Free Redaction: Extinction Level Event (Part I) by Linda Andrews Page B

blackmailed into driving duty. Now, he might have been exposed to the fucking Redaction.
    They’d said you couldn’t get it again.
    Then again, they’d also said it was over.
    The area between David’s shoulder blades itched as he followed the Civic’s glowing headlights turn for turn. BugDr2. The pieces clicked into place like he’d finally solved a Rubik’s cube. The CO wasn’t here for a nob-polishing. He was here about the Redaction. Sure enough, she backed into the driveway right where his GPS marked his destination.
    A shadow moved in the depths of the garage. Must be the girl slinking off to safety. Smart given the CO’s appetites.
    “We’ve arrived, Sir.” David eased the Humvee to a stop next the curb, shoved it into park, donned his gear and jumped down. Two steps brought him to the rear door and he jerked it open.
    The CO glanced from David to the woman who now stood on the porch. The garage door rumbled closed.
    “Damn, she’s been out in public already.” Colonel Asshole looked at the briefcase, then David before lifting the satchel off the floor and sliding out. “Bring the SEEK.”
    David fished out the handheld Secure Electronic Enrollment Kit before hoisting the bag containing the rest of the Quick Identification Platform and followed his superior officer.
    With a silver briefcase in his hand, the CO goose-stepped to the porch, stopping five feet away from the woman. “Dr. Spanner. Dr. Mavis Spanner?”
    “Yes.”
    Marching forward, David held out the rectangular SEEK device. “If you would place your finger here.”
    Her lips compressed into a thin line but she set her thumb on the LE reader. “Would you like to tell me what this is about? I no longer work for the government.”
    The display returned her identification as Dr. Mavis Spanner and provided a picture. Anything else required a higher security clearance. David nodded to the colonel. So much for searching the records to find out more about her. Mavis. An unusual name. It suited her.
    Colonel Asshole smoothed his stained uniform. “You no longer work for the Weapons of Mass Destruction Coalition, Doctor, but I assure you that you still work for the US government.”
    “In what capacity?” Her gaze darted from him to the Colonel, before sticking. “The Rattling Death is over.”
    “No, Ma’am.” The CO shook his head. His briefcase bumped against his leg as he adjusted his face mask again. “Our contacts in Asia say it’s mutated and is more lethal than ever.”

 
     
    Chapter Eight
     
     
    Manny twitched to the right, toward the lap of water in the bathroom, the humid orange-scented air and the girls. Before he moved to get them, a gasp glued him in place. The boys! Jose and Mikey played in the living room. They were closest to the kitchen.
    The closest to where the intruders were trying to enter.
    Manny’s heartbeat roared in his ears, urging him to save them. All of them. Yet, his feet remained rooted on the worn carpet. Tears swam in his eyes. He blinked them away.
    He wouldn’t let his family down.
    Not again.
    Warmth gushed through him, breaking the paralysis. Pivoting about, he lurched toward the living room and tripped over the cinder blocks he called feet. His shoulder slammed against the drywall. The board crunched under his weight and flakes of white plaster speckled the green carpet. Pushing away, he staggered into the bathroom. The bubbled linoleum cracked underfoot.
    “Manny?” Lucia’s whisper stirred the foam swelling over the edge of the tub.
    As white as the suds around her, a wide-eyed Mary sunk deep into the bubbles. Her hand covered her mouth and her fingers dug into her cheeks.
    Grunting, he shook the feeling back in his fingers. Funny how it didn’t hurt. “Hide. In the attic. Just like we practiced, Luce.”
    Lurching from the room, he staggered forward without waiting to see if she obeyed. She would. They all would.
    They had to.
    Manny careened into the living room and stopped. Swaying on