Riley put up a hand to silence him. Something metallic lay underneath a small bush on the far side. Riley stood up and waded across the creek, climbing up the far bank. He signaled for Ward and Freeman to stay back and then gingerly moved toward the bush. He scanned the ground beneath him. In the damp earth he could see some unidentifiable tracks.
Riley's questions about the entire operation hit him with more force on seeing those strange tracks. He pulled a magazine out of his ammo pouch and slid it into the well of the weapon. Seating it with a tap, he pulled back the bolt and slowly let it ride forward. He pushed on the M16's forward assist to make sure that the round was seated properly, then he rotated the selection switch to semiautomatic. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Doc Seay mimicking his actions with his weapon.
Riley crossed the last few meters to the bush, taking care not to trample the tracks. He could now see what was under the bush. He scanned the far side of the bush and the far slope. Nothing. If there had been anything else, they would have spotted it on the first trip.
Riley took a deep breath, then signaled the team to assemble nearby. He turned and gestured for Ward and Freeman to move up.
"Don't step in the tracks," Riley warned as the two came forward across the creek. He pointed at the bush. "There are your collars, or what's left of them."
Chapter 4
Freeman held the remains of the collars in his hands. "What's going on, Doctor?" There were four half pieces of metal, the ends cleanly cut.
Ward took the pieces and examined them. "These had to have been sawed off prior to getting blown. It looks like the part with the fuse and transceiver in it was destroyed but the other side was okay."
"How did they get sawed off?"
Ward shook his head. "I don't know."
"Whoever took the Synbats had to have done it. Most likely the security guard, if he was in on it."
Ward didn't believe that Stan Lowry had been part of the escape, but Freeman was right: The fact that the collars had been cut off increased the possibility. Maybe someone had even been behind the power failure. Ward reminded himself to look more closely at the computer records when he returned to the lab.
For the moment. Ward was simply glad that the Synbats were apparently still alive. He told Freeman: "It doesn't matter how they got out and who removed the collars. The problem is that we still have to track them down and catch them as soon as possible. I've got the tranquilizer rifles at the lab. We can use those to put them to sleep and bring them in. The army guys can take care of whoever stole them and took off their collars."
Freeman frowned. "I'll let you tranquilize them if you can, but I'm going to tell these men to shoot if there's any danger of the creatures getting away."
Ward realized that this was the best compromise he was going to get; he nodded his acceptance.
Thirty meters away, at the side of the stream, Riley was fielding questions from his curious team. "What was under that bush, chief?"
Riley glanced over where Ward and Freeman were still arguing, then swung his attention back to the team to answer Doc Seay's question. "There's four half circles of metal that look like they were part of the collars Doctor Ward told us about. There was also a small blackened area. From what I could see, it looks like the collars were cut off the monkeys before they were detonated."
Riley addressed Trovinsky, the team's senior weapons man. "Ski, take a look at those tracks where they come out of the creek there and tell me what you think."
Trovinsky walked over to the bank. He was a wiry man with a hatchet-shaped face framed by short black hair. Since Trovinsky spent most of his off-duty time hunting or fishing, Riley figured that he might have some idea what had made the tracks.
After a few minutes of examination, Trovinsky came back, shaking his head. "I don't know, chief. Never seen anything like them. From the impressions, I'd say you got something big — about a hundred thirty to a hundred fifty pounds, walking on two legs. I've never seen monkey tracks before, but I imagine that's what they are. There's four distinct sets, two larger, two smaller.
"From the condition of the edge of the impressions, I'd estimate they were here about eight to ten hours ago. It's rained since they were made, so we're talking prior to dawn."
Riley considered the information as he waited for Ward and Freeman to finish their hushed discussion. The two appeared finally to agree on something and came over to where the team was circled up. Riley noticed that both men were more nervous than before. Things weren't so clean-cut now, Riley thought. Plan A was down the tubes. Time for plan B, whatever that was.
Freeman spoke first. "It looks like somebody removed the monkeys' collars. Since there are no bodies here, we have to assume that the collars were cut off before the charge was initiated and the monkeys are still alive."
"I thought you said they escaped," said Knutz. "Are you saying now that someone stole the monkeys and cut off the collars?"
Freeman sighed. "From the original data at the lab we didn't think so, but based on this I'd have to admit there is a possibility that someone did break in and steal them. It's the only thing that makes sense."
Well, that certainly changes things, Riley thought. Still, something didn't sit right. He decided to point out the obvious. "If they were stolen, why aren't there any human tracks here?"
Ward slid his tongue over his lips. "We don't know what happened, so we can't answer that. The important thing now is that we find the monkeys as quickly as possible. I need to get back to my lab and get the tranquilizer guns so we can capture them."
Riley shook his head. "These tracks were made before dawn. That means they've got at least a six-hour lead on us. If someone stole them, they would have had a vehicle nearby and already be long gone. Maybe their plans went to shit and they're on foot for some reason. Maybe these monkeys escaped from the people who broke them out. I don't know, but whatever the reason, we can't afford to wait for you to go back to the lab. If you're serious about catching these monkeys, we've got to move after them now."
Riley wondered why Doctor Ward was so anxious to get these particular monkeys back alive. Surely they would have other samples of the modified VX virus back in the lab. Riley waited for a response to his suggestion. He could tell that the DIA agent and the doctor were at odds regarding the best way to handle this.
Riley was surprised when Doc Seay's quiet voice cut in. "If those monkeys are carrying a laboratory-manufactured strain of the VX virus, we can't afford to let them run around. There isn't even a working vaccine for the old strain, never mind a new one. We've got to go after them before they get too far. If someone has stolen them, the only reason I can figure is because that person wants the new strain. I have some worries about that person's motives. Maybe something went wrong and the monkeys escaped from whoever freed them. I don't know. All I do know is that I agree with the chief — we can't waste any more time."
Riley nodded his agreement. Seay was a good man, and on the few occasions he gave advice, Riley paid attention. The slightly balding, skinny medic was one of the smartest people Riley had ever met. And Seay had common sense, a more important commodity than pure intelligence, in Riley's opinion.
Freeman proposed a compromise. "How about if I go with the team after the monkeys and Doctor Ward goes back to the lab with one of your men to get the rifles? Then they can fly out here on one of the helicopters."
Riley gestured around at the forest. "There's no place for a helicopter to land around here, sir." He pulled out the map and looked at it. "But the bird might be able to touch down where this creek runs into the lake. The map shows an open area."