Whistleblower

Victor spun around wildly, trying to locate the speaker. 'What's going on?'

'I've just been asked to detain you. If you'll hold on, I'll find out what—'

Victor didn't wait to hear the reason—he bolted for the door. Even as he reached it, he heard the whine of the lasers powering on, felt something slash his arm. He shoved through the first door, dashed across the anteroom and out the security door, into the hallway.

Everywhere, alarms were going off. The whole damn building had turned into an echo chamber of ringing bells. His gaze shot right, to the front entrance. No, not that way—the guard was stationed there.

He sprinted left, toward what he hoped was a fire exit. Somewhere behind him a voice yelled, 'Halt!' He ignored it and kept running. At the end of the hall he slammed against the opening bar and found himself in a stairwell. No exit, only steps leading up and down. He wasn't about to be trapped like a rat in the basement. He headed up the stairs.

One flight into his climb, he heard the stairwell door slam open on the first floor. Again a voice commanded, 'Halt or I'll shoot!'

A bluff, he thought.

A pistol shot exploded, echoing up the concrete stairwell.

Not a bluff. With new desperation, he pushed through the landing door, into the second-floor hallway. A line of closed doors stretched before him. Which one, which one? There was no time to think. He ducked into the third room and softly shut the door behind him.

In the semidarkness, he spotted the gleam of stainless steel and glass beakers. Another lab. Only this one had a large window, now shimmering with moonlight, looming over the far countertop.

From down the hall came the slam of a door being kicked open and the guard's shouted command: 'Freeze!'

He was down to one last escape route. Victor grabbed a chair, raised it over his head, and flung it at the window. The glass shattered, raining moonlight-silvered shards into the darkness below. He scarcely bothered to look before he leapt. Bracing himself for the impact, he jumped from the window and landed in a tangle of shrubbery.

'Halt!' came a shout from above.

That was enough to jar Victor back to his feet. He sprinted off across a lawn, into the cover of trees. Glancing back, he saw no pursuing shadow. The guard wasn't about to risk his neck leaping out any window.

Got to make it out the gate...

Victor circled around the building, burrowing his way through bushes and trees to a stand of oaks. From there he could view the front gate, way off in the distance. What he saw made his heart sink.

Floodlights illuminated the entrance, glaring down on the four security cars blocking the driveway. Now a panel truck pulled up. The driver went around to the back and opened the doors. At his command two German shepherds leaped out and danced around, barking at his feet.

Victor backed away, stumbling deeper into the grove of oaks. No way out, he thought, glancing behind him at the fence, topped with coils of barbed wire. Already, the dogs' barking was moving closer. Unless I can sprout wings and fly, I'm a dead man....

Chapter 11

'Something's wrong!' Cathy cried as the first security car drove past.

Polowski touched her arm. 'Easy. It could be just a routine patrol.'

'No. Look!' Through the trees, they spotted three more cars, all roaring down the road at top speed toward Viratek.

Ollie muttered a surprisingly coarse oath and reached for the microphone.

'Wait!' Polowski grabbed his hand. 'We can't risk a transmission. Let him contact us first.'

'If he's in trouble—'

'Then he already knows it. Give him a chance to make it out on his own.'

'What if he's trapped?' said Cathy. 'Are we just going to sit here?'

'We don't have a choice. Not if they've blockaded the front gate—'

'We do have a choice!' said Cathy, scrambling forward into the driver's seat.

'What the hell are you doing?' demanded Polowski.

'Giving him a fighting chance. If we don't—'

They all fell instantly silent as a transmission suddenly hissed over the receiver. 'Looks like I got myself in a bind, guys. Don't see a way out. You copy?'

Ollie snatched up the microphone. 'Copy, Gersh. What's your situation?'

'Bad.'

'Specify.'

'Front gate's blocked and lit up like a football field. Big time alarms going off. They just brought in the dogs—'

'Can you get over the fence?'

'Negative. It's electrified. Low voltage, but more than I can handle. You guys better hit the road without me.'

Polowski grabbed the microphone and barked, 'Did you get the stuff?'

Cathy turned and snapped: 'Forget that! Ask him where he is. Ask him!''

'Holland?' said Polowski. 'Where are you?'

'At the northeast perimeter. Fence goes all the way around. Look, get moving. I'll manage—'

'Tell him to head for the east fence!' Cathy said. 'Near the midpoint!'

'What?'

'Just tell him!'

'Go to the east fence,' Polowski said into the microphone. 'Midpoint.'

'I copy.'

Polowski looked up at Cathy in puzzlement. 'What the hell are you thinking of?'

'This is a getaway car, right?' she muttered as she turned on the engine. 'I say we put it to its intended use!' She threw the van into gear and spun it around, onto the road.

'Hey, you're going the wrong way!' yelled Milo.

'No, I'm not. There's a fire road, just off to the left somewhere. There it is.' She made a sharp turn, onto what was little more than a dirt track. They bounced along, crashing through tree branches and shrubs, a ride so violently spine-shaking it was all they could do to hang on.

'How did you find this wonderful road?' Polowski managed to ask.

'It was on the map. I saw it when we were studying the plans for Viratek.'

'Is this a scenic route? Or does it go somewhere?'

'The east fence. Used to be the construction entrance for the compound. I'm hoping it's still clear enough to get through....'

'And then what happens?'

Ollie sighed. 'Don't ask.'

Cathy steered around a bush that had sprung up in her path and ran head-on into a sapling. Her passengers tumbled to the floor. 'Sorry,' she muttered. Reversing gear, she spun them back on the road. 'It should be just ahead....'

A barrier of chain link suddenly loomed before them. Instantly she cut the lights. Through the darkness, they could hear dogs barking, moving in. Where was he?

Then they saw him, flitting through the moonlight. He was running. Somewhere off to the side, a man shouted and gunfire spat the ground.

'Brace yourselves!' yelled Cathy. She snapped on her seatbelt and gripped the steering wheel. Then she