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.“What have you got?”She had been going through the piles on the coffee table.She held up a copy of The New York Times so he could see the front-page banner headline:BLANCHARD PHARMACEUTICALS HAS CUREHe crossed the room in three long steps.“I recognize the company name.What does the article say?”She read aloud:At a special press conference last night,President Castilla announced that pre-liminary tests showed a new serum hadcured a dozen victims of the unknownvirus that is sweeping the world.Originally developed to cure a mon-key virus found in a remote area of Peru,the serum was the result of a decade-longresearch-and-development program intolittle-known viruses at Blanchard Phar-maceuticals that was initiated by itsCEO and chairman, Victor Tremont."We are grateful for the foresight Dr.Tremont and Blanchard showed in inves-tigating unknown viruses," the presidentsaid last night."With their serum, we areoptimistic we will be able to save manylives and stop this terrible epidemic."Twelve nations have placed orders forthe serum and others are expected tomake formal requests shortly.President Castilla said he would at-tend a ceremony at 5:00 P.M.today hon-oring Tremont and Blanchard at thecompany's headquarters in Long Lake.The ceremony will be broadcast aroundthe world.Jon and Randi stared at each other.“The article says it was a decade-long project,” he said.“You're thinking about Desert Storm.”“You bet I am,” he said angrily.“Nineteen ninety-one.Maybe they had nothing to do with infecting the twelve victims.This is a monkey virus, and we can't be sure it's the same virus that we've been working on, even though the serum apparently cures it.But I've got to wonder.Now they come forward with a serum? Very convenient.”“Too convenient,” she agreed.“Especially since we know three were cured last year in Iraq and three here just last week.But as far as we know, it's a different virus.”“Suspicious as hell.”She said, “You don't believe it's a different virus.”“As a scientist, it's such a remote possibility that the only alternative that comes to mind is some madman from the company stole it and decided to play God.Or Satan, if you will.”“But how did the epidemic break out? Awfully good timing that Blanchard happens to have a serum that works on monkeys and apparently on people.How could Blanchard or anyone know it'd break out now, or ever?”He grimaced.“I've been wondering the same thing.”They stared at each other in silence.That was when they heard a faint sound behind the RV.A twig snapped.Randi swept up her Uzi, and Jon pulled the big Beretta from his waistband.In the cramped RV, they listened intently.No more twigs broke, but there was a light rustle of something moving among fallen leaves.It could have been the wind or an animal, but Randi did not believe it.Her chest tightened.“One,” she estimated.“No more.”Jon agreed, but: “It could be a scout sent ahead, the rest watching.Maybe from the trees back there.”“Or a diversion, and the others out front.”The sound ceased.There was nothing but the distant traffic.“You take the back,” he said.“I'll take the front.”He flattened against the wall next to a front window, inched to the edge, and looked out toward the door and studied the row of used RVs.He saw no movement.“Quiet back here,” Randi whispered as she scrutinized the woods that formed the back perimeter of the lot.“There're too many blind spots,” he decided.“We'll have to go out.”Randi nodded.“You go left.I'll go right.I'll lead.”“I'll lead.” He raised the Beretta and reached to fling open the door.Suddenly there was a loud click and a scraping of wood on wood behind them.They whirled like a pair of synchronous swimmers at the Olympics, their weapons ready.Surprised, they watched four squares of the large geometric pattern on the vinyl floor swing up, instantly followed by a Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun.Jon instantly recognized the weapon.“Peter!” He forced himself to relax the finger on his trigger.“It's okay, Randi.”She frowned and stared suspiciously as the lined, leathery face of Peter Howell emerged as far as his shoulders.He wore a trench coat over his black commando clothes.Instantly he pointed the H&K at Randi.“Who?”Jon said, “Randi Russell.Sophia's sister.She's CIA.It's a long story.”“Tell me later,” Peter said.“They've got Marty.”___________________CHAPTERFORTY___________________10:32 A.M [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]