THE GRACE SYDNEY HOTEL

Sarah waltzed across the lobby, her hair covering the bump on her forehead, and grinned at the male attendant behind the front desk. From experience, she knew her smile could disrupt a man's train of thought, disarm his ability to reason and thus disable his capacity to react. This smile produced the usual results as Jake and she approached the check-in counter. As they coasted past the man with ease, Jake mentioned to the attendant that they'd been to a costume party. The wiry man with slicked back hair rolled his eyes with disdain. Fortunately, they'd already checked in the night before, so they didn't have to bother with getting a room key.

Sarah yielded to Jake's suggestion that they stash their handguns in the car's trunk. They would look conspicuous enough, decked out in black uniforms. Maybe Jake's untimely comment about the costume party was a good move? A cover story.

It was an hour past midnight. Fatigue had already set in, but the hotel's bright lighting revived Sarah the second she stepped through the front door. The grandeur glimmered in the corner of her eye—tile flooring laid out in opulent patterns, rows of stylish lamps, thick columns, and chandeliers surrounded by recessed lights. There may have been an establishment more lavish somewhere in the world, but this place owed no apologies regarding the five-star standard.

They strolled the rest of the way to the elevator, boarded, and without further incident, arrived on the fourth floor.

Sarah inserted the access card into the slot at room number 432 and they entered the suite where Tony waited. He had the right mindset, kicked back on the sofa. The plush furnishings made it easy to relax, which was what Sarah needed after the death defying escape from Zanderthal's compound. When the guards had cornered them, she thought they would capture them, and when the chauffeur fired at her from twenty feet away, she thought she would die. Add smashing the limo into the tree, and they'd had enough for one night.

"Where have you guys been?" Tony said. "It's after one o'clock. I've been here for two hours."

"I think you know where we've been." Jake lowered his chin and glared at his friend. "Where'd you get the drink?"

"Room service." He tipped the Heineken bottle toward Jake. "There's another one in the fridge."

Jake hesitated like he was considering it, but clammed up. Sarah watched over his shoulder, waiting. With her father's alcohol consumption and Jake's lapse in judgment at the company anniversary party, she assumed he didn't want to press his luck in front of her.

"I'll pass this time." Jake pointed to his temple. "I need a clear head."

"I'm not getting wasted, bro. It's just one... or two." Tony smiled.

"I'll pass, regardless. So, how did your escapade turn out?"

Sarah stepped between them. "First thing, we need to contact Cat and my dad."

Jake seemed to think that was a good idea. He crossed the room and sat on the sofa with Tony. She noticed the resignation on his face which said, let's get this over with. Sarah set her laptop on the glass coffee table in front of the two men. Then she walked around and squeezed between them. Neither man objected to the closeness of their seating arrangement, but Jake shot Tony a hard eye when it appeared he didn't mind sitting hip to hip with his ex.

Jealousy, maybe? Sarah thought. Interesting.

She ignored the boyish antics and turned her attention to the computer as the faces of Hardy and Cat O'Donnell appeared side by side on a split screen. "I guess we can start by telling you what we uncovered after tailing Zanderthal's limo. Then Tony can share what happened on his outing."

"You make it sound like I went out for dinner," Tony said.

"Hardly." Cat smirked. "I planned your mission, but Sarah can go first and then we'll get back to you. Is there anything we can pin on Zanderthal?"

Sarah sighed, nodding, tapping her fingers on her thighs, and then went on about Zanderthal's compound nestled in a valley in the Blue Mountains, surrounded by a thick forest. Hardy seemed tense when she explained how Jake and herself caught a ride on an Ocean Blue tanker truck to get past the security at the main gate. Likewise, he had no feedback when she described the arena and the cage fighters they saw battling like savages. He just sat there, quiet, lips tight together, slight creases streaking out from the corners of his mouth.

Jake told how they escaped.

"You stole his limo," Tony said. "Smooth move. I couldn't have done better myself."

Finally, Hardy broke his silence. "I don't know what to think about the cage fighters or the men snoozing behind the glass doors, although there's nothing of interest to us if he's running some kind of underworld fighting syndicate. As for their unnatural strength, the men could be on steroids."

"Professional athletes have been shooting up ever since they invented the syringe," Jake said, "but I've never heard of somebody throwing a man through the air like a frisbee. And the way they recovered from the blows, it was like they weren't fazed. They're juicing alright, but on something else. Probably has something to do with the men in suspended animation."

"Reasonable deduction," Cat said, hair draped to her shoulders, ruffled and unkempt. She wore no makeup and appeared ready to turn in for the night, which struck Sarah as odd since it was bedtime for them, too. It was after nine on Monday morning in Orlando. She should be dressed and at work with my dad, not somewhere else on a split screen. Sarah caught a questionable glance from Jake. He'd picked up on the oddity as well. Maybe she was on assignment somewhere or―

"What about your adventure, Tony?" Cat said.

He produced a memory stick from his pocket. "I slipped into Zanderthal's office with little trouble. Now, the way out was another story." He half grinned, half grimaced. "But I came up with some fascinating information about Ocean Blue's experiments on barracudas. There's an interesting connection to his research on Parkinson's disease."

"That could explain his miraculous remission over the years. Maybe he's found a cure," Hardy replied.

Cat's face seemed to say she knew something they didn't. "Might it have anything to do with the use of human growth hormones in the barracuda and the production of a dopamine rich secretion from the pineal gland?"

"You slapped the monkey in the face," Tony said.

Jake scolded him with his eyes.

Sarah suppressed a chuckle.

Cat never blinked. "Those files seem to back up the tests Rachel ran on that fish you boys brought in. I'm sure there's a link to the catatonic men and the cage fighters as well."

"I was thinking the same thing," Jake said. "I knew something was up with Zanderthal at our meeting this morning."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.

"When I shook his hand, he almost crushed it. And the pompous smile he had, it was like he was toying with me."

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

"I'm a man. I don't like to admit someone has the upper hand on me." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Literally," Tony said. "I'll e-mail the files in the morning."

"I want them before you go to bed tonight," Hardy replied.

Sarah rubbed her eyes and refocused. "With all this evidence stacking up, surely we can put pressure on Ocean Blue and get them to suspend these unethical operations. And, if the files Tony swiped turn out to be the real deal, we might close Zanderthal down for good. He might have to face charges in Australia and even with the United Nations."

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Hardy's jaw hardened within the borders of his side of the split screen. "The United States has no jurisdiction in Australia and we can't even get the United Nations to act on human rights violations in China and across the globe."

"Well, what are we supposed to do? Let Zanderthal walk?"

"No. We're going to try." Hardy paused and then said, "We believe the tests results on the fish are incriminating, so we at least have that to work with."

"They're conclusive," Cat added. "Somebody's been using the barracudas as guinea pigs. Zanderthal could be using the secretions from the fish to create a serum for Parkinson's disease. One of the many side effects is the barracuda's monstrous appetite. They eat up the food supply and then likely turn on each other. We should have the hard evidence we need to pin it on Ocean Blue and Roland Zanderthal as soon as Tony gets the files to us."

"What's next?" Sarah said.

Hardy replied, "We're going to take what we've discovered and go to the secretary of state. It's her job to handle foreign affairs. Maybe she can get the Aussie's to act."

Jake's seriousness equaled Hardy's. "With Ben Porter's death, even cold-blooded murder isn't beyond Zanderthal."

"That's why I want all of you to get back on the Atlantis and get out of Sydney ASAP. You've gotten in way over your heads. I've grown accustomed to voicing concerns to the president's cabinet. It should pay dividends."

Hardy's eyes revealed the fact he didn't like his team's body language after his order to end the mission and get out of town. "Don't even think about doing anything else tonight. Get some sleep and head out in the morning. And get me those files."

Jake looked at Tony and then at Sarah. Then he said with a total lack of conviction, "Whatever you say, boss."

Sarah detected the contemptible edge in his voice and saw the discontent in his eyes. She knew he didn't have any plans to heed their orders.