One
Simon Bishop stood with his hands in his pockets and shifted from one foot to the other, squinting through the glass wall into the lab where two technicians leaned over a brushed steel counter in the center of the room.
At one end of the counter, a technician bent over a microscope while the other fiddled with test tubes containing various liquids. On the opposite end stood an assortment of Bunsen burners and flask filled with liquids that bubbled as they simmered. The techs’ hoods, full face masks, and head-to-toe white jumpsuits gave off an eerie glow in the black lights suspended above them and lent a surreal atmosphere to the scene.
The sensation of having been dropped onto the set of a science fiction movie annoyed him and he shifted his shoulders and paced back and forth twice before stopping to watch the techs.
Reflections on the masks and the concealing suits hid their identities and the only way he knew one was a woman was by her breasts. The suits were generally loose but one’s proportions were a tad more than the suit’s specs allowed. He smiled. He hated when that happened.
The sound of hydraulic doors opening behind him drew his attention. Cameron strode in, jacket blown back by the change in pressure and the speed of his gait.
“Well?”
Even if Simon wasn’t already aware, the hunched shoulders and clenched jaw would have told him Cam was stressed. Simon shrugged and turned back to the window. “They’re making punch, I think. I rather hoped it was a really good Chateau Margaux but I don’t know if they can pull it off.”
Quinn gave him a look. “Idiot.”
Simon bit back a grin.
“So, no results yet.”
He sighed. “I think this is going to take some time, Cameron. They’re looking for contaminants. This is only the second round of testing. They don’t know what they’re looking for and if it is even there to be found.”
Cameron whirled around and began to pace. “That’s the key, isn’t it? If its contamination.” His shoes made squeaking sounds on the floor. “I told them. I told them not to use that serum. I knew it was risky. The first series of test were disturbing. Too many side effects. Crazy side effects.”
Simon spoke over his shoulder, never taking his eyes off the technicians on the other side of the glass. “Relax. I’m sure they’ll figure it out. We don’t know the serum caused the spill-over.”
The sound of pacing ceased. He stepped around Simon and faced him and held up three fingers. “I’ve got three…” He took a breath and finished, “three dead operatives here. One jumped off an interstate bridge during rush hour. One blew her brains out. One…” He took a deep shuddering breath. “One jumped off a building, head first.”
Simon’s body stiffened for a moment. His expression blanked as he continued to stare at the techs.
“Now if I seem a little annoyed at the time this is taking, you’ll have to forgive me.” He stared at Simon and then, as if remembering something, his face fell. “Oh God… I’m sorry, Si. I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”
For several moments, Simon didn’t acknowledge the apology. He just stared through the glass. He didn’t see the techs, the glowing suits, the bubbling liquids. He saw Maggie on her knees, screaming. And he couldn’t comfort her. He took a deep breath and turned.
“It can’t be fixed, Cam. He’s dead. We move on. Find out what went wrong.”
Cameron ran both hands through his hair and turned to stare into the lab. “He wasn’t supposed to be on the list, Simon. I would never have put him on a trial list.”
Simon glanced back into the lab one last time, then pulling his hands from his pockets, he patted Cameron on the shoulder as he passed him. “I know.” He walked down the hall and the doors opened to let him pass. They closed with a hiss of air.
Two
In the darkened grand conference hall on the 15th floor of the Horus Building, Simon stood before another window, this one of floor-to-ceiling double-paned glass. He stared into the night at the city spread out below him. The glow of the lights from buildings and traffic reflected off the polished floor and made him feel suspended in space. He chuckled to himself. He really was trapped in a science fiction movie.
The chuckle faded and he took a deep breath and let it out, shifting his gaze to the horizon, littered with glowing lights. It was almost standard procedure for there to be casualties during trials. Every operative took a class on the potential dangers involved in their training. They went through extensive psych evaluations. They all knew the risk of the job. Simon swallowed the lump in his throat and blinked to clear his vision.
He’d tried to keep him out of it but once Jimmy got wind of the money, there was no stopping him. And he’d been reckless. More than once Simon had to yank his leash for failing to follow protocols.
“Stupid, bloody fool,” Simon whispered. He still wasn’t sure how Jimmy found out about the agency. He hadn’t told him. Keeping secrets was his profession and even Dani had not known for years.
The image of her smiling face drifted into his thoughts and something twisted in his chest. And once she had found out. . . .
The sound of air being drawn from the room alerted him to the door opening. The whole place must be vacuum sealed. He tracked the click of heels on the tile floor as Cameron approached.
“Anything?”
Cameron stopped beside him and stared out into the night. “I’ve been trying to call you. Did you leave your cell on your desk again?
He shrugged.
“Do you know how long you’ve been here?”
Simon looked at the black band on his wrist and touched it with one finger. “Good Lord.”
“Why do you come here anyway?”
He shrugged. “I like the view. It’s the only place that I actually have the world at my feet.”
Cam snorted.
He slanted a look at Cam. “And it’s quiet.”
With a glance around the room, he added, “Don’t know why they even have this room. Never used.” He scowled at Cam. “I’m rarely disturbed. What’s happened?”
A muscle in Cam’s jaw distended and Simon turned to him. “What?”
“The serum wasn’t contaminated.”
He frowned. “Not?”
Cam looked Simon in the eyes. “No.”
For a moment he frowned at Cam. Then, as the realization hit him, his eyes widened and he sucked in his breath. “They’re using Neural 4 anyway.”
Cam said nothing but his eyes reflected the lights of the city and as Simon watched, a tear slipped from the corner of one eye and Cam turned away. “I swear, Simon. I had no idea. I pulled Neural 4 after the last round of trials. I told them about the danger. The enhancement in reading a target was not worth the risk to the operative. They’re no good to us deranged or dead.”
Simon tried to make sense of Cam’s words. “They knew and they used it anyway? Cam, what are you saying? You think they deliberately exposed them to the serum, knowing what could happen?”
Several minutes passed before Cameron heaved a long sigh and said, “I don’t know.” He turned and looked at Simon. “You know Jimmy, better than anyone. Would he have taken the serum without approval?”
Simon stared, too stunned for several minutes to even formulate a response. Once he could speak, his tone was tense. “How would he even know it existed or how to get it, Cam? He didn’t have that kind of clearance. The stuff is locked up tighter than the Crown Jewels and of all the secrets in this place, those are the most secret. Even with my clearances, I couldn’t access it. He wasn’t supposed to even be in a trial. He was a level 2 reader. He could barely read a single human being, never mind a roomful.”
Cam turned back to stare at the cityscape. He sighed, shook his head, and in a low voice said, “Si, he had Neural 4 in his blood. I personally checked the lab work they did when they brought him in.”
“My God, was he still alive?”
Cameron turned to face Simon. “I truly have no idea but he must have been if they ran labs when he arrived at the medical wing. By the time I got here he’d already been moved to some special facility for autopsy.” He paused, looked down at his shoes for several seconds before looking at Simon again. “I never even got to see him.”
A long pause followed.
“Simon, I can’t get a clear idea of exactly what happened. He was in training for level 2’s but he was not slated to be in a trial for the enhancers. He had to be a level 3 for that. ”
“So, how do we find out?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure we do.”
“Bloody hell.”
“Right.”
Three
Dawn washed the eastern sky lilac before it turned to pale scarlet and then blinding sunlight. Simon shifted gears as he pulled out of the agency gates. For the last three hours, he’d scoured the database trying to find anything on Jimmy’s status that he didn’t already know. He’d found nothing.
Jimmy had been training for five years and had standard clearance, meaning he couldn’t go above the third floor without an escort, and he had the lowest standard clearance level — no key cards, no computer access, and certainly no records access of any kind. He couldn’t even have run the kind of database scan Simon had just finished. Had he managed to get on the security level 3 elevator retinal scanners would have set every alarm in the building off when he attempted to reach the next floor.
Simon unclenched his jaw, sighed, and adjusted his seat. So, how had he obtained a top-secret serum and dosed himself with it? He slammed the steering wheel. No. How would he even know how to administer the serum, how often, and the correct dosage?
He shifted gears and accelerated. The car shot forward as a woman’s silken voice emanated from the stereo speakers. “You have exceeded the posted limit. Please reduce your speed.”
He winced. The HUD display told him the same thing but he ignored both and looked at the road ahead. Few cars were on the road this early and he had 15 miles before he would exit the interstate. He needed the speed to catch up with his thoughts.
“You are traveling at an unsafe speed. You are advised to reduce speed now.”
“And you need to take a nap, love.” He reached beneath the dash and pressed a small button.
“Safety adviser disabled.”
“Thank you,” he said.
The truth was, Jimmy couldn’t have gotten the serum unless he was actually involved in a trial or he had help. Simon couldn’t access trial data but Cam could and by now he probably had done. He’d find out later but he had to get some sleep. Since the accident, he’s had to snatch a few hours here and there. Dealing with the authorities, both police, and Horus, giving solace to his sister - Jimmy’s wife, and his own wife, and looking after two 5-year-old boys there had been little time to sleep. But today, he was used up. Maggie and he would take Jimmy home as soon as they released the body.
He pulled into his garage and turned off the car. The door closed and he leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. Sleep tugged at him like a wanton woman but he pushed it back. There had to be evidence somewhere.
With a huff of annoyance, he got out, locking the car behind him and entered the house. It was quiet except for the low hum of the refrigerator. Dani must be asleep. The aroma of fresh coffee wafted around his face but it would only serve to deny him the sleep he now craved. He left the kitchen and climbed the stairs, running his hand along the banister as he went. He couldn’t remember being this tired, ever. His feet were heavy as stone.
She’d pulled the room darkening shades and only a thin sliver of dawn pierced the space between the panels. He stripped to his shorts and lay down next to her. A long deep sigh escaped him and he closed his eyes. There would be no reason to follow the usual routine. Sleep would descend unaided.
His last coherent thought was for his wife. Jimmy was her brother but his marriage to Maggie, Simon’s sister, meant that the body would be shipped back to England for burial. Dani was too far along in her pregnancy to fly. Leaving her alone, pregnant, and with five-year-old Conner felt like another betrayal. She was devastated over Jimmy and he was unable to fix it.
Warm soft hands slid across his belly and the muscles tightened. He turned and curled his body around hers and kissed her neck. “Go back to sleep, love,” he whispered. “We’re sleeping in today.”
She moaned and snuggled against him. He almost forgot he was sleepy but he closed his eyes and breathed deeply of her coconut scented hair, and drifted off to sleep.
Four
The smell of bacon and fresh coffee drifted up the stairs and Simon opened his eyes. He reached out but the bed next to him was empty, only a hollow in the pillow indicating someone had lain there. Heaving a huge sigh, he rolled out of bed and headed for the shower. His head still felt stuffed with cotton wool and until he could reach the coffee, hot water was the best remedy.
When he stepped into the kitchen, Dani turned from the counter and handed him a steaming cup of coffee. He smiled and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Darling, you’re a mind reader.”
She cut her eyes at him. “Very funny, Simon.”
They sat across from one another at the island and she handed him the plate of bacon and eggs.
“I didn’t know you’d got up.”
“You were sleeping pretty hard. I figured you needed it. Unless you slept at the agency while you were there, you haven’t slept in two days.”
He took a bite of bacon and stared into his coffee cup. “Too right. I used the sofa in the office for a few hours here and there. Things are such a bloody mess.”
For a moment, only the soft hissing of the coffee pot could be heard. When he looked up, he found her staring out the window.
“How are you feeling?” It was meaningless. He knew it but he didn’t know what else to ask her.
She pulled her gaze back to his face. “I feel as if . . .” She stopped, shook her head and lowered her gaze. “I don’t know what I feel. I can’t believe Jimmy is dead. I can’t believe he’d kill himself. I can’t believe this is happening to us.”
Simon reached across and caught her hand in his. “Dani, we’ll find out what happened.”
He wanted to slam his fist into the marble surface. He couldn’t tell her anything about the Neural 4 serum, about how it had ended up in Jimmy’s blood, or how he died. All she and Maggie got was a staff member knocking on the door and telling them that their husband and brother had suffered a critical fall and was dead.
“Simon!”
Simon jumped and blinked. “What?”
“I asked if you’d talked to either of the boys yet?”
He stared down at his coffee and shook his head. “Not yet…”
“Simon. You have to talk to them. You can’t just leave it like this. Nick has lost his father and Conner his uncle. They need to hear about this from you.”
He took a deep breath, picked up his cup and sipped it. “What do I say?”
“Oh for heavens’ sake, Simon. They’re not stupid. They know he’s dead. They just need more than a blunt statement from a stranger. Have you even seen them since it happened?”
He looked askance at her. “I’ve not been home, Dani. I’ve been at the . . .” The sentence stopped at the wall he’d constructed. He couldn’t tell her he’d been at the lab trying to figure out what had caused her brother’s death. “I’ll talk to them tonight. I think Nick is sleeping over. Maggie wanted him out of the house for a bit.”
Dani shook her head. “She shouldn’t be alone yet.”
Something inside snapped at that point and he railed at her, tossing his hand in the air for emphasis. “What do you want me to do, Dani? She’s a grown woman and she asked me to let him come over.” He clenched his teeth, clutched his cup, and lowered his voice, pulling his composure around him like a hair shirt. “Besides, the boys need to be together. I think it will help Nick if he and Connor can spend time together.”
She got up and began clearing dishes from the counter and loading the dishwasher. She swiped at a spot on the bar.
Simon stared at it. “You missed a spot.”
Dani glared at him. “You know, if you were joking, I’d be fine with that. I know you’re not so why don’t you just go organize your sock drawer.”
“Ouch,” he said. He stood and touched his finger to his forehead. “Aye, Love.” He gulped the last of his coffee, handed her his cup, and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “I love you, Dani.”
As he walked down the hall he heard her annoyed growl, “I love you, too, Simon Bishop.” He smiled.
Five
By mid-afternoon, Simon felt as if he’d done a few rounds with the devil. He’d spent a couple of hours in his study, on the phone trying to get a researcher to give him some answers on the Neural 4 project. All of them insisted that the serum had been pulled after the first round of trials. His last call was with an old friend who probably owed him a favor or two.
“Simon, you know I can’t give you information on that project. Why are you asking me?”
“Lucas, my brother-in-law is dead.” He gritted his teeth and clenched a pencil laying on the desk.
The phone crackled with a long pause. In a low voice, he said, “I’m sorry, Si. I heard about that. But still…”
“My sister is a widow, my nephew an orphan, my wife without her only brother, my son without his only uncle.
A sigh filled the next pause before the low voice replied, “Neural 4 was to be the cutting edge in mind enhancing pharmacology. Initial studies showed subjects were off the charts in perception with no adverse effects.”
“Yes,” Simon drawled, “but they were mice, Lucas.”
“Indeed.” A moment of silence followed. “Simon, you know all this.”
“Refresh my memory. The human trials.”
“Ah, yes. Well, as you know, the side-effects were horrendous. Depression, dissociative episodes, and in the most extreme cases, psychosis. Stopping the serum cleared up the mildest cases.” He took a deep breath, followed by a long sigh. “But there were . . .several that showed no improvement.”
“They went insane.”
“Yes, terribly insane.”
Simon winced at the oxymoron. “Neural 4 was pulled three years ago. Cameron Doyle ordered the cessation of the trails. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, of course. We couldn’t use agents that were mentally unstable. They couldn’t read minds if they weren’t in control of their own minds.”
Simon hesitated before making his next statement. He wasn’t sure how Lucas would respond or if he would respond. He wasn’t even sure if he was on the right track. “So, Lucas, when did they start using Neural 4 again?”
The silence on the line was so profound that Simon almost thought he’d hung up. Then Lucas started breathing again. “I don’t understand.”
“When. . .”
“I heard you. I just don’t know what you’re talking about. We never started using it again. It was too dangerous.”
“Someone did.”
“What?” Lucas’ voice pitched upward. “Impossible. It was shut down and the serum sent to the vault.”
“I’m telling you, they’re using it.” Simon sat back in his chair, feeling he’d finally scored some sort of points.
“How do you know that?”
“Jimmy had Neural 4 in his blood. Cam verified it.”
The string of expletives that filled the line caused Simon to hold the phone away from his head and stare at it. When Lucas wound down, he put it back.
“I want to see those labs.” His voice was tight with fury. “I can’t believe that’s right. He must have made a mistake.”
“You can call him. I’m flying out to England to bury Jimmy tomorrow.”
“Blast. Simon, I’m sorry. I can’t believe this is true.”
“One more question, Lucas and I’ll let you go. Jimmy was a level 2 and not involved in a trial.”
“Hells bells!” Lucas shouted at the top of his voice. “How would he even get his hands on Neural 4?”
“We were wondering the same thing.”
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