Waiting in the Shadows

by Trish Moran

  Vlensky turned to Milly’s screen and brought up the image of her brain. At one side a green contour was diminishing.

  ‘Ha! Success! And this is only the beginning! I have so many other ideas!’ Vlensky smiled as he opened a new screen on his laptop.

  ‘Hmm. I would suggest terminating the experiment here, for today,’ Lena said in an even tone.

  ‘Lena! There is no room for useless sentimentality!’ Vlensky looked at her.

  ‘No, but why waste reasonable specimens? It will not be easy to obtain new ones for further experiments,’ She was jotting down data in a notebook as she replied and he could not see her facial expression.

  ‘You are right,’ he conceded, removing the memory sticks, ‘I’ve a few more ideas I want to try out! Go and see Sven. He is getting curious about what we are doing here. Get him talking; get some more data from him. Do anything to keep him busy and away from this laboratory.’

  Lena nodded and left the room. She stopped at a glass door where she could see Sven bent over a microscope. A computer screen flashed images in front of him. She paused then decided she would tell Vlensky she had spoken to him, but he had seemed too immersed in his work to even notice her presence! It had happened before! She went to her room and grabbed her phone and purse; then pulling the long cream scarf over her head and around her face she headed for the town centre and the hotel that Isaac and his companion had entered.

  How is it going? Any news? V.

  Nothing new. Celia had replied to his email. No further sightings of the Lab. And we have followed up all the leads that Isaac has given me on the business interests Maher is involved with in Laqaar. I wish I knew what to do next!

  He replied immediately:

  If only I could help! Perhaps you could forward any business names and I will see if I can make some enquiries. I don’t suppose I’ll have any more luck than you have, but I feel so helpless sitting here! V.

  Celia highlighted and forwarded him the list of business interests Maher had in Laqaar.

  Hope you can find out something useful here. Thanks. C.

  I just hope I can be of assistance. It must be late there. You should get some sleep. I’ll get back to you in a few hours. V.

  I am tired. I’ll speak to you later. C.

  As she walked back to her apartment she gave a wistful smile. Vincent Craig was a source of strength for her during this difficult time.

  Lena stood in the same place she had hidden before, watching the entrance of the hotel. She glanced at her watch; she had been there for nearly two hours. Vlensky or the others might question her whereabouts. She would have to think of a good story to cover herself.

  Just then Isaac and his uncle climbed out of a taxi outside the hotel. They turned as they heard her call out. Isaac hurried over to her.

  ‘I can’t believe we’ve found you!’ he held onto her hand as if he was afraid she would disappear again.

  Lena glanced around anxiously and pulled them back into the dark side street. Jake looked wary.

  ‘No! I mean you no harm!’ she told them. ‘I am thinking of your safety. And that of Johnny and Leon and Milly and Lily!’

  ‘How do we know she is telling us the truth?’ Jake asked his nephew. ‘We don’t even know who she is!’

  ‘I am a Lab!’ she pushed up her sleeve to reveal a tattooed code. ‘There might not be very much time! You must trust me! Please!’

  Isaac looked at her, ‘Where are the twins? Are they all right?’

  She bit her lip, ‘At the moment but we must act quickly! Come with me, please!’

  ‘Give us the details and we can decide what we will do from there,’ Jake suggested.

  Isaac shook his head, ‘No, Jake, if the twins are in trouble; we must go straight away!’

  ‘You won’t be much help if you walk into a trap, Isaac, think lad!’ his uncle warned him.

  Isaac looked at Lena, ‘Where are they now?’

  ‘At the Cactus Flower Hotel,’ she said. ‘It is not really a hotel; it is just a front for the new research centre. Vlensky has already started some experiments on both sets of twins! We must stop him going any further!’

  ‘We’d better phone the police!’ Jake said, pulling out his phone.

  Lena put her hand over his, ‘You must not do that! Maher has planned for such an event and can cover his tracks easily! He has the local police force eating out of his hand. It will be our word against his. And time is running out for the twins!’

  Isaac looked at his uncle. ‘I’m going with her!’

  ‘Then let’s go!’ his uncle replied.

  Lena hurried ahead of the two men. She stopped a short distance from the research centre and drew them behind a large floral display. Isaac looked at the glass building with ‘Laqaar Medicentre – Director R. Maher’ on a large sign above it.

  ‘It doesn’t look much, does it?’ he said, watching several people, some mothers with young children, coming and going from the building.

  ‘No, Maher has even leased out three of the ground floor suites to newly qualified doctors at very low rents. He thinks it makes the place seem more authentic,’ Lena told him. ‘That is not the building we want, though. The real work is done at the hotel. Come!’ she led him through a maze of narrow streets to the outskirts of the small town. They stopped at a distance from the large, impressive marble hotel building. Encircling the entire building was an ornamental moat with a dazzling display of brightly coloured flowers. There was only one bridge across it, leading to the main entrance.

  ‘How are we going to get into it?’ Isaac asked her. ‘It’s completely cut off apart from the main doors.’

  ‘Not completely,’ Lena told him. ‘We needed private access away from the eyes of our host.’

  She led them stealthily to an overgrown area near the back of the building. At a border of tall rushes, she stopped and faced the two men

  ‘We must be very careful here! Security is very tight! Wait for me.’ She crept forward and disappeared from sight.

  ‘I’ll go in, Jake,’ Isaac held up a hand to silence his protests. ‘Wait here and if I’m not out in an hour come looking for me. With reinforcements if possible!’

  The older man shook his head, ‘I don’t like this at all!’

  ‘Try to get hold of Celia and Abel,’ Isaac said as Lena reappeared, beckoning him to follow her.

  He found himself in front of a concealed doorway. Lena swiped a card and the door swung back. Inside they found themselves in a narrow tunnel which led to a metal door. Lena inched the door open and they stepped into an empty corridor. There was the sound of machinery nearby. Isaac was pushed into a small, dimly lit room as Lena pressed her finger close to her lips and left him there. After a few moments the door was reopened.

  ‘Help me!’ Lena whispered, pulling an inert figure behind her.

  ‘He’s not …?’ he began.

  ‘Dead? No, he’ll probably come around in about an hour,’ She pulled her scarf off her head and used it as a gag. ‘They usually took that long at the Caves. Put on the jacket – it’s a bit tight, but you can leave it open.’

  She pinned the unconscious man’s ID card onto the jacket, smudging the photo with dust.

  ‘That should cover you,’ she said.

  She peered out through a chink in the door.

  ‘The coast is clear. We have to go past Sven’s laboratory, but he will probably be too busy to notice us! The whole place is bugged, so do not ask any questions until I tell you it is safe to do so!’

  They both slipped out of the room and made their way down the corridor. Lena exchanged a brief greeting with a man dressed in overalls who acknowledged her and gave a cursory glance at Isaac.

  As they made their way up a flights of stairs a second man in a security uniform appeared and stopped them.

  ‘Madame Lena, Mr Vlensky was enquiring about your whereabouts a short time ago.’

  Lena tapped her forehead. ‘I forgot! I promised I would call him! I was caug
ht up in my work! I will go and see him straight away!’

  The man nodded and continued on his way.

  Lena hurried along the corridor and paused outside a glass door.

  She breathed a sigh of relief, ‘Good, Vlensky is not here!’

  She led Isaac to the small side room where the twins lay sleeping in their capsules.

  ‘Johnny, Leon, girls!’ Isaac cried, reaching for the first capsule lid.

  Lena laid her hand on his arm.

  ‘We must ready them for awakening before the capsules can be opened.’

  ‘How long will it take?’ Isaac looked down at the sleeping figures.

  ‘Half an hour. Their bodies need to be reacclimatised to our present environment,’ she took a deep breath as she keyed in data on the screen above the head of each person. Then she undid the lock on each one.

  ‘Are you sure they will be OK?’ Isaac whispered.

  ‘Not absolutely. We must hope!’ she replied. ‘In this room it is safe. You may phone your friend. He will be worried about you.’

  Isaac had hardly dialled Jake’s number when his uncle answered.

  ‘Isaac! Are you OK?’ Jake cried.

  ‘I’m fine. Any news from Celia or Abel?’ he asked.

  , ‘‘Celia and her friends at the Centre seem to have everything in hand.’ His uncle explained how the situation was developing in the UK. ‘In fact, I am waiting for Abel and the police officers to arrive any time now.’

  ‘Good. We have another twenty minutes before the twins can be awakened,’ Isaac said looking at his watch. ‘Don’t let anyone do anything before then!’

  He dialled a second number.

  Celia stared at the computer screen and hit the table in frustration.

  ‘I cannot work out how to get into the hotel site!’

  ‘There must be a way!’ Ruby looked around at Dette, who shook her head.

  ‘I know much less than Celia about this, I’m afraid.’

  ‘There is one person who might be able to help me!’ Celia said. She picked up the phone and dialled a number.

  ‘Hello, Vince? It’s me, Celia. I know it’s late there, but we really need your help!’

  ‘Celia!’ Vince answered. ‘I’m here! Anything I can do!’

  He pulled himself out of bed and into his wheelchair.

  ‘I’ve got my laptop on now …’

  He listened, occasionally commenting as she filled him in on the details of the recent events.

  ‘OK, I’ve got the hotel site in front of me now. We need to get into the admin files.’

  ‘I know, but I just cannot get any method to work!’ Celia sounded panicky.

  ‘Hey, calm down a minute …’ he murmured.

  ‘It could be a matter of life and death!’ Celia began to sob.

  ‘OK,’ his voice was calm, ‘I’m thinking like a Non-Lab here!’

  He began to key in data, ‘No … not that; but wait … I’m getting somewhere! Are you ready?’

  Celia listened and keyed in the instructions he gave her. There was a tense silence in the room as she worked.

  ‘I’ve got it on the screen now, Vince!’ she cried as she saw a selection of files in front of her. ‘Admin, Sven, and Vlensky.’

  ‘Well we know Sven is Non-Lab, so perhaps Vlensky could be the errant Lab,’ Vince continued. ‘I’ll try to work out Sven’s password, you try Vlensky’s.’

  Dette picked up a second phone as it rang.

  ‘Isaac! Celia is on to the hotel site, trying to gain access to Sven and Vlensky’s files. From there Celia thinks they can disable the computers at the hotel.’

  ‘They have the twins sedated in four capsules at the moment. Lena has unlocked them, but it will be another fifteen minutes before we can get them out safely. Don’t let them turn off any equipment until then,’ Isaac told her, checking his watch. ‘Lena is copying files from this centre as evidence against Maher and the others. Oh, I’ll have to go, someone’s coming!’

  ‘In thirteen minutes’ time the twins will be out of the capsules and you can disable the equipment, Celia,’ Dette said, looking at the clock.

  ‘If only I knew who Vlensky is,’ she said, ‘then maybe I could have an idea of what his password might be!’

  Ruby pictured the CCTV image in her mind.

  ‘Someone tall, broad shouldered, straight black hair – though he could actually have fair hair. Probably self-opinionated; pretty confident,’ she said aloud.

  ‘You know it sounds a bit like …’ Dette began.

  They all looked at her.

  ‘Don’t be afraid to speak against anyone. If you are wrong it will not matter, and if you are right it could save the twins’ lives!’ Celia urged her.

  ‘Well, Yuri. He could be a bit pompous at times; always saying he was better than the Non-Lab lecturers; that’s why he dropped out of college …’ She paused. ‘What if it is Yuri?’

  Celia pulled a scrap of paper towards her and began jotting down ideas, ‘What would he choose as his password, what would he choose?’

  ‘Quick, go behind that desk! Someone is coming!’ Lena told Isaac.

  He had hardly hidden himself when the door opened.

  ‘Lena! Where have you been? I have looked for you everywhere this afternoon!’ he said.

  ‘Oh, I got carried away! Lost track of time! I have been thinking about some alterations we could try out on our friends here,’ she pulled out a file and carried it to a desk at the far side of the room. ‘Will you look at them with me?’

  ‘In one moment. First I would like to try out something myself. I have something to take Johnny’s mind off football!’ he smiled as he headed for the capsule.

  ‘No!’ Lena cried out. Puzzled Vlensky faced her.

  ‘I mean … we have already inputted data today. I think we must … wait until tomorrow. His brain will be useless!’

  Isaac looked at his watch; still five minutes until the Labs would awaken.

  ‘Hmmm, perhaps you are right!’ Vlensky sat down beside her and looked at the sheet spread out in front of her. ‘But this is the data I gave you!’

  ‘Yes! Exactly!’ Lena turned to the computer, ‘Now, I was thinking we could group the characteristics according to compatibility then input the entire group at certain points; such as the ones I mentioned earlier.’ She opened the file on the screen and rotated an image of a human brain.

  ‘Brilliant! I knew I could count on you, Lena!’ He sprang up. ‘But let’s make it more realistic! Let’s get up an image of one of our Lab friends here. The real thing!’

  He headed for the capsules and suddenly stopped.

  ‘What has happened?’

  ‘What is it, Vlensky?’ Lena’s voice sound shaky.

  He ran towards the capsules shouting, ‘Johnny’s capsule; someone has unlocked it! They are all unlocked!’

  Isaac sprang from behind the desk and pushed Vlensky over as he ran past. Both men fell to the floor, knocking down a pile of books and glass slides.

  Vlensky pulled himself to his feet, ‘What are you doing here?’

  He grabbed Isaac’s collar and pulled him up, raising his fist threateningly. Lena ran to the two men and grabbed Vlensky’s arm.

  ‘No! No! Url! We can’t do this anymore! We must stop, before it is too late!’

  Her companion glared at her, ‘You? You are in on this, too?’

  He shook off her arm and threw Isaac to the floor. He fell heavily, wincing as he crashed into a desk. Winded, he looked up to see Vlensky pull a metal bar from the remains of the desk and raise it over Lena.

  She rolled to one side as the bar crashed through a chair near her. Vlensky upturned a case of glass containers on top of her and headed for the capsules once more.

  Grimacing with pain, Isaac pulled himself up and threw himself on to Vlensky, pinning his arms to his sides. With a strangled cry Vlensky wrenched him off and flung him to the floor once again. Isaac shielded himself behind the desk as a hail of equipment rained down on h
im.

  ‘You will not stop me now!’ Vlensky screamed. ‘No Lab or Non-Lab will stand in my way!’

  Isaac saw the lid of a capsule move. He picked up a piece of wood and began to walk towards Vlensky.

  ‘We will! We will! Give up now!’ he muttered.

  The second man faced him and laughed, ‘You think you can stop me? You don’t stand a chance!’ he moved menacingly towards him.

  From the corner of his eye, Isaac could see a figure sitting up in the capsule. A second one was also opening and another figure climbed out and slipped out of sight. The white hooded outfits they wore made it hard to identify them.

  ‘The place is surrounded! There’s nothing you can do!’ Isaac kept on talking as the first figure crept up behind Vlensky.

  ‘Really?’ Vlensky turned swiftly as he heard a sound behind him.

  After a brief struggle, the figure was overpowered. Vlensky pulled down the hood to reveal Johnny’s face. Smashing a glass bottle he held the jagged end to Johnny’s throat. ‘This gives me a bit more bargaining power now, doesn’t it?’

  He edged backwards towards the door, ‘If anyone gets in my way …’

  There were shouts outside the door and Abel and Jake came running in, followed by the two policemen, both holding guns.

  ‘Get them to out of here!’ Vlensky shouted at Abel.

  As he nodded at them they stepped back out of the room reluctantly.

  ‘Yuri? What are you doing?’ Abel shook his head in disbelief.

  ‘Just building a better future for the Labs. Not the second-class life you had planned for all of us!’ he spat out. ‘Johnny’s coming with me. You want to see him again, you listen to me. I need transport out of here, by air. Tell them!’

  Jake looked at Abel and went outside to the waiting police and security guards waiting there.

  ‘I’ve collected enough data to set up my own place! I don’t need anybody to help!’ Yuri looked down at Lena’s unconscious figure, ‘No one understands! Lab, Non-Lab – you’re all pathetic! Call yourself a leader, Abel? You are willing to accept any crumbs that fall off the great Non-Lab leaders’ tables! The Centre was the start of something great!’