If The World Was Ending

Chapter 9

As expected, the medical facility looks like every other one all over the world. White, cold and sterile. The building makes hospitals look like holiday resorts. With Shane next to her, Elizabeth heads for the reception desk in the foyer.

 “Good morning, how can I help?” the petite honey blonde receptionist behind the counter smiles, her smile widening for Shane’s benefit.

“Good morning. I am Elizabeth Van Rooyen, Dr Laura Kramer’s assistant” Elizabeth responds, reaching into her bag for a piece of paper, which she hands to the receptionist, “has Dr Kramer arrived yet?”

The woman quickly scans the paper and her smile disappears.

“Excuse me for a moment” she says apologetically reaching for the phone shielded by the counter top.

Elizabeth steps away from the counter as the woman quickly presses a button and speaks into the phone incoherently. Elizabeth frowns, she was starting to get that foreboding feeling again. She gives a quick worried side glance at Shane, who was watching the woman behind the counter. He was also frowning.

Shane watches the receptionist as she returns the phone to its holder and smiles at them again.

“If you could take a seat in the waiting area for a few minutes, Dr Preston will meet you there” she instructs pointing towards a small area with two white couches and a small round table centered between them.

Shane nods, “thank you.”

He places his hand on the small of Elizabeth’s back guiding her towards one of the couches. For a moment he feels her resisting, but then she starts to move.

“Do you know Dr Preston?” he asks as they sit down.

“Only by reputation” Elizabeth answers, “He is the head of this facility.”

Shane reaches for his phone, checking his messages and for a moment he visibly relaxes at a response he has been waiting for.

“Will you be okay on your own for a bit? I need to meet up with someone” he asks standing up.

Elizabeth swallows nervously. Despite the odd circumstances she wants Shane to stay with her, but she knew that it was only because she was feeling uneasy.

“Sure” she smiles, holding her bag to her chest as she shifts deeper into the couch. Shane nods and walks back to the reception desk. Elizabeth watches Shane talk to the blond woman who was batting her long eyelashes at him. Elizabeth rolls her eyes at her blatant flirtatious behavior, which seemed to go completely unnoticed by Shane. Elizabeth smiles admiring his tall muscular frame towering over the counter, he was as attractive today as he was the first time she had seen him coming towards her at the airport.

After a few moments Shane heads in the direction the woman had pointed and he disappears through a door at the back of the foyer. Elizabeth takes her phone out. She still has not heard anything from Dr Kramer and she was starting to get worried. The frustration and questions she had about the reports were a big concern and she wanted to resolve them quickly.

“Miss Van Rooyen?”

Elizabeth looks up from her phone to see a short, balding middle aged man with a white laboratory coat standing in front of her.

“Yes” she nods standing up to take the chubby hand stretched out to her.

“Very nice to meet you, Miss Van Rooyen, although it is in these circumstances” he says releasing her hand and motioning for her to sit down again.

Elizabeth felt her stomach twist into knots, why did she feel that he was about to tell her something terrible?

Shane stands in the doorway to the foyer, hesitant to move, he has only been gone about 30 minutes, but it was long enough for everything to change drastically. He had met up with Daniel the head of the security department as planned, received a gun and information he had not been expecting.

Shane looks at Elizabeth wiping away the tears as the chubby man next to her pats her shoulder in some sort of comforting gesture. He could only guess that she has learned of Dr Kramer’s fate. Her previous accident now classified as deliberate and ultimately fatal. Dr Kramer never reached the airport, she never even left her New York apartment.

This made protecting Elizabeth even more important and whatever she has discovered. Elizabeth and her laptop was now his main concern.

Shane saw Elizabeth stand up, she was visibly shaking and whatever she was asking the man was not being received very well. His comforting posture has suddenly taken on a defensive one. Shane hurriedly starts to walk towards them but stops momentarily to answer his phone.

“Yes?”

Shane listens intently to the speaker all the while watching Elizabeth. She was angry now and poking the man in the chest. The phone goes dead and for a moment Shane remains where he is, a deep frown cutting across his forehead. His mission’s objective has changed.

“Miss Van Rooyen, please. I realize you are upset, but I cannot allow you to…” the man broke off as Shane came to stand next to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth ignores Shane, but is grateful for his presence, giving her confidence.

“Dr Preston, I came here to do a job and I intend to do it. Even though Dr Kramer cannot...”she inhales a shaky breath, “cannot be here anymore. I still have to do my job.”

Dr Preston’s shoulders sag in defeat and he nods.

“Okay, okay” he says, holding up his hands, “I can only show you what we have gathered. You do not have the clearance to go into the labs, but…”

He turns and motions for them to follow him.

Dr Preston stops at a door and scans his handprint on the scanner next to the door. The door swings open and they go through. A tall security guard immediately jumps up and suspiciously eyes Shane and Elizabeth. They both produce their Cure Cybertech ID cards and the guard scans them in.

Satisfied the guard returns their cards and ignores them again to take his seat behind his desk. Dr Preston who had been waiting patiently further down the hall starts walking again as they reach him. After a few minutes he stops in front of a door which he unlocks with his handprint again, but he remains in the hall.

“Once you are done, just press that button for the guard and he will open the door” he says and then backs away to walk further down the hall.

Elizabeth steps inside and immediately takes a seat behind the huge wooden desk and logs onto the computer. Shane scans the room, at first glance it looks like an ordinary office, but on closer inspection it looks like an archive. Boxes and files filling up rows of bookcases with several scattered on the floor. One would think for a company like Cure Cybertech they would have a better storage facility.

“Are you okay?” he asks, turning his attention back to Elizabeth. She stops typing, but does not look at him.

“No” she answers honestly, shaking her head. Dr Kramer’s death has only raised her suspicions about the reports she has read. And right now, she dares not tell anyone, not until she can solve this mystery and find out what Dr Kramer had been murdered for.