I can tell from Salt’s behavior that he is surprised he is no longer being treated like a prisoner. Gomez leads us to a small deck area with a few tables, and shortly after, a waiter brings us a small breakfast.
The ferry pulls away from the dock and heads south.
"How long will the trip take?" Salt asks suddenly, scanning the surroundings with attentiveness.
"Not very long. Calsing Island is about ten miles from here."
"Is it far from the mainland?"
"Not really. About a mile offshore."
Salt grows thoughtful. I wonder what prompted those questions, but I say nothing.
Meanwhile, Mr. Gomez pulls out a tablet with a satisfied smile.
"I’ll give you some key information about our island, the facility, and our goals," he says.
He takes a deep breath. "It was established almost three years ago and has been gradually expanded to meet the growing needs of the Beta Activation program."
He shows us a photo, likely from the opening ceremony, judging by the number of formally dressed people and smiling faces. He’s also in the picture.
"What we focus on there are natural methods of fertility stimulation. That is our core mission. Other centers rely more heavily on chemical stimulation, but we achieve excellent results based solely on natural pheromonal compatibility."
"I’ve heard that it’s basically impossible to determine compatibility between people," I interject.
"A few years ago, Mr. Blue Lowen, the CEO of Malden Pharmaceuticals, launched a research program on compatibility. About three years ago, he achieved the first major breakthrough and sold the government the license to use his alpha-beta compatibility tests."
"Only alpha-beta?" Salt raises his eyebrows.
"At the moment he only has those, but I heard Mr. Lowen sold a commercial license for omega-alpha tests a few days ago to the Fate’s Choice agency. These tests can only be used to ruleout low or incompatible matches, but even that is a significant achievement."
"So you’re saying your program is built on real scientific foundations?" Salt asks, rubbing his chin lightly, his gaze distant.
Gomez looks almost offended.
"Oh yes. Our facilities have, from the start, matched alpha and beta pairs based on genetic research and pheromonal imprinting."
"Then I don’t understand why we were accepted. We didn’t have those tests," Salt mutters with obvious suspicion.
I glance at him. Well, I have a clue about that. I’m just curious whether Mr. Gomez will admit it.
He makes a strange face.
"Well, your case is somewhat unique. You had, shall we say…" He hesitates, as if unsure whether he should say it, then finally adds, "significant backing."
Right, Damien’s famous uncle had to pull some strings.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Salt frowns, finishing his second sandwich.
Mr. Gomez smiles a little awkwardly before answering. "Your case guardian’s True Mate is the nephew of Mr. Blue Lowen."
"Damien? Who would have thought!" Salt mutters, clearly shocked.
A heavy silence falls. Eventually, someone has to break it.
"Interesting," I murmur, so I don’t sound like I’m not paying attention to the conversation.
As they say, having contacts and relatives in the right places apparently always pays off.
