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Our Paranormal Chernobyl Hammersmith parked the car in an illegal spot directly in front of Sontag Tower, and they walked in. Maggie felt a tad conspicuous in her armor, and sure enough a security guard tried to stop them as they crossed the marbled atrium. Hammersmith shooed the man a way with a wave of his badge, and in a few minutes they were in the elevators. "The perks of office," Hammersmith said. "Which floor?" "Thirtieth. I just hope we won't have freaked out the secretary and the security guards too much." After the doors opened, Maggie led Hammersmith down the hall to the anteroom outside Sontag's office. Betty, Sontag's secretary, rose from behind her desk and greeted Maggie. Maggie nodded to Betty. "Sorry to recycle a cliche, but I need to talk with Ms. Sontag. Urgently." "I'm sorry, she's meeting with someone right now," Betty said, politely ignoring Maggie's armor. "She should be free in just a minute. Would you like to wait here? I just finished brewing a pot of Papua New Guinea." She smiled at detective Hammersmith. "Or can I get you something else?" "Nothing for me, thanks," Hammersmith said. "I'll have the coffee", Maggie predictably said. She took the cup from Betty's hand and began pacing compulsively around the waiting room, sipping intermittently. Hammersmith sat on the leather couch, flipping through a Forbes he'd picked from the fan of magazines on the coffee table. Betty went back to her desk and typed at a keyboard. Three minutes later, the door to Sontag's inner office swung open and a man in a gray suit walked swiftly out. He glanced at Maggie's armored form, lifted an eyebrow, and went out without a word. Freya stood in the doorway. "Ms. Thorin. I didn't expect to see you again today. What can I do for you?" "There's been some unexpected developments. We'd better step in your office." "All right then." She gestured for Maggie and the detective to enter, then led them toward the couch Maggie and Goran had sat on earlier. "I'm Detective Hammersmith," the man said to Freya, and they shook hands. "We met at a charity function once, just for a moment." Freya studied his face with that intense gaze that Maggie had been subjected to on her first visit. "Yes, of course," the woman said. "The Gazelle Foundation." The Gazelle had been one of Chicago's few superheroines, in action around the same time as Maggie had been active with her team in Canada. They'd never met. Reportedly, the woman had been a speedster with a kick that could knock down walls. She'd died three years ago, evidently while fighting a metahuman criminal; her broken body had been found in a warehouse near the river. The killer had never been found. Freya gestured for them to sit. "What is it that's so urgent -- something to do with the giant downtown?" "Yes." Maggie sat down but the nervous tension was still evident. "To make a long story short, there is at least a Sontag' implicated. That would doubtlessly have led the police here sooner or later. With the particulars of our 'patient', you'll understand I was more than a little bit concerned, and I think Goran will be, too. More than he is now, anyway. Because of the obvious threat to public safety, I thought it best we discuss this matter together, under confidentiality seals of course. If it turns out to be a false alarm, then this precaution can't be harmful, but I shudder to think about what will happen if there is a link and we're seen as trying to hide it." "What do you mean by 'a Sontag implicated?'" Freya said. "Implicated in what?" "Your name has come up in the investigation of the metahuman deaths, today," Hammersmith said. He was exaggerating a bit, Maggie thought; in the flash of imagery and sound that Ed had passed onto them, Iggy hadn't heard a first name to go with the Sontag last name. "Who is this patient that Ms. Thorin is referring to?" "That," said Freya, "is confidential." Maggie said, "There is no need to name the patient yet, but would you please call Goran? He may be able to bring some more information." "I'm afraid that won't be possible," Freya said. "Goran has taken a leave of absence. He left the building twenty minutes ago." She looked at Hammersmith. "I've already called the police commissioner, detective. Goran -- Dr. Goran Vrlick -- is under suspicion for theft and industrial espionage. And if you what you say is true, he may be connected to the metahuman deaths." Maggie blinked in shock. She'd suspected -- no, it'd been a certainty -- that any theft of the samples was going to be an inside job, but she simply hadn't suspected Goran. Then inconsistencies -- doubts -- crept into her mind. If he was guilty, why would Goran take the risk of bringing her into the equation? An extra set of eyes that could uncover his ploy? Why would he leave only after a check of the samples -- a check that he'd initiated, and over the objections of his assistants, no less? No, this was hardly cut-and-dried. She saw several distinct possibilities: 1) Goran had found out something and did not feel safe at Sontag anymore. This was likeliest if the guilty party was in the building, perhaps one of his assistants or some highly-placed person, even Ms. Sontag herself. In which case he was likely to contact someone -- likely Maggie herself, although he might turn towards the authorities instead. 2) Goran's leave of absence was not voluntary. He'd found something, or gotten to close to it, and was removed from the scene and set up as a fall guy. 3) Goran had lost his nerve. He'd gotten scared of the implications of a theft and decided to hide. It was a bad reflex, and he'd be likely to realize that once he'd calmed down 4) Goran was guilty. She could not dismiss the possibility, even if her gut feeling was that it wasn't very likely. "What about his assistants?" she queried. "Do you know their whereabouts?" "They're down in the lab, I believe, talking to our security personnel." "Let me understand this," Hammersmith said. "You think Dr. Vrlick stole something from the lab. And Ms. Thorin, you believe that his research could have something to do with the paranormal weirdness today. What exactly was he working on?" "A cure for my daughter's disease," Freya said. The CEO held up a hand. "Detective, Sontag Inc. will cooperate completely with the police -- we are very motivated to find out what Goran may have done. Unfortunately, his actions may have made my company liable. I am also determined to protect the privacy of my daughter, and I will not have this dragged into the tabloids. You must understand that I cannot continue without my lawyers present; it would be irresponsible of me." Hammersmith frowned, but said nothing. "What's the evidence on Goran's 'espionage'?" Maggie queried. "Just taking a leave of absence isn't an admission of guilt." "No, it's not. I'll show you what our security team picked up -- we were going to turn it over to the police when they arrived, but since Detective Hammersmith is already here..." Freya walked to her desk, opened a manila folder, and took out a CD. "Goran's assistant, Torvald Henricksen, went to see the security team an hour ago and asked them if there had been any suspicious activity around the lab." She crossed the room to the conference table, where a laptop was sent up. "Torvald -- and Goran, too, for that matter -- didn't realize that we have cameras in the lobby of the lab, and in the elevators. The security team started scanning the recordings, and came up with this." The CEO popped the CD into the drive and pressed a button. A few moments later, the projector set into the ceiling glowed to life, casting an image against the far wall. In video was in black and white, with no sound. On screen, Goran was seen stepping out of an elevator. The timestamp in the corner of the image showed that it was 11:38 pm Sunday -- the night before Maggie had met with Goran and Max at the restaurant in New Orleans. "This was taken just outside the lab on the twenty-ninth floor," Freya said. "Notice that his hands are empty." Goran typed a code into the keypad and went into the lab. Freya fast-forwarded through the next few minutes of footage, which showed nothing but an empty hallway. Then Goran suddenly reappeared, and Freya let the video play normally. Goran was holding two bulky brushed-aluminum cases. "The cases have dry-ice inside. The lab uses them to move chemical samples. Watch carefully." Goran entered the elevator, and the doors closed. The view changed to a camera inside the compartment, looking down from a corner onto Goran's balding head. Goran pressed the elevator's stop button, then looked up, almost straight into the camera. His hand reached up past the viewfinder. "What's he doing?" Hammersmith asked. "You'll see in a moment," Freya said. Goran stooped, picked up one of the cases, and lifted it past the camera. Then he turned back toward the door and released the stop button. "He hid it on top of the elevator. We've searched for it, of course, and it's gone. The security team is going through all the recordings now, searching for anyone who might have picked it up afterward. They've only been at it for a half hour, and so far they have nothing." Maggie had to admit, it was pretty damning. Still, there was a couple of holes that needed to be filled. "Wouldn't stopping the elevator ring an alarm? There should be some trace of that." She frowned. "And it would help to know exactly what he's stolen. If he left with samples, it's crucial that we know how many." <I>And which ones might help as well. Something's fishy about this whole deal. Yeah, I see what doesn't jibe...</I> Primo, why involve me -- who has, after all, something of a law enforcement background -- in the research at this crucial juncture? Second, why attract attention to checking the samples -- again, something neither of his assistants was inclined to do. Her frown deepened. He's even the one who asked Torvald to check with security data. Either he was confident enough that he wouldn't be discovered that he felt he could try to divert suspicion in that way, in which case he would have no reason to leave, or he's innocent. She looked up to listen to Sontag's response. "I don't know about the elevator alarm -- my security chief didn't mention it to me, but I'll make sure someone looks into it." She withdrew the CD from the machine. "And we are still not sure what he took, or how much. The security team and the assistants will do a full inventory, testing the contents of all the samples. It may turn out that he's taken nothing but two empty cases. We're not ready to press charges, which is why I accepted Goran's leave of absence." She stepped back toward them. "And that is why I'll accept your withdrawal from the project as well, Ms. Thorin, though in fact you haven't officially begun; our lawyers haven't had time to look over our agreement." "I see." She stood. "In that case, I don't suppose we have anything more to discuss..." She paused. "Unless, of course, you happen to have the film of the lab's security cameras for Sunday, between say 11:38 and midnight." "We don't have cameras in the labs themselves, nor in any of the offices -- only the public spaces. The police will have all the original tapes available to them." Hammersmith had risen to stand next to Maggie. "I'll want to see those as soon as possible. But why take Ms. Thorin off the project? I'd think after recruiting a world-renown scientist you'd want to keep her." "I didn't recruit her, detective. Goran did. The fact that he did so just after stealing from the lab makes her -- I'm sorry, Maggie, but Goran's actions have made it impossible for me to give you access to the lab. And until this is all resolved, it will be impossible for anyone in the lab to get any work done." "I understand. Detective, I believe our next step should be to see if Goran will talk to us." "Right. Well, thank you for your time, Ms. Sontag." He shook the woman's hand, his smile tight. "Can we get Goran's address?" "Betty can get it for you. And thank you for your time. I hope you get to the bottom of these deaths." "Oh, I will. We'll talk again." He turned and walked toward the door. Freya extended her hand to Maggie. "I'm sorry this didn't work out. I was hoping that with your help, Goran would be able to make some headway. Perhaps, after all this has been cleared up...?" "Perhaps," said Maggie, shaking Freya's hand. "It depends where the chips fall, I guess. Goodbye, Ms. Sontag." As they rode the elevator down to street level, Hammersmith was visibly angry, but he said nothing. "Something wrong?" Maggie asked cautiously. Hammersmith glanced meaningfully toward the elevator's ceiling. "Just an ear ache," he said. They quickly crossed the lobby and went out through the glass doors. When they reached the detective's car, his cell phone rang. He withdrew the phone from his jacket pocket and clicked it on. "Hammersmith," he said. He listened for a moment. "You don't say." He was silent again. "You don't say." Then there was another pause. "You don't say!" He hung up and put the phone back in his jacket. His smile was back. "What was that?" Maggie queried. "You're supposed to say 'Who was that.' And I'm supposed to say, 'Didn't say.'" He opened the car door for her. "Don't worry, we'll get the comedic banter going if we work together long enough. I've been working on Waters for years." "Waters?" Maggie queried. "Believe it or not, the man didn't used to be so jolly." He shut the door for her, went around the front of the car, and got in the driver's side. "Speaking of whom, that was my partner. Crossfire got one of the pellets open. It seems to be a tracking device -- broadcasts its radio signal like a cellular phone. Or at least, that's what Rush understood from Crossfire's explanation. They haven't touched the other pellet yet, because it looks to be non-metallic." "Interesting. Whoever treated Iggy also tagged him like a reservation animal." Hammersmith start the car and pulled into traffic. "So, you seem to be taking your firing in stride." "Let's just say that it isn't going to pauper me. And let's just add that being very unsure of Goran's guilt, I'm not surprised one bit that Sontag fired me." "You don't think Goran did it? Why not?" His tone wasn't argumentative, just curious. "Goran's smarter than that. Let's assume he did leave with his research material. Why did he ask me -- a well-known metahuman crimefighter, after all -- to join his project? Why did he insist that the samples be double-checked, despite the fact that both his assistants thought it was unnecessary? Why did he point Torvald to the very security tapes that 'exposed' him?" "Either Goran is a great actor whose overconfidence backfired on him, or he's innocent." The detective drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, nodding. "You're right -- it doesn't add up. I suspected they'd brought you in for you to take the fall. But now with Goran all over those tapes... I want my hands on those. They looked authentic, but they can do awfully clever things with computers these days. " He weaved through traffic. "I'm heading back to headquarters -- I want to send a squad car to pick up Goran, and I want to find out who's doing the Sontag investigation. Also, Waters wants you to take a look at the pellets. But now that you're no longer employed by Sontag, it's time you told me what the hell was going on. What did Goran want you to work on?" Maggie hesitated. What to tell him? I'm sure it's an inside job, and if the tapes are doctored it'd confirm that. I've got this nasty suspicion Freya might not be on the up-and-up. Of course, her daughter's involved, but she did sound a bit too profit-oriented in this whole deal... she seemed to be treating it as a research project, not a medical procedure... Sheesh, I'm being paranoid. But who wouldn't be. Still, I've agreed to the doctor-patient confidentiality thing, and Roya's just a kid. It'd be a tragedy if this whole thing ended up with her not having the care she needs. On the other hand, the whole she-bang is definitely a threat to public health. Besides, I don't know a lot and Hammersmith's got enough to get a search warrant. Hmm. Even if Roya ends up in police custody, there's no reason I and Goran and whoever can't continue to look for a cure. "Ms. Sontag," Maggie said carefully, "has a patient -- excuse me if I don't give names -- who secretes a substance that can trigger a metahuman reaction in others. Said patient has an unstable metahuman reaction and will die if it's not stopped. That's why I was brought in -- to help Goran find a cure." "This substance -- that's the stuff Goran was supposedly stealing?" Hammersmith shook his head disbelievingly. "And it's kept in an office building downtown. What else is Sontag keeping in there, nerve gas?" He braked at the light and looked at her. "I'm going to write up a warrant, get a judge to sign it, and send a team over there ASAP. But I need all the details you can give me. What Goran said you were working on, what you saw in the building, descriptions of the substance and whatever it was held in -- everything. Even the details about the patient." The light changed and the car ahead of them pulled away, but Hammersmith didn't move his eyes from hers. "If you're incriminated in some way, or if Freya's got something over you, I'll do my best to help you. But I can only do that if you tell me the whole story." Maggie almost laughed. "Nobody's blackmailing me, Detective. And I've been around so little I don't imagine how there could be anything remotely incriminating for me, unless someone manufactures it, of course. Like security videos." She sobered up and went on. "As for the substance, it's a lot less dangerous that you seem to be thinking it. It's not a contact agent, and the security measures seemed more than adequate -- so much so in fact that I was convinced the theft, if there has been a theft, was an inside job. The samples are kept in test tubes in a cold box in a well-guarded lab. I was given to understand they're one-molecule samples, and that that's enough to get a reaction." "I know very little otherwise. I haven't seen any of the research or scientific data -- I had just been let in when we saw a newscast and Goran thought there might be a link with his research, and asked to check if all the samples were present. Then we heard Iggy scream and I went off to help." She hesitated again, then sighed. "I don't like having to tell you this, because Freya didn't want it to go around, and I can understand why. The patient is Roya Sontag, Freya's daughter." Hammersmith stared at Maggie, then had to yank his attention back to the road and brake hard; he narrowly missed ramming the yellow taxi in front of them. "She's a minor, she's sick, and she's in need of very specialized medical assistance, so I don't think you should move her. She's also got uncontrolled metamorphosis abilities; she may be dangerous to approach. But from what I understand, the 'mutating' agent has to be extracted with a needle." She looked at Hammersmith and pleaded, "Be gentle with her, okay? She's just a kid and she's not involved in any criminal acts." "Freya's daughter?" Hammersmith was amazed. "But Freya's got to be at least sixty-five. I'll have to look that up." He risked a glance away from traffic to look at her. "Thanks for filling me in. I'll have the team be prepared for a metamorph -- they'll use the same hazmat protocols going in as they used when handling the bodies of the people killed today. But I want you to know that I don't think there's any reason to move her, and even if there were I wouldn't do it if it would risk her life. Besides, Freya's not even--" He looked up through the windshield. "What in heaven's name is that?" A moment before he spoke, Maggie had noticed a shadow moving over the ground, but her angle was wrong to see what was making it. Hammersmith swung the car over to the curb; horns blasted behind them. He started rolling down his window. "Is that a blimp?" "A blimp? So low?" Without thinking about what she was doing, Maggie leaned over Hammersmith's lap to take a quick peek. "Not a new paranormal..." |