Determinant: a gene or other factor that determines the character and development of a cell or group of cells in an organism.
Chapter 9: Murmuration - Birds of a Feather
After discovering their benefactor is a Reiden employee, the team takes matters into their own hands.
Jamie's phone rang loudly in the small hotel room. Next to her Chloe stirred but didn't wake. She grabbed her phone and pressed the green button, stepping outside to keep from disturbing her roommate as she brought the device to her ear.
"Mitch, where are you?" She had been on edge from the moment they'd disconnected earlier. He had walked into the proverbial lion's den holding a piece of bloody meat, and the fact that he hadn't called yet had worried her.
"We have a problem," he rasped, breathing like he'd just run a marathon.
"What?"
"Delavane was at Reiden. He's working for them." She could hear the bustle of traffic around him, like he was still on the move. Jamie banged on the door next to hers, waking Jackson and Abe even as she moved back to her own room. When they stepped out she gestured frantically for them to follow as she opened her door.
"You're on speaker," She switched over as Chloe began to rouse and Jackson closed the door behind him. "Repeat that."
"Delavane was at Reiden," Mitch said, "talking to another man in a suit and looking very comfortable." Chloe sat up and swung her feet to the floor as Jamie sat down on the edge of the bed. "He's not who we think he is."
Abe crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the small dresser. "How can you be so sure? Maybe he had a good reason to be there."
"I saw his face," Mitch snapped back. "He wasn't there because it was Bring Your Shadowy Interpol Agent to the Office Day. He was there because he works there." He sounded very agitated, and Jamie's worry for him ratcheted up.
"Are you in a safe place right now?"
"I think so," he told her. "I'm going to crash at a friend's house." Jamie remembered his guy at MIT who had researched the bacteria they'd found in the wolf's brain. That seemed like a lifetime ago. Still, she was glad he had a friend in the area.
Chloe finally woke up enough to join the conversation. "Did Delavane see you?"
There was a beat of silence. "Yeah," Mitch sighed. "Listen, we obviously can't go back to the hotel that Delavane set up. Just...stay safe and call me when you get off the boat tomorrow."
"Did you get the medicine for your daughter?" Jamie asked. If Delavane had seen him, then it was likely Burke knew who he was now. They had thought it best if Mitch never told the VP his name to avoid any backlash that might come down on Audra or Clem. That was obviously a moot point now.
"Yeah, but it's too late to get it to her now, and she has a doctor's appointment at eight thirty tomorrow. I'll have to get it to her after that." He sounded calmer now, and the ambient noise that had almost been deafening a few moments ago had faded away. "The ferry arrives at the dock around ten. I'll meet you guys there before going to Audra's."
"Okay, be safe," Jamie urged. She hung up, casting the room into a heavy silence.
Chloe was the first to break it. "This is bad."
Abe shook his head and pushed off the dresser to stand at his full height. "So the company that put us together is the same company that we're trying to take down?"
Jamie shrugged. "It appears that way."
"But why?" Jackson spoke up for the first time from his place by the door. "Why would Delavane put us together if there was a chance of us uncovering the truth?"
"I don't know," Chloe answered. "But maybe we can get more answers from Mitch tomorrow."
Jamie didn't sleep at all that night. Her thoughts were split between worrying for Mitch and trying to figure out the new twist in the mystery they'd been tasked to solve. Jackson's question repeated over and over in her mind until finally she couldn't lie still any more. Keeping her screen angled away from Chloe's bed, she spent the remainder of the night flipping through Leo Butler's ledger and the documents they'd appropriated from the Reiden servers.
Jamie was running on adrenaline and caffeine as the ferry glided across the water toward the mainland. Mitch was leaning against a pillar when they disembarked, his relaxed posture belied by the clench of his jaw and the deep circles under his eyes. Jamie made a beeline for him, wrapping her arms around him for a brief hug as the others huddled around them.
"You okay?" Chloe asked him, and Mitch nodded.
Jamie stepped back and eyed the small black case he clutched in one hand. "That the medicine?"
"Yeah," he held it up. "Six weeks of treatment and she's cured." She could see the emotion he was holding in, and she reached out to squeeze his arm in support.
"I am happy for your daughter," Abe began, "but we must also think about what happens next." Chloe's phone rang, startling all of them, and she stepped away to answer as Jamie refocused them on their mission.
"The Mother Cell. How do we use it to make a cure?"
"I believe if we introduce the Mother Cell into the DNA of a mutated animal, we could possibly synthesize a cure. But here's the problem," he winced slightly. "In order to do that, we need an animal who has mutated but not been exposed to the Mother Cell."
"But does such an animal even exist?" Abe asked. "Every animal we've come into contact with has been mutated because of Reiden."
"And even if there is," Jackson added, "how could we possibly find it? There are infected animals on every continent."
"I know," Mitch agreed. "It's like trying to find a needle in a stack of needles. In every country on Earth. But without that needle, we don't have a cure." As the enormity of that task sank in, Chloe rejoined them with a panicked look on her face.
"We have to go," she urged.
"What happened?" Jackson asked.
"That was my colleague at the DGSE," she told them. "The FBI has just issued a warrant for my arrest. Jamie's too."
A cold stab of dread shot through Jamie as she covered her mouth. "Ben Schaffer," she muttered. "Oh my God, Chloe. I'm so sorry." She felt Mitch's eyes on her, and as she looked up at him he grasped her hand in his. Ben's ghost had been haunting her ever since that fateful day in the stairwell. She'd managed to make peace with it by remembering that he would have killed her and Jackson if she hadn't acted. It still didn't make her feel any better about being a federal fugitive, or dragging her friends into the mess with her.
"There's nothing to apologize for," Chloe ushered them away from the docks. "But it's only a matter of time before they connect the rest of you. We have to go, guys."
"Hey, hey, hold on," Jackson held up a hand. "Go where? If the FBI is after us, if Delavane works for Reiden, where are we gonna go?"
"Yeah, I don't speak spy," Mitch added, "but it pretty much feels like game over." Jamie felt him squeeze her hand a little tighter as he spoke. She thought briefly again about turning herself in. She might be able to strike a deal and keep her friends out of jail. But she knew even as the thought hit her that the others would never accept it. Mitch alone would fight tooth and nail to keep her away from the hands of the government, and he would be right. She knew too much about Reiden, about what was going on. If Reiden and the feds ever caught up with them, they would simply disappear.
"First we should get out of the open," Abe marshaled everyone and gestured for them to head for the car. He took the keys from Mitch and climbed into the driver's seat as the others piled in. "Chloe, can you find a phone store nearby? We will need to purchase prepaid phones and turn off our old ones."
As Abe, Chloe and Jackson discussed their next moves, Jamie leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. The image of Ben Schaffer's surprised face was forever burned in her memory. She knew it was likely she would never forget it. The exhaustion from last night compounded with the weariness she was beginning to feel as their mission grew ever more insurmountable, and she sagged under the weight of it.
"You okay?" Mitch's voice was pitched low to keep from alerting the others, and he was angled toward her in the back seat with only a few inches between them.
Jamie didn't open her eyes as she replied in the most sardonic tone she could muster. "Peachy."
"Listen, for what it's worth," he settled a warm hand on her leg, letting his thumb stroke the outer edge of her knee, "I'm sorry. If I had known Delavane was there…"
"No," Jamie raised her head and opened her eyes. "It's not your fault. No one could have known." Her attention turned briefly to the plans hatching in the front of the SUV and she grimaced. "If anyone should be apologizing, it's me. Chloe's right - it's only a matter of time before they connect all of you to me, and to Ben Schaffer's death. What will your daughter think when she sees her dad's wanted for murder?"
"It wasn't murder," Mitch insisted firmly. "It was self-defense. But there's little chance of the truth being told as long as Reiden holds the cards. We need to get the cure, and then expose them and all of their corruption. Then we can clear your name."
"You need to get that to Clem," Jamie indicated the small case he still held in his lap.
"I will," he promised, shifting his hand to hold hers tightly. "And then we'll find the cure together." She had nothing to say to that, so she let her head fall back against the headrest as she stifled a yawn. She could practically feel his concern for her coming off of him in waves. "Did you get any sleep last night?"
"No." Exhaustion made her honest; she couldn't even utter a white lie to ease his worry. "I was up all night going through the Reiden documents and Leo's ledger. I couldn't find anything about Ben Schaffer in the Reiden stuff, but Leo's book has a lot of damning information."
"You didn't really sleep on the plane, either," he pointed out. "You need to rest, Jamie."
"I"ll rest when Reiden is held responsible and I'm not on the FBI's Most Wanted list," she shot back. He seemed to sense her snappish attitude stemmed from her lack of sleep rather than irritation with him, so he fell silent and let her be.
Abe pulled up a few blocks from a small pay-as-you-go phone store tucked into a string of shops next to an alley. They all piled out to go inside, but Abe stopped them before they reached the door.
"Maybe I should go alone," he held out his hand for the cash Chloe still had, and she pulled out a few bills. They posted up just outside the door, leaning against the storefront and trying to look as casual as possible.
Jamie was the one to point out they were probably failing. "Maybe we should not be standing around in a clump like this."
Before anyone could agree, the door opened and Abe walked out with a large bag. They followed him to a side street as he handed out the phones. "From now on, we pay cash for everything. And no more contact with friends or family."
"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," Mitch argued. "I need to get this medicine to Clem."
Behind them, a siren whooped and Jamie's heart seized with fear. Had someone spotted them? Recognized them? Would her friends now be facing accomplice charges? Panic gripped her as she tried not to stare at the police car that was cruising down the street. It didn't seem to be slowing down, and so she kept cool. It passed them, and they collectively breathed a sigh of relief as it turned a corner out of sight.
"Guys, stop," Jackson grabbed their attention, and they turned as one to face him. "This isn't gonna work," he held up the phone. "We can't just be reactive to this thing. We need to get out in front of it." His voice grew more emphatic as he spoke. "We've been together for a couple of months now as a team, and we're doing pretty good. Now we gotta save our own asses and save the world."
It sounded a bit melodramatic, but Jamie wasn't going to point it out. Mitch, on the other hand, had no such reluctance. "That's a bit dramatic, but well said."
"Agreed," Chloe added succinctly. "What's the plan?"
Jackson seemed surprised that they were all suddenly looking at him, but he took it in stride and nodded. "Alright, first off we gotta go public with this thing. Now, we need a more official outlet than your blog, Jamie. But we obviously can't risk just walking into a news station, so who do you know? Do you know somebody you can contact?"
Jamie ran through a mental list of her colleagues and friends, dismissing almost ninety percent of them automatically. Of those left, only one lived in Boston. Realizing the others were waiting for her response, she nodded quickly. "Yeah."
"Okay," he turned to his oldest friend. "Abe, take Mitch and the car and go get those meds to Clementine." Something passed between Mitch and the younger man in that moment that Jamie had a hard time understanding, but whatever issues they had with each in the past seemed to finally be gone and buried.
"Okay," Abe seemed to sense it too, and Jamie thought she saw the barest hint of approval on his face.
"What about us?" Chloe asked.
"I've got an idea for us," Jackson said cryptically.
"We need a place to meet when we're finished," Jamie said.
"How about there?" Mitch pointed across the street to a local bar. "It's close and it has the added benefit of adult beverages to top off our very wacky day."
"Okay," Jackson agreed. "Jamie, contact your source and see if they can meet you somewhere."
"Where?"
Jackson took a chance and turned on his phone, checking the area quickly before shutting off again. "There's warehouses along Madison," he said. "Any of them should work."
"3rd street is the closest cross street," Mitch added.
"Alright, Madison and 3rd it is. Have him meet you in a couple of hours. That should give Chloe and I enough time to finish with our part and get back here to go with you. We'll meet you at the bar when we're done."
"Done with what?" Chloe asked.
"I'll tell you on the way. Everyone be careful." The two of them moved off to hail a taxi, heads bent discussing whatever plan Jackson had come up with. Abe moved to their car, mumbling something about changing plates as Mitch turned to Jamie.
"You gonna be okay on your own?" His forehead was wrinkled with worry, and Jamie mustered her most confident smile.
"Yeah, Wilson and I went to college together. He ended up marrying my dormmate. I trust him."
"Here," he rifled through his bag and pulled out a dark blue hat and a large pair of sunglasses. "I grabbed these after I left Reiden last night. If the feds released your face to the public, they'll help disguise you."
She chuckled ruefully as she took the proffered items. "I think maybe you've seen one too many spy movies." He returned her wry smile with one of his own, but she could see the agitation that tightened his shoulders. She slipped the hat on, tucking her hair behind her ears before slipping the sunglasses on. Mitch nodded in approval and reached out to adjust the hat.
"Very spy chic," he joked, though she could see the hesitation lurking in his eyes.
"I'll be fine," she told him. "You get that medicine to Clementine. See you back here in a few hours." She patted him on the shoulder as she moved away and resisted the urge to look back. She could feel his eyes on her as she turned the corner and pulled out her phone. She had spent the drive to the phone store copying down every number of importance from her phone before she shut it off. She was glad for it now; she didn't want to risk anyone tracking her movements and finding her before she could get her story out.
Wilson picked up on the second ring, and Jamie set up the meeting with all the efficiency of the best informant. She could hear his confusion, but promised him answers as she hung up. Her earlier comment to Mitch about spy movies came back, and before she could think about it she snapped the phone in half and tossed it in the trash.
She returned to the bar and checked her cash supply before ordering a shot of Jack and a soda and commandeering a table near the back. She took off the hat and glasses and leaned her head back against the wall, feeling the effects of the alcohol and exhaustion take over. She closed her eyes briefly only to snap them open again when someone sat down across from her. She stiffened for a second, ready to bolt, then recognized Chloe's worried frown.
"You didn't sleep last night, did you?" she asked.
"Nope," Jamie took another long drink of her soda, hoping the caffeine would stimulate her enough to get through the rest of the day. Of course, they had no idea where they were even going to sleep, so Jamie wasn't banking on a terribly restful night. "How did your thing go?"
"How about a round of pool?" Jackson offered. "That way we can talk without looking too suspicious."
He ordered another round of drinks as they played, Jamie listening as they took turns interjecting pieces of the story. Jackson sunk the eight ball as Chloe finished the last piece of the tale.
"So Delavane just stonewalled you guys?" Jamie asked.
"Didn't even blink," Jackson said.
Jamie leaned over the table as the implications of their visit hit her. "Guys, he's going to make a phone call to men who get paid a lot of money to make other men disappear." Then, because she felt like being all inclusive with her paranoia, she added, "Other men and other women."
Like her, Jackson kept his head down to keep his voice from carrying. "How are we at a point where that doesn't even sound insane to me?"
"Okay guys," Chloe stopped them before they could get riled up, "let's not get carried away. How long until we talk to your friend?"
"Wilson? About an hour," Jamie said.
"So we stay hidden until then."
Jackson shook his head, "Look, even if he buys our story and we end up on the front page of the paper that doesn't solve our bigger problem here. We still need to find a cure for the animals."
Remembering Mitch's rant about needles, Jamie wasn't entirely sure how they were going to accomplish it. But Jackson had an answer. For the better part of the hour they had left, the three of them began eliminating areas based on the presence of Reiden products around the world. It was ten to two before Jamie called it quits and Jackson went outside to get Chloe.
Wilson was waiting next to a large garage door when they arrived. It was open and there was no one around, and Jamie's greeting was brief as they stepped inside.
"Who are these guys?" Wilson indicated the two people behind them.
"They're friends of mine," Jamie answered. "They're working on this with me. Listen, what we're going to tell you is -"
"Big," Wilson cut her off, "yeah, you said that. What is all this about Jamie?"
And so she told him. Wilson was one of the few who knew the story about Folsom and her crusade against Reiden and didn't think she was crazy. He'd even lent a hand with some research during college, but ultimately left her to her own devices as opportunities began to emerge for him. They parted on good terms, and Jamie considered him a friend.
"So this Mother Cell is Reiden Global's secret sauce?" Wilson summarized.
"It's used across product lines," Jamie confirmed, "from agricultural to consumer to commercial to pharmaceutical. If Reiden's name is on it, the Mother Cell is present."
Jackson brought the point home. "And now it's out in the wild, accelerating massive changes to the genetic makeup of animals across the globe."
Wilson turned around, halting their walk and huddling them in a back corner of the warehouse. "You know, a reporter on my desk was attacked by a bird this morning on her way to work. Is it possible that that was because…?"
"Yeah," Jamie nodded. "Yeah, it could be."
"And you have proof of this?" Wilson wanted to be sure and Jamie didn't blame him. A story like this could make or break a career. If they went public without solid evidence, Reiden would bury them all.
"We have the Mother Cell itself," Jamie told him.
Wilson looked taken aback. "Damn, Jamie."
"Not to mention reams of data, okay," Jackson added. "Internal Reiden documents. Experiments our own scientist has performed on the mutated animals."
As Jackson spoke, Wilson was looking less and less unsure. Jamie knew she had chosen right. "I told you this was big," she said.
"Can you help us?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah," Wilson answered firmly. "Yeah, I can help."
Jamie sighed in relief. "Oh, thank you so much, Wilson."
"FBI!" Jamie's heart stopped for a brief moment as the three letters echoed in the open space. They all turned, and out of the corner of her eye Jamie saw Chloe reach for her gun. The agent saw it, too. "Don't," he warned. "Lay your weapon on the ground." He was an older agent, gray and balding. He wore the standard suit of a federal agent, and his steady hand spoke of years of service.
Chloe complied with command slowly, then raised her hands. "My name is Chloe Tousignant. I'm DGSE operative."
"I know who you are, Miss Tousignant," the agent interrupted. "Maybe I wasn't clear on the exact pronunciation, but I do know that you're not DGSE. Not any more, anyway." Jamie's hopes of getting away were dashed, but she still jumped when the agent turned to her. "Jamie Campbell?"
"Yes," she hated that her voice trembled on the word, but the prospect that she and her friends were likely headed for a federal prison did not sit well.
"Ben Schaffer was a friend of mine," he said, his voice like steel.
Jamie felt another pang hit her as the gunshots echoed in her mind. "I'm so sorry."
"You're sorry," he snapped. "I loved him like a son. What does your sorry do for that, huh?"
"She has nothing to be sorry about," Jackson jumped to her aid. "She shot him in self-defense. He tried to kill us."
The agent shook his head in disbelief. "Why would he do that?"
This time it was Chloe who came to Jamie's defense. "Because your friend was working for a corporation called Reiden Global, and we'd uncovered some things Reiden would rather have remained secret."
Now he just looked angry. "Ben Schaffer was FBI special agent."
"He was dirty," Chloe countered.
"Excuse me?"
"Your friend was dirty," Chloe repeated. Jamie saw Jackson edge ever so slightly to his left. She didn't know what he was doing, but Chloe seemed to be keeping the agent's attention well enough that he was able to move a few feet without detection. "He was taking money from Reiden, using his position to cover up their mess."
The agent's anger morphed into something darker. "In over twenty years of law enforcement I've only discharged my weapon three times in the field. Imagine that. Three times." He took a breath and his lips curled in a sneer. "Right now, I just wanna blow your little head off."
There was a moment when Jamie was afraid he would do it. He raised his arm just a bit, and Jackson saw his chance. He charged at a stack of empty pallets, knocking them over onto the agent.
For a moment no one moved, all of them too stunned at the turn of events. Then Chloe reached down for her gun and shouted at them. "Run!"
They weaved through the warehouse, slipping through a narrow passage and turning toward an open door. Jamie was right behind Chloe when she darted out into the open, sprinting around her as she stopped and turned. Jackson was the last one out, ducking as a gunshot pinged off the scaffolding next to him. He'd managed to hit the mechanism that lowered the door, and Chloe took aim and fired off several shots at the switch on the wall to keep it from opening again.
Wilson was white as a sheet as they bolted for the safety of the alley. "My God, Jamie! You didn't tell me!"
"Sorry!"
They slowed to a brisk walk to avoid too many odd glances, but they didn't stop until they'd put several blocks between them and the warehouse. Wilson bent over to catch his breath as Chloe pulled out her phone.
"Who are you calling?" Jamie asked.
"Abe," she said. "We need to get out of the city as fast as possible."
"I need to get back to the office," Wilson said finally.
"I'll follow up with you later," Jamie told him. "Thank you again, Wilson."
"Yeah," he waved and disappeared around a corner without another word. Jamie guessed he was probably still in shock at the fact he'd been shot at not five minutes ago. Her own adrenaline was still pumping, and her hands shook as she fought to regain control of her heart rate.
Chloe shut her phone and nodded her head toward a side street. "They're on their way to Mitch's ex-wife's house. I have the address."
They flagged a taxi and piled in the back as Chloe gave the driver Audra's street name. Jamie was sitting on the driver's side, squished between Chloe and the door. She could feel her muscles cramping as her adrenaline wore off, and the nausea hit her hard as the driver took a turn a little too fast. She quickly sought the pressure point on her wrist that Mitch had showed her, and she pressed down hard right up until they stopped in front of a quaint two-story home. Mitch's rented car was sitting on the street, and as they exited the taxi and Chloe paid the driver Abe opened the front door and ushered them inside quickly.
Jamie sought out Mitch immediately, finding him at the dining room table swabbing at a cut on his hand. He looked up at her when she arrived, and she watched a myriad of emotions play across his face. He stood without a word and gathered her in his arms; Jamie couldn't tell who was more relieved.
"What happened to your hand?" she asked.
"Bird attack in the park," he said. "Audra and Clem were caught out in it." Jamie closed her eyes, for a moment fearing the worst. "They're okay," he told her. "Me, Abe and about a dozen firefighters managed to send them off. But not before three people died."
"I'm glad your daughter's okay," Jamie whispered.
"You're shaking," he said, pushing her back gently so he could look for any injuries.
"I'm fine," she told him. "Just...being shot at tends to send my adrenaline into overdrive."
His grip on her shoulders tightened as he panicked for a moment. "You were shot at? By who?"
She almost didn't want to meet his eyes. "The FBI."
"Jesus," he tugged her against him again. "I can't leave you alone for even a few hours, can I?" She chuckled into his shirt and held on for several long minutes, soaking in the warmth and safety he offered. It was weird, she mused silently, that someone she'd known for less than three months could suddenly become the most important person in her life. She felt the hum of rightness settle in her bones as his hand rubbed up and down her back, and she was reminded once again that she loved him.
It felt like the right moment, and Jamie steeled herself for the admission. She tried saying the words in her mind over and over again, hoping that eventually they would spill out onto her tongue. She had just sucked in a breath to speak when someone cleared their throat behind them. They both turned to find Abe hovering in the doorway.
"I am sorry to interrupt," he said, looking completely unapologetic and just a little amused, "but we need to discuss what to do next."
"I need to call Wilson," Jamie stepped back and smoothed her hair away from her face, hoping her own erratic thoughts weren't too obvious. "Is there a phone I can use?"
"Yeah," Mitch gestured toward the kitchen, seemingly oblivious to her inner panic. When Jamie looked a little hesitant, he added, "Audra and Clem are upstairs packing. It's probably best if we don't linger too long. It won't take the feds too long to find us here."
"Right." She moved to the phone and pulled out her small notebook of numbers as Mitch joined the others in the living room. She dialed her friend's number and tried to think about their next steps.
"Wilson," he answered as he always did.
"Wilson, it's Jamie."
"Jamie." He sounded not at all like the all-in reporter they'd left just a short while ago. Now he sounded scared.
"That's not a good tone," she tried to joke, but it fell flat.
"It's not," he agreed. "Listen, something's changed."
Jamie slammed the phone down a few minutes later and cursed under her breath. She could hear the others talking in the other room and took a few steadying breaths before joining them.
"More bad news," she began. "Wilson's out. His executive editor called Reiden to follow up."
"And let me guess," Mitch finished snidely. "Five minutes later, their lawyers were slapped with a cease and desist order from the Reiden legal team." He let out a humorless huff of laughter. "They are good at what they do." Two months ago Jamie would have jumped for joy that someone else was onboard with her crusade against Reiden. They had gotten away with it for so long, and for so long Jamie had carried the torch alone. Now she was just tired.
Discussion turned then to their next course of action. They couldn't talk to the press, and there was no way any of them would even see a fair trial if they turned themselves in. That left one option.
"The only people that can help us now are in this room," Jackson declared.
"Hey guys," Abe unmuted the television as reports of the bird attacks came flooding in. Mitch moved past her to the stairs, but Jamie couldn't tear her eyes from the screen.
"It's getting bigger," she said. "The animals are getting more aggressive."
From his seat by the window, Jackson came to a decision. "If it keeps progressing like this, it won't matter what we decide to do. Because by then it'll be too late." He looked up with a determination Jamie hadn't seen in him before. "We have to do something now."
"Fine, I agree," Abe said. "But what?"
"I don't know," Jackson stood up and began pacing. "We need to get out ahead of this thing. We need to finish the map and figure out where we can find an animal that hasn't been affected by Reiden."
"That will take time," Jamie shook her head. "We don't have that right now."
"We need to get somewhere safe," Chloe agreed.
"I know," Jackson stopped by the stairs and turned. "I'm open to suggestions."
Before any of them could say anything, Mitch came barreling down the stairs. "Jackson, do you remember when you showed me all those pictures of the walls at your dad's compound?"
Jamie recognized a Morgan epiphany when she saw one, and so did Jackson. "Yeah, of course."
Mitch came to rest in the middle of the living room as he turned to face the group. His hands were moving erratically as his brain worked faster than the rest of him could keep up with. "There was one picture in particular that had a list of traits - Felidae, Carnivora, all the big cat taxonomies. Specifically, leopards."
"I remember," Abe's words were more of a question, one they were all thinking. What did it mean?
"There has to be a reason for that," Mitch answered. He turned to Jackson, "What if your dad was searching for a cure, too? What if that's our needle?"
"Leopards?" Chloe asked, but Jamie was already on the move. A laptop was open on the kitchen table - probably Audra's - and Jamie sat down to search the web.
Mitch was still on his revelatory rant. "Have we ruled it out yet?"
Jamie typed fast, clicking on the Wikipedia link when it popped up. "Okay, leopards are found in India, the Arabian Peninsula, the Himalayan foothills, sub-Saharan Africa…"
The others gathered around the table as Jackson pulled out their map. Abe was frowning as he leaned against the hardwood. "But we've ruled out most of those areas already," he pointed out.
Jackson unfolded the large paper and found the African continent. There were hundreds of circles all over the area signifying places where Reiden had been, but there were still some open spots left. "Yeah, but there are some areas in Africa where there's no reported Reiden activity."
Jamie was already typing again, looking for reports of leopard attacks in Africa. "Okay...last year, six people were killed in a small village near the Zambezi River. Zambia, Africa. 13 injured."
Jackson looked up from the map. "Zambia, nothing."
Jamie felt a swell of hope, but Mitch was ever the scientist. "Double check the ledger," he directed. "Make sure you didn't miss anything."
Chloe grabbed Leo Butler's ledger from Jamie's bag. "Double checking."
Jamie clicked on another report. "Six months ago, five separate leopard attacks in villages along a 20 mile stretch of the Luangwa Valley." On a whim, she searched one more time, unable to stop the smile that stretched her face as she read her findings. "And, Zambia's largest agricultural company is owned by one of Reiden's biggest critics."
Abe pushed away from the table. "That might explain why Reiden products aren't being used there."
"And?" Jackson looked at Chloe, who was flipping through the ledger.
"There's nothing," she shook her head after a few moments. "No mention of Zambia anywhere."
They all let out relieved chuckles. Finally something was going right.
"I think we just found our needle," Mitch said. They all sat in silent celebration for a moment, soaking in their first real victory in what seemed like forever.
It was Abe who finally stated the obvious. "We cannot stay here much longer."
"Agreed," Jackson folded the map and handed it to Chloe. She tucked it in the ledger and slipped it back into Jamie's bag. "Alright, Mitch go get Audra and Clem. They need to get on the road to Maine as soon as possible."
"What about us?" Chloe asked.
"We need to get to Zambia."
"There's no way we can fly out of Boston Logan," Jamie pointed out. "Not with my picture plastered all over the news."
"So we drive south," Mitch said. "We get as far from Boston as we can and figure it out."
"We can fly into Lusaka," Abe said. "We just need to find an airport that Jamie can get through."
"So let's go." Jamie grabbed her bag and made a beeline for the door with the others as Mitch got Audra and Clem loaded into their car. Jackson started the car as Abe jumped into the passenger seat. Jamie scooted to the middle seat as Mitch squeezed into the back with her and Chloe, and Jackson took off down the residential street.
"Okay, now we just need to get out of the city without getting stopped by any police," Jackson said.
"I knew this would come in handy," Abe reached into his bag and pulled out a small police radio scanner.
"When did you buy that?" Chloe asked.
"When I got the phones," Abe answered. He flipped through the frequencies, stopping when he heard chatter.
"Five suspects in the house, two women and three men." It crackled for a moment, then came back in. "...we may have innocents. A mother and a little girl, so be careful."
"Guys," Jamie swallowed thickly, "I think they're talking about us."
"Looks like we got out of there just in time," Chloe said, slouching a little in her seat at two cop cars zipped past them. Jamie turned her head and watched as they turned into Audra's neighborhood.
"Jesus," she breathed. She knew being the subject of a manhunt would be dangerous, but that had been a little too close. She felt Mitch take her hand, squeezing it tightly as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat.
"I don't want to be a buzzkill," Mitch said once they were out on a main road, "but it's about 7,000 miles to Zambia. It's gonna take more than a police scanner and dirt roads to get us there."
"You're right," Abe turned his head to address the scientist. "Don't be a buzzkill. One thing at a time."
From outside, an awful noise like a broken alarm pierced the air. Chloe rolled down her window and leaned out.
"What is that?" Jamie raised her head and winced as the noise grew louder.
"We've been hearing it all day," Mitch said. "Different species of birds all making the exact same noise." Chloe rolled up the window as a murder of crows coalesced above their heads.
Abe turned around in his seat enough so he could see Jamie and Chloe. "Mitch thinks the birds are developing a common tongue."
Chloe looked over at Mitch. "You think the eagles can talk to the finches -"
"- can talk to the skua, can talk to the black-headed grosbeak," Mitch finished. "There are maybe 300 billion birds in the world. Imagine if they could all talk to each other."
The implications were huge, and Jamie's head swam with this new information. "If that's true, they could send a message around the world and back." And, she thought, if they managed to extend that communication to other species, there was no telling how devastating that could be.
From the look on Mitch's face, Jamie guessed that had already crossed his mind. "Let's just figure out a way to get to Zambia. Quick."
"Amen," Jamie murmured.
"Hey," he brushed her wrist with his thumb, "you alright?"
"Just tired," she admitted. Truthfully, she was a hair's breadth away from losing it, but she managed to send him a convincing enough smile that he took her words at face value.
"Then get some rest," he offered. "Come here." He let her hand go and raised his arm as he angled his body against the door to give her room. She leaned against him gratefully, laying her ear against his chest as his arm settled around her. She vaguely heard him conversing quietly with Chloe and even heard her name, but she was too tired to pay attention. The steady rise and fall of Mitch's chest as he breathed combined with the heat from his body to send her into a restful sleep.