In less than ten minutes, a decontamination tent was set up, and with the help of the captain, Jack was fully suited up in protective gear.
This airtight suit resembled something out of a sci-fi movie, with a square, rigid helmet connected by a long breathing tube to a filter unit attached to his waist.
Jack swore he had seen similar designs in low-budget sci-fi films before.
The soldiers moved swiftly, quickly setting up an isolation corridor made of plastic sheeting that connected the underground lab in the greenhouse to the decontamination tent.
Jack entered the corridor and reappeared in front of Reid.
"Open the door and let me get you out of here and to the hospital."
"No, I'll stay right here. I've already been exposed to the pathogen; I might already be infected. I'd rather stay inside and search for clues."
Reid's self-sacrificing demeanor nearly drove Jack to the brink.
"Has the bacteria already infected your brain? Inhaling too many anthrax spores means that even if we find the right antibiotics, you still might not make it. Anthrax's damage comes from the toxins produced by the bacteria, not the bacteria themselves."
"Once the bacteria multiply in your body to a certain level, even if antibiotics work, the toxins will still be deadly."
"I'm giving you two choices: either you open the door yourself, or I'll break the glass and forcibly pull you out, which increases the risk of further contamination."
Seeing the angry expression on Jack's face, Reid instinctively shivered and obediently unlocked the glass door.
"That body belongs to Dr. Nichols. Based on my initial assessment, he's been dead for at least two or three days, which means he wasn't the one who carried out the attack. If we can identify who killed him, we might find the person responsible for the attack."
"Additionally, Dr. Nichols was a military researcher, so he likely took precautions and left some kind of 'antidote,' but it could be very well hidden."
Before Reid could finish speaking, Jack dragged him out, performed a quick decontamination, and handed him over to the soldiers in protective suits behind him.
"I'm better at crime scene investigation than you. Go to the hospital and let me handle the rest."
With that, Jack shut the glass door and began carefully examining the lab.
The lab was set up like a typical biochemical lab, complete with centrifuges for separating samples, distillers, petri dishes, microscopes, and more.
Jack first checked the body on the floor. It was indeed the gaunt old man from the video—Dr. Nichols. He had died from blunt force trauma, with a gaping wound on his head, caused by a stainless steel gas cylinder discarded nearby.
Reid was right; based on the state of the body, Dr. Nichols had been dead for over three days. Since he wasn't the one who released the pathogen, it was likely the person who killed him.
Just then, Hodgner called. Jack, who had been holding his phone, realized awkwardly that he couldn't unlock the touchscreen while wearing gloves.
"Send me a communicator."
Jack took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down as he surveyed his surroundings. It was his first time working in such a high-risk environment, and even though he was in protective gear and wasn't afraid of infection, it still gave him the creeps.
Soon, the soldiers outside delivered a communicator, and Hodgner was on the other end.
"Jack, how are things inside?"
"Uh, we found Dr. Nichols' body. Reid and I both agree that he's been dead for over three days."
"There are some cages next to the body, with dead animals inside. They were likely used for live testing. I can't determine how long they've been dead, but I'd estimate it's close to the time of Dr. Nichols' death."
"It seems someone had an altercation with Dr. Nichols, and during the struggle, they accidentally broke a test tube containing anthrax spores, then fled in a panic."
"Since this is a standard negative-pressure biochemical lab and it's underground, there was no anthrax leak. That's probably why the military missed it during their initial check."
Jack continued his inspection as he spoke.
"Some equipment is missing. The cabinet that likely held the finished anthrax powder is empty. Uh... there are two desks in the lab."
"The large desk is messy, and it looks like several items are missing. The laptop is gone, leaving only an IBM power supply."
"The smaller desk is very tidy, with neatly arranged documents. The handwriting is different, and the notes cover basic experimental procedures and sterilization precautions—things an experienced researcher wouldn't need to write down."
"So, Nichols had an assistant or perhaps an apprentice?" Hodgner quickly grasped the situation.
"Hold on, I'll bring Rossi and Garcia into the call."
"Jack, is Reid okay? He called me earlier and said he wanted to leave a message for his mother."
Garcia's voice came through the communicator, sounding a bit choked up.
The group fell silent for a moment, and Jack rolled his eyes inwardly. That kid had been all fearless bravado earlier, and now he was leaving final messages.
"Don't worry, I'm here. He'll be fine."
Rossi's voice then came over the line, "Jack, Emily and I are still at Nichols' office. We just confirmed with the supervisor."
"Nichols had a high status here. He ran his own projects independently, with little interaction with the other researchers, and he didn't have any students."
"His main research project here was on the influenza virus. That's about all we've got. We're leaving now to meet up with you."
Jack quickly stopped them. "Uh, no need. This place isn't very big. One or two people are enough. What I really need is an expert on biochemical lab equipment."
"Dr. Kimura has arrived and is suiting up," Hodgner said.
"Is there anything else we should be doing?"
"Not at the moment." The tense atmosphere was getting to Jack, so he added, "Reid will have to strip completely for decontamination, right? Anyone planning to snap a photo? We could use it as leverage the next time he tries to show off his complicated knowledge."
"Jack, you do realize you'll have to go through the same process when you take off your suit, right?" Hodgner replied, irritated.
"Forget I said anything."
As they talked, Dr. Kimura entered the lab, also in protective gear.
"Hey, Jack, what do you need help with?"
Jack handed her a stack of documents. "I'm having trouble making sense of these notes. Could you do a quick analysis? We need to identify Nichols' assistant or student."
As Dr. Kimura quickly scanned through the notes, Jack kept himself busy searching for the crucial "antidote." While he was confident Reid would be fine, there were still several victims in the hospital fighting for their lives against the deadly pathogen.
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