Chapter 1449


    Maja and Ian had bunked down for the night at the fight club, making sure nothing was afoot in


    Greenfield before deciding to set out.


    Back when Ian had taken Patric from Windhelm, he had made a promise to Bernard to root out that


    research base.


    That was the only reason Bernard had agreed to let him take Patric away. Otherwise, even with a


    bounty on him, nobody could have taken Patric from Windhelm.


    On the rooftop of the vi at the fight club, Patric was still in disbelief.


    "Ian, you sure you want to bring me along?"


    Ian had mped his hand in the helicopter, shutting the door behind them.


    "Damn!"


    Patric''s head mmed against something sharp, sending waves of pain that made his head spin.


    He nced at Ian and realized he and Maja were boarding another chopper.


    Finding Lillian and getting the antidote had to be their top priority now. They couldn''t afford any dys


    with Augus.


    Plus, they needed to understand BK to further unravel the mysteries of the research base.


    Patric had no means ofmunication with him, a clear sign Ian wanted to keep him under close


    watch.


    Without a word, Patric just watched the ground grow distant below.


    On the other helicopter, Maja was busy assembling a firearm.


    She had scoured the inte for information on this ce, but there was precious little to find.


    It was a trio of secluded inds, right in the heart of the ocean, rumored to have been formed over


    thousands of years.


    The ce was somewhat akin to the underground fight club, although at least there you could


    Once a detention site for the criminally insane over three hundred years ago, every soul shipped off to


    the ind was said to be a few cards short of a full deck.


    A century ago, a massive fire swept through the ind. Order was reestablished, and a fully


    independent and isted nation was born.


    The native inders were forbidden from venturing out to sea, and from marrying outsiders, and all


    external trade was controlled by four ruling families.


    That was about all Maja could glean from the clues Walter had provided.


    Communications on the ind were strictly internal, and outside calls were a no-go. Firearms were


    forbidden too, reserved only for the ruling elite.


    In a nutshell, it was a ce stuck in the past. Visitors'' aircraft had tond on the beach before the first


    ind to undergo thorough inspections.


    While the three inds were linked, only the innermost was home to the elite, and while getting in


    might be easy, getting out was anything but.


    Maja and Ian''s helicopter touched down on the outer ring of Forbidden Ind, where guards were


    allowed firearms.


    Maja''s brow furrowed as she watched them confiscate even the smallest of des.


    Patric stood behind her, his brow mirroring hers.


    "So what in the world are we doing here?" he questioned, "Can''t you see? The firearms are in the


    hands of the four families. We''re walking in unarmed, like fish on a chopping board."


    His point wasn''t lost on Maja, which only added to her difort.


    But she had an inkling of why Lillian was hiding out here. Withmunications severed from the world,


    it was a bygone realm. A perfect hiding spot if Lillian was dodging someone. Otherwise, even in


    another continent, she’d eventually be unearthed.


    She surveyed her surroundings, noting a towering, slick wall about one hundred and sixty feet high,


    unscble by humans. It was no wonder there were virtually no escapees from the ind over the


    centuries.


    The inte had whispers about Forbidden Ind, but it wasn''t a hot topic. Most figured it was privately


    owned and off-limits to visitors.


    Clearly, this ce''s existence was beyond themon person''sprehension.


    In an age of advanced technology, how could such a ce still exist?N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.