He stepped back in the lift and tried the second floor, only to find it identical to the level below. He got out on the third, which was the same as the other two, and walked across to one of the windows to look out. He could see the compound buildings to his right and, to his left, the perimeter, beyond which were green pastures stretching across the landscape towards the horizon.
But what struck him as odd was the road that dissected the fields ending at a barrier in the fence. To the side of it was a small sentry hut. He cupped his hands around his eyes and pressed his forehead against the glass to get a better view. He could just make out a figure sitting in the box. He was dressed in a uniform, but it didn’t look as though it was the same as the ones the guards wore on the compound.
As he watched, the door to the hut opened and the man stepped out, stretching his legs. He was clean-shaven, dark-skinned with tightly-cropped black hair. Ajay could see clearly now his navy blue jacket and trousers, light blue shirt and matching tie, as opposed to the grey/green apparel of the CERN security force. But the biggest difference he could see was what he was carrying over his shoulder; it looked like a machine gun, whereas the compound’s patrolmen carried hip-holstered hand guns.
Puzzled, he returned to the lift. If his father wasn’t here, then where was he? He did a cursory check of each floor on the way back to the basement, just in case he’d missed him, although he thought it unlikely as there were no hidden corners or partitions.
He made his way back to the buggy and was just about to return to the main building when he heard the electric motors of the lift start up again. Instinctively, he bolted for one of the dark recesses by the side of the shaft. He couldn’t work out what had spooked him; perhaps it was the heavily-armed security presence, or the derelict building itself. But either way, he got the distinct impression that he was trespassing.
He heard the doors open, followed by the voices of several people. From his vantage point, he could see them getting into their cars, their breath condensing in the chilled air as they said their goodbyes. Four men and one woman started their engines, demisted their windscreens and drove out in an orderly fashion. He was about to run across to his buggy, when the lift doors opened again; this time, he recognised the voices of his father and Deiter Weiss. He wanted to emerge from his hiding place and speak to them, but he thought they might think he was spying on them. No, he would remain where he was until they’d gone and choose his moment to ask his father about the building later.
He could hear them clearly but, as the conversation between the two men progressed, he regretted his decision not to make himself known. What he was listening to made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
Suddenly, the exchange stopped mid-sentence.
‘How did you get here?’ Frederick asked Deiter.
‘By golf buggy, of course. It’s parked next to yours.’
‘Then whose is that one over there?’
Ajay looked over to his own buggy, sitting there as prominent as a single milk tooth in a baby’s smile.
‘We know you’re there,’ Deiter shouted. ‘Come out and we won’t have to call the guards.’
He thought of the machine gun, but stayed put.
‘You’ve got until the count of three to show yourself,’ continued Deiter. ‘Otherwise we’ll call in the dogs.’
Ajay had seen what those dogs could do to a man’s padded arm, when he’d watched them practising their training on campus.
‘One… two… three…’
He stepped out of the shadows behind them. Frederick and Deiter spun round to face the interloper.
‘Ajay! What are you doing here?’ Ajay could see the mixture of bewilderment and anger on his father’s face.
‘I… I… came to find you,’ he began. ‘I wanted to borrow a car for this evening. I have a date.’ Even Ajay thought it sounded weak, especially after everything he’d seen and heard.
‘What?’ shouted Frederick. The bewilderment gave way to pure anger. ‘How long have you been skulking there?’
‘Not long,’ Ajay said feebly.
‘Certainly long enough to eavesdrop on our conversation,’ Deiter retorted.
‘Leave this to me, Deiter,’ replied Frederick. ‘You go back to the facility, otherwise people will be wondering where you are.’
‘But he could jeopardise everything.’
‘I said, leave this to me. It’s my problem and I will sort it out,’ Frederick shouted, his face bright red. Ajay had never seen him that angry before.
Deiter reluctantly left them to it.
Frederick paced backwards and forwards, trying to control his temper so that he could think clearer about what to do next. He churned over in his mind the context of the conversation that Ajay must have overheard, to ascertain what damage had been done. He’d heard them discussing Shiva, but he wouldn’t be aware of its significance. He had seen the members, but probably wouldn’t be able to recognise any of their faces again, so he couldn’t expose them. He would obviously have picked up there was a hidden agenda, when it came to the Collider. Damn, he thought to himself, how could we have become so careless, breaking the golden rule of never discussing anything about our mission outside the Bunker?
Frederick walked calmly back to where he’d left Ajay. He hadn’t moved from the spot; his face was ashen, head bowed, staring at his feet.
‘This is a very serious situation,’ Frederick began. ‘What you’ve heard and seen here today is part of a grander scheme, which I’m not at liberty to confide in you. It’s not that I don’t trust you; it’s that I am bound by a code that has been passed down to me. The consequences of going against those protocols could put billions of lives at risk. Do you understand?’
Ajay nodded meekly, not really comprehending the enormity of the situation.
‘Okay. What I need you to do is agree to a pact. A vow never to divulge anything that you’ve heard or seen here today to another living soul. Are you prepared to do that?’
Ajay nodded his assent, still staring at the floor.
‘I need you to say the words,’ his father replied, sternly.
Ajay looked up and met Frederick’s gaze. ‘I swear that I will never tell another living soul,’ he said quietly.
‘On everything that you hold dear?’
‘Yes.’ Ajay put his hand on his heart. ‘I swear, on everything that I hold dear, that I will never tell another living soul.’
Frederick let out a heavy sigh, releasing most of his pent-up anger. He knew that that should be enough to guarantee his son’s compliance, but he wasn’t prepared to take any chances.
‘You said you had a date this evening,’ he said. ‘Is it anybody I know?’ His voice was calm now, almost congenial.
‘Just somebody I met in the canteen. Her name’s Jasmine,’ Ajay told him, bashfully.
‘Pretty name,’ replied his father. ‘I’m sure she’s a nice girl, but I think under the circumstances you should keep a low profile for a couple of days. I still need to convince Deiter and the others that you will keep your word and that you’re not a threat.’
Ajay looked crestfallen. ‘But I gave you my word.’
‘And I believe you, but they don’t know you like I do. Why don’t you tell her you’ll take her out at the weekend, instead? That should give me enough time to sort things out?’
Ajay reluctantly agreed and left to tell Jasmine that he wouldn’t be able to make it that night. He just hoped that he hadn’t blown his chances and she would agree to see him at the weekend.
Frederick watched his son get into the buggy and drive out of the car park. He reached inside his jacket pocket and retrieved his mobile phone. Scrolling through his address book, he found the number and pressed the quick dial button.