TABRIZ

Jamie quietly stole through the large warehouse. There were boxes lying all around, and in another part of the room she could see a small amount of light. Using the boxes and crates as cover, she made her way over to it. Makeshift tables had been set up with Bunsen burners, beakers, microscopes, computers and the like. In the corner was a large freezer. There was a sole white box filled with papers on the end of one table: Gillespie's notes.

Quickly she moved toward the table, and her interest was peaked by the milligrams of crystals in one beaker whose burner was on low. A temperature gauge read 1869.5 degrees Fahrenheit, and yet the crystals were still solid. Jamie moved to each computer and started the disk initialization process, wiping all of the drives clean, erasing any files that were stored there.

She then moved to the freezer and opened it. Inside were sealed vials. Rudy's voice echoed in her head as she reached in to retrieve them.....

Most biotoxins are stable as long as they are kept at a constant low temperature and in hermetically sealed containers. In order to safely destroy them, you will have to seal them in a biohazard bag and then autoclave them.



Heat them with a steam pressurized vessel. I'm sure there will be at least one on site. Set the pressure to maximum and then seal the biohazard bag inside.

What if someone removes it?

Only a rubber room candidate would touch it once it's started the process, Jamie. It would be a certain death sentence for anyone in the area.

Jamie pulled out the biohazard bag, which was folded in a pocket of her black cargo pants. She quickly placed all the vials in it and sealed it. She turned and looked for the autoclave, but didn't see one. Maybe it hadn't been unpacked; Jamie checked several boxes nearby, but to no avail.

Come on....where is it?

There was a lone box up against the back wall. Jamie went to it, and inside, was the item she sought. She quickly set it up the way Rudy had shown her, and placed the bag inside. She sealed the vessel and set it for maximum. At least that part was finished. She went to the box with the papers and looked inside; too many to carry individually, she would simply have to take the box. No sooner had she picked it up, she heard people approaching. She looked around for a hiding place, but it was too late.

I think that's far enough, Miss Sommers.

Jamie looked at the man in the lab coat, How do you know my name?

Process of elimination given the state of the door, and your apparent lack of equipment. As far as I know, Dr. Wells has only one bionic woman. Oscar must be desperate if he's sending you into Iran. Rumor has it that he's extremely....attached to you.

Jamie glared at the man, but chose not to take the bait, You must be Dr. Gillespie.

In the flesh.

Ahkmed walked over to the autoclave, What the hell have you done?

He was about to open it when Gillespie's voice stopped him, Don't touch that! You'll kill us all, you moron. Ahkmed stared at him, so the doctor continued, Once the autoclaving process has begun, the bio-organisms are active until the cycle is complete.

Ahkmed opened the freezer, She's taken all the samples. We have nothing.

Gillespie looked toward the man, I can make more, Ahkmed. And now we have something even more valuable: her. Can you imagine what price she might bring on the open market?

Perhaps we should keep her, Akhmed offered, If she is as close to the Director of the O.S.I. as you say, we could have him on his knees....

Gillespie looked at his watch, I'm afraid we're a little late for that now, Ahkmed.

Jamie looked sharply at him, What are you talking about?

Gillespie smiled at her, I'm afraid I couldn't resist testing out the biotoxin on a human subject.

Jamie closed her eyes and looked down, That's why he felt so feverish when I left. She looked up at Gillespie, There must be an antidote.

Gillespie glanced toward the slowly burning beaker of crystals, Let's just say I'm working on that now, but don't have a resolution yet. Goldman doesn't have enough time left in any case. He was most likely exposed the night before you left for Tabriz.

That makes no sense, I had a lot of contact with him, and I don't feel sick.

That's the beauty of this microbe, Miss Sommers. Once it's ingested by the victim, it alters the DNA markers of the person it's attacking. It will only harm him, unless of course you ingested it from the inciting source as well, although I highly doubt it.

Jamie's voice was soft, So each antidote would have to be created specifically for an individual.

Exactly. Beautiful, isn't it?

But there would have to be a few common denominators, building blocks for an antidote.

Maybe there are, but it makes no difference to you, or to Goldman.

She took a few threatening steps in his direction, but stopped when she heard several guns cocking.

Let's get her secured, Ahkmed.

Ahkmed spoke to his men, who grabbed Jamie, and began tying her with rope.

Don't be ridiculous, Gillespie said, that will never hold her.

Well then, what do we do with her?

Gillespie looked toward the large freezer, Put her in there.

And you think that will hold her?

It's set for sub-zero temperatures. Within five minutes of exposure, her bionic limbs will be useless.

At gunpoint, Jamie moved to the freezer but then hesitated.

Please Miss Sommers, otherwise they will just shoot you right here, and I hate the sight of blood.



Jamie crawled into the freezer, and the men shut the door behind her. Over the next ten minutes, Akhmed's men cleared out the equipment, and put all that would fit into a truck in the alley.

Gillespie headed out the door, Come on, Akhmed, it's two trips, we'll come back for the rest. And when we do, we'll set the autoclave to explode, just in case Miss Sommers somehow manages to survive the freezer.

The small figure in the shadows waited until the door had closed and she heard the engine of the truck driving away. The girl in the chador ran to the freezer and opened it. Jamie was unable to move her right arm or her legs, but she recognized the brown eyes beneath the hijab.

Paree! What are you doing here?

The girl looked down, slightly embarrassed, I followed you. I knew you weren't really a reporter....

You shouldn't have done that....but I'm glad you did. Jamie couldn't resist a smile, Come on, Paree, help me out of here. I can't move my legs.

Paree helped Jamie out of the freezer, but Jamie couldn't stand.

What can be done?

I need you to warm my legs.

Paree looked around the lab, and found a small, portable space heater. She plugged it in and placed it by Jamie. Sommers rubbed her right arm to warm it, and Paree worked on her legs.

Who are you really, Jamie?

Jamie looked at the girl, I'm an agent for the United States Government, Paree. I came here because a man stole a very dangerous weapon and intends to sell it to terrorists. My job is to stop him and get his notes-- Jamie looked at the table where the box containing the notes had been, The notes that are gone now. Damn, can't anything be easy this trip?

How did you break through the padlock on the door? And how did you jump up to the second balcony of the café? And how did you hear the men coming--

Paree, I don't have time to explain all of those things to you now. I know you have questions, but they will have to wait. Look, I need your help. Are you in?

The girl smiled, Of course.

Good. Then help me walk until I get my legs back, okay?

Jamie leaned on the girl and together they walked through the door, and started down the street.

Where are we going?

Jamie looked at the brown eyes under the hijab, We have to find out where those men went.

The girl was silent for a moment as they walked, then an idea struck her, I know how we might find that out.



One of the men is husband to a village woman who sometimes gives me food. She will know all of his places.

I thought the women here weren't allowed to know the business of the men.

Paree smiled, That's what the men think, and that's what they tell to the world. But that is not at all the way it is....

Silent but nosy, huh?

What better way to hear everything than to listen and take it all in? The men think we are too stupid to understand. The women of Tabriz know everything they do, we just don't say anything.

Jamie smiled and allowed the young girl to guide her toward a house on the other side of the city. She silently prayed that they could not only find the men, but secure Gillespie's notes in time to help Oscar. She glanced at her watch: only an hour and a half left to get the goods and get to the rendezvous point. It was going to be tight.

**************

WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER
O.S.I. WING, LAB

Russ walked into the observation chamber of the sealed lab. He found Rudy dressed in a hazmat suit, working with the envelopes. Russ hit a button on the console.

Rudy, how's it going in there?

Rudy looked up at Russ, It's not. I haven't found a goddamn thing.

Russ licked his lips, He's getting worse, Rudy.

I know. I have three more. Maybe one of them will have something.

Wells watched as Russ' lips spread into a thin line and he exited the room. Rudy heaved a long sigh, he was tired. But he couldn't afford to waste time. He looked at the three envelopes. Two were new, and one was addressed to the Secretary in Oscar's hand. After a momentary hesitation, Rudy carefully opened the envelope intended for the Secretary from the bottom. He pulled out the letter, set it aside, and opened the envelope completely up. He scraped at the seal carefully with a scalpel, allowing the remnants to fall onto a microscope slide. He placed the slide in a scope and peered into it.

Bingo: microbes on parade.

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