The Devastators Read Online Free Page A

much,” I said, “at first. They had a hell of a time locating him. Then, after several months, an agent picked up some kind of a trail out west in the California mountains. Shortly thereafter, said agent disappeared. A little while later he reappeared, dead. He’d apparently contracted a severe case of measles while he was missing.”
    “Measles? You don’t die of measles.”
    I said dryly, “It kind of depends on the measles. And on the natural immunity of the subject. There are cases on record of primitive tribes wiped out by ordinary measles, when they made contact with civilization. Apparently, since he vanished, Archie has developed a private brand that affects civilized people the same way. He was thoughtful enough to have a warning sign pinned to the infected body, or California might have had a nasty epidemic.”
    Winnie said, “That sounds like grandstanding to me.”
    “Not only to you,” I said. “The idea has occurred to others. Anyway, investigation of the area turned up a deserted building that had been used as a lab—quite an elaborate setup, as a matter of fact—but it was stripped and deserted. McRow’s sponsors, whoever they are, had had time to move their genius and his operation elsewhere. The next time he was spotted, he had a place up in the Andes, but again the agent who picked up the trail managed to stick his neck in a noose before he could pinpoint the location. This one died of chicken pox. And don’t tell me you don’t die of chicken pox, doll. The agent’s health record even showed he’d had a severe case as a child, but Archie’s trained bugs paid no attention to his built-in immunity. They killed him dead.”
    Winnie frowned thoughtfully. “In other words, the man has found a way of increasing the virulence somehow.”
    “In non-technical terms, that’s about it,” I said. “Which brings up the interesting question: What happens when he stops playing around with children’s diseases and applies his method to something really gruesome, like smallpox or cholera. He’s building up to something, obviously. He could have had those agents shot or tossed off a cliff. Instead, he’s been passing out samples, deliberately showing us and the rest of the world what he can do. Where does he go from here? And just who are the people helping him and what are their motives? Those are the questions bugging the big boys in Washington. The fact that the same questions are probably being considered in Moscow and elsewhere doesn’t help their peace of mind one little bit.”
    “Are we sure it isn’t Moscow that’s giving McRow aid and comfort?”
    “Sure?” I said. “Who’s sure of anything? All we know is that they seem to be just as baffled as we are. And that whoever is sheltering Archie has plenty of money and manpower, but he doesn’t seem particularly anxious to take up residence in the workers’ homeland.”
    Winnie hesitated. “If this were a movie, I’d suggest an international mastermind of crime who was hoping to blackmail the world with the ultimate biological weapon.”
    “Don’t think that possibility isn’t being considered quite seriously,” I said. “But in the absence of any clues to the identity of McRow’s current patrons, Washington is just assuming they aren’t driven by philanthropic motives. And after three abortive tries to take McRow undamaged, including Buchanan’s, well, much as they’d like to have the big brain back working for democracy… Anyway, it was decided as a last resort to give us the job. We’re supposed to take care of it before Archie finishes whatever it is he’s really working on; also before anybody else gets hold of him, including our friends the British. The only trouble is, nobody has any notion what his target date may be. It could be tomorrow. Or it could be yesterday.” I sighed regretfully and reached for the phone. “Well, this has been real pleasant, ma’am, but we’ve got work to do.”
    “Who’re you