The helicopter touches down on the hospital roof. The doors slide open.
A rescue worker kneels over Amanda, driving his hands against her chest in a steady rhythm. One of the crew jumps out and hands a clipboard to a waiting nurse, giving her the rundown. A doctor moves alongside Sam as they transfer her to a stretcher.
He leans closer to be heard over the pounding blades. “I’m Dr. Anders. Can you tell me your name?”
“Sam… Samantha.”
They push through the exterior doors. Sam studies the doctor beside her. His dark hair graying at the temples, tired lines framing attentive eyes, salt-and-pepper scruff along his jaw. At least he’s looking at her instead of the surrounding commotion. “You’re at Landing View Hospital. We’ll take good care of you.”
“I need to call my uncle.”
“We can do that for you. Let him know you’re here.”
“You don’t understand! I need to talk to him. So he can explain it, uh, me better. We, uh, I have medical issues. We’re contagious—well, maybe—it’s complicated.”
Anders checks the fit of her C-collar. “Are you allergic to anything?”
“Nope, but most things don’t work like they’re supposed to. That’s why you need to call him. He knows. Do you have a cell phone? We could be carrying something. You could all be exposed, especially where she’s bleeding. Lock this place down if you have to.”
He squeezes her hand. “Can you feel this?”
“I can’t feel anything. Fractured my spine. I know this already. Listen! Before you put me under, I need to talk to my uncle. I’d grab you by the lapels and demand it, but I can’t! So please, just get me a phone. It’s for your safety as much as mine.”
Anders glances toward the nurses. “Conscious and aware.” He pulls a cell phone from his pocket and holds it where she can see. “Speakerphone, okay?”
She gives him the number. “There will be dead air. Wait for the third beep and then enter 41167. He’ll pick up.”
“Okay, what is his name?”
“Call him Uncle Garrett…and tell him he’s on speakerphone.”
Anders enters the number while a nurse gives him the rundown. After the last digit, he fumbles the phone.
“Garrett, it’s Sam! Tell him to put you on speaker!”
Anders catches the phone and hits the button. “It’s on.”
“Sam?” A man’s voice comes through.
“Yeah, it’s me. I’d apologize, but I really need you here. I can’t talk long. Dad and I got caught in an avalanche. They haven’t found him yet. I’m hurt bad. Fractured spine. I’m sure lots of bruises, cuts, and broken bones are involved, but all here mentally. Sara Rogers, she’s here too, remember her? She used to bring those homemade cookies to the house on Cedrick Street when Mom was sick. Yeah, you remember her. I liked her better when she dyed her hair brunette. Focus, Sam.”
She pulls in a breath. “I had them bring us to Landing View ’cause that’s where I’m supposed to go when…you know, ’cause my records are here and the specialists and stuff. The point is the plane crash…the coordinates given on dispatch were off to the north-northeast. The avalanche shifted us to the bottom of the face. Um, I don’t know the time, can’t calculate it. The plane was ghosting its location. Tail number Alpha Tango Seven Zulu Alpha Two. Destination and flight path not filed. Three passengers, pilot, co-pilot, total of five. Two confirmed dead. Two possible carriers are still on location with Dad. Two gunshots, nine-millimeter—don’t know how I know that, but I do.”
“I’ll find it and your dad. What else can you tell me?”
Anders whispers. “Can this wait?”
“No, it can’t! I may not remember later. Garrett, you have to give them the rules about Sara…me as well. She’s hurt really bad. Tore open her artery, half her face is gone, crushed her pelvis…her heart stopped twice on the way here. But the cold should keep her alive ’cause you’re not dead until you’re warm and dead! She’s probably not going to make it. You have to make them try! Humpty Dumpty has fallen from the wall…that symposium you’re going to? Screw it! You’ll want what’s here! Me, us, we’re more important! Got it?”
“Okay, Sam, slow down.” Garrett’s voice stays calm. “Are you in danger now?”
“Uh…I think I was exposed, her too. Open transmission and communication, which means—”
“I got it. I’ll send in the cavalry. Doctor?”
“Yes.”
“Take me off speaker, please?”
Sam raises an eyebrow toward Anders. “I’d listen to him. And don’t give me anything unless he agrees.”
He takes the phone off speaker and puts it to his ear. “Okay, it’s just me. Can you tell me what the hell is going on here?”
“Your patient is Samantha Clements. She has a unique immune system. Handle it wrong, and you’ll cause more harm than good. I’ll have her records transferred immediately. Give her nothing but saline until Dr. Ronald Herman arrives. He’s close, less than thirty minutes. Until then, you need to lock down and contain your location as if you were dealing with a biohazard level four.”
“That’s—”
“I am aware. Lock your location down. No one in or out until Dr. Herman clears you.”
“And I am supposed to take your word—”
“No, take the word of the assistant director of the FBI, who can just as quickly pull in Homeland, ATF, and the CDC. But listen to me now, and you’ll save lives. Tell her I have it under control. The King’s men and I are on our way.”
The call disconnects. Anders pulls the phone from his ear and stares at the screen.
Sam watches him. “What did he say?”
“Not sure, but I got the biohazard and CDC part.” He pockets the phone and turns to the nurse across from him. “Hit the alarm and lock us down. Type and cross for both. Anyone who was here when they came in stays. No one else enters except Dr. Herman. Glove up and get masks on.”
The nurse hits the alarm. Red lights come to life around the room as the doors slide closed and lock.
Anders accepts a mask and settles it over his face. “This better not be a prank.”
“Believe me, I wish it were. Did he mention ‘all the King’s men’?”
He checks Sam’s pupils with the light. “Yeah. Who is he? This uncle of yours?”
She blinks against the glare. “Hard one to explain.”
“You were exposed to something? Do you know what it was?”
“Not specifically. She does.”
“Your friend. Was she infected already?”
“No. But she knows how to contain it.” Sam releases a long breath and closes her eyes. “It will present like most Arenaviridae, closest resembling Sabia, Brazilian hemorrhagic fever, but without the one-to-two-week incubation period. The initial onset of flu-like symptoms will happen within minutes of exposure, progressing within hours to internal bleeding.”
Her eyes open. A tear slips down her cheek. Anders wipes it away.
“Know a little about it, do you?”
Sam sniffs. “She does. You know, I think we’ll be okay, hyperactive immune systems and all, but the guys who dug us out—anyone on that mountain?!”
“We’re aware and will take it from here. Don’t you worry.”
“Easy for you to say.”
* * *
Elias Garrett pauses at the top of the private jet’s stairs. A man in his mid-fifties, he wears his silver hair short, a well-tailored suit fitted over a lean frame. He surveys the runway, pockets a folded piece of paper, and descends to the waiting town car.
The driver holds the rear door open. “Directly to the hotel, sir?”
Garrett unbuttons his suit jacket and slips inside. “What’s your name, son?”
“Julian Marcus, sir.”
“Landing View Hospital, and don’t be shy with the accelerator. I’ll let Shepherd know we’re diverting.”
“Yes, sir.” He circles and settles into the driver’s seat. “The security panel is in the armrest.”
“Thank you.”
The privacy window rises and seals. A light overhead blinks red, then switches to green.
Garrett opens the compartment and presses his thumb to the scanner. He enters the code, then connects the call. A repeating beep changes with each tap until the line opens. “Shepherd?”
“Sir?”
“I’m going to keep this short. Did you receive my communication?”
“Yes, sir. You’re prompting an unmonitored redirect. Never known you to have such an abrupt change in plans.”
“The pressure was to not appear in person. Between you and me, I’m caving this time. We’ll go with your suggestion. Have him prepped to attend the symposium in my place.”
“Yes, sir. Does this have anything to do with the sudden activity in our area?”
“I don’t know yet. I just stepped off the plane. I didn’t want you sending out the cavalry when I deviated from protocol.”
“Do you want me to reposition resources?”
“No.” Garrett pinches the bridge of his nose. “This is personal, so any space you can give me would be appreciated. Operational control is yours. I’ll be off-grid for the night. If that changes, I’ll contact you. Otherwise, continue as planned.”
“No need to explain further, sir. We’ll see it done.”
“Marcus—is he one of yours?”
“Yes, sir. Above average in everything except the tact needed around people in positions of authority. His jacket and the encrypted files you requested earlier are on their way. I know how you are about last-minute substitutions. He has base-level clearance and knows how to keep his mouth shut. If you need me to make adjustments…”
“I know how to get in contact.”
Garrett disconnects and docks his cell phone in the armrest. Files begin downloading. He pulls the folded paper from his pocket and scans it with a yawn.
He shifts in his seat and enters the first line of letters, numbers, and symbols from it. A holographic screen projects in front of him. He adjusts its size and enters the remaining passwords as prompted.
A list of data scrolls across the display, each line alternating in color. Garrett selects a word from each and moves it to an icon along the side. Status bars begin filling beside them. He leaves the process running and opens Marcus’s personnel file. He gestures through the pages, enlarging details as he reads, then sends them to the virtual shredder.
The last section contains photographs. He cycles through them until one catches his attention. Marcus is a few years younger, one arm slung around another student, both wearing MIT jerseys. He checks the date against his notes. The corner of his mouth quirks.
He opens another tab and enters a code. Images and documents on Sara Rogers appear. Referring to the information he compiled on the plane, he enters another series of passwords. A new file opens. He scrolls through a list of numerical identifiers and expands one of the entries.
A photograph appears of a woman who resembles Sara Rogers. Beneath it: UNCONFIRMED ALIAS: DR. ELIZABETH ABBOTT.
Garrett shakes his head. “Damn it, Harry, what did you get the two of you mixed up in?”
* * *
The car pulls into a space on the second level of the hospital’s parking garage. Marcus starts for the door, but Garrett steps out before he reaches it. “I can open my own doors, Julian. I’m reassigning you.” Marcus hesitates at the use of his first name. “Are you armed?”
“Of course, sir.”
“Leave it in the car. Earbud, wallet, and anything else that might identify you—except your military ID.” He reaches and messes up Marcus’s hair. “Try to look less like an agent and more like a soldier who just came home to find something tragic has happened to his college sweetheart. Your phone?”
Marcus hands it to him. “Understood, sir. I don’t have my military ID with me.”
Garrett adds a number to the contacts, then pulls a small billfold from his jacket. “Now you do. The receipts are to back up your trip from Bellingham. The credit card is maxed. It was last used to purchase a bus ticket here.” Julian pockets both. “Her name is Samantha Clements, and you’ll call her Sam. She looks younger than she actually is, but the education is real. You were undercover at M.I.T. supposedly on loan from the NSA, but really answering to the CIA.”
“Yes, sir.”
“She was there at the same time, so that’s where you met and dated. The two of you had a disagreement. You were dead set on serving your country. She was too smart to wait around for your return. She came to the area to spend time with her father. You don’t want to talk about him. You don’t like the man, but he was with her when she was hurt. He is still missing. She loves him more than anything else in this world.”
“Understood, sir. Why wouldn’t I like him?”
“I’ll leave that up to you. He was Navy—a good man and a close friend of mine—so don’t tarnish his reputation.” He hands the device back. “Her uncle is listed as her emergency contact: Elias Garrett. That’s me, in my position with the FBI. He contacted you when he heard what happened. The number connects to an asset who knows they’re acting as a relay. They’ll take a message. Assume all communications are being monitored.”
“Nothing sensitive.” Marcus nods. “Have we met?”
“Not officially. Sam confided in her uncle about you and your relationship—”
“With no other family in the picture, you—not being military—would understand her concerns better than her father. I was close. She didn’t have my number, but you had the resources to find me.”
“You catch on quick. If I need you, you’ll get a text. Don’t respond unless it includes the numbers on your ID.”
“Are we expecting an attentive audience?” Marcus asks.
“I always am. You, however, are not. Alpha team is on-site. You’re on their list of expected faces. You won’t come up as one of ours when checked, so be careful. CDC, FBI, and Homeland are here as well. Suspected bioterrorism.”
“Situational realism?”
“They have the resources to determine that, should it prove true. We dropped the anonymous call. We’re here as secondary eyes only.”
“Yes, sir. Do I know what has happened to her? And how far behind am I?”
“She and her father were Search and Rescue at Severin’s Creek. You’re familiar with the area?”
“Very. I’m familiar with the incident as well, sir. They were dispatched on a report of a possible downed plane. It turned up later with a malfunctioning transponder, and we cleared it from the threat list a few hours ago. They’re the team that got caught off guard and went missing in the avalanche?”
“Those two don’t get lost, and they don’t get caught unaware. What Sam remembers and what I’ve verified are at opposite poles, which means a cleanup happened before Sam got word to me.”
“Or she remembers incorrectly.”
Garrett glares at him.
“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to—”
“I trust Sam’s recollection of events over any report. Attention to detail is key. Your focus is on her and her alone. She will resist any attempts to help her until she feels safe. That is where you come in. If she mentions or asks about anyone else, speak honestly about what you know. Without anyone else knowing, tell her I got her message loud and clear, and Humpty Dumpty has been placed back as he was before. If—and I place a heavy emphasis on if—ICID comes into the conversation, she is aware of the agency and my role in it, but she is not an agent, asset, or in any way associated with us. My telling you this puts both of your lives in danger. Not even those I answer to know of our personal connection. I intend to keep it that way.”
“Understood, sir.”
“Make sure you do. She implied contact with a possible Trust operative.”
Julian’s eyes widen.
“I’m identifiable to them, which is why I’m holding back. Use the phone. You don’t know my position.”
“Yes, sir. Just a soldier boyfriend. Assess and ascertain; do not engage. Timeframe?”
“Whatever you need, but put a worried uncle’s mind at ease sooner rather than later. An associate of mine has gotten her out of the emergency room and to a more secure location. I know Sam well enough to recognize she’s holding off the doctors and treatment for a good reason, but she can’t do it forever.”
“Sir?”
“Find out what it is she needs and get it to her.”
“I understand, sir. There’s a cafe in the hotel around the corner to the east that caters to traveling business types. A conference is taking place there tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’m aware.”
“Oh, and Sam has a picture-perfect memory. She’s been through a traumatic event, so I imagine she’s shaken, but whatever you do, don’t lie to her. She will know and lock you in the doghouse, never letting you out. She’ll expect the precautions I’d take beforehand, so if she indicates something is wrong, listen to her and do what she asks.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
Julian stands with the medical staff outside Sam’s room. Two orderlies alternate positions nearby, keeping the hallway in sight.
The doctor glances toward the door and lowers his voice. “She’s responsive and seems aware. Dr. Herman was able to stabilize her and administer some medication, but when he left, the records locked and we lost access. I’m afraid to give her anything that might conflict.”
“He left?” Julian asks.
“There was concern about a possible contagion. They completely shut down the ER.”
“I noticed that coming in. It was suggested there was nothing to worry about. Is there?”
“No. She’s been cleared.”
“Can I talk to her alone? I’ll get her permission, or I’ll get her uncle’s. Okay?”
The doctor nods. “The sooner the better. The longer she—”
“Surgery in the morning at the earliest. I’ll get her to cooperate with you until then. I don’t mean to be pushy. I just want to see my girlfriend.”
“Yes, of course.”
Julian enters and secures the door behind him. Sam lies flat on the bed, only her head and the C-collar visible above the blanket.
He steps closer. “Sam…?”
Her eyes remain closed. “Doctor? Nurse? Orderly of annoyance? Whatever it is, not interested.”
“Your uncle Garrett sent me.”
“Familiar voice. Do I know you?”
“We, uh... crossed paths at M.I.T. Listen, Sam—”
“That’s my name...but it’s not the one you know me by.” Her swollen eyes open. She blinks against the light, struggling to focus. “Step over here where I can see you, please?”
Julian steps into her line of sight and gets a clear look at her face. “Ah, shit. I can explain.”
“No need. You work for him. Great.” She struggles to swallow. “Figured you were smarter than that. CIA wasn’t enough for you, huh?”
“Didn’t know who he was until about an hour ago—or that he was your uncle. What’s up with that?”
“He’s not. Yeah, Julian, just to clear the air, I knew who you worked for when we were together. Didn’t care much then, don’t now. But I have to give him credit for taking the shortcut in the ‘redshirt’ category.”
“What?”
“You’re already a known entity to me. Redshirt—the sacrificial bunny. Get to know you just in time for you to end up dead. Didn’t you watch Trek at all?”
“Uh...”
“Careful how you answer that. I’m sure he told you about me. Don’t be messing up his plans. It’ll look even worse on your file than whatever it was you did to land this duty.”
“How should I answer that?”
“However you choose.”
“As part of the cover... admittedly, I enjoyed them, and caught the reference, though I don’t believe that’s the case now. Yes, he told me about you. I was supposed to coax recognition, not actually know you. So you work with him as well?”
“Hell no! And you probably weren’t supposed to ask me that, were you?”
“No limits on what I could say. Just orders not to lie to you.”
“Yeah, I can go for that. But I’ll be damned sure to ask him how he put us together. Staying out of my life was part of our deal.”
“From what I understand, you called him, and I don’t think he knows about our... um...”
“Yes, I did, and you’re not winning any points on that front yet. As to us? Call it what it was: a handful of drunken nights of sexual exploits followed by some intense stalker-esque behavior on both our parts. You because you were trying to stay close enough to find out if I was providing secrets to foreign governments through my research—not! And me? Well, let’s just write that off as hormones. You were available and feigned interest.”
Sam draws a shallow breath. “That’s the past. Why are you here?”
“Just a detached boyfriend who got a call about his girl being hurt.”
“That’s the cover. What’s the job?”
“Assessing and ascertaining.”
“And...?”
“Still assessing. I’m sorry, Kara—”
“Sam,” she corrects.
“Is that your real name?”
“It is, and I already know Julian is yours, so just cut the bullshit, okay? If you’re really with Garrett, he would’ve told you—”
“That he has put Humpty Dumpty back together—”
“As he was before,” she corrects.
“I’m to listen to you. You’re my priority. So what am I listening to? What do you need?”
“You always were pushy.”
“And you were always an elitist-smarter-than-anyone-should-have-the-right-to-be-bitch, but I didn’t hold it against you then.”
“You couldn’t. You were on the job!”
“And I am now. So what’s holding up consent to get you fixed?”
“There isn’t a trustworthy one of them in the bunch. I couldn’t let them put me under until he got here. I couldn’t risk losing what I know because I never woke up.”
“Normal fear.”
“A lot more, given my recent acquisitions. I’m a humanitarian; I’d rather sacrifice myself than risk the lives of the people in this hospital. But I kinda do want to live, preferably walking around on my own two feet.”
“How are their lives at risk?” Sam shoots him a look. “Okay, I’ll admit I’m thrown. I’ve stepped into the middle of something far beyond my pay grade.”
“Uh, yeah, you could say that. What is your clearance level? Color, number, vegetable, or fruit?”
“What are we, five and playing paper fortune teller? Even if I answered that, how do I know I should?”
“You don’t. It’s another test. And...” She takes a couple of breaths, her eyes drifting shut. “You passed. I’ll rate you a Blueberry ’cause I don’t want to waste time.”
“You alright? Do I need to get the doctors?”
“I’m not alright. There’s nothing they can do.”
“Anything in here that you could use to access the hospital network? More specifically, their CCTV feeds?”
“I could make it work, but this place is locked down tighter than Fort Knox and has more security than the White House under a terror threat. Even if I got in, everyone on a government salary would know in seconds.”
“So you’re saying you’re not up to the challenge.” She closes her eyes.
“Sam?”
“Still here. I’m thinking, and it’s easier without the bright lights in my face.”
“Sorry.”
“Recording... that won’t work. Writing it all down is too dangerous and would take forever. Hey, is there a crystal on a leather band in here somewhere?”
“Uh...” He looks around. “No.”
“Put that on your list. Find out what happened to it. Get it back to me ASAP. It was with me when they brought me in, but I’ve checked out a few times since then. If I die before that happens, make sure it gets to Garrett.”
“Its importance?”
“It just is. Only him, and don’t just go askin’ around. No one can know you’re looking for it except me, you, and the walls, and while they might listen, they don’t talk back.” She grins.
“I’ll make the assumption there are listening devices.”
“Going forward, yes, please. It’s a Blueberry requirement until you can build a proper scanner or sneak one in.”
“Okay. Would he know what this crystal looks like?”
“Uh... yeah, you’d want to call it a fairy whistle.”
“And he’ll understand that?”
“Yep. Never call things by their thing-names, got it?”
“Everything is in code?”
“As a newly authorized member of the Blueberry Club, you’re going to experience many things that can’t be explained. More than half the time, I’m going to sound like a raving lunatic.You were so bad at hiding—hell, you actually lied to me about it.”
“And yours is perfect. You didn’t care who knew.”
He takes a moment, then pulls a chair beside the bed. “What exactly is it with you and the Blueberry references?”
“I talk a lot when I’m nervous or in pain so—”
“Remember that about you.”
“You know how government-type agencies that deal with secrets or run operations have levels? Usually, they start with colors. Easily identified and organized, but they outgrow the rainbow pretty quickly. Threat or security level mauve or indigo doesn’t exactly sound professional, so they progress into numbers. You get to the highest clearance? You’re doing nothing but sitting behind a desk pushing papers and giving orders to the numbers and colors.”
“The vegetables are raw powerhouses. I see. The fruits?”
“They work hand in hand with the vegetables, often behind the scenes. They know more than they should, but usually have no idea what they’re sitting on or how to use it outside their compartmentalized world.”
“The King’s men that put Humpty Dumpty back in place again? Most of them are fruits.”
“Why do you keep saying it wrong? The King’s men put him back together again, not back in place.”
“Well, yeah. If you’re referencing the modern nursery rhyme, it has a whole different meaning in its more historically accurate form. Humpty Dumpty was a cannon—a big one. It fell from the wall at a very pivotal and bad moment for the King’s men.”
“Some kind of secret code, I take it?”
“A Blueberry would make that assumption, yes. My boyfriend, however, is wondering how badly my brain was scrambled and if it’s going to be permanent.”
“Not a far stretch on that one.”
“Yeah, while I can joke about it now, I can’t say that’ll stay true. I encountered something up there that I’m not 100% sure was real. I remember everything, but parts are hazy or jumbled. They don’t feel right when I recall them. Could be shock, could be brain damage, could be my overactive imagination kicking into gear. He sent you here, probably aware of that. And while I don’t want to, I have no choice but to surrender to your decisions.”
“There’s always a choice.”
“Not when you aren’t sure you’re evaluating the options correctly, which I’m not.”
“When you call, tell him that. He’ll know what to do.”
“Sounds like you’re checking out. That sure doesn’t sound like the Sam I know.”
“Exactly. I’m not the Sam you know.”
“Now do your boyfriend duty. Freak out when my eyes roll up into my head and I become nonresponsive.”
“Is this a ruse?”
She releases a deep breath. Her body begins to seize.
“Ah, shit!”
Julian hits the emergency button and rushes to the door. The nurse is already coming down the hallway.