"Now I know why you're asking me about car repairs." Cheng Hao, his forehead red from the impact of the airbag, staggered out of the car, gasping at the smoke billowing from the front of the Suburban.
Jack wasn't feeling well either. Shaking his dizzy head, he leaned against the car door and looked down the hill at the Mercedes-Benz G-Class lying on its back. Luckily, the Suburban was borrowed, so he wasn't upset at all about the damage.
Karen had already gotten out of the car and slid down the hill. He was now lying on the ground, looking inside. The others quickly gathered around with guns drawn.
"Is Komescu in there?" Danny asked, leaning forward.
"No, there's only the driver." Karen grabbed the unconscious driver by the collar and dragged him out of the car window. "He must have jumped out of the car near the warehouse area."
"I think he's up there." Jack, standing high above, pointed to a small black speck on the distant sea. It was a speedboat, now heading towards Oahu, and it was clear he was losing it.
"We've been fooled!" Kono kicked the ground in frustration, sending several pieces of gravel flying.
Jack opened the Suburban's trunk and pulled out a mask and gloves. "Guys, we have more important things to do." Leaving Kono to watch
over
the unconscious driver on the gravel beach while they waited for HPD and the ambulance, the group returned to the warehouse where the crash had breached.
After confirming there was no movement inside, they donned masks and gloves and carefully made their way through the damaged metal wall.
"What the hell is this place?" Danny muttered to himself, taking in the scene that resembled a set from a third-rate sci-fi film.
In the center of the warehouse lay a fully enclosed cabin constructed with an aluminum frame and frosted glass. It was divided into two rooms, separated by an airtight door in the middle and covered only by a clear plastic curtain on the outside.
Yellow corrugated pipes, each as thick as a person, were scattered around the cabin, and the air filters connected to the other end were still humming.
"It looks like a simple virus lab." Karen flung aside the plastic curtain at the entrance and walked in. Several metal tables sat at the entrance, covered with measuring cups, test tubes, and laboratory instruments like electron microscopes.
"And an isolation ward."
Jack, following behind, could vaguely see the beds and life monitors through the airtight door in the middle. The single electronic alarm from inside gave a slightly ominous feeling: the sound of cardiac arrest.
"You're just going to do that?" Danny watched the others file in, spreading his hands and making the sign of the cross before reluctantly following.
"If you don't want to miss the next step because of isolation, it's best not to touch anything. We're already a step too late."
Jack, following Karen, grabbed his arm, stopping him from trying to open the airtight door, and turned to point at the monitor on the table in the outer laboratory.
"There's no one alive in there. Best to wait for the CDC to handle it."
Hearing Jack's words, Danny cautiously leaned in closer to the screen for a quick look, his expression suddenly darkening. "The three missing people are all in there. They've been injected with smallpox."
The isolation ward behind the airtight door held four beds, three of which held bodies bound by restraints, their exposed skin covered in smallpox rashes.
"But it wasn't smallpox that killed them," Hannah, who stood beside him, lost interest in arguing.
The monitor clearly showed the true cause of death for the three men: gunshot wounds to the head. The blood splattered on the white sheets, turning them black.
Karen's voice was hoarse, laced with uncontrollable anger. "Comescu executed them."
—
"Seeing this makes me glad I was left on the beach." Kono folded her arms, watching the five men awkwardly dress in front of her.
The CDC had erected a plastic tent outside the warehouse as a makeshift sterilization room, where anyone who entered the improvised virus lab had to strip naked and shower.
Luckily, they were all already in their shorts when Kono arrived, otherwise they would have been in big trouble.
"These kinds of shows usually charge a fee," Jack countered, adhering to the principle that as long as he wasn't embarrassed, it was others who were embarrassed.
Kono whistled at him. "This is Hawaii. Feel free to watch on the beach. Of course, if you're willing to give me a little wiggle, I'll even give you a $5 tip."
"I'll talk this over with my uncle and aunt, cousin," Cheng Hao's words made Kono pale.
At this moment, forensic pathologist Max, once again dressed like an astronaut, emerged from the plastic tent. After removing his helmet, he spoke in his usual calm voice.
"I found several smallpox virus samples, but that's definitely not all. Someone took some sealed vials, and I can't confirm the exact number yet."
Their expressions grew serious again. Kono frowned. "But we didn't find the virus in Comescu's car. He must have taken it."
Jack glanced at the makeshift laboratory in the warehouse. "The equipment there doesn't look like it's used for simple virus replication and demonstrations. I even saw a radioactive source symbol on a lead barrel.
The Romanian mafia wouldn't have the expertise to operate those specialized instruments, let alone use a radioactive source. Someone is induced to modify the smallpox virus."
Forensic pathologist Max nodded in agreement.
"I agree with your assessment. Someone is highly specialized, with at least one or two doctorates in medicine and biology, involved. The CDC and I have uncovered extensive surveillance footage.
This expert documented his experiments, but all this evidence needs to be sent to the CDC lab and disinfected before further analysis."
"OK, Kono, you and Max go to the CDC laboratory together. I hope the video will capture that 'Frankenstein'." Danny rubbed his arm, a look of fear on his face.
Karen and his partner looked at each other, "Hannah and I want to investigate potential buyers of the smallpox virus and compare the passenger lists of recent flights arriving in Hawaii."
"I'll go with you. I have some connections with the TSA (Federal Transportation Security Administration)." Cheng Hao volunteered.
Danny nodded to indicate that it was no problem, then looked at Jack, "Jack and I will go to the hospital to see if we can get Comescu's driver to talk."
"Go to the hospital?" Jack hesitated, "This kind of guy won't talk so easily. Can we get him out of the hospital for private interrogation? I don't think his injuries seem serious."
"No, no, no, there's no need for all that. I have an idea that should be very useful." Danny smiled confidently.
(End of this chapter)