“The guard was answering phone calls.” Carrying the mop, Crusher strode to the door, held the card over the reader, and waited for the mechanical click of the lock releasing.
Snick.
Crusher entered, followed by Draco.
They were in. Now all they had to do was find Marta and Cate.
With a mental image of the map he’d studied, Crusher led the way through the corridors toward the BSL-3 lab, where Marta would be working to complete the antiviral.
God, he hoped she’d succeeded in replicating the antiviral she’d created at the CDC. The three days she’d spent at the Helvetic facility hadn’t been nearly enough time, but it was all she’d had. If she came away without the antiviral, they’d just have to stop Vasquez before the virus could be released, which was the primary goal anyway.
At each junction in the corridors, Crusher led the way around the corners with his mop, pretending to be cleaning. When someone passed him, he bent his head, letting the overhead lighting cast a deep shadow below the bill of his cap.
He held his breath as he passed two guards in tactical gear headed in the opposite direction. Neither tried to stop him or Draco, nor question them.
One last corner and he’d be in the hallway where the lab should be located.
Again, he led with the mop. As he rounded the corner, a guard straightened from where he’d been leaning against the wall and shot a glance in Crusher’s direction.
His eyes narrowed briefly before he shook his head and resumed leaning against the wall, his hands resting on his utility belt, close to the holster with the handgun fitted inside.
Crusher balled his fist and tucked it behind his back, indicating to Draco to stop where he was. Wielding the mop in front of him, Crusher worked his way down the hall, mopping his way toward the guard. He prayed the guard wasn’t curious enough to wonder where the water bucket or water was.
Once he was within three feet of the guard, Crusher flipped the mop up, slamming it into the man’s face.
The guard grunted, but was so surprised, he didn’t have time to reach for his weapon or cry out before Crusher hooked his arm around the man’s neck and choked off his air.
The guard fought to be free, twisting, turning, kicking and clawing at Crusher’s arm to no avail. He couldn’t cry out, but their scuffle created enough noise that Crusher feared other guards would hear.
Draco appeared with zip-ties and duct tape. He quickly secured the man’s ankles and slapped tape over his mouth.
By then, the guard’s struggles had weakened.
Crusher nodded toward the door in front of them. “Open the door.”
Draco spun and flung the door open into a small room with glass windows overlooking a larger room beyond. Protective suits and hoods lined one wall.
Crusher dropped the guard to the floor and held him down while Draco pulled the man’s arms behind his back and secured his wrists with a zip tie.
Crusher and Draco straightened and stared through the windows into the laboratory beyond.
Two figures, covered from head to toe in personal protective gear, leaned close to what appeared to be a box with a glass front, gloves built into the box. The two people were the only ones left in the lab.
Crusher tapped his knuckles against the window in an attempt to get their attention.
They were so caught up in what they were doing that neither turned. Perhaps they couldn’t hear through the layers of protective gear.
Draco pointed to a button on the wall with instructions written in German. “That looks like an intercom. You talk. I’ll stand guard and let you know if someone’s coming.”
Crusher pressed the button and leaned close to the plastic device. “Marta, Cate.”
Both hooded heads turned as one, but neither moved from their position in front of the box. One of the people had their hands inside the built-in gloves. The other person held up a gloved index finger as if to say, "Wait a minute.”
“We’re out of time,” Crusher said. “We have to leave before more guards find us.”
A female voice called out, “Just two minutes.”
Crusher rocked on the balls of his feet, ready to get the hell out of the facility. So far, they’d avoided detection, except for the guard they’d subdued. Fortunately, they’d taken him down before he could sound the alarm. Adrenaline still thrummed through Crusher’s veins. He turned toward Draco, his body tense, ready for action, preferably the kind that would get them out of the building without further altercations.
