But the news wasn’t all bad. From what Jia could tell, the woman looked as incompetent as the two men she had just killed. Probably a soft European or American. Her gun wasn’t aimed properly, and her stance wasn’t balanced and firm. She was an amateur, and amateurs were easy to outmaneuver.
The woman lifted the radio to her mouth. Jia knew what was coming next, so she went with one of her old tricks.
“It’s me,” Jia said in a surprised voice. “What are you doing?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”
“Karen.”
The woman didn’t believe Jia, but the banter was having its intended effect. The woman’s shooting hand had already relaxed, moving the barrel even farther off target.
“I don’t know any Karen.”
Jia knew the woman would be focused on the answer to her question and not any potential threat, so it was time to act. “The system is down, and I was sent down here to—” Then Jia grabbed the grip of her own pistol and dove right.
The guard squeezed the trigger immediately, but the shot missed its mark. Jia hit the ground hard but managed to lift her gun and fire twice. Both shots were on target: one round hit the woman’s forehead and the other her chest. She staggered for a moment then fell over.
After catching her breath, Jia got up and walked over to the body. She kicked the gun aside then crouched and placed two fingers on the woman’s neck. Dead. She had probably died before hitting the floor.
A voice spoke, causing Jia to flinch. “Williams, is that you?”
The radio. It was lying on the floor a few feet away.
“What was that noise coming from your sector?” the man asked.
Jia picked the radio up, unsure what to do.
After another pause, the man asked, “Williams, are you there?”
Remembering an old trick she’d been taught at spy school, Jia rubbed the microphone to mimic a static sound and said, “Ran… outside…”
“What?”
Jia turned off the radio and set it aside. She didn’t know whether the ruse would work or not. And even if it did, she had only five or ten minutes at most to complete her work.
Jia locked the door, walked to the server, and inserted the thumb drive. Within seconds, the Trojan malware came alive and presented her with a menu box. Using the keyboard, Jia typed in a series of instructions. But before downloading the critical material, she stopped and thought through her situation. Though time was of the essence, she needed to make sure she got out alive. It was time to initiate the nuclear option.
She entered a series of instructions then waited for the malware to do its work.
In the next few minutes, all hell was going to break loose.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
EVEN THOUGH SHE tried to pretend she wasn’t paying attention, Danielle noticed that two men were moving in her direction. Based on their attire and steely gazes, she knew they were members of Brehmer’s security team, and they were coming to get her.
Her pulse racing, Danielle considered her options. Unfortunately, there weren’t many. One thing she could do was wait until they arrived and make a scene. An amateur actor, she would have no problem pulling it off. Also, dozens of guests were standing on the dais. Surely, Brehmer’s men wouldn’t risk hauling her out of the room by force. After thinking about it for a moment, she realized they very well might. Their hard gaze indicated they knew the truth, that she and Zane weren’t who they said they were. And if they knew that, they were going to take her away no matter how loud she screamed.
They left her with only one option: get away.
As she slid off her chair, another idea flashed in her mind. It was something she had seen in a movie years ago. It might not work, but she had to at least give it a shot.
Danielle walked briskly toward a group of men standing on the edge of the dais and facing the stage. They were turned in the other direction, watching Jonas Brehmer speak. As she drew near, Danielle chose one of the men standing at the back. He was tall and well-built, which was exactly what she had been looking for.
She came up behind him and grabbed his arm. “Hey.”
The man turned, his eyes moving up and down her body. “Well, hello.”
Danielle gave him her best doe eyes. “Can you help me?”
“Of course I can, sweetie.”
“These men, they’re drunk.” Drawing on her experience as an actor, Danielle had already started to cry. “One of them…”
The man’s expression changed at her tears. Frowning, the man placed a hand on her shoulder. “What happened?”
She wiped her nose. “He… he touched me.”
The man’s face hardened. It was just what she had expected.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m here alone, and… I’m afraid.” Danielle stole a glance behind her. One of the men was closing fast. He spoke into an earpiece, probably to alert the others that he was about to make contact.
The tall man leaned closer. “There is no reason to be afraid. You’re with me now, so I doubt they’ll even—”
“No, I can see them. They’re coming now.”
The man frowned. “Who? Where?”
Danielle nodded at the man in the suit, who was walking briskly toward them.
“Hold this.”
Handing her his wineglass, the man strode boldly toward the guard. The guard tried to pass, but the tall man stood in his way. Words were exchanged, and within seconds, the confrontation became physical.
Danielle had seen enough to know it was only going to get worse.
As the two grappled, she slipped off into the crowd.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
“THANK YOU FOR bearing with me for the last twenty minutes,” Jonas Brehmer said from the podium. “Some of you appear to be bored, and a few others look scared.” Laughter rippled around the room. “For those who found all of the material a little dry, that’s perfectly understandable. On a micro level, genetic engineering can be boring. And I say that as someone who loves the field. But for some of you, I’m sure it’s a bit like arriving at the Geneva Motor Show, expecting to see cutting-edge automobiles only to be given a dissertation on the internal combustion engine.”
As Brehmer continued to speak, Zane caught movement at the back of the stage. At least a dozen people were positioned around a large box-shaped object. Even though it was too dark to make out any details, Zane knew it must be the container Brett had referred to. If so, what was inside? Was it an animal? From what Zane had read, animals were often the focal point of CRISPR research. If he could stick around and find out, he knew it would give him insight into Brehmer’s research. But he also knew he needed to begin the search for Carmen, Lind, and David Holland, which was the primary goal of their operation.
After considering his options, Zane decided to move closer to the stage and watch what was about to take place. As Brehmer spoke, it was clear he was about to make the big reveal. Zane would watch for a few minutes, then while everyone was focused on the stage, he would slip out and begin his search of the building.
Just as he was about to set out, Zane caught movement in his peripheral vision. Turning, he saw commotion on the dais. He frowned. It wasn’t far from the table where Danielle was sitting. Alarmed that something might have gone wrong, he walked until he had a better view. To his relief, he saw two men pushing and shoving each other. The taller of the two looked like a guest, and the other was a security guard.
While Zane was glad Danielle wasn’t involved, he still felt a pinch in his gut that something wasn’t right. It seemed like a strange coincidence that a fight had just broken out near their table. Had Danielle done something to provoke it? He doubted it. In all likelihood, the taller man had consumed too much alcohol. People had been boozing it up right from the very start.