Lemuria, Burt Clinchandhill [adventure books to read .TXT] 📗

Here, let me fast forward.” Stromberg clicked two arrows on the lower screen. The only thing that changed on the image was the counter on the top right and an occasional animal that moved over the screen at an extremely fast pace. Then number twenty-six reappeared, and Stromberg clicked again. “Ten minutes have passed.” He pointed to the top of the screen.

“She was inside for a whole ten minutes?” Mulder asked rhetorically. “Did anyone see her or notice anything peculiar?”

“Nothing. I already asked security, and every staff member on duty last night. Nobody saw or heard anything. I saw you two talking together. Did she say anything, or look any different?

“Not that I noticed,” Mulder said, “but we can’t take any chances, so you know what to do.” Mulder looked at his watch. “We’ll have breakfast in a few minutes, and after that, I’ll take her on a tour. You have two hours.”

“Two hours? That’s impossible.”

“And yet, that’s all you get. I suggest you skip breakfast and get to work.”

Stromberg inhaled to say something but quickly changed his mind. Over the years, he got to know Mulder well enough to know when to debate or disagree and when not to. So, instead, he picked up his radio as Mulder left the room.

***

“Good morning again,” Mulder called out cheerfully as he joined Jennifer at the breakfast table.

“And a good morning to you again,” she replied.

“So, how did you sleep your first night in the rainforest?”

Jenifer thought for a short moment. “I think I slept like a baby.”

“You think?” Mulder asked, smiling.

“Well, you probably know how it is. The first night in a strange bed is never the best for a good night’s sleep, but I must admit I don’t remember sleeping, so it must have been fine.”

“So, you’re well-rested now? I mean, well-rested enough for me to take you on the grand tour after breakfast?”

“Uh, sure. I’d love to see everything. I also would like to call my mom and let her know that everything is okay, but since there is no cell reception, I’d like to use one of your sat-phones.”

“Not a problem.” Mulder paused for a short moment. “It’s just that we seem to experience satellite problems at the time. Probably solar flares. Let me check that for you and get back to you later.”

“All right. My mom tends to worry quickly.”

“Isn’t that what moms are for? Please have some breakfast.” Mulder waved an arm over the table. “We have the usual bread, eggs—scrambled and boiled—but I can especially recommend the sangrecita, a local specialty. It’s a little like black pudding, with garlic and chili-spiced chicken blood. Very tasty. We also have picarones, a super sweet dish, heavenly skinny, donut-shaped and deep-fried sweet potato pieces. And, of course, there’s papaya juice and coffee. Please, dig in.”

“Don’t mind if I do. It all looks delicious.”

“Good, and after breakfast, I will take you on that tour I promised you.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” She poured herself a glass of papaya juice.

***

An hour had passed when Jennifer walked to the path where Mulder was waiting for her.

“Are you ready?” Mulder asked, tipping his camouflage cap while carrying a large cane in the other hand. “You never know when it might come in handy.”

“I think breakfast found a good place inside,” Jennifer replied, tapping her belly. “So, let’s go.”

“So, tell me”—Mulder walked into the rainforest—“how about that, uh, VNO, Jacobson’s organ of yours? Any development?”

“Doesn’t Dr. Ahlström keep you informed?”

“Only on the highlights for now. She told me you show a slightly elevated sensitivity for social chemo signals.”

“Pheromones.”

“Yes, pheromones,” Mulder confirmed.

“I understand from Dr. Ahlström that the presence of pheromones in humans has never been proven—”

“Watch out,” Mulder suddenly called out, pointing his stick to the side of the path where Jennifer walked. A black, orange-spotted snake slithered toward the path.

Jennifer took a quick step back. “Dangerous?” she asked.

With his cane, Mulder cautiously pushed the snake away from the path. “I have no idea. A friend of mine once tried to teach me the difference between venomous and non-venomous snakes, but it didn’t stick. So let’s not take the risk. You were saying?” he asked, as they followed the path again that went slightly uphill now.

“We were talking about pheromones. Yes, I know it’s never been proven, and I don’t know if it’s pheromones, but back home, we did some tests, and we’re sure something’s happening.” Jennifer pushed her hair back from her face.

“What kind of tests?” Mulder asked.

“Well, for example, I was in a room and presented with random people. While monitored by an EEG machine, I was to have casual conversations with them about any topic we agreed to.”

“To what end?” Mulder asked, frowning.

“They informed me later that the people I was confronted with weren’t just randomly chosen. Each of them had a recent past that created a specific emotion in them. For instance, there was a woman who had recently lost her husband in a car accident; she was filled with grief. Another had recently won millions of dollars in a lottery, and yet another was a new mother. A dozen different people, with different emotions. All the people were forbidden to talk about their unique situation, so I wouldn’t know through conversation what it was. Afterward, I was asked what I felt, which was then mapped to the EEG brain scan.”

“And?”

“And....” Jennifer paused for a moment. “Let’s just say the jury is still out. I’m absolutely sure I feel things, feel them differently than I did before, but defining these emotions is something different. Anyway, we agreed to do this test every other week, so we can compare the outcome.”

“Sounds like a good way to determine progress.” Mulder put his finger to his mouth, put his face next to Jennifer’s and whispered, “You need to be real quiet now. Follow me.” He pointed toward the end of a grassy hill. He duck-walked up to the edge of the hill, where he lay down flat on his belly. Jennifer followed