“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.”
“Perhaps you have a point,” Bertram said.
“I’m glad you agree,” Siegfried said. “So I’d like you to get them. How many are there?”
“I don’t recall exactly,” Bertram said. “Four or five. Something like that.”
“I want them here,” Siegfried said.
“Fine,” Bertram said agreeably. “I don’t have a problem with that.”
“Good,” Siegfried said. He let his legs drop from the desk and stood up. “Let’s go. I’ll come with you.”
“You want to go now?” Bertram asked with disbelief.
“Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today?” Siegfried said. “Isn’t that an expression you Americans espouse? With the keys in the safe, I know I’ll sleep a lot better tonight.”
“Would you want me to come along as well?” Cameron asked.
“It’s not necessary,” Siegfried said. “I’m sure Bertram and I can handle it.”
Kevin looked at himself in the full-length mirror at the end of the banks of lockers in the men’s room. The trouble with the coveralls was that the small was too small and the medium was a little too big. He had to roll up the sleeves and the pant legs.
“What the hell are you doing in there?” Melanie’s voice called out. She’d pushed open the door from the hall.
“I’m coming,” Kevin said. He closed the locker where he’d stored his own clothes and hurried out into the hall.
“I thought women were supposed to take a long time dressing,” Melanie complained.
“I couldn’t decide which size was best,” Kevin said.
“Did anybody come in while you were in there?” Melanie asked.
“Not a soul,” Kevin said.
“Good,” Melanie said. “Same for us in the ladies’ room. Let’s go!”
Melanie motioned for the others to follow her as she started up the stairs. “To get to the administration area from here, we have to pass through part of the veterinary hospital. I think it’s best to avoid the main floor, which has the emergency room and the acute-care unit. There’s always a lot of activity there. So let’s go up to the second floor and go through the fertility unit. I can even say I’m checking on patients if someone asks.”
“Cool,” Candace said.
They passed the first floor and climbed to the second. Entering the main corridor, they encountered their first animal-center employee. If the man thought that there was anything abnormal about Kevin and Candace’s presence in the middle of the night, he didn’t give any evidence. He passed by with merely a nod.
“That was easy,” Candace whispered.
“It’s the coveralls,” Melanie said.
They turned left through a set of double doors and entered a brightly lit, narrow hallway lined with a number of blank doors. Melanie cracked one of them and stuck her head inside. Quietly, she closed the door. “It’s one of my patients. She’s a low-land gorilla who’s almost ready for egg retrieval. They can get a little rambunctious with the hormone level we have to achieve, but she’s sleeping soundly.”
“Can I see?” Candace asked.
“I suppose,” Melanie said. “But be quiet and don’t make any sudden movements.”
Candace nodded. Melanie opened the door and slipped inside. Candace followed. Kevin stayed by the door, holding it open.
“Shouldn’t we be doing what we came here for?” Kevin whispered.
Melanie put her finger to her lips.
There were four large cages in the room, only one of which was occupied. A large gorilla was sleeping on a bed of straw. The illumination came from overhead recessed lighting that was dimmed down to a point of being almost off.
Gently touching the bars of the cage, Candace leaned forward to get a better look. She’d never been so close to a gorilla. If she’d been inclined, she could have touched the huge animal.
With speed that defied belief, the female gorilla awoke and then bounced off the front of the cage. In the next instant, she was pounding the floor with her fists like kettle drums and shrieking.
Candace let out a scream of her own as she leapt back out of harm’s way. Melanie grabbed her.
“It’s okay,” Melanie said.
The gorilla then made another lunge for the front of the cage. She also hurled a handful of fresh feces in the process, which splattered against the far wall.
Melanie directed Candace out the door and Kevin let it shut.
“I’m terribly sorry,” Melanie said to Candace. Candace’s Nordic complexion was even paler than usual. “Are you all right?”
“I guess,” Candace said. She checked the front of her coveralls.
“A little PMS, I’m afraid,” Melanie said. “She didn’t hit you with any of her poop, did she?”
“I don’t think so,” Candace said. She ran a hand through her hair and then examined it.
“Let’s get the keys,” Kevin said. “We’re pushing our luck.”
They walked the length of the fertility unit and pushed through a second pair of swinging doors to enter a large room divided into bays. Each bay had several cages, and most of the cages were occupied by youthful primates of different species.
“This is the pediatric unit,” Melanie whispered. “Just act natural.”
There were four people working in the unit. They were all dressed in surgical scrubs with stethoscopes draped around their necks. Everyone was friendly but busy and preoccupied, and the trio passed through, garnering nothing more than a couple of smiles and nods.
After another set of double doors and a short corridor, they came to a heavy, locked fire door. Melanie had to use her card to open it.
“Here we are!” Melanie whispered, as she let the fire door close quietly behind them. After the bustle they’d just witnessed, the silence and darkness seemed absolute. “This is the administration area. The stairwell is down the hall to the left. So hold on.”
There was groping in the dark until Candace got her hand on Melanie’s shoulder and Kevin got his on Candace’s.