THE NEXT PHASE BEGINS
Comprehension of what is going on around you is vital. Do not for one second forget that. If you do, you will be just a pawn for the experiment, and that is exactly what they want.
--Excerpts from ‘Surviving the Stasis’
Written by Jake and Cal Graison
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Caldwell Research Center - Los Angeles, CA
March 28th - 8:45 a.m.
A massive bountiful breakfast buffet was set up on the long table on the meeting level in the control room for the two monitors, Caldwell workers, and anyone else who wanted to indulge, all courtesy of Aldo.
“Mr. Connilucci, sir.” A maintenance man approached him. “I have the cable television now all hooked up to your guest room.”
“Thanks, Chester.” Aldo smiled. “Grab some food.”
“Thank you, sir. I will.”
Douglass, who was picking at a croissant, shook his head with a snicker. “Making yourself at home?”
“Trying to. There’s only so many movies I can watch when everyone else is sleeping on that island.”
“And weren’t you one of the invertors that chuckled at Haynes’ suggestion that he guarantees that by mid experiment we will not leave the center?”
“Yeah, that’s me.” Aldo lifted a sausage link. “I pretty much should be immune from that anyhow. Christ, you know how much I was around the for the previous experiments. And this time, my daughter is old enough to sort of take care of herself.”
“True. And from what I’ve heard, you pretty much have your reasons for being here.”
“And Daniela. Don’t forget him. He’s been here daily.” Aldo pointed with his half eaten sausage. “Billy is his horse, and this pretty much affects him, too. Boy, I heard he broke a sweat when he found out Jake knew.” Aldo whistled. “He thought he was out. However, Billy’s still alive. Lonely, quiet, but alive.”
“How about Cal and Jake?”
Aldo looked at Douglass. “Lonely, quiet.”
“It’s kind of sad that the experiment went to these extremes. They never did that before.”
“They never had a married couple to mess with before. Besides, can’t put all the blame on them.” Aldo dipped his sausage in ketchup. “You can’t put all the blame on them. Billy and Cal had to start it. They had to. I watched the tape.” Aldo grinned.
“So, how long did it take for Jake to find out?”
“Not long. Immediately,” Aldo explained. “Surprised the shit out of Haynes. Fuckin asshole wanted to send pictures to Jake of Cal and Billy, but it backed fired. Now I wish he would send them.”
Douglass looked at him oddly. “Why?”
“Because if Jake gets them now, he’ll know the experiment took them. He’ll know the experiment had something to do with what happened between Cal and Billy, and Jake would hug and kiss Billy before he let the experiment get one up on him.”
“They already did. The ‘no one can get me’ man was gotten.”
Aldo raised his eyebrows in a semblance of agreement. “But let’s not forget, he doesn’t know this. I wish he’d find out and stop this.”
“Is he being mean to Cal? Downright . . . nasty?” Douglass asked with a dramatic face to match.
“Nope. Not at all. Quiet. He hasn’t spoken to her in six days.” Aldo shook his head. “I feel like a father watching his daughter’s problems from a distance, having the answers but unable to do anything about it.”
“And you should want to do something about it. You have the biggest investment in this. Okay.” Douglass let out a breath. “Update me. Caldwell’s telling me not much has happened while I was away. What’s the Aldo scoop?”
“You know the routine,” Aldo explained. “It’s pushing one month, so things are starting to move now. Besides the Jake, Cal, and Billy thing, they started on Lou two days ago.”
“What are they doing to him?”
“Come by tonight and you’ll see.” Aldo shrugged. “Not phasing him . . . yet. They have something up their sleeve for that Larry person, but what it is I don’t know. They said they have to wait. And they got something in the works on Paul, as well. Again, it remains to be seen. I keep getting that stock answer of ‘soon’.” Aldo reached for some more sausage. “As for Judge, things are slowly increasing. Rickie hasn’t told Judge yet that his granddaughter has died, and he gave him two bogus medical updates.”
“Last but not least, you have to break it to me . . . my guy.”
“Reed?” Aldo started to laugh. “Well, he got the sight back in his left eye. His hair still hasn’t grown, um . . . the ear is looking good. Since losing that part of his tongue . . .” Aldo shook his head. “It’s actually funny to hear him. Rickie understands him. What else . . . um . . .”
“What else?” Douglass’ eyes widened. “Oh my God.”
“Not that bad. A pig got his . . . little . . .” Aldo had to laugh. “Piggy . But it didn’t affect his walking. Jake sewed it up for him. The burn healed, and that’s it. No, wait.” Aldo saw Douglass cringe. “Rickie stole his nipple cream.”
Douglass covered his eyes. “I’m done. I’m done.”
“Nah.” Aldo patted him on the back. “Want to know something? It’s pitiful, but I think this guy’s gonna make it. Anyone who can have that many accidents is tough. He may beg to be shot like a dog, but other than that, you have to admit, it’s been funny.”
Douglass bobbed his head as he returned to eating his croissant. “I’ve paid more for less entertaining things.”
“That’s the spirit.” Aldo gave him a pat to his back. “Let’s go watch the players.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
I-S.E. Thirteen - The Island
March 28th - 9:10 a.m.
He couldn’t go near her, not within a hundred feet. Not yet. Out of his respect for Cal and Jake and their marriage, Billy could only stay away until he knew that it was all right again. All right to just say hello. Like he did every day, he took pictures he watched her from a distance working out. And as he did at that moment, sitting on his porch with his lap top, occasionally glancing up at Cal who just sat in the unity circle. His heart really ached for her. Cal looked so sad, lost, alone. And Billy knew exactly how she felt. He felt the same way. As he watched her, he wanted so badly to just walk up to her, take her tightly in his arms, and tell her that everything would work out, it would be fine. Above it all, Cal was his friend, a friend that he took very seriously and whose friendship had developed for over three years. And more so than anything in the world, more than being a lover, it meant everything to Billy just being Cal’s friend.
^^^^
It was barely nine-thirty and Cal couldn’t take the sun any longer. Even sitting in the unity circle, shade of the trees cast upon her, it was too hot. She thought about going to Rickie’s place, but like his room at home, it was too messy. And even though Cal wasn’t the neat freak Jake was, even Rickie’s domain was too unnerving for her. Weighing her choices of staying outside, going to the dining area or rec room and running into Larry, or just going into her bungalow, Cal decided to go back to her place. She dreaded going into her bungalow at that moment because she knew Jake was in there. It wasn’t Jake she dreaded, it was the silence. No words. Not a good morning, goodnight, or hello had been spoken to her since he told her he wanted her out of his life. He wasn’t mean, nor did Jake look at her in that way. Brief eye contact with Cal and a nod was what he did, acknowledging her presence as if passing a mere acquaintance. And Cal had stopped speaking to him three days earlier when she realized a vocal response to anything she said was just not going to happen.
Still, she hoped. Every single time she knew she was going to see him, she hoped. Hoped that moment was the one he finally said hi. And like all the other moments she had seen Jake over that past six days, when she walked in the bungalow, there was nothing different.
She slowed in her walk after closing the door, looking at Jake who stood by the bed with his open small
arsenal bag. Jake looked up then back to what he was doing. He retrieved what he needed from the bag, and did what he always did, left the room.
A part of Cal felt it wasn’t anger that caused Jake’s behavior. She knew Jake better than anyone. Jake let go of his anger fast. To Cal, it was also more than just his hurt. Jake, for the first time in over three years, had absolutely nothing to say to her. And when Jake had nothing to say, Jake didn’t talk. A part of Cal was seeing a different man than she had grown accustomed to, the man that used to be the loner, never speaking unless spoken to. But a part of her was seeing the same man, the man who, once he made up his mind, didn’t change it. And it was evident that Jake had made up his mind not to have anything to do with Cal ever again.
^^^^
His name was Reggie, but to all those who lived, worked, and dwelled in the Caldwell Controllers building, Dr. Reginald Hawthorn was called . . . Ollie. A heavy set man, but firm. He hardly smiled, and was a little older than everyone else. He wore glasses and he was pompous, but those weren’t the reasons they called him Ollie. It was more of a silly reason. He worked side by side with thin Stan. He was second in command on the island under Stan, a man who looked more like a research assistant rather than the man who finally earned his scientific doctrine one year earlier.
Sitting and preparing syringes in one of the lower labs, Ollie heard the familiar sound he had grown used to, the sounds that happened everyday at that time. A slight Stan shriek followed by the pounding of running footsteps on wooded stairs. And the grand finale, a heavy breath, a slam of the door, and a few sequential pounds that faded.
Ollie looked up. “Hungry again?”
Stan wiped his forehead as he leaned against the door. “You can say that. Hey, Ollie, how about calling Haynes for . . .”
“Nope.”
“Come on.”
“Nope. I have injection therapy to prepare.”
“It’ll take a second,” Stan said persuading. “I am so tired of hearing ‘not yet’ from him. Please, we have to know when this will stop.”
Ollie laid down the syringe. “I’ll make this one phone call for you. However, you have to do the injection therapy when it becomes addicting for the Catch.”
“I have no problem with that,” Stan said. “However, you’re the medical doctor. What if there’s a medical emergency and he dies?”
“Stan, at that stage . . . he’ll come back.”
“Ha, ha, ha. You’re the funny guy.” Stan shook his head and flipped off Ollie. “Forget it. I’ll call the guy myself.”
“Scared?” Ollie asked as Stan moved to the door. “Scared of The Catch?”
“Hell yeah,” Stan replied. “I saw what The Catch did to the controllers at the last experiment. You did not. So . . . I’d rather call Greg, it’s less deadly. See ya’.”
Ollie picked up the syringe and stared at it. He realized at that moment he was missing a vital piece of information that he should have had prior to taking on the new research position. The information regarding what happened to the last controllers, because someone conveniently left that out.
^^^^
Rickie’s lips formed a circle as if by doing that, he could do it for Reed. He sat on Reed’s porch watching him with a beckoning look. “Come on, guy, you can do it. You can . . .” Rickie gave a thumbs up to Reed who sucked from a straw, despite the fact that half the liquid that went into his mouth flowed right back out the corners of his lips. “Dude, you’re getting it.”
“Uh tie. Uh ill et it oon.”
“Yes you will. Real soon.” Rickie saw Billy from his peripheral vision, like he always did, hesitantly heading their way. “Hey look, guy. Look who’s coming to chitter.”
Reed looked and cringed. “Uh oh ike im. Ohm eh-er.”
“Dude, be nice. He’s not a home wrecker guy. If you act all mean I won’t interpret the Reed lingo.”
“Ah eye. Uh ill E ice.”
“Cool.” Rickie smiled when Billy walked up. “Hey, guy, bored?”
“Nah.” Billy shook his head and sat on the porch. “Needed company. And why is Reed giving me those dirty looks again?”
“Guy!” Rickie warned. “What did I tell you. Next time the bacon-to-be’s lock onto your scent, I’m not getting Jake or Cal.”
“Ah eye.” Reed shook his head.
“Cool.” Rickie told Reed. “And like, why don’t you go and rub some of that sun screen on your head. Your dome is Crispin.”
Reed reached his fingers up to his bald head and touched. “Ow. Eye ill E ack.”
Billy snickered as Reed stood up and went inside. “Rickie, really. You don’t need to get defensive on my part, I . . I don’t deserve it.”
“Dude, even though you did my mom while she’s with my dad, I still like you. And the Rickie-Meister is in deep mental brain process over this whole thing. And I’m gonna be as persistent as Shaggy in Scooby-Doo.”
“There’s no mystery here, Rickie. We all know what happened.” Billy lowered his head almost in shame.
“Yeah, but guy, it doesn’t make sense. It’s like when you open up a can of Dinosaurs and meatballs, and you’re chompin’, chompin, and like WHOA! Hey there’s Waldo. And, like, you pull a Waldo macaroni from the sauce. Same family of lunch products, wrong can. So it’s like, you know, Waldo isn’t supposed to be there, but he’s there. And right now I’m still wondering if that clever little ugly dude in the red and white shirt snuck right in there on his own because he wanted a little prehistoric action . . .” Rickie winked. “Or if, like, someone was trying to pull the wool over all the pasta lovers’ eyes and put him there. Of course, that’s rather mean huh?”
Billy thought Rickie was making sense at first. “What are you talking about?”
“Putting Waldo in the dinosaur pasta. Like, what about the guy searching for Waldo. And you know what?” Rickie snapped his finger “It’s, like, no wonder I couldn’t find him that one time. I looked and looked. Sarge was like, ‘Rickie, you ate the goddamn Waldo, now knock it off’ but I was like, no way. Someone took him. Wait . . .” Rickie scratched his head. “I really got off the subject, didn’t I?”
“Kind of.” Billy looked up at Reed’s door. “Rickie, before your lingual-less buddy comes out, I wanted to know how Cal is.”
“Doing. Still not talking to her?” Rickie asked.
“Not yet. I . . . I can’t.” Billy looked sad. “I wish with my heart I could just let her know I’m here as a friend. Or that I’m just thinking about her. I know she’s going through a rough time because of me and I’m just really worried. Could you, and I know this is asking a lot, but could you just tell her that?”
“What?”
“What I just told you.”
“Dude, that’s, like, way too much. I always mess up when someone gives me way too much to say. Tell her yourself.”
Billy chuckled. “Right. I can’t talk to her.”
“So come up with a way to tell her. You’re a writer guy. You’re supposed to think of stuff.”
“Well, this writer is blocked on this. Got any ideas on how . . .” Billy saw Reed coming out. “We’ll finish later.”
Rickie winked at Billy and shook his head holding up a ‘just wait’ finger. He turned to a happier looking Reed. “Guy, I see some shimmering happening on the dome. Applied that sun . . . UH! Pig!” Rickie pointed outward causing Reed to jump up, shriek loudly, and run back into his bungalow. Rickie laughed for a second, then stopped. “He’s gone. Okay, where were we?”
Billy closed his eyes not wanting to laugh, and he shook his head with a smile and buried his face in his hands.
^^^^
Judge thought he was immune to it walking outdoors on the path, but he wasn’t. Besides being rough and holding a hint of ignorance to the tone, the male voice was familiar as it called out from the trees to him.
“Lookin’ foe me, Judge?” The man asked. “I no longer where you be sending me. Ain’t that right?”
Judge closed his eyes, tellin
g himself over and over, ‘there was no way’.
“I closer than you thank.”
Slowly, Judge turned around and started walking. The voice, the ruffling leaves. It had to be his imagination. It had to be.
“Oh, you better be scared. You jus’ better be. What was it that you said? ‘Fear not of thy maker for he shall judge thee more than we. And it is society’s gain that your soul meet your maker early for your transfer to damnation?’ Yeah, Judge, I remember those words. Do you?”
The voice seemed to follow Judge, staying close no matter how quickly he moved. Louder and louder the voice grew, causing Judge’s heart to pound, his head to spin, and his limping walk to weaken as he picked up his pace.
“It’s not time yet. But when it is, I be sending you there ahead for my directions.” The male voice started laughing, and soon it multiplied, one voice, two, three then four.
Judge huffed and ran, finding himself frantic and off the path. He looked back to the laughter and the chanting hooting voices calling his name over and over, male voices meshed together, echoing with a painful and deafening reverberation in his ears. And in his desperate run, his leg that did not move well got caught up on a branch that he tried to step over, and Judge fell face first to the ground, smashing his glasses into his face. The voice and laughter stopped. Silence. Feeling the blood flowing from the corner of his eye, Judge let out a single, frightened exhale, and shaking, just laid there scared to death to move.
^^^^
“Sarge!” Rickie called out across the dining room with excitement, darting from where he and Lou helped Reed to sit.
“Hey Rickie.” Jake gave a quick smile.
“Sarge, like, guess what? Me and the Lou-ster didn’t cook tonight. Cal did.”
Amoeba (The Experiments) Page 34