“Again to the highest bidder.”

“Of course. Now let me present my new offer. I will place you in a lab with everything you need at your command.”

“If I say no?”

“Then I will turn your NUMA friend over to the Kradzik brothers. She will not die quickly or pleasantly.”

“She's an innocent. She has no part in this.”

“Nonetheless she is a nail that must be hammered down if necessary.”

Francesca was silent for a moment. Then she said, “How do I know I can trust you?”

“You can't trust me, Dr. Cabral. You should know that you can never trust anyone. But you are intelligent enough to see that you are far more valuable to me than your friend's life and that I am willing to trade. As long as you cooperate, she lives. Do you agree?”

This woman and the deeds hatched in the dark recesses of her brilliant mind revolted Francesca. Brynhild was obviously a megalomaniac and, like so many of her ruthless predecessors, was impervious to the sufferings of the innocent. Francesca had not survived ten years among savage headhunters, blood-sucking bats, and stinging insects and plants without inner resources. She could be as Machiavellian as the most devious. Living in the jungle had given her the quiet ferocity of a stalking jaguar. Since her escape she had been consumed with the desire for revenge. She knew it was wrong and misplaced, but it sustained and helped maintain her grip on her sanity. She pushed her thirst for vengeance aside for the moment. This woman must be stopped.

Suppressing a smile, she bowed her head in submission and with a feigned catch in her voice said, “You win. I will help in developing the process.”

“Agreed. I'll show you the facility you'll be working in. You'll be quite impressed.”

“I want to talk to Gamay to make sure she is all right.”

Brynhild punched a button on the intercom. Two men in dark green uniforms appeared. Francesca was relieved to see that they were not the Kradziks.

“Take Dr. Cabral to see our other guest,” Brynhild ordered. “Then bring her back to me.” She turned to Francesca. “You have ten minutes. I want you to get to work immediately.”

Flanked by the guards, Francesca was led through a labyrinth of passageways to an elevator that dropped several levels. They stopped in front of an unmarked door opened by punching out the code on a keypad. The guards stood outside while Francesca entered the small windowless room. Gamay was sitting on the edge of her cot. She looked groggy, like a fighter who has taken one too many punches. She brightened and smiled when she saw Francesca. She tried to rise, but her legs buckled and she had to sit again.

Francesca sat on the cot and put her arm around her friend's shoulders. “Are you all right?”

Gamay brushed her straggly hair aside. “My legs are wobbly, but I'll be fine. What about you?”