"Like Dave?"
He nodded. "That kind of experimentation can only happen in places like this, and by this, I don't mean secret islands. I mean places where human rights are not respected."
"Like China?"
"China is not even close to being the worst offender. It is an advanced, modern society with a large, well-educated population. Even this island is better than some of the hellholes around the world. Only a small fraction of Earth's population enjoys a modicum of human rights, and even those rights are gradually diminishing because people are so easily manipulated."
As someone who had been sent to a gulag for doing what he'd been told to do by his bosses, Dimitri was speaking frompersonal experience, and Russia was also not so bad compared to the countries he was talking about.
She patted his arm. "Let's try to enjoy this and not depress each other by talking about things we have no control over."
The sun sparkled on the water, seabirds wheeled overhead, and the salt breeze carried the scent of distant places. Under different circumstances, it might have been beautiful. She could close her eyes and imagine that she was on vacation.
But despite what she'd told Dimitri, she couldn't relax enough to enjoy herself, and he was too busy counting the guards and observing the security protocols to enjoy himself either.
There were at least a dozen guards stationed along the docks that she could see from their current position. They wore the standard Brotherhood uniform of dark tactical gear and were armed with visible weapons.
They weren't slacking on their job either. They were vigilant, tracking every movement in their vicinity like their lives depended on it, and the looks they were casting at her and Dimitri were not friendly.
"You are right," Dimitri murmured, his hand finding hers and squeezing gently before letting go. "Let's enjoy the scenery."
"The scenery is definitely unfriendly." Mattie forced herself to maintain a casual pace even though every instinct screamed at her to turn around, walk back to the lab, and lock that secure door behind them.
"They're just doing their job."
Right, as if those nasty looks had anything to do with their job. People didn't just take strolls out here, and the guards hadprobably never seen two humans enjoying a day off in the open like this.
Except, this wasn't really a casual stroll. If they ever wanted to escape this island, observing the harbor's security measures was necessary, and with Tarik dead and Dave's phone in her pocket, she shouldn't be as stressed out about doing this as she was.
They continued along the waterfront, past a row of warehouses that probably stored incoming supplies before distribution. More guards were checking everything coming in and going out, even though others checked everything again at the point of entry.
"There's a guard posted next to every ship, and they're checking everyone's papers," Dimitri murmured. "Those coming in and those leaving."
Mattie watched as a construction crewman approached the gangplank of a supply vessel. He handed the guard a folded document, which the guard examined with painstaking thoroughness before finally waving him through.
"They seem to be vigilant. Everyone gets checked," she whispered. "Coming and going."
"Even the ones who are just running back to grab something."
A man in work clothes jogged up to a different gangplank, looking rushed, but the guard stopped him just as firmly as the first, demanded papers, and did a quick pat-down. Only when he was satisfied that the guy wasn't trying to smuggle anything out of the island did he allow him to board. When the same worker emerged a few minutes later carrying a coil of rope, he was stopped and checked again.
"Thorough," Dimitri said.
"Overkill," Mattie corrected. "He just checked the guy before letting him onto the ship."
"They are not taking any chances."
They walked a little further, past a section of dock where larger cargo containers were being unloaded. Here, the security was even tighter. Every container was opened and inspected before being allowed to pass. Workers stood idle while guards poked through crates of construction supplies. What were they checking for? Stowaways? Weapons? Drugs?
All of the above, probably.
"Security is tight," Dimitri said, echoing her thoughts. "Too tight."
That was her impression as well, and to continue the pretense of the stroll seemed futile. "Can we go back now? The guards' suspicious looks are wearing me down. They seem so aggressive, like coiled cobras ready to strike."
"Just a little longer. I want to see more?—"
"We've seen enough." She tugged at his hand, trying to turn around. "Please, Dimitri. I don't like it out here."
