Chromosome 6

by Robin Cook

  Heavy footfalls on the granite stairs preceded Siegfried Spallek’s appearance. He was accompanied by Cameron McIvers and Mustapha Aboud, chief of the Moroccan guards.

  “It’s about time, Mr. Spallek!” Melanie snapped. “I demand to be let out of here this instant, or you’ll be in serious trouble.”

  Kevin winced. It was not the way to talk with Siegfried Spallek on any occasion, much less in their current circumstance.

  Kevin, Melanie, and Candace had been huddling in utter blackness in separate cells in the oppressively hot, dank jail in the basement of the town hall. Each cell had a small, arched window that opened into a window well in the rear arcade of the building. The openings were barred but without glass, so vermin could pass through unimpeded. All three prisoners had been terrified by the sounds of scampering creatures, especially since they’d seen several tarantulas before the lights had been turned out. The only source of comfort had been that they could easily talk to each other.

  The first five minutes of the evening’s ordeal had been the worst. As soon as the sound of the burst of machine-gun fire died out, Kevin and the women were blinded by large hand-held lights. When their eyes had finally adjusted, they saw that they’d walked into an ambush of sorts. They were surrounded by a jeering group of youthful Equatoguinean soldiers who’d delighted in casually aiming their AK-47’s at them. Several had been brazen enough to poke the women with the muzzles of their weapons.

  Fearing the worst, Kevin and the others hadn’t moved a muscle. They’d been scared witless by the indiscriminate gunfire and terrified it might begin again at the slightest provocation.

  Only at the appearance of several of the Moroccan guards did the unruly soldiers back off. Kevin had never imagined the intimidating Arabs as potential saviors, but that’s how it had turned out. The guards had assumed custody of Kevin and the women. Then the guards drove them in Kevin’s car, first to the Moroccan guard building across from the animal center, where they’d been placed in a windowless room for several hours, and then finally into town, where they’d been incarcerated in the old jail.

  “This is outrageous treatment,” Melanie persisted.

  “On the contrary,” Siegfried said. “I have been assured by Mustapha that you have been treated with all due respect.”

  “Respect!” Melanie sputtered. “To be shot at with machine guns! And kept in this shithole in the dark! That’s respect?”

  “You were not shot at,” Siegfried corrected. “Those were merely a few warning shots directed over your heads. You had, after all, violated an important rule here in the Zone. Isla Francesca is off-limits. Everyone knows that.”

  Siegfried motioned to Cameron toward Candace. Cameron opened her cell with a large, antique key. Candace wasted no time getting out of the cell. She hastily dusted off her clothes to make sure there were no bugs. She was still dressed in her surgical scrubs from the hospital.

  “My apologies to you,” Siegfried said to Candace. “I imagine you were led astray by our resident researchers. Perhaps you were not even aware of the rule against visiting the island area.”

  Cameron opened Melanie’s cell and then Kevin’s.

  “As soon as I heard about your detention, I tried to call Dr. Raymond Lyons,” Siegfried said. “I wanted to ask his opinion as to the best way to handle this situation. Since he was unavailable, I have to take responsibility myself. I am releasing you all on your own recognizance. I trust that you now know the seriousness of your actions. Under Equatoguinean law it could be considered a capital offense.”

  “Oh, bull!” Melanie spat.

  Kevin cringed. He was afraid Melanie would anger Siegfried enough to order them back into the cells. Benevolence was not a part of Siegfried’s character.

  Mustapha extended Kevin’s car keys to him. “Your vehicle is out back,” he said with a heavy French accent.

  Kevin took the keys. His hand shook enough to cause them to jingle until he got his hand and the keys into his pocket.

  “I’m sure I will be speaking to Dr. Lyons sometime tomorrow,” Siegfried said. “I will contact you individually. You may go.”

  Melanie started to speak again, but Kevin surprised himself by grabbing her arm and propelling her toward the stairs.

  “I’ve had enough manhandling,” Melanie sputtered. She tried to pull her arm from Kevin’s grasp.

  “Let’s just get into the car,” Kevin whispered harshly through clenched teeth. He forced her to keep moving.

  “What a night!” Melanie complained. At the base of the stairs, she managed to yank her arm free. Irritably, she started up.

  Kevin waited for Candace to precede him, then followed the women up to the ground floor. They emerged into an office used by the Equatoguinean soldiers that were constantly seen lounging in front of the town hall. There were four of them present.

  With the base manager, the head of security, and the chief of the Moroccan guards in the building, the soldiers were a good deal more attentive than usual. All four were standing in their interpretation of attention, with their assault rifles over their shoulders. When Kevin and the women appeared, their expressions suggested they were confused.

  Melanie gave them the finger as Kevin herded her and Candace out the door into the parking lot.

  “Please, Melanie,” Kevin begged. “Don’t provoke them!”

  Whether the soldiers did not understand the meaning of Melanie’s gesture or were bewildered by the anomalous circumstances, Kevin didn’t know. One way or the other, they didn’t come flying out after them as Kevin feared they might.

  They got to the car. Kevin opened the passenger-side door. Candace climbed in eagerly. But not Melanie. She turned to Kevin with her eyes blazing in the dim light.

  “Give me the keys,” she demanded.

  “What?” Kevin asked, even though he’d heard her.

  “I said give me the keys,” Melanie repeated.

  Confused by this unexpected request but not wishing to incite her more than she already was, Kevin handed her the car keys. Melanie immediately went around to the other side of the car and got in behind the wheel. Kevin climbed into the passenger seat. He didn’t care who drove as long as they got themselves out of there.

  Melanie started the car, spun the tires, and drove out of the parking lot.

  “Jeez, Melanie,” Kevin said. “Slow down!”

  “I’m pissed,” Melanie said.

  “As if I couldn’t tell,” Kevin said.

  “I’m not going home just yet,” Melanie said. “But I’d be happy to take you guys home if you want.”

  “Where do you want to go?” Kevin asked. “It’s almost midnight.”

  “I’m going out to the animal center,” Melanie said. “I’m not going to tolerate being treated like this without finding out what the hell is going on.”

  “What’s at the animal center?” Kevin asked.

  “The keys to that goddamned bridge,” Melanie said. “I want one, because for me this affair has gone beyond curiosity.”

  “Maybe we should stop and talk about this,” Kevin suggested.

  Melanie jammed on the brakes, bringing them to a lurching stop. Both Kevin and Candace had to push themselves back into their respective seats.

  “I’m going to the animal center,” Melanie repeated. “You guys can either come along or I’ll drop you off. It’s your call.”

  “Why tonight?” Kevin asked.

  “One, because I’m really ticked off right now,” Melanie said. “And two, because they wouldn’t suspect it. Obviously, they intend for us to go home and quake in our beds. That’s why we were so mistreated. But you know something, that’s not my style.”

  “That’s my style,” Kevin said.

  “I think Melanie is right,” Candace said from the backseat. “They were deliberately trying to scare us.”

  “And I think they did a damn good job,” Kevin said. “Or am I the only sane one in the group?”

  “Let’s do it,” Candace said.


  “Oh, no!” Kevin groaned. “I’m outnumbered.”

  “We’ll take you home,” Melanie said. “No problem.” She started to put the car in reverse.

  Kevin reached out and stayed her hand. “How do you propose to get the keys? You don’t even know where they’d be.”

  “I think it’s pretty clear they’d be in Bertram’s office,” Melanie said. “He’s the one in charge of logistics for the bonobo program. Hell, you’re the one who suggested he had them.”

  “Okay, they’re in Bertram’s office,” Kevin said. “But what about security? Offices are locked.”

  Melanie reached into the breast pocket of her animal-center coveralls and pulled out a magnetic card. “You’re forgetting that I’m part of the animal-center hierarchy. This is a master card, and not the kind that competes with Visa. This thing gets me in every door of the animal center twenty-four hours a day. Remember, my work with the bonobo project is only a part of the fertility work I do.”

  Kevin looked over the back of his seat at Candace. Her blond hair was luminous in the half light of the car interior. “If you’re game, Candace, I guess I’m game,” he said.

  “Let’s go!” Candace said.

  Melanie accelerated and turned north beyond the motor pool. The motor pool was in full operation, with huge mercury-vapor lamps illuminating the entire staging area. The motor pool’s night shift was larger than either the day or evening shifts since that’s when truck traffic between the Zone and Bata was at its peak.

  Melanie zipped past a number of tractor trailers until the turnoff to Bata fell behind. From that point, all the way to the animal center, they didn’t see another vehicle.

  The animal center worked three shifts just like the motor pool did, although in the animal center the night shift was the smallest. The majority of the night staff worked in the veterinary hospital. Melanie took advantage of this fact by pulling Kevin’s Toyota up to one of the animal-hospital doors. There the car had lots of company.

  Melanie turned off the ignition and gazed at the animal-center entrance that led directly into the veterinary hospital. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel.

  “Well?” Kevin said. “We’re here, what’s the plan?”

  “I’m thinking,” Melanie said. “I can’t decide what’s best: whether you guys wait here or come with me.”

  “This place is huge,” Candace said. She’d leaned forward and was gazing at the building in front of them. It ran from the street all the way back to where it disappeared into the jungle foliage. “For as many times as I’ve been to Cogo, I’ve never been out here at the animal center. I didn’t have any idea it was so large. Is this part we’re facing the hospital?”

  “Yup,” Melanie said. “This whole wing.”

  “I’d be interested to see it,” Candace said. “I’ve never been in a veterinary hospital let alone one that’s so palatial.”

  “It’s state-of-the-art,” Melanie said. “You should see the ORs.”

  “Oh my God,” Kevin sighed. He rolled his eyes. “I’ve been ensnared by the insane. We’ve just had the most harrowing experience in our lives, and you’re talking about taking a tour.”

  “It’s not going to be a tour,” Melanie said as she alighted from the car. “Come on, Candace. I’m sure I can use your help. Kevin, you can wait here if you’d like.”

  “Fine by me,” Kevin said. But it only took him a few moments of watching the women trudge toward the entrance before he, too, climbed out of the car. He decided that the anxiety of waiting would be worse than the stress of going.

  “Wait up,” Kevin called out. He had to run a few steps until he’d caught up with the others.

  “I don’t want to hear any complaining,” Melanie told Kevin.

  “Don’t worry,” Kevin said. He felt like a teenager being chastised by his mother.

  “I don’t anticipate any problems,” Melanie said. “Bertram Edwards’s office is in the administration part of the building, which at this time will be deserted. But just to be sure we don’t arouse any suspicion, once we’re inside, we’ll head down to the locker room. I want you guys in animal center coveralls. Okay? I mean it’s not really the time anyone would expect to encounter visitors.”

  “Sounds like a good idea to me,” Candace said.

  “ All right,” Bertram said into the phone. His eye caught the luminous dial of his bedside clock. It was quarter past midnight. “I’ll meet you at your office in five minutes.”

  Bertram swung his legs over the edge of the bed and parted the mosquito netting.

  “Trouble?” Trish, his wife, asked. She’d pushed herself up on one elbow.

  “Just a nuisance,” Bertram said. “Go back to sleep! I’ll be back in a half hour or so.”

  Bertram closed the door to the bedroom before turning on the dressing-room light. He dressed quickly. Although he’d downplayed the situation to Trish, Bertram was anxious. He had no idea what was going on, but it had to be trouble. Siegfried had never called him in the middle of the night with a request to come to his office.

  Outside, it was as bright as daytime with a nearly full moon having risen in the east. The sky was filled with sil-very-purple cumulus clouds. The night air was heavy and humid and perfectly still. The sounds of the jungle were an almost constant cacophony of buzzes, chirps, and squawks interrupted with occasional short screams. It was a noise Bertram had grown accustomed to over the years, and it didn’t even register in his mind.

  Despite the distance to the town hall being only a few hundred yards, Bertram drove. He knew it would be faster, and every minute that passed raised his curiosity. As he pulled into the parking lot, he could see that the usually lethargic soldiers were strangely agitated, moving around the army post, clutching their rifles. They eyed him nervously as he turned off his headlights and alighted from the car.

  Approaching the building on foot, Bertram could see meager light flickering through the slats of the shutters covering Siegfried’s second-floor office windows. He went up the stairs, passed through the dark reception area normally occupied by Aurielo, and entered Siegfried’s office.

  Siegfried was sitting at his desk with his feet propped up on the corner. In the hand of his good arm he held and was gently swirling a brandy snifter. Cameron McIvers, head of security, was sitting in a rattan chair with a similar glass. The only illumination in the room was coming from the candle in the skull. The low level of shimmering light cast dark shadows and gave a lifelike quality to the menagerie of stuffed animals.

  “Thanks for coming out at such an ungodly hour,” Siegfried said with his usual German accent. “How about a splash of brandy?”

  “Do I need it?” Bertram asked, as he pulled a rattan chair over to the desk.

  Siegfried laughed. “It can never hurt.”

  Cameron got the drink from a sideboard. He was a hefty, full-bearded Scotsman with a bulbous, red nose and a strong bias toward alcohol of any sort, although scotch was understandably his favorite. He handed the snifter to Bertram and reclaimed his seat and his own drink.

  “Usually when I’m called out in the middle of the night it is a medical emergency with an animal,” Bertram said. He took a sip of the brandy and breathed in deeply. “Tonight I have the sense it is something else entirely.”

  “Indeed,” Siegfried said. “First I have to commend you. Your warning this afternoon about Kevin Marshall was well-founded and timely. I asked Cameron to have him watched by the Moroccans, and sure enough this evening he, Melanie Becket, and one of the surgical nurses drove all the way out to the landing area for Isla Francesca.”

  “Damnation!” Bertram exclaimed. “Did they go on the island?”

  “No,” Siegfried said. “They merely played with the food float. They’d also stopped to talk with Alphonse Kimba.”

  “This irritates me to death!” Bertram exclaimed. “I don’t like anyone going near that island, and I don’t like anyone talking to that pygmy.”

  “Nor
do I,” Siegfried agreed.

  “Where are they now?” Bertram questioned.

  “We let them go home,” Siegfried said. “But not before putting the fear of God into them. I don’t think they will be doing it again, at least not for a while.”

  “This is not what I need!” Bertram complained. “I hate to have to worry about this on top of the bonobos splitting into two groups.”

  “This is worse than the animals living in two groups,” Siegfried said.

  “They’re both bad,” Bertram said. “Both have the potential of interrupting the smooth operation of the program and possibly putting an end to it. I think my idea of caging them all and bringing them into the animal center should be reconsidered. I’ve got the cages out there. It wouldn’t be difficult, and it will make retrievals a hell of a lot easier.”

  From the moment Bertram had determined the bonobos were living in two social groups, he’d thought it best to round up the animals and keep them in separate cages where they could be watched. But he’d been thwarted by Siegfried. Bertram had considered going over Siegfried’s head by appealing to his boss in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but had decided against it. Doing so would have alerted the GenSys hierarchy that there was potential trouble with the bonobo program.

  “We’re not opening that discussion!” Siegfried said emphatically. “We’re not giving up on the idea of keeping them isolated on the island. We all decided back when this started that was the best idea. I still think it is. But with this episode with Kevin Marshall, the bridge has me worried.”

  “Why?” Bertram asked. “It’s locked.”

  “Where are the keys?” Siegfried asked.

  “In my office,” Bertram said.

  “I think they should be here in the main safe,” Siegfried said. “Most of your staff has access to your office, including Melanie Becket.”