I really hoped he would forget about me and move on. I wasn’t worthy of his love anymore, not after everything I had done. He didn’t know what I was, I should have told him before anything intimate happened between us. I had broken a cardinal rule.
“Are you ready?” Garrick’s question brought me back to reality. “It’s our last chance to turn back.”
“Like we have a choice,” I sighed.
“Are we still pretending this isn’t a trap?”
“I think we both know what we’re walking into.”
The old VW sputtered into position next to the security booth. Garrick announced our names and we were waved through. The Department felt familiar, I knew the security routine so well it was like second nature walking through it. Even the receptionist felt like a relative you didn’t see very often.
Special Agent George Scott, my new case officer, and Special Agent Rook, Garrick’s case officer, picked us up from reception.
Agent Scott spoke first. “You came.”
His two words instantly made me bristle. “We are representing Trucon, we had to. Whether you believe us or not, the project is the most important thing in our lives.”
“So that’s why you escaped the complex then?” He shot back sarcastically. He was the arrogant, snobby, self-assured man that only perpetuated the FBI stereotype. I didn’t bother to reply, I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of riling me up.
We were guided through to a small room, one I hadn’t been in before, and told to wait. We were greeted by some Agents shortly afterward, right on ten o’clock. Agents Scott and Rook handed us over like school teachers glad to be rid of their students by the end of the day.
We were taken to a boardroom, a long table running down the centre and almost filling the room. At least twenty chairs circled the heavy wood table. Every one of them was filled except two. Men and women in black and grey suits stared at us, their eyes a mixture of disgust and distrust.
“Take a seat, please,” the man sitting at the head of the table said, pointing to the two empty seats. Even though I was an alien, I had never felt more out of place before. Garrick and I were just teenagers, we didn’t belong in such a formal meeting. I was painfully aware of that fact.
We sat. Garrick was doing a much better job at looking calm than I was. If I wasn’t gripping my hands together, they would be betraying my shaky nerves.
The same man continued. “I’m Special Agent Schroder, the head of Project Integrate. Thank you for meeting with us today so we can get this matter sorted out. I’m sure we wish to resolve things just as much as your leaders do.”
Garrick spoke next. “Our leaders are concerned about the project being cancelled. They want nothing more than the recommencement and continued support of the project so it can be played out until conclusion.”
“We feel the project is at a stage now where the costs would outweigh all benefits to our nation,” Agent Schroder said levelly, keeping all his emotion out of it. I guess it wasn’t his family sitting on a planet with a ticking time bomb heading toward it. “We see no point in continuing.”
I tried to remember Protocol Eleven and the coaching Kyle had given us. “That is a breach of the contract signed seventeen years ago,” I stated. My voice wasn’t shaky anymore, the fight instinct finally kicking in. I wasn’t just fighting for my life, but for the lives of our entire planet. Perhaps even the human race too.
“We feel the circumstances have changed.”
“Our leaders don’t. The goal is still the same, integrate a generation of our people into the human race. Once we are revealed, it will open up acceptance for the rest of our kind to join us here.”
Agent Schroder wasn’t going to rollover like I had hoped. “The presence of anti-alien organizations changes those terms. The security level needed now far outweighs the budget allocated to this project. That level of protection was never anticipated.”
“Just because it wasn’t anticipated, doesn’t mean it voids the contract,” I pointed out. If I survived this, perhaps I could have a career as a lawyer?
“It’s a material change, it does.”
Garrick cleared his throat, making a point to get their attention. “Where is the definition of a material change in the agreement? You know it doesn’t exist. Therefore it’s open to interpretation. Our leaders are of the opinion that there has been no material change.”
It sounded impressive enough to me. My head shot back to look Agent Schroder in the eyes. I silently willed him to agree so we could move on and get everything sorted out. The threat of an interplanetary war should have been enough to convince him. However, the Department were so arrogant they probably assumed our leaders would never dare take them on. Garrick and I both knew better.
Schroder leant forward, making a triangle with his hands as he rested them against each other. He didn’t look at us, he glared at us. I could only imagine what was going through his head. He took a deep breath, his nose grunting slightly with the effort.
“Let me make this clear,” he started. “We are not continuing with the project. We have no more resources to throw at it. We are tapped out. No funding. Nothing. Do you understand?”
We had been warned he would say something like that. Despite the fact he had a blank check behind him, he would use the old can’t get blood out of a stone routine.
I leant forward too, resisting the urge to mimic him. “Our leaders have authorized us to make the offer of reimbursing your expenses. Whatever it takes, they want to ensure the project continues.”
Agent Schroder burst into laughter, the rest of his henchmen doing the same. It made a stark contrast to the previous silence but was humiliating on a whole new level. It was clear they had no respect for us or the planet we were representing.
When he could speak again, Schroder was still chuckling to himself. Apparently it was only Garrick and I that didn’t get the joke. “And where do you think your leaders would get that kind of money? That’s a good one. We don’t accept stones and rocks as payment.” He had to wipe tears from his eyes. “As amusing as this is, I think we’re done here. I’ve got far more important things to do.”
He stood and abruptly left the room, a few of those seated closest to him following. The remaining agents all stared at us. My heart was pounding, as were my temples. Now would be the time when they took us. They would reveal the trap and take us into custody. We’d be back in the complex before morning.
I looked at Garrick and he gave me a small shrug before he stood. “I guess we’ll be going.”
I followed suit, as did the rest of the agents. I expected to feel hands grasp around me with every step I took toward the door. Yet nothing happened. We shuffled out into the waiting room where Agents Scott and Rook were standing.
“We’ll take you out,” Rook stated without any hint of warmth in his voice. He obviously didn’t revel in his escort role either. I wondered what Garrick had done to put himself in his handler’s bad books.
We travelled down in the elevator in complete silence, not even a boring tune to fill the void. When the doors opened, I felt like running for the car. It couldn’t be this easy. They couldn’t just be letting us go. I didn’t have that kind of good luck.
Agent Scott stopped in the reception area. “I would say it’s been a pleasure, but I’m sure it hasn’t been. So, goodbye.” He and Garrick’s case officer didn’t wait to hear us say anything in response.
“I guess we were wrong about this,” I muttered as we headed for the door, trying to keep a casual pace.
“I’m not sticking around to tempt fate,” Garrick replied, I knew exactly how he felt. We made it outside, never expecting to get that far. Our feet practically ran to the old VW.
“Why did you have to park so far away?” I cursed under my breath.
“I didn’t think we were leaving.”
Neither did I. I was so happy to be leaving the Department I almost felt giddy. All that worry had been for nothing. Whoever had lef
t the note in our trailer was obviously just trying to scare us. They did a good job of it too.
So the meeting hadn’t resolved anything, plus it probably meant our leaders would declare war on Earth. All that was out of our hands. Garrick and I had done our job, we had carried out our duty. Now it was back to the big players, not little old us.
I was already planning what I was going to do when we got back to town. We would have to make Kyle our first stop but Garrick could entertain him all afternoon. All I wanted to do was see Lochie and explain my absence. I wanted to make sure that last night wasn’t just a big mistake like I thought it might have been. I needed to hear him say he cherished the moment too.
My hand was on the door handle when I felt the arm slide around my waist and the rough hand clamp over my mouth. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Garrick being knocked to the ground.
CHAPTER 25
Everything swam in front of me. I couldn’t stand without the entire room spinning around me like a disco ball. My mouth tasted metallic, I thirsted for some water but there was nothing in the room besides me.
Four walls, no windows, and just one steel door. I was back in the complex, underground in a cell. I didn’t even have a bed this time, they really were making sure I was punished with their full force. My only salvation was the single light bulb hanging over my head.
I leant against the wall and sunk down to the floor as waves of nausea crashed over me. I tried to take deep breaths to get through it, really not wanting to share an enclosed space with vomit. That would be a special kind of hell.
There was absolutely no sound within the four walls. It was deathly silent, just like the last time I had been there. I rested my elbows on my knees, cradling my head in my hands. We had been warned, we just weren’t smart enough to listen to whoever had left that note for us. We didn’t even listen to our gut instincts. I couldn’t blame the Department, only myself, for being in this situation.
Was I just imagining it, or was there the hint of smoke in the air? My throat constricted with the memory of being trapped in the cell with the fire raging outside. I couldn’t breathe then and I couldn’t breathe now.
I tried to convince myself I was just imagining it. I probably was, my mind was in shutdown mode and playing tricks on me. I knew it, but I couldn’t stop it. Logic didn’t have a place in the prison cell.
I had to stop watching the door. The wisps of smoke coming underneath were only in my head, they had to be. If I got up to feel for myself, I knew the door would be cold to the touch. It wouldn’t burn with the heat of a thousand fires. I knew it, I didn’t have to actually touch it for myself.
But I did. I crawled over and my hand wavered over the steel door. It didn’t radiate heat, that was a good sign. I gingerly ran my fingers over the surface, it was cold – just like I knew it would be. Everything was only in my imagination, wild ideas conjured up out of nothing. Whatever they had given me to knock me out so fast was probably having a lasting effect. Hopefully it wouldn’t be long lasting.
As I crawled back to the wall, I noticed something I knew I wasn’t imagining. There was a pool of blood on the floor. It wasn’t fresh, but part of a permanent stain. What horrible event had happened to a poor person in this cell? I had to fight back the nausea again as a million wicked thoughts entered my head. All I could hope was that I didn’t suffer the same fate.
I tore my eyes away from the stain. The only safe place I could look without seeing things was the ceiling. I cast my eyes upward and tried to pretend I was anywhere else but in the cell. So much for all of our escape plans. Everything Garrick and I had in place was useless now.
My first thought was of Lochie. I guess I wouldn’t get to have the conversation with him I wanted to. He would always wonder why I was sorry and why I had to leave like I did. He would always wonder what happened to me. I would fade into his memory, perhaps be recalled when it was only really quiet.
I should have written him a better note. I’m sorry? What kind of a note was that to leave after what we did together? He probably hated me. Actually, there was no probably about it, it was a certainty that he hated me.
I needed to stop thinking about him. If I didn’t, I would only find myself standing over the blood stain and wishing it was mine. I had to think of more practical things. Things actually in my control. Which didn’t seem like much.
Garrick. They must have put him in another cell. It was expected, I didn’t think they would keep us together so we could conspire against the Department. Divided we were easier, united we were trouble.
I hoped he was alright and they weren’t torturing him. One glance at the bloodstain told me anything was possible. It wasn’t like the Department was accountable to anyone, not in the complex anyway. It was a law unto its self. The facility probably didn’t technically exist, like Area 51 in the desert.
The door suddenly made a sound. It was metal on metal, the jangle of keys. I quickly stood, willing myself to stay calm. I needed to cooperate and convince them I would obey their commands. I needed to do whatever it took to get out of the cell and go someplace else. Even the ordinary bedrooms in the complex seemed like paradise now.
The door opened. I expected to see Agent Harrison with his smug face telling me he had won after all. He would delight in my punishment. My death too, no doubt.
When the face peered around the door, I had to cover my mouth to stop a gasp escaping. It wasn’t anyone I had seen in the complex before. It was Special Agent Robert Bower, my old case officer. Had they called in the Amery Whisperer? Was I that difficult to manage?
“Rob? What are you doing here?” I asked urgently. Surely after seventeen years of being the adult ultimately in charge of me, he couldn’t conspire with the Department to kill me? I knew his allegiance was with them, but surely he couldn’t be as callous as that?
“I’m getting you out of here, soda pop. Now quit gawking and hurry up or we’ll both get caught,” he replied urgently.
My first reaction was that he was tricking me. Or perhaps my mind was the one fooling around. Whatever it was, my instinct was never to trust the Department. Not anymore. Once, I would have followed him blindly, but that was a world away now.
“Are you really? Please tell me the truth, Rob. I couldn’t take it if you were the one lying to me.”
He grabbed my hand. “I’m not playing around, we’ve got to move.”
Going with him couldn’t possibly be worse than staying. I let him pull me outside the cell. “We need to find Garrick.”
“We don’t have time.”
“I’m not leaving without him. He didn’t leave me and I won’t do it to him.” I bucked against his pull, showing how serious I was about my decision. If Garrick didn’t come with us, I’d face the consequences.
Rob sighed and started moving again, this time frantically opening the slots on each of the steel doors and peering in before moving on to the next one. I did the same on the opposite side, desperately praying to see Garrick in one of the cells.
There were dozens of doors. For a fleeting moment I wondered what they once used the complex for to warrant so many cells. A reminder of the blood stain on the floor of my cell made me certain I didn’t want to know the answer.
“Got him,” Rob called out as quietly as possible. He yanked open the door as I hurried to join him. Garrick stood in the middle of his cell staring at us.
“It’s okay, Garrick, we can trust him,” I tried to reassure, even though I wasn’t entirely convinced myself. If I wasn’t so desperate to get out of there, I would have been asking a lot more questions.
Rob quickly reached his patience threshold. “Come on, kid, are you coming or not?”
“Who are you?” Garrick finally stammered out. He had the same woozy look on his face that I did.
“He’s my old case officer. We need to get out of here, seriously come on.”
When Garrick didn’t move, I did what Rob had done to me, I grabbed his arm and pulled him
along. He was just woozy enough to let me.
After passing a few doors, we started to move faster as Garrick finally came to life. Rob must have known his way around because he moved with confidence. He knew what doors to check and which ones to duck under so the windows wouldn’t give us away. We mimicked exactly what he did.
We climbed a flight of stairs, avoiding the elevator right next to it. I didn’t remember a set of elevators being at the complex, I really must have been upset the day I was first locked up. I wondered what else I might have missed.
“Rob, why are you doing this?” I asked, I couldn’t keep the question inside any longer. “How did you even know we were here?”
Rob didn’t slow down while he whispered an answer. “I’m off the project but I still work for the Department. It only took a few questions around the office to find out what happened.”
“So why are you helping us?”
“Because you’re like a daughter to me, I couldn’t let them go through with it.”
My heart leapt at hearing him refer to me as a daughter. He had been a constant father figure in my life, I just didn’t expect him to feel the same way. I always thought he was just doing his job as my handler.
I didn’t have time to get sentimental though, I was acutely aware of running out of time. I dreaded the answer to my next question. “What are they planning on doing to us?”
“Killing you,” he answered simply and honestly. I gasped with a sharp intake of air. I don’t know why, I always thought the Department would murder us in cold blood. I guess it just sounded so real spoken aloud.
We went straight past the door at the top of the first flight of stairs. Rob shook his head as we got closer. If he wasn’t with us, I would have gone through it for sure. Who knew what waited on the other side?
We stopped outside the next door, Rob turned to face us. “Wait here while I go up another flight. I’ll whip around and open it from the other side when the coast is clear. Get ready to move when I do, we won’t have long to make it.”
Garrick and I nodded in unison. Rob’s footsteps disappeared upstairs before the sound of a door opening and closing echoed down the concrete staircase.
Project Integrate Series Boxed Set Page 41