record everything from heart rate to brain activity.”
Parris strapped them both into their seats and then attached the adhesive electrodes to them, one on their temples and one on the left side of their chest.
Parris walked to the table and opened the metal box. She took out a bottle of rubbing alcohol, a small bag of cotton balls, a pair of latex gloves, and two bandages, and she placed them each on the table one by one. There were also two twelve-milliliter graduated disposable syringes with hypodermic needles and caps attached to them that were alongside two small sealed glass vials filled with a clear solution.
She snapped on the latex gloves, removed the cap from the hypodermic needle, and picked up one of the vials with the other hand. She looked over at Dewan. He’d been staring at her for a few seconds and frequently rolled his eyes. She would treat him first. She stood to his side and rubbed the cotton ball in a circle on the back of his upper arm. She then took the syringe, filled it with the drug, and injected him. Not to her surprise, Dewan didn’t flinch. He was in no way like the stereotypical African-American males you’d see on some primetime television networks back home, where they’re portrayed as being obscenely foul-mouthed, low educated, trouble-making individuals. On the other hand, whether he was innocent or not, he was prone to violent outbursts. If only he knew who she really was and what she could do to him, he probably wouldn’t be in the same room with her.
“Ouch, be careful,” said Dewan as she pushed the plunger in a bit too hard.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Parris lied, as she held back a smile. I could do a lot worse. She pulled out the syringe, immediately placed the cotton ball on the injection spot and applied pressure for thirty seconds. She reached over to the bio-hazard pail that was beside the table and pushed the syringe through the flap. She then stuck a Band-Aid to Dewan’s arm.
“What’s that supposed to be for?” Eva asked.
“This is a drug we call Clarity. It’ll help you to listen and comprehend things much better,” Parris answered.
Eva smiled. “You mean, make us smarter?”
“Not quite.” Eva looked convinced. Dewan frowned. Parris took another cotton ball and alcohol and did the same thing to Eva.
While Dr. Parris continued with the experiment, Hashimoto and two scientists observed from the adjoining room through the one-way see-through window. The sound of a turning door handle caught his attention and Hashimoto turned to see Valerik holding open the door, munching on a sandwich. He left the room with Valerik and walked down the hall to a vacant laboratory where they had more privacy.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Not at all,” Valerik answered. “But I felt more comfortable seeing you in person instead of speaking over the phone.”
“I thought our phone lines were secure. No one’s supposed to be able to crack through.”
Valerik shoved the rest of the sandwich into his mouth. “Nothing’s ever completely secure nowadays.”
“Then why did you call me this morning if you knew of the risks?”
“The conversation was kept brief.” Some crumbs fell from his mouth before Valerik wiped it with the back of his hand. “There was no mention of Pandora, and you did not call me by name either, as I had told you. The Americans have their supercomputers set up to zero in on key words and trace the location of conversations. But they won’t find us as long as you continue to follow my instructions.”
Hashimoto sighed with relief. “You’re right. Now, what’s so important that you had to come here?”
Valerik licked his fingers. “As you know, the Americans are investigating.”
Hashimoto reached over to the counter and handed him the tissue box. “I would think so.”
Valerik snatched a tissue and wiped his hands. “I received word about one of them.”
“Who is he?”
“His name’s Ridley Fox. He’s the one responsible for disrupting our plans in the Chechnyan laboratory. He’s one of their top agents, if not the best.”
“And you’re supposed to be our best agent. I assume that you’d know how to handle him if ever he gets too close?”
“I can handle him.” Valerik balled up the tissue, tossed it to the waste paper basket and missed. “Besides, I doubt that neither he nor the Russians know where to start looking for me.”
“If Fox is as good as you say he is, then, I hope not. And with your countrymen on the case-”
“I am a man without a country. The Russians are not my countrymen. My loyalties are and will always be to The Promise.”
“I’m sure that’s what Dr. Marx would want to hear from you. So would I.” Just then, Hashimoto’s cell phone rang. He flipped it open. “Moshi moshi.”
“Sir, you need to come back to the lab,” said one of the scientists from the monitoring room.
“What’s wrong?”
“Maybe you should come and see for yourself. Dr. Parris has gone on with the experiment a bit differently and Dewan’s readings are somewhat awkward.”
“Awkward? In what way?”
“She’s gone off on a tangent. She’s doing things that were not planned and Dewan’s readings are unusual. That’s why I think you should come back and take a look for yourself.”
“I’ll be right there.” He flipped his phone shut and looked back at Valerik. “Wait here. I’ll send for you when I’m done.”
Chapter 10
“I’m curious, Dewan. When you go back home, what are your plans?” Parris lowered the visors over their eyes and pressed the small button over the nose piece to activate them.
Dewan glanced up at the ceiling and then down at the floor as though in deep thought. “I haven’t figured that out yet. Get another job, whoever’ll hire me, and then try to get back into school, unless I find something better. With what I’m supposed to receive from doing this experiment, my rent should be covered for the first few months anyway.”
“I see.” Parris nodded. “And if that doesn’t work out, what then?”
Dewan sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.”
“I’m concerned about what you said before,” said Parris. “That New York is getting too bourgeoisie for you that you can’t handle it. And with a criminal record, it’s going to be hard for you to find a job and possibly pay for your schooling.”
Dewan rubbed his right eye. “So what are you saying-that I should just give up?”
Parris placed the alcohol and the plastic bag of cotton balls back into the metal box and closed the lid. “Not at all, I was just curious. You’re so anxious to leave this place and go home. I just wanted to know what you have left to go home to.”
Dewan didn’t say anything as she placed her hands in her lab coat pockets and paced in front of the table. She then turned to Dewan. “Tell me more about your parents, Dewan. Your mother’s a nurse and your father’s a truck driver. When’s the last time you spoke to them?”
“About a couple of weeks ago,” he answered. “They don’t even know I’m here.”
Parris tilted her head to the side. “Why’s that?”
He sighed. “’Cause they’d get mad at me.”
Parris nodded. “So you feel comfortable lying to them.”
“I don’t want to,” Dewan answered. “But I had no choice this time.”
“Did they believe you when you told them you were innocent of the drug charge?” she asked
“I don’t know. Things have been different between us since that time. But they’ll be fine. It’ll blow over. I know I’m innocent.”
Parris walked back to the table, opened her tote, took out a file folder and placed it on the table. From inside the folder she took out a copy of a newspaper clipping from the New York Times, held it up and looked at it. “Edwin
