Rigel projected the photo of a giant computer made up of terminals of different sizes and monitors stacked one on top of the other, which looked ostentatious and even grotesque.
“What interests me now is what this strange monstrosity has to offer,” he said. “We found this in the disaster room. It’s an assembly of different machines; we have identified the origin of some, although the part that interests me is the one that is still a mystery: a hidden hardware inside that continues to be active thanks to another four-frequency emitter. The problem is that the computer requests a biometric power reading to access it, and the system is programmed to delete its database in case an attempt is made to open it, one of my officers just informed me. He couldn’t get past the security code, but he found a list with positions that have access: neurosurgeons, biophysicists… and Binaries.”
Juzo’s eyes flashed with wonder.
“Yeah, that was my reaction,” the Detective said. “I think this computer could be your ticket to learn more about the Project and mine to find out what those people were doing in that place. It was taken to the Bellatrix barracks. I can provide you with a security code so you can get in and see it for yourself; if you want to take the risk, that is. It will have to be soon, though, before they move it to the central repository where the other equipment confiscated from the bunker is; once there, I won’t be able to help you.”
“Okay,” Juzo said without hesitation. “I’ll go.”
Rigel expected no less from him. “If you get caught, I’ll deny knowing you,” he warned.
“I know,” Juzo agreed. He knew he wasn’t measuring the consequences, but right now, he didn’t care. “I also need the exact whereabouts of my brother,” he asked later.
Rigel was about to say, ‘I hope you’re not thinking of going to meet him,’ but didn’t. If he had been in Juzo’s place, he would have done it even though it was crazy.
“Bellatrix. That barracks is built on an old mine, right?” Juzo said, while his eyes said, ‘You already know where I’m going with this.’
Rigel nodded. Goodbye warning him about not going to meet that Adam White guy. “Yes, there’s a Kappa Point,” he agreed. “I’ll see what I can do. I’ll contact you tomorrow first thing in the morning.”
And ending his day as a spy, he prepared to return to the barracks. But he stopped, and with a gesture announced that there was something more to say.
“Last year, other students found the bones of an unidentified child in the same cave where we found the bunker,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s related to those kids in the containers, but I heard the case was closed due to lack of evidence, and it’s strange that they didn’t detect that bunker sooner because, when investigating a place like that, the use of low-frequency sonar is almost mandatory. If these people knew how to hide so well all these years...”
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“It’s because perhaps someone with power within the Empire has been holding them off?” Juzo finished. “Okay, fine. But then why didn’t that ‘someone’ do it this time?”
“Because maybe that someone didn’t know,” Rigel said. “The district responsible for investigating the southern sectors, where the Tropical Canyon is, is Gamma, but its colonel has just passed away and that is why, at the last minute, they assigned the case to me, the colonel of the Beta sector,” he explained and, shrugging with another enigmatic smile, he added, “I told you. Fate.”
This time Juzo couldn’t help but share the same smile.
“It would be interesting to know if the bunker was already confidentially on the Army’s radar before the students were murdered,” the Detective said; “at least it would help shed some light on the subject. The Raid Squad is the heavy division of military intelligence; its members know the blueprints for every clandestine place in Pannotia. I don’t have access to their records; we’re different divisions, and let’s just say that their captain and I don’t get along, but you know someone who used to work there. Maybe she can help you with that.”
Juzo got it. And with the information stuck in his head, and a twisted epiphany in his heart telling him that whatever he did, his life would never be the same again, he dismissed the Detective Colonel with a military salute.
Rigel disappeared into the night, between the high ravines, and the wind began to blow strongly.
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PEARL MOTEL
0147 HOURS
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The storm was at its peak outside, and more and more leaks were revealed in room five of the Pearl Motel.
“Test subjects: Binary twins,” reread Malin, stunned.
She put a hand on her forehead and held the files tightly with the other. She couldn’t believe what she had just learned. What kind of twisted mind had been able to come up with something like this?! She nearly plopped on the bed to wait for her head to stop spinning around, but she didn’t and laid her leg against the bed’s apex instead.
“According to this, you would be…”
“The Binary-R,” Juzo replied, looking at her with a storm as wild as the one outside hidden behind the serenity in his eyes.
“But, what about those proteins? Have you ever—?” Words stumbled in her mouth. “What if we go to Alps Town? Let’s check the place where they abandoned you and…”
Gently, Juzo took the files from her hands. “It’d be a waste of time,” he said.
Malin looked up as if suddenly something had struck her, her light blue eyes, wide open.
“Hey,” she said, “didn’t you think this could be a trick to get you and your group of Rowdy Ones? Maybe they discovered Rigel has contact with you, and they planned this to make you come out of hiding.”
“Malin,” he interrupted her. “No one is really all that interested in me to go this far.”
Malin gave a step back. Yes, Juzo was right.
“What are you gonna do now?” she asked. Then she looked at him disguised as an imperialist soldier, and she knew. “Oh, no. Please, tell me you don’t…”
“Yes,” he said. “I’m going into Bellatrix barracks.”
“You know the road is sown with retinal scanners, don’t you?”
“I’ll pass them all.” Juzo was determined. “I’ve got it all set up.”