“Can I ask you a question Dr. Adams?”
Yep, Lionel thought. Something’s up with Jacob. He never calls me doctor unless he’s mad at me about something. “Sure, what’s up?”
“Well, do you think I don’t already have enough work to do around here that you have to give me such busy work as this analysis?”
“Ah, no,” Lionel replied. “I think you have plenty to do. It’s just that I’ve come to count on your precision. This analysis is important which is why I gave it to you.”
“To analyze what is essentially colored water?” Jacob asked as he handed the folder with the results over to Lionel.
“Colored water?” Lionel asked with a perplexed look. “That’s not possible.”
“Look it over for yourself. I ran it twice just to be sure. What you handed me last night was a nothing more than a vial of H2O with a few pigments in it.”
Lionel stood in the hall staring at his assistant, a perplexed look growing on his face. How was it possible that the sample of template he’d given Jacob had come back as nothing more than colored water? The facts didn’t lie. The flask he had hidden away in his office was no longer the template. Someone had snuck into his office, found the key in his desk drawer, taken the flask of template, and left an identical flask behind with colored water. But who would have done such a thing? Who would even have known to look for the template, or known where to find the key?
“Is everything all right?” Jacob asked.
Lionel shook himself. “Yes, yes everything is fine. I’m sorry about this. It was certainly not my intention to give you busy work. I must have somehow mixed up the vials. I do apologize.”
Jacob nodded. “Okay, apology accepted. When you find the other sample, just let me know, and I’ll check it for you.”
“Yes, thanks,” Lionel replied. “I’ll just keep this data and one more thing, Jacob. Could we keep this misunderstanding just between the two of us?”
“What misunderstanding are you talking about?” Jacob asked. “Is that good enough?”
“Perfect,” Lionel replied.
Lionel watched Jacob walk down the hall still bothered by the news. He returned to his office, his need to solve this mystery growing with each step. He sat down at his desk where he kept a pad of paper he referred to as he doodling pad. He tore off the top sheet of paper with strange markings he didn’t even recall jotting down. On the fresh sheet, he wrote down a list of people that had access to his lab:
Franklin
Jacob
Dr. Chickowski
Myself
Cleaning crew?
He stared at the paper. Pretty short list, he thought. It shouldn’t be too hard to figure out who stole the template. He just needed to go through the list and cross off each one based on a systematic approach to the problem. After all, he was still a scientist, wasn’t he? He started by crossing off his own name. Unless he had completely gone off the deep end, he was certain he hadn't switched out the template.
How about Jacob? He had access to the lab with his own key pass, Lionel thought. He might have been in the lab at some point when I had used the keys to unlock the cabinet. But wouldn’t Jacob have freaked out when I gave him the assignment to analyze the sample, or at least given some sign that would have revealed his guilt? Jacob was certainly intelligent enough to figure out where the sample came from. Besides, he’s been with me for years and never given me any reason to suspect him to be anything but honest.
Lionel crossed Jacob off the list. He then crossed out the cleaning crew. When he had first started the research on the template, he’d gotten special permission from Franklin to clean the lab himself. No cleaning crew had passed his lab’s threshold in over five years. While there had been several times he had regretted this paranoid decision, today was not one of them.
That left only two possibilities: Franklin and Dr. Chickowski. Either of them could have switched out the template. Both had access to his lab, but Dr. Chickowski had already proven how devious and underhanded he was. On top of that, Lionel didn’t believe Franklin smart enough to develop such a plan of industrial espionage, but he wouldn’t cross Franklin off the list just yet. He wrote a large “one” next to Chickowski’s name and a “two” next to Franklin’s.
It’s time to pay my old colleague a visit in the hospital, Lionel thought. “But I think I’ll forgo the flowers,” he muttered to himself.
“But how is it possible for an island to be invisible?” Alp asked. She rubbed her eyes, then opened them again and squinted out to sea. Sure enough, there was something out there, but nothing with any detail. Just a vague fog or cloudiness.
“What happens if someone tries to sail in that direction? Won’t they run into it?”
Damba laughed. “Not likely. If so, someone would have surely done that sometime in the last century or two. No, the island repels unwanted vessels, both ships and planes.”
“But, I repeat, how is that possible? Are you pulling my leg?”
It was Damba’s turned to look confused. “Pardon? Pull your leg?” He looked down at Alp’s legs. “I’m not sure we know each other well enough for that…though I appreciate the invitation.”
“That wasn’t an invitation. It’s just a saying. It means, are you joking with me?”
“Oh, I see. No, I’m not joking. The island is protected by juju.” Damba replied with a straight face as though he was describing the most natural phenomenon ever. The sun rises from the East, sets in the West and oh yeah, Geluk, where I live, is protected by juju.
“Now, wait just a minute. You’re telling me that an entire island has been protected from detection for over two hundred years by magic?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Damba replied, flashing another one of his killer smiles.
“So, you don’t believe in a power that could have brought us together like you told Kambuji to get him to take us back to the mainland, but you do believe your home is protected by magic.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You misunderstood. I believe in such a power, of course. Who doesn’t? The part I didn’t believe is your story that slavers abducted you. That was pure hogwash.”
“Then why in the world did you help us?” Alp felt her face suddenly flush; both embarrassed that she’d been caught in a lie again and angry by how nonchalant Damba acted about it.
“I told you, I find you cute…and interesting, and clearly you needed my help. Oh, and one other thing.”
“Yea, I know, you were bored.”
“Not really,” Damba replied. “I also saw and felt the blue light that connects you and me.”
As Lionel entered BVT’s cafeteria shortly before eleven, he noticed Denise and Bridgette had already grabbed one of the corner tables out of the way of most traffic. It was also close to the kitchen so the sound would hopefully prevent their conversation from being overheard.
Lionel walked through the line, passing up on the remnants of scrambled eggs that looked like they’d turned to rubber. He settled for a bowl of fruit and a container of yogurt, topping it all off with a large mug of coffee. Although he rarely drank coffee and when he did he kept it to decaf, he figured he’d need a good shot of caffeine to make it through today. He strolled over and sat down next to Bridgette, who reached out and clasped his hand in a warm greeting.
“Sorry, we’ve already eaten,” Denise said as she raised her cup of coffee to him.
“Yeah, we were both famished,” Bridgette added. She let go of his hand to pick up her cup of coffee, much to Lionel’s disappointment. He felt a bit like a silly school boy, but Bridgette’s touch made his heart flutter in a way that he hadn’t enjoyed in many years.
“Any word from your friend? What was her name again?” Lionel asked as he pulled the top off the yogurt container. Damn, he’d forgotten to get himself a spoon.
“Vogt, Pat Vogt,” Denise replied. She smiled as she handed him her spoon.
“Yes, we talked last night. She was shocked to hear from me, after all, th
is time, but after we had talked for a bit, it felt like we picked right up from where we were years ago. It’s great to have such friends. She took the case without any hesitation. In fact, I’ve heard from her already this morning.”
“Really?” Lionel said as he nodded his thanks for the spoon. “That was quick.”
“Well, Pat has already had an uncanny knack of getting to the heart of a situation, which is part of what makes her so good at her job. It also is what got her fired from her government job years ago. Some powerful people didn’t like how she cut through their bureaucratic red tape.”
“Isn’t this exciting!” Bridgette exclaimed. “We finally have someone on our side that knows how to get results.”
“Not so fast,” Denise said. “Pat is good…very good, but as she was quick to point out, this is not going to be easy. There’s not a lot to go on, and whoever those helicopters belong to isn’t interested in us knowing from where they came. On top of that, if Alp had something to do with the escape, she’s probably also going to do whatever she can to protect herself and her sisters.”
The three of them sat in silence as Denise’s words sunk in. Lionel finished off his yogurt and started into the bowl of fruit.
“So you said you heard from Pat this morning?”
“Yes, sorry,” Denise said. “I forgot where I was.” She reached into the pocket of her blouse and pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper.
“Here’s what Pat has been able to determine so far. A helicopter fitting the description of the one that flew out of here yesterday afternoon was sighted flying in an easterly direction heading towards the coast. An unidentified aircraft also appeared on radar around that same time in that area. We can presume it was the same aircraft. Unfortunately, somewhere around the Albermarle Sound, it suddenly disappeared off the radar.”
“Damn,” Lionel said.
“Double damn,” Bridgette added.
“Exactly,” Denise agreed. “However, Pat told me not to give up hope. She said that on cases like this dead ends aren’t unusual and sometimes are only temporary. She’s continuing her investigation.”
“Well, that’s good,” Bridgette said attempting to smile despite the depressing news. “At least we have someone who knows her stuff and that’s on our side.”
“And they’ve been gone less than twenty-four hours,” Lionel said. He pushed the half empty bowl of fruit away.
“Yes, but the first twenty-four hours are the most critical,” Denise replied. “The longer it goes after that without any news, the greater the chance we may never find them.”
“Holy shit!” Alp exclaimed, her face continuing to turn beet red. “You saw that?”
“And felt it…instantaneously, even as you were paddling your way over to my boat.”
This revelation was too much for Alp. She felt like pinching herself. She must be dreaming. I’m probably still down in the storage room asleep, leaning against Mia and drooling on her. But this all felt way too real. But then again, dreams usually did. The pinch test verified she wasn’t dreaming.
“Okay, let’s just say for the moment, for argument sake, that it’s true. That there is some cosmic force that in someway connects the two of us. Then what?”
Damba shrugged. “Damn if I know. It’s as new to me as it is to you. But I will say this. It would probably make sense not to resist it.”
“And why not?”
“Well, there’s a lesson I learned many years ago, taught to me by Babalawo. He’s our shaman. You might think of him as our spiritual leader. He told me that we are often presented with gifts by the spirit world as we travel through our lives. These gifts may have within them lessons we’re here to learn that will support us on our journey.”
“Okay,” Alp said. “I follow you so far.”
“Well, unfortunately, many times we’re not ready to accept the gift or learn the lesson, so we refuse it or resist it.”
“And then what happens?”
Damba shook his head. “Not good things. It’s like an old TV commercial I heard many years ago. We don’t have TV on Geluk. We hardly have electricity, but I was on Zunga’s boat that brings us supplies every month or so. He has a TV that he sometimes allows me to watch. The commercial said something like, ‘It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature;' something dumb like that. Most commercials are pretty stupid, but when I heard this one, it made sense. Trying to deny or resist our destiny is one way we fool around with Mother Nature.”
Alp thought about what Damba said for a minute before asking, “Who’s Zunga?”
“His full name is WachiZunga which means wanderer, but everyone calls him Zunga. He’s originally from our island though he doesn’t live there anymore. He sails around many of the islands providing necessary supplies. He felt called to leave the island to serve it and the other outlying areas. He’s my primary connection to the rest of the world.”
“So, we aren’t to resist this…whatever it is. Cosmic connection, spiritual gift?”
Damba nodded. “That’s right.”
“So, how do we not resist it?”
“I’m glad you asked.” He turned to her and smiled again. “I’m about to break the most sacred pledge of our people. I want you to know up front I do it willingly and of my own choice. Do you understand?”
“Not really,” Alp replied, but she felt her heart race.
“I’m inviting you and your…your friends, I believe you referred to them as…to Geluk. We’re not just passing it. We’re sailing to it.”
As Alp looked back towards the island, she realized the fishing trawler had changed course. “But how? Why?”
“First, answer a question for me. The others that are with you; what is your real connection to them?”
Alp blushed again. Once again, she’d been caught telling a fib.
“They are my sisters…well, technically half-sisters. We share the same father but different mothers.”
Damba nodded. “That makes more sense. I felt some strong bond that you all shared, stronger than just friendship.”
“Back to my question. How can you get away with inviting us to your invisible island? Isn’t it…well, mutiny. What does Kambuji say about this?”
“He doesn’t know yet. He’s sleeping; thanks to a sleep potion I gave him. By the time he awakes it will be too late. We’ll be docked at Geluk. Besides, things are not exactly as they appear here either.”
“What do you mean?” Alp asked.
“Well, while technically Kambuji is the captain of this ship, and I’m his first mate, back on Geluk we have different roles. You see, my name, Damba, stands for Ruler of the World. On Geluk at least that’s pretty much what I am, or at least one day will be. My father is our chieftain. I’m counting on having enough influence as the future ruler of our people to get away with this small transgression.”
“Is that what it is, a small transgression?”
“No, not at all. It might just be large enough for my father to end up disowning me. So, that’s what not resisting looks like for me. How about you? Will you accept my hospitality?”
Alp nodded slowly. Everything was moving so fast. She was unsure what to say so for once she decided to say nothing. Geluk sounded like a blessing. An island that no one could detect that had been hidden from the rest of civilization for hundreds of years. What better place for the Kindred to hide out; at least until they decided what their collective destiny would be.
Southern Hospitality
Alp gazed around at her sisters huddled in the slightly less smelly storeroom as she relayed what Damba had told her on deck. “So, after careful consideration, I’ve accepted Damba’s invitation to visit his people’s island.”
“You’ve what?” Tabitha blurted out. “I thought we were headed to the mainland. Who the hell wants to be stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere? Didn’t you just say they don’t have any contact with the rest of the world? They don’t even have electricity? Geluk sounds like the last place in the world I wa
nt to visit much less live.”
Alp was prepared for her outburst. She knew the news would be a shock to all of them and especially to Tabitha and Kirstin, who had rebelled against just about every decision she had made. Even so, the degree of anger and vehemence was more than she’d expected. She took a deep breath and tried to stay calm as she replied.
“Well, I’m not positive, but I do think they have some electricity. It’s just that they’ve chosen to live a simpler life. It should be fun.”
She stared around the storage room at the stunned looks on each of her sisters’ faces.
“I’m with Tabitha,” Kirstin said. “This is the craziest idea I’ve ever heard.”
Alp was surprised to see a couple of the others nodding their heads.
She turned to Mia and Heather for support.
“What do you say?”
“Well, I think for once Tabitha has a point. Such a decision probably should have been discussed,” Mia replied. “I mean, it does affect all of us in a big way.”
“But I did have all of our interest in mind when I accepted,” Alp replied. “We need somewhere we can hide away from both the people at Bio Vita Tech and from whoever it was that tried to kidnap us.”
“Yes, that’s true,” Heather said, stepping up to stand next to Mia. “Still, such a decision shouldn’t be decided by one person. I think we should take a vote on it.”
“Yeah, let’s vote,” Tabitha said, stepping up and looking around at the circle. “Who wants to spend the rest of their life stuck on some damn island in the middle of nowhere shut off from every modern convenience. Or would you rather take your chance back on the mainland where they have all the conveniences we’ve come to expect, even if it meant going back to Bio Vita Tech?”
She turned to Kirstin and raised her hand with her own. "Who’s with Kirstin and me about going to the mainland?"
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