Upon reaching the end of the hall, they passed through a locked door and up a dimly lit stairwell. Lind was being held in the basement and had traveled to the upper floors on several occasions. Each of the prior trips had been to see a woman who Lind believed was a doctor or at the very least someone with medical training. Her job was to monitor Lind’s vital signs as he came off of whatever drugs they had injected into his system.
As they continued up the steps, Lind wondered why he hadn’t been cuffed this time. Perhaps they finally realized escape was impossible, even without restraints. Or maybe they were trying to gain his trust by giving him unexpected privileges. While Lind was no expert on hostage situations, he guessed captors often did this sort of thing to obtain cooperation.
After reaching the ground floor, Lind was escorted through an exit door. They emerged on the side of the building, where a green Jeep Wrangler was waiting. Are we leaving the island? Lind doubted it. There would be little reason to bring him all the way to an island just to recover. Maybe he would soon learn the reason he had been taken in the first place.
Before he could study the surroundings, Lind was shoved into the back of the Jeep. Two of the guards got in on either side of him, while the third climbed into the driver’s seat. After coming around the back of the building, the Jeep entered a narrow dirt road that cut through the jungle. The rainforest was thick, making it difficult to see what else might be out there. A few minutes later, they emerged into a large open area. Three brick buildings stood directly ahead, a large one in the center and two smaller ones on either side. The Jeep pulled up in front of the large building and came to a stop.
As Lind was pulled out of the back seat, he noticed something odd about the sunlight. The rays seemed filtered somehow. It reminded him of a solar eclipse he had experienced a couple of years before. He looked up to determine the cause, but they were already under the awning at the front of the building.
A man and a woman were waiting for them in the foyer. The woman was tall with olive skin and dark hair that was pulled back into a businesslike bun. She wore dark-rimmed glasses that made her look intellectual.
As they got closer, Lind stared at the man. He was slightly over six feet tall and had a slender build. His goatee appeared in need of a good trim. Adding to the disheveled appearance, the man’s head was topped with a shock of unruly hair that was three parts gray to one part blond. Lind had seen him somewhere before, even though he couldn’t place the time or occasion.
The man bowed slightly. “Welcome, Dr. Lind.”
Lind said nothing. He wasn’t in a cooperative mood.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” the man continued. “My name is Jonas Brehmer.”
Jonas Brehmer. Of course. The CEO of Pallas Industries. They had met briefly at several conferences over the years. Lind hadn’t recognized Brehmer because his appearance had changed dramatically. When they had spoken before, he had been clean-shaven, and his hair had been cut and combed.
Brehmer gestured toward the woman next to him. “This is my assistant, Miss Pelser.”
The woman stuck out her hand, but Lind ignored it.
“You’re probably wondering why we brought you over here this morning,” Brehmer said. “We would like—”
“Let’s cut the BS,” Lind said. “You had no right to bring me here against my will.”
“Would you have come if we hadn’t?” Brehmer’s eyes were colder than before.
“Of course not.”
Brehmer smiled. “So there is your answer. Our work here is much too important to ride on the whims of men.”
“You know, I always questioned your moral compass, even though I didn’t know you very well.” Lind had always felt uncomfortable in Brehmer’s presence. There was a darkness to the man that couldn’t be covered up by his public demeanor.
“That’s the thing about a moral compass,” Brehmer said. “One man’s north is another man’s south.”
“I think we both know that taking someone against their will is wrong no matter what your beliefs are.”
“Ah, not so. The good of humankind always trumps the rights of individuals. You know that. Societies make laws to that effect all the time.”
“I’d love to hear how you define the good of humankind,” Lind said.
“That’s actually why we’re here.” Brehmer gestured toward a nearby door. “Come. It’s time you saw what we’ve been working on.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
LIND FOLLOWED BREHMER and Pelser down a broad corridor that ran the length of the building. Steel doors lined either side, and there were small signs on the wall next to each one. Lind examined the signs and noticed that each contained a short set of letters and numbers. He guessed they were used to identify the experiments or the subjects of the experiments.
A minute later, the corridor turned sharply to the right, following the contour of the building.
“These are our laboratories.” Brehmer swept his hand toward either side of the hall. “I’m sure you’ll find the surroundings familiar.”
Floor-to-ceiling glass rose up on both sides of the corridor, giving a clear view of rooms filled with long tables, wall-mounted flat screens, gurneys, and assorted equipment that Lind recognized as being related to the bioengineering field. Men and women wearing white lab coats moved around inside. None of them looked up as the group passed by. Either they were caught up in their work, or perhaps the glass was a one-way mirror like the ones used in police interrogation rooms.
Brehmer looked back at Lind. “Everything here is state-of-the-art.”
Although Lind hated to admit it, the labs were impressive. The equipment was the best money could buy. Some of it was so cutting edge that Lind didn’t even recognize its purpose, and he was a giant in the field.
“We give our people everything they need to be successful,” Pelser said. It was the first time she had spoken. Lind wondered if she was the brains behind it all. Brehmer had a background in genetics, but he seemed more businessman than scientist.
“It’s impressive,” Lind said. “I’ll give you that. But we both know the world of genetics is just as much about people as it is the equipment.”
“I agree.” Pelser smiled. “Which is why we assembled some of the best scientists in the world.”
It was the response Lind expected. “Well, then I guess you don’t need me.”
“Don’t be so humble,” Brehmer said. “Of course we need you, and you’re about to see why.”
At the end of the corridor, they reached an elevator flanked by two uniformed guards who held semi-automatic rifles. Lind frowned. He wondered why there was such tight security inside the building. His chest tightened as he considered the possibilities.
After boarding the elevator, it took them about ten seconds to reach their destination. That suggested they were at least two or three stories underground. Like the guards, the location seemed like a security feature. The more he saw, the more concerned Lind became.
The group stepped out into a wide, dimly lit corridor. As was the case on the ground floor, two more armed guards were standing to one side.
“Please, follow me,” Pelser said.
The underground space was like something out of a Bond movie. The walls were natural rock, a reminder of the island’s volcanic origins. A series of steel support beams were situated at regular intervals along each side. It must have cost a fortune to cut all of this out of the rock.
Like the hallway on the ground floor, this one had steel doors on either side. Each one had the same small signs displaying a short set of letters and numbers. As far as Lind could tell, the only difference was that these doors were much larger, and a camera was affixed above each one.