by Adam Moon
Oliver opened the door and stepped inside. Jessie fell silent.
Jack whispered, “I’m here if you need to talk again.”
He stood to leave and Jessie blurted out, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be” Jack said as he followed Oliver into the hall.
Just before Jack closed the door Jessie whispered, “It’ll all change when you find out who I am.”
Jack had the sudden urge to rush back in and shake the boy until he spilled the beans. He felt like a pawn in someone else’s game. Then he gathered his senses. There was no grand plan. He was no killer and the boy was not that important to him. Even if he was, against all rationality, the messiah, that meant nothing to Jack.
Let the boy dream, he thought. By this time tomorrow he’ll see his imagination just got the better of him.
“What did he say?” Oliver asked.
“Nothing rational, he’s just hysterical. I need to speak to Melanie in private right away if that’s alright.”
Oliver seemed unnerved by the sudden demand but he agreed to it.
Melanie was standing beside the Doctor in the surveillance room.
Jack stared right at her. “Let’s find somewhere to talk.”
Oliver said, “Let’s give them a moment.”
The Doctor nodded and begrudgingly followed him out of the room.
Jack waited until the door was fully closed before rounding on Melanie. “Tell me what’s going on. I refuse to wait another second.”
Chapter 51: The Truth
Melanie gestured for him to sit at the makeshift break table. She looked at him as though weighing him as a human being.
She started, “That boy isn’t just a carnival act. Some of us know what he is. Some knew long ago while others were summoned by him. He summoned you too; I guess you just didn’t feel it. I’m here because Oliver sent for me. Jessie told him that I would be important. He said I’d fall in love with the one Oliver called The Embodiment. When you showed up, I knew it was you. And now I’m sure because I’m in love with you.”
She paused to search his face for a reaction but he gave up nothing.
She continued, “Jessie’s the most important person on the planet. He’s the only one who can open the portal between earth and all the nether realms. You are also important. Once he’s opened the portal you’ll become the lord in human flesh.”
Jack smiled, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Or maybe she was just nuts. Before he could stop her she said, “You will change this terrible planet.”
He interrupted. Even though he hadn’t expected the conversation to go this ludicrous route, here he was so he’d better get a handle on it; bring some sanity back to the world.
“So the boy’s some kind of wise man and he’s decided that I’ll become Jesus. Let me ask you something, how the fuck do you know it’s true?”
“We have evidence. We have a videotape of his conception. The woman who conceived him performed the proper ritual. It’s all right there on the sex tape that was found at Jessie’s house when his mom was reported missing. Here’s the funny part,” she looked down at her hands, “the man who is having sex with this woman was you Jack.”
He opened his mouth to protest but she stopped him.
“We didn’t know it was you at first, you look so different now, but Oliver ran a blood test on you on a whim yesterday and it turns out there’s a ninety nine percent certainty that Jessie’s your son. I just found that out too so I’m as shocked as you are. Jessie doesn’t even know.”
It had gone from quirky to down right scary in less than a minute. What the fuck was she babbling about?
“Alright, that’s enough. I’m not playing along. This is childish and you’re starting to freak me out.”
“I’m sorry. I wanted to ease you into it but you were pretty insistent. I guess I’d rather you find out from me than stumble on it yourself.”
“I’ve had it.”
He stood up to walk away but she hurriedly explained, “On the tape it’s a young man, maybe in his late teens or early twenties. The woman’s around the same age. She’s a Goth chick or into like new age stuff or something. Her hair was black with blue streaks through it and she had a nose ring. This would have happened ten or eleven years ago. Does it ring a bell?”
It did.
He sat back down. He remembered exactly who she was referring to. It was that fucking weirdo he picked up at the coffee shop a decade ago, before he went off to college. The same chick who had video taped the act without his consent. He’d wanted to steal that tape after he found out but the girl was scary so he just bailed on her.
“There was a girl back then and some of what you’re saying rings true but I think I’d know if someone was using me for some type of sexual ritual. Plus, that girl was definitely not a bible thumper.”
She gave him that look again like she was trying to decide if he was smart enough or level headed enough to handle what she had to say. “What’s important is that Jessie’s in danger here. Let’s pretend that he’s not the messiah. He’s a ten year old boy who’s being treated like a lab rat by men who don’t want him to ever escape and when they’re done with him he’ll be put down like a dog. The only people in this facility that even know he is who he is are you, me, and Oliver. We need a real plan or we stand no chance.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Are you suggesting we try to smuggle him out of here? We wouldn’t make it ten feet.”
“Yesterday, at your apartment when I went out for coffee, I sent a message to others outside this facility who are aware of the situation. Oliver gave me the phone number. They just needed the address where Jessie is being held. They will be waiting outside for a signal. When they see that we’re escaping they’ll help us.”
If this was true, it sounded like a really crappy plan, Jack thought.
Then he had an epiphany. “Wait, you mean those Jesus freaks that shot at me in my own apartment?”
As he said it he realized he’d inserted himself into the conversation as a willing participant. But a small, underdeveloped part of his brain was starting to believe. The nut-jobs at his place had planted the first seed suggesting the presence of a messiah. Then he’d seen and interacted with all the exotic artifacts and then followed that up by seeing the bizarre creatures - it all made him question his version of reality. Next he met Jessie and witnessed what he could do. He had to admit, the things the child was capable of were in fact miraculous. And now Melanie, the only person on the planet he felt close to, was insisting on it with all of her heart. He did trust her, didn’t he?
She replied, “Oliver told me what happened. He said the woman that pulled her gun on you has been excommunicated from the group. You’ll never see her again.”
Jack put his head in his hands. He wanted very much to just laugh and laugh in her insane face. He felt like his mind was being sucked into a black hole. Once again, he wished he had that elixir so he could peal truth away from fantasy.
Instead of losing his mind or arguing he asked, “If Jessie’s the messiah, why don’t you just go to the Doctor or the General and tell them? If you convinced them then they might be able to get Jessie released. The General told me himself that the U.S. government would never want to be a part of something like that.”
She smiled but the smile was sorrowful. “If we told them what we know and then proved it they’d say that we knowingly infiltrated this facility because of our knowledge. Then they’d execute us for it. And I’m not so sure I buy into the government releasing Jessie if they were to find out what he is. The government doesn’t like loose ends and they don’t like situations that can get away from them. Right now Jessie’s a mostly harmless curiosity but even so, he might be executed at any time for any reason. Imagine if the guys at the top believed he was not controllable.”
He asked, “Have you tried to find his mom? If she showed up here with a news crew there’d be a public outcry for them to be reunited. He might even be allow
ed to live a normal life.”
She shook her head. “Protocol insists that if word leaks that a ten year old child is being detained here by the government all evidence will be immediately destroyed, including the child. None of us know what happened to his mom but I’m guessing she’s not about to resurface anytime soon. It’s a shame, he deserved better from his own mother.” She gave Jack an odd look. “But at least his father’s in the picture now.”
That last remark only sent a flash of fury through his senses. He couldn’t understand why it did, but it did. Maybe it was because he felt like she was trying to tug at his heart strings to manipulate him. Maybe it was because he’d never wanted children. Jack felt like his guts were being clenched in an angry fist.
He didn’t allow his anger to affect him beyond that. He needed proof before he was going to leap into fantasy land where Melanie had clearly taken up permanent residence. “I’d like to see this tape for myself before I dive into this weirdness with you.”
“Ever the skeptic. I’ll get it from Oliver and we can watch it later.”
He thought that was pretty odd, that his current girlfriend would watch a ten year old sex tape of him, but then again it was par for the course nowadays. It sounded like she’d just watched it this morning anyway, after Oliver’s blood test had confirmed he was the father. The idea creeped him out.
Just then Oliver and the Doctor returned.
The Doc was all smiles but Oliver was ashen and twitchy. Jack thought it was because he knew the cat was out of the bag.
Melanie whispered something to Oliver. When she was done he said to the doctor, “I’ll be right back,” and then left the room.
The Doctor barely noticed as he got situated behind the monitor. “I’d like to try out a few things later tonight if you’re up for it Jack. Now that you’re here we can conduct some experiments with a success rate higher than we’re used to.”
Jack nodded but he didn’t like the word experiment being used when it came to a ten year old boy.
The Doctor continued, “Now that Jessie has calmed down you can resume your research upstairs. The General won’t be happy if we keep you all day and night.”
Jack didn’t care either way. His thoughts were miles away; maybe even in a different dimension.
Melanie walked him as far as the clean room when Oliver appeared and slipped something to her. He said to them both, “Careful with that, it’s the original.”
She slid the disc Oliver had retrieved into Jack’s lab coat pocket and then kissed him on the cheek. “Hide it somewhere and we’ll watch it tonight.”
He said sarcastically, “Yeah, I can’t wait.”
Chapter 52: Sex Tape
Billy was waiting for him when the elevator opened.
“I saw the artifact in your desk drawer. Can you get it out for me? It’ll probably kill me if I touch it.”
With almost inhuman willpower Jack managed to renormalize.
“No problem. Thanks for not making a big deal out of it while I was gone.”
Billy shook his head. “If I’d told the General he’d probably start thinking about eliminating you. These artifacts are everything to him and you just tried to steal one right from under his nose. He’d have just cause too; it’s in your contract, same as mine.”
Jack nodded but he didn’t give a shit about any of this anymore. It all seemed so petty now. Then he remembered the wisdom the shot glass brought. The clarity was surreal. He couldn’t just hand it back could he?
“Actually, I didn’t get started on my evaluation of it. Do you know it refills itself? That aspect alone requires additional study.”
Billy didn’t buy it but he relented anyway. “Just have it back to me in an hour and no one will ask questions.”
He closed the door and posted outside as Jack got to work. He already knew what he had to do. He was going to drink the elixir, for the entire hour if necessary, and then watch the tape.
He opened his desk drawer and pulled out the lidded shot glass. He placed it on the top of his desk and pulled the DVD from his pocket.
How did she record on a disc a decade ago? He couldn’t remember if they had that back then. Maybe she converted it, maybe Oliver did. He loaded it into his computer and was pleased when the player popped up. He hovered the cursor arrow over the play button then took the top off the shot glass. It was full to the brim. He knocked the whole thing back.
He felt everything cloud and congeal and then just like that, clarity came at him like a Mack truck. Before he got too carried away he pressed play.
The video was surprisingly clear. That was her alright, but he was nowhere in sight. She was just as he remembered her; dark skinned, probably Hispanic since her name was Maria, and she had those streaks in her hair and the nose ring.
On tape she was busying herself around her bedroom, lighting candles and incense. He could almost remember the stink of the incense. She held a copy of the bible up to the camera and after a few seconds walked over to the bed and tucked it between the mattress and the box spring. He could see scrawls on the opposite wall. He didn’t remember seeing them before. They looked like symbols but they were drawn crudely like finger paints but using tar or something equally messy. One of them was a cross. Another was a twinkling star. There were a bunch he didn’t recognize. For the first time in his life he wished he knew more about religion. The elixir didn’t help; he simply lacked the knowledge. The Goth chick blew a kiss at the camera and then left the room. She returned a minute later with another person in tow. It was him. He was young so he should have looked more vital and full of life but those were low days before heading off to college; he looked like shit.
The sex was about how he remembered. It didn’t take long. It was the kind of sex sober strangers have together, all awkward and mechanical, with many restrictions in place as far as off limit zones. In a word: boring.
When she rolled off him and left for the bathroom he found the camera. It was like looking through a wormhole at himself from a decade ago. He was staring at his own face staring at the camera. He saw the young cowardly Jack quickly get his clothes on and leave. A few minutes of stillness followed and then the girl returned. She didn’t seem surprised or saddened to find him gone. She appeared to be silently chanting, whilst holding her stomach with both hands.
Jack hit eject on the disc tray and quickly put the disc back in his pocket when he sensed that Billy was coming in. He must have looked like the cat that ate the canary because Billy started to scrutinize him.
Then his eyes fell upon the refilling shot glass and he said, “Did you drink that shit Jack?”
Jack took it as an easy way out and acted caught in the act.
Billy seemed more surprised than angry. “How can you do that? The last person to even touch that glass bled from the eyes and died of a seizure.”
Jack was about to say it was because the person who was pulling these artifacts from another universe was his long lost son but he stopped himself. Then it occurred to him that it was true. Jessie was his child. He’d just witnessed the conception. The elixir gathered up the information that had been tumbling about in his head and grouped all the pertinent facts into an impossible to ignore truth.
Billy added, “I’ll let you hang on to it for a while but I need to bring more artifacts or else the General will be notified by one of the door guards that we’re not working fast enough. Just don’t drink from it again, ok? Let it fill back up.”
Chapter 53: Clarity
Jack nodded but as soon as Billy left he picked up the glass and tipped it back. Maybe he could stock up on the stuff before it was taken from him. That thought made him angry. These objects had been conjured for him personally and yet he was merely allowed to see them or touch them and only under strict guidelines.
He realized just then that Melanie had told him the truth earlier.
He could recall the conversation like it was happening all over again. He could see the subtle twitches in her lips a
nd fluttering of her lashes. He could see her gulp, almost imperceptibly. Each occurrence coincided with a truth she was afraid to reveal. Only once had she touched her face, a masking gesture to disguise nervousness, but he couldn’t tell if she was concealing something or just itchy. Otherwise, everything she told him was true. At least his serum addled brain told him it was.
Before he could concentrate on anything else he felt a presence. It wasn’t human but it was just as alive, perhaps more so. It was the red death ball he had stashed with the beakers. Without thinking he held his hand out like he was about to catch a fastball. The cabinet door slowly opened and the ball hovered towards him. He snatched it out of the air and stood up. He chuckled slightly. He understood the ball more intimately because of the elixir. The ball was just like an appendage. He could control it as easily as he could control his hands and feet. It was physically linked to him. He stared at it intensely trying to see if he could make out the tether. Whatever linked him to it was invisible, even to his unrestricted eyes. He knew the link was infinite. He could put that ball on a rocket and shoot it into the sun and still be able to affect it from that distance. He willed the ball upwards by a foot and sent it slowly back to its hideaway among the beakers. He rolled his chair over to close the cabinet door with his foot.
Billy came in with a desk top clock that had all its hands missing. Jack put all extracurricular thoughts aside and got to work. To him the clock symbolized that time was up but he wrote it up in a less apocalyptic way:
A clock indicates that you should focus on speeding something along like an important task or decision. If a clock stops it suggests a fear of imminent death. A ticking clock mimics the human heart. The fact that it lacks hands suggests that there’s a feeling of misunderstanding (this relates only to actual human hands though).
Jack rubbed his temple and then instinctively reached out to touch the clock. It didn’t contain the same energy that some of the other artifacts had. But it did possess something like a quietly patient power. The serum kicked in to help him figure it out. The clock knew what it was brought into this world for. It was brought here to help Jack realize that time was up and that action had to be taken. The fact that it lacked hands meant that there was no time left to waste.