Whistleblower (15 page)

Marley waited for Zan then followed his example. In slow, careful movements, she undid the straps and pulled the helmet off. As soon her hair was free, the draft from the helicopter whipped it around her face. Marley shook back her hair which sent her head to pounding harder. She swayed slightly.

“Freeze.” The demand from Mills startled her.

She realized Zan had reached to steady her.

“Back away from her. Do it.” Mills barked out the order when Zan was slow to react.

“Just shoot him.” Jansen sneered.

“No!” Marley moved to stand in front of Zan.

“Marley,” Zan snapped.

“Hold it right there, Doc.”

Marley knew she liked the way Zan called her Doc better than Jansen.

“Take three steps to the left or we will put a hole in Masters.” Mills ordered.

Terror boiled inside her threatening to make her sick. Marley raised her hands again in submission, slid one foot to the side, she shifted then repeated the process two more times.

“Down on your knees, Masters. Nice and slow,” the security chief instructed.

A shiver coursed through her as Zan dropped to the ground.

“Cross your ankles,” Jansen snapped with a touch of glee.

Zan glared but followed the order.

“That’s good. Now, Dr. Reynolds, real careful, take off the backpack, and throw it over here,” Mills directed her, still keeping his attention focused on Zan.

Marley unhooked the pack, removing it from her shoulders, and gave it a light toss so it dropped halfway between them.

He ignored the pack, looking back at her. “Now if you’ll kindly tell us where the information you copied is.”

Marley knew instinctively that as soon as they had the information, she and Zan were dead. What she didn’t know was why they hadn’t shot them yet after trying to do so a couple times already. Her gaze settled on the helicopter still hovering off the ground just thirty feet away and she had her answer. The men on the helicopter weren’t with Mills which meant they were witnesses who would ask questions.

Bolstered, Marley looked directly at Mills. “H-hidden in a safe place where you c-can’t get it.”

Jansen scoffed, striding toward her, the gleam on his face intensifying. “Oh, you’ll tell us. Women always tell their lovers.” He reached out to grab the front of her shirt.

Jansen’s fingers barely closed on the material when Zan moved. He rolled and flipped to his feet so fast Marley missed most of the action. A gurgle escaped Jansen’s throat as Zan locked on him. Zan broke Jansen’s hold on her, and she stumbled back. Jansen tried to throw a punch back at Zan, but Zan deflected it with ease and threw Jansen to the ground.

“Run, Marley,” Zan yelled. Instead of following her, he turned to meet Jansen as the security guard rolled, coming back up to his feet and charging Zan like an angry bull. Zan groaned as Jansen caught him in his injured shoulder. The two clashed together, but it was obvious Zan had him on strength and skill.

Marley forced herself to run but she only made it a few steps before she heard the crack of the shot as a bullet whizzed past her head. Marley froze and turned in time to see the man in the open helicopter door fire. This shot wasn’t directed at her, nor was it fired high.

“Zan.” Her warning came too late as Zan was hit in the back as he struggled with Jansen.

“Nooo!”

Zan jerked but continued to fight a second longer before he dropped to one knee then toppled to the ground, revealing the dart hanging from his shoulder.

Standing over him, Jansen sucked in a breath a second before he drew back his leg and sent his booted-foot into Zan’s side.

“No.” Marley rushed Jansen, throwing herself on the man before he could deliver another kick. She clawed and scratched at his face.

“Why you.” His blow hit Marley on the cheek, knocking her to the ground next to Zan’s still body.

It took her a minute to catch her breath and shake the fog from her mind. “Zan.” She crawled the two feet to his body, tears blurring her vision. “Zan.” She ripped the dart from his shoulder, leaning over to check his breathing. To her relief, his pulse was strong.

“Really, Miss Reynolds.” The voice of Dr. Oscar Hymas brought her attention up. “Most unprofessional of you.”

Marley rested Zan’s head in her lap and glared at the rat-faced doctor who had stepped out of the SUV with a man in a military uniform she didn’t recognize.

When she remained silent, Hymas turned to the military man. “Why don’t you call off the helicopter? We can handle them from here on out.”

Again, Marley got the feeling they didn’t want any more witnesses than necessary or maybe the chance someone would hear what she had to say.

The officer stared at them for several seconds. “I agree.”

Marley studied him while he spoke into a microphone. She guessed him to be in his early forties. His brown hair was buzzed military short. He was handsome but had an arrogant look about him.

The door on the helicopter closed then the copter rose and flew off.

“There now, let’s get some restraints on them. Masters should be out for a while, but we don’t want to take any chances.”

“I say we just shoot him,” Jansen grumbled, obviously knowing he had no say.

The officer sent a scowl at Hymas. “Yes and we’ve seen what your ideas have led to, an all-out manhunt. From now on you follow my orders. Restrain him.”

“N-no.” Marley wrapped her arms over Zan’s chest, pulling him closer as Mills and Jansen approached. When they reached to drag him away, she attacked, catching Drew Jansen in his already flat face with her fist. To her surprise, she heard a popping sound and blood gushed from his nose. Before she could do anything else, Mills wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms down and squeezing the air from her.

“I think she broke my nose,” Jansen whined, his hand covering his nose and mouth. Fire filled his eyes, and he stepped toward her.

“Mills, control your man,” the officer barked. His hand came up from his side with a pistol in it, but instead of it being pointed at her it was aimed at the security chief’s second in command.

“Drew!”

The bleeding man had already frozen at the sight of the gun.

“Go get cleaned up,” Mills ordered.

Anger flowed off Jansen as he turned to the security vehicle. Marley didn’t have time to worry about him as Mills grabbed one arm and pulled it around her back, then the other, locking her wrists in one hand as she felt a tight cord cinch around them. He then forced her to her knees before turning his attention to Zan.

She wanted to cry when Mills yanked Zan’s left arm back. Though Zan hadn’t said anything about it bothering him, she knew it had to hurt, and even though he was unconscious now, the rough treatment would cause him pain later.

That wasn’t what would bother Zan most, though. After all his efforts, they’d been caught.

“Now, Miss Reynolds.” Dr. Hymas walked to stand over her. “We will ask again. What did you do with the information you copied? And don’t try to deny it.”

“W-where you can’t f-find it.” Her stuttering was back. “Ev-ven with us, it w-will go to the authorities.”
Did that sound lame
? She stiffened her shoulders and glared at him.

“I think.” The military man stepped forward. “We should take this to the yard.”

There was a second’s hesitation in Hymas before he nodded. “You’re quite right.” A gleam came into his eyes. “I know how curious Miss Reynolds is, and we can always use more subjects.” He turned and walked back to the SUV. “Get them loaded,” he said over his shoulder.

Marley was forced to sit on the ground. The officer stood over her as Zan was searched, then Jansen joined Mills and together they dragged Zan to the black SUV and stuffed him into the back cargo area. When that was done, she was directed to stand.

“I want a turn,” Jansen commented as the military man patted her down.

Marley shuddered at the thought, actually grateful when the officer led her to the SUV and sat her in the backseat. Even before the door closed, she turned to look back at Zan. There was no sign of him stirring, but she could make out his chest raising and falling steadily.

Marley wanted to cry. Once again, it hit her that it was all her fault. First, he was shot, and now he was being taken to be killed. She had no doubt of the outcome. Marley just didn’t know what she could do to stop it, and at the moment, with Zan unconscious, there was nothing he could do to protect himself.

The vision of Jansen kicking him came to her mind. She couldn’t even reach Zan to check if he’d broken a rib. A single tear tickled down her cheek before she could stop it and stiffen her resolve. She had to think, figure out something to save them. It was up to her now.

Before she could come up with anything, they hit a hard bump. Her head smacked against the window and she fell off the seat to the floor. Pain and darkness swam around her already pounding head.

For a moment, she thought she’d be sick. By the time the nausea cleared, they were back on smooth road. She wiggled her way onto the seat, leaning once more over the back as much to keep an eye on Zan as for balance and the fact it was more comfortable with her hands fastened behind her.

Fear ate at her, but she lowered her head onto the seat, dividing her attention between Zan and watching out the window. They cleared the mountain road only to follow a series of smaller roads through lower hills.

By the clock on the dash, nearly an hour and a half passed before they turned into a drive that led to a large gate and a fence that had to be at least ten feet tall with wicked-looking barbwire curled at the top. Mills got out of the security vehicle in front of them and opened the gate. Marley watched him refasten the padlock after they drove through. They followed the road at least a half mile before coming to an old house with a sagging porch, a separate garage and a huge, gray metal Quonset hut.

They parked in front of the metal building, but Marley’s attention locked on what looked like an arena beside it. She knew it was some kind of obstacle course because of the climbing platforms and ropes dangling from poles that had to be a good forty feet tall. What she couldn’t see but knew were there were barbwire obstacles to crawl under and go through, clubs, dummies and an assortment of things that Marley didn’t know what they were.

It wasn’t the course or the items in it that disturbed her, but the memories of the video clips Galen Bone had sent her of men on the Gladiator drug going through the course. Men had killed and died there.

She was so wrapped up in the memory that she jumped when the officer grabbed her arm and hauled her out of the car.

“Get him out and lock him up. We want him awake for this,” the military man said to the two security men then pulled her toward the metal Quonset door Dr. Hymas was unlocking.

Inside, the building was sectioned off. There was a large fighting-cage made of wire extending all the way to the ceiling in the middle that Marley again recognized from the video clips. On one side of the building, several rooms had been constructed. Marley was led to one door and guessed behind one of the others would be a lab with its exam table. She shuddered.

At the sound of a clank behind her, she turned to see Zan being dragged in. She was yanked back around before she could get a good look at him. She tried to pull away but was too late. The door in front of her was opened, and she was shoved inside.

The door banged closed behind her as she fell to the concrete floor. She hit hard unable to catch herself or do anything to soften the landing with her hands behind her back. There was another bang that reverberated through the metal building, and she figured Zan was being dumped in another room. She wished they could’ve been together.

Marley got to her feet and studied the room, not that she had much hope of escaping even if her hands weren’t tied. There was a cot on one side, but that was all except the bare-bulb light overhead. After a dozen trips around the eight-by-ten room, she sank down on the cot and groaned in frustration.

***

Zan fought to pull himself out of the fog that surrounded his brain. It took him several seconds to take in his surroundings. He lay on cold cement. When he tried to move, he found his hands tied behind his back with plastic fasteners. His shoulder throbbed. He tried to bring up his last mission and froze.

Marley! He turned his head to look for her only to find the tiny, austere room devoid of everything but a military issue cot.

He rolled to one knee then had to stop to catch his breath before he could make it to his feet. Tranquilizer dart, he knew the feeling and that it would pass quickly. What he didn’t know was what had transpired while he was unconscious.

Where he was and what was happening all took a backseat in his mind to worrying about Marley. Was she close? Was she okay? Nothing else mattered to him but her. It only took one survey around the room to know escape was not likely. Still, he made a second go around, calculating every possibility out in his mind.

The first thing was to get his hands free. It took close examination of the cot to find a sharp edge. Pain lashed through his shoulder with each drag across the bar. The band cut into his wrist, but he ignored it. Zan had no time to cover his actions when the door swung open.

“Figured you’d be awake,” a man in military dress with the insignia of a major said from the doorway. The gun in his hand let Zan know he wasn’t there to help.

“Let me guess.” Zan got to his feet. “Major Snyder.”

There was only a brief look of surprise on the man’s face. “Very good, Masters. Now if you’ll come this way.”

Zan shrugged, keeping his movements nonchalant as he walked toward the man who moved back as he approached. Zan took in the building in a single glance. The first thing he noticed, there was no sign of Marley. The wire mesh fighting cage gave him a moment’s pause. It had to be at least thirty feet square and ran almost to the ceiling.

Two men stood in the center of the floor over what used to be his backpack. The contents were strung out, most torn apart or shredded. He saw Marley’s suede-leather jacket off to one side. Ignoring it, he turned his attention to the two men. From Marley’s description, Zan guessed they were the security guards from the lab. Beside them was a small weasel-faced man who would be the head of the Gladiator program.

Standing by the wall on either side of the door were two men that Zan figured were from the other SUV. Zan recognized the military stance, and though they were dressed in camo, he figured them for ex-military.

Both had rigid buzz cuts. One was as tall as he was with hard muscle. He probably did two hundred pushups every morning for a warm-up. The other was shorter but looked no less tough.

Zan knew the type, gung-ho, couldn’t leave the military behind. They needed the structure, lived and breathed the authority and control. These two took it over the top with the need for violence, domination and the drive to win. He wondered if something linked to that was why they were out of the military, because it sure wouldn’t be by their own choice.

“So what do you think of our camp? Major Atkins and Captain Rees,” Major Snyder tilted his head to the two by the door, “have set up the perfect facility. They run an excellent weekend camp and have been very apt in finding volunteers for the testing.”

Zan arched his eyebrow and gave a skeptical look. “Volunteers?”

“You’d be surprised at how many men don’t ask questions at the promise of sharper, heightened reactions.”

“Especially when you convince them the military is using it,” Zan added.

The man shrugged.

Zan looked around the area then back to the major. “And how did you explain so many of the weekend warriors dropping dead?”

“Simple coronaries. The men were not as fit as they claimed.”

“And the ones that went berserk? Or are you going to deny that?”

“Some of the guys we get off the street are not very stable.”

“Off the street. So what, you promise them some good meals and a place to stay and maybe even a little money if they fill in as extras in your war games.”

Snyder showed pause. “Very good, Lieutenant Colonel Masters,” he emphasized the rank. “Now, if you’d make your way over here.” Snyder motioned with the tip of his gun.

As Zan got closer, it was obvious the one security guard had a newly broken nose. Not that it affected his looks, but Zan couldn’t remember hitting him in the fight.

“That’s good. Now if you’ll just stay still. Remember, I won’t hesitate to shoot you if you try anything,” Snyder motioned, and the security chief approached him.

A chain attached to an eye-bolt cemented in the floor was run up through Zan’s zip-tied arms and fastened, effectively staking him in place. Zan used the time to send his gaze around the area one more time.

He only saw the six men. There was always the possibility of others but the more he thought about it, he didn’t think so. The more people that knew about what they were doing, the greater the chance of someone getting a conscience or letting what was going on slip. Then again, Mills and Jansen were probably just paid flunkies, and the other two hired muscle, or they had a payback grudge against the military, which was a distinct possibility.

“I don’t suppose you would consider telling us where the information Dr. Reynolds copied is?” Major Snyder looked at him directly.

Zan focused back on the man, cocked up one side of his mouth into a crocked smile and said nothing.

“I didn’t think so after checking your file. But there are other ways to get the information.” Snyder walked across the floor to another door. “It’s really too bad you had to get involved. You’ve had quite a distinguished career. Dr. Reynolds picked an appropriate champion.” He released the lock and swung open the door.

Zan could only see into half the room that looked identical to the one he’d been held in. Marley was nowhere in sight then she stepped into the doorway. She looked frightened but fine. For a moment, he felt weak with relief then his determination began to build. He had to get them out of there.

Marley saw him and started toward him only to have Snyder catch her arm and jerk her to a stop. Pain wiped out the relief Zan saw in her face. He saw the exact instant she saw the chain holding him and shock took over. She got a wide-eyed look and stumbled in her step, visibly more shaken.

“Over here.” Snyder jerked her arm again, pulling her forward. Before she had time to comply, she tripped and would’ve gone down, but Snyder hauled her back onto her feet.

They stopped on the other side of the strung out backpack. “Now, Dr. Reynolds, since we’ve already made introductions out here,” Snyder began. “I think we’ll just start with, where is the information you took from the lab? And what was on it?”

For a minute, Marley said nothing. Jansen stepped up behind Zan and jabbed him in the back. Fire burst through his body. Zan hissed out. Marley screamed. Almost as soon as the pain started, it stopped.

“Good old fashioned cattle-prod.” The gloating voice came from behind him, and there was a smacking sound of something hitting flesh. Zan didn’t need to turn to know Jansen was smacking the prod against his palm to taunt Marley.

Marley went ashen, but Zan had to give her credit for not looking at the backpack or her jacket. If they were still asking it meant they hadn’t found it, which was the only reason he and Marley were still alive.

“Shall I ask again? Let’s start with an easy question. What was the information Dr. Bone sent you to make you go running off?”

Zan heard a rustling behind him and saw Marley’s eyes widen. “Everyth-thing.” She stuttered in her hurry to get the word out. The shock didn’t come, but Zan flinched for Marley. He didn’t want to see the stuttering come back.

“Now that was easy,” Snyder mocked her. “Why don’t you tell us exactly?”

At the remark, Marley glanced at the major and straightened, meeting his gaze right on. “How you are k-killing men and c-covering it up, falsifying d-data to mask the truth. That you are g-going to send it out, no m-matter the lives you’re r-risking.”

“Dr. Hymas was afraid Boney had it all figured out. I guess he was right.”

“There was v-video of men dying, bleeding to death, killing thems-selves.”

The man didn’t even acknowledge her comment. “Should’ve handled him sooner, but I didn’t think he had the guts to act.” The major looked her up and down. “Though, I guess he really didn’t. Now, if you will just tell me where the information is?”

Zan barely made a sideways motion with his head when Marley flicked her gaze to him. The jolt hit his back. He was ready for it this time but couldn’t control jerking away. The chains rattled holding him in place, but he made no sound.

Zan could see Marley’s eyes swim with tears.