Silent Night - By Tom Barber Page 0,3

yellow taxicab was waiting by the kerb outside the apartment building, as close as the banked snow would allow.

The woman pulled up the collar of her coat and turned to the blond man.

‘Good luck,’ she said. ‘With everything.’

He nodded. ‘You too.’

They embraced, then parted. Turning, the woman stepped through a gap in the snow and pulled open the door of the cab, climbing inside and slamming the door. She turned to him and smiled, waving as the taxi pulled away and headed off down the road. The man raised his hand in farewell. The driver paused at a red light at the end of the street, waiting to join the stream of traffic heading up 1 Avenue. The light flicked green and the taxi turned right.

Then it was gone.

The blond man stood still, the sharp wind ruffling his hair, looking down the street.

Just like that, he thought.

He felt a purr in his pocket as his cell phone started ringing. He pulled it out and answered.

‘Archer.’

‘Arch, its Josh.’

‘Hey. What’s up?’ he said, starting to walk down the sidewalk towards the traffic stream on 1 Avenue.

‘Shepherd wants us in immediately.’

Archer frowned. ‘What’s going on?’

‘I don’t know. But it sounds serious. Want me to pick you up?’

‘No, I’m in the city. I’ll hitch a cab.’

‘OK. See you there.’

Archer ended the call and walked along the icy sidewalk until he arrived on the corner of 1 and 13. He raised his arm and an approaching taxi in the right-hand lane slowed and drew to a halt beside him. As he stepped forward, pulling open the door, he checked the time on the black Casio on his wrist.

9:56 am. Saturday. His day off.

His eight years of experience as a cop told him that whatever this was, it wasn’t going to be good.

‘Shit,’ he muttered, stepping inside the taxi and slamming the door.

And the vehicle moved off up the street.

Thirteen miles away in New Jersey, a slender grey-haired man in a dark coat stepped out of his brand new Mercedes and shut the door. The car was a black CL-Class that had set him back over 100 grand but as far as he was concerned it had been worth every cent. He was planning on taking a trip to DC with his wife over the Christmas break when he’d have a chance to really put his foot down and see what the Mercedes could do on the open road. Clicking the locks shut, he tucked the keys in his pocket and headed towards the entrance of The Kearny Medical Institute, a three-floored laboratory complex located just off the town of Kearny in Hudson County.

His name was Dr Jonathan Bale. Although he was too modest to acknowledge it, Dr Bale was widely considered to possess one of the top scientific minds in the United States. He and his six-man team were responsible for some pioneering work at the institute. They worked closely with medical organisations around the country, as well as interacting with the US Army and their Medical Research Institute. Dr Bale was fifty eight, enjoyed good health and had no immediate intention to retire. He had four things that he loved in his life: his wife, his job, his new Mercedes and golf. He’d just come from an early nine holes at Liberty National and had shot a very satisfactory 37. The low score had given him an extra spring to his step and he was feeling good. Approaching the entrance, a briefcase in his hand and a folder under his arm, he pushed open the glass door.

As he walked in, he was surprised to see a new security guard behind the front desk. The man looked tall and rangy and sported a strange haircut. Blond, it was on the verge of being a mullet, short at the sides and longer on top.

Bale hid a smile.

Must be some kind of new fashion, he thought.

‘Good morning, sir,’ the guard said, a Southern twang to his voice.

‘Good morning.’ Bale looked around. ‘Where's Joel?’

‘He took sick. I'm covering his shift.’

Bale nodded. The guard had a pad and pen in his hands.

‘Your name please sir?’

‘Dr Bale. My team should already be here.’

‘Yes, they're all upstairs. You’re the last one. I'll just buzz you in.’

The guard pushed a button under his desk and the glass panel beside the desk slid back. He smiled warmly.

‘You have a good morning, sir.’

Bale nodded as he walked forward and approached the lift, pushing the button. The door in front of him opened immediately. He