by Nancy Madore
Rinehart’s eyes made another quick detour to her breasts before returning, reluctantly, to her face.
“I realize that men find me attractive, Mr. Rinehart,” the creature added, as if reading his mind—or Amanda’s—“but I can assure you that the courts won’t consider that an excuse for what he’s put me through!”
This seemed to bring him out of his stupor. “Courts!” he choked out. “I thought you wanted to keep this between us!”
“I do,” insisted the creature, softening again. “I just meant…oh, I don’t know. I’m at my wits’ end. I feel so…distraught.” Amanda was amazed by how easily the creature was able to call forth tears.
“Who is the man?” Rinehart asked hesitantly, almost as if he would rather not know.
“Thomas Gerard,” came the ready reply.
Two pink spots turned up in Rinehart’s pale cheeks. He picked up Amanda’s resume, as if to read it, and then set it back down. “I’ll have to give this some thought.”
“I just don’t know how much more I can take,” she heard herself whisper, her voice cracking. “I really don’t.”
“I can’t just snap my fingers and put you in a new job, just like that!” he said, suddenly angry. His tone was both defensive and patronizing. “I have to go through the proper channels, look at your qualifications…see if there are any openings. It’s already four in the afternoon!”
“I hadn’t realized,” she heard herself say. “I’ve been so preoccupied with this…I hardly know where I am or what I’m doing…”
“Well, it won’t get done today,” he continued a little less resentfully. “You’ve waited this long…”
They were left staring at each other again. For a moment, it almost seemed as if the creature had gone, leaving Amanda alone with Mr. Rinehart.
“Don’t you have some sick days you could take?” he asked uncomfortably.
“Yes, I think so.”
“Fine,” he said. His tone was dismissive now. “Take as many of those as you need.”
She was rising from her chair. “Thank you, Mr. Rinehart. I’ll sleep peacefully tonight knowing that you’re handling this for me.”
As they left Rinehart’s office, Amanda pondered over the strange events of the last few days. Yesterday, the creature promised to have Tommy eating out of her hands, but now it appeared to be trying to destroy him. Or her. Or both of them. Could this thing be the ghost of a woman who had been scorned by Tommy or one of his ancestors?
Once again Amanda couldn’t help wondering—What is this creature up to?
Chapter 36
Gakona, Alaska
The first thing Nadia did when she got off the plane was shiver. They’d landed on a small airstrip that appeared to be abandoned except for a small service station at the bottom of the strip. They were able to rent a car from the service station—they opted for the beat up Ford Explorer because it had the least amount of rust of the three vehicles they had to choose from. The flight had taken a little longer than expected, and they were running late.
“It’s freezing!” complained Nadia.
“Not quite,” argued Clive. “The pilot said it was thirty-eight degrees.”
“Close enough,” she argued.
“Do you think your friend will wait for us?” Will asked Clive.
“He’ll be cool,” said Clive. “I just texted him to let him know we’re on our way.” But to Gordon, who was behind the wheel, he complained—“Why are you driving like a little old lady? Step on it!”
The landscape all around them was a faded brownish green, more like Nadia would’ve expected to see in late November. And there were snow-covered mountains in the not-so-far-off distance. They drove a while in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts. The road was in terrible condition, and Gordon had to brake and swerve diligently to avoid all the potholes. It was like driving through an obstacle course. But once they got on the highway he was finally able to speed up and drive more normally. Nadia sat back and closed her eyes. She thought about Ornias and all that he had told them.
What must it be like, she wondered, to keep coming back to this world, again and again? With all of their memories intact they could just resume living where they left off. Not so for humans who, depending upon how you looked at it, were either lost forever or obliged to start over in a foreign place that might be utopia or the worst kind of eternal torture. Either way, the earth and all their former concerns were gone forever. Or at least that’s what Lilith and Ornias were led to believe. And it made sense. It seemed pretty evident that human memories existed within the tenuous matter that was their brain. Even if humans were reincarnated—as some people believed—they would still be starting over in a new place as a fresh soul, wiped clean of all memories and connections, forced to learn every lesson all over again. What did any of it matter, really? Why were we here?
The Qliphoth might not have been the creatures the earth was designed for, but in Nadia’s opinion, they were the luckier for that. At least they had something to look forward to.
Disliking the direction her mind was going, Nadia turned her thoughts to HAARP. Ornias said they were tapping into the power of gods. He seemed so certain about it. In fact, he’d guessed their destination before they’d had the chance to tell him anything more than that it was in Alaska! But then again, Nadia wondered if it could have been a lucky guess. After all, what was there up here, besides HAARP? A few oil wells and a handful of military sites?
“What the hell is that?”
Nadia’s thoughts were interrupted by this outburst from Clive, and she opened her eyes.
“It looks like a moose!” she exclaimed, staring at the creature in amazement.
“A white moose?” countered Clive. “Now that’s spooky-looking! Pretty soon we’ll be seeing unicorns and reindeer and shit!”
“Reindeer really exist, Clive,” said Gordon.
“I know that!” he snapped. “I meant to say flying reindeer. The ghost of Bullwinkle over there has got me all freaked out.”
“It’s beautiful!” exclaimed Nadia in wonder.
“I’ve heard of white moose, but I’ve never seen one before,” remarked Gordon with equal reverence.
“What are you slowing down for?” asked Clive. “What are we, sightseeing now? Maybe you’d like to pull over so we can hike up that mountain over there too, while you’re at it. Feel the wind through your hair. Then we can tiptoe through the tulips. Step on it!”
Gordon groaned. “I’m about to turn onto that road up there. You want me to try and make it in this heap, going seventy?”
“Go for it,” said Clive.
“How long has your friend worked at HAARP?” asked Will.
“About ten years or so,” said Clive. “He’s not a HAARP employee, exactly. He’s just stationed there with the Air Force.”
“So he doesn’t actually work there!” said Nadia, wondering if she could get out of their bet on this technicality.
“He may not know what HAARP is up to, but he’ll know somebody who does,” Clive told her. “Pete’s a good guy. He’ll help us if he can.”
“Well, it looks like we’re about to find out,” said Will, as the road came to an abrupt end at a chain link fence. Nadia was surprised by how desolate the area was. It was unnerving the way the dismal little building was just sitting there, in the middle of nowhere.
Nadia noticed that the tall, chain link fence was topped with barbed wire. There was no one at the gate, just a small sign warning that there was no admittance without permission from the Air Force, and that those entering were subject to search. Clive got out and approached the intercom. After a few minutes, the gate slowly opened and Clive got back in the car.
“Here goes nothin’,” he said as Gordon drove them through the gate. They parked in front of the building and got out. It was eerily quiet. The sky seemed to grow dimmer. Nadia looked up. Were those dark clouds there before?
“Does your friend know we’re here?” asked Go
rdon. Nadia could tell that he, too, was affected by the isolation and peculiar austerity of the place that had inspired all those larger-than-life conspiracies. Nadia strained her ears as she looked out over the silent forest that surrounded them, but she couldn’t hear so much as the chirrup of a bird or even the rustle of a squirrel.
“I just texted him,” said Clive grimly. He didn’t seemed thrilled with the place either.
They went inside, presented their identification to an officer of the Air Force and stepped through a metal detector. The inside wasn’t any more impressive than the outside, but the officer who greeted them was pleasant enough, Nadia supposed.
“Pete’s on his way down,” the officer said, and directed them to wait in a small, bland reception area. In a few minutes an African American man in an Air Force uniform appeared.
“Hey…ey!” said the man, laughing as he approached Clive.
“What’s up, Joe?” asked Clive.
The men hugged, slapping each other loudly on their backs.
Clive turned to introduce them. “This is Nadia, Will and Gordon,” he said, pointing to each in turn.
“It’s nice to meet you…Joe, is it?” asked Nadia, confused. “I was sure Clive said your name was Pete.”
Clive and Pete looked at each other and laughed. “Naw, Joe’s just something we say back home,” Pete told her.
“Where’s home?” asked Nadia, suddenly realizing how little she knew about Clive.
“Chi-town, baby,” said Clive. “The one and only.”
“Chicago,” translated Pete.
“Ah,” said Nadia, examining Clive with new eyes. It fit, she mused. He had a kind of Midwestern openness combined with city sass.
“And you of all people, a military man!” exclaimed Clive, shaking his head at his friend. “In Alaska!”
Pete laughed. “You know how I love snow,” he said, shrugging.
“I thought wild horses wouldn’t drive you away from Vito and Nicks,” Clive teased. He turned to the others. “Old Petie here was madly in love with one of the waitresses at this pizza place back home,” he explained. “You were going to get married and take over the business, if I remember correctly. What happened to her?”
“She ate too much of the product,” Pete replied, but his smile seemed to slip the smallest bit, belying his words.
Clive laughed. “…Ha ha…they do have the best pizza!”
Pete laughed. “That’s a fact,” he agreed. There followed an awkward silence. “So what brings you all the way up here?” Pete asked. “On the phone you said something about a formula?”
“That’s right,” said Clive, pulling a small scrap of paper out of his pocket. “We’re hoping you can help us figure out what it is.” He handed the paper to Pete. “We think it might have something to do with your towers.”
Pete examined the formula and then shook his head. “It doesn’t look like something I’ve come across before,” he said. “But I don’t have anything to do with the towers. I’m an engineer, not a lab technician. I might be able to get someone from the lab to look at it…but I’ll need a little more information. What’s this about?”
“That’s just it, Pete,” said Clive. “We don’t know. We’re following up on a tip without any idea where it might lead. It might be that someone was trying to get into the HAARP system…or it might be nothing. At the moment we’re keeping it on the Q.T. because we haven’t even identified what it is. That’s why I contacted you.”
“Is this an official investigation?” asked Pete.
“Not yet,” replied Clive.
Pete expelled a long breath. “I guess I could run it by a few people, see what they say.”
“Thanks man,” said Clive. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”
“No problem,” said his friend.
“Hey, what do you know about T.D.M.R. over in Fort Greely?” Clive asked.
Pete looked at him a moment. “Does this have something to do with them?”
“Probably not,” replied Clive smoothly. “Mostly, I’m just curious. I’ve been hearing some crazy stories about stuff they’re doing up here…like mind control.”
Pete laughed. “I’ve heard all the conspiracy stuff too. Who hasn’t? But if someone’s experimenting with mind control, they’re doing it from somewhere else. As for T.D.M.R., I don’t have the clearance to park cars over there.”
“Yeah, but people talk,” suggested Clive.
“The only people talking are the ones who don’t know anything,” said Pete. He looked at the formula again thoughtfully. “You know, if this turns out to be something, you’re going to have to let us in on it.”
“You’ll be the first to know,” Clive promised. “We’re staying at the Gakona Lodge.”
“Classic!” laughed Pete. “You’re in for a treat. I wish I could join you but I’ve got plans. Maybe tomorrow night?”
“Sure,” said Clive. “And you’ve got my number if you hear anything before that.”
“It’s too late to do anything today,” Pete told him. “It’ll be morning before anyone has a chance to look at this.”
“Just as soon as you can,” said Clive. “Just as soon as you can.”
Chapter 37
Fort Greely, Alaska
Amanda was only half aware of what was happening around her. More and more of her thoughts were being overrun by thoughts that didn’t belong to her. Terrifying images, odd notions and random symbols and numbers were all fighting for space in her consciousness, blocking out just about everything else. The presence inside her dominated. It was a powerful presence that was both vigorous and determined. It was, in fact, its incredible determination that convinced Amanda that the presence was real—for there were moments when she wondered if she suffered from some kind of mental illness, like schizophrenia or split personality. But this was no creature of her own making. Spirit, ghost or demon—it was a force to be reckoned with.
But what was it after? Its behavior seemed terribly inconsistent to Amanda. One minute it was flirting with Tommy and making promises to Amanda about having him eating out of her hand, and the next it was either physically attacking him or making false accusations about him behind his back!
On the other hand, there was no denying that Tommy had never been so attentive. After years of chasing him, Amanda was finally getting the response she’d been working so hard for.
What would their next encounter bring? Amanda was almost afraid to find out. And yet, she couldn’t deny that the creature’s actions appeared to be working in her favor. But was it in Amanda’s favor? Was this even her life anymore?
At any rate, there was nothing Amanda could do but wait and watch as they headed toward the research building where ‘Amanda’ had arranged to meet Tommy.
These thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Catherine, who stormed out from behind a corner. “What do you think you’re doing now?” she demanded.
Though Amanda was startled to see Catherine, she once again had the distinct impression that the creature had known she was there all along—that she had been expecting her, even.
“Cat,” it said smugly.
“Where are you going?” demanded Catherine. She was clearly upset. In fact, she looked as if she was about to burst into tears. “What are you doing all the way over here? And why were you in Rinehart’s office today? What the hell is going on?”
“Calm down,” said the creature.
“Calm down?” repeated Catherine, growing more indignant by the minute. “Calm down? Every day for the last—how many years?—I’ve had to listen to every detail of your life, over and over again, and now, you’re running all over the place, doing all kinds of strange things and basically acting like a crazy person, and you can’t even talk to me?” Amanda had never seen Catherine this angry.
“I’m sorry,” the creature replied in the same calm, patronizing tone.
“See!” cried Catherine. “What was that? ‘I’m sorry,’” she mimicked, in the same tone
. “You never say stuff like that!”
Watching this scene from within, Amanda once again felt a surge of hope. She made an attempt to rise up—she had to find some way to connect with her friend—but it was as if she had receded into some dark, empty corner of herself. She couldn’t get out! She strained harder, desperate to reach her friend. Help me, Cat, she implored. Please get help!
“Listen,” began the creature, taking a step toward Catherine; but before it could say more, Catherine whipped out a large cross and held it out in front of her.
“Don’t come any closer,” she said, her large eyes anxiously watching Amanda’s face.
The creature hesitated. “What’s that?” it asked, and for a minute, Amanda had the distinct impression that it meant the question literally, as if it didn’t recognize the Holy Cross! But there was no time to contemplate this, for Amanda could feel her body stiffening—almost as if it were preparing to strike!
No! Cat! Horror filled Amanda as her eyes moved around the room, as if to ensure that no one else was around to see what was about to happen.
The creature took a step closer. It appeared to be examining the cross in that same manner that it had examined all those documents on the computer, like it was measuring and assessing it. Amanda could feel the creature’s ill will toward Catherine. She felt that Catherine was in terrible danger.
“In the name of Jesus…” began Catherine uncertainly. She was clinging to the cross with both hands now. “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to leave my friend alone!”
In an instant it was as if a switch had been flipped, leaving Amanda to wonder if she’d imagined the inner conflict she’d felt just moments before. Her body was completely relaxed now, and any animosity that was there had vanished. Amazed and hopeful yet again, Amanda found herself praying, ‘Save me, Lord Jesus, and I swear I’ll never make fun of Flo again!’
And then she heard the laughter—her laughter. It was different than when the creature laughed before—to mock and tease. This laughter was genuine. It was spontaneous, and filled with mirth.