A smile curled at Conner’s lips. He turned away from her.

“When was the last time you spoke with your brother?”

Peyton was shocked by the question. “My brother? He died in ’91.”

Peyton waited, but Conner only stared at her.

“He was a WHO employee working on an AIDS awareness campaign in Uganda. He died in a fire near Mount Elgon,” she said.

“I know how, when, and where your brother died. Now answer my question.”

Peyton stared at the monster’s badly burned face, at the scars that ran down his cheeks, over his chin, and into his shirt collar. “Did you know him? Were you there in 1991?”

Conner touched his collarbone again. “Stop.”

On the screen, Peyton saw the doctors remove their hands. But they didn’t back away. They glanced at each other, seeming to weigh their decision, then resumed the operation. Another person wearing a surgical gown marched into the scene, raised a handgun, and pointed it at the closest medical worker. All three froze.

Peyton swallowed. “I haven’t seen or talked to my brother since the Christmas of 1990, in Palo Alto.”

“That wasn’t so hard, was it? One last question. Your login and password to the CDC VPN.”

“No.”

Conner motioned to the tablet, where the medical workers were still standing at the table, waiting. Hannah’s open wound oozed blood. “How long do you think she has? Another few minutes?”

Peyton considered his request. She had the highest level of security clearance: access to situation reports from the EOC, inventory levels at the strategic stockpiles, and notes from the labs investigating new pathogens. For these bioterrorists, her login was an all-access pass to the inside of the US response to their attack. It meant real-time intel they could exploit to kill more people.

“My login is [email protected]. Password: ashaw91#io.”

Conner turned the tablet around and typed quickly.

“You know, the problem with lying about your password is that it’s easily discovered. Seriously, Peyton, I’m gonna need that password. Right now.”

She swallowed and spoke with all the force she could muster. “You know, I’m a member of the Commissioned Corps of the US Public Health Service. We take an oath—to protect the public. So did Hannah. Telling you would violate that oath. I take my oaths very seriously.”

“Dear God. Why does everyone around here have to do things the hard way?” Conner punched a few buttons on the tablet.

Seconds later, Peyton heard the hiss of gas seeping into her cell. She lost consciousness almost immediately.

Conner touched his collar. “Resume. We may need Watson for leverage. And prep an interrogation room for Shaw ASAP.”

Chapter 54

Chapter 54

In the observation room on the Kentaro Maru, Conner watched the techs administer the drugs to Peyton Shaw. The questions began soon after, and within minutes, she had revealed her CDC login. He relayed it to the team in ops.