Deke snorted. “That’s the understatement of the year.”
Hugh turned toward Deke. “Ten seconds.”
Deke snatched a couple of Nora’s fries before she could stop him. “The president has sanctioned the Brigade as a line of defense against problems caused by the Scorpius Pandemic. We’re the Brigade. As you know, the government has been concerned for years about a terrorist attack against a nuclear facility.”
Hugh’s broad chest visibly settled. “You have intel?”
“We have chatter. A lot of it,” Ellie said quietly. “It’s unclear and garbled, but based on information from several sources, we believe there is going to be an attack soon.”
“Terrorists are taking advantage of the pandemic. That makes a sick kind of sense. Where?” Hugh asked.
Deke sighed. “We’re hoping you can tell us where. Not only the best three targets but the most probable terrorists. Think on US soil—either visiting here or homegrown. Commercial air traffic has been shut down. Probably for a long time.”
“Probably for good if nobody gets a handle on the Scorpius bacteria,” Ellie murmured, feeling better with Hugh at her side.
Hugh eyed McDougall.
Deke nodded. “I’m military and always have been. The president, who’s currently fighting the illness, tapped me for the Brigade. Nora is a microbiologist, and Eleanor is a computer scientist. You’ll meet the rest of the team later.”
Hugh turned toward Nora. “Microbiologist? Shouldn’t you be in a lab right now fixing this thing?”
Her dark eyes twinkled. “My best friend is the head of infectious diseases at the CDC. Her name is Lynne Harmony, and she’s fighting this thing even though she’s been infected. If she needs me, she’ll call. I’m needed here.”
“Lynne Harmony? The woman whose heart was turned blue by a faulty cure? I’d heard she’d died,” Hugh said quietly.
“No. She’s alternating between being a test subject and working as a doctor,” Nora said, losing her smile. “If anybody can find a cure for this bug, it’s Lynne. For now, we have other threats.”
“What is our biggest threat nuclear-wise?” Deke asked, somber now.
Hugh breathed out, his jaw looking hard. “Depends on several factors. First, look for older facilities with outdated security coupled with the biggest casualty possibility. Second, look at where Scorpius has hit hardest…because those places will have lightened security. Third, look at locations of known or suspected terrorist organizations on our soil.”
Nausea rolled in Ellie’s stomach. Her hand itched with the urge to take Hugh’s. To feel his strength and warmth. To find comfort. So she clasped both hands in her lap. She was an adult with an important job, and she needed to buck up and stop this nonsense.
Deke pushed away from the table. “Good. You and Eleanor have an hour to create a list of likely targets and suspects. We’ll cross-reference your list with our counter-terrorism expert’s list. Hopefully there will be a common denominator.”
Nora gracefully stood and crossed around the table. “We should be back in an hour or so.”
Deke nodded and waited until she’d reached him. “I’m going to check in with the president. Hopefully he’ll be one of the survivors of this thing. Otherwise, Congressman Bret Atherton will step up as our new leader.”
Ellie caught an odd tone. “You don’t like Atherton?”
Deke shrugged a massive shoulder. “I don’t know the guy, and at this point, knowledge is power. I like the current president. We’ll also check in with Lynne Harmony and see what’s going on with what’s left of the CDC.”
Nora bit her lip, amusement dancing in her dark eyes. “If you get finished early, Eleanor can show you the sleeping quarters, Hugh.”
Was her friend matchmaking? Ellie gave her a look while trying to be casual. “I’d be happy to show Hugh around,” she said.
Nora’s lips visibly twitched.
Deke grasped her arm and drew her from the room. “You’re terrible,” he murmured loud enough to make Ellie blush.
The room quieted and somehow electrified.
“You’ve been working with Homeland?” Hugh asked, no expression on his hard face.
She swallowed. “Mostly. I started with the CIA and then moved over.” So yes, they’d been working for the same agency for the last five years but in different divisions and locations.
“Did you know?” he asked softly, too softly.
