Project Apollo

Chapter 18

The Compound – 6:45 AM

Fiona hung up the phone after just receiving the update from the field. She turned back to Ezra's cell, growing cold and impatient. Her eyes locked on him, as she walked toward him, only stopping an inch from the glass. Seated on the lone bench inside the cube, Ezra's head was down, again in deep contemplation. A lone finger came up to the glass and tapped on it. The terrorist lifted his head to meet his interrogator.

"They found the tomb. It was too late. He died of a seizure..." Ezra maintained the same blank expression, still distant in his scheming. Fiona pressed further, intrepid and direct. "Why did you want me? Why me?" She squared him up.

"Xander must face his lies before he can know his truth..." His blank expression shrugged the answer.

"And what is that?"

"All in time..." The answer carried a great weight along with it.

"How are they supposed to stop your disease if they don't have a cure and have no idea what they are dealing with?" Her questions grew more aggressive.

"Why do you think I just gave them a sample?" His eyes glared back into Fiona's, piercing the glaciers behind them. Gazing up into the cell, she trembled to the bone, knowing full well that behind his eyes he had an ominous plan in store for her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Catherine Mueller pulled the gear shift down into park and exhaled out into her respirator. Tobias came up to the back of the van immediately dressed in a full hazmat suit and swung open its doors. Seamus, also in a protective suit, grabbed an end of the contamination stretcher and pulled it out of the back of the van. Together Tobias and Seamus heaved the stretcher into the isolation unit and onto an autopsy table. After the body was sealed inside, Xander, Catherine and Ashton got out of the van and collectively took off their respirators. Axle stayed behind at the tomb to manage the quarantined.

A gasp of fresh unfiltered air inflated their lungs. Catherine's breaths did not slow though, in fact they quickened as the moment caught up to her. A thinning behind her breaths created a wheezing whistle with her huffing.

"Hey, Catherine... it's okay..." Xander offered a consoling hand.

"Deep breaths..." Ashton instructed in a less empathetic tone.

"That... military....guy...died of a seizure, what happened to him?...." She huffed out the words.

"That's right... he had a seizure. The bacteria most likely induced it. It has to be neurological, Catherine," Xander explained.

"I'm... not... a...bloody... spy... I don't think I can do this!" She caught up to her thought.

"No, you are not. But you are a brilliant scientist and we need your help. What happened to the man on the table in there... could happen to thousands in this city if we don't stop it." He gripped her with his tone.

"He had a seizure... my sister died of a seizure. I watched as she swallowed her own tongue. She was only nine years old..." Her voice trailed and trembled.

"Catherine, listen to me..." He turned her face up to his. "I lost my parents when I was eight years old. I know what loss is too... and all I can tell you is that thousands of people will suffer the same loss that we have if we don't do anything about this. We are under attack, Catherine. We need your help." Silence followed as she faced the emotions head-on.

She lifted her eyes to Xander and saw a man tortured by his own past, one who hated bringing a civilian into his world. She smoothed her breaths and collected the remnants of her focus.

Catherine Mueller approached a wall with three hanging protective yellow suits. She grabbed one and stripped to her undershirt and tights. She stepped into the suit and positioned the plastic encasing over her head.

"Will you zip me, darling?" She turned her back to Xander and he did so. She grabbed a pair of gloves and slid them over her hands.

"Okay, let's take a look at it..." Xander smiled seeing that his most valuable asset was back in the game.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The sun peered in through the wide windows of the BNA's press office. Bradley Spencer sat at his desk, head down on his arm in a puddle of streaming drool. Despite only having till the end of the day to deliver his story, he realized a power nap was needed for there to be any chance for him to make a break through. And so he allowed the bags under his eyes to pull them all the way shut an hour ago.

The subtle bustling throughout the office was the only wild-life background track he needed to sleep well. But a beep sounded, stirring him awake.

Bradley turned his neck past the stiffness that had accumulated and faced his computer screen, only a few inches from the monitor. His adjusting eyes made out a dialog box in which he found a line of words.

Bradley, I have what you seek. You seek the truth, while others do not. They live complacent and trusting in the lies fed to them. But no more. You shall learn the truth and expose it.

Bradley sparked up from his slumber as he deciphered the text. Another line added to the dialog.

If you want to pick up the breadcrumb trail, meet me on Theodore Roosevelt Island at 11AM. Come alone. The Truth Shall Set You Free...

Bradley pounced on his keyboard, attempting to type back a message, but the window did not accept his commands. Rather, once he hit the first key the dialog box disappeared, leaving Bradley to question what he had seen. He wondered for a moment if he was dreaming, but he knew he had seen it. He was sure of it. Upon surveying his surroundings, he came to his first amount of certainty that he had in the last three months and it only confirmed his deepest suspicion. He spoke his conclusion aloud through his marveling.

"And down the rabbit-hole we go..." 

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