I dont know if Ive done the right thing, she murmured. I hope to God I have.
Why did you come back?
I wasnt sure-Im still not sure-
Cathy, what are you doing here?
You cant fight this alone! And he can help you-
Who can?
From out of the twilight came another voice, gruff and startling. I can.
At once Victor stiffened. His gaze shifted back to the arch behind Cathy. A man emerged and walked slowly toward him. Not a tall man, he had the sort of body that, in a weight-loss ad, wouldve been labeled Before. He came up to Victor and planted himself squarely on the courtyard stones.
Hello, Holland, he said. Im glad weve finally met. The name is Sam Polowski.
Victor turned and looked in disbelief at Cathy. Why? he asked in quiet fury. Just tell me that. Why?
She reacted as though hed delivered a physical blow. Tentatively she reached for his arm; he pulled away from her at once.
He wants to help, she said, her voice wretched with pain. Listen to him!
Im not sure theres any point to listening. Not now. He felt his whole body go slack in defeat. He didnt understand it, would never understand it. It was over, the running, the scraping along on fear and hope. All because Cathy had betrayed him. He turned matter-of-factly to Polowski. I take it Im under arrest, he said.
Hardly, said Polowski, nodding toward the archway. Seeing as hes got my gun.
What?
Hey, Gersh! Over here! Ollie yelled. See, I got him covered!
Polowski winced. Geez, do ya have to wave the damn thing?
Sorry, said Ollie.
Now, does that convince you, Holland? asked Polowski. You think Id hand my piece over to an idiot like him if I didnt want to talk to you?
Hes telling the truth, insisted Cathy. He gave the gun to Ollie. He was willing to take the risk, just to meet you face-to-face.
Bad move, Polowski, said Victor bitterly. Im wanted for murder, remember? Industrial espionage? How do you know I wont just blow you away?
Cause I know youre innocent.
That makes a difference, does it?
It does to me.
Why?
Youre caught up in something big, Holland. Something thats going to eat you up alive. Something thats got my supervisor doing backflips to keep me off the case. I dont like being pulled off a case. It hurts my delicate ego.
The two men gazed at each other through the gathering darkness, each sizing up the other.
At last Victor nodded. He looked at Cathy, a quiet plea for forgiveness, for not believing in her. When at last she came into his arms, he felt the world had suddenly gone right again.
He heard a deliberate clearing of a throat. Turning, he saw Polowski hold out his hand. Victor took it in a handshake that could very well be his doom-or his salvation.
Youve led me on a long, hard chase, said Polowski. I think its time we worked together.
Basically, said Ollie, What we have here is just your simple, everyday mission impossible.
They were assembled in Polowskis hotel room, a five-member team that Milo had just dubbed the Older, Crazier Out of Tuners, or Old COOTS for short. On the table in the center of the room lay potato chips, beer and the photos detailing Virateks security system. There was also a map of the Viratek compound, forty acres of buildings and wooded grounds, all of it surrounded by an electrified fence. They had been studying the photos for an hour now, and the job that lay before them looked hopeless.
No easy way in, said Ollie, shaking his head. Even if those keypad codes are still valid, youre faced with the human element of recognition. Two guards, two positions. No way theyre gonna let you pass.
There has to be a way, said Polowski. Come on, Holland. Youre the egghead. Use that creative brain of yours.
Cathy looked at Victor. While the others had tossed ideas back and forth, he had said very little. And hes the one with the most at stake-his life, she thought. It took incredible courage-or foolhardiness-even to consider such a desperate move. Yet here he was, calmly scanning the map as though he were planning nothing more dangerous than a Sunday drive.
He must have felt her gaze, for he slung his arm around her and tugged her close. Now that they were reunited, she savored every moment they shared, committed to memory every look, every caress. Soon he could be wrenched away from her. Even now he was making plans to enter what looked like a death trap.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Then, reluctantly, he turned his attention back to the map.
The electronics Im not worried about, he said. Its the human element. The guards.
Milo cocked his head toward Polowski. I still say olJ. Edgar here should get a warrant and raid the place.
Right, snorted Polowski. By the time that order gets through the judge and Dafoe and your Aunt Minnies cousin, Viratekll have that lab turned into a baby-milk factory. No, we need to get in on our own. Without anyone getting word of it. He looked at Ollie. And youre sure this is the only evidence well need?
Ollie nodded. One vial should do it. Then we take it to a reputable lab, have them confirm its smallpox, and your case is airtight.
Theyll have no way around it?
None. The virus is officially extinct. Any company caught playing with a live sample is, ipso facto, dead meat.
I like that, said Polowski. That ipso facto stuff. No fancy Viratek attorney can argue that one away.
But first you gotta get hold of a vial, said Ollie. And from where Im standing, it looks impossible. Unless were willing to try armed robbery.
For one frightening moment, Polowski actually seemed to give that thought serious consideration. Naw, he conceded. Wouldnt go over well in court.
Besides which, said Ollie, I refuse to shoot another human being. Its against my principles.
Mine, too, said Milo.
But theft, said Ollie, thats acceptable.
Polowski looked at Victor. A group with high moral standards.
Victor grinned. Holdovers from the sixties.
Sounds like were back to the first option, said Cathy. We have to steal the virus. She focused on the map of the compound, noting the electrified fence that circled the entire complex. The main road led straight to the front gate. Except for an unpaved fire road, labeled not maintained, no other approaches were apparent.
All right, she said. Assume you do get through the front gate. You still have to get past two locked doors, two separate guards and a laser grid. Come on.
The doors are no problem, said Victor. Its the two guards.
Maybe a diversion? suggested Milo. How about we set a fire?
And bring in the town fire department? said Victor. Not a good idea. Besides, Ive dealt with this night guard at the front gate. I know him. And he goes strictly by the book. Never leaves the booth. At the first hint of anything suspicious, hell hit the alarm button.
Maybe Milo could whip up a fake security pass, said Ollie. You know, the way he used to fix us up with those fake drivers licenses.
He falsified IDs? said Polowski.
Hey, I just changed the age to twenty-one! protested Milo.
Made great passports, too, said Ollie. I had one from the kingdom of Booga Booga. It got me right past the customs official in Athens.
Yeah? Polowski looked impressed. So what about it, Holland? Would it work?
Not a chance. The guard has a master list of top-security employees. If he doesnt know the face, hell do a double check.
But he does let some people through automatically?
Sure. The bigwigs. The ones he recognizes on- Victor suddenly paused and turned to stare at Cathy -on sight. Lord. It just might work.
Cathy took one look at his face and immediately read his mind. No, she said. Its not that easy! I need to see the subject! I need molds of his face. Detailed photos from every angle-
But you could do it. You do it all the time.
On film it works! But this is face-to-face!
Its at night, through a car window. Or through a video camera. If you could just make me pass for one of the execs-
What are you talking about? demanded Polowski.
Cathys a makeup artist. You know, horror films, special effects.
This is different! Cathy said. The difference being it was Victors life on the line. No, he couldnt ask her to do this. If anything went wrong, she would be responsible. Having his death on her conscience would be more than she could live with.
She shook her head, praying hed read the deadly earnestness in her gaze. Theres too much at stake, she insisted. Its not as simple as-as filming Slimelords!
You did Slimelords? asked Milo. Terrific flick!
Besides, said Cathy, its not that easy, copying a face. I have to cast a mold, to get the features just right. For that I need a model.
You mean the real guy? asked Polowski.
Right. The real guy. And I hardly think youre going to get some Viratek executive to sit down and let me slap plaster all over his face.
There was a long silence.
That does present a problem, said Milo.
Not necessarily.
They all turned and looked at Ollie.
What are you thinking? asked Victor.
About this guy who works with me once in a while. Down in the lab Ollie looked up, and the grin on his face was distinctly smug. Hes a veterinarian.
The events of the past few weeks had weighed heavily on Archibald Black, so heavily, in fact, that he found it difficult to carry on with those everyday tasks of life. Just driving to and from his office at Viratek was an ordeal. And then, to sit down at his desk and face his secretary and pretend that nothing, absolutely nothing, was wrong-that was almost more than he could manage. He was a scientist, not an actor.
Not a criminal.
But thats what they would call him, if the experiments in C wing ever came to light. His instinct was to shut the lab down, to destroy the contents of those incubators. But Matthew Tyrone insisted the work continue. They were so close to completion. After all, Defense had underwritten the project, and Defense expected a product. This matter of Victor Holland was only a minor glitch, soon to be solved. The thing to do was carry on.
Easy for Tyrone to say, thought Black. Tyrone had no conscience to bother him.
These thoughts had plagued him all day. Now, as Black packed up his briefcase, he felt desperate to flee forever this teak-and-leather office, to take refuge in some safe and anonymous job. It was with a sigh of relief that he walked out the door.