Project Apollo

Chapter 16

Tobias's Laboratory

Northeast Washington, DC – 5:45 AM

Catherine Mueller awoke to the smell of potatoes. The burlap sack over her head rubbed on her face like sandpaper. To her surprise, her hands were not bound. They slowly reached the sack and pulled it off her head. Her initial sight was hazy but slowly came into focus as the dimly lit laboratory came into view. It was by far the messiest lab she had ever seen, there was no way in her mind it could be a sterile environment. Plastic sheets were pinned up across a section of the warehouse, creating a large, interior isolation unit.

The first man to approach was a red headed, fair skinned man.

"Wakey, wakey eggs and bakey." Seamus's jovial Irish brogue eased her initial worries.

"Where the bloody hell am I?" She wondered out loud in her usual English accent.

"Afraid I can't really tell ya that," Seamus responded, leaning to her eye's level.

"Okay, then..." Catherine responded lucid and annoyed.

"How many fingers and I'm holding up?" He asked, flashing three fingers up.

"Three..."

"How many Roman Numerals am I holding up?" He asked the follow up question through a smile. He propped two fingers to her eye's sight.

"Five...." she chuckled the answered.

"What day is it?"

"September 7th? I think... depends on how long I was out for," she responded, candidly.

"September 7th is correct," Seamus completed the quiz, as a second figure rounded the corner. She was a tall, blonde attractive woman with a tense and pointed face.

"Hey, I'm Ashton and you must be Catherine Mueller."

"I know you..." The fuzzy memory of a nurse breaking her out of the hospital surfaced.

"No, you don't...." Ashton responded definitely. She sensed her own abrasiveness. "Don't worry though... we're the good guys."

The third figure to approach was Xander. She recognized his blonde hair and blue eyes – his chiseled features and sturdy build. He approached softly, but obviously on edge for lack of progress on the clue.

"Dr. Mueller ..." He paused to stare at her as she gazed back.

"Wait a second... I know you... Mr. Templeton?" She asked confused.

"You can call me Xander..." He held her arm and checked a well-applied bandage that wrapped around her forearm.

"What happened there?" She was surprised by the bandage.

"They put a tracking bug in you... someone really wanted you under lock and key," Xander explained.

"Well, thanks for getting me," she responded plainly.

"Don't mention it... Seamus, fetch her some water, will ya?" At this a figure emerged from the isolation unit. He was in a contamination suit with a helmet sealed over his head. After closing the isolation unit, he twisted the helmet loose and off of him, revealing his countenance.

It was Tobias.

His hair was in disarray and his thick glasses covered his face much like Catherine's did. They locked eyes immediately. Catherine could sense his immediate nervousness. Tobias could sense hers. There was an awkward crush already in their midst.