All Due Respect by Vicki Hinze Read Free Book Online

you.
    Seth stopped at a junction in the corridor. A studious security guard stood sentry at a small podium-type desk. ” ‘Morning, Dr. Holt.”
    “Good morning, Sergeant Grimm.” Seth smiled, “This
    is Dr. Warner. She’ll be working with me in the vault for a while.”
    The sergeant skimmed Seth with a handheld scanner, then moved to scan Julia. “Welcome to the zone, ma’am.”
    Julia smiled at the reminder. People often referred to the vault as the Twilight Zone because, in it, strange and bizarre ideas were considered the norm. “Thank you.”
    He finished scanning and then nodded toward the card system machine attached to the wall near his shoulder.
    Seth inserted his ID card, then walked through.
    Julia followed.
    They moved on, down yet another seemingly endless, winding corridor. “We’ve walked at least a mile.” And she had the screaming arches to prove it. “How much farther?”
    “We’ve walked just under half a mile, actually.” They stopped again. “I’ll explain more once we’re inside.”
    She nodded, staring at the two glass cylinders behind Seth. Bordered by solid walls, the cylinders ran from ceiling to floor. You either went through them, or turned around.
    “They’re not glass,” Seth said. “They’re sound-and bulletproof, and strong enough to sustain the force of a reasonable explosion.” He shrugged. “Perfectly safe.”
    Julia gave him a sidelong look. “Define reasonable.”
    Seth laughed and motioned for her to follow his lead.
    She stepped to the side of the cylinder and inserted her card into the appropriate slot. With a little high-pitched whir, it sucked the card inside. The cylinder’s door opened. When she’d moved inside, the door sealed shut. Locked in, she noted the absence of air flow: a necessary precaution against biological or chemical invasion, if not exactly comfortable. A moment passed, and another, and then the door in front of her glided open. She stepped out and dragged in a deep breath of crisp air.
    “Don’t forget your card.” Seth motioned toward the machine.
    He looked a little green around the gills. Wondering
    why, she stepped aside, and then pulled her card from the tray. “You okay?”
    “Yeah.” He grabbed his card. “I just hate this damn thing.”
    Evidently, being locked inside the cylinder unnerved him. Funny, how differently people react to things. To her, it was a rare place. One where she felt safe.
    Seth smiled sheepishly. “Almost there.”
    “Good. People have children in less time than it takes to get into this place.”
    “It’s not that bad, Julia.”
    “No, it’s that good.” It was time-consuming and irritating, but the precautions were definitely warranted.
    They walked down yet another deserted gray corridor to the next checkpoint. This one was unmanned, though cameras littered the wall, covering every possible angle.
    Passing through, they took the first right, and then stopped at a set of double doors. Two machines hung side by side on the wall next to them. Seth stepped up to the first machine and centered his forehead against a plate glass, as if he were peeking inside. Given a green light, he moved to the second machine and placed his palm flat against a pad that resembled a small computer screen.
    Julia mimicked him. Iris and palm print scanners. “Biometrics?”
    “Enhanced biometrics,” he corrected. “Including facial structure scans.”
    Something in his tone alerted her. “And what else?”
    “That’s classified.” The double doors opened. “We’re here.”
    Julia looked at the doors, then above them. “After all that, just one camera at the entrance to the vault?”
    Seth laughed. “We’ve been in the vault since we went through the transporter—the glass cylinder.”
    “Oh.” Julia wanted to cringe but refused to do it. She should have realized that. Transporter was an apt slang name for the cylinder. Working in the vault’s inner lab was
    like working in another world. “Just how