Chapter Sixteen
Breaking the kiss, Iris grabbed the tablet and hit the red button. “Secure One, Charlie.”
“Secure Watch, India,” she responded, and Bec could tell her attention was now solely on the tablet. Cal’s muffled voice probably startled Iris, as it did her.
When Cal appeared on the screen, he wore a hazmat suit and a respirator. “We found something in the basement. I’ll turn the camera so Bec can tell us what it is.”
Bec gasped when the camera revealed a lab space in Walter’s basement. “That’s a class three biological safety cabinet,” she said without hesitation. “What is it doing in his basement?”
“I was hoping you could tell us,” Cal said from behind the camera.
“Those are well over twenty grand, Cal. I don’t know why he’d have one in his home. They’re used when working with biohazards or dangerous pathogens that can’t become airborne.”
“Like viruses?” Cal asked.
“Yes. Usually, when working on gain-of-function research,” Bec agreed.
“What’s that?” Iris asked.
“Gain-of-function research helps us understand how pathogens adapt to environmental pressures. That allows us to plan better disease control measures and explore vaccines and therapies.”
“That sounds dangerous were it to fall into the wrong hands,” Cal mused.
“It is,” Bec couldn’t help but admit. “If gain-of-function research fell into the wrong hands, it could be used for biological warfare without question. That’s why this facility is secretive.
Having security around us would make us an obvious target, but we also need to protect ourselves from bad players. ”
“Which is why Walter saying in the interview that you have the deadliest virus in your lab was risky,” Iris deduced.
“It was, but now I wonder if he did it intentionally. Maybe he was looking for an investor or to set up a bidding war once he had a working vaccine for Ignis Cerebri. Cal, can you pan the camera around the room?” Cal did as she asked until she said, “Stop. That cabinet. Walk to it, but don’t open it. Does it say ultra-low freezer?”
“Yes,” Cal answered. “Should he not have that, either?”
“Since they start at ten grand, it’s not there to hold his beer,” she muttered, and Iris snorted.
“I see a lot of lab equipment, too,” Cal said, pointing out a centrifuge and other pieces they use in the lab at the facility. “Does Walter work from home sometimes?”
“Yes, but not with viruses. That’s taking your life into your own hands. Not to mention your neighbors. The biosafety hood helps, but it’s seriously lacking when you don’t have the benefit of the rest of the lab’s safety features.”
“You’re saying it’s like driving in NASCAR without a helmet? You can do it, but you shouldn’t.”
“Essentially,” Bec agreed, still laser focused on the freezer. “The only reason he should have any of that equipment there is if he’s working with live viruses, which doesn’t make sense. That’s what this facility is for, and in the length of time I’ve been here, he’s never once entered a lab.”
“What’s in the freezer if it’s not drinks?” Iris asked in confusion.
“Viruses.” Saying it aloud sent a shiver down Bec’s spine.
The camera flipped, and Cal filled the screen again. “Are we in danger by being down here?”
“Not from what I can see. The hood is clean, and there weren’t any open vials inside it.”
“There’s a layer of dust on everything,” Cal interjected. “It doesn’t look like it’s been touched in at least a year.”
“Is the freezer plugged in?” she asked, and Cal nodded. “Is it running?”
“Let me check.” Cal walked back to the freezer and knelt, leaning behind the small dorm-sized refrigerator for a moment. “I can hear it humming, and the side is cool.”
“That would make sense. Those freezers go as low as minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit.”
“Why does something need to be that cold?” Iris asked, and Bec couldn’t stop the nervous laughter from bubbling up.
“To protect humankind from some very nasty pathogens. Cold storage allows labs to keep viruses and bacteria safe and alive until they need it for experimentation. Then they thaw whatever portion they need to conduct whatever test they’re doing.”
“That still doesn’t explain what Walter is doing with it in his house,” Cal said. “What if I open the freezer?”
“I want you to, but you must follow my directions closely, okay?” Bec asked, and Cal nodded.
“Turn the camera around to face forward and have someone else open the door. Once the initial cold escapes, hold the camera down so I can see any printing on the vials. Do not get your hands anywhere near the inside of the freezer. When I say close it, whoever opened it should close it with their foot.”
“Is it safe for Lucas to open it with an ungloved hand?”
“Yes, but once it’s been opened, that plastic will get cold, so I don’t want him to close it that way. With any luck, it’s empty.”
“And if we aren’t lucky?” Cal asked. “Well, I guess I can puzzle that one out for myself. Ready when you are.”
She said okay once the camera was forward facing, and Lucas, a Secure One operative, opened the door. Inside was one vial rack with four vials standing upright. “Can you get closer?” she asked, and Cal zoomed in on the vials. As soon as the recording stabilized, she gasped. “Close it.”
Lucas’s black-booted foot struck out to close the door as Cal flipped the camera around. Iris put her arm around her shoulders to help quell her shaking.
“What did you see?” Cal asked.
“Four vials and one said IC.”
“Ignis Cerebri,” Iris deduced, and she nodded.
“There’s no reason for him to have a vial at his house. His house,” she said, emphasizing the word in a way that said it didn’t belong there.
“Is it fair to say Walter’s behind whatever is happening?” Lucas asked from where he stood next to Cal, both still wearing respirators.
“More than fair to say,” she agreed. “Did you find anything else?”
“The place is wiped clean,” Cal said. “When he left here last, he didn’t plan to return. At least not for some time to come.”
“But he left viruses there unsecured,” she said, vibrating with anger.
“I’m hoping he returns for them,” Lucas said. “Something tells me if he saved a vial of it, he plans to backstab whoever paid him to make the vaccine by turning around and selling more of the virus to someone else. Total warfare tactics.”
“We’ve got the place covered in cameras. We installed a system that will lock him in if he shows up. I want to have a word with the good doctor.”
“I want to do more than talk to him,” Iris growled.
“Easy now,” Lucas said with a wink. “You put all your anger into sorting out the computer. We did find a charging cord. Did you get past the password?”
Bec cut her gaze to Iris, who, thankfully, was nonreactive other than shaking her head. “Not yet. I was hungry, so we’re grabbing a sandwich, and then I’ll get back to it.”
“You do that while we secure the house. We’ll head back to the facility in under an hour,” Cal said.
“I think you need to get out now.” Bec took the tablet from Iris. “He may know you’re inside or have left that vial there for someone else to pick up. Someone else, like a terrorist organization, and they won’t care that you’re the good guys. Unplug that freezer, get out and get back here, please.”
Cal glanced at Lucas before answering. “Unplug the freezer? Won’t that damage the samples inside?”
“Absolutely.” Bec laughed, and even she thought her laughter sounded deranged.
“It will kill the samples and render them useless to anyone. They’re trapped in the vials and won’t escape, and the viruses will be dead by the time anyone finds them.
You can thaw viruses, but it must be done by slowly returning them to room temperature.
Anything else means the pathogens will die a fast death.
Unplug it.” She paused and then tipped her head side to side.
“Actually, don’t unplug it. Just turn the dial on the freezer to off.
If he does show up and notices it’s unplugged, he might plug it back in.
He’d have to check the dial to see that it isn’t working, which he won’t do.
He’ll just assume it is. Once you do that, get back here.
I know you’re security guys, but you’re no match for terrorists. ”
“Fair point,” Cal conceded. “It would be great if you have something for us to run down when we arrive.”
“You got it,” Iris said. “Come on up once you’ve sorted things there. I’ll hopefully have the rest of the answers we need to find Zafar and Walter before this goes any further.”
“Ten-four, Charlie, out.”
The screen went black again, and Iris lowered it to the table. “You’re a bad influence on me, Rebecca Roth. I just lied to my boss.”
“Technically, you lied to Lucas, but I accept the title of bad influence if I get another shot at you in the shower.”
“Now you’re trying to get me fired!” Iris exclaimed.
Bec laughed loudly and hugged her, loving how her curves wrapped around her own.
Everything that happened over the last few days had been unexpected, but Iris Knowles was the most unexpected.
Her chest squeezed when she remembered they had so far to go yet, and when it was over, a life with Iris was not guaranteed.
She pulled back and traced Iris’s lips. “What’s the smile for?”
“I realized that since I got here, I’ve been able to let my guard down and make some jokes. That’s never happened before,” Iris admitted.
“Maybe you feel comfortable enough here to be yourself.”
“Because of you, I’m sure,” Iris agreed.