Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Lexi
Barbie moved away from the lobby, a little too fast in my opinion.
“Resist the urge to hurry,” I murmured. “Hurry gets noticed. Purpose doesn’t.”
“Okay, I have to trust that you computer security experts are experienced in doing this sort of thing,” she said with a little sarcasm, although her voice was shaky. “No evidence of any live nighttime security.”
“That’s excellent news,” I said, searching the view along with her.
The corridor lights were dimmed to an after-hours setting, strips of white along the floor and ceiling that made everything feel clinical and colder. Barbie’s footsteps sounded too loud in my ears, even though they probably didn’t sound as loud on the polished concrete.
“Status?” Gray asked quietly since she couldn’t see my laptop.
“No sign of anyone yet.” I watched Barbie walk down a long hallway. I glanced at the blueprint I had tabbed on my screen. “Barbie, take a left at the next corridor intersection.”
“Copy,” Barbie whispered.
Angel’s voice came through my earbuds, calm and precise. “I don’t see any other motion alerts. You’re alone on this floor. For now.”
I guided Barbie toward the biocontainment area. She went deeper into the building, past corridors filled with rows of offices and a couple of restrooms. She rounded a corner and nearly ran straight into someone.
Gasping, they both stopped short.
I had a quick glimpse of a guy who was probably my age—late twenties—thin, with wavy black hair and glasses, wearing a lab badge and clutching a tablet like it was a shield. Then everything went dark as I assume Barbie flipped the cuff of her hat over the camera.
“Crap,” I whispered.
Everyone in the car collectively held our breath as we listened to what was about to go down.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” the guy said. “I didn’t think anyone else was here this late.”
“Same,” Barbie replied, her voice coming out as little more than a squeak. “You scared me. I’ve only been here for a couple of months, and…ah, this is my first week on night rotation.”
Quick thinking, Barbie.
“Oh. Good,” the guy said. “I mean, not good, but… yeah. I’m new to the night shift, too. I’m a toxicologist.”
“Cool,” she replied. “I’m…Dr. Jones.”
We collectively winced, and I hoped she’d put her ID card in her pocket and not clipped to her coat so he couldn’t cross check her.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Dr. Jones,” the guy said. “I’m Devon. Devon McGuire. What do you work on?” he asked, seemingly genuinely curious.
“Applied neuro medicine,” Barbie said without missing a beat. “Mostly synaptic response modeling. Lots of graphs. Very little sleep.”
I nodded, impressed by her quick comebacks. We hadn’t even practiced that.
“Oh, wow,” he said. “That sounds impressive.”
“That’s debatable,” she said with a forced laugh. “Hey, do you happen to know what all the fuss is about tomorrow? I heard something about bigwig visitors.”
My breath caught in my throat. Had she gone too far?
Thankfully, he answered right away. “Yeah,” he said, lowering his voice. “It’s apparently a big deal. Saudis. Very high-level. They’re coming to see the progress.”
“Progress on what?” Barbie asked.
“The canine project. They’re really excited about it. Apparently, they’ve been funding a lot of the advance work. Aren’t you working on it?”
“Ah, not yet. Soon, probably. So, they’re here to see what, exactly?” she asked, keeping her tone casual.
He hesitated. “I’m probably not supposed to say much.”
“I won’t tell anyone,” she said. “I don’t even know anyone yet.”
That earned a small, nervous laugh. “Well, from what little I’ve gleaned, it’s some kind of bioengineering initiative.
Animals. Enhanced cognition. Behavior modification.
Dogs, although they’ve also worked with other animals.
They’ve apparently had some kind of breakthrough with the dogs… or at least a certain dog.”
“Breakthrough in what sense?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Problem-solving. Responsiveness. Intelligence markers way above baseline. The kind of stuff that looks great on a presentation slide, I guess. I really don’t know much. It’s not my area.”
“Of course,” she said. “I expect to be briefed on it shortly.”
“Yeah, well, I heard one of the dogs escaped,” he said. “Caused this place a whole lot of panic. But they got it back. If it performs well for the Saudis tomorrow…this place is going to change.”
“Change how?”
“Probably a lot more money for research. Maybe a big raise for us, right?”
“Who knows? I’d be happy just to keep doing my work,” she replied. “Well, nice to meet you, Devon. Welcome to the night shift.”
“You, too,” he replied, already retreating into his tablet and heading toward the bathroom. “See you around.”
I waited until his footsteps faded. “You okay, Barbie?”
“Yeah, that was unexpected,” she replied. “Hope it doesn’t change the plan.”
“We’ll adapt as necessary,” I said calmly. “Quick thinking on your part.”
“Thanks.”
“Sorry about that, Barbie,” Angel broke in. “He got out of the elevator just as you ran into him. I had no advance warning.”
“It’s okay,” Barbie whispered. “Did you hear what he said?”
“Every word,” I said tightly. “If it’s safe, give me the camera view again.”
“Oh, sorry.”
Suddenly, I saw another hallway as Barbie hurried forward. It took me a moment to reorient myself. “Okay. Go down this corridor and to the left. The animal area should be at the end of the corridor.”
As Barbie strode forward and then left, my chest tightened. A heavy door came into view. No window, reinforced steel, keypad, and badge reader mounted beside it. A small placard read AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.
“What do I do?” Barbie whispered.
“Get closer to the door,” I said. “And make sure no one else is around.”
She got closer and then her gaze, and mine by extension, swept down the hallway to the right. Empty.
“Lexi,” she murmured. “I’ve got another coded door with a card swipe. Should I try to use my badge?”
“Negative,” I said. “There’s a good chance the person we took the card from doesn’t have access here. If you swipe it, it may set off an alarm. Stand by.”
Seconds stretched as I made my way through the system. I imagined the timer ticking down precious time and I started to sweat.
“You good, Lexi?” Angel asked.
“I’m good,” I finally answered. “Okay, the keypad is proprietary, but I’m in the controller. And because I couldn’t test it earlier, I’m either going to open the door or set off an alarm. It’s a fifty-fifty chance.”
“Fifty-fifty?” Barbie hissed as the lock suddenly disengaged with a soft, unmistakable click. No alarm. No blaring alert.
I released a breath. “It’s open. Go in.”
“Way to give me a heart attack,” Barbie whispered.
I watched as she pulled the door open. Dim light spilled out, revealing stainless-steel surfaces and shadowed corners. I could hear quiet shuffling, clicking, and faint whining.
She stepped inside and let the door close behind her with a clunk. “I’m inside the animal lab,” she hissed. “I don’t see or hear anyone…yet. But it smells like disinfectant and animals. We’re definitely in the right place.”
“Go get Tootsie and Ginger,” I said. “And the evidence we need to put this lab away forever. Be safe.”
Barbie didn’t respond. She was already walking deep into the lab, pulling out her phone for pictures, and not wasting any more time.