A.D.A.M.

by Melissa Caudle

“Go on, because I have a theory of my own too.” He grabbed the envelope, opened it, and then peeked inside; his eyes bulged.

  “First, I think that whatever that team found in the bottom of Mono Lake came from outer space thousands of years ago attached to a meteor. What else could have made Mono Lake.”

  “That’s an interesting theory. Here’s a theory for you. What if Dr. Bradford kept other samples, and the government didn’t know, but you knew where they were, would you tell anyone?”

  “That depends on whether humanity was in danger. If there was a damn alien from outer space about to attack and I could stop it, I would. You can bet your bottom dollar on that.”

  “Caller nine eight, five, please stay on the line. Don’t go anywhere. I want to play you a sound bite. I think you and my listening audience will find it intriguing.”

  “Sure, will do.”

  Stephen Stone Diamond fumbled with the control panel and started the sound bite. “There you are, Stephen Hawking.”

  The computerized voice of Hawking broadcasted.

  “It is perfectly rational to assume intelligent life exists in the universe. One day we could receive a signal from the planet like Gliese 832c, but we should be wary of answering back. We don’t know much about aliens, but we know about humans. If you look at history, contact between humans and less intelligent organisms has often been disastrous from their point of view, and encounters between civilizations with advanced versus primitive technologies have gone badly for the less advanced. A civilization reading one of our messages could be billions of years ahead of us. If so, they will be vastly more powerful, and may not see us as any more valuable than we see bacteria. Alien life could be rapacious marauders roaming the cosmos in search of resources to plunder, and planets to conquer.”

  “Caller nine eight, five, are you still on the line?”

  “Yes, Stephen. What Hawking describes is scarier than Hell. That damn microbe could kill us all. Maybe the government was right to take the samples. They should destroy it before it’s too late.”

  Stephen emptied the contents of the package onto the table – a pink hair ribbon, a small pink hairbrush with strands of hair, a baby tooth, a pink girl’s diary with a rainbow and a purple unicorn cover and a small padlock, a brass key, a note folded in a triangle like a teenager would do to pass one in class, and a pair of green-horned rimmed glasses. “Caller nine eight, five hold on again, it’s time for another commercial break.” Stephen tossed his headphones onto the desk and pressed the button to start the pre-recorded commercials. “What the Hell are these items and who sent them?” He opened the triangle folded note and read it.

  “Dear Stephen Stone Diamond. If you are reading this, it means the government has taken me too, or I’m dead. I really hope I’m not dead, so please find me alive. I’m caller five zero, four and I need your trust and your help. Take all these items to Rebecca Newcombe at KWNC. She’ll know what to do with them. Tell her the answer to the location is in this envelope. Please, Stephen Stone Diamond, you’re the only one I trust. You’re my Han Solo unless you’d rather be Luke Skywalker or Yoda. Love, kisses, Jessica Parker, caller five zero four. May the Force be with you.”

  He rubbed his chin bewildered and reread the note.

  Robyn tapped onto the glass from her sound booth. “Three seconds.”

  Rebecca paced the floor in front of the anchor desk periodically glancing at her watch. “Damn it, Patrick. We have four minutes until airtime.”

  “Take a seat, Rebecca. You go live solo if he doesn’t make it.” Henry stepped into the shadows beside the large cameras.

  Patrick bolted into the studio. “I’m here. Sorry, you guys.”

  “About time.” Rebecca sighed. “Where the Hell have you been?”

  “I overslept. The last thing I remember was... Hell, I don’t remember anything from the last twenty-four hours except I was following a lead on the waiter who might have poisoned the scientists. Then, I blacked out.”

  “Get your mic on. We are minutes away from going live. We’re discussing the arrest of Jessica Parker. This is all a conspiracy. You do know that?”

  “What I don’t know in this case, I believe I shouldn’t, and maybe I don’t want to know either after last night.”

  “That’s why I have three Emmy’s, and you don’t have any.”

  “Maybe that’s why I am not under company scrutiny, and you are. Next, your taxes are going to triple, and you’ll have no privacy. Just you watch.”

  Henry advanced toward them. “Excellent work, Rebecca. Last night’s activity increased our ratings. Also, we are live in one.”

  Rebecca touched up her lipstick and straightened her clothing. Patrick smiled brilliantly.

  “And you’re live.”

  Rebecca focused her attention on the teleprompter. “Welcome to What Matters; the only news talk show that talks about what matters to you. I’m Rebecca Newcombe.

  “And, I’m Patrick Algiers. Today the local community is buzzing about the arrest of Jessica Parker. In a matter of hours, this young lady has become an internet sensation after the FBI charged her with treason. Her arrest has been viewed four million times and continues to grow.” Patrick glanced toward Rebecca.

  “That’s right, and I was at the FBI headquarters when it all went down.”

  “Tell me, Rebecca. Can you make any sense of Parker’s arrest and is it connected to the NAET scientists’ murders? And, what about the unknown whereabouts of Dr. Sandra Bradford?”

  “I have to say, that’s a lot of questions that need answers. We’ll get right to them on What Matters when we return from a quick break from our sponsor at Community Coffee.”

  “Because here at KWNC, if it matters to you…” Patrick’s eyes rolled into the back of his head… “It matters to us.”

  “And cut! Great intro, guys.”

  Patrick stood and walked off the platform.

  “Patrick, where do you think you’re going? We’re not finished with the show.” Rebecca threw her hands up.

  He continued to walk out of the station.

  The water beneath the white sheet glowed to the rhythm of a heartbeat. Thump, thump… thump, thump. A large tank, the size often used by a magician for their underwater escape act, was filled with the murky Mono Lake water next to it. The water vibrated as Dr. Bradford entered. She held her hand up to stop Major Dwyer and Sergeant Merritt creating a barrier. “Please, the fewer people in here, the less likely the area will get contaminated.”

  “Don’t you think it was already contaminated when our men brought the tank in and filled it?” Sergeant Merritt gently guided Dr. Bradford’s hand down.

  “Sergeant, may I remind you that you are here to protect and serve. Do that outside of my lab.”

  The Sergeant twisted her lips as she stepped back into the hall. “Very well. I wouldn’t want to encroach on your space.”

  Major Dwyer handed her a key. “This is to the lock on the big tank. I’ll leave it in your capable hands.”

  After grasping the key, she placed it in her pant pocket.

  “I’ll be back in four hours to take you for your lunch.”

  “Make that six hours. The experiment I need to do today will take that long.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  The door slowly closed. Dr. Bradford took a deep breath and stared at the man-size tank.

  Dr. Bradford. The tone of the voice muddled in her head.

  She jerked her head toward the door and then creased her brow.

  Dr. Bradford.

  The white sheet on the smaller tank glowed.

  I have to remove it. None of this is real. Slowly and nervously, she gently lifted the sheet as she looked away. Her eyes closed as she took a deep breath. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.” She opened her eyes; her heart pounded. “Oh, my God! This can’t be.”

  Dr. Bradford.

  Agent Morrison stood outside of the New Orleans FBI headquarters as he talked on the phon
e to General Anbar who sat behind his desk at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.

  The agent leaned against the white brick wall beneath the overhang. “General, Jessica Parker knows something. She turned over one sample in a vial but claimed she has planted more evidence and left it with a friend. If she doesn’t get to see Dr. Bradford with the reporter filming her visit, she’s going to have her unidentified friend release it all. I don’t know if her threats are empty, but she insists on being reunited with Dr. Bradford.”

  “How much of a security risk do you think she presents?”

  “If you’re asking if she is bluffing, I think she is telling the truth. She’s not the type to lie.”

  “Let me think what our next move details.”

  “General, if I may be so bold, I believe I have a solution.”

  “Go on; I’m open to ideas.”

  “We have the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Her demand to see Dr. Bradford with the reporter is exactly what needs to transpire. Once both are on the base, we secure the rest of the samples, and then as you often say, they become collateral damage. It’s a win, win for the government. I’m sure that will please the President.”

  “I’ll get back to you on this. For now, keep interrogating the girl and take the reporter into custody. I need to talk to President Corbin.”

  Rebecca sat at her KNCW desk as she tapped her fingers onto it. Her eyes dart at the clock on the wall – 1:12 PM. She picked up her phone, dialed, and waited for Patrick to answer.

  “You’ve reached Patrick Algiers with KWNC. Please leave your name...”

  Where in the hell are you? Rebecca slammed the phone onto her desk as a shadow crossed over her desk. Her eyes darted upward at Stephen Stone Diamond. She immediately stood.

  “How may I help you?”

  “I’m Stephen Stone Diamond.”

  “I recognize your voice. What brings you to KWNC?”

  “I’m not sure if anything I’m about to tell you or give to you will make any sense, but caller five zero four sent them to me by Fed Ex with the implicit instructions to bring them to you. As strange as this may sound, I think the girl is in trouble and is somehow connected to the missing scientist who found that alien life form.”

  Rebecca’s eyes widened. “Show me.”

  Stephen opened the envelope and poured the contents onto Rebecca’s desk.

  “These are from Jessica Parker.”

  “How do you know; you haven’t read the note?”

  “For one, those glasses, they’re hers. The hairbrush, ribbon, and diary, I gave them to her. This is her way of letting me know it’s her, and in case of her death, she wanted to provide her DNA sample.”

  “She’s a strange one. Read the letter.”

  Rebecca read Jessica’s note and smiled. “This is just like her; so, are you Han Solo or Luke Skywalker?”

  He rolled his eyes. “What do you plan on doing with these items?”

  She took a deep breath, stuffed all the items back into the envelope, and handed them back to him. “For now, since she trusted you, I’m trusting you. Don’t tell anyone about this and whatever you do, keep them safe where nobody can find them. Do you understand?”

  “Seems awfully suspicious if you ask me.”

  “Her life depends on it. Please, just take it.”

  Stephen stuffed the envelope into his leather jacket pocket.

  “Don’t answer any questions and leave as quickly as you can.”

  “I’m not following you.”

  “Agents, what brings you to KWNC?”

  Agent Turner glanced toward Stephen before she spoke. “Miss Newcombe, please come with us. We have several questions we need to ask you.”

  “Let me get my things.” Rebecca quickly gathered her belongings.

  Agent Morrison furrowed his brow and glared toward Stephen. “I recognize you. Aren’t you that radio show guy?”

  Stephen extended his hand. “I’m Stephen Stone Diamond.”

  “Interesting, what is a radio celebrity doing at a television station?”

  Rebecca glared toward the agents. “Let’s go.”

  Agent Turner twisted her lips. “Wait! I’d like to know that answer too.”

  Rebecca’s brow creased as she slumped her shoulders.

  Stephen flashed a grin. “It’s quite simple, really. I’m trying to arrange for Miss Newcombe to be a guest on my show. I need the increased ratings she’d provide.”

  “Yes, and in return, Patrick and I plan on having him on What Matters for a cross-promotional platform. Now shall we go?” Rebecca strode to the door.

  The agents followed leaving Stephen standing beside Rebecca’s desk. Curiosity got to him as he thumbed through the stack of papers and notes. He retrieved one, read it, and then stuffed it into his pocket.

  Patrick stumbled from his car to the front entrance of the emergency room at Saint Angels East Hospital. Before he reached it, he collapsed. Spike rushed out from nowhere and carried Patrick to his Hummer.

  A wide-eyed Dr. Bradford stood in front of the smaller tank. She placed her hand against the glass as the blob morphed into it.

  “What are you?” She smiled as she retrieved the photograph of her son, returned to the tank, and then taped it onto it.

  The blob morphed into the likeness of the infant; he blinked his eyes and pressed his hand up against the glass.

  Dr. Bradford placed her hand against the glass across from his and smiled. “Welcome, I’m Dr. Bradford.” She half expected for the infant to understand her. “Okay, I have to find out who or what you are, and how long you can maintain your morphed state. Please forgive me if I cause you pain. That is not my intent, but I have to investigate what and who you are.”

  The infant blinked at her as she strode to her desk.

  An underwater cry from the infant disturbed Dr. Bradford the moment she sat. Her motherly instincts took hold as she bolted to the tank.

  The infant stopped crying.

  “Everything is going to be fine. I promise you that.”

  The water vibrated and glowed neon yellow around the infant.

  “Amazing. Is this how you communicate?”

  Dr. Bradford.

  Her head throbbed as blood trickled from her nose. Her heart raced as she felt her blood pulsate in her wrists — a bead of sweat formed on her upper lip.

  Dr. Bradford.

  Her head jerked toward the door to ascertain if the Major or the Sergeant defied orders and entered as she wiped the blood from her nose. She took a deep breath, glanced at the blood on her hand, and at once strode to the sink to wash them.

  Dr. Bradford.

  Her eyes darted toward the morphed infant. Can’t be? After she washed her hands, she strode to the tank and leaned eye level to the infant who closed its eyes. “Good; sleep.” When children sleep, they are at peace and are the closest to God they will ever be. May the angels watch over you and make sure no evil or harm comes to you. She covered the tank with the white sheet.

  She returned to her desk and wrote in her journal.

  “Day 3 – 2:25 p.m. - If this is a dream, I don’t want it to end. I never thought I would see my son again. This latest discovery brings pain to my heart, yet joy. My infant son now lives with the help of A.D.A.M. I’d recognize him anywhere. As a scientist, I must maintain my objectivity. As a mother, I want to reach out and hold him once again.”

  She glanced up from her journal, set it down, returned to the tank, and then removed the sheet. With a mother’s gentle hand, she touched the side of the tank. The infant floated closer toward her as he sucked his thumb. Within seconds the infant stretched. However, the tank prevented him from a full stretch because of its small size.”

  Amazed, she watched the infant float in the cramped tank. Unsure of her next step, she could do nothing but gape at him. She leaned eye level to the infant. “I’ve got to get you out of there, but if I do, the oxygen in our air could kill you. If I don’t, your growth will kill you. I don’t ha
ve much of an option.”

  The infant opened his eyes and tried to reach for her.

  Tears flushed in her eyes as he moved his lips as if to speak.

  Dr. Bradford.

  The sharp pain shot through her brain as she grabbed her head with both hands. Her nose bled again, and she wiped it away. She covered the tank with the white sheet, sprinted to the intercom, and pressed the button.

  “Yes, Dr. Bradford, how can I help you?”

  “I need to see General Anbar immediately in his conference room and not in my lab.”

  “I’ll notify him.”

  “Tell him to make it quick. It’s urgent.”

  The lab’s door opened. Major Dwyer nodded toward Dr. Bradford. “The General will see you now.”

  Rebecca bolted into the FBI interrogation room to discover Jessica asleep with her head against her arms on the table as if she slept in a classroom. “Jess! Wake up. What have they done to you?”

  Jessica slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Rebecca, she bolted up and hugged her. “Rebecca, thank God you’re here. I’ve been so scared. Have you found Dr. Bradford?”

  “No, Jess, I haven’t, but thanks to your demands, they are going to take us to her.”

  Jessica sighed in deep relief. “That’s the best news I’ve had in two days.”

  “Jess, this is far from over. We must play our cards right. All of our lives depend on it.” Rebecca leaned in and pressed her lips against her ear. “Don’t say a word about this to anyone. Your friend received your package. Zip your lips.”

  Jessica motioned her finger and thumb across her lips in a zipper manner. “My lips are forever sealed. What happens next?”

  “I’m not sure, but I think they are going to take us to see Dr. Bradford in exchange for you giving up the last sample. Jessica, I’m begging you not to do it.”

  “But, why? We can get more. Mono Lake is full of them.”

  “I received a tip the government is draining the lake dry. There won’t be anything left to retrieve.”

  “All of that water has to go somewhere. Doesn’t it?”