Rio sat on the floor, his back against the bed, the minutes ticking by slowly as he waited for Hyllos and his men to return. The room was silent, save for the soft hum of the medical equipment around him. Rio's mind raced with thoughts of what was to come, the weight of the situation pressing down on him.
He felt a mix of anxiety and determination, knowing that his plan was risky but believing it was their best chance at escape. As the seconds stretched into minutes, Rio's anticipation grew, each passing moment feeling like an eternity.
Finally, the door opened, and Hyllos and his men entered the room. Hyllos crossed his arms before his chest, his gaze sharp and suspicious as he studied Rio. Rio held his breath, steeling himself for whatever was to come.
"Dr. Rega, may I know what you are trying to do?" asked Hyllos, his voice cautious, his eyes scanning the room for any signs of danger.
Rio lifted his head to meet Hyllos's gaze but remained silent. Instead, he stood up, a sense of determination in his stance.
Without waiting for Rio to answer, another voice, which Rio immediately recognized as Mr. Haydon's, cut in. "Hyllos, I believe Dr. Rega has something to tell me. Perhaps you can wait outside with the rest."
Rio's heart raced wildly in his chest, his anxiety reaching a fever pitch. Every nerve in his body screamed at him to act quickly, to find a way out of this dangerous situation.
Hyllos turned to Mr. Haydon with a hesitating look. "But, Mr. Haydon, he seems strange..."
"It's fine. Dr. Rega would not be able to harm me. And even if he does, he will not stand a chance to escape from you and your men. He is not stupid," said Mr. Haydon with an amused tone.
Rio couldn't see Mr. Haydon's expression from the room, but he could imagine the wry smile that accompanied his words.
With that, Hyllos and the rest of the men retreated from the room. Hyllos seemed to be trying to warn Rio with a lingering look of caution, but Rio's focus remained solely on Mr. Haydon, who wore an inscrutable expression.
The medical facility fell into a dead silence as Rio faced Mr. Haydon. Every sound seemed amplified in the tense atmosphere, from the soft hum of the medical equipment to the faint rustle of fabric as Mr. Haydon pulled a chair from the next office and sat at the door.
Rio's heart pounded in his chest, the silence ringing in his ears as he awaited Mr. Haydon's next move.
"Where is Dr. Rega?" asked Mr. Haydon with a playful smile on his face. It was only now that Rio noticed, despite Mr. Haydon's impeccable appearance, he seemed to be as pale as Batho, who lay next to him.
Ever since Rio sat on the floor moments ago, he had made up his mind to confront the most powerful man in the company. What he had not expected was that Mr. Haydon knew it all along. When did he find out that Rio was not Dr. Rega? Rio's fear of this man grew as he realized he could not read Mr. Haydon's mind.
"Dead," replied Rio, knowing it would be pointless to deny that he was not Dr. Rega, as Mr. Haydon had already figured it out.
"I mean when did you kill him," said Mr. Haydon. Then, he started to have a dry cough, not as severe as the bout that had coughed out blood. But it was enough to send a shudder through Rio as Mr. Haydon took out his handkerchief from his pocket.
"In the woods," said Rio, his voice steady despite the tension in the air, "where you had all your passengers from three hundred years ago kept."
Rio was trying to reveal as much as possible to show Mr. Haydon that he had the upper hand. As he spoke to Mr. Haydon, Rio's mind raced, trying to think of escape routes. His hand on Batho's hand served as a reminder to Mr. Haydon that any harm to Rio would mean ending Batho's life.
Rio had seen enough to know that Mr. Haydon wanted Batho for some important reason. Batho was his leverage in all this, and Rio intended to use that to his advantage.
Mr. Haydon darted his glance at Rio's hand, his expression unreadable. "I guess you were the one who saved the detective's sister from the company. I guess you were also the one who kept messing with our plans. Who are you? And what do you want from us? Money?"
Rio met Mr. Haydon's gaze squarely, his own eyes revealing a mix of determination and caution. "I am just a man trying to uncover the truth," Rio replied calmly. "I want to know what happened to those people three hundred years ago. I want to know why you are so desperate to keep it hidden."
Mr. Haydon's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze piercing. "And what makes you think you have the right to know?" he asked, his tone sharp.
Rio's grip on Batho's hand tightened slightly. "Because I have something you want," Rio said, his voice steady. "I have Batho, and I know he's important to you. I want answers, Mr. Haydon. And I'm willing to trade for them."
"I guess you are very clever," Mr. Haydon's eyes never left Batho as he spoke, his tone neutral. "You know I will do everything to keep him alive. But let me remind you, if you kill him, either accidentally or intentionally, I will make sure you will not see another day's light, much less know the truth of it."
Rio gathered all the information he had observed in the last few minutes with Mr. Haydon. It was clear that they were willing to kill to trade for Batho's life. For some reason, Batho was important to Mr. Haydon, and Rio was determined to find out why. He knew that Batho was the key to unraveling all the mysteries surrounding Mr. Haydon and PharmaMedicor.
"Let me first ask you, how did you manage to send the passengers from three hundred years ago to today's world?" asked Rio. To Rio, this was the first question that would lead to all the unanswered questions.
Mr. Haydon let out a dry laugh. "Can I first have your name? I would like to be friends with someone as smart as you. Why do you want to ask a question when you already have the answer?"
Rio was about to tell him a name that he had just fabricated in his mind, but he held his tongue. After a moment of thinking, Rio decided to say, "Rio. My name is Rio. And no, I don't think I have the answer to that question. I want you to tell me how you exactly managed to do that."
Mr. Haydon shook his head and let out another hollow laugh, as if mocking Rio's answer. "Mr. Rio, I know you are called Rio, but that is not your real name. Ever since you broke into my company and ventured into the forest, I have dug out some of your particulars. Do you really think that my security system is as vulnerable as you thought? But I truly admire your capability and ability to create such problems on your own and challenge our security system."
Rio remained composed, despite Mr. Haydon's revelation. "I had to find out the truth," Rio said calmly. "And I will continue to do so, regardless of the risks."
Mr. Haydon studied Rio for a moment, his expression unreadable. "Very well, Mr. Rio," he finally said. "Since you seem so determined, I will indulge you. The method we used to bring the passengers from three hundred years ago to the present is called time-travel. But I suppose there's no harm in telling you, considering your current predicament."
"Time-travel? I thought it was not possible? The theory has been disproved by many scientists in the past," Rio said, his heart pounding in his chest as the answer that had been brewing in his mind had finally been confirmed by Mr. Haydon.
Mr. Haydon gave a knowing smile. "Ah, but what you may not realize, Mr. Rio, is that we have access to technology far beyond what the public knows. Our time-travel capabilities are the result of years of research and development, conducted in secret."
Rio's mind raced as he processed this information. If what Mr. Haydon said was true, it would change everything he knew about science and the world. Time-travel, once thought impossible, was now a reality, and it was being used by PharmaMedicor for reasons that were still unclear to him.
"But why bring people from the past to the present?" Rio asked, his voice betraying his curiosity.
Mr. Haydon's smile widened. "Ah, now that is a question with a more complicated answer. You see, Mr. Rio, our goal is not just to bring people from the past to the present. Our goal is much grander than that. We seek to change the course of history itself."
Rio's eyes widened in shock.
"Mr. Rio, let me remind you again," Mr. Haydon's voice turned menacing, "knowing too much will not do you any good. There are many things in this world that have been planned and are running in certain orders to ensure order. The powers that be will not let you walk under the sunlight alive with the secrets they vow to keep."
It was then that Rio flashed out a scalpel that he had taken from another table and placed it against Batho's wrist. Mr. Haydon widened his eyes in shock at Rio's action. "Do you think I really care if I can walk out of here alive? I just want the truth. Tell me all the details of how you managed to transport so many passengers from three hundred years ago to the present day."
Mr. Haydon drew in a sharp breath. "I don't think that's feasible. To show you how this happened, I would need to take you somewhere miles away."
"Then do it," said Rio, this time more authoritative, as he sensed Mr. Haydon seemed to be wary of the scalpel in his hand.
Mr. Haydon stared at the scalpel for the longest time before nodding slowly. "Very well. If you wish to risk your life for the truth, then so be it. If he dies, you die. I hope you do have a way to keep him alive."
With a swift movement, Rio carried Batho on his back, the scalpel still in his hand. "Bring me to that place and show me," he demanded. For some reason, Rio felt compelled to witness time travel for himself. The government and scientists had disproved this possibility for years. After witnessing what the government had been hiding from the public in AHC, Rio wanted to see how far they would go to conceal it.
Rio was unsure how Mr. Haydon would react when Hyllos and his men appeared in the office again. Haydon pulled out a straight face. "Hyllos, Mr. Rio here would like to visit our time-travel lab. We shall comply with his request, or he will kill the child."
Hyllos raised his eyebrows at the request. "But Mr. Haydon, the lab is highly classified..."
"Just bring us to the lab," Mr. Haydon's voice grew firmer.
Hyllos eventually nodded and exited the office with his men. Mr. Haydon followed behind him, then Rio with Batho on his back followed them.
As Rio followed Hyllos and his men through the maze of corridors in the company, he couldn't help but notice the sterile, impersonal atmosphere. The walls were painted in a uniform white, with occasional posters promoting workplace safety or company values. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting a harsh glare on the linoleum floors.
This brought back memories of the first time he was here to rescue Huette.
The corridors seemed endless, twisting and turning in a labyrinthine fashion. Doors lined both sides of the corridor, leading to various offices and labs. Every now and then, they passed by a security checkpoint, where guards stood watch, their expressions stern and unwelcoming.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they reached their destination. Rio was led to a different area of the facility, away from the usual corridors he remembered from his previous visit. They exited the company through the back door, and Rio's heart pounded with anticipation as they approached the time-travel lab.