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Steve Renfield adjusted his tie before he activated the video conference. Not that his appearance mattered to anyone, but he wanted to delay giving the bad news for a few more seconds. With a sigh he pressed an area on the sixty-inch touch screen in front of him, revealing the face of Alex Scano on the other end of the conference.
“Mr. Scano, we have a big problem”
The face on the other end was intense, and Renfield could make out the ugly scar on the man’s throat. He had survived both a fatal plague and a knife across his throat, and people whispered that Scano was invincible. On the video call, Scano’s lack of reaction was scarier than a display of anger would have been.
“How many times have I told you to call me Alex? What’s the problem?” His voice contained a permanent rasp, the result of the throat wound.
“The second dose apparently didn’t take. Maddock and Bonebrake found the door.”
Scano’s lips twitched. “How exactly did they do that?”
“They were, um, conducting a grid search.”
“And you didn’t notice them doing this?”
“Well, ah, you see they didn’t...I mean they...” Renfield’s voice trailed off.
Scano growled. “We all know it’s not perfected yet. That’s why we’re testing it. That’s why your team is right there on site monitoring them.”
“Yes, sir, um, Alex. The real world test was successful, though.”
Scano emphasized every other word in his next sentence. “I know the real world test was successful, you moron. Don’t change the subject. Can I at least assume you drugged them again?”
Renfield swallowed. “Of course. We started that thirty seconds before I called.”
“Which means they might not be out yet. At least the porthole is secured from the inside.”
Renfield didn’t answer right away, and Scano pounced. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”
“I was getting to it. We noticed that the dose had worn off when we discovered them pounding the porthole with rocks. We’re, um, not sure how close they came to getting through.”
Scano’s voice lowered an octave. “We will discuss your future at ScanoGen very soon. In the meantime, make sure the situation is taken care of.”
“Yes, um, Alex. Ah, what do you want us to do with them?”
“Knock them out for at least twelve hours to allow time to ship them here. We need to keep them alive long enough to study their brains and figure out what happened. You think you can handle the simple matter of transporting men who are already unconscious?”
“Yes, sir.”
“The next time I want to hear from you is with the news that they are in transit.”
Scano’s hand moved toward the screen and then it went dark on Renfield’s end. He shook his head and spoke to himself. “That went well.”
Moving just a few feet, he stood behind one of the other members of his security team who was monitoring the camera covering Maddock and Bonebrake. The mist had descended to the point where he could hardly make out the shapes of his two captives. He put a hand on the security man’s shoulder.
“Vitals?”
“They’re not unconscious yet. Should be very soon, though.”
A raised voice carried from another workstation in the control room. “Sir, you better take a look at this.”
Renfield moved quickly and found himself looking at another monitor. This one showed the rock formation in Shenandoah River State Park, the one through which Maddock and Bonebrake had initially entered the facility. Two figures could be seen approaching in the distance.
“Is that...?”
“Looks like our favorite sheriff.”
“Just great. I thought for sure we had him beaten in the last election.”
“Never bet on politics. I don’t recognize the other person yet.”
Renfield stared at the screen for a moment before the identity of the other figure hit him. He felt acid beginning the trek from his stomach to his esophagus. It wasn’t bad enough that Maddock and Bonebrake had come within a whisper of escaping, or that the nosy sheriff was too close for comfort. Now they had to contend with another person he’d hoped would never get within a country mile of ScanoGen.
The other figure on the screen was Angelica Bonebrake.