Mirrored Man: The Rob Tyler Chronicles Book 1 (29 page)

Don frowned and started to speak again, but
Greg continued. “Can you help me get him on the gurney?”

* * * * *

JO TURNER AND GERI
Hughes joined
Benny and the others in the security office.

“Back that one up a few seconds,” Benny
ordered. They stared at the central screen, watching as the image
of the nursery reversed and then started to play. Yeoum, Greg and
the major were supporting the clone's convulsing form. They heard
the clone say, “I don't know. Don? Greg?”

“Right here,” Greg replied.

“What's happening to me?” the clone screamed
and then collapsed.

“What happened?” Jo asked.

Ignoring her, Benny instructed, “Now back
the other one up to the same time index.”

The airman complied. On another screen
monitoring the kitchen, June, Tiong, and Eddie were kneeling around
Rob.

“What happened, buddy?” Tiong asked.

“I don't know. Don? Greg?”

“They're not here, buddy. They're in the
lab.”

“What's happening to me?” Rob screamed and
then collapsed into their arms.

“What happened?” Jo demanded, drawing a
piercing stare from Benny.

“One helluva cluster fu—” He cut himself
off.

Jo backed down a rung. “Well, are they
alright?”

“I don't know.” Benny stabbed the intercom
button with his middle finger. “Perez, professor, are your
situations under control?” His eyes switched back and forth between
the screens.

“For the moment,” Yeoum answered.

Eddie and Tiong moved Rob's wilted form to
one of the loveseats as June followed. Eddie stared at the speaker
in the ceiling. “I have no idea.”

“I need the two of you in the store room,
ASAP!” Benny barked. It was no request.

As Benny left, Jo asked, “Could somebody
please tell me what's going on?” She was ignored again.

“Back them up again, Airman,” Covington
ordered.

Jo found Geri’s questioning stare, but the
young agent simply shrugged.

* * * * *

EDDIE WAS ALREADY
there when Yeoum
and the captain entered the storeroom. Benny hadn’t taken the time
to change into scrubs, which, under different circumstances, would
have drawn an angry response. But Yeoum held he his tongue.

Benny was glaring at the professor. “Can you
explain what happened in there?”

Yeoum took up his typical defiant stance. “A
setback.”

Eddie shot the little man a surprised,
frustrated look.

“A
setback
!” Benny repeated angrily.
“Professor, that setback in there is my friend.”

Yeoum scoffed at the comment, being
completely unaware of Rob’s condition. “Come now, Captain.”

Benny turned his attention to Eddie. “What
about you?”

“Like I said, I have no idea. Doctor
Phillips was with the commander in the kitchen when it
happened.”

“When what happened?” Yeoum asked in
both annoyance and confusion.

Ignoring him, Benny continued with Eddie.
“What we saw in security was …” He was at a loss for words.

“What did you see?” Yeoum demanded.

Benny shot the Korean an accusing look. “We
saw Rob and that thing that you made in there freakin’ out,
convulsing, saying exactly same thing, at exactly same time, and
then they both …” He paused. In his haste, Benny failed to inquire
whether his friend was alive or not. “Well, I assume that they both
passed out.”

“Both?” Eddie and Yeoum asked in unison.

Benny yelled at the intercom. “Security,
patch me through to the parlor.”

“Go ahead, Captain.”

“Doctor Tiong, what is the condition of
Commander Tyler?”

* * * * *

IN THE LIVING ROOM
area, June and
Tiong had been joined by Cal Warren.

“He's alive, but unconscious, covered in
perspiration, but doesn't seem to be feverish,” Tiong answered.
Glancing over at Cal, he added, “Honestly, sir, I have no idea. We
called Doctor Mathers, but he hasn't responded.”

* * * * *

BENNY STABBED A
finger at Yeoum in an
unspoken order. “I'm afraid the major is otherwise occupied,
Doctor. I'm sending the professor to you now. Get the commander
ready to move.”

“Where are we moving him, Captain?” June
asked.

“Out,” Benny replied.

* * * * *

COVINGTON HIT THE
intercom button.
“Captain, you're not thinking of moving them out of the
complex?”

“Get off the line and put me through to the
lab, Sergeant!” Benny barked.

The airmen made the connection without
regard to Covington. “Go ahead.”

“Major, what is the condition of your …
patient?”

“He's alive, but unconscious. I don't know
what happened,” Greg stammered. “I really need to get him to a
hospital, Captain. I don't have the equipment—”

“We're already in motion, Greg. You and Cook
throw some clothes on
it
and get
it
to the garage.
We'll have a gurney waiting. Are you going to need any
assistance?”

“We can handle it, sir. Jimmy's here. We'll
get him there as quick as we can,” Don replied.

“You've got ten minutes, gentlemen.” Benny
started moving again. “And Major, check on the condition of
Commander Tyler when you get there. He'll be meeting you.”

* * * * *

IN THE LABORATORY,
Greg gave Don a
puzzled look. “Commander Tyler? I heard them call me but—”

“We kinda had our hands full,” Don cut him
off.

“What is going on?” Jimmy asked. He had
heard the end of their conversation with the captain and was still
taking in the scene before him.

Don finished dressing Orson. “Jimmy, find
out what you can from SIS. We need some information, fast!”

Jimmy cursed his inaction. He should have
been working already. “SIS, have you been monitoring the
situation?”

“Of course, Jimmy.”

“What is Commander Tyler's current
condition?”

“I'm afraid that I only have a limited
amount of information concerning Commander Tyler’s current
condition through visual records provided by the security
feeds.”

“Discontinue commentary. Answer further
inquiries directly,” Jimmy stated curtly.

“The commander is unconscious and in route
to Captain Walsh's ordered location.”

Jimmy watched as Don and Greg lifted Orson
from the gurney to a makeshift litter that would make moving him
through the laboratory compartments easier. Unsatisfied with SIS's
answer, but knowing that it was all he was likely to get, he moved
on. “What happened to the clone subject?”

“Immediately before extraction, there was a
spike in neural activity which resulted in premature consciousness.
Upon subject's removal, all monitoring systems except visual
records were disengaged according to protocol specifications.”

“Is that all you can tell me?” Jimmy asked,
his frustration growing.

“Please make specific inquiries.”

“Thanks for nothing!”

“Don’t worry about it Jimmy,” Don said.
“Give us a hand, huh?”

“He needs an MRI,” Greg said.

“How's he doin'?” Don asked.

“His pulse is racing, his respiration is
shallow and rapid. And he's still got some fluid in his lungs.”

“At least he's alive. Let's go!” Jimmy
said.

In their confusion and haste, none of them
noticed the sutured cut at the base of Orson’s left thumb.

COVINGTON’S EYES DARTED
from screen
to screen, watching the activity in the parlor, laboratory, and
warehouse as the events unfolded. He heard the captain's orders and
knew he had to move quickly. As the airmen remained glued to the
security monitors, he slipped out of the room.

He quickly made his way to his personal
quarters, locking the door behind him. On a small gray desk next to
his bed were two computer monitors, their split screens displaying
various views of the complex. He took note that it was raining
heavily on the outside as he habitually removed his sidearm and
checked the magazine, then chambered a round and replaced it.
Opening the desk’s center drawer, he removed a cell phone, a thumb
drive, and a micro earpiece that he inserted and activated.
“Foxtrot-three-four-one-two-two-seven-three, confirm?”

“Alpha-foxtrot-three-four-one-two-two-seven-three, confirmed,” the
female voice answered immediately.

With infinite calm, he spoke. “Flash flood.
I repeat, flash flood.”

“Acknowledged,” the voice replied.

Covington half smiled at the irony of the
code as he watched the torrent of rain outside the convenience
store. Closing the drawer, he turned to the computer and inserted
the drive. He tapped in his authorization code and then a sequence
that would initialize the security override to open the blast door
in the tunnel as well as the secret wall in the generator room,
among other things. Stepping over to the closet, he glanced at his
watch. He opened the closet door and removed a second, identical
pistol. He checked the magazine, chambered a round, and slid it
under his belt at the small of his back. Finally, he pulled his
rain poncho from the closet and slipped it over his head.

He checked his watch again. It was
01:13.

“Twenty-nine minutes,” he said softly.

Back in the hallway, two more airmen met
him. They had been awakened by the others when things seemed to be
spiraling out of control. “You men secure the facility,” he
ordered. Then he ran for the garage.

* * * * *

BENNY HAD THE TWO
flatbed golf carts
and two regular carts organized when the others arrived, enabling
them to load the unconscious forms of Rob and the clone quickly. He
ordered Covington, via the intercom, to prepare the transport truck
for their arrival and to secure a pair of radios.

“Greg, is your vehicle still at the store?”
Benny asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. You run blocker for the semi on the
way to your office. We can call an ambulance for Rob from
there.”

“Jo and I are coming along,” Eddie declared
as he turned to Cal. “You and Geri help the SPs secure the
facility.”

“Okay, boss,” Cal replied.

“I’m coming too,” June said.

Benny didn’t object, but he watched as Yeoum
climbed into one of the golf carts. “No, Professor. You’re staying
here.”

Yeoum shot him an angry look. “I will
accompany my patient.”

Benny took note that the man said “patient,”
as in singular. “Get out of the cart.”

“I refuse,” Yeoum stated flatly.

Benny nearly punched him in the face. It
took all of his composure to keep his anger in check. “So help me,
Yeoum—”

Don interrupted Benny to address Yeoum.
“Maybe you should stay here, Professor.”

Yeoum continued to stare at the captain for
a moment and then looked over at Don. Seeing the concern in his
eyes, Yeoum reluctantly climbed out.

Benny stared at the Korean. “Doctor Cook,
Mister Bennett, you’re with me.” He climbed into the cart where
Yeoum had been.

“If June’s going with you, I had better stay
here. Someone needs to look after the chimps,” Tiong reasoned, not
knowing when any of them would return.

“Very well,” Benny replied.

The last to arrive was Covington. Benny
looked past him for more security. Finding none, he made a mental
note to square the sergeant away later.

Covington checked his watch. More than
twenty minutes had passed since he called in the flash flood. He
was working hard to hide his frustration.
Where are the
cleaners?
He jumped on the cart with the NCIS agents, making a
mental note of where they carried their weapons. He resolved
himself to the possibility that he may be forced to complete the
task alone.

Eddie had changed into his regular clothes
and the captain was in his uniform, but the rest were still wearing
scrubs. Greg and Don did what they could to monitor the vital signs
of their patients during the journey through the tunnel, while the
others remained mostly silent.

“C’mon!” June repeated occasionally,
verbally willing the carts to go faster.

When they reached the generator room, Greg
assisted them in loading the limp forms into the trailer and then
raced up the stairs to the store above. The others did what they
could to make the two comfortable, and then settled themselves
in.

As soon as everyone was secure, the truck
began speeding down Highway 96. The pouring rain made it difficult
for the driver to see in the darkness of the unlit road.
Fortunately, there was never much traffic this time of night.

Greg reached his SUV just as the truck
pulled onto the road. He jumped in and wiped the rain from his
face, then started the engine. As he threw it into reverse, the
tires found little traction on the wet asphalt. They spun noisily,
throwing water and steam into the air, as he pushed the pedal to
the floor. He nearly hit one of the gas pumps as he left in his
effort to catch the speeding transport.

“C'mon, Greg!” he said to out loud. “You're
no good to them dead.”

He sped after the truck, fishtailing as the
Toyota exploded onto the road. The taillights of the big rig were
already a half-mile ahead of him, so he stomped the gas pedal and
quickly made up the distance. The rain made the conditions
treacherous, but the road remained clear. Upon reaching the semi,
he pulled into the oncoming lane and passed it.