CHAPTER 242
The aircraft that had just arrived looked to Marty like an old Huey, but the man who had stepped out of it seemed curiously well dressed.
Dr. Levine eyeballed him for a moment and then squatted to help finish packing the equipment.
Arby glanced up. "Who's this clown?"
Kelly shrugged, "some rich asshole tourist I guess. Probably heard there was something to see here and came to check it out."
"Well, there's nothing to see," Dr. Levine growled.
Marty was staring at the man. There was something troubling about him.
He stared back at Marty, taking one last drag on a cigarette before flicking it into the sand. He took about ten steps away from the Huey before he stopped and cursed about having sand in his fancy dress shoes. He looked up at Marty and flagged him over. Marty was about to oblige when he realized that his chopper was about thirty feet in the air.
"Hey!" Marty spun around and started chasing after the helicopter. "Stop!" It kept lifting into the sky. "Damn it!" Marty kicked sand into the air, and it fell back in his eyes. "Shit!" He crouched and began pulling at his lashes. He remained doubled over for about a minute before he realized there was a shadow looming above him. Marty craned his head to the side and saw a black suit.
"Miss your ride back to civilization?"
Marty was trying to see the man's face, but his eyes were still watering and blurry.
"Third world problems, am I right?" The man let out a chuckle. "Guess I should've dressed down." He poured sand from his shoes right next to Marty's head. "But hell, I haven't even blinked in thirty-six hours." He extended his hand to Marty.
Marty shook it with a guarded look. "Who are you?"
"Lewis Dodgson, from the Biosyn Corporation in Cupertino."
"Should I know what that is?"
"Irrelevant. You're Dr. Richard Levine, I presume?"
Marty shook his head, "I'm Dr. Martin Guitierrez." He pointed toward the camp. "That's Dr. Levine."
Dodgson looked at the group of four people who were huddled around a large back pack. He squinted, "the young nerdy looking man with the camera?" Dodgson shrugged. "I thought he'd be older."
Marty redirected his gaze. "She is just a bit."
Dodgson frowned, "the tall blond?" He looked back at Marty. "Dr. Richard Levine?"
Marty nodded.
Dodgson sighed and dropped his shoes. From his coat pocket came a Zippo and another cigarette. "Christ," he said through the first puff of smoke.
"Can I help you with something?" Marty asked. He had removed his thick plastic framed glasses and was rubbing his eyes.
Dodgson was behaving like he hadn't heard him. He was exhaling his second puff of smoke and staring off at the ocean. "Shit shit shit…"
Marty put his glasses back on and straightened himself. "Look, Mr. Dodgson, I don't know what you want, but this is a really bad time, and I don't even know how the hell I'm gonna get back to civilization."
Dodgson's palm snapped up and struck Marty's chest like a halfhearted karate move. "Lew!" He wagged his finger at Marty. "Call me Lew." Dodgson locked eyes with Marty. "I've got the answer to your problem." He blew smoke in Marty's face. "I've got the answer to her problem." Dodgson turned on his heels and strutted off toward Dr. Levine. "Sure. Why the hell not!" he laughed.
Marty stood in his wake rubbing his beard. "What?"