

  “Please, thank you.”

  Giles lifted a forensic photo lab table topper and the legs from the box. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to get my tools and assemble it for you.”

  “Wait! Can you unpack the second box, first?”

  “Sure, where do you
want this one?”

  “Over there on the counter by the sink.”

  Giles moved the box, again with ease as if it contained nothing, cut it open, and then removed a portable Cyanoacrylate Chamber. “Interesting contraption. What is it for?”

  “I intend on processing experiments in it. When I add certain chemicals, the chemicals are contained in the CA chamber. The last thing I need is for arsenic to spread in this room and kill us all.”

  “Arsenic?”

  “My specimen thrives off arsenic. I need it to maintain a steady environment.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Please, just assemble everything, so I can get to work.”

  “What about the third box?”

  “Just cut it open for me. I can handle it from there.”

  “Okay.” He slit the tape on the third box. “I’ll be back in a jiffy to put the table together for you.” Giles left with a pep in his step.

  Dr. Bradford unpacked the contents of the third package. She removed several scientific experiment logbooks, several small beakers, three five-gallon biosphere tanks, and a dozen bottles of arsenic. At least the General followed through with my supply list.

  A sharp pain signaled in her brain, and she pressed her palm against her forehead. She heaved a quick breath as she grimaced, doubling over in pain. Her eyes closed as she breathed in and out as if in labor to stave off the pain. What was that?

  After the pain dissipated, she placed the three biospheres one at a time on the counter next to the CA chamber. She slid her hands into a pair of purple surgical gloves. Her knees weakened, which caused her to balance herself, as she placed her palms against the counter and leaned. This must be the side effects from the shot the agent gave me.

  Her eyes darted toward the water samples from the Gulf of Mexico, Lake Ponchartrain, and Grand Isle. One at a time she filled each biosphere and marked them as she attached white surgical tape and wrote the samples’ origin on them.

  A gurgling sound erupted from the covered tank. She glanced over her shoulder, bolted to it, and peeked beneath the white sheet. Her jaw dropped as she gasped. Quickly, she searched for the small key in her lab coat pocket. Just as she was about to pull the sheet off the tank, Giles returned with his tools.

  “Later, Giles. You can assemble this tonight after I’m finished. I must get started right away. You know General’s orders.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. Just tell me when you’re ready, and I’ll assemble the table for you.”

  “Thank you, Giles. If I need anything, you’ll be the first person I call.”

  Giles left. Just as he reached the door, he heard the gurgling noise. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face Dr. Bradford; his brow contorted in puzzlement. “Did you hear that strange noise?”

  “That was the CA Chamber; I’m warming it up.”

  He shook his head as he rubbed his chin. “Have a good day, Dr. Bradford.” Giles took his leave and closed the door.

  Dr. Bradford wiped the sweat from her brow. “That was close.”

  Not wanting another intrusion, she took an aggressive stance. She went to the intercom and pressed the button.

  “Yes, Dr. Bradford, how may I be of assistance?”

  “Please inform the General not to let anyone into this lab without my consent. I’m going to open the sample, and I don’t want to risk contamination. Is that understood?”

  “I’ll inform General Anbar of your request.”

  That’ll have to do. She strode to her desk, retrieved one of the experiment logbooks, a pencil, and then returned to the counter in front of the biospheres.

  Quick action for her couldn’t be fast enough as she rushed to the three biospheres and studied each one carefully. Okay, it’s time to examine if adding arsenic to the biosphere changed the microbes. She carefully prepared three slides for examination under the microscope. She peered at the first sample, recorded her findings in her research log, and repeated the procedure for the remaining two slides. She glanced at the tank. “Do I even dare open it? Will it kill you if I do? The microbes in the sample water remained undamaged exposed to our air. How about you?”

  She opened one bottle of arsenic and carefully added five drops of the poison into each biosphere and waited. A lump formed in her stomach as she set an egg timer for two hours.

  Now the tank. She strode to the tank, took a deep breath before removing the white sheet, and then placed it on the lab table. In astonishment, her eyes widened, and her heart raced. “This can’t be.”

  She gawked at the blob that overnight had changed to a light tan color and grown to a size close to eleven pounds. It floated submerged beneath the glowing neon yellow murky water for ten seconds.

  Agent Morrison and Agent Turner in the SUV kept a watchful eye for any suspicious activity or movement involving Jessica and Rebecca.

  Agent Turner glanced up from her computer. “How much longer do we have to wait until we go in? You know General Anbar’s orders.”

  “Let’s make them sweat a bit longer. We don’t want to appear too eager, especially since they requested us.”

  “Understood.” Agent Turner focused on her computer screen. “The plot thickens.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I just intercepted an email from Rebecca Newcombe for her co-anchor.”

  “This thickens the plot, how?”

  “Let me read it to you. Patrick, I’ve been able to intercept Jessica Parker, and she informed me that Dr. Bradford has an additional sample. Tell Henry to stay alert and be ready to send a camera crew.”

  “Now that does raise the stakes.”

  “You ready to go in now?”

  “No! Let them sweat it out. It’ll be to our advantage. They’re not going anywhere.”

  Ding! The egg timer sound sent Dr. Bradford rushing to the biospheres. She quickly slid her hands into a pair of purple surgical gloves and placed the goggles over her eyes. After she leaned eye level to each biosphere, she studied their contents. “No visible change to the color.”

  She prepared three Petri dishes and three slides, each with a different sample from the biospheres and carefully placed them next to the microscope. “Okay, let’s see what I discover after adding arsenic to your environment.”

  Without knocking on the door, Major Dwyer entered the lab during Dr. Bradford’s experiment. “Ma’am, it’s time for lunch.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. You may have just contaminated my experiment. I thought we had a clear understanding no one was to enter without my permission when I am conducting my research.”

  “I’m following my orders, Ma’am. It’s time for lunch. Please follow me to your quarters.”

  “No! Please take me to see the General. It’s urgent that I speak with him.”

  Dr. Bradford’s doorbell rang.

  Jessica bolted from the couch for the front door. “Finally.”

  “Wait!” Rebecca stood. “I’m not sure we’re doing the right thing.”

  “We don’t have much of choice, now do we? Like Dr. B taught me in the lab, no risks, no research, no rewards. The three Rs in scientific discovery.”

  The doorbell rang again.

  Jessica opened the door and motioned for Agents Morrison and Turner to enter.

  When Jessica got to the couch, she jumped on it and took her spot.

  Rebecca extended her hand to shake theirs. “Please be seated.”

  Agent Morrison stepped toward the biosphere. “You do realize the risk we’re taking?”

  “If your sister was in the same situation, what would you be willing to do?” Rebecca sat in the overstuffed chair.

  Jessica raised her hand as if in a classroom. “It’s not as if anybody will find out you helped us.”

  Agent Turner furrowed her brow. “Look, my career is on the line here.”

  Rebecca’s spine stiffened. “That’s what you’re worried about, Agent? Your career? We’ll find her with or without your help. That’s what sisters do.”
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br />   Jessica exhaled hard. “Don’t you want the truth too?”

  Agent Morrison gave Jessica a long hard look before he answered. “Yes, but at what cost are you willing to pay for it?”

  Two hours passed before Dr. Bradford met with the General. At the head of the conference table sat General Anbar when Major Dwyer escorted Dr. Bradford into the room.

  She glared at the General. “I can’t do this.”

  “It’s not a choice, Dr. Bradford; it’s a Presidential order.”

  “Maybe in your world, but I don’t have to take orders.”

  “Rethink the offer, Dr. Bradford.”

  “If I refuse?”

  “Join your colleagues in the afterlife. I can’t protect you once you leave here.”

  “I’m not the only person left that knows of the A.D.A.M. project. You’ll have to kill all of us.”

  “That could be arranged, Dr. Bradford. I never make a statement that isn’t based on fact. I strongly suggest you return to your lab and finish the research as the President mandated.”

  “Don’t you think people will notice I’m missing and do something about it?”

  “As far as the world knows, you’re mourning the deaths of your colleagues, and you are on sabbatical leave.”

  “The least you can do is give me better quarters and not such a threatening working environment. I can’t work with guns in my face.”

  “I’ve explained this before; it’s for your protection and national security.”

  “If that’s how you’re going to play it, I need additional tanks and an exceptionally large tank the size a man would fit in.”

  “What would be the purpose of this tank?”

  “Research General, research. Isn’t that why you brought me here?”

  “I’ll requisition the tank immediately. You look exhausted. Take a break, and once your tank arrives, I’ll have you escorted back to your lab. Anything else you need for your research?”

  “As a matter of fact, I need a computer to take notes on and to dictate my research verbally. What I’m being forced to do right now is archaic. Oh, and I want to be able to play music. I work best that way. This means I’ll need a computer capable of playing CDs and I’ll need the CD albums of my choice. I’ll make you a list. Also, considering I’m not your prisoner, I would like to have a television put in my quarters and my lab. I want to stay caught up on the news if that isn’t too much for me to ask as your honored guest.”