“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” His heels click as he turns away from me. “What’s gotten into you?”
“The implant, possibly. I’ve had nightmares and thought things I’ve never thought about before. Things that scare me. I’ve also had thoughts about why all the governments want this stopped. I came up with a plausible reason too. Money.”
“There’s more than you six who pay taxes, Crawford. I think you’re being paranoid.” He takes a seat behind his large oak desk and takes out a pad of paper. “I’m sending you to the shrink. You need to be reevaluated.”
“Send me to the clinic to have this thing removed. I won’t be going on that mission. And I’m about to make sure it doesn’t happen at all. You seem to think we’re all idiots. I’m not talking about only our tax dollars, I’m talking about everyone who leaves this planet. This corrupt planet.”
He sighs and points at the chair in front of his desk. “Crawford, you’re a smart man. All of you are. What none of you understand is the fact that I own you all. You signed a contract and I’m holding you to it.”
“That’s a contract that will ensure our deaths. Not only will you be able to get rid of us but all other missions will be stopped as the planet will be deemed too dangerous.” I lean up and glare at him. “Do I need to go public with this?”
“With what, your conspiracy theory?” He laughs, infuriating me.
“With the truth, Smithfield. The truth about how you have us all made into highly trained assassins now. You took six men. All of us smarter than your average person and all of us with one wish. To see Mars and live there. Now, you tell me what the world would think about what you’ve done with us. Why make us into killing machines?”
“You saw the pictures of what you’ll be up against. If we were to show the common people what’s there, in their universe, there’d be chaos the likes this world has never seen before. Would you want that, Crawford?”
“There are only six of us and those things are huge. How can you expect us to take them all out?”
“With the specialized weapons, we’ve made. You know that. It’s almost like the last few months have ceased to exist in your head. Perhaps the implant is messing up. Maybe the clinic is where you need to go. This isn’t like you. Not one bit. You’ve always been my best man for this mission. You were full of passion for it, in the beginning.”
Shaking my head, I say, “That was because I thought it was real then. I don’t anymore. I think it’s a setup to get rid of us and the whole Mars program.”
“Look, the discoveries you’re combined industries have made can help more than people who want to live on Mars. They can help people here too. Yet, none of you want to share your discoveries with anyone here. Why is that?”
“Why is it you’re just now asking this question? It cements exactly what I’ve been thinking. You get rid of us, the owners and CEO’s of the top six space exploration companies, then what?” I hold up my hand to stop him from answering the question. “I’ll tell you what. Then the governments come in and take over our companies that we’ve worked so hard for. They take our technologies and use them. Making the government’s money that should belong to us and our shareholders.”
“Wow, you really have an active imagination,” he says as he writes something on the pad of paper. “Let me make a call to get you into the clinic right away. I’m afraid major paranoia is setting in. That implant needs to be replaced. I’m not letting you out of the contract you signed. If I have to keep you here for the next three days, until the shuttle leaves, then I will.”
Sitting back, I cross my arms over my chest and smile at him. “You do that and my wife will tear this place apart to find me.”
“I’m supposed to be afraid of a little woman?” he asks with a laugh.
“You should. She’s kind of a pit bull when it comes to me.” I can see he’s not taking me seriously.
I know he can keep me here. I can’t even leave this office without him opening the door, using his retina. But I can count on Gia to find me. She knows I’m here after all.
A knock at the door, has me looking back at it and he hits a button under his desk then leans over. A green light moves over his eye then the door opens. Two men in camouflage uniforms come in and I see where we’re headed with this.
“These men will escort you to the clinic where a new implant will be inserted and the old one will be removed. I hope to see you back to your normal self soon, Crawford. Either way, you’re going on the mission.”
I look at the mindless goons and ask them, “Do either of you think it’s right to send a man to outer space without his consent? And with possible mental issues, as the captain thinks I’m having?” Neither looks at me, both look straight ahead. I look at Smithfield and smile. “And you’re going to tell my wife what exactly?”
“That we’re quarantining you all until the shuttle leaves. For health reasons.”
None of the other men are in the facility at this time. So, I have my doubts about him being able to get them to come in and submit to being held here for their last few days on Earth with their loved ones.
“You do that.” I turn around and walk out of his office, flanked by the men who will make sure I get to the clinic.
No one has any idea that Gia and Damien have a past. She will call him when she gets this news, I’m sure. Then we’ll see what happens.
I never thought I’d be happy about her having a past with that man but things seem to always happen for a reason!
GIA
“So, what you’re telling me is that I can’t see my husband before he goes on a mission he might not come back from?” I ask the man who’s called me to tell me Ryker and the rest of the team will be kept at the facility until the shuttle leaves.
“There will be a brief chance to talk to him when they leave this facility to get on the shuttle. This is for their health, Mrs. Crawford.”
“And why did this suddenly occur?”
“Our doctors decided this. You can come to the lift-off in three days at nine in the morning. See you then.” He hangs up and I’m left shaking as I hold my phone in one hand and the pregnancy test I just took in the other.
I drop the phone and look to find out what the results are. Positive!
And I can’t even tell the baby’s father the good news!
Picking my cell back up, I call the only other man I know who’s on the team with Ryker. “Hi,” Damien answers his cell. “It’s good to hear from you, Gia. I’m glad you’ve called.”
“Um, okay.” I hesitate as I’m not sure what the hell to say. “Damien, how come I can talk to you but not my husband?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I just got a call from Captain Smithfield that said all of you are being kept at the facility for the next three days until the shuttle leaves. For health reasons. So, why are you able to have your phone but Ryker’s not?”
Confusion is threaded through his deep voice, “What are you talking about?”
“I think something’s wrong, Damien.”
“I’ll go up there and find out what’s going on,” he says. “I’ll get back to you soon.”
“Wait! What if they keep you too?” I ask him as I’m starting to get really worried about this whole thing. Even more, than I already was.
“I don’t see how they could do that. I wanted to ask you something, though. Do you suppose it would be too much to ask you to watch out for Svetlana and Friedrich while I’m gone? And could you make sure they make it onto the Russian shuttle when it leaves?”
“Uh, really?” I ask him as that kind of is too much to ask of me.
“Yes,” he says with a soft tone. “It’s hard for me to leave here without them. Unfortunately, it’s necessary for everyone’s safety.”
“Damien, what’s the deal with Mars? What is it that you six are supposed to go and do what will ensure the safety of all others who will come after you?”
“I’m not at…�
��
I interrupt him, “…Liberty to discuss that. Yeah, I know. I just thought for a moment that you might want to let me in on it. I know you all have had some type of an implant placed at the back of your neck.”
“I don’t know where you’d get a silly idea like that, Gia.” I hear another ringing sound in the background. “Can you hold on a minute? I’m getting another call.”
“I can.”
I can hear him as he answers the other phone. “Markov here. And why is that, sir? I am currently on my private cell phone with her right now. She’s wondering why I’m not being kept at the facility, Captain Smithfield. When did you decide to do that? Is he okay now? I see. Yes, I can go in. Can you give me a little while to tell some people what I’m doing? A half hour. Yes, sir.”
“Damien?”
“Gia, I have to go. I’m sorry about this. I really am. See if you can’t find it in your heart to do what I’ve asked about my family. You’re the only one who knows who they are to me. Try to get them to me on Mars.”
“Damien, something’s not right. What’s happened to Ryker? What have they done to him?”
“I think you know I can’t discuss that with you. He’s alright. Just know that. I have thirty minutes to get to the facility. I have to get going. Please do as I’ve asked you to.” He ends the call, leaving me hanging.
With another phone call, I make my way to grab my purse and head out to the facility that’s taken over my husband. “Hi, I’m going to need your help with a situation. Are you still dating that news reporter?”
“Yes, why?” my colleague from work, Brittney, tells me.
“Can you grab him and meet me at 405 East Callahan Street? I’m going to need the media’s help to get to the bottom of this mission Ryker’s been asked to go on. It seems he’s been forced to go and now he’s being kept at the facility under false pretenses.”
“Oh, Lord!” she says with shock. “I’ll get him and meet you there.”
Ending the call, I get into my car and start it then I stop and think about how much time Ryker’s been spending locked in his office and how his office is always locked now. Getting out of the car, I head back inside to get into his home office to see if he’s been hiding anything from me.
Of course, I find the door locked, so I go get a knife out of the kitchen and run it between the door frame and the lock, jimmying it open. Taking the knife with me, I find the top drawer of his desk locked too and I stab at it until I get it open too. A file is in it and little else.
Pulling it out, I open it and find a picture of something that looks out of this world. A huge creature with giant teeth and sharp claws, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. And there are dozens more of them in the background. I pull it out and see a page behind it that reads, ‘objective, get rid of these creatures before population begins.’
So, that’s what they’re sending them to do. Kill these things, so others can go there.
Not my man, not him!
Part 9 - The Differences
RYKER
Pain radiates down my spine as the doctor pushes a needle into the spot next to the implant on the back of my neck to numb it, so it can be removed. The two men, who escorted me to the clinic, are standing just outside the door of the small examination room they brought me to. My mind is a flurry of ideas about how the hell to get out of this place in one piece.
“There’s a small amount of redness around the implant,” he says as the numbing medicine begins to work. I can feel him pushing it but it doesn’t hurt. “Have you been trying to take this out yourself?”
I keep my answer short. “No.” But I have been trying to get it out. It’s impossible to get at it on my own. A thing I’m sure that was thought of when they decided where to place these things on us, in the first place.
“This is an important device for you to have, Mr. Crawford. You have to be careful with this area. Captain Smithfield has written on this report that yours seems to be malfunctioning. Giving you paranoid thoughts. Can you explain to me what kinds of thoughts you’ve been having?”
Hesitating, as I think about what to say, I finally ask him, “How long have you been a part of this organization?”
“Not long,” he says as he goes over to pick up a tray of surgical tools. A sharp scalpel catches my eye as the overhead light catches the silver object, making it gleam. “A bit over a year. When the team was formed.”
“I thought the pictures from Mars with the creatures just got back to NASA four months ago.” I watch him pick up the sharp scalpel and grit my teeth as I know he’s about to slice my neck open.
“Oh, yes they did,” he says and I think I’ve caught onto something.
“Then why would the team have been formed a year ago?” I feel the incision he’s making. It’s not painful but I can feel some pressure.
The sound of the metal implant clanks into a stainless-steel bowl behind my back and I know I’m free of the device. And this old man will play hell putting another one in me. He makes his way across the small room to leave the bowl on the counter top then he comes back with a bandage. “Let me cover this up to stop the bleeding. I have to run down to the supply closet to get another implant. I’ll be right back, Mr. Crawford.”
It’s not lost on me that he doesn’t answer my question. As I watch him leave, I reach back and touch the bandage covering the hole in my neck. I’m free!
The two guards are still right outside the door that has a glass window at the top of it, so I can see them clearly and they can see me. But they’re looking straight ahead. I think I can use what I’ve learned to gain their weapons from them, rendering them useless to stop me.
Just as I get off the exam table I see Damien walking up to them but I can’t hear a word anyone of them is saying. Then he comes in and I’m stuck. “Ryker, what’s going on?”
“Damien, I need to get the hell out of here and I think you should too. This is a trap and…” I stop when he holds up his hand and points to the back of his neck then winks.
“Ryker, have you gone insane? What’s happening to you? This is crazy talk. I heard your implant went haywire.” He walks over to where the bloody scalpel is and takes it, cleaning it with alcohol. “After a new implant is inserted, you’ll be back to normal.” He comes to me and hands me the surgical knife. With a nod, he turns his back to me and holds up his hair.
Going along with him, I say, “You don’t understand, Damien. They mean to kill us all. I think even the pictures are a hoax. It’s as plain as the nose on my face what they want. They want us all dead, ending the plans to leave this planet, taking away citizens from every country, taking away tax dollars.” I make a quick slit and use the sharp instrument to take the implant out.
“That’s just insane, Ryker,” he says with a pained sound to his voice.
I take the implant and toss it in the trash and get a bandage. Putting it on the wound on the back of his neck, I whisper, “You take the guard on the left and I’ll take the one on the right. We need to get their guns and go to the nearest exit.”
“Got it.”
We move with quick strides to the door. When I pull it open, neither of them turns around, thinking it’s just Damien leaving I suppose. With a quick slam of my fist to the side of the guard’s head, I knock him to the ground and in no time, I have his gun out of the holster.
Damien and I stand in front of the men who don’t even bother to get up off the floor, staying right where we laid them out. One of them shakes his head. “We’re not about to try to fight you two. We know you’ve been trained.”
“Good,” I say then Damien and I turn to leave. The doctor meets us in the hallway. With one look at the guns we have, he turns around and goes into another door, leaving us alone.
“I say we get to Smithfield and set him straight,” Damien says. “No reason to leave the others in harm’s way.”
With a nod, we head that way and stop when we see an open door, leaking light into the dim hallway. A c
ouple of women are inside, looking at a projection screen. There are pictures of the creatures from Mars that we’ve never seen before.
It’s obvious they’re unaware of us as they talk. The blonde says, “If we add in some red in the background, it’ll look more realistic.”
“I found this overlay of red dust blowing around. That’ll give a good effect. These will be released to the media after take-off,” the woman with dark hair says. “It’s such a shame we have to lose some of those men.”
“Yeah, the Russian’s hot. I’m thinking about seeing if I can get a little taste of him since they’re all being kept here for the next three days. I’m sure they’ll all be seeking a little hot female interaction before leaving forever.”
“I know Crawford is married but do you think he’d be desperate enough to give me a romp?” the dark haired woman asks.
My stomach is knotting and Damien puts his finger to his lips as we fall back to hide on the sides of the door, so we can listen some more.
“I overheard the Captain saying the boosters have been rigged to explode just before they reach the outer atmosphere. That’s when the media will get these pictures, along with the explanation about why they were being sent. They’ll all be labeled heroes.”
“And the missions to Mars will stop there.”
I look at Damien, ‘I knew it.’
And with what we’ve just overheard, we move with stealthy silence to our Captain’s office. Voices come from the hallway that’s intersecting this one, halting us. “Markov’s transmission has stopped. We have to find him,” Joel, another man who’s scheduled to be with us on the mission, says.
Winter Page 144