39. Chapter 39
Chapter thirty-nine
Alex
Alex looked through the window of the ICU room door, and the sight of Hoko lying helpless in the bed nearly broke his heart. The crippling guilt in Alex’s mind almost kept him from seeing Hoko before leaving with the medevac taking Danyal back to Boston. But Alex couldn’t just go; he owed so much to Hoko and needed him to know the depths of his feelings. Since Hoko was not wearing his medicine band, Alex could see Hoko’s spark was faint, but he knew Hoko was a fighter. Plus, Hoko had Diana sitting next to him, holding his hand. Although Alex and Diana had had a tumultuous relationship of late, Alex knew she’d fight for Hoko.
Diana noticed Alex standing by the door. She smiled and waved him into the room. She stood to hug him, which made Alex burst into tears.
“It’s OK, Alex. Let it out.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, “it’s my fault he’s in this bed.”
“You’re right, Alex. It’s your fault he’s in this bed…”
“What? You’re not supposed to agree with me. Kick me when I’m down.”
“You didn’t let me finish,” she said as she stroked the hair on the back of Alex’s head. “He’s in this bed because you saved his life. Not with supernatural abilities; you saved him with your knowledge and decisive action. If you weren’t there, we would have lost him. I don’t have words to convey my gratitude.”
Alex stepped back from her embrace. “Because the enemy targeted me, he was in harm’s way.”
Diana shook her head. “Alex, he was in this battle for decades. Hoko knew the risks of working at PGC and with Ditta. We all accepted it could place a target on our backs. So, this isn’t your fault.”
“Dr. Donalds said I could put myself and Hoko at risk if I tried to heal him.”
“Let’s listen to her. You’ve been through severe trauma; allow yourself time to heal. Hoko will heal on his own. The only instance you could heal was with Galen, and you did it by instinct. The most pressing question now is, how’s Danyal?”
“He’s unconscious, and the medical staff can’t determine why.”
“I’m so sorry, Alex. What’s the next step?”
“Dr. Donalds is arranging the medevac. We will be leaving within the hour. Galen is with Danyal now, protecting him.”
“How’s Galen doing? Ryo told me he broke down when you were missing and feared dead.”
“He’s putting up a good front, but I can see he’s exhausted physically and emotionally.”
“Proceed with caution, Alex. Be careful with the emotions of those around you. Even with the best of intentions, people can get hurt.”
Alex was confused by Diana’s statement. What was she talking about? Never mind, he didn’t have the time for more therapy. Alex leaned over to Hoko and touched his forehead to Hoko’s. He stood and turned to Diana with tears and a huge smile. “Give me your hand, Diana.”
Diana looked at Alex, confused, but she complied. Alex picked up Hoko’s hand. “Close your eyes and think of Hoko…Now say something.”
“Please, Hoko, come back to me.”
Diana opened her eyes, surprised as she heard Hoko’s voice, “I’m on my way.”
She immediately burst into tears. “Was that real, Alex?”
Alex smiled and nodded. “When I made physical contact with Hoko, his mind reached out to me and asked me to give you the message. I allowed him to do it himself. Now I can return to Boston with Danyal, knowing Hoko is safe.”
Diana hugged Alex so tight he winced.
“Easy there, you’ve got a grip like a grizzly bear.”
Diana laughed. “You amaze me more and more every day, Alex Lieth. Ditta made the right choice when she picked you.”
“OK, let’s not over-inflate my ego. We’ve only recently brought it down to a size that will fit through your office door. Stay here and protect Hoko. I’ll keep you updated on Danyal.”
“Safe travels, Alex. Godspeed.”
Alex and Galen walked with the medical staff as they rolled Danyal out of the hospital toward the helipad. Alex scanned the area with his mind to find any threats waiting to ambush them, but didn’t see any voids in the energetic field within the immediate area. Alex nodded to Galen to proceed.
Galen said he’d take it from here, and motioned with his hand that it was safe to approach the helicopter before the PGC staff moved Danyal across the parking lot.
After Danyal had been loaded on board, Alex sat next to Galen and motioned to Galen to remove his ring. Galen complied.
We won’t be able to hear each other over the helicopter noise, Galen.
Ya screen the medical and PGC staff on board, Alex?
Alex nodded. Because the staff hadn’t been inoculated, he could see they didn’t carry any negative energy or register any malice.
Ryo intentionally brought them in from outside the Boston headquarters. They didn’t have any knowledge of the security breach or information leaks. Also, I visited Hoko, and he’s doing his best to recover. We touched our minds, and he had a message for Diana.
Excellent news!
He also had a message for me, Galen.
Don’t leave us hanging, mate.
He said to end this, I must find the traitor before they can do more damage. From here on out, my goal is to help Danyal recover and to root out the traitors from within the company. We have a mystery, Dr. Watson, that needs solving.
Ya know, Mr. Holmes, ya don’t even have to ask. Going down the list, starting with the board, Hoko, Diana, and Ryo can be eliminated.
Can we automatically eliminate Ryo, Galen? How well do you know him?
He was devastated when we thought we’d lost ya when the operation went to shite. No commander wants to lose a soldier. Can’t see him being that good of an actor. Believe he’ll also give ya consent to scan him if yu’re willing to share that secret.
Alex nodded in agreement. What about Thomas Brynmor? He knows Ditta’s personal and corporate legal secrets.
Thomas was deeply devoted to Ditta. Why would he betray her? Money isn’t a good enough reason. He could easily embezzle money from PGC business dealings instead. Why would he turn to terrorism?
Galen was right. Those pieces didn’t fit together. The same logic applied to the CFO, Kylie Peters. She didn’t stand to benefit from Alex being eliminated or forging an alliance with terrorists.
I don’t want to anger you, Galen, but should we consider Zoe?
Need to consider all options, Alex. Everyone’s a suspect. Zoe could be a perfect spy hiding in plain sight. She has the knowledge and skills to hack computer and surveillance systems. She was close to me before ya arrived. Would place her in a position to attempt to obtain access through me. The perfect cover to deflect blame for the data breach. Could have quickly introduced the virus into the system using Danyal’s phone. She’s from outside the core group. The rest worked together for decades. Zoe could have prior existing ties with her international background. Would be foolish to drop her as a suspect.
There’s one thing giving me pause, Galen. She has feelings for you. What would she stand to gain from the bombing that nearly killed you?
Could be reasons for that, Alex. May not have had a choice. May not have known about it. Mah injuries may have been unintended. Her feelings may have been accidental. Sometimes, spies develop feelings for their marks before they eliminate them. Situation gives me an awful feeling, Alex, in the pit of mah stomach. Give me yur impression of Dr. Donalds.
Alex looked across the helicopter at Dr. Donalds, who stared intensely at her tablet.
From the beginning, I sensed a good vibe from her, but then I could be more inclined to trust her since she’s part of the rainbow community. Well, I must trust her because I’m letting her treat Danyal. She’s only recently out of medical school, so I’m struggling to see how she’d be involved with terrorists unless…
Aye, what, Alex?
Unless someone she loved, like her wife, was threatened––perhaps she’s being forced to comply? That’s a terrible thought, but our enemy manipulated you, using your love for Amara as leverage. Then again, you must trust her since you demanded she come care for me.
She was the lesser of the two evils. It was either her or Bruno. No way was I letting that guy near ya.
Dr. Bruno, let’s unpack this one. He’s not the kind-hearted man I knew who saved me from a horrible situation at boarding school. Life may have turned him into an asshole, but it doesn’t make him a spy in league with terrorists.
Don’t leave any stone unturned, mate. How did life change him?
This all came out after your injury, but another test subject survived the experiments. Her name was Nyssa, and Bruno raised her as his child. He has pictures of her in his office. She is a carbon copy of Ditta. However, Nyssa became emotionally unstable and a danger to herself and others, and Ditta determined I was the more viable option to replace her. She ordered Bruno to euthanize Nyssa and distribute all resources to me.
Yu’re only telling me this now, mate?
At the time, I was a little distracted worrying about someone I care about dying from a severe head injury, so please cut me some slack.
Galen scowled but continued, Ditta making him watch his daughter slowly die is undoubtedly a reason to hate her. Could explain his animosity toward ya. Could be a motive to want revenge on PGC.
I know the loss of Nyssa still bothers him. I accidentally observed him in his office crying, holding her picture when Hoko and I were remote viewing. His grief genuinely struck me. I admit my part in the conflict with Bruno. I threatened him and took away his voice. Reviewing all the evidence, Bruno did warn me not to try to save Danyal or to surrender any ichor samples.
Can’t discount him as a suspect based on one moment of decency. Ya tend to be stubborn. Would tell ya to do the opposite to trick ya. Playin’ mind games. Gives him cover to claim he warned ya against any rash actions. But why now? Had plenty of opportunities to take revenge on Ditta over the years.
It’s the same answer for all the suspects, Galen; I’m an unknown player on the board they want to remove. They want to strike while I’m distracted and weak.
Galen nodded. But the world goes to shite if yu’re eliminated. How does that help Bruno? How does ichor fit into the picture?
I’ve been mulling that problem; maybe he intends to attempt to clone his daughter. If he had any of her DNA, he could potentially only need the ichor and time to clone Nyssa. Hear me out; Bruno created me from genetic material harvested from a hair sample and infused with ichor.
Galen tilted his head to think. That’s a long-term gambit. Bruno is the oldest board member at sixty-eight. Does he have twenty-five years to watch his plan come to fruition? Yu’re Nyssa’s brother. Wouldn’t killing ya be murdering the only part of Nyssa still left in the world?
I don’t think he views me with any affection. In his mind, I’m potentially the reason he lost Nyssa.
How do the Sons of Enyaluis become involved with this theory? Are they the muscle to do the dirty work? What do they get out of this?
I’m not sure. Maybe they’ve designs on the ichor and are playing him. The theory still has holes, such as who is financially backing the terrorists. Bruno may be brilliant, but he does not have the computer knowledge to coordinate the data breach.
Bothers me, mate. Bruno survived a kidnapping attempt by terrorists. Templeton was a trained Special Forces soldier. Bruno is an older dude and overweight. Only weapon he knows how to use is sarcasm.
Agreed. So, how do we eliminate Zoe, Donalds, and Bruno from our suspect list? I have a plan, Galen. I want to switch out the injections with a placebo and assess each suspect by screening them with my abilities, placing them in circumstances where they’ll play their true hand.
Need to think this through and figure out the details once we arrive at PGC. Yur main priority is keeping Danyal safe. Will start drafting the specifics of our sting operation. Rest while ya can, mate. Going to need ya at full strength, moving forward.