Not a good idea. There was too much expensive and highly sensitive equipment, plus if anyone was left alive in there, they could wind up getting killed.
And if Reese was wrong and New World had added contagious biologicals, they could wind up releasing them into the air.
Two women and three men stood in front of a table covered in laptops and pages of schematics.
Harrington nodded at the group. “What have you got?”
The woman who answered had blonde hair and didn’t look a day over eighteen. “The computers are up, and they’re able to shake hands.”
“Which means?”
“The locks recognize the computers.”
“Then Dr. Dante can open the doors.”
“Yes, sir.”
“No, I can’t.” Everyone looked at Reese, and he held up both hands. “Uh, sorry, I didn’t mean to talk out of turn but…”
“What?” Harrington said.
Reese hated to tell him the bad news. “I can’t open the locks. Any key codes and biometric records were removed when I resigned.”
The blonde snickered, and so did the guy with black hair. He looked like he belonged in high school.
“And you don’t think I know that.” Harrington gave Reese a bored look. “About two years before you resigned, New World overhauled the computers.”
Reese would never forget. The entire debacle had been the biggest clusterfuck of the year and a constant source of office jokes for at least six months.
“But some engineer responsible for designing the lab apparently never thought about having to remove the servers originally installed before the divider walls were constructed on level one.”
There’d been a solution, but it had involved weeks’ worth of construction New World Genetics didn’t want to bother with. Mostly because of where their project was in its development.
“They left the old computers in place and installed the streamlined ones right in front of them.”
It hit Reese then. “They only disconnected the power but left all the ethernet cables in place. If you use the old computer to run the lab, then it will have all post twenty-twelve information on it.”
“How else do you think I found out about you? When my techs got access to the backup system and personnel files, they found your employee information.”
“So I’m basically a glorified key card.”
“Not completely. When I brought your name up to New World Genetics, they balked. I think they’re afraid of you, Dr. Dante. Especially since you had top-tier access and were part of the ground-floor research. Successful companies don’t let people like that go, except for one of two reasons. You took money out of their coffers, or you have professional differences.” He slapped Reese on the back. “And I’ve seen your bank records, so I know it wasn’t money.”
Reese made a face. No, it hadn’t been because Reese stole from them, but calling it professional differences was like calling the Grand Canyon a crack in the sidewalk.
Harrington jerked his chin in the direction of the coffee maker. “I need caffeine.”
Reese followed him. “You’re getting them awful young nowadays, aren’t you?” The quartet watched Reese and the colonel while whispering to each other.
“Makes them easier to train.”
“Yeah, but don’t you think elementary school is pushing it?”
Harrington stopped at the table.
“That was a joke, you know?” Reese rubbed the back of his neck.
Harrington took a Styrofoam cup from the stack on the corner.