*****
The plane landed fifty miles from the Utah facility at a private airport. Reese barely had a foot off the boarding stairs when he was ushered into a shiny SUV.
Nothing had changed about the drive to the twenty thousand acres of privately owned land. The desolation, the endless stretch of rock, and scraggly vegetation lucky enough to find a piece of parched ground soft enough to put down roots. While the landscape never had anything to offer, the same couldn’t be said for the sunrises. Light painted the world in shades of indigo, violet, and red. Color so pure, undiluted by pollution, Reese’s chest tightened as if some part of his primal mind feared never seeing such perfection ever again.
It was almost enough to make Reese forget why he was there.
The Utah facility sprouted up from the hills in the distance. An almost half a million windowless square feet, built from native rock and divided into five main levels descending four-hundred meters into a small mountain. There was enough of the building exposed to make the ventilation system and parking garage accessible.
An elevated helipad was the highest part of the structure.
A mile from the edge of the property, and fifty miles from the nearest town, a small subdivision and apartment complex where personnel was stationed with their families.
Free housing was one of several perks when working for New World Genetics. They gave their employees everything from the best medical care to college scholarships for their kids to a retirement package fat enough to make a bank executive jealous.
A reward for their loyalty.
New World Genetics understood there were few things better invested in.
When Reese had taken a research position at the Utah lab, he hadn’t seen it like that. Just a good paying job to keep him comfortable for the rest of his life, and the opportunity to rid the world of terminal diseases.
A twinge played behind his breastbone and he rubbed it.
The SUV rounded a small curve passing a modest sign with a stylized logo encompassing the letter N, a circle for a globe, and a chromosome in the process of dividing creating an X-shape.
The same logo adorned the guard house at the security checkpoint.
Tanks blocked off the gate, and a line of soldiers in full combat gear filled the gaps between the vehicles. A few moved out of the way, and the SUV took the small rise to the building and parked inside the ground level garage beside several other military-style vehicles.
Reese got out behind Harrington and Phillips.
People sat at folding tables, drinking coffee and picking through various boxes of quick breakfast items. A small crowd of uniformed army men stood around a coffee maker. There were no outlets in this area of the garage, so an extension cord wound its way to the outside where a massive generator hummed.
Reese counted at least a half-dozen in environmental jumpsuits walking into the garage and another dozen armed men milling around with equipment. A decontamination tent had been attached to the lab entrance, but there was no sign of movement in or out.
Colonel Harrington flagged down a baby-faced guy in fatigues. He tilted his head close to the man’s ear. The soldier looked at Reese then dropped his gaze. He nodded, and Colonel Harrington joined Reese who stood next to Phillips.
“They’ve got the computers rebooted.” Then why didn’t Harrington look pleased?
“Let me guess, no cameras.” Reese hoped he was wrong.
Harrington frowned. “Only level one and three, the rest are still blind.”
Phillips’s cell phone rang. “Excuse me, I need to take this.” She headed toward the garage opening. Soldiers moved, giving her a wide berth.
Reese raised his eyebrows. “They act like they’re afraid of her.”
Harrington nodded. “With good reason.”
“I guess those reasons are also out of my pay grade?” Reese laughed a little.
So did Harrington. “Afraid so.”
“Figures.”
“Don’t feel bad. They’re out of mine as well.”
A woman in fatigues called to Colonel Harrington. “Those are my techs. Hopefully, they’ve found a way around the biometric locks. Otherwise, we’ll have to blow a hole in the building.”