“We did that already,” Alex said. “There’s an aluminum tag broken off at the base, and a plastic one sanded clean.”
Max raised an eyebrow. “Indeed? Sanded? That’s odd. I’d like to see the tags…Barbara has a microscope in her warehouse room, among other things. She can examine them a lot closer than we can.”
Alex nodded, then turned to Yael and reached for the dog. She hesitated, but then held it out to him. Instead of taking it from her, Alex fished around its neck with his fingers and tried to unclasp the collar. The buckle broke as soon as he tugged on it, but that would do just as well. He handed it to Max.
The older man took it and nodded. “Thank you. Please bring the dog to Barbara tomorrow as well. She can take some blood and run some tests. Maybe we can learn something useful…and of course you can see if it’s in good health.”
“Will do,” Alex agreed. “Now what do you mean those lights just went out?”
“They blinked out,” Barbara said, walking up from the beach, where a group of people was still signaling for help with Alex’s flashlights. “One by one.”
“They could be anchored,” Alex suggested. “Maybe we can’t see their anchor lights from this far away.” He wanted to try the night vision device and see if maybe he could spot them, but he was too tired—he hadn’t recovered as much as he’d thought. Maybe tomorrow. “It could mean we’re near a major harbor. But that would be nuts, wouldn’t it? I mean how can this crazy place be near a major city? There would be boats, you know, little ones, pleasure boats. And…wait a minute. You’ve been here a few days, right? Have you seen any airplanes? Wherever we are, if it isn’t the poles, there should be airplanes.”
Max blinked, taken aback by the question. “Come to think of it, no, I haven’t seen any airplanes. No lights in the sky at night either, except the stars. Where the hell are we?”
“Hey!” Barbara said excitedly, noticing the animal. “You guys found a doggy! Can I pet him?”
“It’s a girl,” Yael said defensively, but offered the dog to Barbara. The older woman stroked it affectionately, and the dog lapped her hand when it could reach it.
“It’s adorable!” she said. “A little scruffy, but nothing a bath can’t fix. Where did you guys find it?”
“On the other side of the barrier,” Yael said. “Alex went across for it.”
“You crossed the barrier?” Max and Barbara said at almost the same time.
“No,” Alex said, raising his hands. “No, of course not. I got halfway through, and the dog came to me.”
“Was it affected?”
“It nearly died, so yes. But it got a lot farther from its starting point than I did, so maybe it was affected less. Or maybe it has more balls than I do, even though it’s a girl.”
“Interesting,” Barbara said, rubbing her chin. “That you were able to get so far in. How was it? I mean how do you feel?”
“I wouldn’t recommend it,” Alex said, smiling. “I have a high tolerance for things like that, I was able to stay in the gas room the longest in basic training. That’s when they put you in a room with CS riot gas and make you take your mask off. But if you’re wondering if someone can just run through, no. If I’d tried to go any further I wouldn’t have been able to get back out. I barely managed as is.”
“Interesting,” she repeated.
“Listen,” Alex said. “I’m exhausted, so if it’s all the same to you guys, I’m going to hit the sack. Just drop those flashlights off in the morning, okay?”
Max nodded.
Alex turned to go, then glanced at Yael. Still holding the dog, she followed. He waited until they were far from the others, then said, “Can you take care of it tonight? Going into that barrier twice in one day took more out of me than I thought. I’m beat.”
She nodded. “Of course. What should I feed it? Do you think it will eat the nutrient paste?”
“It’s a dog,” Alex said, smiling. “Dogs eat cat shit. It will eat the nutrient paste.”
She pursed her lips. “That’s disgusting.”
“Maybe you can get it a dehydrated steak from the warehouse,” he suggested.
She brightened. “Yes, I’ll do that.”
“Goodnight, Yael,” he said as they neared his cottage. “It was a pleasure not being yelled at by you today.”
“You’re such a…” she started. After a brief pause, she said, “Goodnight, Alex, and thank you, for getting the dog, and for…thank you.” She turned away and walked towards the warehouse.
As she disappeared into the night, he felt strangely alone.
Chapter 7
He woke to the sound of music, and for a moment, forgot where he was. How many days did he have left in this motel before his monthly four day leave was over? Was this his first morning? That made him happy, until he started to remember, but what replaced the happiness was not entirely dissimilar—a peculiar satisfaction. The bottom line was still the same. He didn’t have to go back to Ft. Irwin, back to the desert. At least not yet.
Sitting up, he noticed the laptop he had left on, the source of the music. He had spent a few minutes last night picking out a playlist before going to bed. He had also turned on the monitor and found a healthy selection of movies to choose from, presumably stored on some central server. Too tired to even think about watching anything, he had settled for the music, though he only got through one or two songs before falling asleep.
“Not a bad place to be trapped,” he said, rubbing his eyes. He made his way over to the bathroom compartment and relieved himself, then opened the mirror cabinet. Sure enough, it was full of toiletries: an electric shaver, deodorant, aftershave, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss and more.
Once he had attended to his morning hygiene, he pushed the green pad on the floor, right where Yael had said it would be, and checked on his uniform. It was done: clean and fresh as if it had come from the dry cleaner, though it was not pressed. The box of enzymatic cleaner, or whatever it was, was in the floor compartment next to the “laundry machine.” There was a logo on the box, the letter F in a circle. Alex wondered if there was some significance to that, but he was too groggy to focus.
Retrieving the uniform, he considered putting on civilian clothes, perhaps a t-shirt and some shorts, but decided against it, at least for now. This was a complicated situation, and with Max running around playing king, he needed to display a symbol of his own authority.
“Authority,” he grumbled. “Might makes right, eh?” He shook his head, wondering what the architects of this strange prison had been thinking when they set all of this up. Especially when they decided to leave him in charge of an arsenal. They were lucky he wasn’t blowing stuff up for shits and giggles. At least not yet. The day was young.
He enjoyed a plate of nutrient paste and a cup of water, though he wondered how long he would be able to eat the stuff before he got sick of it. After donning his uniform, he found a concealed carry holster and a couple of magazine pouches in the gear compartment under the bed. With the pistol out of sight under his shirt, he stepped out into a brightening day and locked the door behind him. The sun rose over the mountains, its beams creating irregular patches of daylight amidst the lingering gray of dawn.
There were lots of people up and about, though the layout of the complex was such that he could only spot a few at any given moment unless they were clustered as they had been at the camp fire. There were several things he knew he should do, such as familiarize himself with the place, inventory the equipment in the arms room and try to see what else he could discover. Not just in the complex itself, but in the warehouse and maybe even his own cabin. Yet he couldn’t quite get himself to consider any of those things with any enthusiasm. The army had taught him to never volunteer, to stay out of sight and enjoy what free time he had until someone ordered him to do something. There was no one here to give him orders, and it was proving hard to do anything productive.
“I’ll find Yael,” he muttered to himself. “She’
ll have no problem bossing me around.” Satisfied with that decision, he started walking, then realized he had no idea which cabin was hers.
“Balls,” he cursed, looking around stupidly, hoping to spot her. He noticed a man, probably in his thirties, leaning against the side of a cabin, and started towards him.
“Hi,” he said, trying his best to look friendly.
“Hello,” the man said, eyeing him cautiously as he noticed his uniform. “You’re a soldier?” He was just a bit shorter than Alex, which made him five eight or five nine, and on the thin side. He had a goatee surrounded by stubble that flowed almost seamlessly into short spiky hair.
“Yes,” Alex said. “You’re not going to ask me if I know anything, are you?” The process of explaining himself was growing tiresome.
“Didn’t plan on it. But I guess you must get that a lot.” He had a face that was at home wearing a smile, with well worn lines around the eyes and mouth as a result of wearing it often.
Alex nodded, satisfied. “Yeah, that’s all anyone seems to want from me. Anyway, I’m looking for Yael, have you seen her?”
“Don’t know who that is, sorry,” he said, shrugging apologetically. “Maybe if you describe her?”
“Sure. She’s about yay high,” Alex said, holding his hand up to the base of his nose. “She’s wearing…crap I don’t know what she’s wearing today, but probably a long skirt and white sneakers. She’s cute, with freckles and brown hair. Late teens, maybe early twenties. Seen her?”
“Sorry,” he said. “I just woke up yesterday afternoon, apparently I’m the last one. Don’t know what they drugged me with, but I’m guessing I don’t need to sleep for a year.”
“Are you the biochemist?”
“The…?” He seemed confused. “ Oh, yes. Sorry, I don’t really refer to myself as the biochemist, so…”
“What do you call yourself then?”
“Tom,” he said, smiling and extending his hand, which Alex took. “And you?”
“Alex.”
Tom laughed. “Look at us, exchanging pleasantries! We’ve been kidnapped, drugged and put on a bad reality show. We should be freaking out.”
“Some of us are,” Alex said, thinking of Yael. “But I kinda like it here.” As soon as he said it, he realized it was true, no longer just an idea to kick around in his head.
“Really? You like it here?” The question was accompanied by an incredulous but amused grin.
Alex shrugged. “Why not? It’s a tropical resort, for fuck’s sake. We’ve got food, luxury suites and a nice beach. No one tells us what to do, and there are girls.” And weapons, he added silently. He wouldn’t have liked being a prisoner, but as well armed as he was, it was hard to feel like one.
“How can you be so relaxed? Don’t you want to know who put us here? Why?” Tom seemed amused by Alex’s attitude, which Alex liked. A good sense of humor said a lot about a person.
“Sure,” he admitted. “I care as much as anyone, but until we figure it out there’s no sense in stressing over it. I’d much rather kick back and enjoy the break.”
“That’s one way of looking at it,” Tom admitted. “I suppose you’re no crazier than the ones locked in their rooms crying. But as for not being ordered around, you must be the only one so lucky. You’re the guy with the guns, right? Max mentioned you.”
“Max,” Alex grumbled. “He can’t seem to get over the fact that there’s something here he’s not in control of. Whoever brought us here picked a real gem of a leader.”
“So you believe him?” Tom asked, raising an eyebrow. “About being governor?”
Alex shrugged. “I dunno, I guess. He’s got that terminal thing that can open most of the doors, or so he says.”
Tom flashed him a strange grin. “I don’t see that as a problem.”
Alex was about to ask what he meant when he spotted Yael. She was following the dog, who was running around, sniffing things and peeing.
“That,” he said, pointing to her. “Is Yael, for future reference.”
“Gorgeous,” Tom said, nodding appreciatively. “You two an item?”
Alex felt a sudden pang of jealousy. “No, but...”
Tom turned to him and raised his hands defensively. “Hey man, it’s cool, don’t worry. You’ve staked your claim, I get it. Hasn’t been much time for that sort of thing, I guess.”
“It’s not like that,” Alex said. “I mean I haven’t really thought about it…”
“It’s cool, man. No need to explain.”
Alex smiled and shook his head. “You don’t sound much like a biochemist.” This was another person here he was starting to like, which made three so far.
Tom laughed. “Oh yeah? How many biochemists have you known?”
“None,” Alex admitted, chuckling in agreement. “Well, one now, I suppose.”
“Yeah. But I gotta tell you man, you’re in for a world of hurt with that one.” He nodded towards Yael. “If you do decide to go after her, that is.”
“Why do you say that?”
“The way she’s dressed, her name, put those together and it sounds like she’s an orthodox Jew. Or maybe conservative, which would make it somewhat easier.”
“So what?” Alex didn’t know there were different kinds of Jews, except of course for their version of the Amish with the black coats and weird hats, but then he had never cared much for religion or any of its particulars.
“So what? Are you kidding? Those people have more rules than the federal government. If you’re not Jewish, you’re lucky she even talks to you, except to exchange pleasantries. Though the fact that you’re even thinking about it impresses the hell out of me. Considering where we are and all.”
Alex was not convinced. Yael was a raging harpy, but other than that she seemed perfectly reasonable.
“We’ll see, I guess. Anyway, see you later, Tom. It was nice meeting you.”
“Same here, and good luck.”
“Thanks.”
Alex started walking towards Yael just as she turned a corner and disappeared behind one of the cabins. Deep in thought, he slowed his pace. His conversation with Tom had raised a lot of questions that he found both exciting and disturbing. For starters, why had he gotten so possessive? She hadn’t given him an indication that she was interested, and he hadn’t even considered the possibility that he was. Yet when Tom had evinced interest…
He almost bumped into her when he turned the corner.
“Hey!” she cried out, taking a step back. “Watch where you’re going, you clod!” Yep, a raging harpy alright.
“Morning, sunshine,” he said with a wide grin. She was wearing the same denim skirt and tennis shoes as the day before but with a white t-shirt. Her hair was tied back in a pony tail that exposed her slender neck and small ears that stood slightly too far forward. He found himself staring at her well defined collarbone.
“Morning,” she said, without much enthusiasm. “Blasted dog kept me up most of the night. Every time I moved it got up and whined.” The dog spotted him and came running, tail wagging excitedly. It reared up on his legs and he reached down and picked it up. Bringing it close to his face, he allowed the animal to lick him.
“Buyer’s remorse?” he asked, hoping she would say no. He would be disappointed if so small a thing would cause her to cast the dog out after the fuss she made.
“What?” she asked, momentarily confused. “Oh. No, of course not. She’s a great dog, very attentive. I’m just cranky.”
“You? Cranky? No!” He set the squirming canine on the ground and it ran several circles around him, yipped twice then ran off to find a spot to urinate.
“Stop being so sarcastic,” she said. “You don’t need to spend time with me if you don’t want to. You’re the one that keeps coming to find me, remember?”
He flinched, surprised at how much her words bothered him. Was Tom right about her?
“Fine,” he said, tight lipped. “I’ll leave you alone then, if that’s what
you want.” He turned and started back towards his cabin, feeling a lump forming in his throat.
“No, wait,” she said, her voice softening. “I’m sorry. It’s not what I want.”
He turned back, relieved and excited. So she did want him around after all!
“I’m just not feeling well,” she continued. “I haven’t eaten since we got here, and with the dog keeping me up…”
“Wait a sec,” he demanded, taking a step towards her. “You haven’t eaten? Why not? Don’t you know about the nutrient paste?”
She looked away, embarrassed. “Yes, but…it’s not…it’s not kosher. Or at least I don’t know if it is.”
He blinked. “You’re kidding, right?” Tom’s warning suddenly didn’t seem so farfetched.
“No,” she said, her voice uncharacteristically soft. “Why would I be? You…you know I’m Jewish, right?” She looked up at him again, uncertain, as though she wasn’t sure how he would react.
“Of course I know, but…I mean it’s crazy! Are you going to starve to death to be kosher?”
“No, of course I won’t starve, but…” She stomped her foot in frustration. “I don’t know how long we’ll be here, and I…” Her eyes started to tear up. “What if it’s some kind of test? What if we’re all…I’m just so scared.” Her body shook, and she raised her hands to her face and started to cry. “I just want to go home.”
He moved towards her hesitantly, but she didn’t push him away. Wrapping his arms around her, he put a hand on the back of her head and pressed it gently to his shoulder. She sobbed, her body shuddering against his, and he held her tightly, stroking her back.
“I’ll get you out of this, Yael,” he whispered. “All of you. I promise.” Even overcome by emotion as he was, he instantly regretted his words. He wanted to help her, but the relaxed innocence with which he had accepted this situation would not survive this. He had come to her looking for motivation, and he found it, though not in the way he had expected.
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