Final Challenge (25 page)

XXXIV

 
Early in the morning Marvin and Souza wanted to ensure that Hanson had returned in good condition. They couldn't contain their curiosity and came into his hut. The sent
ry looked at
them su
r
prised. As
soon as they
could observe that he was
sleeping peacefully
, they
breathed relieved. They decided not to wake Hanson, returned to their hut and letting him to rest for a few hours. It was Hanson who approached to their hut in the morning, to inform them of what happened during the tense last night. With the information that provided them, and their own observations, the three were interchanging their thoughts trying to put the puzzle in order.

They concluded that only some questions had been clarified, many others remain intact, or even had to speculate on different possibilities, none of which fit with a minimum of coherence.  They knew that Clerigan was leading a project outside of international laws and perhaps of the more widespread ethic, but they still didn't know the details and the background that lay behind his decision to depart to the ends of the world.
Of course, you only needed a turn around the village to realize that could not be coincidence that all indigenous women of childbearing age w
ere pregnant. Surely they would
be  "surrogate mothers" for free, which Clerigan needed to develop human embryos. And there came one of the unknowns: What prototype of living would they have in their wombs? What would be the ultimate aim that lay behind the mysterious project? ...

 
They also knew why they had kidnapped some indigenous of relatively nearby tribes in recent years: they had to serve as guinea pigs for their experiments. That meant they didn't limited to practice with human embryos, but also made
on adult humans. As Kelly had been explained to Hanson during those days with regard to biotechnology and genetic research, he maintained
the assumption that they should apply some experimental therapies on individuals, probably due to its advances in st
em cell research, but he would have liked to know the point of view of Kelly
about it
.
That led them to a new mystery: where was Kelly? Most likely it was that she was inside the fort
ress
, perhaps the house. In a
ny case they didn't understand
the reason of the distinction between the treatment she had received from Clerigan, with respect to theirs.

Perhaps he was looking forward to expand his team of researchers? He already had to Klein and Olsen working for him. But it was really Klein? Initially Marvin and Souza readily agreed that it was very difficult that there was a person who looked like the dead professor as two drops of water, even doubted about the good sight of Hanson. Marvin and Souza opined that perhaps his nervous state had
played him a trick. But, at the
insistence and
security that showed his peer
were forced to believe him. Then Marvin, perplexed and without much conviction and knowledge in science, said that since they were experimenting with human embryos, it could be a clone of the dead man.
Such hypothesis was rejected immediately by Hanson, who could
n’t
avoid to
get
out
a
laughing. The human genome was known only for some years ago, any clone that had created could
be, at most, a few years old
.
Souza then pointed to other more realistic hypothesis: that the individual that theorically had committed suicide could be a double of the scientist, someone with some resemblance to the original, that then had been subjected to a series of aesthetic operations, someone whom they had proposed and convinced such dirty work to supplant Klein b
y much money. Once fulfilled their 
mission
they had
had been killed, making it appear a suicide. Souza said that cosmetic surgery was experiencing a real boom in Brazil and there were many incredible specialists in such art.
Well, if so, reasoned Marvin, how fit the phenomenon of their aggressive tumors? Souza replied that they could have been subjected, by deception, to some treatment by Clerigan in order that they developed an aggressive tumor in a bit of time.

 
Hanson liked Souza'
s hypothesis,
that also exp
lained the issues related with
vaccines and chloroquine. Doubles had been treated in the jungle and, therefore, should have been vaccinated both for their own sake and for the sake of indigenous community from whose health largely
depended
the success of the project.
Marvin, however, didn't agree with their view. It had no sense that theoric doubles had taken a submissive role to disclose their illness. Souza replied that would not necessarily be so strange, perhaps they had always lived deceived so their illness would be part of that deception.
As they had kno
wn about their imminent death,
surely they had not related it in any way with a
manipulation by Clerigan and his
people. But it was not so clear to Marvin. A person in such situation, is more concerned about his health than to continue playing a role. But the three agreed that there was the possibility they had never been aware about their real situation.

The real Klein wouldn't necessarily had to be aware of the operation, having been limited to travel clandestinely to Manaus, where they were waiting for him. About Owen, he had reached to a point of confrontation with Clerigan because he didn't agree with the direction that the project had taken, something like what had happened to Klein after a few months working.
Owen had managed to escape and return to the United States but they couldn't allow that he revealed the slightest secret, so they ended up finding out his new identity and locating him to end his life.

They were in complete agreement that Clerigan did
n't work individually. He should have l
ogistical support from outside, the same who had killed Owen, prepared the double death of Klein and Olsen and kidnapped to Susan. And they also had the money, probably a lot of money to finance the project. There was even the rational possibility that Clerigan was not ultimately responsible, the visible head of the whole network.

It was time to intervene, it could not be delayed one day more. It was not just to end Clerigan project, whatever its purpose, but for not prolonging the risk to which they were constantly subjected and to discover the whereabouts of Kelly and Susan. Hanson had camouflaged weapons in the hut of their two guides, the only place that sentries would never bother to check.

They decided that this time could not wait a stroke of luck to repeat the previous day's plan. They didn't know whether another party would take place in the village and whether the same favorable circumstances could concur. They also possessed weapons now. They set out to devise a plan to allow Hanson returned to the fort
ress
just before the sunset, but without altering the peaceful or
der of the village, in order
to
not
attract the attention of its inhabitants.

XXXV

 
Kelly was convinced that she had chosen the right path to achieve both discover the mysterious details of Clerigan's project as the real reasons that were hidden behind the changes in personality and character of his professor, once idealized and almost idolized for years. She seemed not to be misguided, or at least it could be deduced from the attitude of Clerigan. During the meal, her strategy of approaching had emerged successfully, he had been extremely responsive and at times she thought that was talking to the same person she had known for years, as if everything surrounding the
m
were a mere stage, a circumstance irrelevant of life that could not alter their friendship.
The two put a lot on their part to avoid the issues that had led to confrontation the previous day, although the principal victim was Kelly, who was forced to use means which were repugnant to her, to renounce her principles and her nature to achieve her goal: to win back the confidence of Clerigan.
Luckily it seemed that Clerigan was extremely receptive to the change in attitude of his former student, basically wanted, as Kelly had observed, to win
her to his cause, to have her at
his side.
Kelly thought that his personal situation should have much to do with it, Clerigan was lonely, very lonely, and, last but not least, misunderstood by her, which caused him a great disappointment. He should have put many expectations on her and, as far as she knew him, get to convince her about his achievements had become his obsession. Even the woman who was so resembled to his dead wife didn't seem to have filled the void that she had left.

 
Kelly barely managed to retain her curiosity and thirst for knowledge. If she  was able to develop well her role, Clerigan  would tell soon her how much she needed to know, but acting in a cold-blood way, knowing that behind that apparent normality was hiding something very murky, made her feel bad, as she was betraying herself.

  Kelly carefully chose the topics of conversation. She knew t
oo well the tastes
of Clerigan, his fondness for good food and good wine, for
art, especially painting, for
botany, for basketball.

Only on rare occasions the conversation turned to labor issues and, when it did, took the opportunity to talk about her concerns in science, her latest experiments, her intention to publish again articles in science magazines, all in a display of intentions, trying to convince his interlocutor that her career had not been left behind, stagnant as she took over that position in the FBI, letting him clear that Kelly Adams was still the same that listened attentively, almost absorbed, his classes, his restless student always ready to support scientific projects of interest.

 
Kelly leaned out to the terrace of her room. She would l
ike to see appear to Hanson, her
Romeo, climbing to the terrace to rescue her, but she still didn't know anything about him and his companions, to the point she had to banish the idea t
hat their lives were in danger
.

Instead, she remembered the meeting that she was going to have with Clerigan in the afternoon. The excuse was to show her all the delights of his cared tropical garden, but she knew that would be the time that she was eagerly awaiting. There were only a few hours for such event, but they would be an eternity. She decided to take one of the books that Clerigan had recommended her from his library, a complete manual of tropical trees and fell on the bed ready to read. It would be a good way to follow the conversation of her amphitryon until he decided to discover his secret.

XXXVI

Late in the afternoon
it
was held over from the two white guardians of the village, by a third party. They knew that the long night shift, in which the custody was in the hands of a single sentry, would be their chance. But they could not forge
t the indigenous warriors whom
with a simple a sign of the sentry approached the huts or admonished them to enter them. Despite having weapons, their strategy would be to facilitate the departure of Hanson to the fortress, acting with the utmost caution, without arousing the suspicion by the Indians.
Only when Hanson fired three times into the air, Souza and Marvin would take advantage of the confusion, b
reaking through them to make their
way towards the fortress. About their guides, Souza c
onvinced them that they were their
ticket out of there, especially if something happened him. They could not put in risk their lives. He spoke with the guides so they remained alert when all the fuss was armed. Then they should flee and wait for them near a giant tree, which could be seen in the distance from the village.

The plan consisted in voiding sentry without the Indians noticed it.

Five minutes after the sentry took over, rifle in hand, he didn't los
e any detail
of their movements. He noticed that the three entered the hut of their
Indian guides,
he had never seen them
to do it so he was suspicious about
their
intentions, to the point of getting up and loading his rifle. He was really restless. He calmed down slightly as he saw them to get out after a little while, and seeing how Hanson was heading towards his hut while Marvin and Souza were heading out for a walk through the village, as they did so often.

Slowly, without haste, and chatting animatedly, they were approaching the checkpoint, once the sentry had decided to sit down again in the absence of a motive to arouse his suspicion. As they reached to him, they greeted him and Souza asked him for a cigarette, while Marvin moved away cautiously to avoid suspicion.

The sentry, suspicious by nature and by obligation rejected the request of Souza as he didn't know where to fix his attention, afraid that Marvin could take the opportunity to flee. Souza was so close to the sentry that benefited from his little hesitation. Discreetly he got out a gun from his trousers and put it on man's stomach. Still smiling, trying not to draw the attention of the natives, although they were at some distance, he let him know clearly his intentions.