PREDATOR ISLAND (Sea Lab Book 2)

CHAPTER 4

Aside from a receptionist answering phone calls, the port facility lobby was nothing more than a large room with a high definition television and a bunch of chairs for crew members to lounge in until their assigned research vessel was ready to set sail again. At the moment, the TV played an episode of Blue Planet on the Discovery Channel. The chairs were plush leather and they reclined, which was a nice feature. Also, there was WiFi and plenty of charging outlets, but who had time to sit around and play on their phone? Certainly not Jake Soloman or Sarah Lawson.

Off to the side, a break room contained vending machines, a microwave, and a round table with chairs. Further down one of the halls a small cafeteria offered lunch for those needing a hardy meal. It was convenient for anyone who didn't want to venture into the city. In the other direction, down another long hallway, the employee medical examination room waited for Jake and Sarah.

Tony and Rachel—deciding to stick together, oddly enough—had already made a run at a cab and a day at the beach. Jake wondered what they were doing together and if there was anything he needed to know about. As for the other remaining scientists, they had all cleared out with their own itinerary for the day by the time Jake and Sarah made it inside. Of course, a handful of crew members chose to hang out in the lobby and eat in the cafeteria, specifically the ones who had to be back on the ship for required maintenance and other preparations. But generally speaking, this was a day of shore leave, a break for weary sailors. A much needed one.

Jake and Sarah strode past several doors with windows and blinds on both sides of the hall. Fluorescent lights burned in every office, even the empty ones. That seemed like a waste of electricity to Jake, but who was he to judge? He didn't pay the bills.

They drew near the port manager's office, a guy in his sixties by the name of Edward Denson. His door open, the silver haired and rather tall man threw up a hand as Jake and Sarah walked by. Denson busied himself with mounds of paperwork on his desk and a phone to his ear. He had no intention of getting involved in a conservation. His wave was only him being courteous by acknowledging their presence.

Halfway down the hall, Jake noticed their special operations director in a conference room with her elbows on the oblong table. Involved in a heavy conversation, she leaned forward, holding her cell phone face up in her open palm. After two weeks at sea, he'd grown accustomed to seeing Catherine O'Donnell in jeans and a t-shirt, but now, to look more professional in front of the port staff, she wore her usual business attire. Sometimes it was a skirt or slacks. This time it was a gray pants suit with a white blouse. Cat's sandy hair fell to her shoulders as she turned her head at the appearance of Jake and Sarah passing by the open doorway.

Jake slowed and started to say hi, but a pair of guests stole his attention. They sat across from Cat. One of them was a man with dirty blond hair and a woman with dark brown locks. Both of them sat, leaning forward much like Cat, but they were dressed in every day street clothes. They gave her their full attention. The guy wore jeans and a polo shirt—the woman—khaki pants and a white tank top under a flannel shirt. They seemed like they were waiting for an answer, and at the moment, the stress lines on their faces said they didn't like what they'd heard so far.

Cat shook her head and wrinkled her nose at Jake and Sarah as if to say, not right now. To further indicate that she didn't want to be bothered, she rose from the chair with her phone, walked to the door and shut it in Jake's face. A moment before she closed them out, he heard Director Hardy's voice on the line, and he didn't sound pleased.

"Guess she's not up for small talk," he said to Sarah as they continued on down the hallway.

"Yeah. Wonder why they have my dad on the line?"

"Obviously, something's up."

"For sure."

"Let's just hope it doesn't involve us."

Jake opened a door at the end of the hall and stepped aside for Sarah. The examination room was smaller than any of the offices on the first floor, bare-bones and nondescript, it's only purpose was a place for job applicants to get a pre-employment physical, and for current employees to get wellness checkups. Basically, it was a company perk to have the doctor make house calls. Jake was familiar with the room's counterpart at Sea Lab headquarters in Orlando. He'd been banged up more than once on dives and such.

Sarah entered the room, greeted by a standard exam bench with a fresh cover stretched over it. She walked right up and sat, the disposable paper crinkling under her. Jake stood at her side and checked his watch. It was five till nine. The doctor should be in at right about...now. He glanced up to see the white haired, Dr. Hiro Yasota.

"Good morning, Sarah...and Jake." He checked his clipboard with bright, cheerful eyes. "I see you're up for a physical and blood work."

"That's right." Sarah offered a tight lipped smile. She nodded, her countenance dimming with the doctor in the room.

"And you're here for what, Jake, moral support?"

Jake widened his eyes, shrugged. "That would be a good way to put it."

"It is understandable for a supervisor to care for those under his charge." Dr. Yasota showed his teeth with a big grin. "Nothing odd about that."

What is it with everybody here? He can't know a thing about me and Sarah. "I couldn't agree more." Jake added a nod.

"Yes, well, we'll start with the standard medical examination, then draw blood."

Sarah winced.

"She doesn't like needles," Jake said.

"Glad to see you know so much about your subordinates, Jake," the doctor replied. "But she need not worry. It'll only pinch, just a bit."

"I'll be okay." Sarah insisted. "Let's just get this over with."

Apparently, resigned to what she had to do, she submitted to everything the doctor asked of her. Open wide and say ahh. Breathe in deep and exhale. Bend over and touch your toes. Lay flat on your back. Does that hurt? Etcetera. Etcetera.

At last, a nurse the doctor brought along came in and took a vial of blood from Sarah's arm. Jake watched her darting eyes as the needle entered beneath the elbow and filled with crimson.

"We'll send the sample off to the lab and wait for the results," Dr. Yasota said. "Should take about a week or so. Then we'll know what makes you tick."

From what Jake could tell, that's exactly what she was worried about.