Hearing that Banner was searching for a particular plant, William curiously asked Sunday, "Do you know what kind of plant it is?"
Instantly, the windshield of the sports car displayed a variety of plants. "Sir, these are images I copied from Mr. Banner's computer. Currently—"
"Wait," William interrupted as he saw a flower that felt strangely familiar. "Autopilot," he commanded, then reached out and tapped on a photo of an orchid. "What's this one called?"
Sunday enlarged the image and, after a ten-second pause, responded, "I need authorization, sir. The data on this flower is stored in a level-5 classified database under General Ross."
"Keep digging," William said, frowning as he tried to recall some vague memories. "Why does this look so much like the Blood Orchid?"
Sunday's voice followed. "Sir, as you suspected, it is indeed called Blood Orchid. It originates from Borneo. According to the records, seven years ago, a team of seven explorers, led by a guide named Bill, ventured deep into the Borneo rainforest in search of the Blood Orchid. Only four survived.
Afterward, the guide, Bill, didn't return to the USA or remain in Borneo. Instead, he flew to Rio and then disappeared.
As for the three surviving explorers who returned to the States, they were taken by General Ross, who was in charge of super-soldier research. Their current whereabouts are unknown."
William didn't need to think twice—this guide named Bill likely got his hands on the Blood Orchid and went into hiding, cultivating it somewhere with a similar climate—most likely the Amazon rainforest.
"Does Ross have any Blood Orchid samples?"
"Sorry, sir. It appears the data was transferred. All I could find was a document labeled D0698, referencing Borneo."
William furrowed his brow. No doubt Ross had the records stored in physical format only.
And a data vault that isn't connected to the network is practically a black hole for Sunday.
That file code, D0698, clearly indicated June 1998. Ross probably sent people to search for the Blood Orchid long before Banner even went looking for it.
"Deploy drones to search deep within the Borneo rainforest—see if you can locate any Blood Orchids. Also, track down that guide named Bill."
"Understood, sir."
Sitting in the car, William thought for a moment and decided it would be better to force Banner out of the rainforest.
Otherwise, who knew if that man—blessed by the universe with absurd luck—might stumble upon the hidden cultivator of the Blood Orchid.
"Tell Blonsky to have Ross come see me."
"Yes, sir."
In the USA, Blonsky, who had been anxiously waiting for a reply, immediately rushed to Ross's office the moment Sunday contacted him.
Knock knock knock.
"Come in."
As soon as Blonsky opened the door and saw Ross, he said, "Sir, Mr. Devonshire just responded. He wants to meet with you."
"You contacted that bastard William Devonshire?"
Ross, who had been reviewing documents on the space shuttle launch, frowned. But when he looked at the gaunt-faced Blonsky, he sighed.
He knew that if he hesitated any longer, Blonsky—already on the brink—would find a way to escape to London and see William himself.
"The newly developed super-nutrient serum isn't working anymore?"
"Sir, if it was, I wouldn't be down to 80% of my weight from a month ago." Blonsky rolled up his sleeve, revealing a visibly withered arm.
Then he showed his back, where his spine had grown grotesquely large—nearly double the size of a normal person's. "According to the base doctors, the super-soldier serum altered my damaged spine.
Now it's absorbing half of all my calorie and nutrient intake. Sir, if this goes on, in a few more months, I'll be eaten alive by my own spine."
Staring at Blonsky's thickened, mutated vertebrae, Ross silently pulled out the phone William had given him and hit dial.
As soon as the call connected, Ross forced a cheerful tone. "Hey, William, I heard you and Earl Folger took a yacht out to sea to fish for bluefin tuna. How was the catch?"
"Fishing? You actually believe that?" William laughed, steering his car into his estate and parking it in the garden before stepping out with the phone. "If you want to know where Bruce Banner is, trade me your Blood Orchid."
"You—" Ross growled. "How do you know about the Blood Orchid?"
William burst into laughter. "You'll have to ask Bruce Banner why he has information on it."
Thinking back to when he had his daughter Betty researching the Blood Orchid, Ross clenched his fists, furious enough to want to kill Banner on the spot for stealing his daughter away.
"You're certain you've located Banner?"
Ross's quick response took William by surprise for a moment, but then he realized the truth. "You've been researching it for years with no results?
Tsk tsk... I've got to say, Ross, aside from Banner, the rest of your people are useless."
"You bastard—if you keep talking like that, go find the Blood Orchid yourself in Borneo!"
"Haha, fine, fine. I'll be waiting in London." William knew when to stop poking the bear—he didn't want Ross changing his mind. "I'll send you some recent photos of Banner. See you tomorrow."
As soon as the call ended, Ross's phone buzzed with incoming images. He opened them to find photos of none other than Bruce Banner—the man he and Blonsky had been hunting for so long.
Immediately, he grabbed his office phone and ordered his assistant to prepare everything for departure. Within the hour, he was heading to the airport with Blonsky and a dozen soldiers.
Just as they boarded the plane, the assistant handed Ross a high-security alloy briefcase.
Ross handed it off to Blonsky and said to his assistant, "Tell NASA that when I get back the day after tomorrow, that shuttle better be ready for launch.
Otherwise, a budget cut proposal of 15% annually will be on the committee's desk."
"Understood, sir."
After a seven- to eight-hour flight, the private jet landed at an exclusive airport in London.
Before they even got off the plane, Ross and Blonsky saw through the window a stretch limo Phantom and six Land Rovers parked along the runway.
Upon disembarking, a well-dressed middle-aged man in a sharp suit stepped forward and extended his hand.
"General Ross, I'm Harry Hart, administrator of Kingsman. Shall we head to the hotel first, or go straight to the lab?"
Hearing that the man was second-in-command of Kingsman, Ross's demeanor softened slightly. "Where is William Devonshire?"
"Sorry, sir, it's not my place to question my employer's whereabouts." Harry showed a helpless smile. "If it's urgent, I can notify him to meet us at the lab."
"Then straight to the lab."
Still anxious to return to the States to oversee the shuttle launch, Ross had assumed this was just an ordinary biology lab.
But upon arrival, he was stunned to find the facility was massive—far larger than he could have imagined.
______
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