Mirrored Man: The Rob Tyler Chronicles Book 1 (47 page)

As she turned to leave, she nearly hit the
floor when she heard him ask, “You don’t have any cheesecake do
you?”

* * * * *

YEOUM WOKE A FEW HOURS
after Tiong.
He listened as Tiong explained their predicament and introduced him
to the self-named Schultz. They discovered all of their electronic
devices had been removed, along with their shoes and socks, while
they had been unconscious. This made it difficult to keep track of
the time, and any thoughts of attempting to escape from the moving
truck were very unpleasant. They were only able to guess how long
they had been inside the trailer when they stopped for fuel and had
a changing of the guard. They surmised that at least two days
had passed since they were abducted. To make matters worse, all of
the parties concerned, both captives and their hosts, were becoming
more and more irritable in the deteriorating conditions within,
having a pickle bucket for a toilet and only granola bars and
Gatorade for sustenance during their journey.

Other than Schultz, their captors had proven
profoundly unfriendly and much less chatty. On several occasions,
Tiong had requested he be allowed to check on the chimps, but their
captors had flatly refused. Even after attempting to explain the
side effect that caused unconsciousness when the clones and donor
chimps were too close to each other, not to mention that they had
had no food or water for days, they remained unconcerned. Tiong
worried about possible unknown ramifications, but there was nothing
he could do.

Not long after waking and during a guard
change, Yeoum had gone into a tirade of threats that were silenced
by a new man with the butt of his AK-47. The still-unconscious
Yeoum was bound and gagged. Tiong feared that the blow might have
killed the aging man, but the Korean proved to be made of hardy
stuff. He had only remained unconscious for about ten minutes, but
he was kept in his bonds until the next guard in the rotation took
his turn.

Yeoum and Tiong sat on one of the thin
mattresses near the front of the trailer as the man who was
guarding them, an older and dirtier man than Schultz, sat near the
doors. He had forbidden them to speak or walk around, threatening
to tie them up if they chose to ignore his orders. But eventually,
his attention turned to the deck of cards that he had been playing
solitaire with.

“How are you holding up, Professor?”

Yeoum was sitting in his customary manner of
late, crossed legged and with his arms folded. “I have endured far
worse than this, Doctor Tiong.”

“Good,” Tiong said, amused by the old man’s
consistent defiance. He wondered briefly what it would take to
truly intimidate the diminutive man, but decided finally that he’d
rather not know. Noticing the guard glaring in their direction,
Tiong found a rivet in the floor to stare at until the man turned
his attention back to his game.

“Why do you think they’re taking us to
California?” Tiong whispered.

Without thinking, Yeoum responded, “I assume
that, given the situation on the border, they will attempt to take
us out of the country. Assuming we are not already in Mexico.”

“Why do you think that they’d take us to
Mexico?”

Yeoum remained silent. He had concocted a
theory about their present situation early on, but was reluctant to
share it with Tiong.

“Professor?”

Yeoum turned to Tiong and said with a hint
of finality, “I am afraid, Doctor Tiong, that my past has finally
caught up with me.”

Tiong looked at him quizzically. “I don’t
understand.”

“There are elements of my life I have kept
hidden from you and the others. Elements that have consequences
that are extremely unforgiving.”

“What are you talking about, Professor?”

Yeoum ignored the question, choosing to
disclose the information in his own manner. “My only regret is that
you will suffer my fate as well. I never wanted that.”

“What fate?”

“You believe that I am originally from the
Republic of South Korea?”

“Well—” Tiong started.

Yeoum shook his head, cutting him off. “I am
a
Daechwa,
A senior colonel in the Army of the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea.” He turned to look at
Tiong. “
North
Korea. I defected from my home country in 1991. I no longer
wanted to participate in the cloning project that was initiated by
my father. Their methods were … cruel.”

Tiong nodded.

“You suspected this?”

“No, Professor. I didn’t suspect. I was
already aware.”

It was Yeoum’s turn to give Tiong a confused
look. “How?”

Tiong smiled. “Let’s just
say that there are certain elements of
my
past that
you
are unaware of.”

“Such as?”

“In due time, Professor. In due time.”

EDDIE WAS REUNITED WITH
Geri Hughes
and Cal Warren after their short stay in the hospital. The three
left late on Wednesday afternoon to travel to Florida, having
learned of June’s surrender to the Apalachicola Sheriff’s
Department. The junior agents, along with the others found in the
woods behind the Lightning Quik Mart, proved to be of little use in
providing information about their ordeal. They knew even less about
the whereabouts of Doctor Tiong and Professor Yeoum.
Kolokol
One
had been used to knock them unconscious. EA-3167, an
anticholinergic deliriant, was then used to keep them that way for
an extended time. Any memory of the assault had been completely
erased.

Air Force personnel were diligently pumping
water from the tunnels, but the task of removing tons of mud and
other debris to clear a path for foot traffic to Sistema Chac Luum
would take days, perhaps even weeks. The good news, reported by
Greg, was that Rob had regained consciousness and was showing all
the signs of a full recovery. Greg and Don had spent a good bit of
time with Rob as he lay in his bed, and were convinced beyond doubt
that their patient was the real Rob Tyler.

It was mid morning on Monday before Rob
returned to his hospital room after an MRI scan. Greg had
embellished a bit on his resume’ and had refused the assistance of
a neurologist, fearing a local doctor might ask too many questions
concerning the circumstances leading to Rob’s condition. He was
satisfied and more than a little relieved that, considering the yet
undetermined brain trauma Rob had suffered, the commander’s head
would soon be in tiptop form.

“Is there any way y’all could sneak me a
couple of cheeseburgers or somethin’ in here? What they’ve been
bringin’ me wouldn’t keep a squirrel alive,” Rob lamented as he
reclined on the bed.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Don said.

Greg eyed the two in warning. “Forget it. At
least until the last blood analysis comes back.”

“Aw, c’mon, Doc!”

Greg gave Rob a stern look. “Would you
prefer not to get outta here tomorrow? You wanna stay a few extra
days for another round of blood work?”

“No contraband, Doctor Cook!” Rob said in
mock annoyance. “Honestly Doc, I don’t have a clue where Doctor
Cook comes up with this stuff. I mean, you’d think a geneticist
would know better!” He looked back at Don. “What were you
thinking?”

Greg smiled. “What
was
I thinking?
Alright, now how ‘bout telling me how you’re feeling.”

Rob straightened himself, taking a moment to
make sure his hospital gown wasn’t revealing too much. “A whole lot
less discombobulated, that’s for sure.”

“Tell me again, what’s the last thing you
remember?”

“Okay,” Rob said with a sigh, annoyed that
he was asked to go through it again. “I was in the parlor with
June, Jimmy, Special Agent Perez, and you. There were some other
people there too, but I’m not sure who. Anyway, we had been playing
cards, and I was cleaning up, by the way. And all of a sudden, I
started feeling like I was drowning or something. I was having hot
and cold flashes, couldn’t catch my breath, and then, I woke up in
this bed. Nurse Lorraine was talking to me about something, I can’t
remember. I must’ve passed out again.”

“What about when you were unconscious? Can
you remember anything else about the dreams?”

Rob gave Greg a doubtful look. “I really
don’t understand—”

Greg held up his hand at him. “Just humor
me.”

Rob sighed. “Like I told you before, I was
having a really vivid—I don’t know if it was a dream or if it was
just a memory—of my last assignment as a SEAL.”

“What happened?” Don asked.

Rob’s face displayed disappointment. “Now,
you both know that’s classified. If I tell you that I could be sent
to prison.”

“Okay,” Greg said with a reassuring smile.
“I just had to find out if you’d slip up, that’s all. Now, try and
get some sleep.”

“But Doc—”

Greg held up his hand. “And I’ll see to
getting you out of here and back to your family tomorrow.”

Rob folded his arms and painted on an
exaggerated smile, but said not another word.

Greg turned to Don. “So, are you heading
back over to the lab?”

Don took the hint. “Yeah. They should have a
path cleared by this afternoon.” He turned to Rob and patted the
foot of the bed. “I’ll be back before you leave tomorrow. Okay,
man?”

“Don’t be late ‘cause I ain’t waitin’,” Rob
said.

“I’ll be here, don’t worry.”

“I won’t,” Rob quipped. “I’ve seen enough of
you people.”

As the doctors turned to leave, Rob asked,
“What about June? Will I be able to say goodbye to her?”

“Sorry Rob,” Greg answered with a frown.
“Probably not. She’s got her hands full with the chimps. I think
she may already be in Africa with Paris and Charlie.”

“That was quick. I thought that they were
gonna be moved at the end of the month.”

Greg shrugged. “Under the circumstances
…”

“Well, can you make sure that she gets my
number? I’d like her to meet Carol and my kids.”

“You never mentioned anything about inviting
us
over to meet the family,” Don said, feigning injury. He
then looked to Greg. “I think we’ve been slighted.”

“Don’t go away mad, Doc—” Rob started.

“Just go away,” the three said together.

“We’ll see what we can do,” Greg said,
chuckling. They walked into the hall and pulled the door closed
behind them. Greg found an empty room and the two stepped in, Don
closing the door for some privacy.

“How’s he holding up?” Greg asked.

“I really don’t like lying to him. Did you
know he and Walsh were friends?”

“No. It’s gotta be hard for him.”

“I don’t know if he buys the story about the
captain dying in the crash.”

“I know, but orders are orders.” Greg then
cocked his head questioningly. “So?”

Don shook his head, “I don’t know what to
make of it. I mean, I’m no neurologist.”

“Yeah, but you heard him?”

“I heard, but maybe he’s just confused.
There was a lot going on.”

“I guess,” Greg said. “But he was alone with
June in the parlor when it happened. And then she ran and got Tiong
and Perez. There wasn’t anybody else in there. You and Jimmy were
with the professor and I was in the lab.”

Don looked at Greg skeptically. “I think
you’re reading too much into this. His mind was Swiss cheese for
almost seventy-two hours. There’s no telling how screwed up his
memories got.”

“That’s what I’m thinking, too. I just
needed to hear your point of view.”

“That being settled,” Don said, “orders or
not, do you think it’s wise letting Rob think that the clone didn’t
survive?”

The major frowned. “For all we know, it
didn’t. It’s not with June. It has no memories, no point of
reference. Where could it be?”

“I don’t know.
That’s
the point.”

“Look, the guy has been through enough. He’s
going back home, and from what he’s told me, he’s retiring from the
Navy. He’s done his bit for king and country. Let’s just let him
leave the service with some peace of mind to enjoy it.”

“How would you feel if you were in his
shoes?” Don asked. “’Cause I’m pretty sure I’d want to know about
the possibility that the clone’s alive,
at least
.”

“Well, I can tell you without a doubt that
I
wouldn’t.” He slapped Don on the shoulder. “Ignorance is
bliss, my friend.”

* * * * *

BY YEOUM’S RECKONING,
he, Tiong, and
the chimps had been inside the trailer for the better part of four
days. They were only allowed out for occasional bathroom breaks in
out of the way spots, under the cover of darkness with a minimum of
two men guarding them. At times, during the excruciatingly boring
journey, they could hear one chimp or another begin to stir and
whimper inside its crate. Tiong was getting more than a little
concerned about their condition despite the IV fluids that had been
administered daily. He could only imagine what damage might be
being inflicted on their brains as long as they remained in close
proximity. But their captors remained stoic about the plight of the
animals.

Each day at an appointed time, Schultz took
his turn in the trailer. Tiong and Yeoum found him to be a pleasant
change from the other nameless men, even after he had been reminded
by his compatriots not to get too friendly with the cargo. But
after trying four hours of silence each day, he would inevitably
break down and return to being his friendlier self.

On the morning of the fifth day, they had an
unusually long stop. Shultz climbed into the trailer just as the
sun was breaking on the horizon. He waited stone-faced until the
doors were secured, then he smiled and asked, “Y’all doin’ alright
this mornin’?” He was cradling his shotgun in the crook of his left
arm, but draped over his right was a yellow raincoat they hadn’t
seen before.