Michael Hailey entered the ground level of the Burning Zone Headquarters in Chicago. The foyer resembled those of a dozen secret agency's of which he was familiar. In front of him, encompassing the room was a reception area complete with sofas, beverage dispensers, and hidden wall and ceiling cameras. Beyond the reception area was a metal door. He strode to the door and faced a machine that controlled access to the laboratory. Hailey stepped to the plate, fed his identification card into the reader, and stared into the retinal scanner. The electronic doors slid open and he sauntered into Doctor Kimberly Shiroma's laboratory.
    "Hey, Kim, how is it going?"
    Shiroma looked up and smiled. "I'm just finishing a few things." She bent over the microscope and peered at the slide. She waved her hand imperiously at him. "There is no way I won't be ready to leave at five!"
    Hailey leaned against the workbench and folded his arms. "You'd better take advantage of this two week vacation opportunity. It won't come your way very often."
    "You're right about that. This is a first! "
    Hailey walked over to the coffee machine and helped himself to a cup of coffee, raising an eyebrow at her to see if she wanted a cup too. Shiroma shook her head, "No thanks. I'm up to my required caffeine intake for today!"
    "You all think that Cassian is a hard nut," Hailey teased. "I have it on good authority, that Doctor Daniel Cassian himself gave you these easy jobs, just so you could drop them and go on a two week vacation!"
    "Nice try, Michael!"
    "What are these boxes?" Hailey asked, looking at several parcels stacked on the floor. A calico cat peeked out from behind them and hissed at him. "And where did that cat come from?" he asked incredulously.
    "The cat has adopted me. Or maybe I adopted her, a couple of days ago," replied Shiroma, bending down to pet the cat, "as for the parcels, they were delivered here yesterday morning. They're addressed to the people who are covering for us while they are away."
    "Hmm," said Hailey, frowning as he examined them.
    "It's probably just some project they're working on," said Shiroma absently. As she straightened up, she noticed the liquid in the glass decanters was sloshing around. She glanced around the room and saw other items shaking.
    "Quake!" Hailey shouted to Shiroma.
    "No! Look what's happening to the walls!"
    Hailey looked in the direction Shiroma pointed. A seaweed green substance bubbled out of cracks in the walls, close to the parcels. As they watched, the stuff belched forth a foul smelling gas that sped rapidly through out the laboratory. Holding her hand over her nose, Shiroma said, "It smells like rotten eggs." Both realized it was more than a foul smelling gas. It was a noxious gas.
    "Quick, get out!" Hailey pushed Shiroma toward the exit. Shiroma clutched at her throat and fainted in front of him. The gas overcame him before he could catch her and he fell to the floor. The lab cat, which until then had been following them to the exit, screeched its disapproval, ran behind the lab bench and disappeared from view.
    Doctors Daniel Cassian and Edward Marcase appeared in the doorway to confront the drama inside the lab. Marcase rushed forward to help his fallen friends. Cassian grabbed his arm and kept him from entering the lab. Cassian pressed the emergency close button, and the doors slid shut in front of them. In the corridor, Cassian pushed Marcase against the wall, "You can't go in there!" he said. An expression of pure determination crossed his face.
    Marcase tugged at the arm restraining him. "Let me go." he growled. He was surprised he couldn't shake Cassian off.
    "No," said Cassian. "You can't go in there. I recognize the smell, it's... it's... it's, uh, classified. It's something you don't need to know about." Cassian looked sheepishly back at an incredulous Marcase who had shaken off Cassian's arm. Marcase stepped toward him forcing Cassian to step backwards.
    "You'll have to do a bit better than that!" Getting no reply from Cassian, Marcase started to push his way back toward the sealed lab door.
    "No! Wait! "Cassian frantically searched his brain for an explanation Marcase would accept. "It's a nerve gas, it isn't supposed to be . . . available."
    "If it's a nerve gas, we'd better get them out now!"
    "It's a hopeless situation," Cassian shook his head in despair. "It's very likely it's already too late!"
    "I don't accept that," replied Marcase. "I'm going inside. Get out of my way!" At the doorway, Marcase stopped, realizing that he couldn't just walk inside unprepared.
    Cassian's attitude softened a little. "You're right. We must get them out. But you will have to be careful. Treat this as if it were a biohazard level five situation." Cassian spoke quickly as he ushered Marcase to the side room containing the biohazard suits. "Suit up, and get them out as quick as you can." said Cassian, "I'll prepare the safe room for Hailey and Shiroma. "
    Marcase stepped into his suit while Cassian got to work preparing the medical room. Both men hoped there was something they could do to help their colleagues. Almost as an afterthought Cassian called for medical backup.
    Suited up, Marcase entered the lab with as much haste as the constriction of the suit allowed. He arrived at Shiroma's side and carefully picked up the limp form of his unconscious colleague. Marcase delivered Shiroma to Cassian, and then headed back for Hailey.
    Once inside the lab again, the sudden appearance of Felix, the lab cat, startled him. The cat shrieked a high pitched whine as it dashed for the exit, tail up, at lightening speed. It managed to reach the corridor before the second door hissed shut. Marcase turned back to his job at hand. With difficulty, he lifted Hailey, dragged him out of the lab and into the corridor. There the medical team Cassian had summoned helped him. Inside the auxiliary lab, Cassian had set up IVs and oxygen.
    "Here," said Cassian to Marcase, "give me a hand -- she's about to go into shock! Give her five milligrams of dichlorperazepam, stat!"
    "Done." replied Marcase.
    Cassian looked over at the second team who was working on Hailey. "How is he?" he asked anxiously.
    "We have problems with his blood pressure... wait... its looking better now. He seems to be stabilizing." replied the young doctor. Frantic minutes passed, before the two teams could finally take a breather, and Cassian could gather his thoughts.
    "Marcase!" Cassian called him over to Hailey's bed. "Did you hear that odd rumbling noise in the lab just before we walked in?"
    To Cassian's surprise, it wasn't Marcase who replied, but Hailey! "I thought it was an earthquake" he said. His voice sounded like two strips of sandpaper rubbed together. He struggled to sit upright.
    With a smile, Marcase went up to him. "Hey, you take it easy! You've inhaled a lot of that gas." Marcase gently laid his hand on Hailey's shoulder and pushed him back onto the bed. "Stay where you are."
    "But..." Hailey started to say.
    "Stay where you are." said Marcase.
    Felix, the cat, slunk down the corridors in the bowels of the building. He headed toward an air duct in the lowest level. His fur had acquired a strange fluorescent glow. He disappeared through a gap in the duct cover...

    Back in the auxiliary lab, Cassian flicked open his cell phone and contacted his security force. "Get a clean up squad down here right away." Cassian barked into the phone, "we've had a chemical incident. We will also need isolation gear."

    A few minutes later a team arrived carrying assorted equipment. All the members wore state-of-the-art blue bio-hazard suits. The captain approached Cassian. "We're going to send in the remote to analyze the air in the lab. We'll get an idea of what we're dealing with real soon. You think we are going to find some sort of mustard gas? That's pretty unusual for the 1990's..."
    Cassian sighed, and said "That's all I can tell you. Let's see what you come up with."
    The remote passed through the barrier tent as Cassian and the team watched its progress on a monitor. "This is a rapid function sampler. I expect results in minutes," the captain said proudly. He looked at the results on the monitor. "There must be some mistake!" the captain blurted.
    "What have you got?" Cassian demanded.
    "Absolutely nothing... its clean...!"
    "That's impossible," snorted Cassian. "Check it again!"
    "Yes sir! Starting over."
    Marcase wandered over to the group, and looked quizzically at Cassian. He stood waiting for someone to speak.
    "Readouts confirmed, sir. There are no noxious substances in the air in the lab! Purified oxygen! Sir!" The medical emergency buzzer went off.
    "They're calling for a crash team!" shouted Marcase as he ran back toward the auxiliary lab. Cassian followed him. Arriving at the lab, they saw the medical team working frantically on Michael Hailey.
    "What happened?" Marcase demanded.
    "Cardiac arrest! Stand back... defibrillating!" The team worked frantically until they managed to establish a normal heart rhythm.
    "What is going on around here?" Marcase paced rapidly in a futile rage. "Hailey didn't nearly die just now because he'd been in a room full of normal air!"
    As he spoke, Shiroma went into seizures. "Get me three hundred milligrams of Dilantin in the IV stat!" Cassian bellowed at the medical team. With the injection, Shiroma's spasms began to fade. Cassian concentrated his thoughts on the possible causes of the crisis.
    Shiroma slowly awakened. "How is Michael?" she asked.
    "He's sleeping. We had to sedate him," Cassian replied.
    "It all happened so quickly." Shiroma licked her dry lips. "There was a rumbling noise." Her voice was barely audible. "There was slime oozing from the walls... that smell... where is Felix? " Her throat felt as if it was on fire.
    Marcase leaned over her to hear what she was saying. "The cat, Edward" Shiroma croaked, "it was acting weird all day. It clawed at the base boards and darted around the lab for no reason."
    "Don't worry about that cat, Kimberly," replied Marcase in a soothing voice. "I saw it run out of the lab. She looked fine to me. You make sure you take it easy. I want you to get well as soon as possible. You're needed around here!" he added, giving her a gentle nudge.
    Marcase turned to Cassian who said, "I think it would be a very good idea if we get that goo in the wall identified as soon as possible. As soon as the isolation team are out of the way, maybe?" he said, raising his eyebrows at Marcase.
    Marcase nodded his agreement. "I'll take care of it."
    "No one warned me that this was such an active unit when we were assigned to cover your vacation period!"
    The voice came from the doorway. Cassian and Marcase turned to see two people looking at them quizzically. Cassian grinned and grabbed the hand held out to him, pumping it enthusiastically. "Meet Jonathan Byrnes!" he said turning to a startled Marcase. He'd never seen him so animated before. "Jonathan is my nephew. He's just back from Europe where he's been making an impressive name for himself in the world of microbiology!"
    "Nephew! Oh! I believe I have heard of you... pleased to meet you... my name is Edward Marcase. The rest of the team is here!" He pointed to Hailey and Shiroma.

    Jonathan looked at them laying on the beds and shook his head. "I wish I were meeting them under better circumstances. If I'd known how treacherous your work was here, I doubt I would have been so eager to come! I thought I was signing up for a quiet week or two in a cozy lab!"
    Cassian laughed a humorless laugh, "It's somewhat unusual for us, too. Believe me! Though I doubt if anyone is going to be going anywhere, until this is resolved."
    "Oh," said Jonathan, "does that mean that you won't be needing us after all?" He turned to raise his eyebrows at his companion. "Oh, my goodness! How remiss of me! I haven't introduced you to my associate! This is Marianne Pinot. She is a wonderfully excellent partner in crime, so to speak. Studied microbiology at the Marie Curie Institute in Paris. I'm very lucky to have her around to cover up my mistakes!"
    "Jesuis tres content a faire votre connaisance!" Marcase said as he kissed her hand.
    "I'm pleased to meet you too," replied Marianne, "but please let's talk in English, I really need to practice it," she said in faultless English, nodding to Cassian.
    "So," said Jonathan, "what happened here, and do you want us to stay?"
    "I think we need all the help we can get, though initial blood tests on Shiroma and Hailey don't lead us to believe that we are looking for any viral or bacteriological agents." Cassian shoved his hands into his suit coat pocket, and rocked back on his heels. "We need to get some answers from inside Shiroma's lab."
    "I'll get right on it now," replied Marcase. He left the others catching up with news in the corridor.

    Cassian, Jonathan and Marianne walked down the corridor toward Shiroma's lab. Cassian slowed his pace to reflect a change from his lighthearted reception of his nephew to one more serious. "Tell me honestly, Jonathan, how is your mother coping with losing your brother?"
    Jonathan frowned involuntarily and stiffened before replying. "As you know, ma is a survivor! Its always hard dealing with the death of someone who has died of an AIDS related illness. The disease is so indiscriminate..." Jonathan's tone softened. "Time will heal the wounds, and, I intend to make certain adjustments for ma."
    Cassian started to ask what he meant, but was distracted by their arrival at Shiroma's lab. Marcase stood in the doorway talking to the team as they packed their equipment.
    "Are you giving us the 'all clear'?" Cassian frowned.
    "We've tested for every known substance," said the captain. "As far as we're concerned, there's no reason you may not safely enter that lab."
    "Well you'll forgive me if I recommend caution all the same." Cassian said curtly. Turning to Marcase he went on, "Please wear a hazard suit when you go in there, Edward."
    "I planned to, don't worry!" Marcase replied.
    "I'll come with you," said Marianne as she looked Cassian for approval.
    "I'm curious too," said Jonathan.
    "Yeah," said Cassian. "Lets get our own data, shall we?" He turned and entered the lab.
    As Marcase took samples of the 'slime' on the walls he noted that it had hardened quickly and he had to chip away at it. They exited the lab after securing the samples in bio-hazard containers. Marcase, holding the samples, informed Jonathan and Marianne that he was taking them upstairs to the second lab. Jonathan and Marianne watched him go, before turning and heading for the street exit.

    Cassian returned to the medical room to check on Shiroma and Hailey. Shiroma was asleep. Cassian saw that according to her chart she had been given a sedative. Even so, her condition remained less than stable. 'Odd,' thought Cassian, 'there's no-one here to monitor her progress.'
    Cassian saw that Hailey was awake. "Hey, how is it going, Michael?" Cassian asked, smiling down at him.
    "I've been better!" Hailey replied.
    "What happened to the medical team?" Cassian asked.
    "Oh, they got a call... some results to pick up... up on level three. The doctor left just before you arrived," said Hailey. "Listen," he continued, "I want to know what type of spectrometer the chemical crisis team were using. I heard that they came up blank."
    "I have no idea," replied Cassian. "Are you suggesting it would make a difference?"
    "It's a hunch, I could be wrong. I think this may not be the first time I've been in contact with that gas. You keep me informed, okay?"
    "You can count on it!" Cassian left the medical room in search of Marcase.
    He found Marcase waiting for the test results on the samples. Cassian looked impatiently down at his watch, and asked "Where is Jonathan?"
    "I haven't seen them since we left Shiroma's lab, why?"
    "It doesn't matter. We have an hour or so to wait for these results let's see what more Hailey and Shiroma can tell us."
    They were stunned to find the room empty. Beds occupied less than half an hour ago now was empty.
    "Look," exclaimed Marcase," there's some more of that slime on the sheets."
    "Don't touch anything" said Cassian sternly.
    "No way," replied Marcase. "It looks exactly like the stuff I took off the walls in Shiroma's lab!"
    "We're going to have to seal this room too," said Cassian.
    They watched as the slime on the beds began to bubble. A putrid stench soon followed. Both men glanced from the bed to the walls and ran for the exit. They sealed the door behind them. The medical room had an ante-room with a large glass viewing wall so Marcase and Cassian could watch what was happening inside the room they had just left. A purple smoke filled the air. The slime coagulated and formed spores. The spores hatched into tiny slugs that slowly slithered across the surface of the beds.
    "What is that?" Marcase asked Cassian.
    Cassian mumbled something about never having ever seen anything remotely similar before in his scientific career. Neither man noticed that another person had slipped into the room.
    "I know what they are," said Marianne. "They are genetically altered Asian Bile Slugs. The first mutations were engineered by the Russians during the Cold War. They were designed to destroy wheat crops. They would have been very effective if they had ever deployed."
    Marcase frowned at Marianne, saying "What on Earth...?"
    "They are fascinating," she said, "don't you agree? They breed and multiply incredibly fast. The slime is one of the signs that they are about to multiply. The gas is one of their modes of distribution."
    "How do you know all this?" Cassian interjected.
    "Because, dear uncle, we are the ones who brought them here!" said Jonathan. "It was a problem finding you all still here this morning. Our information led us to believe that you would had left! The package we left here last night must have been opened by one of you. You really shouldn't open things that are not addressed to you. It's very bad manners! Anyway, the breeding cycle started before we intended. We can use this departure from my plan to our advantage."
    "What do you think you are going to achieve here?" Cassian asked.
    "Originally, we were just going to work on the new generation of slugs, test their toxic capabilities, all that boring stuff. I think I have a much better idea, now that I've got you!"
    Cassian stood rooted to the spot as he looked from Jonathan to Marianne and back to Jonathan. He was hardly able to believe what his nephew was saying. Marianne looked passively back at her associate, and leaned against the wall with her hands clasped behind her back.
    Marcase looked as if he was about to explode. "Where are Shiroma and Hailey? What have you done with them?"
    "All in good time," Jonathan replied smugly. "I want to tell you about our work." Jonathan paced slowly in front of them. "When my brother died of AIDS last summer, he had been working on a very special research project with the honorable Doctor Ho. Marianne and I were pleased to step in and take his place. Doctor Ho, of course got two brilliant minds for the price of one. Mark and Doctor Ho had been experimenting with the Asian Bile Slugs. They were working on DNA modifications to convert and inhibit the HIV viruses. I, however, saw another potential in the project that could generate money for me.. us!"Jonathan turned and waived an apology in Marianne's direction. She looked back at him without expressing any emotion.
    Jonathan continued, "When we read the research notes, we saw the potential for using the slugs as biological weapons. We already knew that several countries are interested in finding, 'natural' solutions to problems, and they will pay handsomely for such a weapon."
    Cassian couldn't contain his rage any longer. "This is insanity! Are you telling me that you are developing biological weapons for foreign governments? What the &$*@% do you think you're playing at?"
    "Calm yourself, uncle! The inhibitor for HIV is still years away. This is going to be money now!"
    "We're not talking about wheat crops, though, are we?"
    "Good heavens no! No point in that. This is for war time use. It has a lethal effect on people who breathe in the gas. At least it will have, once we've ironed out a few difficulties. That's where you are going to come in useful!" Jonathan stretched out his hand. Marianne stepped forward and carefully placed a loaded syringe into his palm.
    "What's that for?" Cassian demanded.
    Jonathan smiled thinly. "What? This?" he said, suddenly thrusting it into Cassian's face.
    Cassian involuntarily took a step backwards in surprise. Jonathan laughed, "It's only a hypodermic, uncle!"
    "I don't plan to use this on you... yet," said Jonathan. "I need you to help me. This is for Doctor Marcase!"
    "If you think I'm going to stand here and let you stick that in me, you're crazy!" Marcase shouted angrily.
    "Come on now, Edward. I thought you'd show more pioneer spirit when given the opportunity to try out our new toxin. You'll be playing such an important role in its very creation! You do disappoint me!"
    Marcase looked at him incredulously. He lunged forward.
    Jonathan stepped backwards and shouted to two bodyguards waiting outside the ante-room. "Grab him, Nicky!"
    An ugly man with a shaved head and a goatee grabbed Marcase and pinned his arms behind his back. The second man pointed a muscular finger at Cassian to indicate that he should stay where he was.
    "Take him to the truck," Jonathan said to Nicky, "I'll be out in a minute."
    "If you harm any of my people..." Cassian started to say.
    "No! You listen to me! I have a very important mission to finalize. You have caused me unnecessary complications. But don't worry! I'm giving you a chance to make it up to me!"
    Cassian stared at his nephew in stunned silence. His facial muscles betrayed his ire trhough the clenching and unclenching of his jaw. "What do want me to do?" he asked, finally.
    "I'll be in touch," replied Jonathan. "Keep your cell phone charged!"

    Hailey regained consciousness in the truck. Shiroma lay beside him, unconscious. It took him a few seconds to realize they shouldn't be there. The inside of the truck seemed to spin as he pulled himself up right. He closed his eyes tightly, and fought the nausea. He felt his way toward the back of the truck. The door had been left ajar. Outside, he could hear Marcase arguing with Nicky. He realized there was little time to escape and decided to leave Shiroma behind. He rolled out of the truck onto the tarmac, and frantically scrambled toward a thick clump of bushes.
    Struggling with Marcase, Nicky didn't notice he was one hostage short.  Nicky grabbed a pair of handcuffs from the floor of the truck. He yanked Marcase's hands behind his back and snapped the handcuffs on him. After bundling Marcase into the vehicle, he secured him to the truck with a second pair of cuffs. A piece of wide plaster tape, strategically placed, gave him a more subdued prisoner. It was then that he noticed one of the hostages had escaped. By then, Jonathan had arrived with the others. Jonathan thought the loss was not going to be a problem.
    "Don't worry about him. He's half dead by now. He's not going to be much use to Cassian in that state, and we still have these two," said Jonathan. "Come on," he continued, "we need to get back to our place. I have to contact Jan Hinnant in Jajce. He'll want to know how we're progressing."
    If Jonathan had been less preoccupied by his impending phone call, he would have noticed the withering look Marianne had given him.
    "Jonathan," said Marianne quietly, "what about the cat?"
    Jonathan looked irritated by herquestion. Had he forgotten something else?
    "We need to find that cat," she continued, "it is probably a very important link in the transmutation of the DNA! We had never seen this set of effects before! The cat, Jonathan we need the cat!"
    "Shut up, will you," snapped Jonathan. "Please shut up! We've got bigger problems than that. I need to ring Cassian. I need to put the fear of God into him. Somehow we have to make this work. I need something positive to tell Jan Hinnant!" Jonathan flipped open his cell phone but failed to get a signal. He angrily snapped shut the phone. "Damn, what else can go wrong?"
    In the back of the truck, Marcase was horrified to see that Shiroma had gone into spasms again. He tried to go to her but was pulled back by the handcuffs attached to the wall of the truck. Unable to call for help because of the plaster tape over his mouth, Marcase stomped his feet until he gained the attention of the people riding up front.
    Jonathan and Marianne crawled back to see what all the noise was about, and Jonathan rolled his eyes skywards.
    "She must be going into toxic shock," stated Marianne.
    "This one isn't going to last much longer." Jonathan looked away from the captives. "I just can't believe this..." Tapping one finger lightly on his mouth, he said, "Cassian will do anything for these people. They're our trump card. I'll tell him that she's fading fast. It should speed things up. And even if she dies, we still have that one," he said hooking his thumb over her shoulder to indicate Marcase.
    Marianne nodded her agreement. "Lets just get back as quickly as possible, Okay?"
    Throughout the conversation Marcase squirmed in frustration. He could not believe his eyes when the pair returned to the front of the truck without helping Shiroma.

    As the truck drove off, Hailey pulled himself upright, and managed to stagger back to the entrance of the building. There were no signs of the security people who normally manned the entrance to the facility. The door was ajar. He simply pushed it open.
    "Where is everyone?" he said aloud. Painfully he made his way slowly along the corridor to Cassian's office.
    Cassian looked up from his desk to see Hailey staggering toward him. He jumped up, rushed around his desk and grasped Hailey by the arms. He eased Hailey into a chair and turned toward the water cooler.
    "Thank God you're still here!" said Cassian as he poured Hailey a glass of water. "You look terrible, I'm going to take you to the medical room!"
    "Don't bother," replied Hailey, "I've got a feeling there isn't anyone there! Anyhow, I'm feeling a lot better already."
    Cassian knew there was little point arguing with Hailey. "The United States government has been doing secret tests on slugs that produce the toxic purple gas. I'm now sure it's the same gas you and Shiroma were exposed to in her lab. I had no idea my nephew had gotten himself mixed up in this thing. We knew certain Middle East countries were anxious to get their hands on these mutations. There is an unpleasant Bosnian character called Jan Hinnant handling the negotiations for these countries. I'm afraid Jonathan may have been recruited by him. I hope I'm wrong."
    "You're referring to the Mai River Project, aren't you?" Hailey said rather than asked.
    "What do you know about it?" Cassian was surprised to find that Hailey had heard about the secret project. "It isn't exactly an 'official' project!"
    Hailey smiled and looked down at his hands. "My connection with the project goes back six years or so, when I was working in Thailand. Just before Desert Storm. We were doing some field research over there on some slimy slug things. People involved with the research were always getting sick, and I was called in to help organize the hazard limitation medivacs back to the United States."
    Cassian looked hard at him and asked, "Michael, did you get sick at the time, too?"
    "Yeah," replied Hailey, "I did. You know I thought I recognized that odor in the lab as soon as I smelled it."
    Cassian nodded, and said "You've just given me a piece of very good news."
    "What do you mean? Have I got some sort of immunity to this thing?"
    "No, not in the way you're thinking," replied Cassian. "It's not a bacteriological or viral infection we're dealing with here. I meant that it is good news they evidently still have major problems in fixing the toxicity of the gas. It's true that you may have built up a greater resistance than most people could have, because you've been exposed to it before, but, no, you're not going to provide any answers, per se."
    Cassian didn't notice Hailey looked disappointed. Lost in thought, Cassian wandered to the back of his office and stared out of the window.

    Nicky drove down the highway, unaware that a large sedan followed them at a discrete distance. The convoy left town headed for their warehouse headquarters. Jonathan and Marianne argued most of the way. All three failed to spot the highway patrol car, parked unobtrusively in the shade under an overpass. As they passed, the officer was jolted from his stupor of reading only legal speeds on his detector gun. Squinting,he noticed that none of the passengers in the truck wore seat belts.
    "Yes!" he said, as he sped off down the highway after them, lights flashing. The second body guard saw the truck being pulled over, and was forced to pull off at the nearest exit and wait to see what happened from a safe distance. Inside the truck, all hell broke loose.
    Jonathan insisted on swapping places with Nicky. "Get in the back," he ordered. "Tell that idiot Marcase to keep the *u*k quiet if he knows what's good for him and that female, and that dumb cop!" Jonathan took over the controls of the truck. Mickey nodded his understanding to Jonathan before disappearing into the back of the truck.
    Jonathan looked over his shoulder to check that Mickey was in position before pulling off onto the hard shoulder and stopping the truck. He sat nervously looking at the cop in his side mirror. He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.
    "Everybody stay calm," he said through clenched teeth, "there is no reason... no important reason why he stopped us! This will all be over very soon!" He reached inside his jacket for his gun. He undid the safety catch and placed the gun beside him out of plain view.
    The police officer swaggered up to the driver, and stood by the side of the car looking in at the occupants. "Can I see your license, sir? And your insurance documents, please?"
    Jonathan produced both and handed them over. "What's the problem, officer?" he said smiling.
    "Just sit there, sir. I'll be right back." The officer strolled, unhurriedly back to his patrol car.
    Jonathan made some strange whining noise of irritation. He didn't notice the humorless look Marianne gave him, before she adjusted her side mirror to give herself a view of the officer.
    In the patrol car, the officer's instincts told him something was not right. The documents checked out clean back at dispatch. The only thing he could fine them for was the seat belt violation. Feeling he had done his best, he returned to the truck.
    "That all checks out fine sir," said the officer, "but I'm going to have to give you a ticket for not wearing seat belts in the front seats!"
    Jonathan looked around him, suddenly realizing what the problem had been. "Seat belts!" he exclaimed, "yeah! Of course!"
    The officer was not impressed. He found them to be an odd couple for such a vehicle. Thinking back, he realized there had been three people up front when they passed him. He calmly put his hand on the holster.
    "Where is the other guy?"
    "He's in the back of the truck. He's tending the patient we're transporting to the naval isolation hospital in College Town!" he said pointing up the road to a city less than ten miles away.
    The officer frowned. He saw, as if in slow motion, the young driver smiling at him. He saw the gunpointed at him... and the spurt of flame as the gun fired once.... At point blank range Jonathan shot the officer through the forehead, and the officer crumpled to the floor without making any sound.
    "Merde!" said Marianne, so softly it was hardly audible. "You're crazy!" Louder, she continued, "You do realize that he was about to let us go, don't you?"
    Jonathan jumped out of the truck and dragged the body into a ditch by the side of the road. He looked up and down the highway to check that no one had seen him. He was lucky. The highway was quiet when he murdered the officer. The nearest cars were too far away to see much. He jumped into the truck and angrily started the engine, squealing the tires as he sped away.
    Nicky returned to the front of the truck and nodded silently to Jonathan that everything was secure in the back. After a tense period of silence, Jonathan spoke. "I had to control the situation." he said in a way that inferred he may have regretted the shooting. No one replied. "It's not a problem," he continued. Still no one replied. More tense minutes passed. "Guys," hissed Jonathan through clenched teeth. "I would very much appreciate it if we could all pay a little more attention to details!"
    Silently Marianne looked at him. Jonathan thumped the dashboard in front of him with such force it was heard in the back of the truck. Marianne's eyes widened in surprise.
    "Can I please have your cooperation," screamed Jonathan, "for ******'s sake we nearly blew the whole mission back there because of a stupid seat belt!"
    The heavy silence returned to the truck, as Marianne exchanged a brief, emotionless glance with Nicky. The body guard in the sedan flicked his headlights on and off to confirm his presence. Jonathan waved an acknowledgment, and finished the journey to the warehouse in silence.

    Cassian's thoughts returned to their current situation. He faced Hailey and asked, "Did you get a make andmodel on that truck you and Shiroma were held in?"
    "Mmm," nodded Hailey, "I did better than that. I got the number of the plate when I crawled out! It's BZ98H78J, with the expiration date of February 98."
    "That's fantastic!" said Cassian excitedly as he grabbed for the phone on his desk and requested a trace on the data. Almost immediately his researchers called him back. Cassian listened to the information he was given. He looked puzzled before saying, "Thank you very much," and replacing the receiver.
    "There's good news, and there's some, bad news..."
    Hailey waited patiently for Cassian to continue.
    "It appears that a highway patrol officer requested that same license plate a couple minutes ago. He had checked with dispatch over a seat belt violation. The truck is registered to Judy Byrnes in Philadelphia."
    Hailey frowned and asked, "Byrnes, is that...?"
    "My sister." Cassian turned and walked toward his chair. "It appears dispatch is having trouble reaching the officer who stopped the truck. He's not responding to their calls. They're sending a unit over to his last known location right now." Cassian nervously rocked from side to side as he pondered this latest piece of news. "I think we can assume the worst!" he said at last. He asked how well Hailey felt.
    "Getting stronger all the time. No problem. What do you want me to do?"
    "I want you to put together a team of your DOD people," replied Cassian. "I hope we're going to need their services soon." Cassian moved rapidly around his office, collecting his cell phone and other items.
    "Yeah," said Hailey, pushing himself up into a standing position, and reaching for the desk in front of him to steady himself.
    Cassian put his arm out to steady him.
    "I'm okay," said Hailey, refusing his help,"really! "
    Cassian raised his eyebrows at him, looked him directly, and sighed. He knew he could rely on Hailey if he could rely on anyone at all.
"You're going somewhere?"
    Cassian reached for the phone on the desk and punched in a single digit number. "Yes, Michael," he said to Hailey while he was waiting for the connection. "I'm going to take the jet to Philly."
    Hailey looked surprised, but said nothing. Cassian barked instructions into the phone ordering immediate departure for the air force base in Philadelphia. "I'll need a car!" he said as he replaced the receiver, without waiting for a reply.
    Cassian looked up at Hailey and saw the question written on his face. "I'm sorry," Cassian said. He looked embarrassed that he appeared to be abandoning the mission to go off on a personal errand. "I need to find out what is behind this... this incomprehensible behavior of Jonathan's," explained Cassian. "My sister may be able to provide us with some information."
    Hailey nodded slowly and stared at him.
    "I just need to make some sense of this."
    Hailey looked him straight in the eye and said, "Do it. Don't worry. I'm going to try to track down that truck. We may get lucky and find that he's still on the road, and spot him on satellite imaging. I'll set the tracking up while you're gone. You just keep in touch, and get back as soon as you can."
    "Thanks, Michael," said Cassian, putting his hand on his arm. "I appreciate this. I'll be back in a few hours." He rushed past Hailey, swept downstairs to the underground parking lot and into the chauffeur driven car waiting to take him to a private airstrip.

    The truck and sedan pulled into the massive warehouse parking lot. The warehouse had stood empty for many years. When the world's economic climate no longer sustained the labor cost and price of American steel, the company that had employed three thousand people employed had closed the steel mill and abandoned the warehouse. This left the town of Hammond Creek, Indiana, in a depression from which it had not recovered.
    Signs of decay were evident everywhere. Warped boards covered the glass windows. Ragweed blew through the open areas of the complex. The reason it had been safe from becoming a target for youths and other homeless people, was presumably the inaccessibility of the plant, afforded by a sturdy wall and the fencing atop of it. It was patrolled regularly by Jonathan's security people. Nicky and the second body guard, nick-named Tiny, jumped out of their vehicles, and ran to the back of the truck, opening the doors.
    Jonathan sauntered over to the entrance of their facility, watched by his security officer who held the door open. Tiny pulled Marcase out of the truck. He had to carry Marcase to the entrance of the facility. Nicky yanked on Shiroma's legs until she was near enough to him for him to pull her into a sitting position, and bundle her over his shoulder to carry her inside.
    The prisoners were thrown into a large windowless closet. The handcuffs were removed from Marcase. He peeled the plaster tape from his mouth and crawled to. The light from the low wattage bulb overhead allowed Marcase to ascertain that Shiroma was fading fast. He was frustrated there was precious little he could do to help his team mate. He spoke to her nonetheless, hoping that his soothing tone and words would filter through to her sleeping mind, while he looked around at their hopeless predicament.
    Jonathan's laboratory was well equipped. It had everything they needed. He had surprised Marianne when he had announced his intention to move to Cassian's facility. They were tantalizingly close to the solution of the toxicity. She had seen the brilliant brain of her partner come up with elusive results before, and this time he had even come up with a viable proposal for an antidote.
    The gas was toxic. It dispersed too quickly. They had to find a way to double the current contamination levels, and make them last much longer than it's current thirty second time frame. So close and yet so far. Marianne had recognized the talent of her partner some years back, and knew that she could do a lot worse than to stick by him. She had been in full agreement to go for the project they were currently working on she wanted be become a millionaire as soon as possible, and this seemed as good a way as any.
    This project offered both of them an enormously secure future, if they were able to bring the thing to closure. She felt sure that if anyone could crack the problem with the toxicity, that person was Jonathan Byrnes. Their latest batch had some curious and inexplicable effects on the cat in the lab. Jonathan and Marianne had been bewildered by the way the cat appeared to be unaffected by the gas. That episode was confusing, and quite unexpected, to say the least it needed careful evaluation.
    Marianne found Jonathan's strange behavior equally worrying. Until very recently she had followed his judgment without question, but ever since the opportunity to work at Cassian's lab, he had seemed somehow distracted. She couldn't explain his strange behavior even to herself. They had become close, but she knew very little about his family history. All she knew was that he had a troubled past, there was family pain, of this she was certain, but she knew no more than that. She was beginning to believe that Jonathan's explanation that he expected help from his uncle was only partly true. She suspected that Cassian's inclusion was motivated by personal reasons, and not job related at all.

    The shrill ringing of his cell phone brought Jonathan back to reality. He was reluctant to respond. He knew it was Jan Hinnant. He wasn't ready to speak to Jan!
    "Oh, well," thought Jonathan, "I'll have to reply sooner or later."
    "Hey, Jonathan, buddy!" The voice belonged to Jan Hinnant. His over friendly tone made Jonathan very nervous. Jan led international terrorist organizations for eighteen years. Hunted internationally for most of those eighteen years, he had always managed to evade capture.
    "Where have you been, Jonathan?" Jan asked. "I thought you were going to contact me three days ago. Have you got some good news for me?"
    Jonathan squirmed on his stool. "We've had some promising new developments," he said and frowned.
    "Promising developments! That's not what I expected to hear you tell me!"
    "We're trying to solve a very complex formula." Jonathan paused, and listened for a reply before calmly continuing, "We're not redesigning the interior of your place in Monte Carlo, Jan. The parameters are changing all the time. We thought we had cracked it only to find the toxicity level radically altered. We are getting very close."
    Jan cut him off. "I'm not paying you four million dollars to find a new color scheme for my home. I don't wish to hear about your problems. My customers are getting inpatient. So am I, my friend! Get on with the job that you claim you can do. If you can fix the problems, do it! I want this product on the market soon!"
    Taking a deep breath, Jonathan said, "I am close, very close! I will succeed, you can be sure of that, but I need a little more time, and because of that, I need... more money." He held his breath waiting for the tirade he expected to hear from the other end of the phone. Instead, silence greeted him. He wondered if the line had been disconnected.
    "I'm going to give you five hundred thousand dollars. It will come out of your completion fee. I'll give you another month, but by then, Mr. Byrnes, you are going to give me what I asked for. I think you will agree that I am being more than generous. You must realize that I do not want to be disappointed again." Jan Hinnant ended the call abruptly.
    Jonathan grinned. The call had gone better than he'd dared to hope, but he knew it may save considerable time to have some extra help from Cassian. His uncle's access to government databases was critical. He allowed himself to smile. He'd actually fallen on his feet when he made the decision to take those hostages. It was quite a brilliant plan. It would feel so good to make Cassian squirm!

    Hailey summoned Cassian on the video link minutes before Cassian's plane landed in Philadelphia.
    "Cassian."
    "I have some good news," Hailey said. "We were able to spot the truck and the sedan traveling together on Highway eighty with satellite pictures. The local boys trailed them to an abandoned warehouse in a small town east of South Bend, Indiana. They are all there now.  I'm on my way with my team."
    "Good work, Michael," replied Cassian. "Do you have any updates on the whereabouts of that missing highway patrolman?"
    "I'm sorry, Cassian," replied Hailey. "I've been informed that he was found in a ditch next to his vehicle. He'd been shot through the head."
    Cassian winced, and rested his head in one hand, before putting that hand over his mouth. He took a deep breath, lifted his chin slightly so that now his hand was resting on his chin, and asked Hailey to inform him when he arrived at the warehouse.
    "Please," he said, tiredly shaking his head, "I'm not sure if I'm going to be finished here in time to meet up, so I'm relying on you to keep me posted," and he added, "thanks."
    Cassian's jet set down at the Philadelphia airfield. He exited the plane, walked down the steps and crossed the tarmac to the car waiting for him nearby. A governmental security agent stood beside the black Mercedes and held the rear passenger door open for Cassian. Once inside, Cassian settled back against the posh seat as the driver rushed himacross the city to Judy Byrnes' modest home on the outskirts of Philadelphia's downtown area.

    Cassian opened the door of the car when it stopped outside the house. He sat looking at the home, contemplating what he was about to say. He gave instructions to the driver to wait for him outside, as he got out and walked reluctantly up the steps to ring the doorbell.
    "My God! Daniel! What on Earth are you doing here!" squealed his sister in delight as she threw her arms around him.
    "Hi, sis," Cassian replied and smiled back at her.
    Judy only needed a few seconds more to realize that he was there for something other than a surprise social call.
    "Come in, come in," she said linking her arm in his, and guiding him to her kitchen where she set about preparing him a cup of coffee. A few nervous minutes passed, as Judy poked fun at her brother's posh car outside. "And you come in here with this important looking briefcase." She broke off, realizing that they couldn't keep ignoring the fact that he was obviously there on official business. She looked down at the portable laptop/video link he was carrying in a case, and thought that she maybe didn't want to know why he had come.
    "What is it, Daniel?" she asked, her voice trembling. Cassian led her over to the kitchen chairs and they both sat down.
    "What do you know about the whereabouts of Jonathan, Judy?"
    It was almost a relief for Judy to discover that he was there to talk about Jonathan, she even imagined that it may be job opportunity for her eldest son. There was nothing to worry about after all. Her comfort was short lived. She watched her brothers face darken with emotion.
    "He's not.. dead? Is he?" she pleaded, "Tell me Daniel!" she screamed.

    Hailey and his team arrived at the warehouse in Hammond Creek, and met with the local police outside the established perimeter.
    "My partner and I," said the young female police officer, "have been watching since they got here. They're still in there. No one has left."
    Hailey nodded, and thanked the officers. "We'll take it from here on," he said.
    The officer looked around her at the impressive team Hailey had brought with him. They were dressed similarly to a SWAT team, though she knew they were probably DOD men. This was the most exciting thing she'd witnessed since leaving the Police Academy five months ago. She watched them maneuver into position. She slapped her partner on the arm to tell him to watch them prepare to storm the entrance.
    "That's gonna be me one day!" she said.
    "You're crazy," he mumbled.
    "You'll see."
    Hailey poured over the blue print of the warehouse they had picked up en route, understanding it and trying to memorize it. Lt. Minton ran over to him. "The team has set up a battery of heat imaging scanners and have calculated the number of people we will be looking for in the warehouse."
    Hailey regarded Minton with a steely look. He had one hand on his hip and the other supported him as he leaned against the truck. They'd known each other many years. Together they made a formidable team. Minton continued with his report, "There is one guard on the exterior of the building. He's touring the perimeter. Inside, the detectors have picked up the heat signatures of six other personnel, all moving around in this," Minton pointed to the room on the map, "room at the far west end of the warehouse. "They looked over at the building itself.
    "Over there," said Minton. He pointed to the left side of the warehouse where there was a row of six, fifteen feet high windows. "Then there are two more individuals, who are not moving around at all. We assume they are the hostages."
    Hailey nodded his agreement. Minton pointed to the hostage's location on the blue print. "That's where Marcase and Shiroma are," said Hailey as he looked first at the map and up at the building.
    "They're in there," said Minton, pointing to the north west corner of the warehouse. "It looks as though they're not expecting us. It should be relatively straight forward."
    "Hmmm. You'd better be right about that. They are friends of mine. The last time I saw Shiroma, she looked like she didn't have much time left. She will need to get to hospital as soon as the building is secured!"
    "Helicopter can be here in minutes," replied Minton. "The medical team is on standby at the military hospital."
    "I know, I know," said Hailey. "Let's just get this done quickly." Hailey was nervous about getting the situation resolved correctly, and although he didn't actually need him around, he found himself wishing that Cassian was not elsewhere.
    "Cassian!" He forgotten to call Cassian on the video link! "I have just one more thing to do," Hailey said to Minton, "and then we go. Make sure the men are familiar with this map. I have a call to make."

    Daniel Cassian looked across the dimly lit kitchen at his sister. He couldn't help noticing the worry lines etched into her brow; lines that he had watched form over the years. She had been such a beautiful girl. He wished he could brush away those worries.
    "Daniel," Judy begged. "Tell me! Is he dead?"
    Cassian grimaced. "No, sis," he said gently. "He's not dead."
    "Then what in God's name is it?" she pleaded.
    "When was the last time you saw Jonathan?"
    Judy looked at the calendar on the wall, as she tried to remember. "I'm not sure when I saw him last about five months ago. In September, I think. As to where he is, isn't he in France working with his girlfriend, I can't remember her name." Judy laughed nervously and grabbed Cassian's hands. "What is this all about? Has something happened to him?"
    "I've frightened you. I'm sorry," said Cassian. "Jonathan has teamed up with some dangerous people."
    Judy's eyes widened visibly as she contemplated her brother's words. "You'd better start at the beginning, Daniel. Please."
    Cassian retold the story of the kidnapping, Jonathan's demands for help, and a little bit about Jan Hinnant. Judy was at a loss for words. Cassian sat looking at her, waiting for her reaction. They sat in an uneasy silence for several minutes. Eventually, Judy spoke. She dearly wished Cassian was lying, or exaggerating.
    "I don't know where I went wrong with him," she said. "What did I do wrong?"
    Cassian shook his head silently. He was no more the wiser.
    "He got into some trouble a few years after his dad left," she said, "but it seemed like stupid kid stuff at the time. You always hope it's something they try and then reject. He came home with some unpleasant company. I thought it was all over with by the time he went away to college. He seemed to work hard, and to have sorted out the direction he was going. It looked as though he had straightened himself out." Judy could see the question in her brother's eyes. "There was no point involving you in any of this," she explained. "Daniel, you did more to help me than I deserved."
    Cassian shook his head, but Judy continued, "but, you have to know that, when he was little, Jonathan believed that you were the one who made his daddy leave. Dan himself put that idea into his head, you know Dan never liked you. I of course told him it wasn't so, but occasionally, he would bring the subject up, and I would realize that he hadn't let go of that childish notion."
    Cassian looked stunned. He never suspected Jonathan's coldness towards him was anything more than a teenager's unwillingness to show affection.
    "It was pretty obvious that you didn't like Don. Jonathan picked up on this. Yet to him, Don was a hero. He can remember the times his dad took him to a football game, the times he played with him at the park. He couldn't see him as bad. Don was his dad after all. I never spoke much about Don, and I suppose he's been able to imagine the man as some sort of... martyr."
    Judy looked up at her brother and felt ashamed that she hadn't done more to bolster her son's opinion of the uncle who had done so much for him.
    "It's a hard call to make. Destroy your son's image of the only father he's got, and therefore his self respect? Or do you allow him to see the true image of a man who does not deserve respect at all? Do you know that I have no idea where Don is? I haven't heard from him in nearly fifteen years!"
    Cassian looked down at his shoes. He knew exactly where the man was. He was serving a ten year prison sentence in Michigan State Jail for armed robbery of a jewelry store. Cassian's pager went off, and he reached down to the briefcase he had brought with him. "Excuse me a moment, sis," Cassian said, "I need to take this call, it's urgent."
    Judy got up to pour herself a vodka and tonic. Cassian waved a finger at his sister to indicate that he didn't want to have a drink. He plugged in mobile telephone, dialed Hailey's number, and entered the various security codes. "Hello, Mr. Hailey. What news do you have for me?" Cassian asked.
    "We're making our final preparations to siege the warehouse," replied Hailey, "we'll be going in, in five."
    "Be careful," Cassian urged, "and let me know how it turns out."
    "Will do," Hailey replied.
    Judy came over to the table again, and sat down with her drink. "What happens next?"
    Cassian closed the lap-top computer. He punched a single digit number into his cell phone. "Please have the plane ready to take off in fifteen minutes. Destination? The nearest airfield to South Bend , Indiana." Cassian started to leave, but turned to his sister, "Sis," he said "I'd like you to come with me." Judy nodded, and grabbed her handbag and coat.

    Outside the warehouse Hailey and his team took up positions around the building. They located and neutralized the guard on the outside of the building, and took him back to their vehicle. The last known positions of the six people inside, put one guard at either end of the building, two people gathered around a central bench and the other two standing to the side close by. The prisoners had not moved.
    The pre-arranged countdown time arrived. Hailey's team smashed through the four entrance doors. Nicky and Jonathan spun around to find two heavily armed men standing in front of them. A round of gun fire hit the guard standing next to Jonathan. Nicky grabbed both of his automatics and returned fire, hitting one of Hailey's men. The rest of the men dove for cover.
    Further down the building, more of Hailey's men disposed of the other guard, pinning him to the floor as if he were a sack of flour. Tiny dove for the cupboard where he had a couple of 9mm Mini Uzis and a stack of magazines stored. He grabbed the Uzis and magazines. He threw magazines and a gun to Marianne.
    Marianne took cover behind a lab bench. She nodded a three second countdown before jumping up and spraying the room with automatic fire. Nicky turned and saw three more men hurtling in his direction. He raised his Uzi and fired at them. They leaped for cover. Out of the corner of his eye, Nicky saw Jonathan leaning against the wall next to the hostages' room.
    Bullets peppered the wall, bringing, waking Jonathan from his stupor. He ducked behind a tall filing cabinet. Jonathan poked his head from behind the cabinet, to find Marianne. Nicky shot in two directions at once, stopping only to click a fresh magazine into his weapon. He howled in pain as a bullet slammed into his shoulder. Tiny leaped over a work bench, sending a tower of glass tubing and chemicals shattering to the floor.
    Hailey saw the situation getting out of control. He shouted into his headset, instructing his men to regroup on the far south wall of the warehouse. Nicky and Tiny's gun fire followed them across the room. The huge panes of glass behind them shattered, sending a shower of glass splinters crashing down onto them. Hailey looked around at his men. He had already lost two men, two more, including Minton had received minor wounds, but were still operational, that left five of them. He had another group of two men on the north east corner of the room, which gave him his best chance of ending the siege in their favor.
    Marianne reached the others at the northwest corner of the room. They squatted to formulate an escape plan. "Jonathan, and Nicky," she said, "go and fetch the hostages! Tiny cover me while I collect the box of samples. We're leaving here in sixty seconds."

    Nicky gave Jonathan his spare revolver and opened the door to the hostage's room. Moving quickly inside, Nicky pushed his gun into Marcase's throat. With his free hand he grabbed Marcase at the back of the neck.
    "Put your hands behind your neck!"
    Nicky swung Marcase around and ordered him to put his hands behind his neck.
    Marcase complied. "The show is over!"
    "I ain't heard no fat lady singing," replied Nicky as he took Marcase's hands down one at a time and snapped the handcuffs on his wrists.
    Jonathan walked over to Shiroma. He prodded her with his foot. "This is dead meat. We can leave her for my uncle." He pointed at Marcase, "he'll be enough." Nicky looked left and right for signs of Hailey's man before pushing Marcase to the door. He forced Marcase to the ground. "Ready," he said to Tiny. Jonathan crawled over to them and rested with his back to the wall.
    Marianne crept toward the refrigerator. She had swapped the Uzi for an automatic. she tucked it into her waistband. She opened the refrigerator door and reached up for the box containing their samples, and antidote vials.
    "There's the woman!" One of Hailey's men screamed as he dropped to one knee and brought his rifle up.
    Marianne flung herself away from the refrigerator against the side of a bench. Bullets slammed into her lower back. In agony, she threw herself forward again, and grabbed at the box containing the samples, but the burning pain forced her to clutch at the wound, and leave the antidote vials behind.
    The spray of bullets exploded the flasks of chemicals on the work bench near her. Flaming chemicals swept along the work top toward her. She crawled her way back to her associates, pushing the box in front of her. Tiny fired at the men shooting at Marianne, and killed one of them.
    Hailey sensed the suspects were about to make a run for it. He instructed the men posted outside to block the exit. Tense seconds passed. Marianne indicated she was ready to escape. Tiny and Nicky rose, and sprayed the room with bullets. Jonathan pushed Marcase toward the exit followed by Marianne. Hailey and his men returned the fire, hitting Tiny three times. Nicky lunged for the exit, picked up Tiny's Uzi and took it with him. At the door, Nicky gave the Uzi to Jonathan. Marianne ran, hunched over, toward their sedan. She carried the samples tucked under her arm. She arrived at the sedan, while Nicky and Jonathan shot their Uzis at Hailey's men. Jonathan propelled Marcase in front of him. Nicky followed a few seconds later. They made it to the sedan. Marianne accelerated out of the car park and down the road.
    Hailey ran to the exit and punched the doorway in anger as he watched the car speed away. Minton went into the hostages' room and found Shiroma on the floor. He radioed for the helicopter to fly the medical team in immediately. Minton heard Hailey walk in beside him and saw him kneel down beside Shiroma.
    "How is she?" Hailey asked, barely wanting to know the answer.
    "She looks bad," replied Minton, "but the medics are on their way. It'll be only a few minutes, sir."
    Hailey stood up and stomped around angrily, "Where is that video link? Sgt. Roberts! Bring me the video link!"
    Roberts ran into the room, and gave the video link to Hailey. Hailey dialed Cassian's number, and was patched into Cassian's in-flight connection on board the private jet. While he waited for the connection, he barked instructions for surveillance on the getaway vehicle. "I want to know exactly where they are." Roberts nodded and left the room with Minton. The medical team arrived and started an IV's and oxygen for Shiroma.
    "Cassian," Hailey barked into the link. "Jonathan, Marianne,and the body guard escaped with Marcase. The woman and the body guard are wounded, the woman worse than the man. We have Shiroma. She looks bad. The doctors are working on her right now."
    Minton walked back into the room carrying the box containing the antidote vials. "Excuse me sir," Minton said, "but this may be important. This is one of the boxes the female suspect was trying to get. She had to leave it behind."
    Hailey took the box from Minton. Cassian watched on the video link. Hailey placed the box on the cabinet next to the video link, and carefully opened it. All the vials were intact. Each of the six vials inside carried a sticker bearing the word 'remede. '
    Hailey picked up one of the vials and read the inscription to Cassian. "You found the antidote, Michael," Cassian said. "That's good news for Kimberly. Let me have a word with one of the medics. I'll tell him how to proceed."
    He returned to the link after the medic had finished speaking to Cassian, and told him they were following the escape car with a helicopter and ground vehicles.
    "My own good news," replied Cassian," is that I should be there within the hour. And," he continued, "I feel confident from the conversation I had with the medic, that we have found Shiroma just in time!"
    Hailey dared to look over to where the medics were putting Shiroma onto a gurney to take her out to the helicopter. He walked over and gave her cheek a gentle caress with the back of his hand. Hailey called to Minton, "What's the latest location of the sedan?"
    "They're heading east on interstate eighty, around ten miles west of Bristol, Indiana. We're following at a distance. They won't know they are being tailed. We'll change surveillance vehicles regularly."
    Hailey nodded, and stared at the warehouse wall, lost in thought. A determined expression crept across his face.
    "How do you want to play this? Do you want us to take off after them?" Minton asked him.
    "No. I don't think they're going very far. They'll have to stop and get medical supplies at the very least."
    Hailey continued staring at the wall. "Follow them at a safe distance. I want them to think they got away from us. Let them think we don't know where they are. We'll make our move when they stop to take care of Marianne. Cassian should be here soon. I think he'd like to be there."
    Hailey swung around to look at Minton, and told him to find out if there were any hospitals or medical centers on their current route. Hailey watched Minton leave. "Damn!" he screamed.
    Marianne sat behind the wheel of the sedan. She steered the car with her left hand while using her right hand to hold a rolled up scarf against the bullet wound. Jonathan sat next to her, holding the box of samples, and Nicky sat in the back with Marcase. Jonathan asked Marianne twice to swap places with him, but she was unwilling. The driving kept her mind off of the pain.
    "Hey, Nicky," Jonathan said, "did you see my uncle back at the warehouse?" Nicky shook his head.
    "No," continued Jonathan, "neither did I. A**hole! Send someone else to do your dirty work. Don't get hands dirty. Never was much good at personal contact, and he puts on that sickly sweet saintly expression! He makes me sick."
    Marianne glanced across at Jonathan. She knew then that she'd been right to suspect that Jonathan had personal reasons to hurt Cassian.
    "You!" Jonathan snapped at Marcase, "you work for him. What does that make you? Huh? Gets you to do some of his interesting little projects, does he?"
    Marcase frowned.
    "I bet you've had to do some testing on our gas! Asked you to find an antidote for it, I'll bet! Only you didn't hear what the gas was for? Yeah! I can picture my angelic uncle up to here in this project!" Jonathan put his hand above his head to indicate Cassian's level of involvement.
    They passed through a small township devoid of life. Jonathan tried again to convince Marianne to change places. She winced as a wave of pain shot through her causing her to double forward.
    Marcase said, "If you don't stop the bleeding from the wound soon, you'll pass out, and this car will go off the road if you're still driving!"
    Nicky watched Marcase with unease but remained silent. Marianne didn't reply either, but swung the car sharply off the road and at a curbside parking space. "Do it!' she said tersely. Jonathan jumped out of the car and ran around to the driver's seat. Marianne slid across to the passenger side with difficulty.
    "My God, Marianne!" exclaimed Jonathan as he saw the extent of her wound through her torn blouse. That's it! I'm taking you to the nearest hospital!"
    Marianne pulled out her gun and pointed it at him. "Don't even think about it! Drive on!" she said.
    "Honey," Jonathan easily pushed the gun away from him. Marianne scowled, looked away and stared out of the car window.
    "I can't let you bleed to death, sweetheart!" Jonathan said.
    "It won't come to that," snapped Marianne. "Can we get going? "The tone of her voice was one Jonathan had never heard. This was not the time to redraw the boundaries of their relationship.
    Marcase glanced at Nicky and muttered, "You need to do something about your arm too." Nicky just stared back at him, and said nothing.
    "There are no shops in this town," said Marianne. "Drive on to the next one. We'll find a pharmacy or something there."
    "Using these poky little roads is costing us time," said Marcase.
    "They aren't expecting us to use these roads," replied Jonathan. "They'll be looking for us on the interstate."
    "We're not likely to pass any sort of pharmacy traveling on these roads either. All we're likely to see between here and the Canadian border is a bunch of cows in a field. You'll need to get Marianne help before you cross the border!"
    Marianne painfully turned to look at Marcase. "You can shut it," she told him. "You're not very valuable to us now. Take my advice and try hard not to annoy anyone any more!"
    Marcase glanced at his traveling companions and realized that what she said was true. They didn't need him. Their only interest was in getting away.
    Jonathan scowled as he drove. He could forget his deal with Jan Hinnant. "Someone look at the map, please! If we need to find a town with medical supplies, perhaps someone could tell me where the town is! I can't do everything!"
    Marianne pulled out a Rand McNally Road Atlas. "Jackson is a large town. It's about fifteen miles east of here. Maybe its too big. I don't want to go there. It'll be too dangerous. Wait! There's another town between here and Jackson called Celina! Lets go there."
    "Great," replied Jonathan. "There was a sign at the last town we passed. Celina was only eight miles!"
    "What do you want me to do about our friend here?" Nicky asked. Jonathan looked at Marianne and didn't answer. Marianne turned and winked at Nicky. "Later," she said. Nicky in return nodded back.
    Hailey stopped pacing as Minton approached. "Cassian's plane has landed in South Bend. He's being transported here by helicopter. He should be here in a couple of minutes."
    "Good," replied Hailey, "What about the sedan?"
    "They turned north along county highway one thirty four, and are now headed northeast on the county highway sixty. They passed through Mennonite City about five minutes ago. There's nothing there. They didn't stop. That's forty miles north east of here. "
    Hailey nodded. "Any possibility they may be heading for Canada? How far is the border?"
    "It's about eighty miles and they have to go through Detroit." He paused before continuing, "We should move units within range when Cassian arrives."
    "That's the first thing we need to do. We can use the helicopter. Arrange for vehicles to meet us at..." Hailey consulted the map spread out in front of him, "the airfield at Jackson."
    "Yes sir. There is a doctor in Celina," he said, pointing to a town on the map.
    Hailey studied the map. "That's a likely spot to stop. It's the first decent sized town they will have passed through since leaving the interstate." Hailey resumed his pacing, "Let's get to Jackson as soon as possible! Are you going to be okay to come with us? How is that arm?" Hailey asked.
    Minton looked down at his bloodstained sleeve, and replied, "The medics have seen to it. It's nothing serious."

    Three minutes later, Cassian swept into the room followed by his sister. She stood in the doorway, and stared at the destruction. Cassian introduced her to Hailey and Minton, then excused himself in order to have a briefing with Hailey. Briefing over, Cassian nodded his agreement with Hailey and they made their way to the huge Blackhawk helicopter.
    "Lets load up! Move out! Move out!" Hailey shouted to his men.
    Special agent Wayne Altona waited patiently in a brown Chevy Silverado truck. When the silver sedan got close enough, he pulled out in front of it. He slowed down and allowed it to overtake him. Two hundred yards back down the road, the previous tail left the road.

    Jonathan cursed as the truck pulled out in front of him. "Damn peasants," complained Jonathan. "They live out here in the wilderness and think they're the only ones on the road!" Jonathan slowed the sedan as he thought about the truck. Country roads were supposed to less traveled. The roads they had been on always seemed to have at least one other car on them. "That's odd!" he said aloud.
    "What's odd?" Marianne snapped.
    "Did you know that we have had some car or other on the road with us since we left the interstate?"
    "That's not odd, you cretin," screamed Marianne, "that's a tail! Why the hell didn't you say something before?"
    "Marianne, ma cherie," he sneered, "the vehicles have been different. None of them have been close to us. It hasn't been exactly obvious!"
    Marianne sat in the passenger seat trying to contain her anger. She turned in her seat to speak to Marcase, "Time for you to go!"
    Nicky whipped his pistol up against the side of Marcase's head, opened the door and shoved him out of the car.
    "Kill him, Nicky!" Marianne screamed, "shoot him, shoot him!"
    Nicky shot at Marcase before closing the car door. The car sped away raising a cloud of dust in its wake.
    "That kills two birds with one stone! I'm sure our tail will stop to pick up our hostage. We're free to continue our ride in peace."
    Jonathan looked through the rear view mirror and watched the truck stop. He saw the driver jump out to recover the body. "Nice one Marianne," he said. "You could have kept him around until he'd seen to your wound!"
    "There are plenty of doctors," replied Marianne tersely. "We don't need that one. He's going more useful to us out there," she said, hooking her thumb over her shoulder.

    Agent Altona slowed the truck as he watched the back door of the sedan swing open. A body rolled out of the car onto the pavement. He barked into his radio, "Suspects are ditching the hostage! Repeat hostage! Suspect's present location is marker twenty five on county highway sixty; traveling north east at forty five miles per hour."
    Altona stopped his car and shouted into his radio. "I need an ambulance here right away! And contact the next surveillance car. Let them know I've stopped here."
    The helicopter landed at the airfield in Jackson. Hailey's men jumped down onto the tarmac and formed a commando style line as they waited for. Cassian climbed down and helped his sister away from the ear-deafening sound of the rotor, and toward the group of vehicles awaiting their arrival. Standing there was a somber looking man in a dark suit. With hands clasped in front, he waited for them to walk to him.
    "Good afternoon, Doctor Cassian," the man said offering his hand to Cassian. "I am Frank Windsor. General Lodge sent me to be of assistance, sir."
    "Oh," said Cassian, trying not to look as sullen as he felt. "I had no idea he was interested in this case?"
    "I'm here to be of any assistance I can be," repeated Windsor without a trace of humor. Cassian turned away from Windsor and looked Hailey directly in the eyes. With a quirked eyebrow, he successfully communicated, 'that's all we need.' Cassian stepped forward and spoke with the sheriff.
    The sheriff flipped open his notebook. He informed them that at three forty five that afternoon the perpetrators attempted to shake off surveillance by throwing their hostage from their vehicle.
    "What!" Cassian shot a startled look at Hailey.
    "Yes, sir. Our man pursuing the car stopped to recover the victim. It's okay, we didn't lose them, sir. They were observed passing our next control point. We didn't follow them again at that stage, sir. We know where they are though, they are somewhere between Tekonsha and Celina." The sheriff pointed to the location on the map, "We are here in Jackson. They are less than fifteen minutes away. I am in radio contact with the field positions," he said, tapping his remote headset. "They are not going anywhere without us knowing about it, sir."
    "That's great," said Cassian frowning, "but what about the hostage?"
    Looking at his notepad, the sheriff replied, "Yeah, it was a Doctor Marcase,"
    "Marcase!" Hailey interrupted.
    The sheriff looked up briefly, then continued, "Yeah, Marcase. He's been taken to the hospital in Jackson with a concussion, a broken clavicle and arm. He'll be okay."
    Cassian raised his eyebrows and asked if he had any more men to help out.
    "I don't have a large force, and it was short notice. Most of my men have been involved in working the tail, and they're not all back in yet."
    Cassian waited for him to finish, hardly able to believe his ears. Hailey grabbed Cassian by the arm and took him to one side, "It's okay. We can handle it. There are only three of them, they are not getting away this time, believe me."
    Cassian turned back to the sheriff. "Have you sent pictures of the suspects to the border guards?"
    "Yes, sir," he replied, "we faxed photos of the perpetrators to all the border positions in Michigan. They won't be leaving the country. And we posted an APB with other police departments."
    "Then lets get busy and find my nephew."

    "Here's the town of Celina! Hey! Marianne! Wake up!" said Jonathan, giving her a nudge.
    Nicky leaned forward to look over the back seat at her. "Marianne?"
    "I'm not asleep," she replied groggily, and sat up slightly. "I was just resting. Where are we?"
    Jonathan stared at her as he slowed the car down. "We're in Celina. It looks like a fairly large place. We're going to get help for you here."
    "Yeah," whispered Marianne, " that would be nice."
    Jonathan drove slowly past the buildings as he searched for a doctor or pharmacy.
    "Oh, great," said Jonathan. "It's just started to rain!" He switched on the wipers. He peered through splotches of icy rain and spotted a sign doctor's office sign. Immediately opposite the office was a large pharmacy. Jonathan stopped the car and turned to Marianne.
    "This is it! Perfect. We have a doctors office here, and there's the goodies over there. They are even open for business!" he said, pointing to the pharmacy.
    "You go inside and check out the waiting room, Jonathan," said Marianne. When Jonathan didn't respond, she continued, "Nicky can't go in! He's bleeding!"
    "Yeah, okay, okay! " replied Jonathan, "I'll go. You wait out here for me to call you." He left the car and ran up to the surgery with his jacket held over his head to protect him from the rain. Marianne vaguely watched him go, and sighed, "Imbecile!" Nicky looked on in silence.
    Jonathan entered the waiting room. A receptionist sat behind a wood desk. There was only one patient in the room. His clothes dripped water. The ice melted into his clothing. "Forgot my umbrella!" he said to the elderly woman. She looked up at him from the magazine she had been reading through a large magnifying glass and said nothing.
    The receptionist scowled at him over the top of her reading glasses. "Yes?" the receptionist asked.
    Jonathan thought he'd wandered onto the set of 'The Outer Limits', yet somehow everything seemed reassuringly normal. He slowly turned back to the receptionist, "Ma'am, I have an emergency. I'd like to see a doctor. Is he here right now?"
    The receptionist looked down at her appointment book and picked up her pencil. "I can't fit you in right now," she said. "The doctor has already finished for the day."
    "Oh," said Jonathan, "but the doctor is still here, isn't he? There's two cars outside? Look, this is an emergency. I haven't got time to argue with you."
    The receptionist, tilted her head up and looked down her nose at him. "I'll phone her and see if she can see you."
    "Yes, please, and hurry up. I think my wife is going to have the baby in the car if you don't hurry up!" Agonizingly slow, Jonathan watched the woman pick up the phone and press a button.
    In the waiting room he could hear the phone ringing. The receptionist spoke with the doctor and to Jonathan. "You're lucky. She'll see you. Wait there," she said, pointing to the chair next to old woman.
    "No," replied Jonathan. "I'm really short of time. I'm going in." He jerked open the door and stormed inside. The doctor sat behind her desk with a mug of coffee in her hand. She was reading a file on her lap-top computer. Jonathan pulled out his pistol, and waved it at her.
    "How dare you?"
    Jonathan interrupted her. "Are you a doctor?" he demanded. The doctor nodded. "Stay there. I've got a couple of patients for you. Tell your receptionist to take herself and her sister home. Now!"
    The doctor nodded, stood up slowly, and inched her way around the desk toward the door. "It's okay, Ginny," the doctor said to the receptionist. "I can finish up here now. You can take Lily Mae home. I'll see you in the morning."
    Ginny looked concerned and started to protest, but the doctor helped her stand and led her to the coat rack. "Thanks for your help today. I'll be fine. Have a nice evening, you two." The doctor escorted the elderly women to the door, saw them climb into their car, and pull slowly out of the car park.

    Cassian's cell phone rang. He flicked it open and sat silently listening for a few seconds before saying, "Thank you, we're on our way." Cassian looked around at his task force and said, "Gentlemen. The pilot has just informed me they have located them. They're in a doctors' office at 3001, South Kentucky Street, Celina. We will be there in minutes."

    Jonathan joined the doctor in the doorway, and signaled to Marianne and Nicky to join him. Nicky jumped out of the car first, ran to Marianne's door and helped out of her seat. Marianne was too weak to walk and slipped into unconsciousness. Nicky scooped her into his arms and carried her into the doctor's office. He gently set her down on the examination bed.
    "This is bad," the doctor said. "This is very bad" She listened to Marianne's chest with her stethoscope. "Her pulse is very weak."
    Looking at the wound in Marianne's side, she noted the extent of blood loss. She assumed the large amount of blood loss was due to a severed vein. The doctor clamped a large bandage on the wound and pressed down on it.
    "This woman has suffered massive blood loss. Her pulse is slowing as I speak. Basically, this woman is going to be dead if we don't operate on her in the next ten to fifteen minutes! She needs to go to hospital. I can't help her here."
    Nicky and Jonathan looked at the doctor with vacant expressions on their faces. They knew that Marianne's condition had deteriorated rapidly in the last few minutes. Jonathan looked at Marianne and knew it was time for him to leave.

    Cassian looked to where his sister sat. He wondered if he'd been wise to bring her along. The sheriff and five patrol vehicles drew up to the Blackhawk as it landed. They watched in silence as first Hailey, then his team, and finally Cassian and his sister disembarked. They paired off and entered the patrol cars. They extinguished all lights and drove along the street toward the doctors' office as quietly as possible.
    They parked in a flat area between two buildings across from the doctor's office. Hailey's men took up positions surrounding the building. Cassian unfolded his legs and stepped out of the car. Cassian grabbed his sister by the arms. "I need you to wait here, sis."
    Judy looked earnestly at her brother. She wanted to say, good luck, or something, but nothing came out of her dry throat. She grabbed him, as he turned to go, and although she still didn't speak, he nodded, and said, "I'll be careful." Cassian walked to the door to the examining room.

    "We have to leave Marianne," said Jonathan. "We must leave now!"
    Nicky angrily smashed his arm through a portable screen and an IV stand, sending them clattering across the floor. "No! Not without Marianne!"
    Jonathan grabbed one of his flailing arms and swung him around to look at him. "Nicky! She's going to die if we take her with us! We can't do any more for her. We have to leave now!"
    Nicky grabbed Jonathan by the throat and nearly picked him up off the floor, "The doctor can fix her up. I'm not leaving without her!"
    Choking, Jonathan managed to peel Nicky's hands off of his throat, and started to leave.
    "Hey! You're not leaving!" Nicky reached into his holster and drew out his gun.
    Jonathan turned to see Nicky pointing the gun at him. At the same time, they heard someone enter the office and shut the door. Both men focused their attention on the figure of Daniel Cassian standing in the entrance to the examining room.

    Hailey reached inside the unlocked sedan and pulled out the box of samples. Gingerly opening the box, he peeked inside and saw several glass containers of the Mai River Bugs in various stages of development. Hailey became aware of someone looking over his shoulder and snapped the box shut. He handed it to one of his men to take back to their vehicle.
    "Did you find anything like that back at the warehouse, by any chance?" Windsor asked.
    Hailey squinted at him, then replied, "Not at the warehouse. We are to wait over there," he said, indicating the opposite side of the street. Hailey continued pointing until Windsor got the message, and walked over there, then he walked behind him to stand waiting in his allotted position.

    "Jonathan!" Cassian said, "I think it's time you and I had a talk."
    Nicky swung his gun in Cassian's direction, but Cassian ignored him.
    "Ah, Uncle Daniel. How good of you to join us," said Jonathan smiling, and clapping his hands together in mock glee. "Sorry to inform, however, that we will be departing shortly."
    The doctor moved away from Marianne to the far side of the room, out of the line of fire. Nicky indicated she should return to her patient. The doctor complied, and set about linking up an IV to Marianne. She barely took her eyes off the men in her office.
    "It's time to give yourself up, Jonathan," Cassian said firmly.
    "Oh, yeah?" Jonathan laughed. "How did you work that one out, illustrious uncle Danny?"
    Cassian looked stonily at his nephew. "There are a dozen heavily armed men surrounding the building. You can surrender now, or you can die in here."
    "Scary!" Jonathan replied. "You really have me worriednow. Ha, ha!"
    Cassian took a deep breath and said, "We can get medical help for your associate. "He indicated Marianne with a flip of his hand, "You two will come with me."
    "Ah, yes!" said Jonathan as he walked to his uncle. He put his face close to Cassian's, before walking away again. He stood next to Nicky with his hands behind his back. Quickly, Jonathan drew his weapon, and waved it at Cassian. "But what about the fact that you are here with us? And that I have a device hidden in downtown Chicago. It's loaded with my gas and will detonate if I ring the code on my handy cell phone!"
    Jonathan pulled out his cell phone, and swung it around by the strap. Cassian's heart missed a beat as he looked impassively at his nephew. In the tense silence, the doctor dropped a stainless steel dish to the floor. Everyone jumped. The doctor produced a gun from somewhere and pointed it at Nicky. Cassian knocked Jonathan's gun from his hand and pushed his own gun into Jonathan's chest.
    "Drop the gun, Nicky!" Cassian hissed. Nicky whimpered, not because of what Cassian had said, but because he had looked over to the bed, where Marianne's lifeless eyes were staring into space.
    "Nicky!" whined Jonathan, as he realized Nicky was no longer covering him.
    Cassian continued to pin his nephew back with his gun. Nicky bent over Marianne, and cried like a child. Without warning Nicky stood up straight and stormed over to Cassian and Jonathan. He grabbed Jonathan and tossed him against the wall.
    "This is your fault!" he said, pointing back at Marianne. "She said you would get us all killed! Look at her! How could you do that to her? She loved you!"
    Everyone in the room stood transfixed by the turn of events. Nicky pointed his gun at Jonathan. "Now you die!" He fired repeatedly at Jonathan.
    Cassian shouted, "NO!" He shot at Nicky.
    At the sound of gunfire, Hailey and his men charged into the doctor's office. They arrived to see Cassian and the doctor leaning over the bloody figure of Jonathan Byrnes. Hailey checked on Marianne and Nicky and confirmed they were dead, before facing Cassian. Windsor stood behind him. Judy pushed both men out of the way as she ran into the room.
    She stopped at the sight of Jonathan and raised a trembling hand to her mouth. Cassian looked up at her, and then back down at his nephew. Jonathan opened his eyes to see his uncle cradling his head. He wriggled feebly to push him away and leaned against the wall.
    He spat blood. "Get away from me, you bastard!"
    "Oh, Jonathan!" Judy cried. Her eyes filled with tears. "How could you?"
    Horrified that the one person he respected and loved saw him in his worst hour, he looked away from her.
    "Tell me where the device is, Jonathan," said Cassian.
    "Go to hell!" Jonathan replied.
    "Jonathan, please!" pleaded his mother.
    "You don't understand, ma. You don't know who this man is. What he is!" Jonathan said through splatters of blood.
    "I know he's the man who helped us survive. I know him as the man who has done more for me than I will ever be able to repay. I know he's the only man who really cared about you!" Judy cried. She knelt beside her son and wiped the blood from his mouth. "He's loved you, as I've loved you. Tell him what he needs to know, please, Jonathan. Do this for me"
    Jonathan screwed up his eyes in pain, and slid further down the wall. He knew he was going to die. Judy cradled her son's head in her hands, and repeated gently, "Please, Jonathan."
    "Jonathan, you don't really want to kill all those innocent people," Cassian whispered. "You don't want to cause your mother anymore grief, do you?"
    Taking a deep breath, he said, "Locker 5617, Central Bus Depot, Chicago."
    Cassian looked at Hailey. Hailey nodded and ran outside to take action. Judy kissed her son's forehead. When she leaned back, she saw that he was dead. Cassian put his arms around his sister and held her tightly while she wept.

    The following day, in the French capitol, within the sight of the Champs Elyses, Jan Hinnant rose from his black leather executive chair and paced nervously across the antique Oriental rug. Angrily, he walked over to his lacquered desk and picked up his phone. He told his secretary to phone Jonathan's number. The secretary called him back within minutes to tell him that the number was disconnected.
    "Try Marianne Pinot!" he demanded.
    "I'm sorry sir, I'm getting the same computerized message regarding her number as well."
    Hinnant looked down at the red telephone on his desk. It was his private telephone. Only a handful of people had the number. A light was flashing telling him that a client was trying to contact him. He decided not to answer. Instead, he picked up his briefcase and headed for the airport to catch the first flight to Tripoli.

    In the Marie Curie hospital in Chicago, Kimberly Shiroma woke to find herself surrounded by flowers and two visitors; Cassian and Hailey. Hailey stepped forward and kissed her on the cheek and handed her a box of chocolates.
    "Why, thank you Michael!" said Shiroma, "I think I deserved these, didn't I? I'll let you boys help me to eat them. Where is Edward? Isn't he here?"
    Cassian answered, "Doctor Marcase is also in a hospital, in a small county hospital in Michigan," he said, "but he's okay. He'll be returning to us today."
    "He's enjoying being the only patient in the hospital under the age of seventy five!" added Hailey, and they all laughed.
    "Michigan!" Shiroma laughed. "Sounds like I've got a lot of news to catch up on!"

    Cassian and Hailey returned to the Chicago office. "I have several pieces of news for you, Michael," said Cassian. Hailey nodded and waited for Cassian to continue.
    "As you know, we recovered Jonathan's device. There was an important quantity of Q346 recovered. We think we have it all. Oddly enough, two homeless people were brought into the Oxford College Hospital here in Chicago. Both were suffering from the same symptoms as our own Doctor Shiroma. It was pure chance that we got to hear about them. They're lucky to be alive. The trouble is we have no idea how they got infected. It's something I would like you to look into next. See what you can find out. Go and talk to those homeless people in hospital." Cassian got up and walked to his window and stared at the wintry view.
    "I have some news for you too," Hailey said. "It appears that Nicky was once married to Marianne Pinot. In fact they were never formally divorced. Odd, isn't it?"
    Cassian turned to watch Hailey leave, and saw that his phone was flashing to indicate he had a call waiting. He picked up the phone to discover it was a call from General Lodge.
    "Doctor Cassian!" the voice said on the other end of the phone, "I need to have a chat with you about that Mai River Project. I'd like you to come over tomorrow to discuss the details. You guys came up with quite a good solution. We're fairly happy. My secretary will tell you the time of your appointment. Good day to you."
    The call had ended without Cassian uttering a word. He threw the phone down onto the desk, and stormed out of the room. In the corridor he was surprised to see Edward Marcase, arm in a sling, waiting to speak to him. Marcase looked upset.
    "Come into my office. I'm surprised to see you back here already." Cassian said pleasantly. "Have a seat."
    "I'll come straight to the point," said Marcase grimly. "I want to know what your involvement was in the Mai River Project." Cassian stared blankly at Marcase.
 "All the time I was their prisoner, I was hearing about you. Jonathan seemed to think you knew as much about his gas as he did! What did he mean?" Marcase demanded.
    Cassian looked back at Marcase with a quizzical almost bemused expression on his face. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Edward," he said.
    Marcase paced the office. "Are you denying that you have Kimberly and I working blind on toxins, and you don't tell us where they came from? I'm sick of this secret crap! I don't want to design poisons! I don't want to create the means to kill or maim innocent people. That's not why I became a doctor. Keep me and Kim out of it, do you hear?"
    Marcase stormed out of Cassian's office and left the door open. Cassian pursed his lips, rocked back in his chair, and looked at the ceiling of his office. He let out a sigh, gathered his attaché case and headed home.
    Downtown Chicago, workers arrived for work in the dim light of a wintry dawn. Hardly anyone noticed the strange colored cat as it darted into the office building and ran past the security guard. "I'll get him out later."

THE END.......... or is it?