Zero Sum by Jan Thompson

Author:Jan Thompson [Thompson, Jan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781944188405
Publisher: Georgia Press LLC
Published: 2018-06-20T22:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Four

Their bicycles took them five miles across hiking trails farther into the forested private property. Then they had to walk their bikes along a stream, being careful not to lose their packs of damaged drones strapped to their bikes and in their backpacks.

The stream was clear and cool and looked perfectly fine to drink from, but Tyrone had advised both Cayson and Stella not to.

They were downstream, he said. And there were many deer upstream from here. They got the picture.

Cayson drank filtered and boiled water from his water bottle. And so did Stella.

Her arm muscles were in pain and giving her fits, and the most powerful painkiller they had at the community was Tylenol. Halfway through this forest, Cayson had offered to carry her backpack on top of his own.

Cayson had not dared to suggest that Stella stay back and miss all this fun.

She probably didn’t know who Old MacDonald was, but once she saw him, she would know.

And Project Pericarp would be clearer to all.

Also clearer would be who Ulysses was to the FBI and other government entities who would love to get their hands on his brain.

It was too bad that Aspasia had disappeared again after that meeting with Cayson at the data storage convention.

Cayson was confident that the woman who activated his implants was Aspasia. Elusive. Evil. And madly in love with Ulysses.

They took a five-minute break on a clearing.

Slap!

“Aarrgghh!” Stella growled as she slapped her thigh and scratched.

There were red welts all over her calves above her socks and boots.

“You’re sweet, that’s why.” Cayson laughed. “Those southern mosquitoes love you.”

“Remind me why I shouldn’t move to Georgia,” Stella said, wincing and massaging her arm around her stitches. “How much longer do we have?”

Cayson didn’t know. They turned to Tyrone, who seemed to refuse to answer them.

“You don’t have to tell us.” Cayson waved at him. “If there were a zip line, we’d get to him in no time, right?”

They resumed their trek as the late afternoon sun peeked in every now and then when there was a break in the forest canopy.

Here in the forest, Cayson felt cut off from the outside world. He wondered about new developments at VenomLabs.

Are they going to fire someone for the breach of security?

Who is Mole Rat?

Had VenomLabs done any direct business with Molyneux? Cayson wouldn’t put it past the contractor to be competitive against other DOD contractors.

He wouldn’t put it past VenomLabs to do something to stir up trouble so that the DOD would do massive orders of this or that.

Who knows.

Cayson prayed quietly for his cousin, Leland, that she would be okay. Whenever she had to fly to Europe for projects for the CIA or FBI, Leland was often incommunicado. Now it was his turn to be away.

All Cayson could do was pray that God would keep her safe.

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