David Golemon - Ripper

“Jack, we have an update on Ryan,” Everett said as he watched Collins lean away from the computer terminal.

“Is he screaming bloody murder yet?”

“You know he is. He said to tell you that if he’s to stay put in the hospital he wants a transfer to one that has better-looking nurses.” Everett watched the colonel’s face for any reaction.

“Tell him he’s damned lucky to have been moved from Texas to Las Vegas, and if he’s not careful, you’ll send him right back there.”

Carl noticed that Jack said he would have to send him back, not Jack himself . Everett smiled and took a seat without Collins offering it to him.

“Other than that, what are they saying about our flyboy?”

“He’s doing better than expected. He’s sore as hell and has two dueling scars he can thrill women with, so all in all the kid got off lucky.” Everett smiled hoping to get Collins to react to something. “I didn’t know hearing about the security department’s loss in our football game had upset you that much?”

Jack didn’t hear the question and looked at his second in command. “Excuse me?” he said.

“Okay, what’s going on? You’ve been in here since we came home. Sarah’s been in twice and even Charlie Ellenshaw dropped by to collect his winnings from the game and wanted to see you, but you told him to go away. I guess you sort of hurt the fuzzy-haired guy. You’ve been locked up in here doing God knows what — so, what gives?”

Jack took a deep breath and then looked at Everett. “Did you get to Doc Gilliam and have that shrapnel taken out of your shoulder?”

“I’ll get in line behind you as soon as you get that hand checked out. In case you didn’t notice, you have a bullet hole in it.”

Collins looked at his bandaged hand and then looked back at Everett. “I have to stop by the director’s office first. You want to tag along?”

“As long as it’s on the way to the infirmary, sure,” Everett answered as he watched Jack leave his chair for the first time in hours.

Collins led the way from the security offices, nodding at a very tired Will Mendenhall as the lieutenant sat at his desk adjusting the security roster for the absence of Lance Corporal Udall and Jason Ryan.

As they gained the hallway just to the left of the elevators, Jack turned to Everett.

“How many men do you have on our French friend down in the infirmary?”

“Two in the room, two in the hallway.”

“As soon as he’s able to be moved, put him in isolation down on level eighteen, with only a cot and a blanket.”

Everett nodded as they waited for the elevator. “The president wants Farbeaux turned over immediately to the FBI. He says now that we have him, he’s going to stay a guest of the United States for a very long time.”

Jack looked at Everett and then raised his left eyebrow. “I want you to conduct the debriefing of Colonel Farbeaux. The president doesn’t get him until that’s concluded,” he said as the elevator doors finally opened.

“I thought you would have wanted to have that little conversation with Henri?” Carl said as he watched Jack step into the elevator. Finally, when no answer came from his boss, Everett stepped in beside the colonel. “Europa, level seven, please.”

“Level seven.”

The elevator started up on its air-cushioned ride as Jack leaned back against the rear of the glass car.

“Europa, location of Director Compton, please,” Jack inquired as he closed his eyes once more.

“Director Compton is currently on level seventy-two, specimen vault 789000.”

“Location of Lieutenant McIntire, geology department?” he asked next.

“Lieutenant McIntire is currently conducting research on geological abnormalities found in current volcanic cones in the Central Pacific.”

“Have Lieutenant McIntire stop her research and join us on level seventy-two at the appropriate vault please. Now stop the elevator and take us to level seventy-two.”

“Yes, Colonel,” said Europa as the elevator came to a very fast and hissing stop. Then as Collins looked at Everett the elevator reversed and started down into the bowels of the Event Group Complex.

“You going to tell me what’s going on?” Carl asked.

“Any word yet on the properties of that magic elixir we took out of Perdition?” he asked instead of answering his friend.

“They haven’t touched the sample yet. The director wants some of our people currently on assignment to be in on the opening phase of the research. He’s also recalled the former head of our infectious disease department who now works for the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. The doctor and his daughter are on the security clearance list. So I guess if the director is recalling old personnel back into the fold, this stuff must worry him to no end.”

“The director thinks it may be a virus?”

“He doesn’t know yet, but he says if a reaction can happen that fast on Guzman, he can’t take any chances.” Everett turned and faced Collins. “But I guess you would have known that if you had read the same report I did.”

“Patience, Captain.”

As the elevator doors slid open and Europa announced their desired location, Jack shook his head when he thought Carl was going to ask another question. Both blue-clad men stepped into the hallway on level seventy-two and went directly to the security arch that led to the vaults. One of their security men was at his station at a small, clear desk and stood when they approached.

“Is the director still in the vault area?” Jack asked as he placed his hand on the glass security scanner and had his prints and the moisture content in his hand analyzed for his DNA. Europa cleared the colonel for entrance and then did the same for Everett.

“Yes, sir. He and the assistant director are classifying several new artifacts that have been transferred down to the new vault level.”

Jack went down the curving, plastic-lined hallway that hid the granite strata underneath. Level seventy-two was one of the newest vault areas in the complex and was just now starting to fill up with the treasures of the world’s past.

Collins ran his large hand along the wall as he headed toward the only vault door open on this level. Everett watched him and noticed that it was like Jack was taking it all in for the first time.

“We’ve done, I mean, the Group has done good things here, right?” he asked before stepping up to the open thirteen-foot steel door.

“If you mean has the Group fulfilled its charter? I think so. How many parallels in history have we uncovered that may have averted a war? Given the president something extra that he would never have known if it wasn’t for the Group? Yeah Jack, we’ve done some very good things. Everyone at the Event Group, past or present, has all done what was asked.”

Jack just nodded his head and gave Carl a ghost of a smile. “That helps.”

Everett watched Jack knock lightly on the sill of the giant vault door and then step over the threshold. He was about to follow when he heard a voice that usually gave him pleasure.

“Hey, Captain, we having a clandestine meeting down here?”

Everett smiled as he took in the battered face of Sarah McIntire. Both of her eyes were black and blue and the right was still nearly closed. She had a large bandage on her head where she had received sixteen stitches from Dr. Gilliam just two hours before. He lost his smile as he realized at that moment why they were there. It didn’t enter his mind until he saw the shape that Sarah was in. It all clicked as he allowed the diminutive McIntire to enter the vault first.

Jack was impressed with this particular acquisition they had uncovered in a small valley just inside the South African province of Natal. The vault was lined with artifacts and weapons from a period of revolt in what was once a part of the British Empire — Zululand.