Running Dark

16

EMMA RETURNED HER CAR TO THE RENTAL OFFICE AT PIETERMARITZBURG airport and hopped a shuttle to the terminal. Her phone started rattling. To her relief, the caller ID showed that it was Banner.

“Ms. Caldridge, Banner here. How can I help?”

Emma felt herself relax. At that moment this was one of the only men she trusted. He sounded tired, his voice scratchy.

“What time is it there? You sound exhausted,” Emma said. She heard him sigh over the line.

“I got called out of bed for an emergency and just got back here. I’ve been sleeping since then.”

Emma hated the word “emergency.” Especially when Banner used it. Darkview’s emergencies were always dangerous and volatile. She didn’t bother asking him about it. Darkview handled classified matters on a regular basis. He’d never tell her about it unless it was absolutely necessary.

“I’m afraid I’m being targeted,” she told him.

“In what way? I heard about the bomb at the marathon.”

“It’s that, but there’s something else. I’ve been hit with some sort of medication.” Emma described getting stabbed with the EpiPen at the bombing. “I tested my blood later. I was floating in dopamine and epinephrine, which you probably know as adrenaline.”

“What are the effects of these chemicals?”

“They can trigger a fight-or-flight response, but at the levels I saw, any reaction is possible, even heart attack or death. In my case it increased my anxiety levels tremendously, and…” Emma trailed off.

“And?”

She took a deep breath. “And it made me want to run.”

Banner was silent a moment. “I don’t want to appear facetious, but you were competing in an ultra at the time. Most people would say that wanting to run is normal for you.” His voice held a friendly, amused tone.

Emma smiled to herself. “I guess that’s true, but trust me when I say that this was strange, not normal. And my endurance increased a hundredfold.”

“I do trust you. You tell me: Are there any drugs out there that can trigger dopamine responses and increase one’s endurance? The only thing I know about is from a layman’s perspective, and that would be steroids.”

Emma paused. “Steroids can enhance physical performance, but they take a long time to work. There are several drugs that affect dopamine. Dopamine agonists, used for people with Parkinson’s, will sometimes trigger addictive behaviors, but even those drugs wouldn’t flood one’s system indiscriminately at the saturation point that I’m experiencing.” The shuttle bus reached the terminal. Emma grabbed her duffel and stepped out, heading to the departure area. To her surprise, she saw Stark standing there. He held a BlackBerry in one hand while pulling a roller bag behind him. He glanced up and locked eyes with Emma. She nodded and started toward him, talking all the while.

“I wanted to tell you right away.” She paused. Since her experience in Colombia, she’d not been in touch with either Banner or Cameron Sumner, the man who’d helped her through the mess. Now she wanted to contact Sumner, but only Banner knew where he’d been whisked off to after their arrival in the States. “Can you tell me anything about Sumner? I’d like to know that he’s okay.” There was a pause.

“He’s in the Indian Ocean. On a cruise ship that was headed to the Seychelles. It got waylaid by pirates, and now he’s somewhere off the coast of Somalia.”

“Somalia!” Emma couldn’t believe her ears. She stopped walking; all thoughts of Stark flew out of her head. “Oh, God, tell me he isn’t a hostage again.”

“No. But there is a situation that I wanted to speak with you about. The U.S. thinks the ship is carrying vaccines and pharmaceuticals that have been tainted with ricin and some other, unidentified chemical. They don’t want to alert anyone to the importance of the cargo by mobilizing a large force to take the ship back. It’s moved into Somali territorial waters, which creates a unique situation.”

“So let me guess,” she said. “They want Darkview to infiltrate the ship covertly.”

She heard Banner blow out a breath. “Something like that.”

“I’m going,” Emma said. “You said the vials possibly contain ricin and some other substance. Who better than a chemist to figure this out?”

Banner sighed. “I agree with you, and your name came up, but I’m afraid Major Stromeyer does not. She is, in fact, in vehement disagreement with me. She said it would be taking unfair advantage of you in light of your recent traumatic experience. And that is a compelling point for your not going.”

“Tell her not to worry. Do you have a contact for me? Where should I go? Mogadishu?”

“Absolutely not. Insurgents just closed the airport. They’re using mortar shells to attack any plane that lands. Can you get yourself closer to Somalia?”

Emma glanced up to see Stark headed her way. He would be at her side in the next few seconds. She needed to end the call. Watching him, though, gave her an idea. “How about Nairobi?”

“That would be perfect, actually. Send me a text message when you land, but keep it brief. My cell phone is tapped, as are Darkview’s phones. This line is secure for the moment, but I’ll be changing phones on a regular basis. Dump yours after you’re done. I’ll have a contact meet you there to transport you to Berbera, a small port town at the tip of Somalia, where another contact will take over.”

Stark was upon her.

“I’m off. I’ll be in touch.” Emma hung up just as Stark stopped in front of her.

“Hello, where are you going?” he said. His attitude was stiff, but he seemed less angry than the last time she’d seen him, which she took as a positive sign.

“Turns out I’m headed to Nairobi also.” Emma waved her cell phone at him with a smile. “Just got my marching orders.”

Stark raised an eyebrow. Emma thought he looked as suspicious as hell.

“Do you have a visa for Kenya?” he asked.

Emma paused. She didn’t. “Can’t I get one at the airport?”

Stark shook his head. “Maybe, maybe not.” He looked at her for a moment, as if deciding something. He nodded then, seeming to have come to some internal decision. “You’re welcome to fly on the Price jet.”

“If it’s no trouble.”

“Of course not. I had some questions for you anyway. About your report.”

Emma did her best not to grimace. The last thing she needed was an extended grilling about her report, but using the Price jet would save time, something that she assumed Cameron Sumner didn’t have.