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The sun was bright and halfway up in the sky by the time they left the highway and pulled onto a gravel access road. The surrounding area was desert. Scrub land, a wide flat expanse of white sand occasionally punctuated by a splash of green mesquite. With the morning sun bearing down, it seemed barren and inhospitable.
Their tires crunched against the gravel, shooting stones up against the underbody of the van. They were getting close. Dr. Meeks sat up and smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes with his hands. When he felt presentable enough, he pulled out and lit another cigarette. Then he looked at the body on the seat next to him. He had fully unzipped the body bag hours before, opening it fully to the air. Meeks looked at the face. It showed no movement; the eyes were shut, and if he was breathing, it was imperceptible. It still looked as if he were dead. Meeks knew better.
He leaned forward and banged his palm on the metal wall that separated him from the cab. The van slowly came to a stop. The situation was stable: the body was fine, not ready to wake up and certainly not going anywhere. The driver opened the rear door. Meeks climbed out of the back of the van and made his way up front for the balance of the trip.
Soon they passed a warning sign: Lyndon B Johnson Army Installation – U.S. Government Property – No Access. A mile and a half further down the road, they came to the gate. A heavy-gauge metal fence surrounded the perimeter of the property, extending in both directions as far as the eye could see. The top of the fence was covered with curled razor wire. The fence itself was electrified. Twenty feet inside the perimeter, another fence of the same construction was erected. It too went on to the horizon.
Two guards in U.S. Army khakis with automatic rifles at their sides manned the gate. They stood in a glass and metal booth that straddled the road. Video cameras were aimed at the road in either direction. The driver pulled the van in next to the enclosure. The guard was tall and lean with close cut blonde hair. He opened the window and gave a hardened look at the driver. “This is a closed installation, sir. You’re going to have to turn your vehicle around –”
Meeks leaned forward so that the guard could see him, “We’re expected, corporal.”
The guard’s attitude changed. “Good morning, sir. It’s good to see you again. I didn’t realize you were there – ”
“Not a problem, corporal. But in the future, you need to be more observant.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I will be more observant. I wasn’t expecting – ”
“I can see that, corporal. Hand him the papers, Len.”
The guard tried not to look flustered. “Yes, sir. May I see your papers?” He extended a hand towards the driver.
The driver handed over a document with his and Dr. Meek’s IDs attached. The guard closely inspected the papers before turning back to the van.
“Very good, sir. One moment while I authenticate these orders.” He picked up a phone and talked softly for a minute before hanging up and turning back to the van. “Thank you, sir. Everything is in order. Please proceed directly to the base, sir.”
The driver nodded in reply. Meeks just sat back in the seat and stared straight ahead. They waited for the gate to be raised, then passed through. Inside the gate, the road turned to asphalt. On either side, the desert stretched on. They passed several army barracks. No soldiers were visible, but the parking lots next to them were filled with vehicles, Humvees, and personnel carriers. The driver accelerated to sixty miles per hour. It took a full eight minutes to reach the base.
As they neared the Installation, they had to pass through another gate with the same routine and another guard. A Humvee met them on the other side and escorted them to the main building. It was an immense concrete structure, bone white with no windows. It rose only one story above the ground, but it covered the equivalent of two city blocks in area. To Meeks, it seemed that the place buzzed with activity: people moved purposefully in and out of the building; Humvees circled the area. As they drove closer, a helicopter flew into view and hovered above, preparing to land atop the roof. The building reminded Meeks of a great hive, though the soldiers seemed more like menacing wasps or hornets than bees. Even with all the activity, the morning seemed quiet, but in the background, there was a low but insistent humming sound, the sound of huge motors, or fans sucking in the desert air.
They were directed to a loading dock built into the side of the structure, where the driver backed the van up against the bay. Their escort Humvee pulled in beside them. Its driver wore a crisp khaki uniform with captain’s bars and a purple slash above the insignia. The captain stepped forward to greet them. He was tall and lean, skinny almost, or he seemed that way until you looked closer. His arms were sinewy, his neck thick. It wasn’t that he was skinny; it was just that he had no fat on his body.
The captain moved with an air of natural confidence and authority, the fluid grace of a predatory animal. His blonde hair was cut short in a military style and his nose and chin jutted out in sharp angles. With his hair and light complexion, people might expect that his eyes were gray or ice blue, but they were hidden by mirrored sunglasses.
“It’s good to see you made it. Have any problems?” He smiled as he moved over to meet them; his voice had the hint of a country drawl.
“No, sir, Captain. Everything went just the way it was supposed to, sir.” Meek’s van driver crisply saluted the captain, who casually returned the salute.
Dr. Meeks pulled out a cigarette and bent his head to light it. A look of distaste briefly passed over the captain’s face.
“Good, sergeant, excellent job. Why don’t you go get some rest? I’ll handle this from here.” The van driver saluted again, nodded to Meeks, and walked away.
The captain turned his attention towards Meeks. “Our subject is in good health, Conrad?”
“He’s alive.” Meeks blew out a cloud of smoke.
The captain nodded. “Well, that’s just fine. Let’s take a look at him and get him moved into service.”
Together, they walked up the ramp. The captain opened the back of the van, spread the doors wide, and peered in on the comatose body of Ramon Willis.
“Sleepin’ like a baby. How much longer will he be out?” he asked.
“About two more hours,” Meeks replied. “He was starting to move around some at the end, so I gave him another shot.”
The captain bent over the body and pulled back on Ramon’s eyelids. “You checked him out?”
“Of course I checked him out. The test was negative,” Meeks replied.
“Let’s get him inside, then. You have his papers?”
Meeks handed over a file. The captain walked over to the side of the dock where a gurney was waiting. He wheeled it close to the van and together they transferred Ramon onto the cart. Carefully, they pushed it out of the van, onto the dock, and near the door.
Meeks exhaled a stream of smoke and cleared his throat. “Things have changed, Parker. Tell the colonel we need to talk.”
The captain continued with his work. “Talk about what, Conrad?”
“That’s between me and the colonel.”
“He’s a busy man, Conrad. You’re going to have to let me know what this is about first.”
Meeks sucked on the cigarette and flicked the ash onto Ramon’s body.
“Two more bodies will be available next week, but I’m concerned about the risk I’m taking. This is dangerous work. The next two are going to be double the rate. For this kind of risk, I’m going to need more money.”
The captain stared at him for a long moment before answering. “You’re right, Conrad. This is dangerous work. We discussed that before you agreed to do it.”
“That’s right. And we’re going to discuss it again now.”
The captain kept his gaze fixed on Meeks without speaking for an uncomfortable length of time. “What about your patriotic duty, Conrad? This is a chance to serve your country again.”
“And what would happen if I talked to the media and explained this ser
vice to my country? They might not see it quite the same way.”
“That’s not a threat, is it, Conrad?”
“This is a business arrangement and I’m just saying we need to change the terms.”
The captain smiled and seemed to loosen up. “Fine, Conrad, you just get your deliveries ready. I’ll talk with the colonel.” He pushed the body up to the loading dock door. “You gotta be tired. Y’sure had a busy night. You better go get you some sleep. I’ll talk with the colonel… but I don’t know that you’re going to like his answer.”
Meeks wasn’t sure but felt that he had been vaguely threatened. “I’ll have your deliveries next week, but you tell the colonel that it’s going to cost him.” As he stared back at his reflection in the captain’s mirrored glasses, he realized he was tense, and he couldn’t tell if it was from fear or anger.
The captain smiled and nodded his dismissal. He turned to the door, inserted a key card, and punched in an access code. The door slid open with a pneumatic swish. Pushing the body before him, he entered the building. The door closed behind, leaving Meeks alone on the dock.
The captain with the mirrored eyes wheeled the gurney down a long hallway until it dead-ended at a thick stainless steel door. He put his keycard into the slot and swiped it through. The door slid open and h moved into an octagonal, central room. Three other doors opened onto other hallways, going off at right angles to each other. Between each doorway was a bank of elevators, two to a side. In the center of the room was a guard station, also octagonal, equipped with rows of video monitors showing the activity of each hallway and elevator leading to or away from the room.
Four uniformed soldiers manned the station. They saluted the captain as he presented himself. He handed a set of papers to a young officer, Lieutenant Green, the officer in charge of this station. Lieutenant Green was thin and wiry with curly brown hair, thin lips, and a long, thin nose. The glasses over his deep brown eyes usually gave his face a serious look, but his eyes betrayed his discomfort.
The captain stared at Green for a long moment before he smiled and broke the silence, “Lieutenant Green, I’ve heard some very good things about you.”
“Thank you, sir.” Green stood at attention as he stared back at his image reflected in the mirrored glasses.
“Yep. I heard some very good things. You are a man who can be trusted with responsibilities.”
“Yes, sir. I believe I can, sir.”
“Soldier, we have a new patient for quarantine number two. Do you know where that is?”
“Yes, sir, I do.”
“Good,” the captain handed over a set of papers. “This fella needs to get down there pronto. I’m passing the responsibility on to you.”
“Yes, sir,” the lieutenant said crisply. “I’ll arrange for an escort to—”
“I don’t think you understand, Lieutenant,” the captain interrupted. “He needs an escort now and I need someone I can count on. I guess you’re it, son. Take him down to Q-two. They’re expecting you.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll take him down myself, sir. I’ll just need a minute to call in a replacement for my post.”
“Call your replacement, soldier, but you don’t have time to wait for him. This patient is under certain time restraints. I’ll watch your post until your backup comes. Do a good job now, lieutenant. There’s some real opportunities here for men that can be trusted.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
Green made his call, hung up the phone, and stepped out from behind the station. He glanced uneasily at the other soldiers, then at the captain. He took hold of the gurney’s handles and pushed it towards the elevator on his right.
“Say, lieutenant,” the captain called out. Green turned back to see that the captain was holding up a black plastic access card. “You ain’t going far without this.” He flipped the card across to Green, who caught it on reflex.
“Thank you, sir.” Green inserted the key card into the slot. The door opened silently. Without looking back, Green pushed the gurney onto the lift, stepped on, and the doors closed.
Inside the elevator, there was a standard instrument panel with buttons for three levels below the ground floor. Above the panel, a video camera was aimed at the occupants. Lieutenant Green punched the button for the third floor below ground level. A soft jolt in the pit of his stomach told him the elevator was moving down. Packed into the tight space with the gurney, he hardly had room to move.
Green had only been in the Installation for three months, but he’d heard rumors of strange things that went on in the lower chambers of the building. Crazy rumors about human experiments. Things he didn’t want to know. To Green, it sounded like something that the Nazis would do, not the U.S. Army. This was a top-level security installation. They recruited only career soldiers and put everyone through an extensive background check before they could serve here. They did things differently here too. The purple slash the captain wore was not a U.S. Army emblem, but something used strictly on the Installation. It was a marking of an elite group among the troops. Green knew something sensitive was going on and there had to be a good reason for whatever it was. But he’d never encountered anything like this first-hand, and he didn’t like it.
After a moment, the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. Green stepped out into a bright yellow corridor that led off to the left and right, dead-ending on each side at a closed metal door. He moved to the path on the right, pushing the gurney in front. When he came to the door, Lieutenant Green inserted the captain’s key card and the doors swooshed open.
He entered a small room and the doors closed behind him. He heard a loud hissing like air being sucked into a vacuum. Green stepped up to the other door and again slid the card through. Pushing the gurney ahead, he stepped out into another corridor and the doors behind him slid shut. Halfway down, the corridor intercepted another hall. He turned and followed that path.
The building was color-coded. This floor was identified by its yellow walls. Lieutenant Green wondered how he had ever learned to navigate the building as much as he had—it was so large and maze-like. When he was first assigned to the complex, he’d joked about dropping breadcrumbs behind him, just so he would be able to find his way back. Since then, he’d learned to navigate his way around the parts of the building where he was allowed admittance, though this was the first time that he would go all the way down to level five.
At the end of this hall, passed through another metal door. On the other side was another control room with a guard station, a bank of elevators, and one door that exited out to the other side of the room.
The officer on duty here was Major Al Stepman, one of the ranking officers on the base. He was short and cocky, quick to boast, and even quicker to anger. Behind his back, his men all called him Rooster. He was a regular along with Green at a low stakes poker game that some of the officers held every Thursday. Green saluted and handed over the order papers.
“I’ve got a delivery down to the basement, sir.”
“Another live one going down, huh?” Stepman casually glanced at the papers. “You playing on Thursday?”
“Yes, sir, I’ve got to. I need to win back some of the money you stole last week,” Green replied with a grin.
“Just bring your money, soldier, cause I got bills to pay.” Stepman handed back the papers. “What are you doing on this run? Somebody get sick or something?” “I don’t know,” Green shrugged. “Just at the right place at the right time, I guess. I’ll see you tomorrow, sir.” Green saluted again and turned towards the elevator at his left.
Stepman spoke from behind him, “Wrong door, Charley. Q-two is that way.” He pointed to the door on the other side of the room.
“Oh right… sorry. First time down.”
Green wasn’t sure, but he thought he was close to the center of the building. The door swooshed open and he walked through. He was in a small hallway with another door directly in front of him. The door closed behind him and the next door o
pened. Green felt a slight breeze as they entered the new room. He was in an airlock, noisy with the sound of huge fans sucking all the air out of the room. After the rear door closed, the front one opened. Green pushed the gurney out to a room with a single elevator and stepped in.
The control panel on this elevator serviced sub-floors three, four, and five. He pushed the button for the bottom floor. After a brief drop, the doors opened onto an orange room with a single sentry sitting at a desk facing the elevator. A respirator mask covered most of his head. On the wall behind the sentry’s shoulder, a large red and white sign warned that this was the quarantine area, containment suits were required from that point on. A metal door to his right was the only other way out of the room.
The guard stepped forward. “Thank you, sir. I’ll take that. We’ve been expecting you.” He grasped the gurney and pulled it out onto the floor.
Green stayed on the elevator. He sighed with relief when the door slid shut.
Everything was white. He turned his head around, but no matter which way he looked, it was all the same: a bright, all-encompassing whiteness. He felt lost, confused. He didn’t know where he was or what time it was. Not even the day, month, or year. He didn’t know how long he had been there, but it seemed like a long time. His sense of self was vague and indistinct. He knew who he was, but he couldn’t remember his name. Or how he had gotten here, in this place, wherever it was. It was all so white.
He felt his hand and his fingers were cold as ice. His whole body was cold. His legs frozen, his toes burned with pain. Where was he? He held his hand straight out in front of him, but couldn’t see it. Just the white. As he peered out towards his hand, it seemed to him the white was not one entity but millions of fragments of white substance blowing around and falling on top of him. So much of it that it seemed to be a single essence.
He felt slow, sluggish, and had trouble thinking. But suddenly, it came to him. It was snow. A fierce snowstorm and he was standing alone, taking it all in. It seemed so new, so strange.
Living Proof Page 4