Part 16 (1/2)

'h.e.l.l's teeth!' teeth!' Makenzie tossed up his arm and watched Amber fade behind the screen of snow. He could hear Martha's trot slowing as she came up beside him. Makenzie tossed up his arm and watched Amber fade behind the screen of snow. He could hear Martha's trot slowing as she came up beside him.

'Leave her go.' She could use some time to herself Martha was puffing, but Makenzie knew her pained expression had nothing to do with the run. She'd just lost the man she called a hundred different names and he had no idea how to feel for her right now. 'Christ,' she added, 'she probably would have run anyway, if I'd broken it to her gently.'

Makenzie couldn't believe what he was hearing. But then, Martha hadn't been out on that road. Martha hadn't lost Laurie.

'You don't understand, Martha.' He started for the store.

The door opened and his brother was already emerging, along with the CIA agents and that Doctor character. Two troopers went inside carrying a stretcher. 'It's dangerous. The weather, and all.'

'No, I understand.' Martha stepped up to Makenzie, ignoring the onlookers and shooting him a look that was half-appeal, half-accusation. 'It's the plainest thing I've ever seen in those eyes of yours, Makenzie Shaw. Exasperation. You're about ready to give up on us and I can't say as I blame you.

n.o.body needs this kind of headache in their life.'

'Christ, Martha.' Makenzie felt everybody's eyes on him like the cold. 'I'll go find her, fetch her hack.' He wanted to deny any sense of exasperation, feeling guilty in advance for the lie. The store door opening saved him, putting the rest of his words on hold.

His silence was joined by a collective hush as the stretcher-bearers carried their pathetic bundle from the store. Most everyone retreated as though afraid of the form covered by that plain plastic sheet. Not least of all, Makenzie, who watched Martha's eyes follow it as far as her numbed neck would allow.

Only the wind dared speak.

Parker propped himself against the doorjamb and stayed well clear while his partner marched into the room like she was storming the Bastille. She tore herself free of her coat and flung it into the nearest comer.

'Want to tell me what's got you riled, honey-pie?' honey-pie?'

She paced around the centre table, flipped the sheet back from the covered corpse. 'You mean apart from your Southern-beau terms of endearment?' Flicking hair back from her face, she took a long hard look at her subject 'That Doctor guy, that's what. He knows a lot more than he's letting on and he was playing games with us back there, I swear.'

Parker shrugged himself up from his leaning stance. 'Well, he would, darling.' He was piling on his Southern accent because he knew he had his dear partner rattled. 'He's Doctor John Smith aka the Doctor. Scientific Adviser to UNIT. I've got a profile of him on the computer - you want me to go get it?'

Melody sighed like an extinguished fire. Plenty of embers still smouldered, 'I knew it.'

'Those White Shadow boys did a good job on the lab. don't you think?'

Melody feigned patience badly while Parker pa.s.sed an eye or two around the hastily converted hotel lounge. The soldiers had culled benches and tables from other rooms and neighbouring houses; equipment had been brought in from the vehicles and left a bare minimum clear as available work surface. A pool table had been rudely pushed to the wall, and its attendant light shone down on the grisly cadaver of the deranged perp Melody had plugged. The bar lights lent their illumination a little reticently to the scene.

'Great ambience.' concluded Parker.

'Yeah, well, why don't you fetch yourself a beer and I'll conduct the post mortem as well as worry about this Doctor poking his nose in where it's not wanted.'

'It's a prominent nose. The guy probably can't help It.'

' Parker Parker.'

Parker beamed his friendliest beam and sauntered closer.

'Trust me, partner, I'm way ahead of him. The fact he's here could mean something could mean nothing. You never know, a guy like that could prove useful. Meanwhile, we just stick with our programme and watch the situation like hawks.' He slid his arms around her and stooped to kiss her forehead.

'Now, you want me to go get that profile, learn a bit more about who we're dealing with?'

'Sure, I could probably use the computer anyway, when I get into the a.n.a.lysis.' Placated, she pursed her lips thoughtfully and tilted her head way back so she could meet his gaze. 'First, you can prepare me a few slides of those alleged ice crystals while I open up this corpse.'

'You're a true romantic,' he declared unenthusiastically.

He fished in his pocket for gloves and tweezers, and he was SOON sc.r.a.ping gingerly at the barbed veins of ice still jutting up through Redeker's skin.

'Oh, come on! This project of yours has been about much more than flying aircraft through storms. Not only were you planning on generating storm fronts as cover for military flights, you're actually developing a system for directing those same storms against ground targets. Using the weather as a weapon. And you're trying to tell me you knew nothing about it?'

Morgan sucked in about as much air as he could take.

Hemmed in outside the store, he'd packed those CIA inter-lopers off to start on the autopsy, but the Doc was refusing to join them until he'd had his say.

'No, Doc, I'm telling you I don't care care about it. It's not my place to care. I'm given a job and I'm free to exercise my initiative as long as that job gets done. You might try it yourself some time.' He acknowledged the waiting troops and civilians, particularly conscious of his brother's sour expression pus.h.i.+ng its way forward. about it. It's not my place to care. I'm given a job and I'm free to exercise my initiative as long as that job gets done. You might try it yourself some time.' He acknowledged the waiting troops and civilians, particularly conscious of his brother's sour expression pus.h.i.+ng its way forward.

The Doctor cut in darkly: 'I don't appreciate being lied to, Captain.'

'And I don't appreciate being lectured, so I guess that makes us even. Give me a break, will you? Unless you have anything relevant to add, I suggest-'

'Oh but I have.' Somehow, the news came as no surprise.

Morgan braced himself. 'Find that child, Captain. Do everything you can. And organise the search parties in groups of four or five. There may be safety in numbers.'

Morgan was getting used to staring at the Doctor like he was several nuts short of a pecan pie. 'Safety in-?' He pitched his voice low. 'Are you saying who or whatever attacked Redeker - they could be here in town?'

He could see everyone around straining to catch the slightest word. The Doctor at least had the smarts to keep his voice low too. Somehow it still managed to ring just as ominously. 'My dear Captain, before we speculate on where they are. don't you think it would be a good idea to focus our attention on who or what they they might be? It's very possible that man was contaminated in some way and if it's airborne in these winds, well-' might be? It's very possible that man was contaminated in some way and if it's airborne in these winds, well-'

The Doc didn't have to finish his point and they both knew it.

Morgan pitched his voice lower still. 'Could we be talking biological warfare here?'

'Well, most warfare is biological,' the Doctor batted the question away like a philosopher swatting a nuisance fly. Not a gesture designed to appease. 'In the sense that living things tend to be involved on one level or another. But yes, we could he looking at some sort of viral agent, a biological weapon of some kind.'

Morgan steadied himself, his nerves walking a piano-wire tightrope That's quite a leap. Doc. I mean, shouldn't you be weighing all the alternatives, like a good scientist?'

The Doctor pinned him with a steady gaze. He looked like some sort of mad b.u.t.terfly collector, annoyed to find one of his more stubborn specimens still fluttering. 'Well, I don't like to be the bearer of bad tidings, but the fact is I can't think of any alternatives, and when that happens, Captain Shaw, everyone tends to be being more trouble than they deserve.'

Sudden decision seized hold of him. 'Now, if you'll excuse me me,' the Doctor batted Morgan politely on the shoulder. 'You have some search parties to organise, and I ought to make sure our two CIA visitors know what they're doing.'

'Great idea. Doc.' Morgan clapped his hands together and thanked a few unnamed G.o.ds as the Doctor made for the hotel, he didn't have any cause to be happy or relaxed about what he'd heard, but at least that was three people out of his hair now 'Okay.' he said, 'now let's please please have some order here.' have some order here.'

'Hallo!' the Doctor announced his entrance with a wave of his hat and plenty of volume. 'I was at a bit of a loose end and I was wondering if you could use an extra pair of hands and a scientific mind.'

The laboratory was a very makes.h.i.+ft affair, but that was the way the Doctor liked laboratories in general. Yes, a home from home.

Both agents looked up from their work: the young woman at the table, poised to make her first incision; and the powerfully built man slotting together some microscope slides over by the far bench. The two traded glances the Doctor couldn't quite interpret.

'You're qualified?' The woman's voice was slightly m.u.f.fled by her surgical mask.