The Darwin Protocol: A Thriller (The Last Peak Book 1) Page 3

  The construct crumbled sometimes. Whether through bad intentions or thoughtless negligence, the artifice of safety sometimes ended in injury and death.

  He glanced at the analog clock on the dash and noticed the time. Great. Theresa might be late to class. She’d already gotten a parent report about excessive tardies. He wasn’t going to be the reason she got detention.

  Mason dropped the hammer with his right foot while simultaneously releasing the brake with his left.

  The throaty V8 roared and lurched forward on oversized BF Goodrich All-Terrain 4x4 tires. Their size put all the surrounding cars on a downward line of sight. He’d seen more than a few surprising things from his high vantage point.

  The old beast resembled nothing so much as a proud lion prowling the savannah. Past its prime. Rough around the edges.

  But strong. Still big and dangerous to the herd of sleek impalas that bounded beside.

  Mason smiled as the windows rattled and the round tuning knob on the old stereo slipped and the station crackling through the single working speaker blended into static.

  Through the static, the dull voice of a professional reporter bled through in sporadic bursts.

  “Fire… threatening the San Fernando… not contained…”

  Theresa punched the volume knob and turned it off.

  “Would you mind keeping us alive at least until I get to school?”

  Mason flashed a grin and winked. “That’s my job.”

  He turned back and slammed on the brakes, skidding to a stop just out of the intersection. Max barked like crazy.

  A man dressed in rags stumbled and fell against the front bumper. He raised his head as if suddenly aware of their presence.

  Blood streamed from his eyes, down his filth-crusted cheeks. He swiped at the fluid and lurched back, teetering on the edge of staying upright. He covered his face and screamed.

  “Help me! Please, help me!”

  The words gurgled out as red spewed down his unkempt beard.

  Horns honked behind the Bronco.

  A car in the next lane roared by heading in the same direction.

  Mason looked in the rearview mirror. A shiny, white Mercedes flew into the intersection, obviously hell-bent on not getting caught at the light.

  The man stumbled into the adjacent lane.

  He never had a chance.

  Sleek, white metal slammed into fragile flesh. The man’s head whipped down onto the hood and split apart. The impact flung his body through the air, pinwheeling like a rag doll tossed by an angry child. His broken form landed in a heap. Arms and legs splayed at grotesque angles.

  And just like that, whatever dreams or delusions the man harbored ended.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Elizabeth West stood alone on the safe side of the thick plexiglass window looking into the Bili Chimpanzee exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo. It was still before opening hours and she enjoyed the relative peace and quiet before the crowds entered. She stroked her hand on the smooth, clear surface as a one-hundred-ninety-pound female swished back and forth on the other side. Low, breathy hoots of pleasure made it through the thick glass.

  She longed to run her fingers through Jane’s fur. To breathe in the musky female scent that only a vet could love, much like a farmer loved the smell of fresh fertilizer. To scratch behind her ears and giggle as the chimp tilted her head to guide Beth’s attentions.

  Their mutual affection wasn’t an unusual display. Jane loved her like a mother.

  Beth would have spent time in the habitat with her, unguarded and unarmed if she could. She trusted Jane completely. Two things prevented her from doing that.

  One was the strict regulation that no one was allowed inside the enclosure while the chimps were out. Only a major emergency could break that rule. Normally, they had to first be lured through the metal door at the back of the enclosure and into the secure holding room. Only then could a staff member enter and do maintenance or whatever was needed inside the enclosure. It was one of a few rules for the larger animals that was inviolate. Bending that one would result in her immediate termination.

  Especially considering who would make the call.

  Even that knowledge may not have been enough to keep her away. But then there was the second reason.

  Jack. A twenty-year-old Bili chimpanzee that made Jane look dainty in comparison. A fearsome beast that stood six and a half feet tall and weighed two-hundred-seventy pounds. Like a jealous boyfriend, he hated anyone that competed for Jane’s attention. His demeanor had gotten worse as more of his family had been shipped off to other zoos.

  Beth tried to convince the new management that the moves were wrong, counter-productive despite the potential good of widening the gene pool through inter-zoo exchanges. Their original troop of six was now down to Jack and Jane.

  The transfers were hard on Beth too. She felt like they were being abandoned into the world. It didn’t help that the zoos were in places like Mongolia and follow-up calls were never returned. The total lack of communication had her questioning the validity of the whole endeavor lately. Thus far, her appeals to management had fallen on deaf ears.

  The lost troop members turned the dominant male Jack into a neurotically possessive mate. A dangerous one.

  Beth couldn’t blame him. She’d feel the same way if people took her family members away. The problem was that he’d sometimes take out his frustrations on Jane.

  As much as she didn’t like him, he was important to Jane. He offered her the chance to live a more normal life. To start a family together. His introduction had been a dangerous gamble but it had paid off big time. Bigger than she could have hoped.

  Beth held her palm to the clear glass. Jane’s huge palm mirrored it from her side of the barrier. The dark palm dwarfed Beth’s. She rubbed her furry head back and forth and looked like nothing so much as a child needing a hug.

  Jane yawned and the act made clear she was no ordinary child. Huge jaws parted and her lips peeled back to show off massive canines. Teeth that could take down a leopard. Packs of Bili chimps in the wild were said to hunt lions. Their size and intelligence made them top-of-the-food-chain hunters in the forests of their home in the Congo.

  Her long tongue rolled out like it wasn’t meant to fit in her mouth.

  Beth took the opportunity to study the exposed soft tissue. Her gums were an unhealthy pale white. Her pupils were dilated, despite the bright morning light. She wasn’t doing well.

  Jane’s head turned away and froze as a deep barking filled the air. Jack. Claiming his territory. Not the ferocious scream of an ongoing fight, but the low rumbling bark warning others not to invade his turf. Promising a battle to any that didn’t heed the warning.

  Beth couldn’t see Jack, as he was in another part of the enclosure. She was grateful to have a few undisturbed moments with Jane. The female paced away from the glass and Beth watched her overripe belly sway back and forth with each step. It swung under her like a pendulum.

  This was her first pregnancy and added to that was the she was carrying two infants, a very unusual outcome for chimps. The pregnancy was taking a toll on her body. Her left foot dragged awkwardly as the later stages of pregnancy had expanded her uterus and pinched a nerve in her hip.

  Beth knew she was in discomfort. At night, Jane whimpered and whined as she shifted back and forth to find a comfortable position.

  It wasn’t a black and white decision, but after analyzing several x-rays and cat scans, Beth had decided not to operate to relieve the pressure. She was near-term and opening her up would put her and the infants at risk. Beth prayed she’d have them before any permanent damage occurred. Anti-inflammatories and close observation were the current best course of action.

  Further back in the exhibit, a patch of tall grass parted and an enormous, muscled male chimpanzee emerged. In the prime of his life, his gray fur swished regally as he walked closer. He took his time, knowing the world waited. He was at the peak of his physical strength and vi
tality. And he knew it.

  He sauntered closer and then froze as he recognized Beth at the glass with Jane just feet away. Jane lumbered away from the viewing station, but it was too late.

  Jack raised his head and a scream tore loose shattering the morning calm. The surrounding exhibits exploded in hoots and braying as baboons, lemurs, and antelope raised the alert and expressed their fear.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The hairs on the back of Beth’s neck jumped to attention. There was nothing like that sound. It was a message to every animal within reach and its message was clear.

  I will kill you. I will eat you.

  It didn’t get more primal than that.

  Humans weren’t so far removed from the web of life that the call didn’t instantly get their attention. Genetic memory warned of the multitude of ancestors that heard that roar and died soon after.

  Jack loped toward the viewing platform and stopped just short of the glass, his large, deep brown eyes never leaving Beth. His lips curled back, revealing teeth that could end her with less effort than she swatted a fly. She backed away from the glass not wanting to upset him.

  Too late.

  His jaws bit the air as he continued to display. Jane moved further away, not wanting any part of his agitation.

  He turned to the female and in one fluid move leaped at her. A giant clubbed hand lashed out at her head.

  In her debilitated state, Jane was too slow to dodge and it caught her square on the cheek. Her head whipped to the side and she tumbled to the ground. She landed hard and barely had the strength to lift her head and bark in return. Blood welled from a flayed open cut above her eye.

  Beth gritted her teeth, wanting nothing more than to put a boot in Jack’s gut. Not that it would have done much good.

  Jack stood above the mother of his unborn infants, deciding whether or not to deliver another punishing blow.

  Beth was already in a sprint toward the employees only door, her keys jangling in her hands as she flipped through them for the right one. She snatched the walkie-talkie off her hip and thumbed it on.

  “This is Dr. West with an animal emergency at the Bili Chimps exhibit. Is anyone there?”

  She’d normally have had an assistant vet to help with situations like this, but the position had yet to be filled after the last one left. More budget bullshit.

  “What’s going on, Dr. West?” a voice responded.

  It was Ralph, the Security Supervisor. He’d helped out a few times with moving the chimps around. It wasn’t ideal, but he’d have to do.

  Still sprinting through service halls toward the rear of the enclosure, Beth clicked the transmitter and yelled, “Get some oranges and lure Jack into the holding room. Lock him in and get back to me immediately when it’s done. Do not enter the habitat or holding room. And make sure those locks are in place.”

  “You got it, doc.”

  “What is going on?” an imperious voice demanded.

  Diana Richston. The new Director of Admin and Operations. The boss. The bitch. She didn’t deserve the position and Beth hadn’t been subtle in voicing her opinion. She came aboard when the city of Los Angeles sold the zoo to Milagro Corporation. Yet another public asset sold to the highest bidder because the city was drowning in debt.

  “Dr. West, answer me this minute!”

  “Not now, Diana!”

  Beth shoved through one last door and came to the tall metal safe she was seeking. She fumbled through the keys on her ring and found the right one. She opened the safe and pulled out a packaged, sterilized syringe. She snapped on rubber gloves and prayed as she plunged it into a small bottle of M99. The drug was a thousand times more powerful than morphine.

  Sweat dripped from her brow as she measured out sufficient CC’s to lightly tranq a chimp of Jane’s size. She wanted the minimal dose to ensure Jane and the infants’ safety. Just enough for her to sew up the gash above Jane’s eye and give her a field checkup.

  She transferred the potent opioid into a sterilized dart and carefully set it aside. One drop was enough to kill a human. She pocketed a dose of Naltrexone just in case. An exposed human had only a few minutes to counteract the opioid before a fatal cardiac arrest.

  She was in a hurry. But she wasn’t stupid.

  CHAPTER NINE

  She pulled a rifle out of the safe, inserted the loaded dart, and then slammed the bolt forward. After verifying the safety was engaged, she slung it over her shoulder and locked the big safe. A quick look to verify dangerous gear was stowed and she sprinted for the west entrance to the enclosure. The one closest to the viewing area where she had last seen Jane and Jack.

  She finally made it to the west entrance security door and huffed and puffed trying to catch her breath. She found the key but didn’t insert it into the lock of the heavy metal door. She waited for what seemed like forever before the walkie-talkie crackled and chirped to life.

  “Dr. West, this is Ralph. Jack is secured.”

  Beth wondered for an instant if Ralph remembered the locking procedure that ensured the holding room couldn’t be opened. Chimps were famously clever at figuring out how to get a clasp or bolt released. She couldn’t waste time thinking about it. Jane was out there on the ground in unknown condition.

  Already weak and now injured with a possible concussion and bleeding. She was in danger and Beth was the only one that could help.

  “Thanks, Ralph. I’m entering the enclosure to deal with Jane.”

  Diana’s voice practically blew the tiny speaker.

  “Dr. West, I forbid you to enter that habitat!”

  “Diana, there is an injured animal inside that requires immediate medical attention.”

  “I don’t care if it dies on the grass. What I do care about is you exposing this institution to massive legal liability.”

  “Let me come help,” Ralph said.

  Diana responded before Beth could even click the transmit button.

  “Ralph, if you step one foot inside that exhibit, I will fire you and bankrupt your family!”

  What a bitch. The last thing Beth wanted was to get Ralph caught up in the ongoing feud between her and the new director.

  “Ralph, I’ll take care of it.”

  “Ralph, get back to doing your job while you still have one!”

  “Yes, Ma’am. Good luck, Dr. West.”

  Diana was worried about nothing but the bottom line. She was the source of countless new, tedious rules and regulations. For her, the animals were merely corporate assets to be shuffled around so that the next shareholder meeting could meet expectations.

  Against her better judgment, Beth keyed the talk button. “Diana, thanks for your invaluable advice, but I’m heading inside.”

  “Don’t test me, Elizabeth! Entering the habitat is strictly forbidden. Breaking that regulation will result, in the best case scenario, an internal review and inquest by the board of directors.”

  Did she really have to have this conversation now? Right this damn minute? Unbelievable!

  “Jane is in trouble,” Beth spat with more venom than half the cobras in the snake house. “This is an emergency.”

  “The board and I will decide that issue if we must.”

  “You do your job, and I’ll do mine,” Beth said through gritted teeth and tight jaws. She cranked the volume until the unit turned off and then she returned it to her hip. She bit back the taste of bile rising in her throat.

  She’d deal with the shit storm later.

  Beth threw back the heavy steel bolt that held the door tight. She dug her shoulder into the thick metal and shoved. It gave way with a rusty screech until she had it wedged open enough to slip through.

  She wasn’t going to lose Jane or her babies. That was the only thing that mattered.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Theresa West sat in American History class with a sleepy look on her face. She replayed over and over the accident that morning. The blood streaming from his eyes. His body in the air. Despite the
buzz in her brain, her body was tired from staying up late last night. She covered her mouth and stifled a yawn. She seriously needed a Red Bull. Her stomach grumbled in protest at the thought.

  It hadn’t forgotten two weeks ago when she spent the night with her best friend since third grade, Holly Pearson. Holly snuck some vodka from her dad’s liquor stash and replaced the lifted amount with water. They locked themselves in her room and cranked the music, drinking vodka mixed with Red Bull until Theresa ended up in the bathroom puking her guts out. She hit the toilet most of the time.

  Theresa was going to be super pissed if Holly had ruined her favorite drink.

  A sickening bubble trickled up her throat and popped in her closed mouth. She breathed out a foul exhale and hoped no one nearby noticed, especially not Elio in the seat in front and to the side of her.

  He arrived super late to class, even later than she did. He never seemed to care about school. His disinterest should’ve ringed the alarm bells and warned her away, but he was just so awkwardly cute.

  Light brown skin matched to mysterious dark brown eyes. A little on the skinny side, but he looked good in the red and white striped Los Angeles Football Club jersey he always wore.

  Elio was a rabid LAFC fan. Being an equally rabid LA Galaxy fan herself, it was something she had to overlook. Her dad took her to games when his schedule lined up with a game night. She totally loved a night at the StubHub stadium. The crowd. The goals. The players. Definitely the players. Soccer guys were hot. It was like a law or something.

  Years ago, when she was too young to be interested in those things, she’d been chosen to go on the field at halftime and got to meet David Beckham. She ended up running around while he pretended to be unable to steal the ball from her. She stuttered around giggling maniacally until he finally gave up. Their informal scrimmage ended and he’d taken her hand and bowed together to the roar of the packed stadium.