Part 18 (2/2)

Nate nodded. ”Dr. Fong is right:”

Captain Waxman scowled, clearly not keen on letting civilians lead the way into an unknown encampment.

”Then perhaps I should be the one to go as their backup:' Gazes turned to Private Camera, the female Ranger. She was strikingly beautiful, a dark-skinned Latina with short-cropped black hair. She faced Captain Waxman. ”Sir, if women are viewed as less hostile, I would be best suited for this mission:”

Waxman finally agreed grudgingly. ”Fine. I'll trust Professor Kouwe's a.s.sessment for now. But I want the rest of my forces set within a hundred yards of their position. And I want constant radio contact:”

Frank glanced to Nate and Kouwe.

They nodded.

Satisfied, Frank cleared his throat. ”Then let's move:”

Kelly watched the camp fracture into various units. Nate, Kouwe, Anna Fong, and Private Camera were already motoring their pontoon boat into the current, while Captain Waxman selected three of his men and led them to a second rubber raider. They would paddle a hundred yards behind the first boat, keeping a safe distance away yet close enough for a rapid response. Additionally, three more Rangers would travel overland with Corporal Jorgensen in command. This team would take up a position a hundred yards from the village. In preparation, they painted their faces in jungle camouflage.

Manny had attempted to join this last party, but he'd been rebuffed by Captain Waxman. ”All other civilians stay here.”

With the matter settled, Kelly could only watch as the others set off. Two Rangers-the newly arrived Private Eddie Jones and Corporal Tom Graves-remained at the camp as bodyguards. Once the others were launched and on their way, Kelly overheard Jones grumble to Graves, ”How did we end up minding the friggin' sheep?”

Corporal Graves did not respond, staring dully into the drizzle, clearly grieving for his brother Rodney.

Alone now, Kelly crossed to Frank's side. As the nominal leader of this operation, her brother had the right to insist on joining either of the departing groups, but he had chosen to remain behind-not out of fear, she knew, but concern for his twin sister.

”Olin has the satellite link hooked up,” Frank said, taking his sister under his arm. ”We can reach the States when you're ready.”

She nodded. Not far from the fire, under a rain tarp, Olin sat hunched before a laptop and a satellite dish. He tapped busily at the keyboard, his face scrunched in concentration. Richard Zane stood over his shoulder watching him work. Finally, Olin glanced to them and nodded. ”All set,” he said. Kelly heard the trace of his Russian accent.

It was easy to miss unless one's ears were tuned for it. Olin was ex-KGB, once a member of their computer surveil-lance department before the fall of the communist regime. He had defected to the States only months before the Berlin Wall tumbled. His background in technology and his knowledge of Russian systems earned him a low-level security position in the CIAs Directorate of Science and Technology.

Frank guided Kelly to a camp chair before the laptop computer. Since learning of the contagion, Kelly had insisted they be updated twice daily now. Her excuse was to keep both sides fully apprised, but in reality, she had to know her family was still okay. Her mother, her father, her daughter. All three were at ground zero.

Kelly sat on the camp chair, eyeing Olin askance as he moved aside. She was never fully at ease around the man. Maybe because he was ex-KGB and she had grown up with a father in the CIA. Or maybe it was that ropy scar that stretched from ear to ear across his throat. Olin had claimed to be no more than a Russian computer geek for the KGB.But if that were true, how had he obtained that scar?

Olin pointed to the screen. ”We should be uplinked in thirty seconds:”

Kelly watched the small timer on the computer screen count down-ward. When it reached zero, her father's face blinked onto the screen. He was dressed casually, his tie half undone, no jacket.

”You look like a drowned rat” were his first words from the flickering image.

With a small smile, Kelly lifted a hand to her wet hair. ”The rains have started:”

”So I see:” Her father returned her grin. ”How are things out there?”

Frank leaned forward into the view. He gave a quick overview of their discovery.

As he talked, Kelly listened to the echoing whine of Nate's boat. The waters here and the overhanging jungle played tricks with acoustics. It sounded like the boat was still nearby, but then the noise suddenly choked off. They must have reached the village already.

”Watch out for your sister, Frank,” her father said, finis.h.i.+ng their talk.

”Will do, sir:”

Now it was Kelly's turn. ”How're Mother and Jessie?” she asked, hold-ing her fists clenched in her lap.

Her father smiled rea.s.suringly. ”Both in the pink of health. We all are. The entire inst.i.tute. So far no cases have been reported in the area. Any risk of contamination has been successfully quarantined, and we've converted the west wing of the inst.i.tute into temporary family housing. With so many MEDEA members here, we've got around-the-clock doctors:'

”How's Jessie handling it?”

”She's a six-year-old,” he said with a shrug. ”At first she was a bit scared at being uprooted. But now she's having a ball with the other staff's chil-dren. In fact, why don't you ask her yourself?”

Kelly sat straighter as her daughter's face came into view, a small hand waving. ”Hi, Mommy!” Tears welled. ”Hi, sweetheart. Are you having fun?”

Her daughter nodded vigorously, climbing into her grandfather's lap. ”We had chocolate cake, and I rode a pony!”

Choking back a laugh, her father spoke over the top of his grand-daughter's head. ”There's a small farm nearby, in the quarantinezone. They brought a pony over to entertain the kids:”

”That sounds like fun, honey. I wish I could've been there.”

Jessie squirmed in her seat. ”And you know what else? A clown is com-ing over and is gonna make animal balloons:”

”A clown?”

Her father whispered to the side. ”Dr. Emory from histopathology. He's d.a.m.n good at it, too:”

”I'm gonna ask him to make me a monkey,” Jessie said.

”That's wonderful:” Kelly leaned closer, soaking up the view of both her father and her daughter.

After a bit more elaboration on clowns and ponies, Jessie was lifted off her grandfather's knee. ”It's time for Ms. Gramercy to take you back to cla.s.s:”

Jessie pouted but obeyed.

”Bye, honey,” Kelly called. ”I love you!”

She waved again, using her entire arm. ”Bye, Mommy! Bye, Uncle Frankie!”

Kelly had to restrain herself from touching the screen.

Once Jessie was gone, her father's face grew grim. ”Not all the news is so bright:”

”What?” Kelly asked.

”It's why your mother isn't here. While we seem to have things contained, the outbreak in Florida is spreading. Overnight, there's been another six cases reported in Miami hospitals, and another dozen in outly-ing county hospitals. The quarantine zone is being widened, but we don't think we secured the area in time. Your mother and others are monitoring reports from across the country.”

”My G.o.d,” Kelly gasped.

”In the last twelve hours, the number of cases has now climbed to twenty-two. The fatalities to eight.

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