Chapter 18

"I still don't know how you managed to override the system so quickly, but I don't feel good about it," Hans commented quietly as they navigated the winding halls under the storage facility. The other three were ahead of them, but not by much.

"I don't either, according to both of our intel, Doris shouldn't have known about this place," Kowalski replied as the sense of dread hanging over him continued to grow.

"Then clearly one of us has been keeping some cards up their sleeves."

Hans shot Kowalski a withering look, but before he could defend himself they emerged into a large room lined with filing cabinets and shelves of machinery.

"Reminds me of your storage room, Kowalski." Private remarked as they fanned out.

"Everything looks to be in place and if that's the case then Project Collar will be…." Hans trailed off and approached the counters that ran along the one wall. There were several drawers and a computer monitor just left of the center. "In this drawer," he turned the combination lock on the third drawer down and it released with a soft click.

"That's it?" Skipper asked in disbelief as Hans took out a small thumb drive.

"This is it or at least it should be. Only one way to make sure." He plugged the drive into the side of the monitor and looked over to Kowalski, "You're up."

Kowalski approached the monitor and noticed the touchscreen keyboard and touchpad built into the counter. He would never understand why the bad guys got all the cool stuff, but now wasn't the time to think about that. Instead he had to focus on what was in front of him, which in that moment was an open folder on the monitor.

PROJECT 267727

56925754 (1)

8378 1

8378 2

8378 3

8778 4

The second string of numbers seemed to taunt him-that was the number that Blowhole had assigned to him. This was Project Collar, but it didn't seem right that it would be so easily accessible.

Kowalski double clicked the file and watched the screen, not convinced that it was anything but an empty dupe. He clicked the file again and then froze in horror as a familiar voice echoed above them.

"Do you like my little device? Almost full-body paralysis in under 10 seconds."

He stepped back in horror as he realized the video Doris has sent him was playing out on the wall in front of them. It only took a glimpse of Rico's body to spur him into action. He frantically clicked away at the keyboard but the computer stopped responding and Doris continued to talk as she wandered on screen.

"You can still breathe and blink, but other than twitching a few toes or fingers you can't move."

"Shut it down, Kowalski!"

"I'm trying, sir!" Kowalski snapped back, he didn't need to see the screen to know that Doris had her hands on Rico.

"I didn't get the appeal before, but now…the things I could do to you."

Kowalski had watched the video enough times to know that her hands were on his chest now.

"The things I want to do to you. Then again, you're damaged goods."

Behind him, he could hear Private's horrified gasp and Skipper practically growl in anger, but he couldn't bring himself to turn around knowing what was unfolding on the screen.

"I can't even begin to imagine how much scar tissue I'd have to workaround. Or if I'd have to put you back together before I could do anything worthwhile."

Kowlaski swore under his breath as the computer locked him out and he hated how easily they had been played.

"Oh, I read all about how everything isn't quite where it's supposed to be and how it catches a lot of people off guard when they go for vital organs. Certainly explains how you've survived the things that should have killed you, but that's not the only thing is it?"

Doris didn't need them to get Project Collar and Kowalski now suspected that she was never after it to begin with.

"Not many people know this, but there is a neurotoxin that when injected into the bloodstream can stop a heart instantly? Now this isn't the same neurotoxin, but that one was certainly an inspiration for what I created. Of course, I wouldn't have been able to finish it without a little help, thanks, Kowalski."

No, she had learned from her brother's mistakes and had wanted to break them.

"I do want to take a minute to preface this with the obvious that this message is pre-recorded so some of what I have to say might not be a surprise anymore, but the little birdie that has been telling me of your progress isn't the easiest to break."

Kowalski looked up to see Doris taking up the screen and based on the background she had recorded this message from the very room they were standing in.

"Congratulations for making it this far without getting caught. I thought you would have slipped up already. I mean, surely, one of your teammates would have seen my note welcoming you back? But I suppose that's what happens when you trust someone so blindly. I'm honestly impressed with you Kowalski which is why I am going to uphold the deal we made. Feel free to bring the whole team, just let me know that you're ready and I'll arrange a ride.

Within seconds of the screen going black, pain erupted from the back of Kowalski's head as it slammed against the floor. He blinked trying to get his bearings and winced as Skipper grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him forward.

"Is it true?" Skipper growled. He refused to believe that one of his own would betray the team, but the evidence was damning. "Have you been working with Doris behind our backs?"

Kowalski threw a panicked look at Hans who appeared to be unimpressed with the turn of events and wasn't going to make any move anytime soon to help him. He closed his eyes for a moment and could feel the threat of tears coming because there was no way out of the situation now. He braced himself for whatever came next and answered with, "yes."

Instead of a punch to the face like Kowalski had expected, Skipper merely let go of his collar and stood, leaving him on the floor. Somehow that hurt more.

"Kowalski, how could you?"

Private's voice was small, filled with disbelief and Kowalski swore he could hear any fragment of trust between him and his team shatter at that moment. He got to his feet slowly, unsure of what he could do or say other than the sentiment that he did what he had to.

"How long?"

This time it was Rico who spoke up and Kowalski could hear the pain-driven waver in his voice. He forced himself to look at the other man who made no effort to hide the fear and devastation he was feeling. But it was the question that stung the most. Did Rico really think that he had been working with Doris from the beginning?

"Six days," Kowalski could see everyone doing the math in their heads trying to pinpoint exactly what day that had been. "I reached out while we were waiting to get answers about what happened. It was just a long shot, but she responded and we came to an agreement until after I read the file and saw what we were up against."

"What was the deal?"

"I was going to give her everything that we found, not just Project Collar."

"Were you even going to botch the file?" Private asked horrified by what Kowalski was admitting.

"Yes!" A part of him wondered how his team could think he'd just turn everything over, but this had been Doris's plan- to break them apart. "Look I was going to corrupt everything basically, I'd implant a virus so that if she attempted to use any of it all the data would erase itself."

Skipper remained silent on the issue which worried Kowalski more than the bit of anger he had displayed earlier.

"But that's changed," Hans commented. He had his suspicions about what had been transpiring between the two scientists . He had trusted his instinct that Kowalski wouldn't tell him that things had changed and he knew the minute Doris sent him a message cutting him loose. "The deal has changed, hasn't it?"

Kowalski couldn't bring himself to look at his team any longer, "I changed the terms of the agreement yesterday."

"What are the terms?" Skipper finally spoke and his tone chilled Kowalski to the bone.

"It's still a trade," Kowalski started and then hesitated unsure how to describe the agreement he and Doris had come to because his life for Rico's wasn't going to go over well and that wasn't technically accurate. "But instead of the files, it's...my service."

"What does that even mean?"

Shame washed over Kowalski at Private's question. He had hoped that would be enough explanation on its own and he wouldn't have to admit what it meant. " It means that I agreed to leave CENTRAAL and work for her."

"You're betraying us." Skipper accused and laughed in disbelief.

"No-" Was all the farther that he got before Skipper cut him off.

"I don't care how you try to spin it, Kowalski. From our side of things, you're betraying us. You couldn't trust the plan- you couldn't trust us." Skipper's voice continued to rise in anger. "Did it ever occur to you to tell us what was going on? That a -"

"Skipper!" Private's shout cut over Skipper's rant.

Kowalski turned in time to watch as Rico collapsed fully against the youngest member of the team.