Page 41 of Operation: Light Storm

We make it to the Slater Security office a little after 7AM, armed with a dozen donuts, but they aren’t half as good as Dunks. No matter where I live, Dunkin’ Donuts will always reign supreme. Armed with the pastries, we’re easily forgiven for being the last to walk into the conference room. We’re not bickering for once, and that must appear odd. Fallon and Eden look from Sailor to me then back to each other and their faces split into huge twin grins. Like cats who got the canary, those two. I restrain from rolling my eyes and shoot them a smug smile instead. I’ll let Sailor deal with them later.

We’ve barely sat down when Dash dives straight into the situation report. “A team broke into the Canadian facility, kidnapped DeLazzer and stole the virus.”

“Fuck,” I hiss.

“Do we know who took it?” Sailor asks, leaning forward.

“The same group who attempted to steal it before,” Dash confirms. “They’re a small, homegrown terrorist group known as the Brigade. They have factions all over the world.”

“And how do we know it’s the Brigade?” I ask.

“Because they left their calling card—an anarchy symbol with a ‘B’ at its base—scrawled on the wall.”

Sounds like something I used to do back when I was 16 and bored,I think.Minus stealing a deadly bioweapon.

“What’re their beliefs?” Fallon asks. “What do they stand for?”

“Chaos. Pure and simple.” Dash looks over at Ryan who sits near the projector with his laptop.

Ryan nods. “The Brigade formed about 20 years ago, so they’re relatively new, and their main goal is terror, mayhem and disorder.” He adjusts his glasses and grins. “Remember that scene in Fight Club where they have to start a fight with a total stranger?”

“I love that movie,” Colt says.

Eden grins. “Yeah, me, too.”

“And not because of Brad Pitt,” Colt adds in a dry voice and Eden playfully wrinkles her nose at him.

Dash shoots them each a stern look, much more dad than grandpa, and they focus their attention back on Ryan.

“Well, that’s the kind of stuff they like to do. But on a bigger, nastier scale.” Ryan pulls up some images from his computer and they flash onto the screen on the wall. “They’ve claimed responsibility for a few things– a mall bombing in Minnesota, a of couple different subway shootings in New York and the theft of a priceless Colombian emerald that was on display in Chicago last year.”

“An emerald?” Eden asks.

“Gotta fund their evil ways,” Colt says.

“That’s right,” Ryan agrees.

“What do we think they’ll do with the virus?” Sailor asks. “It can only be transmitted through direct physical contact.”

“My guess?” Ryan looks around the room, his normally smiling face grim. “I’d say they’re going to mutate it and they’re forcing Dr. DeLazzer to help.”

“It’s a level 4 pathogen,” I say dryly. “How can they make it worse?”

“They could make it airborne.”

For a moment, no one says anything as the enormity of that potential threat hangs in the air.

“Fuck me,” I groan. If that happens, entire populations could be infected and wiped out in a very short period of time.

“Where is it now?” Sailor asks. “Do we have any idea?”

“I tracked them down to Seville, Spain,” Ryan informs us. “The leader of the Brigade is Bartholomew Atkins aka Black Bart.”

“Like the pirate?” Colt asks.

“Exactly,” Ryan says. “It would almost be funny if it wasn’t so…”

“Deadly,” Fallon finishes for him. “What else can you tell us?”

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