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."One-three-five." There wasa keypad next to an open hole, stairs leading down,and Steve's teeth disappeared, his flat face wrinkling."Karen.""We have to hurry.""Hang on baby, hang on, we'll be there soon."Karen let them help her, wondering why their faceslooked so strange, wondering why they smelled so hotand good.FOURTEENATHENS HAD FAILED.Dr.Griffith stared at the blinking white light by thedoor, cursing Athens, cursing Lyle Ammon, cursinghis luck.He hadn't told Athens how to get backinside, which could only mean that the intruders hadmade it past him.Ammon had left them a message orsent them one, it didn't matter - all that matteredwas that they were coming and he had to assume thatthey had the key.He'd torn down the markers weeksago, but perhaps they had directions, perhaps they'dfind him and.Don't panic, no need for panic.You prepared for this,simply move on, next plan.Division first, twofoldeffect - less firepower, bait for later.and a chanceto see how well Alan can perform.Griffith turned to Dr.Kinneson and spoke quickly,keeping the instructions clear and simple, the route aseasy as possible.Griffith had already worked out thequestions they'd probably ask, though he knew therewas a chance they'd try for more information.Hegave Alan several random phrases to respond with,then gave him the small semi-automatic pistol fromDr.Chin's desk drawer, watching as Alan tucked itbeneath his lab coat to make sure it was hidden.Thebullet carrier was empty, but he didn't think it waspossible to tell, not if the hammer was pulled back.He also gave Alan his key; a risk, but then the entirescenario was a risk.With the fate of the world restingin his hands, he'd take any chance necessary.After Alan had gone, Griffith sat down in a chair towait for a reasonable amount of time, his gaze wan-dering to the six stainless canisters in restless antici-pation.His plans wouldn't fail; the righteousness ofhis work would see him through this invasion.If Alanwas caught out, there were still the Ma7s, there wasstill Louis, there were still the syringes and his hidingplace, the airlock controls in easy reach. Past all of that, there was still the sunrise, waiting.Dr.Griffith smiled dreamily.Karen could still walk, still seemed to understandat least part of what they were saying to her, but thefew words she could manage didn't seem to relate toanything.As they'd gone down the stairs from thelighthouse, she'd said "hot" twice.As they'd walkedinto the wide, dank tunnel at the base of the steps,she'd said, "I don't want," an expression of fear onher deathly pale, searching face.Rebecca was terrifiedthat even if they found a way to reverse the viral load,it would be too late.It had all happened so suddenly, so fast that shecould still hardly comprehend it.There'd been a manwaiting for them in the darkness of the lighthouse, atrap just as David had intuited.As soon as they'dgone in, he'd opened fire with an automatic rifle,strafing the door from the shadows beneath the wind-ing metal stairs.Thanks to David's plan, it had beenover in seconds and as Steve had discovered theaccess door and punched in the code, Rebecca andJohn had looked over their waiting attacker, had seenin the narrow beam of John's flashlight that the manhad been infected his paper-white skin was flakingand creased with strange, peeling etched lines.He'dlooked somehow different than the Trisquad victimsshe'd seen, less decayed, his open, staring eyes some-how more human.but then David had gone to getKaren and Rebecca's interest had been suddenly andcruelly diverted.It had been the walk up the hill, she'd decided.Even though it shouldn't have made a difference, shecouldn't imagine what else might have brought on theamplification so quickly.Somehow, the T-Virus musthave responded to the physiological changes of Ka-ren's increased heart rate and circulation, but asthey'd led the confused and stumbling woman intothe lighthouse, Rebecca had found that she'd stoppedcaring about how; all she wanted was to get to the lab,to try and salvage what was left of Karen Driver'ssanity.The tunnel beneath the lighthouse seemed to leadback toward the compound in a curving, twistingtrail, and was carved from the heavy limestone of thecliff.Mining lights were strung along the walls, castingstrange shadows as they moved forward, silent andgrimly afraid, John and Steve half-pulling Karenbetween them.Rebecca was last, again feeling ahorrible sense of deja vu as they stumbled along,remembering the tunnels beneath the Spencer estate. The same cold damp emanated from the stone, andshe felt the same terrible feelings of moving towardunknown danger, exhausted and afraid of screwingup - of not being able to prevent a disaster.The disaster has already happened, she thoughthelplessly, watching Karen struggle to keep walking.We're losing her.In another hour, probably less, she'llbe too far gone to ever come back.As it was, John and Steve shouldn't be touching her.In a single, easy movement she could get at either oneof them, biting before they had a chance to let go.Even that concept made her sick with sorrow and anaching, heavy feeling of loss.The tunnel veered to the left, and Rebecca realizedthey had to be incredibly close to the ocean; the wallsseemed to tremble and shake from a muted thunderbeyond, and the tunnel was thick with a damp andfishy smell.Parts of the floor seemed too smooth tohave been created by human hands, and Rebeccawondered vaguely if the tunnel opened up aheadsomewhere, perhaps had once been flooded by thesea."Bloody hell," David whispered angrily."Shit."Rebecca looked up
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