Ocean Blue (Sea Lab Book 1)

CHAPTER 43

OCEAN BLUE HEADQUARTERS

Zanderthal's all-in-one PC monitor sat atop a credenza, razor thin and state-of-the-art. Tony slid out the keyboard and nudged the mouse. Soft light bathed his face as an Ocean Blue screen saver came to life, prompting a password. He could spend all night trying to crack the security measure without success, aside from sheer luck, but he wouldn't be relying on chance. The same hand-held computer he used to power down the motion detectors would now get him through the password security screen.

For this task, the decryption device needed to be linked to Zanderthal's computer, so Tony attached a cable and plugged the other end into a USB port. He watched in amazement as the gadget Cat gave him deciphered the password. Each digit displayed an asterisk, not revealing the actual combination or word, but it opened to the start-up window, regardless.

The icon representing the corporation's primary network was at the top left-hand corner of the screen. Tony clicked on the Ocean Blue insignia and the program opened. He frowned at another password prompt. Again, he used the hand-held device to crack an eight-digit code. This time, the wait passed slowly, but finally, he gained access.

Tony checked his watch. The timer dipped below five minutes, compelling him to move faster.

He performed a system inspection for anything suspicious, but everything seemed legitimate on the surface. There was a list of research vessels and their locations, charities supported around the world, and a venture to study marine life in the darkest depths of the sea. Then he noticed a column at the top of the window labeled Research Division. He clicked on the tab and after a brief scan, found nothing troubling. Another option would be to narrow the field using the system's search engine.

He typed in Barracuda Experiments. After several seconds, a list popped up.

Beep, beep. The stopwatch announced the two-minute warning. He skimmed over the results of the search, locking his eyes on the last one. Code Blue Trials.

Tony clicked on it with the mouse.

He encountered another password that took an entire minute to solve, but the result was a bounty of files on Parkinson's disease and barracuda research. Tony opened a file and browsed the content. After a moment of reading, he realized the importance of the information. It was Zanderthal's personal journal notes. It read:

... inject human growth hormone into the pituitary gland of the great barracuda... then extract the serum for lab testing... the results are phenomenal... I've discovered much more than a cure...

Tony plugged a memory stick into another USB port on Zanderthal's all-in-one PC and started a download of everything relating to the Code Blue Trials.

He peeked at his watch. Less than thirty seconds remained before the motion sensors came back on-line.

The progress bar at the bottom of the screen sputtered along at the three-quarter mark. The download continued at a slow pace, almost complete when the stopwatch blurted its final alarm.

A red light appeared on the motion sensors in each corner of the room. "Can't catch Santa with his pants down." Tony tutted his tongue against the roof of his mouth as the computer finished the transaction.

He crammed the memory stick into a pocket in his jumpsuit and bolted for the hole in the window. Agonizing seconds ticked by as he reattached the cable to the harness around his waist. On the other side of the mahogany door, footfalls rumbled, charging toward him. Guards shouted orders as they chambered rounds into their weapons.

Tony slipped through the opening as men burst into the room and leveled gun barrels at him.

He released the winch at full speed—and plummeted—as a barrage of automatic spats splintered the window above him.

Tony plunged down the side of the twenty story building, the velocity restricting his lungs, forcing a pulsating lump to rise in his throat. As he neared the ground, the gunfire from above almost made him forget to halt his descent before he splattered on the pavement. Near the second floor, Tony jabbed the stop button. Again and again.

The winch didn't respond. He had dropped way too fast, causing the motor to release him into a free fall.

His life was about to end in a bone crushing smash, but the cable snapped tight and his downward momentum thrashed to a stop. He dangled six feet above the ground, joints exploding in pain from the whiplash to his body. His limbs grew numb for a few seconds and he wondered if he'd severed his spinal cord. But he soon learned that wasn't the case as the pain returned with a vengeance and radiated throughout his body.

He tried to unlatch the cable from the harness, but had no success with its vise-like hold around his waist.

The line slipped an inch, then it discharged his weight altogether. His backside smacked the pavement, jolting his tail-bone. He had no time to react or feel sorry for himself with the fifty-pound winch tumbling toward him.

Tony sprinted for the Ocean Blue parking lot and didn't stop to unhook himself from the steel cable until the hefty object struck the sidewalk with a thunderous impact.

Free, he vanished into the night as shouts from Zanderthal's security force erupted behind him. A quarter of a mile away, Tony smoothed a hand over his pant's pocket for assurance, feeling the flash drive with the Ocean Blue files. Then he slipped into the backseat of a taxi Cat had waiting. He only hoped she'd paid the fare.