“We have enough supplies down here for a population of eight people to last quite some time,” said my father.
We walked toward the end of the floor, where we were met by a wall covered with a tarp.
“What’s behind there?” I asked.
My father stopped and contemplated whether he wanted to tell me or not. After a few brief moments, he removed the tarp, exposing a plethora of military equipment. I saw guns that were forbidden on campus. There were dart guns, helmets, research suits, wet suits, and a variation of weapons.
“I told your mother I would never show you these. They are very dangerous,” said my father. He seemed disappointed in himself.
“I know they are, papa. Believe me, I have seen plenty of video clips about the damage they can do. I don’t care to ever handle one. You know me, I’ll just stick to my Jiu jitsu. Your secret is safe with me,” I said as I covered the artillery with the tarp.
Both of us walked to the final area left to tour. It was so spacious down there! As I looked around, there were a few filing cabinets, chairs, and two large marker boards on the walls. The type of marker boards you saw in a lecture hall at a university. The first marker board had standard operating procedures written on them that were related to processing samples. The board next to it had a sketch of an aerial view of the entire campus of the Latin Research Resurgence.
“What is in the filing cabinets?” I asked.
“Just old paperwork and files of staff on campus. Some of the documents are of my own personal research that I have written that I have always wanted to remain private. But, never mind that. Come check this out sweetie.”
He grabbed one of the marker boards, sliding it upwards, exposing another marker board behind it, with a series of formulas and calculations on it. I stood puzzled, not knowing what to say. Then suddenly, my father slid the second marker board upwards exposing a small opening about the size of a house window.
Again, I stood puzzled. “What is it?” I asked curiously.
“It’s an escape route that actually leads to the jungle. It is a mile long and leads you right outside of the area, where I asked your mother to marry me. That small waterfall area, where we always have picnics. Do you remember?” asked my father.
“Yes, of course I do. That place is beautiful. Will you show me where it leads, papa?” I asked
My father looked at his watch, contemplating. “I have a lot of work to do, honey -- which reminds me, I am expecting a call from Dr. Gruver and forgot my phone on my desk upstairs. But...I’ll tell you what. If we make it quick, I will show you where it leads. Just let me grab my phone,” said my father as he made his way upstairs.
While I waited, I gazed at the entire room. Thoughts about having to actually use this room in times of war was terrifying. I couldn’t imagine. How terrifying it would be to have to live in hiding! It reminded me of history lessons or movies where families would hide from horrible armies that were attempting a mass genocide.
After a few brief moments, my father returned. “I had 10 missed calls, all from Dr. Gruver. Apparently, she has meetings with some of C.O.C.A. 's officials tomorrow, along with many of the surrounding provinces’ leaders. Apparently, she wants me to present a lecture at 11:00. She expects that there will be a full house at the Stockrahm Fieldhouse.
The press is scheduled to be here, along with other guests from the surrounding universities to hear whoever gives C.O.C.A. 's State of the Planet speech, whenever that may be. So, campus should be chaotic these next few days.”
“Are the people coming to see the skull?” I asked as we started walking towards the marker boards.
“The short answer is no. They will be here to record the State of the Planet speech and to ask any burning questions they have about the planet. I’m guessing they may ask about the skull. However, we won’t allow them to physically see the skull. I will have it locked and stored away. They will be able to see pictures, though. My lecture will be designed to inform the public about new discoveries and allow them the opportunity to ask any questions they would like,” said my father as he handed me a lantern.
“I am so nervous for you, papa,” I said as I used a small step ladder to follow my father into the marker board entrance.
The tunnel couldn’t have been taller than six feet and no wider than five feet. I could only tell because my father was crouched as he led the way down the metal tunnel. After a brief 15 minute walk we arrived at the end of the tunnel. My father slid open a small peep hole to see what was outside prior to opening the door.
“I like to always check outside first to see if there is perhaps some sort of predator out there. The last thing I want to do is to be eaten by a jaguar. Then I will enter the password. I made this password after your Grandmother Evelyn. Her birthday was on the eighth of May. E-E-0-5-0-8.”
BEEP!
The door unlocked and we hopped out of a very hidden doorway that was covered in fake moss and brush.
“Very clever, papa,” I said as I stood in amazement.
We didn’t spend a lot of time outside of the tunnel. It was a brief 5 minutes before my father insisted we get back to his lab, so he could prepare for his lecture.
“Well, sweetie, there you go. Don’t say I never showed you anything,” he said as he unlocked the door.
When we returned to the lab, we had a quick lunch upstairs. I decided to leave my father to his work, knowing that he had a busy couple of days ahead of him.
“I love you, papa, and thanks for showing me everything,” I said as I gave him a hug.
“You’re welcome sweetheart and give your mother a hug and kiss for me, please,” said my father as he walked me outside.
I jumped into the Tortuga and sped home. The rain fell lightly on the windshield, but not enough for me to use the wipers. I was still in awe of the lower level of my father’s lab and all the resources he had down there. As I inched closer to home, thoughts about our campus having visitors was exciting and for a brief second took my attention away from C.O.C.A. It was nice for a change to have people visiting for something exciting. Although, I was certain the entire campus would be walking on eggshells throughout the visits. I felt like the only time mass media was allowed on campus was to interview Dr. Gruver about unexpected deaths or storms or to nitpick flaws in our research.
When I arrived at the house, my mother was waiting patiently on the couch. “I am ready when you are, sweetie. How is your father doing?” asked my mother.
“Give me two minutes, mama. Hold that thought,” I said as I rushed to my bedroom to grab my swimsuit.
As I searched through my drawers looking for my favorite neon green swimsuit, the rumbling sound of thunder could be heard from outside my window. I quickly grabbed a beach towel and ran to the living room to meet my mother. She had the front door open and poked her head outside to check the weather conditions.
“Listening to the thunder, mama?” I asked.
My mother closed the door with a baffled look on her face, then she said, “That’s not thunder, honey. C.O.C.A.’s here.”
Chapter 17
C.O.C.A.’s Arrival
I stood frozen in the middle of the living room. My heart began to race, as my mother appeared to be just as surprised as I was. C.O.C.A. was finally here and the power they possessed was immediately felt. I couldn’t resist the urge to look outside the living room window. As I peeked through the curtains, I saw two strapping midnight blue CMS combat choppers in the center of the campus courtyard. I scanned the shiny choppers in an attempt to see how many of C.O.C.A. 's officials had arrived this afternoon. C.O.C.A. 's symbol was very noticeable on the side of the choppers, alerting everyone about their presence. The CMS choppers were unlike any we had on campus. They were equipped with extremely intimidating machine guns and missiles, all visible to the naked eye. They also usually housed small boats or ATVs inside the chopper.
“Do you still want to go for a swim, mama?” I asked as I slowly backed away from the curtains.
I gladly accepted my mother’s invitation to drive the Tortuga. She rarely ever allowed me to drive when we would leave the house together. On our way to the recreation center, I made sure to pass by the two massive combat choppers. They had to be three to four times the size of the chopper we used for our maintenance checks.
Exiting the first chopper were three gorgeous C.O.C.A. officials, who were met by Dr. Gruver. They exchanged greetings, all of them smiling from ear to ear.
As I parked the Tortuga in front of the recreation center, I could see more C.O.C.A. officials exiting the second CMS combat chopper; there had to be nearly a dozen of them.
“Pay them no mind, sweetheart, they aren’t here to hurt you,” said my mother as she lightly rubbed my back.
I exited the Tortuga, unable to keep my eyes off the C.O.C.A. officials. Even from this distance, everyone looked so attractive, not a thread of clothing out of place.
I knew by this time tomorrow; the courtyard would be filled with helicopters from many of the provinces and the rest of the world. As we entered the recreation center, there seemed to be only a handful of people inside the building. As I looked through the glass walls, I could see that mama and I would have the pool to ourselves.
We quickly changed into our swimsuits and began to swim laps, not wasting any time. My mother always pushed me to get the best out of my workouts and never take any shortcuts. After an hour of swimming and water aerobics, we decided that we would hurry home and make dinner together.
As we exited the recreational center, C.O.C.A. officials and Dr. Gruver were nowhere to be found. The two massive CMS choppers were still in the courtyard, their brute strength on display. Usually, when C.O.C.A. officials would arrive, Dr. Gruver and a handful of our employees would immediately meet at one of the conference rooms for dinner and discuss the state of the L.R.R.
As we jumped into the Tortuga, I glanced over at my father’s office and could see that his L.R.R. research vehicle was no longer there. I couldn’t imagine the amount of stress he was dealing with right now; I was nervous for him.
As we circled the courtyard, I could see my father's vehicle parked outside of our home. The vehicle was still running. My father met my mother and I outside of the house.
“Hey ladies, I am off to meet with Dr. Gruver and a handful of C.O.C.A. officials. Don’t expect me back for dinner; it may end up being a long night,” said my father as he quickly kissed my mother and I.
“Is everything okay, Craigio?” asked my mother.
My father stopped in his tracks, prior to entering his vehicle.
“Yeah, of course, honey. I just came back to the house to make sure I didn’t forget anything. We are just planning on discussing the state of the L.R.R. this afternoon, nothing crazy.”
My mother rolled her eyes, almost as if she could sense that my father wasn’t being completely truthful.
“Well, let me know if you need anything, Craigio,” said my mother.
My mother and I entered the house with our minds filled with endless questions.
I knew that sitting around watching movies wouldn’t take my mind off of C.O.C.A. I decided that I would pay Abdi a visit to see if he was open for training or drilling some jiu-jitsu techniques. I hadn’t trained since prior to our maintenance trip and really felt my mind could use the peace.
I informed my mother of my evening plans and grabbed my mouth guard. When I arrived at Abdi’s, he was already in his garage kneeling down doing yoga on the Jiu jitsu mats.
“Hey, Layka! Did you come to train?” Asked Abdi as he rose to his feet.
I gave Abdi a fist bump upon my arrival. “Hey Abdi, how's it going? I was hoping you were available today to maybe drill a few techniques. I still want to drill that GEO-RADILLO choke and maybe blow off some steam. With C.O.C.A. arriving, I just feel a bit uneasy and restless,” I said as I put in my mouth guard and bowed to the mat before walking onto it.
“Well, Layka, great minds think alike. I am experiencing the same thing. C.O.C.A. always seems to stress out everyone. I was actually going to see if you wanted to train but knew you hadn’t seen your mother in a while, so I didn’t want to intrude.”
We began to train and drill. Abdi’s insight both on and off the mat made me thankful that I had a Jiu jitsu professor like him. It broke my heart to think about his family being taken from him and that regardless of how many advances we had in science, none of them would ever bring back his family.
After what seemed like hours of drilling the GEO-RADILLO choke, Abdi ran into his house, returning with two protein shakes.
“Will you be at the State of the Planet speech or my father's lecture tomorrow, Abdi?” I asked as I drank my shake.
“I plan on it. I am so proud of him and thankful to be a part of his team. I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Abdi as he tried to hold back a smile.
I quickly thanked Abdi before leaving his house. The sun was starting to set as I raced home. My father's big day was getting closer by the minute and I just hoped everything between him and C.O.C.A. was going accordingly.
When I entered the house, I immediately ran to my bedroom to shower. The warm shower was the perfect way to end the night. I brushed my teeth and put on my favorite movie that was about some little boy, a bird and a wizard. Àna was lying on my bed as I left the bathroom. As my eyes grew heavy, I gave Àna a quick kiss before falling asleep.
Chapter 18
The Lecture
There was a buzz in the air. I woke up and immediately looked out my window. Dozens of different colored aircrafts could be seen hovering in the sky as visitors began to arrive. As each aircraft docked, their passengers were immediately met by many of the L.R.R. staff. The abundance of guests were provided breakfast and given tours of the campus. C.O.C.A. rarely allowed guests to stay the night unless they were directly involved with any of the research on campus; they didn’t want to be held liable for potential accidents or deaths. However, with the State of the Planet speech happening, I was sure the campus would accommodate.
My parents could be heard in the living room discussing something. I was almost certain it was tied to my father’s presentation he was giving later today. I quickly brushed my teeth and made my way to the living room. The smell of my mother’s blueberry pancakes filled the air. Father was already dressed in a three-piece suit ready to conquer the day.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” said my father.
“Good morning, papa. It looks like you’re going to have quite the audience today,” I said as I grabbed a plate.
My father nodded his head as he grabbed his coffee mug. “Your mother and I were just discussing that. We haven’t seen this many aircrafts on campus for at least 15 years,” said my father as he sipped his coffee.
My father backed away from the table, grabbed his messenger pack, and kissed my mother. “I suppose I should be going, ladies. I have a little bit of prepping yet to do in the next five hours and I’m obligated to be at the State of the Planet speech. Try to not get in the way of these choppers,” my father joked as he exited the house.
My mind was full of excitement and pride for my father. The pressure never seemed to be too much for him to handle. Every obstacle he encountered he already seemed to have an answer for.
I knew my mother and I wouldn't attend the State of the Planet speech. I used to always ask when I was younger why we never attended. My mother would always joke that she knows the state of the planet because she is partially responsible for the data they use during the presentation.
As I finished my breakfast, I began to wonder what I would wear to my father’s presentation. My mother had an entire closet full of nice clothes t
hat she was always willing to share. I usually like to have her help me pick out stuff to wear because she had a unique way of coordinating and complementing different articles of clothing.
My mother was already dressed for the day, wearing a blue pencil skirt, a white shirt with blue polka dots, high heels and a light scarf around her neck that matched her lip gloss. “You look gorgeous, mama,” I said.
“Thank you, sweetheart. Would you like help picking out an outfit or are you going to wear your pollera?” asked my mother as she began to clean the kitchen.
As much as I loved the way I looked in my pollera, I decided that I wanted to have my mother assist me with my clothing today. I figured it would be more of a bonding experience than anything and would allow us to spend some quality time together. “If you’re free, mama, and aren’t too busy, I wouldn’t mind having you help me out. I just think my pollera may be a little too much today,” I said.
My mother grabbed the last of the dishes and instructed me to go shower so she could assist me once I finished.
As I entered my bedroom and peeked outside my window again, the courtyard was full, and our guests appeared to be never ending. I quickly showered and met my mother in her bedroom. The next three hours flew by. We listened to music as my mother helped me get ready. The way she did my hair made me feel like I was some sort of fairytale princess. It made me never want to wash my hair again.
When it was all said and done, my mother had groomed me into a spitting image of herself. I found myself dressed in a similar pencil skirt, shirt, scarf, and similar accessories. I had to chuckle out loud because my lip gloss actually matched the scarf I was wearing. I thanked her as we prepared for our departure to the Stockrahm field house.
As we left the house, dozens of aircrafts were grounded in the courtyard. There weren’t as many guests touring the campus as there had been earlier in the day. However, some still were outside trying to find their way inside the field house. My mother and I did our best to help a few of the guests find their seats.
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