And as his eyes drifted to Skyler and Jensen he could see that they, too, were watching his teammates—were judging, perhaps, their reactions and potentials. We're still in school as far as they're concerned, he thought with a touch of bitterness. Cadets—trainees—junior members of the team. Well, that's going to change soon. Just as soon as we're true blackcollars ourselves.
"What sort of documentation was there for this Whiplash stuff?" Hawking spoke up. "Anything either on the computer or hard-copied?"
"The book had a lot of stuff in it besides production listings," Lathe told him, "but I couldn't make much sense out of it. You and Alamzad can take a run through it, but I suspect we'll need a biochem expert to really figure it out."
"In other words," Pittman said quietly, "the only way to really test it will be to try it out on someone.
All right; whenever you're ready, I volunteer."
"Thanks," Lathe said, "but we're a long way from that point yet. We first have to look through the book and the medical computer, and then see if we can get into the main computer upstairs. And even then we aren't just going to inject anyone with an unknown drug."
"Eventually, you'll have to," Pittman said. "And you know it. I'm just getting my bid in early."
"Pittman..." Skyler hesitated. "Look, they're going to be all right. Project Christmas—"
"Was impossible from the start," the younger man said with a touch of bitterness. "Don't kid yourselves—I didn't. But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the effort."
"Pittman—"
"No, it's all right, Lathe." Pittman got to his feet, headed for the door. "I'll be ready whenever you want me."
He left. "Damn," Braune murmured under his breath.
"He'll be all right," Lathe said. "If he wasn't as tough as he is, I wouldn't have let him play this double-agent game in the first place. The best thing we can do for him now is to finish up here as quickly as possible and get back to Plinry."
"Where I trust the news about this Project Christmas will be good," Caine said.
"We all hope that," the comsquare agreed grimly.
"Well, then, let's get to it." Hawking sighed, standing up. "We're talking at least a couple of days of steady work here. Incidentally, anyone know where Kanai and Bernhard are?"
"They're over in the isolation ward, looking through the records there," Jensen said. "I can see the only door into the place through my window here, and they haven't left."
Lathe cocked an eyebrow. "You making a second career out of keeping track of them?" he asked mildly.
"Someone has to," Jensen replied.
"Point," Lathe admitted. "Okay—the job's yours. The rest of you, let's get to work."
—
"Try it now," Hawking grunted, wriggling his way back along the ceiling cable tray and dropping to the medical-lab floor.
Caine tapped in the password; a moment later a new directory appeared on his display. "I'm in," he announced. "I don't believe it, but I'm in."
Hawking shook his head as he stepped to Caine's side. "I don't believe it either, but I'm not too proud to accept gifts from the universe. Maybe Torch was smarter than we thought."
"Oh, I agree. Why take the risk of breaking into the command level when you can tap into the computer files through the medical system down here? What I'd like to know is how they physically got the storage disks upstairs into the readers."
"Maybe they found a back-door crawlway someone could use," the blackcollar said. "Maybe they got one of the remotes in there started. Or maybe the last Aegis survivors even left it set up this way.
Whichever, I'll be happy to take it."
"Yeah." Caine found a likely-looking file and accessed it. "Did we ever establish whether or not we'd recognize the Backlash formula if we do run across it?"
"I'll take any formula at all at this stage," Hawking replied candidly. "Four days in this hole has me just about at my limit. How the hell did they expect people to hold out here for years on end?"
"Having lights and companionship around would probably help," Caine said. "Look at this, will you?"
Hawking pulled over a chair and peered at the display. Caine expelled a tired breath and let his gaze drift to the lab's window. He hated to admit it, but four days in Aegis had about done him in, too.
The emptiness and silence were just too unnatural; the lack of light everywhere but the stairway and medical level was downright spooky. Only out in the open area between buildings—
His thoughts froze in mid-grumble. Braune was coming across the open area toward the lab complex at a dead run, and he looked worried. "Back in a minute," Caine told Hawking, getting out of his seat and heading out the door.
He met Braune at the building's entrance. "What's up?" he asked.
"Trouble," the other puffed. "Bernhard's attacked Jensen and gone into the stairwell."
"He what? Jensen all right?"
"I think so—Colvin's over with him now, by the stairway door. Jensen had me tapped as backup man, but I was too far away to help."
"Show me," Caine ordered. "Have you alerted Lathe?"
"I didn't know where he was," Braune said as they headed off, "and I thought that Bernhard might have left Kanai down here as backup, so I didn't want to use the tingler."
"But if Bernhard's lost us—"
"He hasn't. I grabbed Pittman and sent him out on Bernhard's tail before I came for you."
Pittman. Great. The man with the martyr leanings. "We've got to find them right away," he growled.
"I know. Over here."
They skidded to a halt at the stairway door. A few meters beyond it, Colvin was kneeling over a prone Jensen. "How is he?" Caine asked, dropping to one knee and checking the other's pulse.
"Out cold, but I don't think he's badly injured," the other replied. "I waved Alamzad over a minute ago and I sent him after Pittman, okay?"
"Yeah." Caine glanced around, but none of Lathe's team was in sight anywhere. "Braune, get back to the lab where you found me and tell Hawking. Colvin and I will go after Bernhard."
"Watch yourselves," Braune warned as he headed off again.
Inside the stairwell, all was quiet. "Which way?" Colvin whispered.
In answer, Caine pointed to the shuriken lying on the second step up. "My guess is the command level. Let's go."
They started to climb, as quietly as possible. Once again, Caine found himself thinking of how well designed for ambushes the staircase was, but again his fears proved unfounded. At each landing they found another throwing star pointing the way farther upward, but that was the only visible indication that anyone had even come this way since their arrival. No sounds other than their own footsteps; no glimpses of either their quarry or their fellow teammates. As they passed the command-center level and still the shuriken led upward, Caine began to wonder if perhaps Bernhard had caught and eliminated his new shadows and left the stars himself as decoys.
But they kept on, and just inside the level-one stairwell door Alamzad was waiting, his nunchaku gripped in his hand. "Where are Lathe and the others?" he hissed as Caine and Colvin stepped to his side.
"Braune's getting them," Caine said. "Where are Pittman and Bernhard?"
"Inside the hangar—straight down the hall and out the double doors," the other said. "Bernhard went right over to the main control station, we think. Pittman's watching from a distance, but he'll probably take some action on his own if you don't get in there quick."
"Hell," Colvin whispered. "Caine, the hangar is where the main tunnel exit starts. Do you think...?"
"That Bernhard's going to let the Ryqril in?" Caine's stomach knotted. "I sure as hell hope not. But whatever he's up to, we've got to get in there and stop him." He pulled the door open.
"Hold it," Alamzad said suddenly. "I thought I heard something on the stairs."
Colvin stepped to the railing, took a quick look down. "I don't see anything," he said. "Could be Lathe and reinforcements. Should we wait?"