Careful Measurements

by Layne D. Hansen

  Anna was out with Charlie again, this time at a bar. Halfway through her second drink, a man much younger and more attractive than her date, entered the bar. She noticed him walk in and once he got settled, he definitely noticed her in return. He had dirty blond hair, crystal blue eyes, and a cocky grin that made her melt. She held him in rapt attention. She was wearing a slinky black dress that Charlie had bought her. Her hair and makeup were flawless. She looked like a starlet on the red carpet. She was easily the most attractive woman in the bar and she knew it.

  The most attractive man in the bar was staring at her. His lustful gaze was making her dizzy. She suddenly regretted having gone to bed with the old goat. She had to be careful with her flirting, not wanting Charlie to notice. Luckily, Charlie’s back was to the younger man and he couldn’t see the game they were playing. At times he noticed that she wasn’t paying attention to him. He looked behind him to see what Anna was staring at. By the time he was able to turn around, however, the younger man was feigning disinterest.

  Suddenly, the man at the bar motioned with his head towards the restrooms. She nervously cleared her throat and began to gather up her things.

  “Charlie? Sorry, but I need to use the restroom.”

  Charlie nodded, mindlessly rubbing his index finger around the rim of his glass. Anna stood and nearly tripped over her chair. She caught herself and made her way towards the single doorway that led to the restrooms. She glanced both ways as she walked, trying to find him in the packed bar. Suddenly she felt someone nudging her from behind. She knew who it was and her knees began to feel weak. She fought the urge to stop and turn around, but she kept walking. When they reached the opening, he pushed her into a family restroom and shut the door behind them.

  “Where you going?” he asked her, grinning and smelling like heaven.

  She trembled at his touch.

  “Ladies room,” she muttered.

  He leaned into her seductively, nearly brushing his lips against her bare neck.

  “I thought I’d get you away from that old guy. I didn’t know you could bring your grandfather with you to the experiment,” he said, that intoxicating grin returning to his face.

  She chuckled lightly and looked away shyly.

  “He’s not my grandfather,” she said, trying to find her confidence.

  He pushed her against the wall and whispered, “So sorry.”

  His warm breath on her ear and neck made her tingle from the ends of her hair to her toenails.

  “Sorry for what?”

  “Anyway,” he said, rubbing her thin, muscular shoulders, “what’s your name and where do you live?”

  “Anna … and … um … why do you want to know that?”

  “Because,” he said, leaning in again, not letting her pull away from him, “after he drops you off I want to come over.”

  She swallowed nervously, still not quite able to meet his intense gaze. She reached into her bag and pulled out a slip of paper, and after fumbling some more, she found a pen. She quickly jotted down her address and phone number and handed it to him. He grabbed it and looked at it.

  “I have the sudden desire to get home,” she said, smiling. “Feels like I’m coming down with something.”

  “That’s what I like to hear,” the man said, smiling. “See you in an hour or so huh?”

  She nodded and he left her there, trying to find her breath, and trying to think of an excuse for Charlie to take her home early.

  It was crazy but he was going to do it. Maybe not tonight, but Pattom was going to do it soon.

  “What are you thinking?” Jennifer asked him.

  “What? Oh … nothing. Sorry, I guess I’m just kinda spacey,” he said, lying.

  He wanted to use the opening to ask her to marry him, but the moment passed and he chickened out again.

  “You’ve been working too hard,” she said, concerned. “I hardly see you anymore.”

  That wasn’t true and she knew it, he thought. She was just being overly emotional. Hell, she was practically living at his house now. She had as many clothes in his spare bedroom closet as she had in her own house.

  “Maybe,” he said, still scheming on how he would ask her.

  “What’s wrong with you, Pat?”

  He didn’t object to her calling him that, another sign that he should ask her the question that had been nagging him for three days. Only his mother and dead wife had ever called him by that name.

  “Nothing Honey, I promise,” he said unconvincingly.

  She gave him the ‘you’re full of crap’ look then stood and walked into the kitchen. “You want a beer?” she yelled.

  “Yes, thank you!” he yelled to her in the other room.

  She returned with his beer and plopped down onto the couch. She flipped through channels while he continued to stare off into space. After another half hour she set the remote down, grabbed her keys from off the coffee table, and started to stand.

  He stood and gently grabbed her wrist. “Where you going?” he asked, worried that she was angry.

  “What do you care?” she said, trying to pull away from his grip. “You haven’t said more than two words to me all night. I’m going home.”

  He let go of her and walked over to stand in between her and door.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, almost frantic. “I … okay … screw it … I’ll just tell you. Just sit back down okay?”

  She looked at him and a nervous look came into her eyes. She swallowed hard, thinking the worst. Was he cheating? Had he lost interest in her? She hesitated, prompting him to push her down onto the couch by her shoulders. For the first time all night, he turned to her and looked into her eyes.

  “I don’t know how to even start,” he said, looking away again.

  She smiled at his nervousness, but still felt the dread that he was about to end their relationship.

  “It’s crazy and I don’t know if you think it’s crazy, but it’s crazy how easy it is to be with you. How easy it is to talk to you. I haven’t felt like this since—”

  “—Your wife died,” she interjected, emotion creeping into her voice.

  His face went flush. It was the first time these emotions had been put into words. “Yeah,” he said sullenly, looking away again, feeling a small stab of that old, familiar pain. “I mean … that’s not a bad thing. It’s a good thing.”

  “It’s a good thing but … you’re scared?” she asked, finally having the courage to face the end. “You’re not sure where this is going so you have to break up with me?” She shuddered and a tear ran down her cheek. He reached over and gently wiped it away.

  “What? No, no, no,” he said, trying to regain control of the conversation. “Okay, sorry Honey. I’m not making myself clear here.”

  “You think?” she said sarcastically through her tears and then chuckled softly.

  Patton laughed and the awful tension that had been building was broken. He slid off the couch and moved to in front of her. He pulled her legs apart and wedged between them.

  “What I’m trying to say is … will you marry me?”

  The dread was gone but it took a second for the question to register. When it did, her eyes bulged and she lunged into his arms.

  “Yes! I will!” she said, squeezing his neck like a vice.

  They stayed there like that for a long moment, holding each other tightly. The hug turned into a kiss, their tears mingling on their cheeks. She pulled away and simultaneously laughed and cried, the way only women can do. When her shock passed, they talked about general details of their upcoming wedding—where, when, who would they would invite. Eventually their excitement faded and they fell asleep on Patton’s couch in each other’s arms.

  CHAPTER

  8

  Anna had felt euphoria like this before, but it had often been drug induced. She was happ
y now because her friends Mark and Patty were finally there, sleeping in her guest bedroom. She watched them sleep from the doorway, much like a new mother would look upon her sleeping newborn.

  The two had quite a journey, driving much of the way in Patty’s broken down Chevy Cavalier. The car finally died just west of Cheyenne, Wyoming. A friend wired them money to buy bus tickets to Salt Lake City. That part of their journey took them the better part of two days. Once they reached Utah they rode public transit as far north as Ogden, Utah, which was the end of the line. From that point they still had over thirty miles to go.

  The two stayed in Ogden for a few days, panhandling and bumming cigarettes and money. They were able to find someone to drive them the rest of the way to their new home. They reached the border of experiment-owned territory at dusk and decided to camp there. They woke up the next morning, tired, cold and hungry, and much in need of a shower. They discarded most of their supplies in order to lighten their load and made their way on foot. By mid afternoon they reached civilization, passing some outlying ranches and farms. When they saw the lake, and then the town itself, they stopped and hugged each other in relief. Their long journey was over.

  They made their way into town, staying hidden at a small city park until Anna could pick them up. Their reunion was full of hugs and tears and then Anna drove them to her apartment where they ate and showered. After they fell asleep, Anna gathered up all of their things and threw them in the trash. She had already purchased new clothes for them. Anna wanted to wake them so they catch up, but they were exhausted. She would let them sleep.

  She picked up her phone and dialed Charlie’s number, who picked up after the third ring.

  “Hello Anna,” he said hoarsely. He sounded like he’d just woken up from a nap.

  “Hi Charlie.”

  “So are we on for tonight, Doll? You’re not calling to cancel on me are you?”

  She cringed. The image of his sweaty face filled her mind and the sound of his panting and grunting filled her ears. She didn’t want to remember the nights she had given into him. She had plans and she needed his help, but she couldn’t go on with their personal relationship. She would have to break that off later. She had more important things to worry about.

  “That’s why I’m calling,” she said hesitantly, not wanting to set him off. “Mark and Patty are here. We all need to get together. How about tomorrow night?” she asked, cringing.

  “Right,” he said, not able to mask the disappointment in his voice.

  “They just got here yesterday and they’re really worn out,” she said, beginning to feel angry at Charlie’s selfishness.

  “Excellent,” Charlie said, taking a more business-like tone now.

  “Yeah,” she said, suddenly thinking about the man from the restaurant, suddenly having the desire to call him. Charlie was rambling about something or other, but Anna hadn’t heard him.

  “Anna?”

  “Yes, sorry Charlie. I’m here.”

  “As I was saying,” he said, obviously annoyed, “once we start this, there’s no turning back. Are you ready for that?”

  “Yes,” she said, hoping she sounded more certain than she felt. She didn’t exactly know what he’d meant by “no turning back” but she was all in.

  “Are your friends ready for that?” he asked soberly. Charlie thought, these people being as young and inexperienced as they were, weren’t prepared to help create the necessary level of chaos. No bother. Either they would adjust or they would be out. He needed serious people who had the will to do what it would take.

  “Charlie, we’ve been ready for this for our whole lives,” Anna said, hoping she sounded convincing.

  Charlie paused, letting her commitment hang in the air. After a few moments he said, “I hope so. There’s much to do.”

  While Anna’s friends struggled their way to their destination, Travis Snedley and company traveled in luxury. All eight of them were flown into Salt Lake City, first class at someone’s expense. Only one pair had come together. The rest had traveled separately.

  The party spent three nights and two days in the city’s finest hotel. They ate at the best restaurants. They were driven up into the mountain resort town of Park City to escape the heat and be pampered at a luxury day spa. They figured it was the least Charlie – or whoever it was bankrolling their operation –could do for them before they descended into the chaos that they themselves were planning to create.

  Besides Travis there were four other men and three women. One of the men had been in Travis’s Army unit. One of the men and one of the women had been members of the Earth Liberation Front—a radical environmental movement that tried to injure or kill as punishment for damaging the planet. The others had no particular training. They merely had the will and the right ideology.

  After enjoying the fineries of the Wasatch Front, the party of eight was driven to a large farm on the Utah, Idaho border, across the Samaria Mountains from the Pocatello Valley. The next morning they all donned large rucksacks and made their way into the foothills above the farm. They hiked all that day, sometimes using the lightly graveled road, but often marching through the dry prairie grass and sagebrush. The party reached the summit late in the afternoon, descending halfway down the west slope of the Samarias, careful to remain out of view from the valley floor. It was a silly precaution, they knew. No one would be paying attention to this part of the valley. Even if they did, they would likely think they were residents of the town on a quick backpacking trip.

  They camped at dusk and rose with the sun. After a breakfast of granola bars, trail mix, and bottled water they made their way to the valley floor. As instructed, they holed up in a small grove of quaking aspens. Almost exactly on time, a large Chevy Suburban pulled off the highway and drove down towards their makeshift camp. The sunglassed driver exited the vehicle and opened the back hatch. He looked up and down the highway. There was no traffic, so he made his way to the stand of trees where he was greeted by Travis.

  “You made it,” the driver said.

  Travis looked back at his small company and then back towards the highway.

  “Yeah. No problem. Amanda twisted her ankle pretty good but we wrapped it.” Travis scouted traffic on the highway then said, “Let’s go. We’re ready.”

  The driver nodded. He walked over to the girl with the wrapped ankle and gestured for her rucksack. They loaded their packs in the Suburban and made their way into town. Charlie greeted them gregariously. He fed them a large, catered lunch and while Travis’s companions napped through afternoon, he and Charlie discussed their plans.

  “When do we move?” Travis asked, reclining in a large stuffed chair. He swirled a glass mindlessly in his hand, the ice clinking.

  “Soon.”

  Travis glared at him. Charlie raised his hands submissively.

  “I’m sorry Travis, I don’t know the exact day.”

  Travis nodded, but wasn’t entirely assuaged.

  “The important thing,” Charlie continued, “is to make sure we have enough people. Anna’s friends are here, but to be honest … I don’t know if they’re up to this.”

  Travis nodded. He understood that most people’s anger didn’t automatically translate into action. Violence was a skill, he knew. Not that the acts themselves were difficult to perform, but the will was difficult to develop.

  “You got anyone else in the pipeline?” Travis asked, not confident in Charlie’s answer.

  Charlie nodded.

  “Good, because I don’t want to wait too long. The longer we’re here, the easier it will be for someone to notice us.”

  “I don’t want to wait either,” Charlie said, standing and stretching. “I’m already starting to hate these people.”

  Carl was at the tail end of another 12 hour shift. His pallid face and drawn eyes reflected the images from the bank of monitors he
watched. As usual, Nate and Alex had approached him unaware, but didn’t immediately try to get his attention.

  “See here?” Nate said, pushing onto a thumbnail-sized video on one of the main monitors. While still pressing he scrolled his finger to the left and the footage played alone on a large monitor.

  Alex watched, the second knuckle of his index finger in between his teeth.

  “Roll it back,” Alex said, gesturing with his other hand.

  Nate scrolled the timeline of the video to the beginning and stepped back so they could both see.

  “Eight backpackers … coming down from the east … then they make their way to that clump of trees,” Nate said, as if Alex needed the play by play.

  Alex grunted. He rewound the video again.

  “Why would they hide in those trees?” Alex asked after watching the video again.

  Nate shrugged.

  “Carl, is this footage from the drone?” Nate asked.

  Surprisingly, Carl turned to them once his name was spoken. He seemed unusually lucid.

  “That’s one of the drones, yeah,” Carl replied. “I sent another one out but they were gone by the time it got out there.”

  “Hmm,” Nate replied. “Did we get a license plate scan?”

  Carl shuffled through some papers and eventually found what he was looking for.

  “Yep. Registered too … Patrick … Mick … Mick … something.”

  Nate grabbed the paper from Carl and read the name.

  “McNulty.”

  “Yeah, whatever,” Carl said, returning his attention to the monitors.

  “Anyway,” Nate said, speaking to Alex, “it’s an approved vehicle. Suspicious behavior, yes. But probably just a bunch of people doing exactly what it looks like. Backpacking.”

  Alex was skeptical but he let it go.

  “Just write up the report as usual,” Nate instructed him. “Attach both the doctors and the government liaison. Tell them there was some suspicious activity in the Northeast quadrant. We’ll send the footage if they want it, but I doubt they will.”