Chapter 30
"Good morning, Sunshine," Bruce's voice and a soft kiss on her forehead awoke her from the most restful night's sleep she experienced in a long time.
"Um," she stretched and wrapped her good arm around his neck, "do we have to get up?"
Bruce pulled her tightly against his body so she could feel where his morning's inclination was, "no, we can lay in bed all day, beautiful."
"Maybe not all day," she sighed, reaching down between them to stroke his hard length pressed against her thigh. "But maybe for a little while longer."
He groaned and rolled so that she was under him, "no arguments from me."
Agent Laura Watson didn't want to use the computer to locate the cleaning crew, but she had a pretty good idea of their location. They usually started with the dormitory first thing in the morning because that was when most of the residents were away. After that they moved to the hangar and just worked around the personnel. If the bracelet was discovered in the lab, it would have been yesterday. She had already looked through the lost and found box, but the bracelet wasn't there.
Pushing through the door of the dormitory, she was happy to see one of the cleaning carts parked by the bathrooms on the first floor.
"Excuse me?" she called into the men's room. "Are you in there cleaning?"
A young trainee came out, scrub brush in his hand, "yeah, but the women's side is still open."
"That's not what I need," she replied. "Who keeps the items you guys find while you're making your rounds?"
"Margaret is our supervisor. Anything we find, we turn over to her."
"Where is she?"
"Downstairs on the main floor."
"Thanks," she smiled.
Downstairs, she found a woman walking two new trainees through the cleaning routine in the common kitchen.
"Excuse me, are you Margaret?"
"Yes, agent. What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if anyone found a bracelet in the lab yesterday?"
"Did you check the lost and found box?"
"Yes, that's the first place I looked."
"Hum, where was the last place you saw it?"
"In the lab on the second floor of the hangar."
"Dorothy and Zack had that area yesterday. Hold on," she unclipped a radio from her belt. "Come in Dot."
There was static over the channel, then a reply came.
"This is Zack. Dot is at the infirmary with a headache. Whatcha need, boss?"
"Did you guys find a bracelet yesterday in one of the labs?"
"Yeah, Dot took it to the lost and found box after we got off shift."
"Thanks, Zack," Margaret clipped the radio back on her belt. "I don't know what to tell you, it should be in the box."
"Thanks," Laura smiled, "I'll go look again."
Laura knew exactly where the bracelet was. Dot didn't take it to the lost and found box. She kept it for herself and now she was paying the price.
Much later, Ruby and Bruce split an MRE for an early lunch then left the cabin to do some exploring and to go back to the hot spring to grab their clothes from the night before. As they gathered up a few supplies to take with them – Bruce had found a cave he wanted to explore – Ruby remembered her necklace.
"Hey, quick question. I know that sulfur springs can tarnish silver, but what about gold?"
Bruce shrugged, "depends on the quality. If it's ten carat, it's less than 50% pure, so it's possible, I guess."
"Good enough for me," Ruby said as she unfastened the necklace. Looking around the cabin, she found a nail on the wall that was a little less rusty that the rest. Hanging it on the nail, she turned back to her companion. "Just don't let me forget it, please?"
Bruce smile, "I'll try, but no promises."
"If we forget it, I guess we'll just have to come back some other time."
He stepped up to her and wrapped his arms around her, "I could live with that."
"Could you?" she stood on her toes and kissed him.
He returned the kiss, but when he tried to deepen it, she broke contact and leaned away.
"We're never getting out of this cabin at this rate."
"I thought you were the one that wanted to stay in bed all day?" he asked with a glimmer in his eyes.
"No, I think that was you. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was you."
"And what's wrong with that?"
"For one, you got me interested in that cave and, two, we still need to get our clothes."
"If we stay in here all day, we won't need the clothes. And that cave has been there for thousands of years. I don't think it's going anywhere soon."
"Nope," she slipped out of his arms. "Grab your stuff, Mister!"
"It's Doctor," he corrected her with a grin as he picked up the smaller backpack.
The cave was a disappointment. It was dry, and only went a few yards into the mountain side. There were no stalactites, stalagmites, or other interesting formations. There were a few bats that rustled overhead as Ruby and Bruce's intrusion disturbed them, and from the smell, some animal had a den in one of the dark recesses off the main tunnel.
Other than that, it was a pleasant morning. The mid-day temperature at this elevation was still mild, even though the sky was cloudless and sunny. They laughed at the antics of a couple squirrels quarreling over something high in the trees. Bruce showed Ruby the claw marks made by a bear on a few trees, and she found a tuff of black fur caught in the bark of one. Near the hot spring, they found signs of the armadillo digging through the detritus on the forest floor looking for insects and grubs.
At the spring, they found the soap that had been tossed aside and completed washing. Afterwards, Ruby straddled Bruce's lap and reenacted their actions that had been cut short by the killer armadillo.
"Tell me you have good news Doctor," Fury greeted her as she shut the door.
"Yes," she told him as she sank into the chair with a sigh.
"Well, don't keep me in suspense."
"We ran the EEGs on the worst patients from Monday, but their symptoms seem to be tapering off and the tests were inconclusive. Again."
"That's not good news," Fury snorted.
"If you will let me finish?"
"Oh, by all means," he leaned back in his chair, "do continue."
"So, we ran scans on three people showing symptoms from the hangar cluster. These came back with pronounced anomalies. They showed the same lowered activity levels in the lateral tuberal nucleus. Their EEGs indicated repressed Beta waves across all spectrums. This makes sense. Studies have shown that lesions to this area in primates causes hypervigilance, reduced anger control, increased fight or flight reactions, and impaired decision-making capabilities."
She stopped and waited for his response, but all he did was raise one eyebrow. She sighed and continued.
"Something is interfering with the normal electrical rhythms of their brains and it is causing the area of the brain that controls emotional responses, reactions to fear and stress, and impulse control to shut down."
Fury nodded, "well that would explain what happened with Banner last week, but why are all the others not clubbing each other or running around screaming the world is ending?"
"I have a theory."
"Let's hear it."
"We have extensive data on Dr. Banner, so I pulled everything we had on his brain. His scans indicate the levels of activity in that area of his amygdala is already lower than average. In fact, it's been an area of interest for him in gaining control over his alter ego. But with this, it's like the difference between a double-pull trigger and a hair trigger. For average people, they would have to experience prolonged exposure to whatever is suppressing their Beta waves before there is a discernable change in their behavior. The headaches, loss of appetite, and elevated body temperature are just a precursor. Their brain saying 'hey, something's wrong.' But with Banner and his already low levels, it wouldn't take much to push him over the edge."
"Do you think he was targeted?"
"I won't know until we find the cause. I would like to repurpose some of the scanners that you and your team use to scan for signals that could cause this reaction."
"What kind of signals?"
"For starters, high-frequency signals between thirty-five and fifty kilo-hertz. That's above the normal range of hearing for humans and has been used in sonic attacks like the embassy in Havana experienced."
"That theory was debunked," Fury pointed out.
Bennett raised her eyebrow, "really? I work for SHIELD and you expect me to believe that?"
"Touché, Doctor." He stood up. "Follow me."
Leading the way to the command center, Fury stopped in front of a large screen and turned to one of the agents manning the console.
"Scan the campus for…," he paused and looked that the doctor.
She quickly told the agent the parameters of the signal they were looking for. The screen in front of them lit up with an aerial view of the campus. As they watched, the screen refreshed.
"Here we go," the agent announced unnecessarily.
The two waited, but nothing happened.
"Well, I for one am underwhelmed," Fury said with sarcasm.
"No signals have been detected, Sir," the agent explained.
"No shit? That's what this empty screen means?" Fury snapped. "I'm glad I have you to explain that to me."
He turned his ire to the woman at his side, "any more ideas, Doctor?"
Bennett turned the problem over in her head, then nodded.
"Do you have the list of all the individuals that have been affected?" she asked the agent.
"Yes, ma'am," he replied.
"Can you pull up the locations where they spend most of their time while on the campus?"
"Give me a moment," the agent was already typing furiously.
Moments later, the screen changed, showing red, orange, and yellow dots.
Fury and Bennett stepped closer to study it.
"Do you see that?" she asked.
Most of the red and orange dots clustered around two locations, one in the hangar and the other in the dormitory.
"That explains the second wave of patients," Bennett said.
"Agent," Fury said without turning from the screen, "what rooms are each of these clusters around?"
The agent had anticipated the question and was ready with the answer, "the lab where Dr. Banner and Ms. Beaumont were working and Ms. Beaumont's room in the dormitory."
Bennett gasped, "Ruby? No way."
"Just goes to show you never know," Fury told her. "Anyway, it looks like the cause has been deactivated, so your patients should start getting better quickly, right?"
"Maybe, but there could be something else causing the symptoms. And even if there isn't" she added, "I would like to monitor all of affected for a while to ensure there's no long-term effects from the exposure. The victims from Havana are still complaining of a variety of symptoms."
"Then it's a damn good thing that it really didn't happen."
Bennett shook her head, "whatever you say, Director."
When the doctor hurried away, Fury waved Bucky forward.
"I think it's time to bring Ms. Beaumont and Banner back."
"Changed your mind about using them for bait?" Bucky asked.
"I don't know how the girl is involved, but I think we need them both here where we can better control the situation."
"I'll leave now."
"Take Barton with you and a handful of experienced agents."
"Two Quinn jets?"
"Yeah, just in case."
After Bucky left, Fury leaned in and squinted at the screen. "What are you up to?" he said to himself.
Laura was pleased with herself. She had terrified the poor trainee that thought to keep the bracelet for herself to the point where she was sure the girl would do just about anything she asked of her from now on. That could be useful. In the meantime, she had the girl slip the bracelet into Ruby's room. Any footage on surveillance would show the trainee leaving the lab and entering the dorm room. Laura had covered her tracks well. Glenda would surely be pleased.
She had also let headquarters know that Ruby was no longer on the campus and that she was with Dr. Banner. She was happy to discover that they didn't seem to know that fact. Another feather in her cap.
The only thing that marred her enjoyment were her next set of orders. She had to track down Izzy and who knew where the hell that birdbrain was.
She finally tracked the woman down in the main building where she was having a late lunch with two of the agents. You had to hand it to her, Laura thought reluctantly, the woman certainly knew how to get people to talk to her.
Smiling brightly, she approached the trio, "Izzy! There you are! I've been looking all over for you."
Izzy's frown at her approach was quickly covered by a fake smile, "Agent Watson! What can I do for you?"
"Ruby's going to be away for a few more days and I've been tasked with sending her some more of her clothes. Do you think you can help me out? You know what she likes to wear better than me."
Izzy visibly cringed. Damn, whoever thought this woman would make a good agent needed to be fired.
"Sure," she nodded. Standing up, she bid the two agents goodbye and followed Laura out of the room.
"You know they could easily find out that was a lie," she muttered.
"Shut up," Laura snapped. "I had to come up with something fast and you certainly didn't help."
"Well, now you've pulled me away from my lunch, what the hell do you want?"
"Not until we're out of this building," Laura told her.
Silently, the two women made their way out of the building, each seething. Once clear, Laura guided them towards the dormitory.
"Did you find the bracelet?" Izzy asked.
"Yeah, it's been deactivated."
"Good," Izzy breathed in relief.
"That's not why I needed to talk to you, though."
"No?"
I've been told to make sure you understand your latest orders," Laura told her.
"They were pretty clear," Izzy snorted. "Only an idiot would not understand them."
Laura looked at her pointedly.
"Fuck you," Izzy stopped. "I don't have to take this shit from you."
"Yes, you do. You'll do what you're told to do."
"How do I even know what you're telling me comes from headquarters?"
"You know what?" Laura sighed, tired of this conversation already. "I don't really give a shit what you believe. I'm just following my orders."
"Ok," Izzy responded, sounding like a spoiled teenager instead of a trained operative. "What are you supposed to tell me?"
"When you kill Frankie, you're supposed to tell her 'Glenda says hello.'"
"Are you joking? Who's going to know if I kill her?"
"Again, I don't care. I'm just telling you what I was told."
Izzy huffed with annoyance, "anything else?"
"Yeah, you're supposed to make it look like Frankie killed Ruby."
"How the hell am I supposed to do that? I'm not a trained assassin, you know."
"How many times do I have to say I don't care before you catch on?"
"Well, smartass, when I screw this up, I will make sure I tell them at headquarters that you refused to help me."
Laura stopped and stared at Izzy. Maybe she wasn't as stupid as she seemed.
"Ok," she sighed, "give me time. I will figure something out."
"You better hurry, because we are running out of time."
"I know."
