At that moment, the fire alarm in the building went off. It featured alternating sequences of three ear-splitting shrieks of a horn followed by a disembodied voice: “Fire in the laboratory! Please proceed immediately to stairwells for evacuation! Do not use the elevators!”
“Oh, my word!” Rolanda said. She looked around quickly to see what she should take with her.
Laurie grabbed Jack by both arms and shook him. “Jack, be reasonable! We have to get out of here.”
“I’ve figured it out,” Jack said with a wry smile.
“I don’t give a good goddamn,” Laurie spat. “Come on!”
They rushed out into the hall. Other people were appearing as well. Everyone seemed confused as they looked up and down the hall. Some were sniffing. There was animated conversation. Many people were carrying their lap-top computers.
Without rushing they moved en masse to the stairwell. Jack, Laurie, and Natalie met up with Warren who was holding the door. He’d also managed to find white coats which he distributed to the others. They all pulled them on over their clothes. Unfortunately, they were the only ones wearing shorts.
“They have created some kind of chimera with these apes called bonobos,” Jack said excitedly. “That’s the explanation. No wonder the DNA tests were so screwy.”
“What’s he carrying on about now?” Warren asked with irritation.
“Don’t ask,” Laurie said. “It will only encourage him.”
“Whose idea was it to pull the fire alarm?” Jack asked. “It was brilliant.”
“Warren’s,” Laurie said. “At least one of us is thinking.”
The stairwell opened up into a parking lot on the north side. People were milling about, looking back at the building, and talking in small groups. It was deathly hot since the sun was out and the parking lot was blacktop. A wailing fire siren could be heard coming from the northeast.
“What should we do?” Laurie asked. “I’m relieved we’ve gotten as far as we have. I didn’t think it was going to be so easy to get out of the building.”
“Let’s walk over to the street and turn left,” Jack said while pointing. “We can circle around the area to the west and get back to the waterfront.”
“Where are all those soldiers?” Laurie asked.
“And the Arabs?” Natalie added.
“I’d guess they’re looking for us in the hospital,” Jack said.
“Let’s go before all these lab people start going back into the building,” Warren said.
They tried not to rush to avoid attracting any attention. As they neared the street they all glanced behind them for fear they were being watched, but no one was even looking in their direction. Everybody was captivated by the fire crew who’d arrived.
“So far so good,” Jack said.
Warren was the first to reach the street. As he got a look to the west around the corner, he stopped abruptly and put his arms out to block the others. He backed up a step.
“We’re not going that way,” he said. “They’ve got a roadblock at the end of the street.”
“Uh-oh,” Laurie said. “Maybe they’ve sealed off the area.”
“You remember that power station we saw?” Jack said.
Everyone nodded.
“That power has to get over here to the hospital,” Jack said. “I’d bet there’s a tunnel.”
“Maybe,” Warren said. “But the trouble is we don’t know how to find it. Besides, I’m not thrilled about going back inside. Not with all those kids with AK-47’s.”
“Then let’s try walking across the square,” Jack said.
“Toward where we saw the soldiers?” Laurie questioned with dismay.
“Hey, if they’re over here at the hospital, there should be no problem,” Jack said.
“That’s a point,” Natalie agreed.
“Of course, we could always give ourselves up and say we’re sorry,” Jack said. “I mean, what can they do to us besides kick us the hell out. I think I’ve gotten what I came for, so it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest.”
“You’re joking,” Laurie said. “They’re not going to accept a mere apology. Warren struck that man; we’ve done more than trespass.”
“I’m joking to an extent,” Jack agreed. “But the man was sticking a gun in our face. That’s at least an explanation. Besides, we can leave a bunch of our French francs behind. Supposedly, that solves everything in this country.”
“It didn’t get us past the gate,” Laurie reminded him.
“All right, everything but get us in here,” Jack said. “But I’ll be very surprised if it doesn’t get us out.”
“We’ve got to do something,” Warren said. “The fire crew are already waving for the people to come back in the building. We’re going to be standing out here in this god-awful heat by ourselves.”
“So they are,” Jack said, squinting against the sunlight. He found his sunglasses and put them on. “Let’s try crossing the square before the soldiers return.”
Once again, they tried to walk calmly as if they were strolling. They got almost to the grass, when they became aware of a commotion at the door into the building. They all turned to see a number of the black-suited Arabs push their way pass the lab techs who were entering.
The Arabs rushed out into the sundrenched parking lot with their neckties flapping and their eyes squinting. Each brandished an automatic pistol in his hand. Behind the Arabs came several soldiers. Out of breath, they stood in the hot sun, panting while scanning the neighborhood.
Warren froze, and the rest of the group did the same.
“I don’t like this,” Warren said. “The six of them have enough fire power to rob the Chase Manhattan Bank.”
“They kind of remind me of the Keystone Cops,” Jack said.
“I don’t find anything about this comical at all,” Laurie said.
“Strangely enough, I think we’re going to have to walk back inside,” Warren said. “With these lab coats on they’re going to wonder why we’re standing out here.”
Before anyone could respond to Warren’s suggestion Cameron came out the door accompanied by two other men. One was dressed like Cameron: clearly a member of the security force. The other was shorter with a limp right arm. He, too, was dressed in khaki but without any of the martial embellishments the other two sported.
“Uh-oh,” Jack said. “I have a feeling we’ll be forced to use the apology approach after all.”
Cameron was holding a blood-spotted handkerchief to his nose, but it didn’t obstruct his vision. He spotted the group immediately and pointed. “That’s them!” he yelled.
The Moroccans and the soldiers responded immediately by surrounding the trespassers. Every gun was pointed at the group, who raised their hands without being told.
“I wonder if they’ll be impressed with my medical examiner badge?” Jack quipped.
“Don’t do anything foolish!” Laurie warned.
Cameron and his companions walked over immediately. Silently, the ring around the Americans opened to allow them through. Siegfried stepped to the forefront.
“We’d like to apologize for any inconvenience,” Jack began.
“Shut up!” Siegfried snapped. He walked around the group to eye them from all directions. When he got back to where he started, he asked Cameron if these were the people he’d encountered in the hospital.
“No doubt in my mind,” Cameron said while glaring directly into Warren’s face. “I hope you will indulge me, sir.”
“Of course,” Siegfried said with a slight wave of dismissal.
Without warning, Cameron punched Warren in the side of the face with a roundhouse blow. The sound was like a telephone directory falling to the floor. A plaintive whine escaped from Cameron’s lips as he grabbed his hand and gritted his teeth. Warren did not move a muscle. He may not have blinked.
Cameron swore under his breath and stepped away.
“Search them,” Siegfried commanded.
“We are sorry if we-” Jack began but Siegfried didn’t let him finish. He slapped him with an open fist hard enough to turn Jack’s head in the direction of the blow and raise a red welt on his cheek.