Replenished with a new glass of watermelon juice provided by Melinda, Heitor’s wife, Durval listened to the story sitting next to the white cat on the sofa of the former army captain’s living room.
— We had no idea that the building where the laboratories were located could be so large. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary three-story building, but as soon as you entered, you realized it was not a normal construction. In the lobby, four soldiers were on guard, two right at the entrance and two at the back, each next to two doors. Behind a metal counter, a corporal stood up and saluted as soon as we entered.
“There were three of us, Officer Candidate Souza Gouveia, Second Lieutenant Aguiar de Matos, and I, who was a First Lieutenant at the time. We did not have authorization to enter that building. We had all attended the lecture on security codes and access to unauthorized areas. We could very well end up in jail and lose our ranks. Who knows, even be expelled from the Armed Forces. Still, the stories they told about what was going on inside deserved clarification. We decided to take the risk.
“I approached the counter and in a serious and impatient tone told the corporal that we were going to check a problem with the communication protocols of the laboratory computers. The man looked at me confused for a moment, then looked down and began shuffling some papers while mumbling that he had not been informed of anything regarding the communication protocols of the computers.
“Durval, you know my tone of voice well. When I want to, I can speak firmly. In summary, the poor corporal let us pass through security. After that incident, they completely revised the entry and exit rules in the army. Nowadays, I wouldn’t have been able to enter that building.
“The double door that the corporal indicated led to an elevator. The cabin was huge; it looked more like a room. Rectangular, like hospital elevators for carrying stretchers, but this one was even bigger, it must have been at least four meters by three. I wondered what they could transport in such a large elevator. As soon as we entered, I looked at the panel and noticed that there were several underground floors. The door remained open, and I noticed that the corporal and the guard soldiers were watching us suspiciously. I pressed the lowest floor I found on the panel. The doors closed, and we began to descend.
“Gouveia was scared and seemed regretful for having entered the venture. In the middle of battle, there is always a soldier who chickens out. He said we would be expelled if they found out, that we could end up in a court-martial. De Matos remained silent, not even blinking. You could see that both were terrified. I must have been the only one who understood the gravity of what could be happening inside those laboratories since that Botelho, your friend, started visiting them. I needed to find out what was happening in that place.
“The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. I tell you one thing, Durval, as long as I live, I will never forget what we saw.”
Episode XXXIII continues in the next issue.
JOSÉ GASPAR
Filmmaker and writer
www.historiasdooutromundo.com