A Darker Shade of Dead (9 page)

She was in a tight spot, there was no doubt about that. She wanted to be honest with Matt, but there was no way he would understand what was going on in her life, or some of her questionable—or downright bad—decisions up to this point. He would never understand how gullible she'd been or how stupid. For a smart woman, she could really be a dope sometimes.

So much of the current situation was her fault. Matt's job was to fix her mistakes, whether he knew it or not. She feared that if and when he ever found out the full extent of her guilt, he'd hate her. It would be so much worse if they became closer than they already were. She understood that intellectually. Somebody just had to tell her heart. Silly thing, it didn't seem able to resist the man.

Matt came back to her, his tray heaped with a lunch about double the size of hers. Then again, he had to weigh close to twice what she did. The man was pure muscle and built on the large side, well over six feet tall. He sat opposite her with a grin that she returned unconsciously. He had such a great smile. It was hard not to respond to it.

“I'm glad you're still talking to me after yesterday,” he said with an attractively innocent lift of his lips. She shouldn't have been surprised. Matt was both a charmer and a take-charge kind of guy. It made sense he would approach their strained situation head on.

“Of course I'm still talking to you. I meant what I said, Commander. Let's just put yesterday behind us and move forward from here.” She began eating. She hoped he'd let the topic die there.

“Still, I owe you an apology.”

Darnit, he just wouldn't let sleeping dogs lie.

“Not necessary. It's best to just forget it.”

He stilled, drawing her attention. When she met his gaze he was as solemn as she'd ever seen him.

“What if I can't forget?”

That knocked the wind from her sails.

“We have to.” It was as simple as that. Couldn't he see how hard it would be otherwise?

“Says who?”

Sandra wasn't sure how to respond to that. Looking downward, she toyed with the fork in her hand, stirring her food around on the plate. She could feel Matt staring at her until finally he sighed and sat back.

“Sorry. I'm pushing too hard. I sincerely didn't mean to do that, Sandra, and I hope you'll forgive me yet again.” She chanced a look upward to meet his gaze. Frustration was evident in his expression. Good. So she wasn't the only one feeling out of sorts with this entire situation.

“Don't apologize.” She wasn't going to let him shoulder all the blame. “This is just a little beyond my experience. I don't know how to deal with it and frankly, I can't spare the energy. Not with so much riding on our shared mission. Fixing that problem has to come first. I'm sorry, but that's the way it has to be.”

“You're right.” Matt looked away, appearing chastised or perhaps angry with himself. When he turned back to meet her eyes, he looked resolved. “Of course you're right. Again, you have my apologies. You're thinking much more clearly than I am at the moment.”

“I sincerely doubt that. My stress level is off the charts lately.” She chuckled, allowing at least that much of the truth out. It was a relief to admit it. “I'm not very clearheaded about even the simplest things lately. There's too much riding on our work and too many things that could go wrong. I wasn't built for this kind of pressure. I always thought lab work would be quiet and a nonstressful kind of job. Boy, was I wrong.” She made a face and Matt beamed. The man had a killer smile that still managed to turn her insides to molten lava. Damn.

“You're doing a great job, Sandra. Just in case nobody's said it, I want you to know you've already earned the team's respect for creating the serum that saved Sam's life. And I can see you're holding up extraordinarily well under really tough circumstances. Everyone knows that and nobody appreciates your hard work and loyalty more than I do.” He reached across the table to place one hand over hers. His sincerity warmed her heart, and his unexpected words made her feel even more like a louse.

“So how's your back?” She made a rather obvious volley to change the topic. Thankfully, he allowed it, removing his hand from hers and returning his attention to his meal.

“It's okay. In fact, I'll be getting more of a workout for the next few days. I sent John and Donna on a fact-finding mission to California. They developed some leads that I want them to follow up. It'll be a good chance for Donna to get some investigative experience, but that also means I'll be leading the PT sessions while he's gone.”

“You won't work out with the guys, will you?” She cringed at the way that sounded. “I mean, who will teach us girls?” she amended, but the look he gave her said he knew what she'd really meant.

“I'll still work with you and Sarah. I figured I'd leave the guys to beat each other up during the sparring part of the class. They ought to be good at that. They're all self-starters and most have about the same skill set as me. I don't really need to lead them because I can't show them much that's new. John is the man for that. He was a highly ranked martial artist even before he joined the Corps. They only made him better. He was the guy who taught the instructors that would then go out and teach their men. The teachers' teacher, if you will.”

“He seems so quiet. I never would have guessed.”

“It's usually the quiet ones you have to be careful of.” He winked playfully as he finished the last bite of his lunch.

“Well, just promise me you'll take it easy, even if you're leading the PT classes. You don't want to risk re-injury.”

“Yes, Mother.” He saluted her with his bottled water before draining the last few swallows.

“I am nobody's mother.”

He laughed outright at her disgusted tone.

“You ready? I don't want to rush you but I'm heading back to my office. If you're going back to the lab, I could walk with you.”

“I'm done.” She stood, grateful for the escort. She didn't want to run into that fake officer again. Matt would be an effective shield for the time being. At least until she got back to her lab.

 

The phone on Matt's desk rang as soon as he walked in the door. He picked it up, identifying himself as he placed his hat on the desk for the time being.

“Please hold for Admiral Chester, sir.”

Well that was a surprise. Chester was Matt's immediate superior in the chain of command. He'd been giving Matt a lot of leeway up till now, allowing him to bypass Chester and report up to the Special Ops Command admiral instead. So it was interesting to hear from him now.

“Sykes? How are things going down there? I heard you had a problem with your office staff.”

Now that was interesting.

“There have been some small issues,” Matt allowed. He wasn't sure what this phone call—on an unsecured line—was all about, but he'd play along. Cautiously.

“I want you to do a full review of all your staff. I'm going to send someone I trust along to help you. A bright young officer who specializes in personnel issues. She has my highest recommendation. Ensign Bartles will be of great help to you, I'm sure.”

Matt didn't like the sound of this at all. Up till this point he'd been able to carefully pick and choose who he wanted on his team. Except for the folks who'd been added to his team by reason of their immunity, he knew all the personnel and had worked with them before. Adding a new person would be difficult.

But he couldn't refuse. Not when the person came highly recommended from his direct superior. Matt had to suck it up and accept the newcomer. He'd also have to keep his eyes wide open. This move was suspect and would alert whoever was spying on him already that they had to be more careful. Altogether not the move Matt would have taken had he been in Admiral Chester's shoes. Then again, Chester had never impressed Matt as being all that bright.

“Thank you, sir.” The words nearly choked him, but Matt had to comply with his superior's wishes.

“Bartles should be arriving today and will be in your office tomorrow. I expect you to put the personnel matter in her capable hands. She'll clear the decks for you. Mark my words.”

Great, Matt thought. Just great. Another chess piece being thrown into the game. Just what he needed

Sure enough, bright and early the next morning a blond bombshell of an ensign showed up polished and perfect in his office at the appointed hour. Matt had to hand it to Admiral Chester. This woman was a first-class stunner. If she'd been sent as a distraction or as Chester's personal spy, he was in for a rude awakening.

While Ensign Beverly Bartles would have been enough to turn the head of just about any man, Matt was surprisingly immune. He realized with a nervous pang that the only woman who had the power to distract him lately was a petite and powerful scientist with red hair and green eyes. Damn. When had she gotten to him so completely? Matt didn't know but he suspected it was only moments after he'd seen her in person for the first time. She was just that potent.

“Sir, I've been tasked by Admiral Chester to review your personnel and assist your command in any way possible.”

Matt didn't miss the deliberate double entendre in her otherwise circumspect words.

“Thank you, Ensign. You'll find the personnel files in that drawer.” He pointed toward a filing cabinet at the back of the room. “You may take the files to your desk, which is out in the main area, past Lieutenant Riley's desk. He'll show you where, if you can't find it. I expect you to return the files to Riley's possession each time you leave your desk. They are not to be left unattended at any time. Understood?”

She agreed and with little room for conversation, she headed over to the filing cabinet and dug in. Her head popped up only a moment later.

“Sir, there seems to be some files missing. I was told there were combat troops assigned to your team as well as support people. These files seem to be all support personnel.”

“You're correct, Ensign. I want you to start with those. I'll be reviewing the combat troops myself.” His tone brooked no argument though she looked like she dearly wanted to object. “If you have what you need to get started, you're dismissed, Ensign. I have a lot of work to do.”

“Aye, aye, sir.” She saluted and took a stack of folders with her on her way out the door.

Matt wasn't looking forward to working with her. She'd just raised an internal alarm inside Matt. She was after the identities of the combat troops. Whether for Chester's personal knowledge or some more nefarious purpose, he didn't know, but she'd get that information over his dead body.

What Chester and his spy didn't know was that there were no files on any of the combat personnel. Not here, at any rate. And none that mentioned their special qualification to be on his team. There were no records of who was immune and who wasn't, by Matt's specific command. The only files were in his head, and he was doing his best to keep it that way.

 

“Hi, Tim.” Beverly Bartles nodded to Lieutenant Tim Riley, Matt's personal assistant. She'd known him for years. They'd served together under Admiral Chester's command before.

“Hey, Bev, you're looking good.” The appreciative gleam in the man's eyes wasn't unexpected. Beverly had invested a lot of money in plastic surgeons to look this good. Her body was just one of the weapons in her arsenal, and she used it to full advantage.

“Are we secure here?”

“Unless he comes out of his office, we're good.” Tim waved negligently to Matt's closed office door.

“Well then, the admiral wants you to know that he's pleased with the information you've been able to give him to date. In fact, he sent me as a replacement. He has a new mission for you since you've done such a good job here.”

“Really?” Tim was so gullible. Beverly wondered how he'd ever lasted this long working private missions for Chester.

She handed him a slip of paper with an address neatly typed on it. “You're to report to this address tonight when you get off duty. Don't even go back to your quarters. Go directly here. Understood?”

“Got it. So, after I'm done there, you want to meet up at my place? It's been too long, Bev.”

She smiled, knowing he'd never make the rendezvous but happy to play along. Let the poor sucker believe he was going to get laid. It didn't matter to her.

“I've missed you, too, Tim. I'll look forward to it.”

 

When Tim Riley went AWOL, Beverly Bartles was ready with proof that he was the spy. She'd uncovered suspect information in his past that looked just a little too pat to Matt, but he wasn't in any position to argue. She was the handpicked, trusted confidant of an admiral. The USSOCOM commander was pleased to have the issue resolved so easily and quickly, though a manhunt was on for Tim Riley.

Matt doubted they'd ever find him. It was a shame, really. Matt had liked Riley, though he'd been the number one suspect for bugging his office. He'd been a rather harmless young officer with more hair than sense.

Now that Riley's position was open, Admiral Chester insisted that Beverly stay on to take Riley's place since she'd already been briefed on the mission. Matt had little choice but to keep her. That didn't mean he trusted her. In fact, he trusted her even less than he'd trusted Riley. But he'd keep her around. Better to keep your enemies in plain sight, he always thought.

T
hings rolled along well after that for about a week. Twice in the intervening days, Sandra found messages from Rodriguez meant for her. The first was a slip of paper slid under her door in the middle of the night. It was handwritten and contained only a phone number and the stylized letter
R.

She recognized that initial right away. Doctor Rodriguez had signed off on all his reports just the same way. The pompous ass.

No way would she ever dial that number. She set fire to the paper and washed the ashes down the drain in her lab, the same way she'd disposed of the card he'd given her on the road. She didn't want to leave any evidence lying around that could link her to that bastard.

The second message was more direct. Someone left a disemboweled squirrel in front of her lab door, using the poor beast's blood to write the words “you're next” on the door panel above.

Gagging, she'd disposed of the poor little thing as humanely as possible, burying it after dark under the bushes at the back of her building. It was clear that Rodriguez—the sadistic bastard—was tired of waiting for her to change her mind.

She hoped it would end there. She hoped that Rodriguez would accept that she wouldn't work for him and leave it at that. He'd threatened her, but what good would it do him to send someone to kill her? She obviously wasn't talking, or he'd have heard it by now. He appeared to have easy access to the base. Chances were, he thought he would know if she'd told anyone about his approach.

But she couldn't have been more wrong.

Matt had sent the combat team on night maneuvers in the woods surrounding the base after reports of strange activity out near the perimeter of the base. John and Donna had flown to Tennessee earlier that day in a continuation of their mission. Matt had briefed everyone at the afternoon meeting that lasted until dinner.

The field operatives had moved out before dark and Sandra had eaten a quiet meal by herself in the base cafeteria before returning to her lab.

Opening her laboratory door, she realized almost immediately that something was horribly wrong. Someone had left her a nasty surprise of the undead kind.

The moaning was her first clue. That and the shuffling sound of human feet moving awkwardly along the concrete floor. It was coming from the small bedroom at the rear of the lab.

As she listened in growing horror, that night in the lab turned morgue at Quantico came back to her in full force. The inhuman sounds coming from the creature's mouth made her spine turn to jelly as her knees threatened to buckle. The sound of it drawing closer was the only thing that spurred her to action.

Sandra reached for the cell phone she'd been issued, flipping it open and hitting the speed dial.

“Sykes,” came the crisp reply as Matt picked up on the other end.

“Matt, it's Sandra. There's a zombie in my lab.” She heard the tremor in her voice as the creature finally showed itself, emerging from the small bedroom into the dim light of the main laboratory. “Oh, my God, it's Dr. Jennings. They killed him.”

Jennings was still recognizable. He didn't have the brown stains of old blood on his hands or the face the combat team had described or the grotesque wounds another creature would have inflicted on him as it attacked. No, Dr. Jennings looked whole, though his skin was gray and his eyes were blank. A walking corpse. And that was frightening enough.

Even more daunting was the knowledge that he hadn't been attacked and he apparently hadn't had time to attack anyone else yet. No, Dr. Jennings had most likely been injected with the contagion deliberately and then dumped here in her lab. She was probably supposed to be his first victim.

No doubt Rodriguez was aiming to kill two birds with one stone. He'd murdered Jennings and intended Jennings to take her out in the messiest, scariest, most gruesome way possible.

“Get out of there, Sandra!” Matt's urgent command barked from the tiny speaker on the phone.

“I can't let him escape.” Grim flashes of that open doorway through which the original specimens had escaped into the night sped through her mind. She couldn't let that happen again. If Jennings got out and started attacking people on base, this terrible situation could morph into something much worse.

She couldn't have that on her conscience. Not again.

“I'll try to hold him in the lab until you get here.”

“Stay on the line, Sandra. I'm on my way.” She could hear clicking sounds followed by doors opening and the pounding of feet as Matt made his way to her. “I'm almost there, sweetheart. Tell me what's happening.”

“He's coming toward me.” Her legs were literally frozen with fear.

“Where are you? Give me exact positions.”

“He was in the bedroom. I'm at the doorway that leads to the hall. He's about twenty feet away now, near the sink area.”

Jennings let out an inhuman moan that Matt apparently heard over the phone.

“Shit! Get out of there, Sandra. I'm at the stairs. I'll be there in a minute, tops. Clear out and leave me an open shot.”

“You'll have a clear shot, Matt,” she said quietly. A burst of courage came from somewhere as she clicked the End button and discarded the phone. Talking to Matt now would only distract them both.

Sandra shifted to one side of the room, taking the zombie's attention with her. Matt would have a clear line from the doorway if he only got here in time.

 

Matt cursed as the call was lost. He slammed the stairwell door open on the basement level of the building. That's where Sandra's lab was located. Below ground. Hidden. Safe. Or so he'd thought.

Somehow, someone had gotten one of those monsters in, right under their noses. Heads would roll when he figured out how this had happened. If he lived through this encounter.

Everyone who was immune was out in the field. Only now did he suspect that the activity near the perimeter of the base was probably some kind of diversion designed to isolate Sandra. It had worked all too well. Matt wouldn't make the same mistake again. He'd spread his small team too thin, assuming the threat would have to come from the woods to get to the main base. How wrong he'd been. The sick bastards who were making the zombies had to have some way of getting on base without raising any red flags. He'd find out how they managed it if it was the last thing he ever did.

Matt barreled down the hall at top speed toward the open door that led to Sandra's laboratory. He was armed with a pistol specially fitted with the toxic darts that would dissolve the creature into its component parts. Given enough time and a few direct hits, the nightmare monster would be reduced to a pile of organic goo and whatever old scraps of clothes it had worn.

The scene that met him when he skidded into the lab was utter chaos. Parts of the lab had been trashed. Glass crunched under his feet as he entered and did a quick sweep, stopping abruptly when he saw Sandra standing a few yards away, her face frozen in horror. She was screaming something, but the adrenaline in his system made his blood pound in his ears, and time slowed.

He saw her motioning franticly behind him and he turned. Not in time.

A handful of razor-sharp claws raked down his arm sending blinding waves of pain through the arm and into his chest. Shit! The zombie had gotten in behind him.

Before he could do anything, the creature had the muscular part of Matt's left forearm in its mouth, pointed teeth raking through flesh. Blood welled as intense pain snapped everything into sharp focus. Time sped to its normal flow as Matt turned on the creature, using its momentum to break the hideous grip of teeth and claws on skin and bone.

Bringing up his right hand and the pistol, Matt let loose with four dart rounds in quick succession, nailing the creature at point-blank range. He jumped backward and placed two more darts—one in the leg and one in the arm—for good measure. If what he'd heard from the combat troops held true, the guy should start dissolving in about forty-five seconds.

Matt just had to keep him away from Sandra for that length of time before he collapsed from the poison already working its fiery way through his system. He could feel it, pounding along with his pulse. The adrenaline only made it spread faster. He was going to die. And the true horror was that he'd likely rise again as one of these disgusting, mindless creatures. He had to leave enough darts to take himself out before that happened.

He danced around the zombie, trying to keep it distracted and well out of reach for just long enough. The broken glassware made his footing uncertain until he hit a patch near the back lab bench that was clear. He was getting too damned close to Sandra. If that fucking corpse didn't start turning to mush soon, Matt didn't know what he was going to do.

“Get out of here, Sandra! Go!” He tried once more to get her to leave.

She scuttled farther away, into the rear of the laboratory, refusing again.

“He'll dissolve soon. Just a few more seconds, I think.”

“This is no time for bravery, sweetheart. I want you gone. Now!”

“Sorry, I can't do that.”

“Can't? Or won't. You damned stubborn…scientist.”

“Is that the best you can come up with?” She almost sounded like she was laughing, but he put it up to nerves. No way could she be so calm with certain death walking not ten feet from where she stood.

Finally—finally—the zombie began to disintegrate. One moment it was walking, the next, it slid to the ground, coming apart on a molecular level. Within seconds, only a patch of slime and old clothing was left on the concrete floor.

Matt could rest. After he took care of one last thing.

“I have two darts left in the pistol and another clip in my belt.” He took out the spare clip as he spoke and slid it toward Sandra along the cold black surface of the lab table, along with the pistol. “You have to take me out before I rise, sweetheart.”

“No way in hell.” Her vehemence surprised him even as she scooped up the pistol and spare clip and shoved them in a drawer.

He was starting to fade as he watched her grab a long needle and some glass vials off one of the lab benches that hadn't been damaged. She looked determined as she headed straight for him.

“Stay clear, Sandra. I mean it. Everything's contaminated and I'm infected. I can feel waves of heat coursing through my body and I'm beginning to lose feeling in my hands and feet. I don't want you to die, too.”

She ignored his warning and dropped to his side as he slipped to the ground, losing strength fast.

“Don't worry about me. I'm already immune.” She tied a tourniquet as she spoke, reaching for things she'd put on the lab table above them. “And if I have anything to say about it, you will be, too. Dammit, Matt.” She cursed as she filled a syringe with her latest experimental serum. “I don't want to lose you to this. Especially not after you came to my rescue.” She gave him a watery smile as she injected him in the heart with the new, improved formula. “This had better work.”

“If it doesn't—” He grasped her hand in an almost bruising grip as he began to fade. “Don't worry. I always wanted to go out in a blaze of glory. My only regret is that I never got to kiss you.”

“I beg your pardon?”

He smiled a little drunkenly. “Always so proper. I've been wondering if I could chip away at that cool demeanor. I guess now I'll never know. I'd like to think I could…” His voice drifted as his eyes closed.

Sandra cradled his head in her lap as he slid lower on the floor, going almost boneless as he headed toward unconsciousness. She stroked his stubbly cheek, tears forming in her eyes.

“I bet you could have at that, Commander.” Giving in to impulse, she leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

As she pulled back, his eyes popped open.

“Did you just kiss me?” He looked more amused than surprised as a gentle smile slid over his lips.

“I must not have done it right if you have to ask.”

“Maybe you should try it again, just so I can be sure.”

She was about to kiss him again when his body went rigid and his eyes rolled back in his head. Sandra sobbed with relief. He wasn't going to die. At least not yet. His body was responding to the serum like Sam's had. If all went well, he'd be immune when he came through to the other side of the convulsions and muscle spasms.

She nursed him through the first round of reaction but knew there would probably be more to come. She needed help, but she didn't want to leave him. Chancing a quick run to the other side of the room, she grabbed the phone from where it had fallen and brought it back to where he lay on the floor. She dialed with shaking hands, calling for help from the other team members.

The hunting parties were still out on patrol, but she might be able to get someone from the tech side of the team to assist. Donna was gone, somewhere in Tennessee with John, but Mari was probably in her quarters at this hour. She scrolled down the list until she got to Mari's listing and hit Send.

“Sandra? What's up?” Mari answered on the third ring.

“There's been an incident in my lab. I had to inject Commander Sykes with the new version of my serum. So far it looks like he's responding well, but I could use your help with him. We'll need a cleanup team here, too, but I can't spare the time to track anyone down. Could you call it in for me?”

“There was a zombie in your lab?” Mari sounded alarmed and Sandra could hear noises in the background as Mari got her keys and opened and closed doors.

“Yeah, it was lying in wait for me when I came in from dinner. I called Matt and he came over with the darts and took care of it, but he got bitten, so I had to inject him. I had no choice. He'd have died otherwise.” Sandra's voice shook as nerves set in.

“I'll be right there,” Mari assured her.

“Don't come alone. So far I've only seen the one creature, but there could be more.” Fear began to surface as she thought through the possibilities. She wasn't a soldier. It had only just occurred to her that there could be more dangerous surprises in the building or anywhere on the base for that matter. “You'd better call the combat team. I think they need to check things out and maybe put the base on lockdown or something if they can. If this thing got in here, someone had to place him here. Who knows what else they did while they were here?”