After obtaining a rental car, it took them only a few minutes to get to the container’s location, just as the early winter sun was coming up. Live and in person, the lot looked even more abandoned than it had from above. There was a rusty chain-link fence, topped by three strands of barbed wire, surrounding the entire lot, and another, slightly newer fence partially cutting the lot in half. The row of neglected vehicles was a mix of cars and a couple of old tow trucks. None looked like it’d been on the road for years.
Billy pulled the rental into one of the spaces at the west end of the lot, and got out. Though he could hear a low rumble coming from the freeway several blocks away, the area itself was quiet. At this early hour of the morning, he and Karen were probably the only ones around.
After exiting the car, Karen went to the trunk and removed the case containing the specialized tools and equipment they thought they might need. That was one of benefits of chartering a plane from a company the Ranch had worked with before-they didn’t have to worry about a security check. She joined Billy at the misaligned gate in the fence, only about twenty feet from where they’d parked.
Though the gate looked like it had been there for decades, the chain and lock holding the two halves together were new. Karen selected a couple tools from the case, set to work on the lock, and opened it in seconds.
From the sidewalk, the brown shipping container was out of view, blocked by one of the aging trailers, but as soon as they walked on the lot, they could see it. Billy’s first impression was that it was a normal container, just like the countless others he’d seen over the years in ports or on the backs of trucks and trains. Then he noticed the top edge. At the point where the side panel met the roof, there seemed to be a hinge. That was definitely not normal.
He pointed it out to Karen. “Goes all the way along the edge.”
She frowned, and disappeared on the other side. “Same over here, too,” she called out, then came back around to where he was. “I think the roof splits in the middle.”
Billy located the number at the top back corner of the box, and checked it against the one Jordan had seen on the container in the security footage. “Numbers match,” he said. “It’s definitely the same one.”
When they stepped around the far end, they found another surprise. While the doors for loading and unloading the container were right where they should be, the locking mechanism keeping them closed was decidedly not standard, and seemed to be attached to something within the box itself.
Karen set the case on the ground and moved in for a closer look. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Can you open it?”
“Maybe if I had time and the right software. But I don’t think I’d even want to try.”
“Why not?”
“If I got it wrong even once, what do you think the chances are something inside would be triggered? I mean, if this is one of the Project’s devices.”
“Then how are we going to see what’s inside?”
“Give me a few minutes.”
While she conducted a closer examination of the box, Billy pulled their communication gear from his jacket pocket, and put his wireless earpiece on. Matt’s one caveat for letting Billy come to Cleveland was that once he and Karen were on site, they had to be in constant communication with the Ranch.
“This is Billy. Anyone there?”
“This is Echo Four. I got you, Billy,” a voice said on the other end. He recognized it as belonging to Leon Owens, one of the communications operators.
“We’re on site, doing a visual check of the container.”
“All right. I’ll let Matt know.”
“Billy!” Karen called out. “Bring me the scanner, would you?”
Billy knelt down next to the tool case, and removed the scanner from inside. The device looked like a tablet computer, but was really a down and dirty imager that could see through solid objects for about half a foot. He brought it around and gave it to Karen, who held it against the side of the container and activated it. The image that appeared on the screen was grainy and devoid of color. As she moved it along the surface, shades of gray seemed to recede then start again.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I’m not sure, but whatever it is, it’s packed right up to the inside of the wall.”
When she was just a few feet from the end of the box, the screen became more black than gray.
“It’s empty right here,” she said. “I think we could probably cut through the wall and get in that way. Can you bring the case over?”
Billy retrieved the tools, and Karen pulled out a compact metal cutting torch that had been included in their kit.
“Billy? It’s Matt.”
Billy touched his earpiece. “I’m here.”
“So what have you found?”
“It’s definitely the same container. Not sure beyond that yet. One thing we do know is that it’s been modified.” He explained about the roof and the odd locking setup, then told him about the scans. “Karen’s cutting a hole in the side. Once she’s done, we should be able to see what’s going on inside.”
“All right.” Matt paused. “Billy, I have some bad news.”
Billy stepped away from the container so he could hear better. “What?”
“The student in St. Louis, the one who got sick?”
“Yeah?”
“He died an hour ago.”
That wasn’t unexpected, but Billy had hoped his prognosis had been wrong. “I’m sorry to hear that. What about the others?”
“That’s actually the bad news.”
“Oh, no. How many?”
“No other deaths yet, but the number of infected just reached one hundred percent.”
Billy’s lips parted in resignation. “All of them?”
“Yes.”
“Dear God.”
“Find us an answer there, Billy. We’re counting on you.”
A few minutes later, Karen turned off the torch and removed a two-and-a-half-foot-square section of the container’s wall. As they’d seen on the scan, there was nothing in the immediate space beyond. Karen moved right up to the opening and slowly stuck her head inside.
“Careful,” Billy said.
“There’s a wire mesh netting about a foot away from me. Goes clear across. Looks like it’s supposed to keep everything on the other side from moving into this part.”
“What’s it holding back?”
“Metal drums and hoses running between them, and….” She paused. “You know what I think?”
He was standing beside her now. “What?”
“This is definitely a delivery device. There are hoses hooked into rails along the top. Looks to me like what’s in the barrels is supposed to be turned into an aerosol and shot through the roof. If the wind catches it, God knows how far it will spread.” She twisted around and looked toward the short end of the box. “Huh.”
“What is it?”
“Can you hand me a flashlight?”
She held out a hand without removing her head from the hole. Billy grabbed a flashlight from the case and gave it to her. She shined the beam around for a few seconds before extracting herself from inside.
“There’s a control system mounted on the wall. I think I can hook into it with my laptop and download whatever information it might contain.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s pretty straightforward. I don’t think they ever expected anyone to get in like we did.”
Though Billy wasn’t as confident as she was, he nodded his agreement and reported to Matt, who agreed it was worth a try.
Karen retrieved a cable from the case, snipped off one end, and attached a different type of connector to it. She hooked the other end into her laptop, and motioned for Billy to stand right next to her.
“Hold the computer as close to the opening as you can, so I have as much play with the cable as possible.”