Once they arrived at the Centre, Donna, Richard, and Sam went straight to the genetics lab and started working on the CTZ5 treatment. Richard started growing stem cell cultures. Sam set up the tests, and Donna worked on the genetic marking system. Each understood this was not going to be an easy job. Donna knew most of all.
She knew the CTZ5 would be less effective, and would only be a temporary fix, but maybe they could at least use it on Missy to fix whatever damage Forrest had done. Donna knew it was possible to heal the physical wounds, but healing the mental ones would be the hardest and take much longer. If Sir Richard couldn’t obtain permission to use HIV1, it would create a substantial set-back for the death gene project.
After setting up the electron microscope, Donna started looking for compatible genetic markers. She tried several with minimal success and was beginning to get discouraged. It was possible for her to find a match for part of the lesions but not for others.
------------
Gary, Sir Richard and John were at the complex using VICi to help coordinate the operations in Shreveport. Once Jared had finished explaining his plan, he sent Juanita to the research lab to gather information, but mainly to get her out of harm’s way. “Gary is she there yet?” he asked as he slipped on his latex gloves and headed for the lift.
“Yeah, Jared. Clever move, by the way.”
“I couldn’t risk her getting caught in the cross fire,” he chuckled as he stepped inside and pushed the fifth floor button. “All right, I’m in the elevator, Gary. I need a vacant office with a balcony. Which way do I need to go?”
“When you step off the lift, turn right. There’s a short corridor to your left. The last office on the left is vacant, but I can’t guarantee whether or not the door will be locked.”
“And that’s going to be a problem for me?”
Gary laughed. “I guess not. Just try not to break it.”
“Ha ha – you’re funny. I trust you’re taking care of the cameras.”
“I’m using the same method we did at the hospital in Arizona, Jared.”
Jared grabbed the door handle and gave it a firm jerk. There was a snap and the lock released. “I’m in. How are you going to explain the opened window? If I’m successful, you know I won’t be coming back this way.”
“I don’t think we’ll worry about it, Jared,” Sir Richard chuckled.
“OK. Until I’m in and have handled whoever is guarding the apartment, I’m not going to say anything. I don’t want to risk blowing my cover. So, I’ll be back with you in a few minutes –depending on what’s up there.”
“Good luck, Son, and be careful,” Sir Richard said. “If anything happened to you Donna would never forgive me.”
Jared grinned. “That’s why nothing is gonna happen to me.”
Jared took his boots off and stuffed his socks in them. Holding them in one hand, he glanced up, judging the distance to Forrest’s penthouse balcony. He glanced over his shoulder, crouched and sprang to the next level above him. He landed with catlike prowess and zipped to the side, out from in front of the glass doors. He leaned his back against the wall and put his socks and boots back on. I could have used Donna in a situation like this. She would have been able to relay messages for me – if Sir Richard knew about our telepathic link. Then again, if she and I were together, I probably wouldn’t be standing on this balcony either.
Zipping into view, Jared tapped on the glass and stayed there, long enough for one of the men sitting on the sofa to see him. He waved and zipped back out of view again, springing to the roof.
“What the fuck?” One of the men jumped to his feet and grabbed his gun off the coffee table in front of him. “Check on the woman. I just saw what looked like either a woman or a fucking Indian on the balcony!”
The other man glanced up from his crossword puzzle, giving his partner an incredulous look. “A woman or an Indian,” he echoed. “On a sixth floor balcony? I think you’ve been drinking too much of Forrest’s expensive vodka.”
“I’m telling you, I saw someone on the balcony with a wide grin on their face. They waved at me.”
The other man groaned and leaned to the side. “There’s nothing out there,” he grumbled and went back to his puzzle.
“Oh, so we’ve got to do this the hard way,” Jared said. “By the way, as I can tell, there are two of them sitting on the couch. I don’t know if there are any more. I suspect Missy will be in the bedroom, wherever that is.”
“Probably so, Jared,” John responded. “Where are you?”
“On the roof.”
“How in the hell did you….”
“Keep it down, will ya? I’ve got sensitive ears. Going silent again. They didn’t take the bait.”
“Bait? What bait?” Sir Richard asked.
Jared groaned and tapped his ear bud, putting them on mute. “What part of be quiet don’t you understand?” he mused. He stepped off the roof; his boots made a clicking noise as the heels made contact with the concrete floor of the balcony. Jared loudly tapped on the glass to get their attention. As soon as the man doing the crossword puzzle looked up again, Jared smiled, waved and sprang back up on the roof.
The second man slung his magazine on the floor, drew his gun and crouched. “I told you I saw someone,” his partner insisted.
“Yeah, I saw them that time. Check the front door and make sure it’s locked,” he motioned with his head. “Then check on the windows in the bedroom and bathroom. Someone may have found a way on the roof.”
A few seconds later the man came back. “Door and windows are locked.”
“OK. Let’s do this together. You get the door, and I’ll get whoever is out there.” He silently counted. The other man jerked the sliding-door back while his partner charged onto the balcony, scanning for intruders.
“What the fuck is going on? There’s nobody here!”
The other guard shook his head. “I don’t know, but we’re both not seeing things. Someone or something was on this balcony.” He turned around and leaned back against the rail, looking toward the roof. Jared leaned back, just out of view. As soon as they turned to go back inside, Jared sprang behind them, whipped out his EpiPen an injected both of them in the jugular with a full dose of sedative. Before they could see what happened, he sprang back on the roof.
“What the shit? Something stung me,” he said, holding his hand over his neck.
“Yeah, something got me, too,” the other one said. Within a few seconds, both men were feeling the effects of the drug.
Jared waited about ten or fifteen seconds more and peeped over the edge of the roof. He softly chuckled. “OK, these two are counting sheep. I’m going in, so I’ll probably lose you because of this damn EMP shield,” he said and stepped off, landing on a spot to the side of the two sedated men’s bodies. Using his enhanced speed, he did a quick check of the rooms. When he found the one where Melissa was in his face creased with sympathy. “You poor baby. What the fuck have they done to you?”
Bright red soaked through the sheet that had been thrown over her body. Her face was cut and bleeding. From the way it was blue and swollen, Jared guessed her jaw was broken. He took the IV out of her arm and checked her pulse. Lifting the sheet to do a quick examination, Jared could see her clothes were in shreds. She wasn’t wearing a bra; her breasts and chest were covered with bruises. Judging by the hematoma on the side of her chest, Jared guessed she had some broken ribs and possibly internal injuries. Looking down, he could see she wasn’t wearing any panties. He swallowed hard and checked her eyes. Her pupils were unresponsive. “Missy, honey, I’m so sorry. I got in here as fast as I could.”
Using his enhanced speed he gathered a thick towel and a curtain pull from the bathroom. He rolled the towel and laid it to the side. Without lifting her head, he slipped the curtain pull under her neck and then gently pushed the towel under on top of the curtain pull. “Missy, I’m gonna get you out of here, but first I need to stabilise your neck.”
He wrapped the towel around her neck, under her chin and secured it with the curtain tie. He broke the legs off a wooden chair and set her arm as best he could; securing the splint with pieces of towel he’d ripped into strips. “OK, Missy, we’re getting outta here.” He gently scooped her into his arms. He kicked the apartment door down with one foot, stepped into Forrest’s private elevator and pushed garage. “Gary, are you with me yet?” he asked as soon as the elevator had dropped below the fifth floor.
“Yeah, Jared. What’s going on? Have you got her?”
“Take me off speaker now, or get John out,” he growled.
“Is it Missy?” John spoke up.
“Do it Gary!” he forced through his teeth. “I’m not talking until he’s out.”
“OK, Jared, it’s just us. John can’t hear.”
“Sir Richard get Linda Wilson out as soon as possible. I’ve got Missy, but I didn’t want to say anything in front of John. The fucker messed her up something fierce. I need an ambulance here now! I’m taking her to Willis Knight,” Jared said and started explaining.
“No, Jared!” Sir Richard interjected. “It’s not secure enough.”
“Sir Richard, we’ve already had this conversation. You seem more concerned about your secrets than saving lives. This woman is going to die if I don’t do something fast.”
“It’s not secrets I’m trying to protect, Jared, not in this case. If we don’t get Missy and Linda Wilson out of the country now, Forrest’s men will be on us like flies. I have special arrangements with the people at Barksdale.”
“I’ve got a better idea. If it’s so important to get them out of the country, then get me the equipment I need on that fucking plane, and Juanita and I will stabilise her on the way to the UK. I’m not sure Missy can wait nine hours for your magic witch doctor to come to the same conclusion I have. Get me that fucking ambulance. I’m one floor from Forrest private parking lot!” Jared growled.
“One of my choppers is en-route there now, Jared. How long will it take you and Juanita to stabilise Missy?”
“I don’t know for sure.”
“Can you do it in half an hour?”
“I can get her ready to travel in half an hour, but I’ll need longer to stabilise her.”
“Then do it in the infirmary. The team at Barksdale will fit the plane with whatever you need. Give the list to Gary and it will be ready for you by the time you’ve got Missy ready to travel. My head doctor will have a medical team ready and waiting.”
“Missy is my patient, and I’m not leaving her until I see to her care. Donna being there will make this difficult. I’d like to assist in Missy’s surgery, but if the doctor and his team can handle it, I’ll be happy to observe. I trust you have a way of doing that?”
“We will have,” Sir Richard responded. “I’ll keep Donna at the Centre and send Sam to meet the plane. You will need to talk to him and let him know what’s going on. When it lands, be quick about getting Missy on the chopper. We’ll have seconds before D’Netics alarms will light up light Christmas trees. Gary is going to create a diversion. We’ve already notified Juanita, she’ll meet you in the parking lot.”
“What about the men with Linda Wilson?”
“They’ll be dealt with quickly and efficiently. There will be no trace left behind. You just worry about yourself, and Missy and Juanita.”
“Where are you setting the chopper down?”
“The helipad on the West side of the building, next to the car park. Do you see Juanita? She should be there by now.”
“She’s here and so is the chopper. Let your people at Barksdale know. If the equipment I’ve asked for is not on the plane, Missy will not leave the ground.”
“Jared, I need to ask a favour. Linda Wilson is pregnant. She may require some special care. Can I depend on you to see to her as well?”
“Sir Richard, I’m a doctor. I heal the sick, no matter who they are. I’m hanging up now. I would suggest you explain things to John. He needs to understand Missy may not make it to the UK, alive, but I will do everything in my power to see that she does.”
“Thank you, Son.”
Jared shook his head. “I’m not your – never mind,” he snorted. “You’re welcome.”