did. Meanwhile, the things grow at an unprecedented rate, escape from the lab, and proliferate on this island. I have to say that seems rather hard to believe, Dr. Whiting. I mean, I like a good science fiction yarn as much as the next guy, but come on. If that really happened, why didn't you notify the authorities when you discovered these mutations?"
Whiting stopped chewing for a moment. "Let me ask you a question, Captain Hammond. If you were the authorities and I came to you with this story, what would you say?"
Hammond nodded. "I see your point. Still, how did you survive your assassination attempt and yet, make them think you're dead?"
"I had some of the formula with me when they dumped me on the island. I put it on my wounds. When I regained consciousness, they were healed."
Whiting pulled up his shirt. Four round scars were scattered across his abdomen. "Believe me now?"
At that moment, a howl cut through the air. Whiting wheeled around. "Come on. We need to move now!"
Thirty-Eight
----
P ETER C ARLSON STOOD STARING AT Ellen. Her presence of mind and determination had impressed him. Now, however, he was wondering if she'd gone too far.
"What do you mean, they're gone?"
"I went to the storage tanks--"
"Are you crazy? If Tibek caught you in there, there's no telling what he'd have done."
"I opened the tanks. The embryos are all gone. All six of them. He must've taken them, who else could it be? He's been acting strange for days now."
Peter was silent for a minute. Ellen's newest revelation left him deeply troubled. Her accusation, though staggeringly bold, had just opened all kinds of new doors, and got him thinking in a completely new direction. If Tibek did take them... was it for corporate or scientific espionage? What did he stand to gain?
A darker thought crept into his mind.
How far would he go?
"You're quiet," Ellen said, beside him.
Peter glanced over. For an instant, in the muted lighting of his quarters, he saw a softness in Ellen's eyes he had not noticed before. Shaking off the thought, he gave her a tired sigh. "I can't believe this. It seems to get worse with every passing hour. Sometimes I wish I hadn't signed on for this."
"That makes two of us."
"What if this whole thing is a sham? What if the Prince has just put all of us here to--"
"To what?"
Peter's words came faster now. "I hate to say it, but I think there's much more going on here than what we've been told. By the Prince and everyone else."
* * *
Peter paced in his room. Ellen had left and now his senses were tingling. He didn't know which was more discomforting--Ellen's news about the missing embryos or his vain attempts to contact Prince Habib.
The Prince didn't answer.
When his cell phone rang, Peter quickly ran through his mind what he was going to say to the Prince. When he flipped open the phone, he was surprised to hear a stranger's voice on the other end.
"Dr. Carlson?"
"Yes. Who is this?"
"Who I am is not important. What I'm calling about is. Listen carefully. I work for Gem/BioTech. We received a package that came from your..."
Peter heard a pop... pop ... on the line, followed by static.
Then the line went dead.
Along with whoever was on the other end of the call, Peter surmised.
Thirty-Nine
----
J ACK AND THE GROUP MADE slow progress, slogging through mud and thorny vines. They'd decided that if they were going to find the lab, they needed to get to higher ground in order to survey the landscape.
"There's a waterfall somewhere near here. I've seen it before," Whiting said, "if we can get there by morning, we can see across the island."
An hour later, the roar of a nearby waterfall grew louder, gradually drowning out the sound of the large beetles that crackled in the night air. The vegetation grew thicker, becoming nearly impenetrable. A cool mist from the falls settled on their faces and hair, the moisture creating a welcome micro-climate, vastly different from the sauna-like heat of the day.
"There's
Whiting stopped chewing for a moment. "Let me ask you a question, Captain Hammond. If you were the authorities and I came to you with this story, what would you say?"
Hammond nodded. "I see your point. Still, how did you survive your assassination attempt and yet, make them think you're dead?"
"I had some of the formula with me when they dumped me on the island. I put it on my wounds. When I regained consciousness, they were healed."
Whiting pulled up his shirt. Four round scars were scattered across his abdomen. "Believe me now?"
At that moment, a howl cut through the air. Whiting wheeled around. "Come on. We need to move now!"
Thirty-Eight
----
P ETER C ARLSON STOOD STARING AT Ellen. Her presence of mind and determination had impressed him. Now, however, he was wondering if she'd gone too far.
"What do you mean, they're gone?"
"I went to the storage tanks--"
"Are you crazy? If Tibek caught you in there, there's no telling what he'd have done."
"I opened the tanks. The embryos are all gone. All six of them. He must've taken them, who else could it be? He's been acting strange for days now."
Peter was silent for a minute. Ellen's newest revelation left him deeply troubled. Her accusation, though staggeringly bold, had just opened all kinds of new doors, and got him thinking in a completely new direction. If Tibek did take them... was it for corporate or scientific espionage? What did he stand to gain?
A darker thought crept into his mind.
How far would he go?
"You're quiet," Ellen said, beside him.
Peter glanced over. For an instant, in the muted lighting of his quarters, he saw a softness in Ellen's eyes he had not noticed before. Shaking off the thought, he gave her a tired sigh. "I can't believe this. It seems to get worse with every passing hour. Sometimes I wish I hadn't signed on for this."
"That makes two of us."
"What if this whole thing is a sham? What if the Prince has just put all of us here to--"
"To what?"
Peter's words came faster now. "I hate to say it, but I think there's much more going on here than what we've been told. By the Prince and everyone else."
* * *
Peter paced in his room. Ellen had left and now his senses were tingling. He didn't know which was more discomforting--Ellen's news about the missing embryos or his vain attempts to contact Prince Habib.
The Prince didn't answer.
When his cell phone rang, Peter quickly ran through his mind what he was going to say to the Prince. When he flipped open the phone, he was surprised to hear a stranger's voice on the other end.
"Dr. Carlson?"
"Yes. Who is this?"
"Who I am is not important. What I'm calling about is. Listen carefully. I work for Gem/BioTech. We received a package that came from your..."
Peter heard a pop... pop ... on the line, followed by static.
Then the line went dead.
Along with whoever was on the other end of the call, Peter surmised.
Thirty-Nine
----
J ACK AND THE GROUP MADE slow progress, slogging through mud and thorny vines. They'd decided that if they were going to find the lab, they needed to get to higher ground in order to survey the landscape.
"There's a waterfall somewhere near here. I've seen it before," Whiting said, "if we can get there by morning, we can see across the island."
An hour later, the roar of a nearby waterfall grew louder, gradually drowning out the sound of the large beetles that crackled in the night air. The vegetation grew thicker, becoming nearly impenetrable. A cool mist from the falls settled on their faces and hair, the moisture creating a welcome micro-climate, vastly different from the sauna-like heat of the day.
"There's
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