STRATAGEM Chapter 8

AT THIS UNGODLY HOUR? Marcus Crowley grumbled at the text message calling him in for an urgent matter. He happened to be the only medical examiner in the area with sufficient clearance to even set foot in Vanderberg. But come on, at 12:48 AM? Really?
The message came from ICOMM rather than NASA. Better not be late, could very well be a matter of national security. Odd, he’d never had to perform an autopsy at a space shuttle launch facility.
Muttering each step of the way, Marcus threw some clothes on, grabbed his briefcase, keys, and phone, then left the house.
Thirty-eight minutes, three security check-points, and countless expletives later, he arrived at the medical facility. Walking alone inside a dark building in the wee hours of the night wasn’t so bad. Nor was having to spend the night with a bunch of corpses. Having to do it all unscheduled? That was the worst. Didn’t anyone honor the sanctity of the calendar anymore?
At last, he arrived, entered the exam room, and prepped himself for the autopsies. It took a bit longer than usual to get inside the hazmat suit—such a nuisance! When he finally finished he went through the safety doors and switched on the lights.

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STRATAGEM Chapter 7

NYPD 33rd Precinct
Washington Heights, New York

“YOU’RE MAKING A HUGE MISTAKE!” Derek shouted at the one-way mirror in the interrogation room. To his left, the blinds covered the window, its entire frame caged in by a metal grid fixed with a padlock. The silver-painted radiator looked like it had seen its final days in the last century, and some of the black lockers next to it had missing doors. “You can’t just hold me here all day.”
“Wrong,” the cold female voice said over the intercom. “Based on what you’re suspected of, we can hold you up to ninety-six hours, and up to fourteen days if the Terrorism Act applies.”

“Terror—are you out of your mind?” What had they done with Paige and Hulk? She must be scared and confused. “Is Paige all right? You have someone taking care of her?

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STRATAGEM Chapter 6

TWO WEEKS EARLIER…

Vanderberg Air Force Base

ONE BY ONE, the EMTs rolled the members of the Athena crew into the medical facility. Connor Walken stood in the waiting area as they passed by, each with paramedics and doctors performing chest compressions and bag-mask CPR. For the brief moments when he saw them, however, he could tell. They were completely unresponsive. Who knew how long they’d been this way, how long had Sabine?
He must keep his composure, though. Anything else would appear unprofessional and could expose his feelings for her. He’d admired her from the day she started working with ICOMM. They’d enjoyed a certain rapport both at work and outside. Of course, he knew better than to presume that her kindness toward him was in any way unique. She was kind to everyone. But it didn’t necessarily mean she didn’t have feelings for him too.
He made a mental note of which room the medical team brought her into. But for some reason, they’d all been taken to the same room.
Come on, Sabine. You have to pull through.

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STRATAGEM Chapter 5

STRATAGEM by Joshua Graham PREVIOUS CHAPTER FIVE EMPTY. On a weekday morning, the Henry Hudson Parkway should be packed with cars going in both directions. But as Derek drove away in the NYPD squad car he’d borrowed,   he saw none. Paige was holding Hulk in her lap and humming a song he remembered from […]

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STRATAGEM Chapter 4

DEAR GOD, DON’T LET ME DIE OUT HERE. Sabine Storm stared at the puncture in her glove which went through the Vectran material. “Vanderberg, this is Storm. We may have a problem.” It’s been said, ‘In space, no one can hear you scream,’ but in fact, everyone on the com would hear her.

“Talk to me,” Connor Walken, ICOMM team lead said, his voice calm. It must have irked all the NASA personnel at Vandenberg that they had to play second fiddle for this mission. But thanks to the highly classified nature of this spacewalk, they had no choice.

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