Amoeba (The Experiments)

by Jacqueline Druga

  He clenched his fist tightly and smiled at Barb. “Almost like a Rambo meets Rocky II moment, huh?”

  “Kind of,” Barb agreed.

  Aldo felt the hand touch his back. He looked up to see Greg walking by.

  Greg looked up to see Cal sitting up in bed, Billy beside her. “Just wanted to let you know, Aldo, I moved out the equipment to check on her. Our controllers should have it shortly.”

  “What equipment?” Aldo asked.

  “Well for starters, the portable ultrasound machine along with medications that are not up there.”

  “Ultrasound?” Aldo said with wonder to his voice. “She miscarried.”

  “I know.” Greg’s head dropped. “But there are complications that occur with miscarriage. For example, if she doesn’t dilate enough to expel, she could get very ill, possibly die. I’m sending Ollie down to perform the test and render treatment thereafter.”

  Aldo was confused. “Rule thirty-nine, Dr. Haynes. Rely on the resources left to you. Why are you stepping in on this?”

  “Compassion.”

  “Try again.”

  Greg shrugged. “I don’t know what else to tell you. This was not supposed to happen. It was not.”

  “Not? You gave my girl a fertility drug and she did a loaded newsman. What did you expect?”

  “Not the pregnancy. We didn’t strive for that. All part of the plan. The miscarriage was not on the agenda. And seeing how the pregnancy was . . . well, a bit of our doing, we just want to make sure our doing, which isn’t consistent with normal Iso-Stasis guidelines, doesn’t kill her.”

  “I bet one big reason is money.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “This so-called clinic that provided you with the drug to research, they funded you. If something goes wrong, or something doesn’t take, they need full results. You don’t want to risk losing the funding, paying it back, or future investments. The results have to be reported to the fertility and sexuality clinic. Don’t they?” Aldo probed.

  “Yes.”

  “So you’re basically following through with the research.” Aldo grumbled. “You also probably have a full agenda planned for Cal and Jake, and you just want to make sure she’s well enough to handle it.”

  Greg folded his arms and peered over his shoulder at Aldo. “That, too.”

  I-S.E. Thirteen - The Island

  May 3rd - 4:00 p.m.

  “Jake.”

  Jake looked up from where he squatted when he heard Lou call his name. He saw Lou trotting to him. “Anything?”

  “No. Even that Stan guy came out to the gate. He said they haven’t a clue where they went off to because they lost the tracking implantation.”

  Jake’s fingers, covered in blood, lifted a tiny black square. “Well, I think we found them.” Jake tossed it, stood up, and shook his head. “Now where the hell are their owners?”

  “It’s a big island. Any idea where we start?”

  Jake placed his hands on his hips. “My guess is that they aren’t too far. And they aren’t going to travel too far from any resources. They’re confident, but bet me they’re lazy. They aren’t going to want to rely on the island’s resources until they have taken ours. They’re close, and we’ll find them.” Adjusting his weapon, Jake looked at the ground and to the direction where a few blood-smeared footprints were. Without saying anything more, Jake followed in that direction.

  ^^^^

  The sounds of Cal’s dry heaving went though Billy in a near gut wrenching way. He stood behind her, holding onto her as Cal leaned over the commode, giving her the strength she needed to stand because her bruised legs were so weak. One hand braced her back and Billy’s eyes closed. Cal’s red face and violent shaking were more than just her attempt to bring forth from her stomach something that was not there, they were just more things added to the suffering Cal was already going through.

  “I’m so sick.” Cal’s words were breathy as she tried to stand up, but didn’t make it. She lunged herself back over the toilet, releasing the noises of her pointless efforts.

  “It’s okay, Cal.” Billy spoke with compassion. “It’ll stop. I promise it will stop.” Still holding Cal, he reached over to the sink, turning on the faucet and letting the cool water run onto the cloth that lay in there. He reached in, squeezed the cloth, and brought it to Cal’s face as she stood straight. “Wanna try to get back to bed?”

  Cal nodded.

  “Let me carry you.” Billy didn’t get an argument from Cal who was usually so strong. She just about flopped into his arms when he lifted her, her head falling to his shoulder. Billy laid her down, bringing the covers over Cal who had fallen asleep before he made it the short distance to the bed. He knew the episode would repeat again when he woke her, per Jake’s instructions, just to get a reaction from her.

  Billy was at a loss. He just didn’t know what to do. Running his fingers gently over her face to remove her hair, his eyes saw the huge bruise on her arm. It was deep in color like the one on the side of Cal’s head by her temple, the head injury that Jake had forewarned Billy would cause what he had just witnessed. Cal would get ill, violently ill. Her head would probably pound worse than any headache she ever had experienced, and Jake even told Billy not to get too concerned if Cal became lethargic.

  But even though Jake carefully explained to Billy all that Cal would endure, it didn’t help. Being told ahead of time didn’t ease the pain that Billy felt when he witnessed Cal going through it. Billy had no medical knowledge. All he could do was follow Jake’s instructions and give Cal the best compassionate care he could.

  He sat down by her bedside again, staring at Cal, praying that she would get through this. Holding her hand, wiping her off, and wanting nothing more than just to hold her. And though Billy was so scared to be alone with her, so scared he would do something wrong, he was grateful that he was entrusted to do so. Because it gave Billy a chance to silently and alone deal with something else that ate away at him, hurt him. Besides the torture and pain inflicted on the woman he loved, his best friend, Billy had to deal with the grief over losing the baby. And despite the bad circumstances of the baby’s conception, it was a baby, like Cal and Jake, that he had truly with all his heart wanted to have.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  I-S.E. Thirteen - The Island

  May 4th - 6:10 a.m.

  Lou watched as Jake squatted by what looked like a burned out campfire in the very early morning. Tiny pieces of paper scattered about, along with a napkin and a sardine can. “So, uh, Jake, I guess there goes your theory that they’re staying close to the bungalows.”

  “We’re really not that far.” Jake rested his elbows on his knees staring around. “But how long can their supplies hold up? They killed for money. They aren’t going to kill their dinner. Trust me.”

  “So they’ll use up what they have and come after us.”

  “If they have anything, they’ll never use up what they have. I won’t allow them that time.”

  “Jake, if you’re so sure . . .” Lou saw Jake glare at him. “Not that I’m questioning your means, mind you. But if you’re so sure they’ll come back to camp, why don’t you wait for them there?”

  “They’re animals. I wanna take them out. I don’t want them anywhere near my wife.” Just as Jake stood, he stopped. Stepping over the burned out fire, Jake reached down to the ground to a dried bloody cloth.

  “What is it?” Lou asked.

  “One of their bandages.” Jake examined it.

  “Jake, should you be touching that?”

  Jake brought the cloth to his nose and sniffed. Lou cringed with a sideways toss of his head. “Gangrene.” Jake tossed the bandage. “At least one of them will be slowing up soon. They’ll have to stop sooner or later.” Jake began to walk. “Let’s go.”

  Lou followed. He looked back at the bandage Jake had thrown. “You know, that was really gross.”

  Caldwell Research Center - Los Angeles, CA

  May 4th
- 7:00 a.m.

  “I take it you put everything in order?” Greg asked as he spoke to the speaker phone while slicing his French toast.

  “Yeah,” Stan answered. “I spent all night learning that stupid machine.”

  “How difficult can it be, Stan. You’re a scientist.” Greg reached across the small table in his office for the syrup.

  “Not too. But I still haven’t a clue what I’m looking at. I did some wonderful shots of Ollie’s pancreas. Did you get them?”

  “Over dinner, yes.” Greg took a bite of his food. “What about the medication and instructions?”

  “We sent it down with Rickie,” Stan told him. “Hopefully it helped. We’ll be checking on her here real soon.”

  “We?” Greg questioned.

  “Ollie and I. Porter will be left in charge. Not much should happen while we’re gone.”

  “Make sure you charge the fences,” Greg instructed while reaching for his coffee. “With those four animals running about, we can’t take a chance with you guys.”

  “Three,” Stan corrected.

  “Three?”

  “Rickie went, well, monster on one.”

  Greg smiled. “Excellent. Okay, let me know when your examination results about Cal are complete. Don’t send me anything half ass, okay? And, um, then get started on that other project I sent you.”

  “And what was up with that?” Stan asked with attitude

  “Part of the next phase,” Greg said.

  “Did we need them?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean why?”

  “Don’t you think . . .” Stan snickered in disbelief. “We have enough.”

  “No,” Greg said in a short tone of voice. “Start the procedures.”

  “Can I ask a question without you pressing that little hang up button on me?”

  Greg rolled his eyes. He knew it was going to be good. “Go on. But no guarantees.”

  “Where . . . where do you get these people from?” Stan asked.

  “Ads in the paper. It is amazing what people will do, what products or pharmaceuticals they will test, for money. It’s been happening with many companies for years.”

  “Won’t they be missed?”

  “Nah.” Greg shook his head while eating. “They’re homeless.”

  Stan’s gasp rang over the speaker phone. “Isn’t that a little inhumane? You are very inhumane.”

  “Stan.”

  “Yeah.”

  Greg set down his fork and folded his hands. “How long have you worked for Caldwell.”

  “Eleven years.”

  “Wanna see twelve?” With a point of his finger and a press of a button the clicking sound signified Greg’s disconnecting of the call and he returned to enjoying his breakfast.

  I-S.E. Thirteen - The Island

  May 4th - 8:20 a.m.

  It was quiet, no noise, nor did there sound like there was any movement in the shower. Perhaps it hadn’t been as long as Billy thought, but it was long enough that he became paranoid. “Cal?” He called out to her as he stood with his back facing the shower doors. “You all right?”

  “Yeah,” she answered softly “Almost done. Do you have my robe there?”

  “Yes.” Billy looked at the white robe hanging on the bathroom door. He heard the squeak of the water shutting off, and he grabbed the towel. Still gentleman-like, he opened the shower door without looking and handed her the towel.

  “Thank you.” There was a pause and then Cal spoke again. “I can’t bend over to put the towel on my head. I’m too dizzy still.”

  “I’ll help you. Come on out.” Billy grabbed her robe and held it open at the shower door for when Cal slid it open. She slipped into it, bringing it closed and tying it. Billy took hold of her arm and helped her step from the tub.

  “Thanks. I’m sorry.”

  “This is not a problem, Cal. Quit apologizing.” He grabbed the towel placing it over her head, and he began to gently blot her hair dry.

  “Not much left, huh?” Cal asked with some sadness.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “My hair.”

  “I like it shorter. It’s kind of . . .” Billy leaned his head over her shoulder adding a feminine lisp to his voice. “Sassy.”

  Cal smiled. “I love when you act that way for me.” She turned around and faced him. “It makes me laugh.”

  “Your laughter almost got us busted when you helped me do that investigative piece.”

  “I couldn’t help it. I did play a great boyfriend to you, though.”

  “To me . . .” Billy reached for the door. “You were still too pretty to pull it off.”

  Cal shook her head moving slowly. “I should have looked like I do now.”

  “What? Are you kidding?” Billy opened the door helping her out. “You’re still too pretty to pull it off, bruises or no bruises.”

  Just as Cal was about to say something, she stopped walking when she was surprised to see Rickie standing there.

  “Cal-babe, you’re looking good this morning.” Rickie kissed her on the cheek. “And does, like, the Sarge know you guys are showering together?”

  “No.” Cal tightened her robe. “But I’m sure you’ll tell him.” She shifted her eyes to see Stan and Ollie in the room. “Rickie?”

  “Oh, yeah. You got company.” Rickie pointed to them. “They’re, like, here to check you out.”

  Ollie stepped forward. “How are you feeling Cal?”

  “Sore.” Cal sat on the bed. “Sick to my stomach.”

  “That’s the concussion. And that concussion probably explains why you told Rickie you don’t remember too much.”

  “I don’t. Bits and pieces. Is that normal?”

  “Very. And so is the nausea. Have you eaten anything today?” Ollie asked.

  “No. Not yet.” Cal shook her head.

  Ollie looked to Billy. “Why don’t you go and get her something. Stan and I would like to check out Cal.”

  Billy glanced at Cal. “Will you be all right?”

  “I’ll be fine.” Cal nodded then peered up at Ollie. “But really. You don’t have to check me out.”

  “It’s your choice,” Ollie said. “But . . . Rickie explained to us that you’ve had some complications with the pregnancy. It’s best we make sure there are no problems that could arise. That, as you know, can easily happen when you’re body spontaneously aborts.”

  Cal’s head dropped at about the same time Billy’s heart sunk when he heard those words. Their generated feelings swarmed around the room causing an immediate sadness.

  Ollie closed his mouth tightly, turning his head to Stan and nodding. Stan carried a small machine that looked as if it was a struggle for him to lift. He placed it on the night stand.

  “Dude.” Rickie reached out pulling at a staring Billy. “Let’s, uh, let’s let them do their thing.”

  Billy slowly nodded his head, gave a sad smile to Cal, lifted his hand in a wave, and walked out hearing as he did Ollie explaining to Cal about the ultrasound.

  “Guy, like, you want to wait here and I’ll go fix Cal babe something, or do you want to come?” Rickie asked as they stood on the porch.

  Billy heard what Rickie said, but being so deep in thought, there was a delay before the words registered. “Um . . . huh . . .” Billy squinted at Rickie. “I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “Would you mind running to get her something?”

  “No, not at all.” Rickie stepped off the porch. “Be right back.”

  “Something easy. Tea and toast.”

  “Got it.”

  Billy thought he heard Rickie call him an asshole as he lowered down in his daze to sit, but since he couldn’t figure out why Rickie would do that, Billy again chalked it up to his half listening until he saw Larry approaching.

  “How’s Cal?” Larry asked.

  Billy raised his head. “Why do you care?”

  “I’m deeply concerned.” Larry l
ooked nervous. Edgy.

  “Talk a walk,” Billy said as he folded his hands. “You haven’t even a right to be here.”

  “Look.” Larry took on an edge. “I don’t know what she said to you, but I had nothing to do with this. Nothing.” His hand cut through the air as he spoke.

  Billy curled his lip. “I think we know that, asshole. I’m saying that you’ve caused enough problems for her and she doesn’t need to even know you’re out here.”

  “Yeah.” Larry backed up. “Um . . . you’re right. You’re right. I’ll go.” He turned to walk away, took one more look at Cal’s bungalow, then continued to walk.

  Billy never claimed to be a rocket scientist, but he knew at that moment he didn’t have to be one to know that something more was up with Larry other than the ‘deep concern’ he claimed to have. And Billy knew if his own mind wasn’t so slow and fogged with what was going on, he probably would have further investigated that gut feeling he picked up from Larry’s behavior. And he would. But at that moment, all Billy could do and all he wanted to do was think about Cal and what was going on in the bungalow.

  ^^^^

  “Still on the right track?” Lou yelled in question to Jake.

  “Yeah. I’m starting to believe they’re hiding out, or searching for a good place to hide out.”

  “I would, especially after what happened. Judge said they patterned their attacks a few days apart.” Lou gave a slight shudder then jolt as he pulled up his zipper. He bent down, grabbing his rifle and small sack and lifted them. Seeing Jake off about ten yards to the right, Lou raised his head in a call to him. “Find something?”

  Jake tossed the long stick he had been poking at the ground and looked back at Lou. “Yep, they were here. One of them was. Momentarily.”

  “Oh, yeah? You’re the man, Jake. You know this for sure?” Lou tossed his things over his shoulder.

  “Yep.” Jake flashed a quick smile. “Let’s head down toward the canyon again.”

  “Any particular reason?”