Chapter Four
Rebecca stood around one of the tables in the center workspace with Cal, Iris, Declan and Zac. They were going over the kidnapping step-by-step and making a plan for how to proceed.
“You don’t think I should call the police?” Bec asked again. “Won’t they hold me responsible for not reporting a crime?”
“They might,” Cal said with a nod. “But you can make a case that the message on the computer said more was to come, so you waited to hear from them. We don’t know who took Dr. Hoerman.
If the people responsible for his kidnapping are watching the property and suddenly it’s swarmed by police, they may very well kill him.
We should wait for their communication before bringing the authorities in on this, but you’ll have to make the final call. ”
“Like a ransom?” she asked, eyeing everyone around the table. “That would make the most sense, right?”
“I’ve been doing this job for many years, and it’s what my gut tells me,” Cal agreed.
“I expect it to come in twelve hours or less. They kidnapped him for a reason, and there are only two that I can think of. Money or power. Whoever took him thinks he has control or information about the lab that they can use to their benefit.”
“He does,” Bec agreed. “He’s the one who worked to procure the Ignis Cerebri at this lab.”
“So, this is a government facility?” Declan asked, but Bec shook her head.
“No, we’re a privately funded research facility with clients from private and public companies and organizations. My job as head scientist is to do whatever is asked scientifically of the client, while it’s Walter’s job to do all the administrative tasks.”
“Do you know who requested that you create a vaccine?” Cal asked, and again, Bec shook her head no.
“That’s not my wheelhouse—it was need-to-know information that I didn’t need to know.”
“Didn’t need to know then,” Zac said. “Now that you do, it’s too late.”
Bec bit her lip with a nod. “I agree, but he couldn’t have told me even if I’d demanded it. I could find out if I logged into his computer, but I can’t. Since he had his phone in his hand when he was kidnapped, I can’t even look at that.”
“Which means Walter is worth ransoming,” Zac said.
“Honestly, I’m worth more to them than Walter,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck.
It was sore from falling earlier when the flash-bang threw her backward.
When she dropped her hand, Iris’s replaced it.
That surprised her but she tried not to let it show.
Iris massaged her neck gently, and the warmth of her hand helped Bec focus better on the conversation.
“Because you made the vaccine?” Cal asked, and she nodded.
“Maybe they didn’t know that, or it was more of an opportunist kidnapping?” Iris asked.
“Whoever they could take would be better than no one at all?” Cal mused, and heads bobbed around the table.
“The funny part is, they wouldn’t have to kidnap any of us if they knew what was inside those labs,” Bec said, motioning to her left. “Taking control of the system was enough. We’d have paid anything to get control of it again.”
“Let’s hope Walter doesn’t tell them that,” Cal said dryly.
“He won’t,” Bec assured them. “The only thing he’ll do is clam up and say nothing because he works with too many agencies to do anything else.”
“The kidnappers will be in touch then,” Declan said. “They’ll want money in exchange for his life. What we have to decide is if they’re working with Ace or if we have two different ransom situations. What other reason would they do this?”
“As long as that ransom isn’t the virus,” Iris said as she met Bec’s gaze. “If it’s what you say it is, that’s a weapon of mass destruction someone might want to auction off to the highest bidder.”
Bec’s laughter surprised the other four. “I was hoping none of you would consider that. I should have known that was a pipe dream.”
“After the Spiderweb case we worked on a few years ago, nothing would surprise me,” Iris said with a shrug.
Bec remembered the case and shuddered. Someone on the dark web had written a program to look like a video game that was anything but that.
Had it gone mainstream, the “game” would slowly give the coder the data from every public camera in the free world by planting malware in their operating system.
It was a terrorist’s dream, and the coder knew that.
Unfortunately, the government hadn’t yet caught Savant.
Fortunately, the woman who discovered the program, Kenley Mason, now a Secure Watch operative, had helped the government write a malware patch to prevent Spiderweb from getting the data from the cameras.
“The Spiderweb case taught us people are always after money, power or both. In this case, I could see them wanting the virus they could sell as a weapon of mass destruction. Unless Walter can convince them that you already have a working vaccine. If he can do that, then they may demand money instead. Declan is correct that we could also be dealing with two different groups looking to get money out of the center, though the odds are high that it would happen all on the same day if they weren’t working together.
That said, all we can do is wait and see.
In the meantime, Iris can work on getting the ventilation system back online,” Cal said.
“What about Walter’s sister? Should we notify her about the situation?” Bec asked.
“He has a sister?”
“Yes, and at least one nephew, but I don’t know her name or where she lives,” Bec explained.
“Are they close?” Cal asked.
“I know he talks to his nephew on the phone whenever his sister calls for backup. He doesn’t talk much about his family, so I can’t say more than that.”
“I’ll have Mina look into it. I want to keep his family out of it until we get a ransom request, if possible.”
“And if Ace does reach out with a ransom request? Then what do I do?” Bec asked, holding Cal’s gaze. She had no idea how to navigate her world now but hated depending on someone else to answer her questions.
“Iris will call Secure Watch immediately, and we can make a plan from there. Trying to do that now is a lesson in futility. Instead of wasting time, we’ll be proactive by securing the building while you work on getting the most important aspects of the lab back online.
Declan and Zac will patrol the building.
If you need anything, radio them using this,” he said, holding up a black walkie-talkie.
“Unless there’s a fire, do not try to leave the building without notifying them.
We don’t need any unintended casualties. ”
“We’ll be too busy to leave the lab,” Iris said, eyeing her equipment. Bec could tell she was aching to set it up. “Give it to me straight, Cal.” She turned to her boss. “Are we safe here?”
“As safe as any of us can be right now, Iris,” he assured her, his hand on her shoulder. “Declan and Zac have your back with security, and we know you’ll get all the important aspects of the lab up and running again quickly.”
“I’m glad you have confidence in me.”
“We do, or you wouldn’t be here,” he said, his brow raised. “I also know you’ll stop at nothing to protect the entire nation from this virus. Your job is to help Bec do just that and keep Mina updated on each step as you go. If you need help, she’s available anytime, so don’t hesitate to call her.”
“Are you really returning to Secure Inc.?” Declan asked.
“Yes, but not for long,” Cal said. “I’ll load up equipment and a few more guys, then return to Sinlis Park, the town closest to here.
I’ll set up a temporary home base there until we have a ransom or a resolution.
You two will need to sleep,” he said, motioning at Declan and Zac, “but I also want two people patrolling the building at all times. At night, there will be three. We’ll run eighteen on and six off, so make good use of those six off.
Understood?” Both men nodded, so Cal continued.
“I’d like more men to cover the property, but I can’t bring an army until we know what the kidnappers want. ”
“If the kidnappers are watching, won’t they notice the security guys anyway?” Bec asked, leaning on the table. Her head hurt, and while she could hear better now, the ringing in her ears made it hard for her to concentrate on the situation.
“There’s no way around that,” Cal said with a shrug. “I’m shocked you didn’t always have security on the building.”
“We did,” she said, “just not in human form. The biometrics we use to run this lab is our security. There’s no way in or out of the building without me or Dr. Hoerman.”
“Wait, you mean none at all?” Declan asked, glancing at his boss.
“None,” she said again. “We have to scan our thumb or retina to open any door in the building. You could only enter the loading dock door because the security system went down when the systems went offline.”
“That was the only way for the kidnapper to get into the building then,” Cal said, turning to her. “First, he had to make sure the systems went offline if he stood any chance of breaching the facility.”
Bec’s heart paused for a beat at the thought. “You’re right. I didn’t even think about how they got in here. Without the biometrics, we’re sitting ducks.”
“We’ve got you,” Zac said without hesitation. “Our first order is to lock down all but one exit until Iris gets the biometrics up and running again. We’ll keep a close eye on that exit, but in case of a fire, head to the loading bay if you can’t reach the side door. We’ll extract you from there.”
“Got it,” Iris said with a nod. “Time is slipping away from us. I should get to work.”
“Agreed, and I need to get back to Secure Inc.,” Cal said. “I’ll turn it around as quickly as possible, but I expect to be gone at least six hours. Bec, is there somewhere in the area where I can rent four-wheelers or UTVs?”
“There are several places in Sinlis Park. We’re between hunting seasons, so they should be easy to come by.”