31. Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter thirty-one
Trevor finally turned on his phone when he reached the fire engine red Alfa Romeo.
He had shed the sweltering hazmat suit—the suit went into a dumpster designated for burning—and now he was drenched in sweat and freezing.
He hadn’t realized how hot he’d been in the suit until now.
Sweat was cooling on his skin and sending shivers running up his spine.
He felt hot and cold at the same time, and his hand trembled as he powered on the cell.
He needed a hotel and a nice hot shower to get the plastic smell of the suit off his skin.
A breeze capered in the trees, making the branches creak and sway. Cicadas droned in the long grass. Shadows slid across the face of the moon.
His phone screen powered on, the clock telling him it was nearly three in the morning local time. A second later, it started to buzz. He put the phone to his ear. “Sam? That you?”
“Of course it’s me,” she said, clearly irritated. “I’ve been calling for hours.”
“I know, I’m sorry. It’s just that the cell service here—”
“Sure it is,” Sam cut him short. “Don’t hang up again. I need you on a plane stateside ASAP, Trevor. This is serious.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Trevor told her.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m on site,” he said. “I just got done watching the results of a test that conclusively proved LB426, that’s what they’re calling the virus, is man-made. They ran the same test twice so there could be no mistake. You were right, Sam. This thing has all the hallmarks of a bioweapon.”
“Who did you talk to?” Sam asked, “World Health Organization or our guys?”
“Our guys,” Trevor confirmed. “Doctor Shore is the chief virologist. He was running the tests. He’s one hundred percent sure, but there are political pressures that factor in. Lot of people here and in Washington don’t want this getting out.”
Sam said, “I’m not going to sit on my tush while a terror organization cooks up bioweapons.”
“And it’s such a cute tush,” Trevor said, and immediately regretted the words. He cringed. He was amped from his success and feeling a little giddy. He and Sam had bucked the system and come out on top, leaving him charged and ready to take on the world.
“Did you just compliment my butt?”
Trevor pulled a face. What a stupid thing to say, especially to his boss. He raked a hand through his hair. His shoes scraped in the gravel. “I…uh, I was just… I said we need to rush.”
“Good save. Have you got any sort of documentation from the doctor with his findings?”
Feeling his ears burn, Trevor said, “No. Not on me. Nothing goes in or out of the site, but I asked Doctor Shore to send a copy of his results to your email.”
“Good boy,” Sam said.
Trevor stood up a little taller. “You should have it within the hour.”
“Excellent work. You okay? You sound stuffy.”
“My nose is totally clogged,” he told her. “I’ve been wearing a space suit for hours. They’re hot and it’s impossible to breathe inside them. I don’t know how these doctors do it.”
“I have to move fast. The CDC can’t sit on this very long. It’s going to get out and I need to be the first to break it. It’s our only bargaining chip,” Sam said. “I have to prove you and I were the ones who found this in order to save our jobs.”
“What do you need from me?” Trevor asked.
“Get yourself back to the airport and on the first plane to Washington DC,” Sam ordered.
“With any luck, I’ll have our positions in the Company smoothed over before you land, but you’ll need to be ready for a lengthy debrief.
And don’t forget you lost cell reception while you were there. Stick to that story.”
“It’s the truth,” he lied.
“Sure.” He could hear the tone in Sam’s voice. “And whatever you do, don’t mention my tush.”
“I…er…” Trevor winced. “What’d you say, Sam? I didn’t get that last part. You’re breaking up. The reception here is terrible.”
“Call as soon as you land.”