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Ian scowled at her but his expression was far away. Eventually, he muttered, “We can’t exactly go back into the PHP compound and search for coolers of killer virus.”

“As far as I know, there’s no refrigeration of any kind in the compound.”

“As far as you knew, there weren’t airplanes and electronic surveillance systems, either,” Ian snapped.

She subsided with a sigh. She wasn’t going to win any argument in which she tried to convince him her family wasn’t a bunch of radical terrorists. “You’re right about one thing. Wecan’t go back there. They’ll be bristling like a hornet’s nest after we snuck out like that. My dad’s suspicious by nature and no dummy. He knows I’ve been opposed to his views for years, and now he knows I’ve been watching him.”

“I doubt he bought the newlywed story, then. Which means he’ll also suspect that I’m government or law enforcement. Will that provoke him to some even more extreme action?”

She considered his question. “It might move up his timetable, but he’s not prone to knee-jerk reactions. He’s intelligent, organized, and rational.”

“To the extent that driving the United States back into the nineteenth century is rational,” Ian added dryly.

She shrugged. “He won’t panic.”

Ian commented, “For now, let’s operate on the assumption that the worst-case scenario has happened. Let’s assume the virus has already been released. The Centers for Disease Control are on alert and will notify HQ if and when reports of an infection cluster come in to them.”

Silence fell between them, deepened by the soundproof walls.

She asked suddenly, “Ian, did you see any sign of a runway near the PHP compound on the satellite surveillance pictures back in Washington?”

“No!” He grasped her logic instantly. “The plane. How will they get it out of there?”

“It could be put on a truck easily enough and hauled out to an airport. But why go to all that trouble?”

Ian nodded slowly. “They wouldn’t want anyone to see the payload by accident. They build the bomb in their shop and only take the plane out to use it at the last minute.”

“There’s abombin that plane?” she exclaimed.

“Not exactly.”

“What exactly, then?”

He shook his head at her, and she all but ground her teeth together in frustration. Why wouldn’t he believe that they were on the same side, here? Business. She had to focus on business.

“What about that helicopter?” she asked. “Where is it, now? Should we take a look at it? If an El Noor shell corporation bought it for the PHP, we have to assume it’s part of the larger attack, right?”

“Especially given that the PHP has a guy who can fly it.”

“Okay, then. Where exactly in Nevada did Alex say it was purchased?”

“Lemme call him back.”

In a few seconds, Ian’s future brother-in-law was on the line. “Glad you called, Ian. I’ve got some information for you.”

“Lay it on us.”

“Joseph Brothers, PHP’s founder, got a pilot’s license a few months back.”

“HQ beat you to that punch, buddy,” Ian replied.

“Did they know it was paid for in cash? Or that PHP’s newest member is a guy named Matt Bradley, who left the Army under a Section Eight discharge?”

Piper looked up at Ian sharply.Wasn’t a Section Eight a psychological discharge?Ian must have seen the question in her eyes because he nodded and twirled his finger by the side of his head to indicate ‘crazy’.

“Where’s the helicopter the PHP bought, right now, Alex?” Ian asked.

“It was delivered to a regional airport in Overton, Nevada. Perkins Field. That’s about sixty miles northeast of Las Vegas. Last time I checked, it hadn’t been moved.”