Polar Quest

46

Dominique Martineau stripped off her Chemturion space suit and returned to the outer corridor, where Lafitte and Duroc stood waiting.

‘One of the sample capsules is gone,’ she announced.

‘Damn it, Summer!’ Lafitte cursed. ‘How could your men have let this happen?’

‘The man was captured as he left the Level Four suite,’ Duroc replied calmly. ‘He had no contact with his accomplice. He was searched and my men found nothing. He must have hidden the capsule inside his body.’

‘But how could he know the probe was here?’ Lafitte demanded.

‘I believe this is the same man I encountered in Antarctica. His name is Nolan Kilkenny.’

‘Kilkenny,’ Lafitte repeated. ‘I know this name. There is a Kilkenny who is now in charge of UGene.’

‘He also works for MARC, which was a partner with NASA on LV Station. Kilkenny is a veteran of navy special forces, and I have information that places him in Antarctica during our raid.’

‘How could he have known?’

‘He couldn’t have,’ Duroc said confidently. ‘In missions, things rarely ever go as planned; there are simply too many variables. Kilkenny was in the right place at the wrong time. What I don’t know is how he managed to track the probe here. There may be some kind of transmitter on board.’

‘Now he knows we have the probe,’ Lafitte said bitterly. ‘Dominique, process the remaining capsules and prepare everything from the probe for disposal. Sumner, I want you to retrieve that capsule from Kilkenny immediately.’

‘Do you want me to kill him?’ Duroc asked.

‘No, his death now would attract even more attention. For the moment, we only need to relieve him of the capsule. Also, do not report the intrusion into the building to the police. We will act as if nothing has happened, which will weaken Kilkenny’s credibility.’

‘I understand. The men will be informed that this was a security test.’

Martineau wiped the perspiration off her face with her sleeve, then looked at the damp green cloth. ‘Has anyone other than me been in the staging area or Level Four since the break-in?’

‘No,’ Duroc replied. ‘Kilkenny was taken in the Level Two corridor. My men did not go any further than that.’

‘Gentlemen, Kilkenny may have taken something valuable from us, but I believe he’s left something equally valuable behind.’