Page 74 of The Lazarus Protocol

Adam managed to stand, trying to bite back the urge to cry out and have everyone hear him. “He caught me off guard.”

“Who?” Dan asked. “Where is he?”

“It’ll come to me.” He grabbed a rolling stool and used it to stay upright, sitting on the seat and rolling himself over to a computer terminal. Across the room was another door.

“Is he in there with you?” Dan demanded.

“He fled.”

“I’ll try to find another entry.” Dan rushed away from the sliding door.

Adam frowned at the monitors on the wall, trying not to think about the three long slashes from that razor-sharp blade. “Marina, what’s Polaris?”

“I want a sitrep from you first.” She sounded worried.

“He cut me across the chest a couple times. It isn’t deep, but it stings.” As long as Adam stayed sitting at this angle, Dan wouldn’t see the blood and freak everyone else out. “Later, get into the Kremlin’s computer system and get me an image of every former Spetsnaz… No that isn’t right. Why am I thinking about Earthnet and the guy who runs it?”

“The billionaire guy? He’s the one crazy about rockets.”

Adam winced. “And drones, I guess. And underwater labs.”

“He stabbed you?” Dan asked, but Adam couldn’t see him through the window.

“What about the billionaire?” Marina asked.

“I’ll figure it out. Just as soon as my head stops spinning.”

In his ear, Marina said, “Was there something on the blade that cut you? Like poison?”

“I hope not. I don’t have time for that.” Adam hammered the Enter key on the computer terminal. “I need a way to get into this system.”

The screen didn’t turn on, but the webcam lit up. “Someone is watching me,” he muttered. “Jay, did you get to Steph?”

“Working on it,” Jay said. “But Vesper is still on the ship.”

“Why would she be here, and the head of Earthnet is here?” Adam wasn’t sure that made sense. The world was starting to tip to the side, and he wasn’t sure he could keep it all upright. “Should’ve called me Atlas,” he muttered.

Dan said, “Okay, so the head of Earthnet was holding Doctor Warrington hostage, and Vesper is here. Has to be so she can rescue the guy, right? Too bad he shot himself. That, or she’s here to…” His voice trailed off. “Kai, find her before she does something crazy.”

“Like record a TikTok video on the lido deck?”

“No,” Dan said. “More like blow this whole ship sky-high.”

“Yeah, that would be crazy.” Kai almost sounded serious. “On it.”

“Adam, come over here and try the door from your side. See if you can get out.”

He looked at Dan through the glass. “We need to get into the system.” That wasn’t the right word. “Their network.” That was it. “Find out what this lab is, and what’s Polaris.”

“Buddy, you’re bleeding. I need you to wheel that stool over here, and we can open the door,” Dan said. “It’s time to go, and there’s no other way in.”

“Marina can get into the Polaris system.” He shifted, and pain lanced through his chest. “I can’t believe he caught me by surprise.”

The world blurred around him. He leaned his elbows on the countertop. “What am I working on?”

“We’ll figure it out together.” Dan sounded almost sad. “Help me get the door open, Phoenix.”

That name.