by Terence West
Rolling over, Christina prepared to unleash on whoever was bothering her this time. Her hand still throbbed from having her IV needle reinserted. "Look you son of a bitch, I want—" She stopped herself mid-sentence when she saw the menacing figure standing next to her. "Who are you?"
"That is not as important as what I have to tell you." She watched as he reached into his jacket pockets and pulled out a pair of black leather gloves and proceeded to pull them on. Walking over to the side of the room, he peered up at the lone surveillance camera on the wall. Reaching up he grabbed the power cord that connected the camera to the outlet and yanked it off. Feeling satisfied that he was well protected he turned to face Christina. "It has come to my attention that you have had a bit of a strange experience."
She stared at him for a long time before answering. "I've heard about you. You're one of those 'men in black', aren't you?"
"Yes I am."
Her eyes widened. "I didn't think that you'd just admit that kind of thing."
"The main point here is that no one believes your story, so no one will believe you that a 'man in black' came to visit you in the hospital." Adjusting his gloves, he leaned over her and placed his hand on the back of the bed.
"What do you want from me?"
He wasted no time getting to his point. "I want you to tell you that you didn't see what you think you did. You claim to have seen a large glowing ball of blue light, but in reality it was a florescent weather balloon."
She just stared at him. "You've got to be kidding. That's the best you could come up with, a glowing weather balloon? Why don't you just tell me that it was swamp gas, or the planet Venus?"
"It doesn't matter what it was," his voice turned cold. "You tell anyone else this story, and your family and friends will be in serious danger."
"Give me a break. Why don't you just get out?"
Quickly reaching over, he grabbed Christina's throat with both of his hands and began to squeeze. "I am not joking Mrs. Anderson. You will comply, or you will die."
Christina was struggling wildly trying to break free of his hold. Pushing with all her breath she tried to cry out for help, but only whispers welled up from her throat. Tears began to roll down from her eyes. Her face was beginning to turn a dull shade of blue due to the lack of oxygen.
Releasing her from his grip, he took a step from the bed. "Remember what happened here, Christina. If you repeat the story of what happened to you, or what happened here today, you and your family will be in grave danger. You have been warned." Turning around he adjusted his suit and pulled off his leather gloves. Placing them back in his pocket, he walked out the door.
Sitting in awe of what just happened, Christina started taking deep breaths to try and calm down. Reaching over to her nightstand, she grabbed her asthma inhaler and immediately took two quick puffs off it. Setting the inhaler back on the nightstand and noticed the business card Jake had left there. Snatching it up, she reached for the phone.
* * * *
Jonathan Anderson snapped a pair of bloody latex gloves off and tossed them in a nearby trashcan. Sitting down in a chair near the wall, he adjusted his white lab coat. He was standing in a large operating room with polished silver walls and black tiled floors. In the center of the room two banks of monitors and computers flanked a tall operating table. He was alone. Two assistants had just wheeled out a male subject on a stretcher. The procedure had apparently been a success ... to his dismay.
Running his hand through his hair, Jonathan let out a long exhausted sigh. Standing up he grabbed a vial off a nearby table. It was long and cylindrical filled with a clear green fluid. Walking out of the operating room he made his way down the hall to his office. Grabbing the ID badge off his lab coat, he slid it through the control panel next to his door. Twisting the handle he tossed the door open and strode in. Sitting down in the chair behind his desk he stared around his office. There were still boxes in the corners that he hadn't unpacked yet. His desk was empty except for a few pens and a yellow notebook with varied scribbles on it.
Laying the vial of green liquid on the table, Jonathan began to stare at it. He felt a wave of nausea flow through him. Wrapping his arms around his mid-section he doubled over in pain. Beads of sweat began to well up on his forehead. Suddenly a knock at his door pulled him out of his stupor. Setting up, he tried to clear his mind. Wiping the sweat off his brow with his sleeve, he stood up and walked to his door. Twisting the handle, he slowly opened the door.
"Hey, Jon. Congratulations are in order. We've been working on this project for years and now and you've finally cracked it." Jim Yokama grabbed Jonathan's hand and began to shake it vigorously. Yokama was a short man of Asian heritage who wore thick dark rimmed glasses. He was considered by many in their field to be one of the top minds. Jim had been working with Jonathan ever since he had arrived and had even suggested him for the position. "All of us are going to meet in the lounge in about an hour to celebrate. Are you coming?"
Jonathan smiled. "Yeah, I'll be there." Another wave of nausea ran through him.
"Are you okay, Jon? You don't look so good." Jim placed his arm on Jonathan's shoulder.
"Yeah, I just need to sit down." Jim guided him over to his desk and into his chair. Relaxing in his chair, he looked up at Jim. "Do you mind if I ask you a serious question?"
Jim sat down on the edge of the desk. "Sure, Jon. Go ahead."
Jonathan cleared his throat. "Do you ever feel that what we're doing here is morally wrong?"
Jim's eyes widened. He had expected a different question all together. "In what way?"
"You know what I'm talking about. We abduct people right out of their homes, bring them here and perform all sorts of experiments on them. What kind of people are we?"
Jim had gone down this road before. "We're the good guys, Jon. We do here what other researchers wish they could do. We are finding cures for every disease known to man. Sometimes we need to bypass the federal laws in order to speed up the process. But to do that, we need to test them on subjects—"
"In the process possibly scarring the psyches of our subjects permanently. At what cost, Jim?"
Jim stood up and moved to the opposite side of the desk. "Let me ask you a question, Jon." He adjusted his glasses. "If you had to sacrifice one life to save millions, wouldn't you have to do it? This is something we all have to come to grips with." He began to walk out the door, but stopped to face Jonathan. "I just keep telling myself that this if for the good of the human race." He slipped his hands into his lab coat and walked out of the office.
Jonathan leaned back in his chair. Jim was a good man. Jonathan knew that he had no intention of hurting innocent people. He actually believed that his quest was good and just. Jonathan knew the truth. While working on a test patient several weeks ago, he had inadvertently stumbled across the test results for some of the subjects. This wasn't for the good of the human race, he assured himself. This was the end of it.
* * * *
Jake checked his watch. He knew he still had about a half an hour before he had to meet Anne back at his room at 7:30. His mind wandered to who this person was. She claimed to know so much about this case and apparently a lot about him. He was sitting in the same booth where he had spoken to Anne earlier that day. Lifting his white coffee mug off the table, he took a long sip of the dark black steaming substance.
Laying the stolen file on the table, he flipped it open. The front page was the standard incident report, but it had several Polaroid pictures clipped to it. Removing the paper clip, he elevated the pictures to look at them. They were all shots of Christina standing in front of a white brick wall documenting her injuries. There were several pictures of her face. Just above her right eye brow there was a dark red bruise. Her right eye also looked like it was blackened, and a trail of dried blood ran down her face from her nose. Flipping to the next photo, he saw the long gash on her left foot.
He put the photos down and began to flip through the report. Accordi
ng to the reports, they agreed with Jake in their conclusion that she had been raped. So far they had no suspects and no leads. It seemed like they had come to a dead end. Closing the folder, he pushed it to the side of the table. Pulling the photocopied medical charts out, he spread them neatly on the table. Starting at the top, he scanned over her medical history. She apparently had never been a very healthy girl. Suffering from chronic asthma, she had been to the doctor at least once a month for the past sixteen years. He skipped ahead in the chart to her current medical status. She had a mild concussion and several bruised muscles, otherwise she was as healthy as could be expected. In this last fall, she had re-aggravated her concussion causing her to pass out and to get light headed very quickly. The doctors had predicted a full recovery. Stacking together the sheets of paper Jake slid them into the folder that contained the police report.
Reaching into his well-worn leather jacket's pocket, he found one of his cigars. Pulling it out, he slipped into his mouth. Retrieving his lighter from his other pocket, he snapped open the top and lit it. He allowed the tall yellow flame to lick the end of his cigar. Taking several puffs, smoke began to flow out of the cigar. Glancing down at his watch Jake noticed that it was now seven twenty. Deciding that he should be on his way he pulled a couple of folded dollar bills out of his pocket and tossed them on the table. Standing up out of the booth, he grabbed the folder and began to make his way toward the elevator. Pressing the 'up' button, he waited for the silver doors to slide open. Stepping on to the elevator, he took a long puff off his cigar. He watched as the lights above the doors slowly counted up to the second floor. A small ding sounded as it reached the second floor. The doors slid open and he stepped off. Reaching around behind him, he checked that his weapon was firmly in place in its back holster. Never can be too cautious, he told himself.
Rounding the corner to the hall that lead to his room, he spotted Anne standing in front of his door. Checking his watch again he saw that it was only seven twenty-two. Walking up to her he gave her the once over. She was wearing a form fitting black dress that hung down to her ankles. It seemed to be made of silk, flowing as she moved. She had her long brown hair up, except for a few loose strands that fell on both sides of her face and her long graceful neck. She had on a pair of black high heels that made her about the same height as Jake. She smiled as he walked up.
"You're early Anne."
"I know. I just couldn't wait."
Jake was slightly taken back. The perfume she was wearing had a sweet scent to it, but wasn't overpowering. Fumbling with the room key in his pocket, he pulled it out and began to put in the lock when it slipped from his hand. Reaching down to grab it, he quickly plucked it off the floor and stood back up. He smiled a little embarrassed smile at Anne. She reached over and took his hand.
"Here, let me help you, Jake." The two made eye contact and just gazed at each other for a long moment. Still holding his hand, she guided it and the key into the lock. They heard the door click as it unlocked.
Reaching for the handle, Jake opened the door and stood to the side so Anne could walk in. "Ladies first."
She smiled a sensual smile at him and strode into the room. Stepping inside, Jake closed the door and locked it. Pulling off his jacket, he opened the door to the closet and reached for a hanger. Sliding the hangar through the sleeves, he lifted it to the long metal bar in the closet. Lifting the folder up, he sat it on the top shelf of the closet. Closing the door, he made his way over to Anne who was seated on the edge of his bed. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Sure, what do you have?"
Opening the mini-bar next to the television, he searched through the contents. "Looks like your limited to either a can of soda or a can of soda."
Anne smiled again and laughed. "I think I'll take the soda."
Pulling the can out of the refrigerator, he clicked open the tab and handed it to Anne. "Here you go." Closing the door, he walked past the bed and seated himself at the small table next to it. Lifting his feet up, he rested them on the table. "Now, let's get down to business. What do you know about the case, I'm working on?"
Standing up, she began to walk over to Jake. "There's time for that later, Jake. Right now I have something else in mind."
"Like what?"
She leaned over and began to kiss his neck. "Like this."
Placing his hands on her shoulders he pushed her away. "You don't have anything to tell me about the case I'm on do you?" He stood up and began to walk away from her.
Reaching for his arm, she grabbed it and spun him around to face her. "Yes, I do. Remember that e-mail you received this morning?"
Jake nodded.
"That was me," Anne said pointing to herself.
"But how did you know me e-mail address?"
She let go of his arm and sat down on the edge of the bed. She motioned for him to sit back down in his chair. "I know a lot about you Jacob Dean Silver Jr." She crossed her long legs. "I know that you are a former FBI agent, and that you quit shortly after you were reprimanded for attacking a suspect in a molestation case."
Jake's eyes widened. "How do you know all this?"
"It's very easy when you have the right connections, Jacob."
"Stop calling me that."
Smiling at Jake, she rolled on her side and lay down on the bed propping her head up with her hand. "All right. Now, do you want to know what I know about the case?"
Jake knew he was in over his head. This situation was becoming very uncomfortable for him. He cautiously nodded, "let's hear what you've got."
"I knew you couldn't resist." Kicking off her shoes, she reached back and pulled the beret out of her hair. Giving it a shake, her brown hair fell in waves around her shoulders. "Christina wasn't raped."
"What happened then?"
"She is part of an ongoing experiment by aliens. They're genetically manipulating humans to breed their own master race in order to conquer this planet."
Jake stood up and pointed toward the door. "Okay, that's it. Get out. I don't want to sit here and be lied to."
Anne didn't move. "Most people have that reaction when they first find out." She sat up. "I can only assure you that what I'm telling you is true."
"How can you assure me?"
"Have you ever heard of Area 51, Jake?"
He nodded. He had heard about it, but assumed it was nothing more than an urban legend.
"They are a secret Government installation designed to research and combat the threat of these aliens. It's doors opened in the late 1940s after a crashed UFO was recovered in Roswell, New Mexico. Along with the crashed ship, they found several bodies and began to study them. In the beginning it was just a research and development facility, but after about 1950, reports of alien abductions began flooding in. The US Government knew they had to do something to protect its citizens, so they re-focused the base into a research and defense facility."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I am a former employee of the base." She reached out her open hand to Jake. "Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Dr. Anne Carroll. I was a researcher at the base. I mainly concentrated on chemical and biological weapons to oppose the aliens."
Jake was in awe of what he was hearing. "And you can prove this?"
Anne sighed. "No. When I left, it was not on the best terms, so they officially erased my identity."
"Convenient for you."
Ignoring his sarcasm, she continued. "When I heard about Christina I naturally began to look into it."
"Naturally," Jake mocked.
"Will you shut up?"
"Sorry. Please, continue."
She waited for a moment, regaining her train of thought. "From her accounts, this sounded exactly like an alien abduction. The aliens are obviously continuing their experiments." She topped and looked at Jake intensely. "You've stumbled on to something bigger than you know."
Jake had never believed the stories about Area 51. He had always assumed that science
fiction writers had concocted the story to sell books. "Okay. Let me see if I'm following here. You are a former employee of the base. The base is designed to study and stop these aliens who are snatching our population and doing tests on them. And you think Christina is one of these people who have been taken by the aliens."
Anne nodded, "sounds pretty wild, doesn't it."
"Yes it does." Jake stood up and began to pace around. "So what am I supposed to do about this? The Andersons are paying me a lot of money to find out what happened to their daughter, and you want me to go to them with a story about little green men and Government conspiracies?"
"That's all you can do. There is no way to stop these aliens. Believe me, we've tried."
Jake sat down on the bed next to her. "Do you realize that you're stark raving mad?"
A wave of shock hit her. "How dare you!" Anne stood up and began to walk towards the door. "I have graciously come here tonight and given you the answers, and you have the nerve to call me mad?"
"You have to understand, Anne, the story you just told me is very difficult to believe."
She began to walk back toward Jake. "I understand. I need a little faith from you."
Jake stood up and walked to the door. "I really appreciate the information, Anne, but I think it's time for you to go." Reaching over, he grabbed the handle and opened the door.
She moved over to Jake. "Maybe you're right." She stepped out the door. Turning back she glanced at Jake. "Just think about what I've said." She began to walk away.
Closing the door, Jake moved over to his table and sat down. What Anne had told him was now running wild through his mind. His phone began to ring. Picking it up he held it to his ear. "Hello?"
An emotionless voice spoke on the other end of the line. "Mr. Silver?"
"This is Jake Silver. Who is this?"
"That's not important right now. What I have to tell you is."
Jake let out a long audible sigh. "Look, I've had enough of this espionage bull-shit tonight already."
The voice became impatient. "You need to hear this, Mr. Silver. The woman you just met with has lied to you. She was intentionally sent there to mislead you."