The Secret (The Scinegue Series Book 1) (8 page)

B
illy made it through work the next day without incident. His new driver wasn’t much of a conversationalist but seemed to be a decent guy. When they arrived back at the building at the end of the day, Billy’s nerves began to tingle, all his senses on high alert. This is when they had approached him before. If anything was going to happen today, it would probably be now.

He kept his pace slow as he walked to sign out, torn between wanting something to happen to end the suspense, and the desire to just slip away unnoticed. He wrote his name and the time on the clipboard and made his way toward the parking lot. Just before he got to the first row of cars, he heard his name being called.

He looked back and noted with surprise that it was Mr. Bryant himself calling him. He realized he had expected to see the suits again if he saw anyone.

“William,” Mr. Bryant called again, waving from the front doors of the building to get Billy’s attention.

“Hello, Mr. Bryant,” Billy greeted as he walked towards him. “Can I help you with something?” he asked as calmly as he could.

“You certainly may,” Mr. Bryant replied jovially. “I was going to ask if you would join me for dinner. The Mrs. won’t be too upset if you don’t make it home at your normal time, will she?”

Billy gave him a blank look. Mr. Bryant was inviting him to dinner? Billy struggled to come up with a reason why. He didn’t think he would use it as an opportunity to fire him. He had all the opportunity he needed to do just that yesterday in his office. And he was being so...friendly.

Billy knew the only way he would find out what Mr. Bryant wanted was to accept his offer. “I’ll just give Sarah a quick call, she won’t be upset at all. My cell phone is in my truck.” He tipped his head toward the parking lot anxious for a minute of privacy to compose himself.

“Of course, of course. If that’s what you need to do, come right on in. You may use my phone.”

Billy immediately wondered if the call would be monitored, then wondered if they would somehow be able to tap his home phone just from him placing the call. He almost declined, but he knew Sarah would worry if she didn’t hear from him. He decided if they wanted to tap his phone, they would find a way to do it, with or without his help.

“Thank you, sir. That would be great.”

Mr. Bryant held the door, and Billy’s eyes were instantly drawn to the colorful ceiling as he stepped inside. He was curious how the room was so brightly lit by just the light from above and the flickering sconces lining the walls.

His thoughts were interrupted as Mr. Bryant led him past the front desk. The same receptionist Billy remembered from before was there, this time she looked up from her work as they passed and sat prim and proper, on full alert in case Mr. Bryant needed anything. But he walked by without a glance in her direction.

Billy tried to catch her eye, wondering if he would see the same look of fear he’d seen before, but she wouldn’t look directly at him. He couldn’t tell if it was intentional or if he was simply below her notice.

The walk to Mr. Bryant’s office filled Billy with trepidation as he remembered his previous escorted journey down this hall. He took a deep breath and tried to shake off his nerves.

“Sarah, I’m with Mr. Bryant. He invited me to join him for dinner so I’ll be a little late coming home,” Billy said briefly into the phone in Mr. Bryant’s office.

Billy heard and understood the pause on the other end before Sarah replied, “Oh, that sounds really nice! Have a good time and don’t worry about a thing here. I’ve wanted to get some extra cooking done to put up in the freezer. This will be the perfect time to do it.”

“Sounds good. I shouldn’t be too late. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” Knowing her so well, Billy was able to detect the hint of worry in her tone.

Hanging up the phone, Billy took a fortifying breath before turning to face Mr. Bryant who was standing in the doorway waiting.

“Everything okay at home, William?” he asked, almost condescendingly.

“Yes, sir, Mr. Bryant, um, Eugene,” Billy corrected at Mr. Bryant’s arched look. “Everything at home is good.”

“Very well. Shall we go then?” Mr. Bryant extended his arm to the right allowing Billy to precede him out of the office. They stopped before the security door while Mr. Bryant held his hand against the scanner.

Billy shot him a look out of the corner of his eye and did some fishing. “That’s some fancy security.” He continued when Mr. Bryant didn’t reply, “There must be something pretty important back here to require such tight security.”

Mr. Bryant turned to give him a piercing look as the door clicked open. “Important indeed.
My
office is back here.”

Billy started to laugh at his joke but realized Mr. Bryant looked quite serious. He swiped a hand across his mouth to hide his smile.

“We also have several rooms filled with confidential documents in this area,” Mr. Bryant added, almost as an afterthought.

When it clicked open, Billy followed him through the door without another word. Instead of continuing to the front of the building, they took the hall to the left. The building was quiet and seemed almost deserted.

Mr. Bryant kept up a flow of small talk, giving brief descriptions of works of art lining the walls to fill the silence. Billy only heard half of what he was saying. He nodded occasionally, but his thoughts were far from art as he tried to imagine why Mr. Bryant invited him to dinner and where they were going.

They stopped in front of a large, ornate wooden door which was immediately held open by the man standing next to it. “Good evening, Mr. Bryant. Sir.” He tipped his head to include Billy.

Apparently ‘Eugene’ was Mr. Bryant to some people
, Billy thought wryly when Mr. Bryant didn’t correct him.

Mr. Bryant walked by the man holding the door without so much as a glance. They entered what appeared to be a large dining room. Perhaps a fine restaurant from the looks of it.

Elaborate chandeliers hung from the ceiling and plush leather chairs were arranged around tables to seat anywhere from a party of two to a large group of twenty or more. The ‘restaurant’ was huge and surprisingly crowded, however Mr. Bryant and Billy were promptly led to an empty table for two next to the side wall.

At least he knew where they were going
, Billy thought before excusing himself to wash up the best he could in the restroom.
Now to find out what this invitation was about.
He highly doubted Mr. Bryant was just eager for his company.

He returned to the table and followed Mr. Bryant’s lead by picking up his menu. But he couldn’t concentrate on it and instead used it to hide his observation of the room and the other diners.

The room was paneled in a smooth, dark wood, and even darker wood covered the floors. The same fire-lit sconces that lined the lobby were on the dining room walls, giving the room a warm glow instead of making it seem dark or dreary. Crisp white tablecloths and bright, bold colors were integrated throughout the room to help brighten it up.

Everything in the room appeared to Billy to be very high quality, and each item was meticulously arranged. Classical music was softly played by a string quartet in the corner and seemed to set the tone for the guests. All of the conversations, Billy noticed, were carried on sedately.

The other diners were all conservatively well dressed and blended with the atmosphere, but something about them was strange. They all
looked
similar, as Billy had noticed when he was escorted to Mr. Bryant’s office the first time.

Although there were different hair and skin tones, all the men appeared to be a similar height, even seated. The same with the women. Looking around more critically, Billy noted there weren’t any overweight individuals either. Everyone seemed to have a similar body weight and build. He didn’t think it was a coincidence that the company that seemed to have ties to eugenics had hired employees with such similar attributes.

“I can highly recommend anything on the menu,” Mr. Bryant’s cultured voice was filled with pride as he interrupted Billy’s perusal of the other guests. “All the food here is of the highest quality and prepared to perfection. I believe I will have the roast duck with squash, asparagus, and a green salad.” He looked at Billy over his menu. “Have you decided?”

Billy had barely glanced at the menu. “What you’re having sounds good. I’ll have the same.”

Mr. Bryant summoned the waiter and ordered for both of them, then gave Billy a long, sly look. “What do you think of our dining room, William?”

“It’s great! I had no idea this was even in the building.”

“Yes, we like to have a place we can go where we are surrounded by our peers.” Mr. Bryant leaned back in his large leather chair and looked around. “But, most importantly, a place where we know the food is good. Tasty and well-prepared, but also raised to provide optimal nourishment.”

He abruptly changed the subject. “You are wondering why I invited you here, are you not?” He continued at Billy’s nod. “I’ll get right to it then. We have been watching you.” Billy tried not to show any reaction, although he couldn’t help but wonder just how closely they’d been watching him. “From the moment you applied to our company, we’ve had an eye on you, and we’ve liked what we have seen. You meet our ideal standards, and we would like for you to take a bigger role in the company.”

He paused and looked expectantly at Billy.

“Thank you, sir. I, um, am flattered.” Billy took a sip of water as he considered his reply. “But I really don’t even know what your company does. There isn’t much information about it anywhere that I can find. What exactly did you have in mind?”

Considering, Mr. Bryant finally said, “I think I should tell you about the company first. Who we are. What we stand for. What it is we are doing. I noticed you looking around at the other guests. What do you think of them?”

“What do I think of the other guests?” Billy raised his eyebrows questioningly and turned his head to look around some more. After learning the company might be involved in eugenics he found the similarities in the surrounding people eerie, but tried not to show it.

“Yes.” Mr. Bryant nodded. “What is your opinion of them? What do you see when you look at them?” He looked at Billy expectantly and seemed to be suppressing some excitement.

“Well,” Billy focused on a group of men and women seated close to them. “They all appear to be business men and women. Clean cut and dressed in suits and jackets.” He looked back to Mr. Bryant who just inclined his head, encouraging him to continue.

Billy looked around some more. “I did notice that everyone looks similar physically.”

“How so?” Mr. Bryant asked, leaning forward.

“It looks like the men have similar builds. Trim, about the same height, and it seems to be the same for the women.”

“Exactly!” Mr. Bryant exclaimed before lowering his voice and leaning even closer. “They do all have similar attributes. According to our studies, their physiques are nearly perfect. Truth be told,
they
are nearly perfect.”

“Okay,” Billy drawled when Mr. Bryant just looked at him. “So, everyone who works here is perfect?”

Mr. Bryant sat back and laughed in delight. “As a matter of fact, they are! I knew you would understand.”

Billy shook his head quickly. “But I don’t understand. What is there to understand?”

“Everyone here, including you, is nearly perfect. Everyone involved with our company at all is nearly perfect. Above average intelligence, excellent genes. There are different levels of perfection within the company, but yes, as you said, everyone who works here is ‘perfect’.”

Their food arrived with a flourish as three waiters placed covered plates on the table in front of them, tossed a crisp green salad with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil, and filled beautiful crystal goblets with a ruby colored drink poured from a crystal decanter. The head waiter looked to Mr. Bryant for his approval as the covers of the dishes were removed simultaneously, releasing a burst of steam and a tantalizing aroma.

“Will there be anything else, sir?”

“No, everything looks excellent.” Mr. Bryant waved a hand dismissing them absently. He then meticulously unfolded a large cloth napkin set beside his plate and laid it on his lap before gesturing to Billy. “Eat now while the meal is at its best. We will continue our conversation later.” He picked up his fork and knife and cut into the tender roast duck which was covered with a swirl of light-colored sauce.

Billy followed his lead. His first bite was a vibrant yellow slice of squash, steamed but unseasoned. The flavor burst in his mouth. “This is really good!” he exclaimed before cutting off a bite of duck to try. It was even better than the squash. It was so tender it all but melted in his mouth. It tasted like duck, but the flavor was richer, more intense than anything he had ever experienced before.

“What do they do to this food?” he asked between bites as he hurried to try the asparagus.

Mr. Bryant gave him what appeared to be a genuine smile, and for just a moment lost his typical snobbish attitude, pleased with Billy’s appreciation of the food. “They do very little to the food in terms of preparation. The way it is grown makes all the difference.”

Billy remembered some of the information about genetically modified food Sarah had told him about. Still fully savoring the food, he tried to sound casual as he asked if the food was genetically modified to make it taste so good.

Mr. Bryant, intent on his own delicious meal, answered briefly, “Of course not!”

Billy persisted. “How is it then, that all of this food just tastes so good? It tastes like it should, yet better than any food I’ve ever had.”

Noting Billy’s sincere interest, Mr. Bryant set down his fork and leaned back, giving the question his full attention. The production of nourishing food was one of his pet projects. “This is food as nature intended it to be. Everything is native to the area where it is grown. We try not to ship foods too far, other than specialty items that only do well in certain climates.”