“What are you seeing, Dr. Burke?” Carter asked.

“These people were exposed to the same designer pathogen as the hostages at GoBox. This was a botched experiment. They probably wanted to test the virus on a few members of the camp and somehow it spread to them all.”

“Do you see a connection between our case and this?” Nic asked. “It was obviously the same big bastard involved.”

Burke thought for a moment. “My guess would be that the GoBox incident was meant to be a smoke screen. Maybe Yoshida was in charge of both projects and when one went South, he knew that the CIA or whoever he actually answers to would make him pay for the screw-up. So he decides to make it look like the incident was the result of terrorists, the same ones who attacked GoBox, and then he told them how to steal the battery so that they could come out the other side of this with their tracks covered and swimming in money.”

“But he would need a fall guy,” Carter said. “Someone to take the blame.”

“Probably the redhead from the robbery and our big friend. I bet the redhead was someone who worked for him and still does. But once he has the battery, he’ll pin it off on one rogue researcher and her mercenary companion. The battery tech won’t be recovered, and the Chinese will miraculously release the same technology a year from now.”

Nic shook his head. “He killed all these people to cover his ass and get rich.”

Carter shrugged. “Drug addicts and gang members kill people every day for a few dollars. At least, he’s thinking big.”

“Yeah, by betraying his country and everything he once stood for.”

Burke turned back to Isabel. “How did you become part of this?”

“A crime boss called Mobius told me that he’d help me get what I want.”

“And what do you want?”

“Kruger’s head mounted on the wall of my apartment.”

“Looks like that deal has changed.”

“Yeah, Christopher was going to kill me. I thought he was … Mobius and Kruger must have kissed and made up.”

“Would Mobius be interested in the battery?” Burke asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t really know. He has his hands in all kinds of established businesses, legal and illegal. I believe his comment was everyone from ‘Saudi princes to American telecom magnates’ were in his pocket.”

Burke’s forehead wrinkled up, and he twirled his hair. But he didn’t say anything.

Nic decided it was time to address the elephant in the room. He placed a hand on Carter’s shoulder and said, “With Verbeek dead, what’s our next move to track down Kruger before he turns over the battery and disappears?”

Carter didn’t answer. He just looked over at the dead man with a defeated look in his eyes.

“Before we get too depressed, let me find his computer,” Burke said. “I have a few ideas.”

“I thought Allanon was the wizard,” Nic said.