“Wow. Lucky bastards. I don’t think I’ve had a day off since I enlisted.”
They cleared the hall to the next door.
Reese stepped up again. He did his thing, and the door opened.
Unlike the first hall, death marked the dividing corridor separating the work stations of level two. Guards and lower-level employees had made a frantic path toward the exit only to fall in midrun wearing panicked expressions.
“Shit.” Rice froze next to the door. The fear in her eyes broke through shadows of the face mask. “What the hell happened?”
Good question.
“Whatever it was took these people down before they could even reach the foyer door,” said Dr. Campbell.
“Talk to me, Dr. Dante.” Harrington’s voice played in Reese’s ear.
Reese stopped by two bodies side by side. “Well, there are no notable external injuries, so I think it’s safe to say the betas didn’t do this.” And he didn’t know whether to be relieved or even more concerned.
Campbell tapped Reese on the shoulder and pointed to the ceiling. “What type of fire suppressors are used here?”
“CO2, unless they changed it within the last three years.”
“These people fell midrun.” Jones nudged one of the bodies with his boot. “Carbon dioxide doesn’t kill this fast.”
He was right.
“What if they didn’t know it was released?” Dr. Rice stopped beside Reese.
“Fire system would have fire alarms,” one of Jones’s other operators said.
“Unless it’s bypassed.” Campbell stared down at the man at his feet.
Rice waved a hand, indicating the second floor. “If the CO2 were released into the rooms, especially if it started off slow, by the time they realized what was happening, they’d be disoriented, and any attempt at physical exertion would cause them to pass out.”
It was a good theory. Reese knelt beside a blonde woman. Rigor prevented him from turning her head or moving limbs.
“Campbell, Rice, can you, you know, help me roll her over?”
Both of them grimaced but did as asked.
Red splotches marred the sclera of the dead woman’s eyes. Purple and yellow discolored the skin on the side of her face. Her mouth had stretched out, her lips parted, revealing teeth, and the weight of her body left her with a flattened nose. But the birthmark above her left eye erased any doubt as to the woman’s identity. Tellar.
“Fuck.”
Jones eclipsed the glow from the emergency lights. The beam of his flashlight brought the muted hues of death into full technicolor.
“Pretty sure she suffocated.” Reese’s suit crackled as he pushed himself to his feet. The hood tipped momentarily blocking his sight. “Which means Dr. Rice is probably right.”
“Hooray, mystery solved.” Jones stepped over the body and took the lead again. “C’mon, let’s get this done.”
The soldiers flanking Reese and the other two scientists swept the area several yards ahead, sliding along the floor to ceiling glass walls. At least nothing could sneak up on them, but at the same time, nothing censored the extent of death.
Reese stopped counting at thirty bodies. Thirty innocent people. Thirty families destroyed. Dread tugged at Reese’s legs and sloshed in his veins. The room swam. His lips tingled.
“Dr. Dante?” Dr. Rice held Reese’s elbow. “Are you all right?”
The worst of the spinning faded. “Yeah, I think so.” Reese slowed his breathing. “Yeah, yeah. I’m okay.”
“Level three access is up ahead.” Jones tipped the barrel of his rifle, indicating the door at the end of the hall. To Reese he said, “Other than the two access points is there any other way onto level two?”