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“You can do that?” Hayden asked, his eyes widening.

“We can.”

“Well, that’s the best news I’ve heard today.”

I asked several more questions and then wrapped things up. Slash took a few notes of his own, but did not ask any questions. I hoped that meant I’d asked all the right ones.

We stood and shook hands again. “Thanks again for your time,” I said. “This gives us a good start at understanding the project.”

“Anytime, and I sincerely mean that. Please don’t hesitate to ask either Lilith or me any questions you might have while you’re here,” he said. “We’re grateful to be in your capable hands and are anxious to get both of you to Brazil so we can get the trials underway. In fact, the team is already in place except for you and one additional microbiologist we are sending from ComQuest. We’re looking forward to having you all there next week.”

“We’ll have a handle on this before we go,” I promised, hoping I was right. There was a lot at stake with this job—millions of lives—and I didn’t want to mess it up.

Slash and I headed back to the Server Room in silence. Before we went back inside, he stopped me in the hallway with a hand on my arm. “What’s your plan?”

My mind was racing in a million different directions. I appreciated he asked because it gave me a minute to get my head together before I went back to talk to Tim. I considered, leaned back against the wall, and put my options in order.

“It really comes down to one thing,” I said. “Connectivity is critical. The best option is going dark or offline, but that’s not an option. That means it’s up to us to ensure the safety, security and integrity of the data. That being said, I also think it’s important for us to determine whether the hackers want to steal or corrupt the data.”

“Who’s to say one is mutually exclusive from the other?”

“They aren’t.” I rolled my neck a couple of times to release the tension. “But from what I’ve seen and heard so far, my gut is telling me that this is a hack for information versus a destruction attack. That’s the prize. Someone wants the procedure for that vaccine. Although, if they aren’t able to get it, I would certainly keep sabotage and destruction on the table.”

“Agreed.”

“Good. So, first up for us is getting a tag on those hackers. Who are they? How many groups are we talking about? Where are they from? Is it a country hack or private company or individual? Answers to any of these questions will help us get a handle on our adversaries and how best to defend against them.”

He reached out, lightly trailing a finger from my cheek down to my jawline, his eyes warming. “Have I mentioned it really turns me on when you talk like that?”

“Jeez. Keep focused.” Despite saying that, I looked up and down the hallway. When I confirmed it was empty, I leaned over to give him a quick kiss. “I’m glad you’re here, Slash.”

“I’m glad, too, although you don’t need me. You’ve got excellent instincts that are getting better all the time.”

His words meant a lot to me, especially coming from such a wizard behind the keyboard. “Instincts or not, I’m grateful for the assist. We’ve got a lot to sort out and not much time to do it.”

“Si, we do.” Slash stepped back from me. “Complex situation, a lot at stake, an accelerated timeline...that seems to be the story of our lives.”

“No kidding,” I said. “And you know what that means. We’d better get to work, and fast.”

Chapter Thirteen

Lexi

We had the full list of competitors within the hour, so Slash and I got to work.

Hunting hackers was one of the best parts of my job. A puzzle wrapped in a mystery with a bit of a thriller edge. It was exhilarating. After about an hour of chasing, Slash and I decided to compare notes.

“What did you find?” I asked.

“It’s looking like South Asia to me. Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bhutan—that area. How about you?”

“I’m definitely ruling out Canada, U.S., Europe, and Russia. Doesn’t feel like any of those to me. India seems the most likely candidate, although we have to keep China in the mix because they could be orchestrating this.”

“Agree. If we cross-reference with the list Hayden just gave me, that narrows down the competitors to two—Changsha BioChain from China and the Indian pharmaceutical company Pharma Star. Pharma Star was one of the competitors Hayden mentioned.”

“It was,” I agreed. “Now, let’s get a better feel for what damage they’ve done and/or attempted to do.”

We changed tactics and did a thorough analysis of Vaccitex’s system. I jotted down some notes and after another hour and a half, we’d completed a first-pass look.