Rhesus Factor, Part Three

O’Reilly’s was dark and quiet. I spotted Waller, a glass of white wine in the center of her table like an offering. She wore a loose blue blouse, and a turquoise necklace dangled over her chest.

            Waller nodded as I sat down. “So what’s Red Watch doing at the zoo?”

            “What do we always do?” She moved her wine closer to her without drinking any. “Watching out for animals that can’t protect themselves.”

            “So what’s going on in there?”

            “Those monkeys aren’t normal.” She tapped her fingers on the table. “They’ve been infected with some kind of virus. Averill is experimenting on them. With government help.”

             I pictured the monkeys I’d seen. “So that’s why Arlo had six fingers?”

            “These macaques were fine when they were captured and brought here. The government is trying to cause mutations in them.” She picked up her glass and swirled the wine around, again without drinking. “Red Watch was monitoring them in Florida and tracked them to the zoo. I managed to infiltrate six months ago.” She smirked. “Two degrees in biochemistry helped.”

            Hooray for higher education. “What kind of mutations?”

            “Extra appendages. Like fingers and toes. Maybe extra organs. One monkey started to grow a second heart, but it died when the blood vessels couldn’t feed both of them.”

            I was glad Rachel wasn’t listening. She’s nowhere near as fanatical about animal rights as the Red Watch, but she glares at me whenever I eat a hamburger. “What causes the mutations?”

            “The virus developed naturally in the wild macaques. Someone has those in captivity. They’ve managed to synthesize the virus, and they’re developing variations, trying to see what they can control.”

            “And use it on humans?” I looked at one hand. How would I look with an extra thumb?

            “Or maybe weaponize it. These days you never know.” She moved her wine glass again, like a pawn on a chessboard.

“So what have you been doing there for six months?”

            “Documenting what they’re doing. Trying to get a lead on where the originally infected monkeys are being kept. It’s not the CDC, it might be a secret Defense Department site, CIA or NSA—”

            “Like Area 51?” I could read conspiracy theories all day on the internet. “Okay, so what do you know about Chuck Tillers?”

            “Nice enough guy.” Waller shrugged. “I don’t think he likes what’s happening. But he’s too prickly to do much good. I try to keep a low profile.”

            “So he’s been going along with it? Like you? You’ve been there six months—”

            “We’re trying to shut the whole thing down.” Waller me a who-the-hell-are-you? look. “I can blow the lid off Averill and his operation tonight, but they’ll just start over somewhere else. They bring more monkeys in every few weeks.”

            More monkeys . . . “What about the ones who die?”

            Her eyes were steely. “There’s an incinerator.”

            That explained the lingering smell of smoke around the facility. I wanted a Coke. “What about Martin Kell?”

            Waller giggled. “Oh, he’s screwing Chuck’s wife.”

            “Yeah, I know that.” I planted an elbow on the table. “Look, you want to bring down the facility, that’s fine. My job is looking for Chuck. Where is he?”

            Waller shook her head. “I have no idea. Maybe Marty stuck him in the incinerator.”

            I hid a shudder. “Did you stick a note on my car telling me to stay away from the monkeys?”

            She blinked, puzzled. “No. I want you there. You’re on our side.”

            “Don’t bet on it.” I threw some money on the table and stood up. “I’m going home. Unless you’ve got lasagna.”

            “Huh?” She blinked again.

            “Never mind.” I handed her a card. “Call me if you have anything about Chuck. I’d like to find him while I can still get paid.”

            She picked up her wine. She still hadn’t taken a drink. “You’ve worked with us before.”

            “That doesn’t mean I like your group or your tactics—”      

            “What about the monkeys?” Her voice lowered. “You don’t care what happens to them?”

            I thought about the red-eared macaque who’d scared me. And Arlo’s mutilated body. And, okay, the giant chickens from the other case. “I hope you can help them. But we have different jobs. You do your thing, I’ll do mine, and maybe we can meet somewhere in between. Maybe.”

            Waller finally took a sip of her wine. “Here’s hoping.”

The lasagna had spinach, cheese, basil, oregano, and cilantro. I was starving, and it was delicious.

            Afterward Rachel kicked me out of her apartment. “I have to get this website done by tomorrow. It’s all your fault I’m behind.”

            “What? I didn’t—”

            “Okay, not really.” She gave me a quick kiss. “Too much time killing zombies yesterday, and I really wanted lasagna tonight.” Then she shoved me away. “Tomorrow, maybe.”

            I went downstairs, opened a Coke and looked for something to watch. Not The Walking Dead. I’d already seen too many zombies in real life. Not Outlander—Rachel would hurt me if I got ahead of her. I finally settled on the Doctor Strange movie, because Rachel hates superhero movies.

            And I was asleep within 15 minutes.

            My buzzing phone woke me. What the—? Not Rachel. Tina Waller. It was 12:15. My windows were dark. I hit the button. “Tom Jurgen speaking.”

            “Jurgen?” She was whispering. “Get out here. There’s something you have to see.”

            “Wha-what?” I rubbed my eyes with one hand.

            “I’m going to have to leave soon. Don’t you want to see what’s going on?”

            I hesitated. “Will this help me find Chuck?”

            “If this place closes down tomorrow, you might never find him.”

            If it got shut down tomorrow, I probably wouldn’t get paid. But I was awake now.

            Rachel didn’t answer when I called her. Maybe she was working with her phone muted—or asleep. So I sent her a text, turned off the TV, and headed for the door.

            Waller was right. I wanted to know what was really happening at the zoo.

Rachel called me as I was parking in back of the zoo. “What the hell?”

            “I have to check this out.” I turned off my headlights. “And you didn’t answer.”

            “I told you I had to work.” I heard her pound on a fist on a table, probably wishing she was punching my arm. “Be careful! Call me! Don’t get killed! You jerk.” She hung up.

            And things had been going so well between us lately.

            I made my way to the facility. The door was locked, of course. I sent Waller a text and waited.

            After five minutes the door opened. “Be quiet!”

            Waller wore a black sweatshirt now, and dark leggings. She looked like she was trying to be a ninja. “Come on. I’ve got the data. But I want someone else to see this.”       

            “What are you talking about?” But I followed her down the hall to the window looking into the macaques’ habitat.

            The monkeys were bigger now. As if they’d had a growth spurt in the last few hours. I saw Red Ear—whatever they’d named him. He looked like a high school linebacker, four feet tall, with shoulders and arms like Vin Diesel.

            The others were charging around the habitat, squawking and howling. They swung from the nets, pounded at the reinforced glass, kicked the straw on the floor, and beat on each other, as if unable to control their rage. One was already dead, lying next to the water source, blood dripping from its chest.

            “What’s going on?” I lifted my phone to take pictures.

            “Averill gave them a new formula tonight. They’re getting desperate for results.” Waller held up a small white flash drive. “I’ve got it all here. It took me this long to get into the right files.”

            “Okay.” I took a few more pictures. “Let’s get out of here.”

            “No.” The voice came from behind us.

            I turned. Averill. He held a long electric cattle prod like a Jedi light saber.

            I’d seen what a cattle prod could do to a giant mutant chicken, and I didn’t want it to happen to me. I held up my hands. “Take it easy.”

            “You were supposed to find Chuck! That’s all!” He pointed the prod at Waller. “Tina? What the hell are you doing here?”

            “Getting enough information to shut this place down.” Her voice was a hiss. “Ever heard of Red Watch?”

            Apparently he had. Averill’s arm shot forward, and she jabbed Tina in the neck with the prod.

            She shrieked and dropped to the floor, twitching. I grabbed for the prod, but Averill managed to stab my shoulder.

            Then I was on the hard tile, my muscles clenching in spasms as if I was having a seizure. I might have blacked out for a moment.

            I had a vague sense of being dragged down the hallway. When I tried to resist, I got another shock from the prod. After two of them, I decided to play dead, hoping it wouldn’t turn into actually being dead.

            Just as I was starting to pull myself up, a door opened. Averill was pulling Waller, huffing and puffing with effort. When he saw my eyes open he let her go and plunged his wand at my stomach.

            I closed my eyes again, fighting to control my body. Wishing Rachel was here to save me. Glad that she wasn’t here getting shocked too.

            A door lock clicked. Then Averill was hauling me up over a lip in the floor, pushing me through with a grunt. I heard the monkeys howling around me. I smelled them—their fur, their sweat, their poop.

            Oh hell.

            A body dropped on top of mine. Waller. I rolled her off of me and struggled to sit up, blinking.

            When my eyes opened, Red Ear’s jaws were inches from my face.