Born of Shadow - Book 1 (complete)

Chapter 32

Media alert: This picture in the media box is of a Waldo, or mechanical arms used to work with hazardous materials. Cool tidbit. My family recently visited the Experimental Breeder Reactor Atomic Museum and got play with the mechanical arms. Wondering why they are called Waldos? They are named after a short story by science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein called "Waldo" that featured a man who invents and uses these devises.

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When they stepped outside again, Kami marveled at the striking difference between the air-conditioned building and the sweltering heat. She wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead that was already beginning to form.

“If you really wanted to freak that woman out, you could have told her about the shadow creatures,” Samuel said.

Yasmin shook her head.

“She looked overwhelmed already.”

“We’d better check out this jar then,” Liam said. “Or the piece anyway.”

He called Haji again, and this time he answered. Within fifteen minutes, they were driving east, then south to Cairo. Liam explained that Lower Egypt was in the north, which confused Kami until he told her it was because the Nile ran from south to north.

Haji shook his head as they explained to him what had happened in the library while he had been worshipping at a nearby mosque. Kami couldn't blame him for having a hard time believing. She struggled too, since she’d been unconscious for most of the attack.

They passed several balconies with brightly colored laundry hanging from them, then drove into a more slummy part of the city. Piles of refuse lined the streets and beggars sat on corners. Using Liam’s GPS, they found the building fairly easily.

Haji elected to wait in the car, convinced that in this neighborhood someone would steal it if he left it. Liam tried to convince Kami to stay put as well so she could get some rest after the drinking fountain incident, but she insisted on going in with everyone else.

They opened the door to a stark concrete foyer with a couple of folding chairs and a table stacked with magazines with Arabic titles. The building looked like it had been built in the 1950s, with outdated equipment and switchboards. A skinny Caucasian woman with dirty blonde hair wearing a white lab coat spoke on the phone at the front desk. She held up a finger. One minute.

A glass barrier separated them from the laboratory. Kami studied the lab carefully. The interior walls were all made of concrete, just like the foyer. A large glass box stood in the middle of the room. She could see a black jar piece propped up, resting behind leaded glass that was at least a foot thick. Her eyes scanned the walls again, and her heart skipped a beat as she saw the universal yellow sign, the radioactive symbol.

“A waldo!” Samuel cried, redirecting her attention to the box. “The robot manipulates the material with a system of cables, bands and tubes. See there!”

He pointed to metal mechanical arms approximately ten feet long that were operated by a person outside the box. It reminded her somewhat of the claw crane in an arcade game where the operator tries to snatch up a prize, only there were two hands here, and apparently they were used to test the jar piece instead of to snag a stuffed animal. The mechanical arms appeared a lot more sophisticated than the claw, though, and they probably had to be easier to use. She saw beakers in varying sizes and colors behind the glass.

The strangest part was there were no people in the lab. Other than the woman at the desk, the place was devoid of life—no receptionists, no scientists. It was as if the place had been abandoned. Kami supposed they could all be on a lunch break, but at the same time? At 2:00 in the afternoon? Probably not likely.

The woman hung up the phone.

“Yes?” she said.

“Hi, I’m Ahmed Hassri’s granddaughter,” Yasmin said.

The woman’s eyes opened wide as she recognized the name.

“We were wondering if you’ve seen or heard from him recently. We understand you have an artifact—”

“I’m sorry, but this lab is closed indefinitely. I am not allowed to release information.”

“But he’s missing, and if you could just—”

The woman cut her off again, glancing nervously to her left.

“I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do.”

Kami looked over and noticed a security camera in the corner. They were being watched. She noticed that as the woman said it, she pressed a piece of paper into Yasmin’s hand. In that moment, the woman’s eyes lost their cool focus. She looked frightened. But then it was as if she realized the emotion she was projecting, and she reigned herself back to that cool impersonal look.

“Now if you’ll please exit out the front door, I would appreciate it. I need to lock the door, as I should have done in the first place.”

She shepherded them out of the room and the lock clicked behind them.

“What now?” Liam asked.

Yasmin opened the paper and read it. A slow smile crept across her lips.

“I know where to go,” she said.

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The dedication for this chapter goes out to a fairly new but amazing Wattpad buddy @rsrdiall! She rocked her way through Born of Shadow quickly. I have so been enjoying her feedback and comments, and also very much appreciate her featuring my book on her message board. You should click on the dedi link above and check her profile and writing out. I am currently enjoying "The Ten." Thanks Roshelle!