Dead Drop - Stolen Secrets

CHAPTER FOUR

Cooper clicked through hundreds of files built around the keywords he continued to add his program. The data had been easier to sift through when he pulled information based on twenty-five keywords instead of a hundred and twenty-five. He scanned each file, closed it then opened one after the other. Sweat dripped from his forehead, not so much from the heat but from his mounting anxiety.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He wasn't alone. "Jesus, Alex! You need to stop sneaking around. Give me some kind of warning."

Alex stood less than an arm's length away. Her red eyes reflected the light from the computer, the main source of light in the computer compartment. "I'm in the bunker most of the time. Where else did you think I was?"

Because of her sensitivity to light, Cooper knew the bunker would be the ideal place for her to live and work. He set up her quarters in the bunker's small medical bay where she spent the majority of her time trying to find a way to stop the progression of the virus. In exchange, she agreed to attend to any medical needs and lend a hand as needed with anything else she could.

"Sorry. I'm just getting overwhelmed by all this data. And then there's the fact that I don't want to believe what I'm reading. Maybe we need to put a bell on you. Just kidding." He held his hands in front of his chest and feigned submission.

Alex didn't react to his last comment. Did he offend her? He couldn't tell.

"You need to focus," she said. "For each keyword, form a hypothesis. In other words, start your search for something you know is true or think is true. Use the data to prove it or disprove it. Don't get emotionally involved."

She leaned close to Cooper and tapped the screen with her index finger. He felt the heat from her body even though she wasn't touching him.

"This is where the pandemic started." She pointed to a file named Rapture.

Cooper opened the file. Inside that file were more files. He moved the cursor.

"That one." Alex tapped on the screen.

He clicked on the file and opened the first couple of documents inside. "I have no idea what I'm reading."

Alex touched his hand. He let go of the mouse, watched as she moved her finger along the screen as she read. She took the mouse, scrolled down to the next page.

"What--"

"Hush!" She cut him off before he could say anything else.

She read to the end of the document. "You know what this means?"

"How am I supposed to know what it means? I couldn't understand what little I did read."

"I want a copy of the entire Rapture file." She clicked through a few other documents.

"Sure, but what'd you find?"

She looked up from the document, brought her face close to his. "I think we made Rapture."

"I was starting to have my suspicions."

"From what I just read, the virus was bio-engineered in the U.S."

He copied the Rapture file onto a flash drive. "This should keep you busy for a while. I'm going up to check on Hayley before I get stuck here all day." He paused after he recognized the sound of Hayley's footsteps. "Speak of the devil."

Hayley wore her hair in a high ponytail. A wet bandana circled her neck. The computer's glare illuminated the tiny beads of sweat that lined her upper lip. She placed two stainless steel water bottles, four protein bars and some dehydrated fruit near the computer. "I thought you might want something to eat. You've been down here for hours."

Cooper reached for a water bottle and a protein bar and left the rest for Alex.

"Thank you. I wasn't hungry until I smelled the food." Alex ate the first protein bar in three large bites. "If you two will excuse me, I'm dying to go through these files to see what else I can learn." She tucked the water bottle under her left arm, grabbed the remaining food with her right hand.

"I should've come down here earlier. The house is a sauna. Why are you all sweaty? It's much cooler down here."

"I've been getting a brain workout."

"Don't hurt yourself, Dad." She gave his shoulder a quick shove. "When's everybody else coming back? All Okami wants to do is sleep. Katrina's been drawing plans for a garden all morning. I'm bored."

"You should never say that around me. I'll put you to work." Cooper winked at her. But he was serious.

"I'm not that bored."

"They should be back at any moment." As if on cue, Kevin's voice on the radio signaled the group's arrival back at the house.

When Cooper and Hayley emerged from the bunker, he saw Jake and Julie first. They were leaning against the kitchen cabinets, their faces flushed from the heat. Michele's head was bent over the sink. She worked the small amount of water left in her hydration pack through her shoulder length hair.

Okami pounced on Kevin who was spread eagle on the floor. The puppy snaked his long tongue into his open mouth. Hayley pointed at Kevin with one hand and threw the other over her mouth to contain a fit of giggles. Kevin got up and pulled the neck of his sweaty t-shirt up to wipe the slobber from his mouth and beard.

"So how'd the supply run go?" Cooper asked.

"We have some questions for you." Kevin said.

Julie stepped over to Cooper. "Ricky, you have some 'splaining to do."

Everyone turned to look at her.

"Seriously? I was just trying to lighten the mood. Didn't any of you people ever watch I Love Lucy?"

"What happened?" Cooper asked.

"Nothing happened. We brought back supplies from one of the houses. Some furniture. A few solar panels. Food. It was hot as hell so we'll need to go out again to get the supplies from the rest of the houses."

"Was there a problem?"

"We're not sure. Do you think a shit load of dead infected and some dead cyborgs are a problem?"

"You found more dead soldiers?"

"I wouldn't say that," Jake said. "We found parts of at least a couple of dead soldiers. Looks like they sent out a three or four man recon team to make sure you were dead."

"And they got a big surprise," Kevin interrupted him before he could finish. "Why didn't you tell us about your dead cyborg and his nifty suit?"

"I wasn't hiding anything from you, if that's what you mean. If you haven't noticed, I've been busy. It just hadn't come up in conversation yet. You probably know just as much as I do about the soldiers now."

"I doubt that." Kevin was frowning.

"Look. This hasn't been easy for any of us. I wanted to make sure we were all settled in and prepared for anything else that might happen. All I had was conjecture. But I'm finally getting a clearer picture of what happened. I wanted to be sure before I said anything. Give me a few more hours in the bunker. I'll have Alex join us after dinner. We'll go over everything we know so far."