“Shit the alarm” said Darren Amleth running ahead into the lab suite the group had been given by Rothman. It was a large lab with an added room for sleep and a small extra room of food. It was for scientists who preferred to work long hours or projects with small time tables.
The rest of the team followed him quickly. Dr. Bill Drum closed the door and locked it off. The only way to get in was to have the door open form the inside now.
“Alarm?” asked Dr. Rogers
“Little something I coded to happen if the doors were open to Mac Blocker’s cell. Just in case” said Darren “The guy is slippery you know. Hold on let me look at the security camera”
Darren’s fingers flew over the key board. Images flashed by his face. In seconds he had an image of four animorphs in a lab. A squirrel, a mountain lion, a black bear, and a badger were all there. Then the squirrel left.
“Can we have audio” asked Dr. Summers
“Give me a second” said Darren typing and then they had audio. Just in time to hear Blocker’s plan.
“Good plan.” said Dr. Summers. “Any chance you can tell me how he got out Darren”
“’Skeleton Key’ code never changes when the other codes do; gives him total access to the building.” Said Darren
“Where is he now” asked Dr. Argyle
“Three floors bellow us and three levels to the left. Well out of range of us,” said Darren typing away at his key board “Okay I just removed that Skelton key program. Knowing the code helped and that was easy he used it too often. By which I mean more then once; pretty simple code too.”
“Don’t get cocky,” said Dr. Summers, “any other people in his way he could get too?”
“Let me check” said Darren a moment later “Yeah a bunch of people didn’t head home after the end of work early. Not to mention janitorial staff; a bunch of them are active and security has all sorts of people flitting about.”
“Okay that isn’t good. Lock down that room and section every where except a path to the exit from where those three are can you do that?” asked Dr. Summers “Then give me speaker access to the room”
“Child’s play” said Darren
A moment later all three transformed guard heard a voice:
“Attention Mac Blocker and company. This is Dr. Bernard Summers. We know how you got out and what you’re planning. We have just removed your little skeleton key program and locked down the facility where you are. I’m willing to let you go though. Set down the cooler and test vials and leave on the path with the opened doors and go out to the woods. Then run. This is a one time offer. I’m willing to let you go out of the kindness of my heart.”
Turning away from the screen and the speaker he looked at Darren.
“Dr. Amleth if they go off the path lock them into a room. Once they are out of the building get a security detail down there to retrieve those samples and bring them up here.”
Turning to the rest of the group Dr. Summers looked around and then at his unofficial member, Dr. Kendra Ujukuk.
Kendra was a tall lithe Africa woman of Nigerian descent. She had not been tested for loyalty yet and so some had tried to bar her from interacting with Dr. Summers. Bernard was of another mind when it came to Kendra. She was a brilliant Environmental Biologist and would be a huge asset to this situation. The other members of the team knew she was technically, not supposed to be here, but they also knew she was perfect for this problem and remained quiet.
“I assume Dr. Ngyug Noc went off well” said Dr. Summers
“Yes she did. I issued her one of the ten masks” said Dr. Ujukuk
Ngyug Noc was a stout Vietnamese woman who had served as a field medic in the US army for a number of years thus she was perfect for field work with the lock down crew around Otter Falls. She would monitor the situation and report back what was occurring. Because any information was useful right now with what little they had. She also would report if the lock down was breached or the lock down team had been compromised by infection.
“All right then everyone knows their assignments?” asked Dr. Summers turning to the group.
“Aye, Dr Rogers and I will work on a way to dissolve the virus once and for all from the water ways” said Dr. Argyle
“And look in on possible vaccines” said Sue though she sounded doubtful of that possibility
"I'll work with Dr. Amleth on projections for possible outcomes and effects form the information we collect and collating the information we have and discover into something to can be easily referenced" said Dr. Bill Drum
"I'll be running ways on how to contain the infected water and stopping it form infecting more towns and eventually the reservoir with out poisoning anything" said Dr. Ujuku " I feel I should mention that once Otter Falls is hit we will have a day between there and the next town. But that rain is predicted in a few days. If it hits then our time table will have to be move dup as the water will move much more quickly."
"Thank you" said Dr. Summers "I'll focus my time on a vaccine but I will be available to anyone who wishes for my help. After all many hands make light work. All right people we have two weeks, baring rain, before things get critical let's start cracking"