The Tide: Breakwater (Tide Series Book 2) (35 page)

They’d also discussed setting up the final preparations to make Kent Island a habitable stronghold. Chao’s team had been assigned to radio all nearby ships and direct them toward Kent. They’d guided the civilian and Academy flotilla to the island and anchored off the coast for a little over a day. Lauren had helped set up a landside triage center for the processing of new survivors, with Midshipman Kaufman’s help and the aid of the island locals, who’d agreed to take on responsibility for protecting their little piece of earth against the Skulls. They’d even managed to hail the
Queen of the Bay
and ensured the ship could be towed safely to the island. Dom felt grateful to fulfill a promise he hadn’t been certain he could keep.

After departing the island, they’d stopped briefly at an abandoned Army Supply Depot to reload their munitions. Given the depot’s remote location, there’d been few Skulls to contend with, and the mission had been fortunately short and painless.

Their new mission was anything but. They’d sailed out into the Atlantic, far enough from shore to hold a much-deserved burial at sea for the Hunters who’d given everything.

Dom glanced across the deck filled with the men and women who served him. Miguel gave him a knowing nod as he stood behind Kara in her wheelchair. Maggie sat next to the Hunter, and Sadie stood beside her.

Before Dom lay the remains of Brett and Hector, their bodies wrapped in weighted shrouds. A third weighted shroud flapped in the wind, devoid of a body and filled only with a few symbolic belongings of Owen’s. The guitar, the one Dom had seen Owen play only a few days ago, was one of them.

“These men gave their lives so that we may continue to fight for those who are defenseless,” Dom said. “They fearlessly faced an enemy none of us could’ve imagined, that none of us were prepared for. They died so that we may live another day, so that we may pursue the promise of a better tomorrow, a brighter future. Today, we honor their service as Hunters. Firing party, present arms.”

Several Hunters stepped forward, their rifles shouldered. Glenn, Andris, and Thomas tilted the platform with the fallen Hunters. The bodies and shrouds slid into the Atlantic. They quickly sank below the crashing, hungry waves, and the firing party shot off their three-volley salute while Jenna played “Taps” on a bugle.

Dom felt the mixture of pride for those Hunters who remained and the deep pangs of remorse for those they’d just buried. As the last notes of “Taps” echoed hauntingly over the ocean, Dom dismissed the crew. Meredith caught his gaze and gave him a reassuring, sympathetic smile. A small sign to let him know she was there.

“Captain,” another voice called to him. Chao rushed between the others on deck. “I’m sorry, Captain, but I’ve got some urgent news.”

“What is it?”

“We might have found a lab with the facilities and research experience we’ve been looking for.”

“You mean a lab with surviving scientists?”

“Potentially,” Chao replied. He led Dom back through the departing crew and into the electronics workshop. A series of satellite images were displayed on the monitors.

“What is this?” Dom asked.

“We’ve been doing everything we can to seek out any neurological labs that might be able to help us with the Oni Agent. Needless to say, it’s been hard to find any signs of life. The pictures I’m showing you were taken from various satellite images we obtained during the past week over Boston Mass General Hospital, where the Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases is housed. Some world-renowned researchers work—er, worked—there.”

“Okay. And what makes you think anyone is alive?”

“This.” Chao flipped through the images. The first showed an empty roof over the hospital. Nothing special about it. It was time-stamped almost a week ago. He flipped to a more recent image. A large white SOS had been painted on the roof.

Dom’s heart climbed into his throat. Someone was alive. Or at least, they had been. “So there might be someone there who can either help us with our research—or more likely, they’re just someone who knows their way around the hospital.”

“Is that good enough for you? Or do you want us to keep searching?”

Dom mulled it over a moment. “If someone can simply get us to the labs, we might be able to find research or even materials for Lauren’s team. Why not get Lauren in here to see if she thinks it’s worth it?”

They paged the doctor, and she arrived a few minutes later. “God, yes,” she said once they’d updated her on Chao’s discovery. “The papers my crew and I have been reading...well, plenty of the research I’d love to get my hands on happened at Mass Gen.”

“Good, good,” Dom said. Still, he was reluctant to risk his Hunters’ lives after the losses they’d already suffered. “Is there any other evidence we’ll find someone alive? Someone who can help us make the trip worthwhile?”

“I think so,” Chao said. He moused over the image and zoomed in on a section of the hospital’s roof.

Dom’s blood ran cold at the image. A man, looking to be in his mid-twenties, sat against the lip of the roof. He had a backpack near him along with a couple of empty plastic bottles. The man wasn’t alone. A woman, looking to be in the first stages of Skull transformation, lay beside him. The way her limbs were splayed, she seemed to have died.

And by the man’s body language, the way he appeared to be staring at her, Dom could tell there was more to the story than this grainy satellite image alone could tell.

“Call up Detrick,” Dom said, knowing Commander Shepherd would want to know where the
Huntress
was headed and what they’d discovered. “Let them know we’re going to Boston.”

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Enhancement (Black Market DNA #1)

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I
n the year 2058, Baltimore’s latest crime epidemic is illegal genetic enhancements. Convicted dealer Christopher Morgan finds himself on a hit-list before he’s even released from prison. In a race for survival, he must uncover a shocking conspiracy involving organized crime and genetic engineering.

Find it here:
http://amzn.to/1rhSboa

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Malignant (Black Market DNA #2)

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A
genetically engineered and unstoppable cancer is spreading through Baltimore’s citizens. Christopher Morgan eagerly joins Doctor Robin Haynes on a quest to engineer a cure. As the cancer spreads across the country, they discover the disease may be connected to a criminal organization. With the body count rising, they find themselves embroiled in something deeper than they ever imagined—an underground world of scientific intrigue, organized crime, and medical conspiracies.

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Variant (Black Market DNA #3)

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W
hile treating a patient, Robin discovers a dangerous pathogen long-since thought to be eradicated. Her investigations lead to a startling and terrifying revelation. Now, Chris Morgan may be the only one that can help her uncover the truth. 

A powerful adversary from Chris’s past has returned. The lives of thousands, maybe millions, are at stake. 

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Fatal Injection (A Black Market DNA Novella)

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B
altimore PD Officer Ana Dellaporta must unravel a sinister plot involving missing persons, murder, and genetic experimentation. And when one of her close friends goes missing, she must uncover the gruesome truth before the trail goes cold and her friend becomes the next victim.

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http://amzn.to/1BRcAEf

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The God Organ

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B
rilliant biomedical scientist Preston Carter introduces an implantable artificial organ designed to grant its recipients near-immortality. But many of those recipients are suddenly dying. With the organ already implanted in his own body, Carter must uncover the truth before he’s killed by his own invention.

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The Human Forged

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F
ormer Army Specialist Nick Corrigan is abducted and unwittingly becomes embroiled in a biotechnological nightmare. He embarks on a dangerous adventure to return home. The only person that might be able to help him is a man Nick never knew existed—his clone. 

Back in Washington, CIA analyst Sara Monahan makes a startling discovery while tracking the use of biological weapons in an ongoing war in Africa. She races to uncover a global conspiracy that may shake the very essence of what it means to be human. 

Find it here:
http://bit.ly/thf14