ensuring there was no contamination on reused slides.
“So what you mean is,” I begin, picking up the earlier subject, “you think it might be bad, at this juncture, to admit your whole goal from the time we met, was finding and rescuing Eve, even to the point of putting my life in jeopardy. Is that right?”
“Like I said, it’s more complicated than that.”
“How much more?” I ask. I toss aside the first jug—now empty—and crack open the second.
“Okay,” she says, turning away from the computer, “here’s how it was. She disappeared. Nobody knew what had happened to her and nobody had any sure leads. Then a few of us stumbled upon the MUD. We already knew a lot about you based on what she’d told us, and when we saw that somebody was trying to use Internet users to track your movements, we figured out that whoever wanted you, probably also had her. The idea was that one of us would touch base with you before you were taken, learn what you knew, and use that information to find her.”
“There, that wasn’t so bad,” I say. “Was sleeping with me step three of the plan or step four?”
“See? That’s what I’m talking about! You’re not going to understand, so forget it.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, while polishing off the second jug. “Please continue. But can you type at the same time? We’re on the clock here.”
“You brought it up,” she says, returning to the computer.
“That I did.”
Looking around, I realize I’ve forgotten all about the stuff in the liquid nitrogen. I move to rectify that situation.
“Sleeping with you was never part of any plan,” Clara says. “I did that because I wanted to. You needed a place to hole up and I needed to get information, and everything else that happened in my apartment was just for fun.”
“Ah,” I say, pulling on the gigantic oven mitts I’d seen Viktor use a number of times. “But that was a problem, wasn’t it? I didn’t know much more than you did.”
“You knew a bit more. I don’t know who got you Grindel’s name, but whoever it was, he did a better job than any of us.”
“You probably weren’t breaking enough laws.”
“But I still needed to know where he was keeping her. And it was obvious convincing you to go after him wasn’t going to work. That’s when I hit on the idea to make myself a hostage.”
“Tricking me into trying to rescue you. Nice plan.”
“If I could have figured out a way to get taken in without involving you, I would have,” she claims. “Problem.”
“What?” I ask, elbow-deep in the thick run-off from the nitrogen.
“This terminal is part of a network,” she says. “And the servers aren’t in this building.”
“Where are they?” I ask. I’m not altogether certain what a server is, but wondering where it’s kept seems like a good question.
“Don’t know. Probably across the way.”
“In the admin building.”
“Yeah. Looks like there are four terminals with open access to this system. Three of them are in this room. The fourth is probably the computer in Bob’s office.”
I lift the test tubes out of the nitrogen like I’d seen Viktor do and walk them over to the bleach tub. Inside the tubes are synthetic versions of what’s in mine and Eve’s blood mixed with whatever they took from the vampire. They are the only vials of Viktor’s final product currently in existence.
“Probably?” I say.
“It’s a good guess. He’s got a computer over there. That I know. But it’s set up beyond the firewall.”
“You can tell that from here?”
“No, but I’ve tried and I can’t reach the Internet from here. Bob can. I’ve seen him use his computer to get stock info. Since he probably set this up, I’m sure he knows the passwords needed to get into this network from there.”
I dump the first batch of test tubes into the bleach and go back for more. I ask, “Is there any way to know if he’s transmitted the data anywhere? I need to know if it exists outside of this compound.”
“No, but I doubt it. He’d be risking a lot if he put any of this out there.”
“Okay.” Back in the nitrogen again. It’s hard to see through the gas, but it looks as if I’m almost finished. “So can you still delete it?”
“Not completely,” she admits. “I took care of what was here, but the data could still be reconstructed. I’d need to access the server tower. And I have no way of knowing if a copy of it exists anywhere else. Bob also has a zip drive on his desk.”
“You seem to know an awful lot about Bob’s desk.”
“I’ve been kicking around for a month,” she says. “And, like I told you, he’s spent most of that time trying to get into my pants. I paid attention.”
“When did you find out what was going to happen tonight?” I ask.
“About an hour before you did. Bob actually came right out and told me. I think he wanted me to be impressed that he was the kind of man who could execute somebody. I couldn’t find Iza in time to warn you.”
I’m done with the nitrogen. Provided my scientist friend had been telling the truth about the deleterious effects of bleach on human cells, there is now no direct sample of my blood in the compound other than what’s in my own body.
“What’s that?” Clara asks. She’s facing the door, specifically because of the sound of somebody working the lock.
“Get your gun ready,” I suggest, discarding the mitts and raising my own gun.
We both take an involuntarily deep breath and wait. Presumably the vampire isn’t going to use a key to get in, but there are other things on the base to worry about.
And then the door swings open and Viktor walks in. He won’t make it past the inner airlock doors, so I’m sort of happy to see him.
“Oh, it’s you,” I say, relaxing.
“My God, Adam!” he exclaims, stepping through the broken glass that used to look like a door.
“How’s it going outside, Doc?” I ask, sliding the gun back into my waist string.
“It’s madness! What has happened?”
“Hostile takeover,” I say. “Clara, you want to help me out here?”
“I saw you entering the lab…” Viktor begins.
“Oh, was that you?” I say. “Clara saw you coming. Thought you were someone else.”
“I… yes, I went back for the key.”
“What do we do about him?” Clara asks, her gun still raised.
“He can’t get in. Don’t worry about it.”
“Bob and his demon are still out there somewhere. What if he went and found them?”
“Good point,” I admit. I step up to the glass wall. “Viktor, you know that creature you boys have been keeping locked up in the second cell? It’s running loose right now. That’s what all those screams you’ve been hearing are about. So I guess if you want to run off to Bob, you’re welcome to do so. But I’m willing to bet you won’t make it.”
“You… you released the vampire?” he asks quietly.
“Sure did. And it sounds like it’s awfully hungry.”
Viktor crosses himself compulsively, which I find faintly amusing, as he never struck me as a particularly religious man.
Despite the name, Viktor was actually raised in eastern Pennsylvania by a couple of highly practical parents who nearly put themselves into the poor house paying for his education. In a lot of ways he still feels the weight of that debt, which I think is one of the subtle psychological factors in his life’s work. The need to make a permanent mark on the world to justify their sacrifice. It’s touching, really. If I didn’t think his life’s work would also bring about the indirect deaths of millions of people, I’d be rooting for him.
“Clara, I don’t think he’s going anywhere,” I say. Poor Viktor looks completely paralyzed.
