“This is a television, Adam. They are the same size as us.”
“I fear you are wrong in your assessment.”
“Welcome back to What Matters. I’m Rebecca Newcombe, and today, my guest is Stephen Stone Diamond.”
Dr. Bradford’s eyes widened. “You’ve got to be kidding.” She scratched her forehead as she gazed on Rebecca on the television.
“Stephen let’s get to the top stories of the day. I want to hear your opinion.”
“That’s why I am here.”
“What are your thoughts on the arrest of Jessica Parker, Dr. Bradford’s research assistant.”
Dr. Bradford gasped as her chest heaved, and her face turned red. “This can’t be true.” She increased the volume.
Adam tilted his head. “Are you embarrassed again, Dr. Bradford? I sense something else in you I have not felt before.”
“Not now, Adam. I need to here this.” Dr. Bradford stepped closer to the television.
Stephen took a deep breath. “I honestly think Jessica Parker is innocent, and she is being used as a scapegoat. Why else would they arrest this young woman for treason?”
“Treason!” Dr. Bradford slammed her fist onto her desk.
“Dr. Bradford, I sense something has changed within you.”
“Adam, please be quiet. I have to listen to this.”
His heart sank as confusion enveloped him.
Dr. Bradford turned up the sound as Adam struggled to put on the T-shirt.
“I don’t know what to think.” Rebecca tightened her left fist. “I do know the FBI is holding her.”
“In my opinion, I’d say she was kidnapped.”
“Dr. Bradford, please, you are hurting me?” Adam put his hand over his heart.
She glanced toward Adam. “I’m hurting you?”
“Yes, I feel your troubled existence. Dr. Bradford, your heartbeat palpitations have increased significantly, your salivary glands are more active, and your core temperature has risen to one hundred point four degrees.”
“This emotion is called anger.”
“I do not like this anger.”
After standing, she powered off the television and strode to Adam. “How are you feeling my emotions?”
“I am a part of you. Am I not your son?”
“No! For the last time, you are not my son. It is exceedingly difficult to understand. Adam, please sit.”
“Are you angered at me?” Adam sat on the lab table.
“No Adam, I’m not. It is difficult to explain for you to understand.”
“There are many things I do not understand, but I do understand complexity. I am your son.”
“You are confused.”
“I am not confused. I am Adam - the new life form. You found me. Therefore, you are my mother. I am not indeed new. I have lived since the beginning. It is carbon forms like you who don’t acknowledge Adam.”
“We as a scientific body did not realize a life form could survive with arsenic in its DNA compound. Where you have arsenic, we have phosphorous.”
“Your belief serves to hamper your judgment, Dr. Bradford. It would be best if you did not hold value to such beliefs when you have no knowledge. If you do not know of an existence, like Adam, that does not mean Adam does not exist. I have always been and always will be.”
“We as humans tend not to believe in what we cannot see and do not know. That is our human nature. We must see it to believe it. Then once we do, our knowledge of the facts transforms our beliefs.”
“You have this knowledge, Dr. Bradford, but still deny Adam. General Anbar also denies my knowledge.”
“Adam, that’s not true.”
“They keep Dr. Bradford and Adam here. They deny us. We are not free, and no one else knows of Adam. Does this mean Adam does not exist?”
“For the first time I finally get the question, if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a noise?”
“Please verify and explain.”
“Never mind. I think it has more to do with the fact that General Anbar is frightened by you.”
“How can he be frightened if he does not have the knowledge that I exist?”
“You exist, but in his mind, you’re nothing more than a blob.”
“Would he destroy me rather than admit I exist to other carbon units?”
“Yes, Adam, he would.”
“I have done nothing to him. Are all humans hostile to alien life?”
“Not all of us. General Anbar is afraid because he and the others do not understand you.”
“Do you understand me, Dr. Bradford?”
“I’m far from understanding anything about you or who you are.”
“Adam. I am Adam. How may I bring you comfort, Dr. Bradford?”
“Comfort? How do you know about comfort?”
The water in the tank vibrated and glowed yellowish orange.
Dr. Bradford inhaled, held her breath, and grabbed her head.
“Dr. Bradford, relax and accept my comfort?”
She crashed to the floor.
“It must be time to sleep.” Adam frowned. Without warning, his body juddered and vibrated as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Crow’s feet developed around his eyes, his skin wrinkled, and his hair turned salt-and-pepper. He kneeled beside Dr. Bradford and touched her forehead. His hand vibrated.
Dr. Bradford opened her eyes. “Adam?”
“Yes, Dr. Bradford, I am Adam.”
“What happened?”
“You accepted my calmness. Are you feeling better?”
“You’ve aged.” She reached and stroked his salt-and-pepper hair.
“Yes, that is a metamorphosis I must undergo. I believe by human standards, I am middle-aged.”
The Boeing 757 airplane traveled southwest. Seated in first class, Rebecca grabbed a newspaper from her satchel. After opening it, she read the headline - “NAET Scientist Still Missing.”
Spike, who sat to her right next to the window, watched a movie on his phone.
In the galley, Agent Turner, dressed as a flight attendant, prepared drinks for the passengers. Natasha, another flight attendant, assisted.
Agent Turner darted her eyes toward Natasha. “Remember, be calm, and just find out if she knows anything.”
“May I be frank with you, Agent Turner?”
Agent Turner stared at her counterpart.
Natasha’s hands trembled. “I know this is my first undercover mission, but I’m ready.” She grabbed a cocktail napkin and a pen.
Agent Turner tilted her head to the right to indicate for Natasha to proceed with her mission.
Natasha flashed a fake-as-ever smile and departed the galley.
Agent Turner grasped the handset to the airplane phone and dialed out.
Natasha approached Rebecca. “Incredible news reporting, Miss Newcombe.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m a huge fan of yours. Do you mind autographing this for me?” She handed Rebecca the airplane logo napkin and pen.
“Sure, no problem.” She signed her name, drew a smiley face beneath it, and then handed back to Natasha. “Here you go. Now I don’t want to see this on eBay.”
“I wouldn’t dare Miss Newcombe. This means too much to me. Out of curiosity, do you have any idea where Dr. Bradford is?”
“Not a clue.”
“Wow, I thought if anyone would, it would be you. You’re such a great investigative reporter. Do you think she was smart enough to keep any secret samples? I mean, wouldn’t you?”
“Not to my knowledge. Everything was either destroyed, or the government confiscated it.”
“You’re probably right. Let me bring you something special to drink. What would you care for? It’s on the house.”
“That would be genuinely nice of you. How about a spicy Bloody Mary? I could use a drink after the day I’ve had.”
“Wonderful choice. I’ll also bring you some water. Flying can dehydrate you.”
<
br /> Ryan, who wore a flight attendant uniform, passed her on his way to the galley. He smiled toward Natasha. “How’s everything in first class?”
“Look for yourself. We have a celebrity in the cabin.”
Ryan winked at Spike. “Yes, I see. We better take care of her, or we’ll end up as a news segment.”
Patrick strode into the KWNC bullpen. “Did everyone miss me?”
His coworkers ignored his statement as they continued to work.
He glanced toward Rebecca’s desk where Stephen sat reviewing files. He stomped over to him. “Who the Hell are you?”
Stephen swirled the chair to face Patrick. “I’m Stephen Stone Diamond. You must be the one and only Patrick Algiers.”
“Where’s Rebecca, and what are you doing in her chair?”
Henry entered the bullpen. “Glad you two have met. Patrick meet your new co-host. He subbed for you today, and our ratings went off the roof.”
“Did you fire Rebecca?”
“Not at all. She’s on a special assignment. In her absence, Stephen will co-host in her place.”
Stephen stood and extended his hand to Patrick’s. “It’ll be great working with you. I look forward to it.”
Patrick clenched his fists. “The feeling isn’t mutual. Henry, you’ve never replaced Rebecca before when she’s on an assignment. Why now?”
Henry twisted his lips. “Patrick, in my office. Now!”
Five hours and thirteen minutes after The Boeing 757 departed New Orleans, it landed on the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport tarmac. The passengers applauded.
Natasha stood at the front of the plane holding the hand-held intercom device. “Please remain seated until the captain turns off the seatbelt sign and we come to a complete stop. Thank you for flying with us today.”
“That was a long flight.” Rebecca stuffed the newspaper into her satchel.
“Yes, Miss Newcombe it was. Are you ready to deboard?” Spike gathered his belongings.
“More than ready. I need to stretch my legs.”
“I’m here to inform you that your transport is waiting for you. I’ll escort you to them, and then they will take you to meet with General Anbar.”
“You knew this the entire trip and didn’t tell me.”
“It was for your safety. I’m here to make sure your flight was safe. That’s my job.”
“Wait, you’re an air marshal?”
He nodded and stood. “I believe we can deboard the plane. Shall we?”
Rebecca flashed a thin-lipped grin filled with concern. There is something odd about this. She opened the overhead bin and retrieved her hard aluminum case. Stickers from Rebecca’s travels plastered the case.
“I see you have been around the world.”
“It’s my camera I record interviews with, not that it’s any of your business.”
They deboarded the plane and moved at a snail’s pace through the gangway with the other first-class passengers. Just behind them, Ryan followed.
At the end of the walkway, two military guards with rifles slung across their shoulders waited.
Rebecca took a deep breath. “I suppose they’re there for my protection too?”
“Yes, they are. They’ll take you to the military base, assign you quarters and in the morning, they’ll bring you to see General Anbar. I’m sure he anticipates your arrival.”
Jessica paced in front of the sofa as Agent Morrison read a magazine.
She stomped her foot. “I don’t like any of this at all.”
“Neither do I, Jessica.”
“Why are they waiting so long before I get to see Dr. Bradford? Do they want to know where the samples are or not?”
“Jessica, please calm down. Patience is a virtue.”
She plopped down onto the floor and sobbed. “Dr. B always told me that.”
“Don’t cry. It’ll only make things worse. You’ll get to see Dr. Bradford soon.”
“I’m never going to see her again.” Tears streamed faster than Jessica could wipe them away. “We’ve been here all day doing nothing but staring at each other. You’re FBI, can’t you do something about it?”
“Afraid not, this is out of my jurisdiction.”
A double tap on the door sent Agent Morrison bolting toward it. “See, the wait is over.”
Tap. Tap.
He opened the door, and a young private handed him an envelope. “Agent Morrison, please read the contents.” The private closed the door.
After opening the envelope, his eyes darted toward Jessica.
“We’re free for the rest of the day and night. The General has an unexpected event he must attend.” So, we’re under a red security alert.
“That’s just great, really great. Now what?”
“We eat and watch a movie. Then, off to bed.”
General Anbar stood at the end of the table in the War Room nestled below ground. The other top brass military personnel occupied the remainder of the chairs. Behind him, the large screen flickered as the presidential seal faded to President Corbin.
“Welcome to our war room, Madam President.”
“I wish it were under better circumstances, but we have an unidentified object heading to earth’s atmosphere the size of the Superdome. This could be the end of days. Assemble the top scientists and military minds on this and solve the problem.”
“Have you notified the other world leaders?”
“I’m sure with their technology and satellites they know it’s coming. Find a solution.”
The screen faded to a solid gray as a solid mass shaped like a cigar tumbled in the blackness of space.
President Corbin narrowed her brow. “Turn on the sound; I want to hear what is going on.
General Anbar unmuted the sound.
“NASA, are you seeing this?” The astronaut’s voice encased in static seemed shocked.
“Confirmed.” Beep! Beep! “Go the other way.”
General Anbar cleared his throat. “I’m open to ideas.”
Commander Anderson stood. “I say we throw every nuclear bomb we have at it and destroy the damn thing.”
“With all due respect, we don’t even know what it is.” The Navy General adjusted his position in his chair. “It is ill-advised to destroy something without an investigation into what that thing is.”
Adam picked up a beaker and looked inside it.
“Be careful; don’t break it.” Dr. Bradford flashed a thin-lipped grin.
“I have no intentions of doing so. I enjoy looking at the living specimens. I believe you would say they are microscopic.”
“You see microscope organisms?”
“Clearly. My vision is more powerful than yours.”
“Interesting. Do you see other microbes like you once were?”
“They no longer live. As you would say, they have been contaminated.”
“I’m sorry for you, Adam.”
“Sorry is a strange emotion. Why are you sorry for me? I am still alive; am I not?”
“No, I mean there are no more of your kind.”
“Not on this world, but I am not alone.”
“Again, Adam, I’m sorry. Are you ready for our next experiment?”
“Do you desire I urinate in a cup again?”
“Not at all. The results should be back within the next couple of hours. Now I need to do the hardest one and remove a little of your skin. I need to study it.”
“You need to determine if I am human?”
“I already know you’re not. I need to isolate everything about you.”
“You want to know if I am like you, is that correct?”
“Yes, tomorrow I have an x-ray machine ordered so I can look at the inside of you.”
“Please explain.”
“We use x-ray machines to be able to look inside what your skin is covering. Humans have internal organs like a heart, lungs, kidneys, and more. I need to know if you have them as well.”
“I can show you now.”
He closed his eyes as his body slightly vibrated, his skin and muscles turned opaque.
She couldn’t help but give a gape of astonishment toward Adam. “Please, undress.”
“You want me naked? I thought you are not a nudist. Would you’re your cheeks not turn pink in embarrassment?”
“This is for medical reasons. Your nudity won’t embarrass me this time. I can’t see if you have internal organs through your clothes. Just remove your T-shirt.”
“You report that I am complex. I believe that it is humans who are complex with emotions.” Adam removed his T-shirt and glanced down. “See, I have a heart.”
“You have more than a heart; you have two. You only have one lung, and you have an organ I’m not familiar with below your collar bone.”
“Yes, that is my arsney.”
“Arsney? What is it for?”
“It pumps arsenic into my system and adapts your oxygen so I may breathe. When I submerge in the tank, the water maintains me.”
“Remarkable.”
Through the intercom, Taps blared into the room.
Dr. Bradford took a deep breath. “You know what that means.”
“I will return to my tank.”
Three knocks on the door.
“Quickly, Adam.”
“I cannot let any carbon unit discover me.”
Almost asleep in her quarters, Dr. Bradford leaned back into her recliner when a tap on the door disturbed her. “Yes, come in.”
Giles, with a smile on his face, entered. “I came to get your dinner tray. Are you feeling any better? The General is inquiring about your health.”
“I’m fine. I need to rest.”
“Your television has satellite now. Why don’t you find a movie and try to get your mind off the lab?”
“I’m not thinking about the lab tonight. It is hard knowing they arrested Jessica Parker for treason. It’s all my fault. I should’ve protected her.”
“What she did and what you could have done are two different things. You can’t blame yourself for her arrest.”
“Watch me.”
He retrieved the tray and strolled to the door. “If I hear anything about her, I’ll let you know.”
“Thank you, Giles. At least I have one friend in this place.”
“Good night, Dr. Bradford. Get some rest. Sergeant Merritt will be here early in the morning to escort you to the lab.” He nodded and closed the door behind him.
A.D.A.M. Page 20