by Maria Siopis
“Don’t be silly.”
“I have to go and meet Fiona. Something is terribly wrong. I’m taking this document with me,” she hugged the document as if it was precious.
“No, you are not going anywhere with my document.” He tried to grab it from her.
“Matthew, you have to tell me what’s going on,” she begged.
“Do you really want to know? You betrayed me.”
“Matthew, I don’t understand.”
“You slept with that cop only a week after you accepted my proposal.”
“Matthew, please, that was the only time. I went there to help her with a case and break it off completely. How did you even know? Did you follow me?”
“Oh, Jennifer, you betrayed me.”
“That was not my intention,” she sincerely replied while she thought of his own betrayal by following her.
“Well, you can’t have the document that paves the road to my demise. I glorified the device to the other members, and it’s a fine invention. You must believe me. Nevertheless, something is happening that is beyond our control. Dr. Taylor asked me to erase the names until he finds who is behind the attacks.”
“Matthew, you have to come clean now.”
“I’ll go to jail, and my career will be over. Give me the damn document!” his voice hardened; he no longer sounded like the man she knew. A non-human had been awakened in him.
“I’m going now.” She would test him to see the level of his resistance.
“I’ll kill you before you leave this room,” he said, and he meant it. His mannerisms had changed in just a few minutes, and his anger was tangible.
If it had been someone else in that room with him, the FBI agent probably would have been dead before she took a few steps on her way out. He charged toward her with a determination she had never expected from him, and before he moved closer, she drew her gun and struck him. He fell on her and then slithered to the floor as she moved away from him. It all felt like a slow-motion movie, and she became a participant without giving her consent to be filmed. She appeared undecided for a nanosecond, and then she grabbed the document and left the scene where her life had taken an unexpected turn. If she’d had time to think about it, she would have been relieved that she was free to persuade Fiona of their perfect match.
When she arrived at the location Fiona provided, she was more than ten minutes late. Jennifer walked toward Fiona and saw Gregory approaching as well. Gregory opened the door, and she sat in the front seat. She related the events in chronological order as if the order of the events that caused her delay were important. She talked about the document she had brought with her, and about her fiancé, Matthew Callagan, who was most likely accepting bribes. Why else would he glorify that device? She was certain the people who died and were erased from the document were the victims of an orchestrated attack. She insisted that Matthew couldn’t have done it. He was involved, she agreed, in a very detrimental way since he had withheld information imperative to the investigation.
“I have to go back to make sure he is okay. Then, I’ll try to make him understand how serious his situation is. Perhaps I can persuade him to surrender himself? If he refuses, I’ll call the department.”
“Call me. I want to know that you are okay.” Fiona’s sincerity was real, and Jennifer’s heart danced in her chest. Was Fiona still interested in her or in love with her? She would fold into Fiona’s arms if she was asked. She left as a tiny smile appeared on her lips. Did she get engaged to Matthew to punish Fiona, who refused to commit to their relationship? She looked back as Gregory sat next to Fiona holding the document titled “The Device.” She finally admitted to herself that she had adored Fiona for a thousand years, and she was determined to get her back.
Chapter Twenty-Five
What the hell is Matthew thinking? Dr. Taylor was not pleased to see Matthew at his doorstep. An FDA member visiting his house would raise suspicions. Was he sent by the panel? Maybe he carried a recording instrument on him? He patted Matthew down when he got him in his office, then, he pulled off his shirt, examined his torso, and went through his pants and jacket pockets.
“What are you doing?”
“Where is the recording device?” He was rightfully paranoid after losing six patients.
“I don’t have a recording device. I’m here to tell you that the FBI knows I was bribed, or they will find out soon. I’m sure you’re going to receive a visit from them. I’m running as fast as I can, and without my testimony you may be able to bluff them. I’ll disappear, I promise you that. Right now, I need your help. I need money. All my money was transferred offshore. This was unexpected; I wasn’t prepared.” He appeared honest, almost apologetic, and the doctor believed him.
Dr. Taylor had to conceal the thoughts that paraded through his mind as he attempted to design another damage control operation. He didn’t give a flying fuck. Of course, he would give him money to have him vanish rather than jeopardize his twenty long years of research. He searched Matthew’s face. There was something odd about it, and that scared him more than anything. The vacant eyes were indicative of a lifeless existence, as if his device was not working any longer. He had to figure out this new longing and funnel Matthew’s energy.
“I’ll give you the money. I’m not risking the project. We must figure out how to funnel the energy that will be built up in your brain. Perhaps wirelessly. Come. Sit down. I have a feeling you are battling a desire that is fighting to come out. It’s a pulling so great that your chest will split open.” Dr. Taylor understood more than any other doctor.
“I used all the techniques you taught me to funnel the faulty ideas. I tried hard, but this desire is impossible to direct. It feels like a command I have to obey, though I know it’s wrong.”
That was the clarifying moment for Dr. Taylor, who instantly identified the wrongdoer, the one who was behind the attacks. He knew the bastard only too well.
“You can’t go until I correct the device. You are in greater danger than you could possibly imagine.”
“No, Doctor, I’m not staying. Give me the money and I’ll disappear.”
He couldn’t deal with the desire, the longing, and the command on his own. His logic wouldn’t work; the command overwrote everything in its path. Dr. Taylor sat on his desk. What a dilemma ... let Matthew go or restrain him before he made good on the command? He considered all the angles and decided keeping him restrained was not a scenario he could easily implement. He pushed the code on his safe, which was concealed in the second drawer of his desk and retrieved four stacks of money.
“You have to keep in touch to receive the discharge, otherwise the device will be useless, and your disorder will return at an even greater pace.”
“I’ll call you when I land.” He stacked the money in an envelope he had grabbed from Dr. Taylor’s desk. “Consider me invisible.”
Dr. Taylor didn’t attempt to get up and guide him to the exit. His mind was running over these new developments, and he realized he had to do something before his patients were exposed to danger. He was sure that some type of command had been used, and only one person could undo it—Peter, his ex-partner. The traitor. The charlatan. The bastard. He denied his success all over again. He was the only conspirator who could engage in his system, but it required inside assistance, someone who had access to the central terminal, and that could be twenty or thirty scientists. But that wasn’t important now. He had to force him to change the command, or he would be forced to give him up to the authorities. It was a threat, nothing else. Dr. Taylor wouldn’t reveal Peter’s devious action to the authorities or anyone else because he and the shortcomings of his device would also be exposed. He had promised the FDA panel that the possibility of an intrusion to his patients’ minds was minimal or non-existent. The bastard. The traitor. Peter was the one who declared the device was unfit for human minds, yet he had intruded into the patients’ minds to annihilate him completely. Why? He had to go and see Peter personally. He
would appeal to his love of science before he threatened him.
He left his office in a hurry. The house was strangely quiet, although both of his kids were there. He searched for them in the kitchen first, then he entered the entertainment room where he found them involved in some type of gaming. His wife was out shopping, and the nanny was probably in her room. He passed in front of the TV to purposely divert their attention, and they both erupted in complaints. If it had been another time, he would have smiled at them.
“Pause your game and listen to Daddy for a second. I need to go out. Mommy should be home in a while, and Samantha is here. If you need anything, knock at her door before you enter.” He kissed them both, realizing family was what was important in life. The device and his work were essential, but family should always come first. He informed Samantha of his departure, making sure his family was safe.
The traffic quieted down, and he took the highway rather than the local streets. His ex-partner’s house was eight exits away from his location, on the Long Island Expressway. The darkness began to take over, eating away the daylight and making the trees, houses, and road appear as though in a malevolent state. The imminence of an evil force was approaching, or was it the wintery night and the darkness that made him feel that way? Was it in fact caused by his disappointment with his fellow scientist, who had falsely professed his noble beliefs as an excuse to leave the program, or was it something far more ominous and disturbing?
When he pulled into Peter’s driveway, the irony hit him hard, and his device became secondary. Now, he understood why his ex-partner had done it!
Chapter Twenty-Six
The pain was unbearable, and Sophie had passed out. When she came to, Phil was touching her legs, his fingers traveling upwards. She moved to indicate she was awake and to stop him exploring further. The throbbing and agonizing burning sensation she felt did not prevent her memory from returning with all the details of her struggle to gain her freedom. She recalled the incredible pain that ruptured through her as he nailed her to the frame of his bed. That would have been the only moment escape was feasible, but now, it was already too late. When she tried to move her body left or right and away from him, he punched her with such vigor that she passed out again. Her mind was frantically trying to make sense of behavior that only a crazy person would engage in. Logic no longer applied.
Phil was kissing her inner thigh now, and Sophie felt violated. Sadly, she feared more was coming. He climbed the bed and got on top of her. He tore her top, revealing her naked upper body, and with a knife, he cut her bra loose. He was fondling her breasts, taking her nipple in his mouth. She closed her eyes as if to erase his existence. She wanted to stop the heaving that was reaching her larynx. If her mouth had not been taped shut, she would have gagged.
He cut her panties loose too, and she knew the final assault was coming. But he stopped as abruptly as he had started. She was saved by the bell, for now. He cursed as he left the room. Sophie tried to hear over the immense pain. He opened the door and engaged in a conversation with a female. She could barely hear them.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“I’m your mother. See the birthmark? I have the same birthmark as yours. You don’t believe me?”
“My mother left many years ago. She doesn’t care.”
“Your mother is back, and she cares deeply for you. Your father decided to bend the truth and furnish you with lies. He put me away. Look at the birthmark that both of us bear.” Sophie couldn’t see from the back room. Did she offer her mark for him to inspect?
“Come in,” he said, sounding defeated.
They sat in the living room, and she talked about a device. She divulged information about the cravings for blood and the crime scenes she created for him, so he could keep his beast at bay. None of this made coherent sense to Sophie. Was this woman the killer? Fiona was right after all. The perpetrator was a woman.
“I’m not anything like you. I don’t know a thing about the beast you’re talking about. I’m well,” he was insisting.
She pulled the handle of the bedroom door and Sophie’s ravaged body came into full view. “Well, well, well, and what have you got here?” she asked with a grin.
“It was a calling from within. I’ve never experienced an urge to harm anybody before. It felt like a voice was commanding me to sacrifice my most loved and cherished companion. Can you make it stop?” he begged as his glassy eyes fell upon Sophie.
“There is nothing I can do to stop it now. You must finish what you started. It’s the only way.”
* * *
Andrea wanted to hold him and reassure him that all would be okay, but she knew that was a total lie. She had realized when she input the code that her own son would become the near and dear that she had to sacrifice. After she helped him with his sacrifice, she would go on with her own sacrifice. It had to be done. The beast was calling. She studied the girl’s face. She was pretty. Who was she and why was her son in love with her? She pulled the girl’s hair out of her face and looked at her without pity. The woman would surely like to beg her to release her and reconsider what they were about to do. Andrea ought to tell her that there was nothing anyone could do to stop the assault to humanity. It was already too late. The command was above all ... or was it?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The car parked in Peter’s driveway was Dr. Taylor’s. He had bought it recently for his wife and ordered a custom plate: EST2020 stood for Extra Sexy Taylor forty, referring to her looks and age. She was there with his ex-partner, and he couldn’t accept that. It signified her huge betrayal. He placed his head on the steering wheel, holding the wheel as if he was driving, recalling the interactions between his wife and Peter, and suddenly, he understood. His realization that family came first was a bit too late, and his dictum of not giving a flying fuck for anything besides his device was dissolved. He felt like a hundred-year-old man when he lifted his head again and realized that returning to his previous life was an unattainable dream.
He rang the bell. He was no longer disconcerted, and the double disappointment he felt growing inside him subsided for now. Peter’s surprise was painted on his face and not even chivalry could cover his betrayal. He had certainly denied the doctor twice: first, when he left the program, and second, when he bedded his wife. He was the personification of apostle Peter, who denied Jesus before the cock crowed twice. It felt ironic for him to consider religion and juxtapose the betrayals of both. He mocked ecclesiastic figures and ridiculed the idea of believing in one power that was unproven.
“Timothy, what are you doing here?”
“That’s secondary. More importantly, why is my wife here?” Dr. Taylor still clung to the little nest of hope in his chest. He cocked his head to peek inside, and he saw his wife descending the stairway wearing a robe that concealed her naked body, destroying any hope he had reserved for her innocence. He pushed the door open, forcing Peter to retreat inside.
“I love her, and I would do anything to keep her,” Peter retorted like it was that simple.
“Oh, Peter, it’s not your decision to make.” A dreadful feeling entered him about their predicament.
Dr. Taylor evoked the disassociation theory that worked well when it was applied. It made him an unbiased participant, and with his professional background he knew he would be able to resolve the situation to everyone’s satisfaction.
“You don’t look the least bit surprised,” his wife finally spoke.
“I should be surprised by your callous behavior?”
“Timothy, it’s all your fault. You caused it by your absence from my life. You were working and tending more to your project than your own family.”
He understood her point, but her betrayal was unthinkable. Being involved with Peter, who he once considered a friend? A scientist that believed in noble notions?
“And you,” he looked at Peter. “What happened to your noble values? You left the project proclaiming that it was too intrusive.” Now, h
e understood the reason for his departure.
Peter left to attend to the doctor’s wife’s needs, not because of his dignified values. Dr. Taylor mulled over the circumstances in his head. His organized life was in disarray, and his accomplishments, the Excalibur award and the Device, appeared like peddles in a sea of stones. He deemed all as unimportant and minor. He had to stop the destruction. It was the only honorable thing to do, even if his project was permanently damaged. Everything finally became crystal clear, like a spring day where a new circle of life had begun to form. He got that life was not about possessions and ego preservation; it was simpler and more concrete. If people only stopped for a split second, like he did, and considered that possessions and status were left behind when the final departure came, a better world would emerge. Conceivably, the realization also came to him too late.
“Peter, you have to give me the command. You are the only one who can undo it. And please don’t tell me that you aren’t involved. You are the only one who could infiltrate the system.”
“She has it. Timothy, it’s too late now. I can’t give you the code.”
“What do you wish ... my whole life destroyed? You’ve got it,” he pleaded, hoping she would listen to reason. In an instant, his whole life changed, and he became a miniscule human buried in worries.
“Go to hell, Timothy. I can’t undo it.”
“If you want to pin it on me, I accept all fault. But you must give me the command. Hundreds of people are in danger.” His voice wobbled. Would his wife fold under the enormity of the eventuality that was fast approaching? Although he was unsure what the command was all about. He only assumed that it involved death since six of his patients had already been killed.
“If I give you the command, I’ll die. They are going to kill me. It’s beyond our doing. They are too big.”