ZERO (Complete)

Chapter Forty-Five

Cassie stared at her phone reading Mr. Camo's response:

'It is indeed very sad news and I hope it isn't true. If it is true, and you have something they both died trying to protect, then you are not safe. Find somewhere you can hide where no one will find you. Keep this phone on you and I will message you again very soon. Until then, trust no one.'

That message was now two days old.

Cassie knew plenty of men all over the city that no one would ever connect her to. Staying with one of them, she laid low in a quiet part of town.

Holding Dane's phone, she contemplated texting Mr. Camo again. That's when another message came in.

'I'm at a park across the street. I'm by the pond feeding the ducks.'

Cassie put on her shoes and hat, and left the house. She felt nervous about being outside because there were cameras everywhere. If someone was looking for her, the cameras would surely notify them of her whereabouts. Nevertheless, she had no other options.

The park was empty except for a lone man sitting in a wheelchair by himself near the pond. Cassie approached with caution, being sure to look all around for any traps. She had no reason to be suspicious of Mr. Camouflage, but after what she had gone through, she had a heightened state of paranoia.

"Mr. Camouflage?" she said, walking up behind him.

Mr. Camouflage turned around and smiled at her. "Thank you for meeting me. I know you got dragged into this mess and have paid a pretty hefty price. For that, I am truly sorry. We can offer you protection if you would like."

"I should be okay on my own for now... but thanks."

"Very well then. The offer still stands should you change your mind."

"Thank you."

"You mentioned you have something that would be of interest to me?" Mr. Camo asked.

Cassie looked around one last time before pulling a vial of blood out of her pocket and handing it to Mr. Camo.

Studying the red liquid for a moment, he looked puzzled. "Blood?" he asked. "Whose blood is this?"

"Not sure. But it was obviously important enough to kill for," she said.

Mr. Camouflage did not ask any further questions before slipping the vial in his pocket.

"You did good, Cassie. Thank you."

Cassie didn't take solace in the compliment. Although she was happy to help, her life had fallen apart and she had dealt with some major trauma. Picking up the pieces wouldn't be easy.

As for Mr. Camouflage, he knew exactly what to do with the blood. He remembered what Ethan had told him about using DNA to store information. He assumed it would reveal some hidden message, or at the very least, would reveal the person's identity. That would be a lead they could follow up with and see where it takes them.

Reconvening with the others, Mr. Camouflage and some of the other more technical people crowded around a tiny workstation.

With their makeshift lab, the crew was quick to get to work. Arlon was a technical wizard, the Professor was a genius physicist and inventor, Mr. Camo was an expert software engineer. They were looking for any special genetic markers that they could cross-reference with the global database in hopes of finding a match.

The others sat around the old apartment in a rundown neighbourhood, thinking of ways they could be of use. They were bored and getting a bit restless. Mauricio was stretched out on the floor, complaining that he was hungry. Lauren was complaining that it was too hot. Cheryl and Lynn were saying they were sore. Everyone was being a bit moody and anxious.