Chapter 78: The Emergency At The Laboratory

"Kael. Isla. Now. Alone."

When the clear voice spoke in his ear, adrenaline flowed through Benjamin Gustilos' body. The quiet words caused a chill in his heart and a lump in his throat.

Kael is the 'code word' of his PA, used in an open line when security is a concern. It only works in extreme emergencies - for emergencies.

It means he needs to act and act now; take the call seriously, because something bad is going on.

In the three years, his PA has been working with him, Jiyo has never used it. Benjamin's lips parted as he thought of the phone call and its four words. Kael. Isla. Now. Alone.

It is quite obvious that something bad is happening on Palaui Island. Something very bad if Jiyo used the special code word.

Throughout the day with his Director of Finance sorting out which tax haven would best house his company's revenue, Benjamin Gustilo was tired and burned. Now here's Jiyo's call, which doubled the pressure on him.

Leading a global conglomerate whose turnover has exceeded much of a small country's national income is bad enough, without all this bloody cloak and dagger. Damn the man.

Jiyo's emergency call upset Benjamin Gustilo more than he'd like to admit, worrying over stress, despite being tired. This is the most tired he felt when he started building the business in Shanghai which employs approximately thousands of people. Benjamin Gustilos sighed loudly, he felt like he was a little farther away, higher and deeper.

Benjamin Gustilo was quite a short handsome man, with a fruitful face, running up to fat and past the first appearance of youth.

Almost running into the hall, Benjamin took off his coat and hurried out the door.

XXX

The elevator doors opened and Jiyo exited a corridor that descends along the building from end to end. Many doors lead on either side, all of which are open - even the one labeled by the staff, The Hole. It's not good - not good, in Jiyo's mind.

The light level in the corridor is low, designed to switch to quarter power whenever the door to The Hole is opened. It is less disturbing for those who live in such a way, as they are, largely nocturnal.

Jiyo was standing outside the elevator, listening intently, jumping when the doors suddenly closed behind him. Making as little noise as possible, he shone in the corridor, pushing hard on every door as he reached it.

Tea room; small laboratory; larger laboratory; Chief Technician; Men's toilets - empty stalls; Girl Toilet - ditto; Computer Technician; Canteen; Department of Malacology; Senior Invertebrate Zoologist; Secretary.

All rooms are quiet and empty. Two will go. Electrical Intake and Ventilation on the left; The Hole on the right.

Jiyo first took the EI&V, which was also empty. He leaned against the wall of the corridor, read dry lips, and stared at the slightly open door opposite the wall.

He didn't want to go in there. He knew waiting inside.

The staff gave the large recycling room the name The Hole because that's what it looks like. It is dominated by a large, two-meter-deep hole that sinks into the center of the floor with a knee-length wall surrounding it. Even from where he was standing, outside the corridor, Jiyo could feel the suction of powerful ceiling fans taking air from the room.

He hasn't been to the Recycling Laboratory since it worked but he knows that even if the extractor's large fans are immersed, breathing in the rotten environment without an oxygen mask is nearly impossible. He didn't look forward to getting into it in the slightest.

Next to the extract vent in the ceiling is a chute leading to the surface. It ended with a circular metal cover, cast on the concrete slab next to the entrance building. Here, and on a surprisingly regular basis, recyclates enter The Hole.

Jiyo pushed the door back on its hinges, turning on the overhead light. As the room was bathed in bright white light, he heard a crackling, sloping sound coming from the pit and hesitated on the threshold.

After judging himself for being cowardly, he took a deep breath and walked into the pit, staring as it filled. The surface still echoed from the movements of the creatures that dived deep into the sticky object when he turned on the lights. Disgusted to turn away, he took another quick breeze from the corridor and squatted in the corner, tidying up the tangled pile of bones he had seen there.

"Well, I've solved the problem where all the staff is gone," he whispered, eyes starting to sting the stench in the room.

When Benjamin Gustilo arrived at the dock, he stopped in the car park and quickly turned off the engine. As he got out of his silver Mercedes Benz, he looked around, worried he would leave his expensive car in such a deserted place.

"It'll be okay here too if you park," shouted a thin man from the beach.

The man was wearing a pair of dirty orange overalls, bright yellow boots, and a rolled-up woolen cap. He smiled and Benjamin saw that he had no teeth, as if his face had fallen.

"Here," the man called, waving his dirty hand. "Your man there said I would take you to him. Fortunately he caught up with me. I just went out to the pub and all. These mobiles are great things, aren't they? "

The boatman shouted steadily as he helped Benjamin cross between the boat and the dock. Benjamin's nose twitched at the smell of fish wrapping around the vessel, secretly wiping his hand on the side of his coat as the boatman released it. Going to the back of the ship, he sat on the gunwale and tried to tune out the sound of the seaman's voice.

The boat's engine came to life in conjunction with coughing and bursts of black, foul smoke, before settling into a continuous pulse. The machine sounded as if it would explode at any moment, but the noise meant she no longer had to listen to the man's pointless chatter.

The boatman guided the beating vessel out of the sound, his body swaying in the movement of the waves as he turned the wheel back and forth.

"How long has it been?" Benjamin shouted above the rattle of the diesel engine.

"About fifteen minutes or so," the boatman called over his shoulder, wiping the saliva off his chin with the back of his hand.

Benjamin Gustilo lived in a meditative mood, the throbbing engine and gentle receding waves coming together to reduce the tensions that had accumulated in his shoulders on the long drive from his mansion in Cagayan to the island, always using his Mercedes when traveling on land.

He smiled, wondering what awaited him when he arrived at the Lab and back home. Maybe he should book his secretary a nice restaurant for later. Her husband liked it when it took him to a place that celebrities went to. Benjamin pulled out his cell phone, frowning. "Damn it. There is no signal! "

The boat rolled into a large trough and Benjamin saw the island in the distance.

(Flashback Story)

He first saw it from the sky, when he surveyed the island with his architect three years ago. If you look at it then, he saw that the small crater they chose as a building plot at the larger end of the island would save the builders a lot of construction work. As his architect pointed out, the surrounding high rocks also help preserve the elements on the coast. Ordering the pilot to be placed in the middle of the crater, Benjamin climbed up, his architect close behind him, to inspect the island which he hoped would add a large part to his great fortune and wealth.

"I think we've found it, Jimmy," he said, to do smile as he stroked his hair back to his head, breathing in the sea air. "Just listen to the waves. Amazing."

"If you can get whoever owns it to sell it to you," the architect replied in a suspicious tone.

"Money speaks better than words," he replies smiling. "Or is it stronger? Anyway, just go back to the office and get a team here right away. I'll take care of buying the island. You have nine months to turn this place into a working laboratory. Do you think you can? "

His architect named Jimmy nodded softly, seemingly reluctant to dedicate himself.

The work is hard, due to the land and location, and government permits but money is a good motivator. Equipment and materials were flown by helicopter, while builders were ushered outside along with locals and boaters back and forth on a daily basis.

Benjamin wanted to hide the real reason for the construction work because whoever succeeds in using this particular idea will be a fortune teller. As usual with his new activities, there will be people sniffing around - industrial spies are endless on tour - so he spread the rumor that the island will be used as huge underground oil storage.

(End of Flashback)

"We're close sir."

The boatman's shout released Edward from his rejoicing and he focused on the pier that was going up a few meters away. For all his sloppy looks, the boatman is a great seaman, kissing the boat against the wheels hanging on the pier to be compared as gently as a mother kissing her baby.

Holding the ship to the pier with the engine, the boatman shouted for Benjamin to jump, and added: "Favor us, and drop this rope here over that bollard when you get to shore."

Benjamin slipped the large loop over the rusty bollard and made his way down the road to the edge of the ravine. The intermittent lampposts cast a deep and dark shadow in the passage and he had to be careful with his tread. After a ten-minute walk, he finally reached the top and walked out onto the large concrete slab roof of the laboratory they had built on the rock of the island.

Benjamin Gustilo saw his PA sitting behind a desk in the entrance building, feet raised, ankles crossed. He is drinking something from a plastic cup. Benjamin brought his coat to his body against the wind as he walked towards the building, Benjamin glancing at his watch.

It's about ten o'clock, and it looks like a storm. He hopes the time will last until they get out of the island. It was too dark to fly back to the helicopter today and he didn't want to sail back into a storm with the toothless boatman at the wheel.

XXX

Jiyo Kael saw Benjamin through the mirror and lowered his feet to the desk. The Strict Man looks tired. Really tired. Pressing and exiting the door for his boss to enter, Jiyo stood up.

"Jiyo," Benjamin said, nodding in greeting.

"Mr. Gustilo." Jiyo gave his own nod.

"The coffee you're drinking there?"

"Sure. Do you want me to get you a cup? The machine is just there."

"You just need a gulp. If you don't mind, that is ... That's a few walks from the pier." Jiyo reached for his plastic cup, he noticed the Strict Man's hand trembling as he took it.

"So what's the emergency?" Benjamin said after sipping hot liquid.

XXX