“What do you mean?”
“What I mean is we could be talking about something that virtually any country on earth would be willing to go to war to obtain. An entire agricultural system comprised of plants that never die. Imagine what that would be worth. But what’s really frightening is the question of whether these DNA attributes can be transferred beyond just plants.”
“Is that even possible?!”
Lawton stared at the screen. “I’m not sure if it is or isn’t, but considering what we’ve already accomplished with genetic engineering, it may very well be in the realm of possibility.”
On the screen, Lokke took a deep breath before turning her attention back to Langford. “Well, Admiral, I guess the only question now is what we do about it?”
Langford thought it over. “Secretary Miller and I need to make some calls. This is going to require a full cabinet briefing, and quickly. Mr. Borger, have you been able to pinpoint a location yet?”
“I believe so. It’s hard to see through the thick canopy, but I believe the source is approximately one hundred and twenty miles into the Guyana rainforest. Due south and about fifteen hundred feet in elevation. At least that’s where their trucks stop.”
Langford nodded. “Okay, I want you and Clay to continue gathering whatever intelligence you can on the location. Doctor Lokke, please continue to gather and prepare your team but remain on standby for now.” He leaned forward with a grave expression. “And Captain Krogstad, do NOT under any circumstances, allow that corvette out of dock!”
44
The damp morning chill hung in the air as Alves’ goon, Blanco, escorted DeeAnn up the grassy slope toward the helicopter. His grip around her upper arm was like a vice and felt as though it was beginning to cut off her circulation.
Still, she tried to remain calm for Dulce’s sake. DeeAnn’s hand was wrapped tenderly around the small gorilla’s, which was squeezing her hand firmly. She could sense the nervousness in Dulce’s hold.
Alves was standing near the giant helicopter, an AgustaWestland AW101. It was one of the most expensive private helicopters on the market. One look inside would explain why. It looked more like the interior of a private jet than a helicopter.
DeeAnn paid no attention to the aircraft. Instead, she glared angrily at Alves, who appeared to have changed dramatically from the man she first met. He no longer made an effort to hide his real accent, nor was there even the slightest hint of compassion in his eyes. His face now looked dark and stone-like. The transformation was truly sickening.
They reached the short set of metal stairs and were pushed forward by Blanco without pause, sending both DeeAnn and Dulce stumbling up and into the cabin. Behind them, they heard a screaming Dexter approaching. He was being toted up the hill in a cage, by one of Blanco’s henchmen.
Inside, DeeAnn hated having to put Dulce back into a cage, but she had no choice. It was for her own good, and frankly Alves and his men were no longer here to help. They were simply giving orders.
DeeAnn closed the metal door behind Dulce until it clicked shut. She then turned and sat down in the next seat, looking at Blanco and noting the large gun in his holster. DeeAnn turned away and peered out the window, back towards the large building. There was no sign of Juan. Why would there be? She didn’t expect to see him, yet it made her feel even sicker to her stomach.
As it turned out, Alves’ men did record some of the communication between Dulce and Dexter. And they knew exactly what Dexter had revealed. There was no hiding it now. That, along with Alves’ devastating admission the evening before, exposed just how little freedom she and Juan ever really had.
From the very beginning, they were there for a purpose. Any appearance of a collaborative effort was strictly intended to get them on the plane and away from Puerto Rico. Alves was after Dexter all along, for very different reasons. And DeeAnn and Dulce were little more than Alves’ bait.
Now the game had become deadly. Juan was being held until DeeAnn and Dulce fulfilled their orders. Of that, Alves was imminently clear. And he promised them that if they refused, Juan would be dead within minutes.
DeeAnn closed her eyes and tried desperately to keep it together. Dulce was on the verge of an anxiety attack, Juan was being held at gunpoint, and yet DeeAnn somehow had to get Dexter to lead them to some place that no one but the monkey had ever been before: his home in the jungle.
Dexter’s cage was lifted inside and slid in next to Dulce. The small capuchin quickly scrambled back to the far corner of his cage and fearfully wrapped his tail over his mouth.
After several more minutes, Blanco and two of his men, including the handler of Dexter’s cage, climbed in and sat in seats at the front. They watched DeeAnn and the two primates with an expression of dark ambivalence.
Alves had a word with the pilots before sitting down in a rear facing seat directly across from DeeAnn.
“Are you at least going to tell me why?” she sneered.
Alves barely reacted. “What exactly do you feel you need to know?”
“Why are you trying to find out where Dexter came from? What is so damn special about him that made you kill Luke over it?”
Shadows appeared through the cabin windows as the extra-long blades of the chopper overhead began to turn. They flashed eerily over Alves’ face as the motion accelerated.
“And I suppose you think this knowledge will somehow help you in your effort with the monkey?” Alves asked sarcastically.
“It might.”
Alves shook his head, irritated, but he relented. “Your ignorance knows no bounds. Luke knew the monkey was special. That was very obvious from his intelligence alone. But other things indicated there was something more. Things like his hair and teeth. They suggested that Dexter was much older than expected, given the normal lifespan of capuchins.” Alves paused and glanced out the window as they felt the helicopter lift off the ground. “So Luke did a DNA test. He wanted to match it against the current gene mapping for capuchins. But he found something none of us were expecting. Something that made everything else pale in comparison.”
“That he was smarter than you?”
The old Alves would have at least grinned at the insult. This Alves simply looked at her with increased irritation. “He found that the monkey’s gene sequencing was different. It wasn’t just older than normal, it was a lot older!”
The nasty look on DeeAnn’s face fell away as an innate curiosity overtook her. “How old?”
“Most capuchins live a maximum age of twenty-five years in the wild. But your Luke Greenwood was convinced that Dexter was well over a hundred.”
45
Admiral Langford kept his head against the headrest, trying to relax in the back seat of the town car. He rolled it sideways and peered out of one of the darkened windows. Even at six a.m., the traffic heading into downtown Washington, D.C., was beginning to slow with congestion. The only consolation was knowing that several others from the President’s security cabinet were having to endure the same conditions.
The folder on the seat next to him was filled with copies of pictures, diagrams, and the hasty write-up sent over by Commander Lawton after their call. Given how rapidly the cabinet meeting was put together, only the President and Vice President had an inkling of what it was about. The rest would find out soon enough.
Langford’s cell phone rang. He reached into his inside coat pocket to retrieve it. It was a number he didn’t recognize.
“Langford here.”
“Admiral, this is Caesare.”
“Caesare? Aren’t you supposed to be on a boat headed for the Bowditch?”