Amoeba (The Experiments)

by Jacqueline Druga

  The ice in Billy’s glass rattled then fell forward hitting against his lips as he brought the last of his Jack Daniels on the rocks into his mouth. He allowed one small cube to enter his mouth. He swished it with a click as he gasped in the whisky aftertaste. Then, seeing the stewardess, he handed her the empty glass as he played with that one piece of ice in his mouth. He looked down at the envelope he held in his hand, an envelope whose return address indicated it had come from the Caldwell Research Institute. Billy took the envelope off his knee, folded it in half, and, leaning forward, stuck it in the back pocket of his pants. He adjusted his seat, sniffed, and stared out the window with a very melancholy demeanor.

  Las Vegas, Nevada

  December 3rd - 1:00 p.m. PST

  It didn’t matter to Aldo that he was in the middle of a meeting regarding a link merger between a neighboring casino, he wanted to be interrupted when the call came from Dr. Haynes at Caldwell Institute. There was something about talking to Haynes that disturbed him. Aldo was a smart man, and his knowledge of people was what Aldo attributed as one of his keys to his success. Yet everyone Aldo spoke to that knew Haynes told him the same thing, that Aldo was mistaken. What you see is what you get with Haynes. Even the unethical background check Aldo had done showed, repeatedly, that Aldo’s thinking and instincts were wrong. People interviewed by Haynes all spoke very highly and respectfully about him with no negativity. ‘A good hearted man’. ‘True to the core’. ‘A man with integrity’, were some of the comments Aldo received. But Aldo didn’t quite buy it. A good- hearted, true to the core, puritanical man with integrity working for Caldwell? That was nearly as impossible as the pope working the counter at Jay’s Pornography store. The two just didn’t go hand in hand, unless Haynes was trying to change the experiment for the better. And again, that was another thought process Aldo didn’t buy into.

  To him, Dr. Gregory Haynes was attempting to win an academy award. The ‘do good, I’m being honest with you, country boy’ exterior was just a front for what Aldo truly believed was a brilliant manipulative man who intended to do his job well for Caldwell and the experiment. That worried Aldo. This was going to be Aldo’s fourth experiment, and for the first time in his history with Caldwell, he felt - and this was unfounded, of course - that he would be going into the investment phase blind and as ignorant as any of the new investors, and Aldo didn’t like that. He had spent too much time learning how they handled things, and that was mainly the reason he could not miss the call.

  He hurried from the meeting, telling the owners of the other casino he had an emergency. He scooted with a rush down to his office and stopped to catch his breath prior to answering the phone in an extremely calm manner. With no ‘hello or how can I help you,’ Aldo picked up the phone with a, “Tell me.”

  “They called,” Greg informed him. “We’re meeting with them to get them to sign and tell them how things are going to go.”

  There it was. How things were going to go. Maybe Aldo read too much into that statement. Maybe he was looking for any words from Haynes that could give him a clue as to what the importance of having Cal and Jake in the experiment was. “When are they coming?”

  “Monday morning.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Mr. Connilucci, it is highly irregular that an investor be in the same room . . .”

  “And it is highly irregular that an investor get a choice with a certain participant, or in this case, participants. So, under these new highly irregular Iso-Stasis procedures, and seeing that I am the only investor who gets a choice and who will have the only team, I will be there, Dr. Haynes. I made the investment, and I need to know exactly what the hell I just got these two into. Understand?”

  “Perfectly,” Greg responded in an unaffected manner. “We’ll see you Monday morning.”

  Aldo hung up the phone and regained his composure. There was a certain amount of guilt that went through Aldo. He always wondered if he was making the right decision to invest in Cal and Jake as a team, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized how wrong it was. Unlike with any other participants, Caldwell knew Cal and Jake well, their weaknesses, their strengths, and their habits. And if Haynes had asked Aldo years ago about making the investment, then Haynes had had years to personalize an experiment plan just for Cal and Jake.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Fayetteville, North Carolina

  December 3rd - 4:35 p.m.

  “Cal-babe!” Rickie’s voice carried into the kitchen. “We’re here.”

  Cal immediately stopped stirring what was cooking in the pot, shut off the burner, and raced to the hall. She gave a slight shriek of excitement when she saw Billy standing there, and she nearly knocked him over when she hugged him. “God, it’s been forever since I’ve seen you!”

  Billy grunted in her tight embrace. “Three months.”

  Cal stepped back. “Wow. You look great.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You all right?” Cal asked.

  “Yeah.” Billy grabbed his stomach. “Just shaken up by Rickie’s driving, that’s all.”

  Cal’s eyes moved to Rickie.

  “What?” Rickie shut the door. “I did all the posted limits.”

  “Cal.” Billy caught her attention. “He held that stupid sign with my name on it up at the airport again. When I was walking through the gate, he was holding it up in front of every man’s face asking if they were me, like he didn’t know me.”

  Rickie was snickering. “CB, I do that all the time, Dude.”

  Billy looked oddly at him. “And what is CB?”

  Cal answered, “Cyber-boy. Are you sure you’re all right? Your mood is not that great.”

  “I’m fine.”

  Cal took hold of Billy’s hand and brought him into the living room. “Rickie, can we be alone?”

  “I’m telling Sarge,” Rickie declared. “Kidding. I’m gonna see if my E-babe is waiting for me.”

  Cal led Billy to the couch. “Sit down.”

  “Wow, you’re in an upbeat mood.”

  “I am.” Cal held up her hand. “Stay here.” She darted off to the dining room and came back with her hands behind her back.

  Billy looked at her with a crooked smile. “What are you up to?”

  “Okay, I was just thinking how kismet our whole situation is.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Kismet. Karma. Fate.” Cal noticed Billy still wasn’t catching on, so she said, “Don’t you think it’s a little weird that your birthday falls on the same day, I, Cal Lambert-Graison, am allowed to . . .” She grinned, “. . .spill my guts to you? And, how many months did we have to wait?”

  “Thirty-three.”

  “How old are you today?”

  “Thirty-three.”

  “Karma.” She pulled out the dinosaur wrapped gift from behind her back. “Happy birthday, Billy.” She bent down, kissed him on the cheek, then sat next to him on the couch. “It’s usually customary to wait until after the cake, but, I couldn’t.”

  “Don’t tell me you have a cake?”

  “I do.”

  Billy looked at the gift. “What is it?”

  “A present.”

  Billy chuckled. “No, I mean, what is it?”

  “Let me let you in on a gift opening tip.” Cal winked. “The answer can be found when you unwrap it, otherwise telling you ruins the surprise. Go on, Billy. Open it.”

  Billy’s hands moved to the end of the present.

  “Wait. Before you do.” Cal smiled as Billy stopped. She laid her hand over his hand that was ready to rip open the box. “I’m going to cross a line here.”

  Rickie’s voice carried in. “I’m telling Sarge!”

  “Rickie!” Cal yelled, then shook her head. “A Cal line. I uh . . . I’m usually pretty cold. But I want to say, what started out as a phone call that would lead us to this moment, turned out to be more than I expected. I found a really good friend in you, Billy, a really good friend. And I’m
so grateful.” Cal removed her hand. “Go on, open it.”

  Billy hesitated, then set the gift to the floor.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Cal, if it has anything to do with the experiment, I don’t want it now.”

  “Why?” Cal’s eyes shifted from the floor to Billy.

  “Because I don’t want you to think that’s what the past thirty-three months was about, okay?”

  “Don’t be silly. I know that.” She bent down and picked the present back up and handed it to him. “You’ll hurt my feelings if you don’t take it. Please.”

  Billy slowly started to tear the paper, but stopped again. “Just know something. If you decide not to tell me anything at all about the experiment, it doesn’t matter, because I made a really good friend in you, too.” He leaned to her and kissed her on the cheek.

  “I heard a kiss!” Rickie yelled. “I’m telling Sarge!”

  Billy shook his head and opened the gift. Inside was a brown box, and he smiled as he lifted the lid and saw what was inside. “Oh my God.” He took out a bound manuscript an inch-and-a-half thick, bearing the title Surviving the Iso-Stasis on the grey card stock cover. “Did you do this?”

  “Yeah.” Cal let out a breath. “It’s not well written. I was going to do a story, but I couldn’t, so it’s more like an instruction manual taking you through steps of the experiment. Ways to beat them, see things coming.”

  “Cal, this is great. You had to work hard on this.”

  “I’ve been working on it for a while now. Jake helped out a lot. He kind of thought it was fun when I would wake him up in the middle of the night for tips. He said I tested his wits.” Cal chuckled. “Actually, Jake read through the entire thing to make sure it came out correctly. I may have put it together like a text book, but ninety percent of the survival tips are Jake’s. Billy, if you go by the tips, you won’t be wrong. Jake’s the best at it.”

  Billy flipped open the cover and looked at the handwritten inscription. After reading the words, ‘To one of my best friends. My thoughts and Prayers will be with you. Good luck. Love, Cal.’ Billy closed his eyes.

  Cal pointed to her words. “I wrote that in there yesterday before I found out . . . before I found out that . . .” She grinned. “I can’t wait for him. Before I found out Jake and I will be there with you. Billy, they invited us to participate. I’ll be right alongside with you. Jake and I will be right there, a team. And with all the training you have been . . .”

  “Cal, stop.” Billy closed the cover.

  “What’s wrong? I thought you’d love the idea of me being at the experiment with you.”

  “Oh, God, yes,” Billy told her. “Unfortunately . . .” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the folded Caldwell envelope. “Read.”

  “What is this?”

  “Read it.” Billy stood up and paced over to the mantel, his hand behind his neck.

  Cal pulled the stationary out of the envelope. Her eyes skimmed the words with sadness. “Oh no! How could they do this?”

  “They strung me along, Cal.” Billy turned to her. “Strung me along for two-and-a-half years, kept me away from the story. They made me go through every mental and physical test they could throw at me, and pulled me right into the final interviewing process and then . . .” His hand flung out. “They rejected me.”

  “No.” Cal stood up. “Something is not right. This isn’t right.”

  “It’s the way it is.”

  “It’s not over yet. Not yet.”

  “Cal . . .”

  “No, Billy, not yet.” She stepped to him. “May I keep this?”

  “Sure, why not.”

  “Good. Because Jake and I are going to Caldwell on Monday. Let me see what I can do. And I want you out of this mood.” She moved to him.

  “I’m sorry. That came this morning and I was a little depressed.”

  “Don’t be.” Cal laid the letter on the mantel. She took on a stern yet soft approach. “Billy Griffith, state for me the reasons you started this whole project.”

  Less than enthused, he did. “To see what the Iso-Stasis experiment really was. To see why they released my father and what happened to him. To help Mr. Montgomery. And, of course, break one hell of a story about an institute that for decades has been defying all regard for human life for the benefit of an experiment.”

  “Nicely put.”

  “Thank you. I’ve been reciting it for years.” Billy semi-smiled.

  “Good. Keep reciting it. Even if you don’t go, in three months the next experiment begins. And while we’re up there, you, Billy, will be telling the world what’s happening to us, because you’ll know everything about Iso-Stasis twelve to back it up.”

  “I entered this as a journalist, and I have to keep that perspective. I still have that. You are absolutely right.”

  “Of course I am. I’m married to Jake, it’s a habit I picked up. Never admit you’re wrong even when you are.” She stepped to him. “Everything will be fine. Please don’t get depressed. Because, just like Jake and I did, you will beat them, too. But in your own way.”

  “Thank you.” Billy wrapped his arms around Cal.

  “Uh!” Rickie exclaimed. “Full frontal touching! I’m telling Sarge!”

  Stepping back from their hold, Cal and Billy laughed at Rickie.

  ^^^^

  Rickie’s rambling at the dinner table about the “sexcapades” that ensued while Jake was at work didn’t even faze Jake as much as the similar remainder of food left on Cal and Billy’s plates. Jake was so perturbed by what they left, that all he kept thinking was ‘waste’. Did he miss something? Was he not supposed to eat the browned edges of the roast beef, or the tips of the carrots? And as far as the salad went, he thought for sure the tomatoes, onions, and peppers were certainly placed in there for consumption. Jake thought perhaps that for his entire life, he had been trained to eat wrong. After all, his plate was the odd plate out since it was actually empty.

  “Something wrong?” Cal asked as she reached down for Jake’s plate. “Jake?”

  “Oh.” He shook his head. “Was I not supposed to eat the vegetables or the salad?”

  Cal snickered. “Sure you were.”

  “Then why in the fuck did you and Billy both leave them all in the bowl?”

  Billy hid his laughter. “Jake, you’re a little hostile about vegetables.”

  “No!” Jake blasted. “Waste. Cal?”

  “I don’t like them,” she answered.

  Billy shrugged. “Me neither.”

  Jake tossed his hands up. “Then why put them in?”

  “Jake.” Cal leaned down and kissed him. “They make it look pretty.”

  “Oh, of course.” He shook his head watching her clear the table. “A pretty salad is more important than a wasted one.”

  “Sarge.” Rickie returned from helping carry the plates in. “You’re not gonna get into that ‘people are starving story’ again, are you?” He sat down. “I have it on tape if you want to save your breath. I recorded you last year.”

  Jake’s mouth dropped open. “Why would you record me?”

  “Because, like, none of my friends believed you said that.”

  Jake grumbled at Rickie then faced Billy. “Bill, some time tonight I’d like for you and me to sit down and discuss the letter you got today. Let’s put our heads together, because I’m not buying them just stringing you along to keep your silence. I mean, times up, right? So why turn you down? They’re too ahead of the game. Something else is up.”

  “I don’t know what, Jake.” Billy tossed his hands up. “But I’d love to sit down and discuss it.”

  “Ah.” Rickie gave a sentimental moan. “This is really cool how there’s, like, no more tension between you and cyber-boy.”

  “Yes, Rickie.” Jake glared at him. “And you’ve tried with diligence to bring tension to this table tonight. Why is that?”

  “It’s fun.”

  “It didn’t work. And
why do you call him cyber-boy.”

  Rickie grinned. “Because last month while you were off swinging on a vine being Tarzan of the Jungle, a hot extramarital cyber-sex affair occurred between him and Cal.”

  Cal, who was sitting down, looked at Jake’s face.

  Irritated, Jake looked at Rickie. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Cyber-boy and Cal-babe hooked up nightly. Passed the time, Sarge. Cat’s away the mouse will play. Cool! Mouse. Computer. Get it?” Rickie laughed at own his joke.

  “No,” Jake said. “Cal?”

  “He’s lying to get you, Jake.”

  “I know that. What the hell is cyber-sex?” Jake asked, and shifted his eyes to Billy, Rickie, and Cal who snickered. “What?”

  “Jake.” Cal leaned into him. “It’s when you send a sexual message to someone and they . . .” She dropped her voice to a tiny whisper, “. . .masturbate while reading it.”

  “Oh Cal.” Jake sat back. “Oh, that’s your business. And that does not happen.”

  “Sarge, it does too,” Rickie spoke up. “I had some chick give me some written oral action over the waves, guy. Ten times in one night.”

  “Rickie!” Jake scolded.

  “Of course, it could have been more,” Rickie instigated, “If I had felt like reading that letter again. I kinda got wore out.”

  “Rickie!” Jake stood up. “This is not appropriate dinner table conversation. I need a beer.” He gave one more scolding look to Rickie and moved to the kitchen.

  Laughing, Billy shook his head at Rickie. “I cannot believe you have lived with him this long and you are not dead.”

  “Can’t die, dude.” Rickie tossed his hands up. “I’m a monster.”

  Again, Billy started to laugh, but saw the look in Cal’s eyes. “Am I missing something?”

  “Iso-Stasis Twelve.”

  Billy quickly looked back at Rickie. “Oh, shit.”