by Zara Zenia
The other soldiers murmured to each other. I wondered if they ever felt suspicious about what we were doing here.
“You have nothing to worry about,” the doctor said quickly. His speech quickened as he got more excited. “His death was most likely due to a preexisting condition. This has nothing to do with the tests. He was a very sick man.”
Lies. I knew Lenny. I would have noticed if he was truly “very sick”.
The group of soldiers shuffled off to their rooms, probably so they could discuss this recent development away from the government officials.
I got up too, but instead of walking down the hallway, I stayed back and hid behind the door.
“What happened?” an employee whispered once the room was clear.
“We figured out how to cut him open!” the doctor said. The excitement in his voice was evident. “He died the instant we opened him and there was nothing we could do, but this is such a big step in our research!”
“Don’t you want to rebuild them to be stronger in combat? Why is this a good thing?”
“We need to have a fallback in case they decide to rebel against us. We can’t have people like them out in the real world. Also, once other countries work out this technology, we’ll have to have a way to stop them. This is a step in the right direction. We made them too smart for their own good. They still have too much free will. We’re working on complete compliance and loyalty.”
“Congratulations,” the employee said, patting the doctor on the back.
“Thank you. Now that we have the technology to open them, we will be increasing our testing. I just hope we manage to keep a handful of these guys alive or else we won’t have enough test subjects,” he laughed.
I went back to my bunk and tried to brace myself. Lenny was right. We were in danger here. The people who had saved my life were now joking about keeping us alive for their use. How could I escape without him? He put the plan into place. I was just following his orders.
I had to go through with the plan. If not, I could end up like Lenny. The Organization didn’t care about us. We were just their pawns for researching how to build a super soldier. They coached us through our eventual return to the army, but it was all to keep us satiated until they had the chance to slice us open for research.
When the coast was clear, I stuffed my uniform under my sheets and put on a pair of dark jeans and a black shirt. I crept to the back door and slowly pushed it open. It was unlocked, just as Lenny predicted. I easily scaled the tall fence in the yard. The guards were here to protect the research, not the patients, so there was a good chance no one would see me.
I nearly yelled out when I saw a man in black pants, a black shirt, and a black ski mask over his face.
“Shut up,” he hissed. “You’ll get us both caught.”
“Green is dead,” I said hoarsely.
“Shame,” he said coldly and handed me a small backpack. “Here is your new identification, money, and some sustenance to hold you over until you reach civilization. You’re about twenty-five miles away from the nearest road. The grass is pretty tall, so you can use it for cover, if needed.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
“Never mind that, we need to leave now. Head north. And whatever you do, don’t get caught.”
“What happens if I get caught?”
“Not my problem.”
Before I could ask any more questions, he was running away into the night. I opened my bag to look at my new identification card. To meet the new me.
There was a birth certificate and driver’s license in an envelope. I was surprised to see that it said Elijah. I had assumed that I would get a fake name. Lenny assured me that these IDs would be legitimate. I repeated my new birth date in my head a few times.
I started to count the cash in the second envelope when a light turned on outside the building.
“Hall!” a guard shouted. “Put your hands in the air or we’ll shoot.”
I bolted. I sprinted harder than I ever had before. I ran and ran until I was sure I had lost them.
I just hoped that they wouldn’t come looking for me. There was too much at risk.
Hours later, I approached the narrow road. It wasn’t safe to walk on the road - certainly the search team would look for me there. I ran further so I could see the road, but not be seen from a vehicle. I followed the path until I reached a town.
I was tired and hungry after running that marathon through the hills, but I remembered Lenny’s plan. I got on a bus at the edge of town, getting off after passing a few towns, just to get on another bus. Fifteen hours later, I finally felt like I could relax a little.
I settled on a town called Springfield. They had a population of 10,000 people. I figured it was big enough for me to be relatively anonymous, but small enough that The Organization could easily look past it.
I used the little cash in my bag to check into a sleazy hotel. The curtains were most definitely moldy and the bedding probably hadn’t been washed in a decade, but I didn’t care. I locked the door behind me and flopped down on the bed. Tomorrow, I would find work. Tonight, I would take my well-deserved rest.
Chapter 3
Dana
“Dana! Coffee!” I heard my dad bellow from the conference room. I was getting really tired of this. I should be in that room, negotiating deals and talking to clients, not making pot after pot of coffee and answering phones.
I went into the break room and haphazardly dumped coffee grounds into the machine. I could do this job anywhere. I didn’t have to deal with my dad being an ass all the time.
When the coffee was ready, I brought it to the meeting room. No one even acknowledged my presence. Typical.
“Dana,” my dad called as I moved to exit the room. “Take the truck to the lumber yard and pick up the new workers. Then drive them to the site on Third Street.”
I noted his lack of a thank you.
He wasn’t a young man any more. One day, in the near future, he would need my help to run the construction business. However, I wouldn’t have an idea of what to do since he never taught me how to run the business. His business would shut down, and I would be on my own, looking for work. I regretted the fact that he managed to convince me to work for him and not go to college. When he offered me a job, I assumed it would be a good one.
I grabbed the keys from the office and slammed the door behind me. Another one of my tasks was to find new workers. I didn’t even get to be the foreman, telling the workers what to do. I just drove them to the construction sites.
When I got to the lumber yard, there were just four men waiting for me. My dad would be disappointed with me. Construction on the new high school was running behind, due to the labor shortage in the city. Apparently, no one wanted to be paid pennies for grueling construction work.
Most of the workers I scouted were foreigners. I was in charge of collecting work visas and making sure everything was legal, but my dad told me that I could look the other way if they didn’t have proper documentation. I wouldn’t describe him as an honest man.
The first three men showed me their identification papers and piled into the truck. The fourth man seemed hesitant, like he didn’t exactly know what he was doing. He was tall and muscular. His smooth, bronze complexion made him look like a statue. His biceps bulged from the tight sleeves of his t-shirt.
“Do you have your visa with you?” I squeaked. Most of the guys in the business were old and fat. I wasn’t used to seeing someone so attractive.
“Oh, no,” he started. “I’m a citizen. I just needed some work, so—”
“No problem,” I interrupted. He seemed nervous.
He handed me a driver’s license.
“Nice to meet you, Elijah,” I said. “We’re short on help, so we’ll have a lot of hours for you to work.”
“Sounds good,” he said, flashing a smile.
“Hop in the back,” I said, blushing. “I’ll take you to the construction site and introduce you
to the foreman. We pay in cash at the end of the day.”
“Perfect,” he said as he joined the other workers.
As I drove, I practiced the speech I would say to my dad.
I’ve decided that I’m leaving the business. I am not getting the opportunities that I wanted when I started the job. I want to be a part of the business proposals, not the coffee girl. If I don’t leave now, I will never find a better job.
I tried to imagine how my dad would react. He would probably be furious. If I left, he would have to interview and hire a new person and show her how to do everything. He would actually have to treat my replacement with respect, because only his daughter would be able to deal with him.
When we got to the site, I hopped out of the truck and introduced the workers to the foreman. I caught Elijah’s eye as the foreman was giving instructions.
“See you tomorrow,” he said as I was leaving to go back to the office.
I waved coyly. Maybe I wouldn’t quit today, after all. There was something interesting about him, but I couldn’t place my finger on it. Maybe it was the fact that he was young, but not a migrant worker. He looked like a professional athlete, not someone who works temporary construction jobs.
To be completely honest, I had never had an affair with one of the company’s employees before, especially a construction worker. Surely, word would get out and my dad would know immediately. Listening to that lecture would be terrible. He might even fire me.
It would be so deliciously scandalous, though. This job bored me to tears day after day. I needed some fun. I needed to get laid.
As of today, Mark and I had been broken up for two months. I would have forgotten all about him if it weren’t for his drunken phone calls every Saturday at 3 AM. I had put up with him for four years too long. I wanted to be single and have some fun.
My friends spent the last four years at college, going to parties and hooking up with hot guys. I spent the last four years living at home, being a secretary at my father’s business, and having very infrequent sex with my loser boyfriend who was having frequent sex with drunk college girls. I felt like the universe owed me something.
If I could stare at this hot construction temp for just a few minutes every day, maybe that would make this job worth it. I decided that I would stick around, just as long as this new guy was here. I needed a little excitement in my life.
Chapter 4
Elijah
I woke up the next morning feeling exhausted. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this bad. I figured it had something to do with the fact that The Organization gave us daily vitamin supplements and healthy food. All I’d had to eat in the last few days was an energy bar and hotel vending machine snacks.
The never-ending nightmares probably had some effect on my current state, too. The dreams were mostly the same: someone was after me. Sometimes they were shooting at me, other times they were chasing me with a scalpel. They all ended the same though—with me sliced open like a freshly butchered pig.
It was a wonder I even fell asleep in the first place. I jumped every time someone walked past my door. I waited and waited for a knock at the door, afraid that The Organization had found me. When the sun came up, I put on the fresh clothes I bought with yesterday’s work money and left my dirty hotel room. I felt better when I could stay moving.
I was surprised at how easy it was to find work here in Springfield. I had overheard a few guys talking about going to the lumber yard to find construction jobs when I was checking in to the hotel. I followed their lead, and they were right. I figured that they weren’t concerned about who they hired when they didn’t even ask for more than just a quick look at an ID card. I was preparing myself to correctly answer questions on an application.
I wanted a steady job with as few complications as possible. If I could make enough money in a few months, I could afford to go somewhere else. Eventually, I hoped I would have enough for a cabin in the woods or a plane ticket to another country. I didn’t really care where I went, I just wanted to be untraceable.
At seven-thirty, I started walking toward the lumber yard. Every car that passed looked suspicious. I wondered what kind of vehicle The Organization would use when they came looking for me. Probably something black and expensive with heavily tinted windows. Maybe they would try to fool me and follow me around in a beat up sedan for a few days. I hated being paranoid all of the time, but I had to be on my guard. I didn’t come all this way just to be sent back to the hospital.
It would be a lie if I said that I didn’t miss some of the comforts The Organization gave us at the hospital. It wasn’t like a typical army hospital. Sure, the blindingly white tile floors and harsh lighting made it seem especially sterile, but it was comfortable. We ate filet mignon and lobster on a regular basis and were given all of the newest and best supplements. I felt like a professional athlete in my prime.
I had always been somewhat athletic, but nothing like this. My frequent fitness testing often yielded freakish results. I could run for miles without feeling remotely tired. My vertical jump had increased by an entire foot. I was faster and more agile than ever. It took a lot to make me feel tired, like I had endless stores of energy. The strangest part was that I didn’t even train to be in that kind of shape. I just was.
A group of laborers stood in a circle, talking and laughing with each other. I stood to the side and pretended to be interested in re-lacing my shoes. I didn’t want to be noticed. A few minutes later, the silver truck showed up, ready to shuttle us to the construction site.
The girl with blonde hair hopped out. She was wearing tight blue jeans and a sleeveless blouse. She looked especially tiny next to all of the burly workers. She spoke to a few, making sure her paperwork was in order. I trailed behind as usual.
“Good morning, Elijah,” she cooed. “How are you today?”
“Honestly,” I replied, “pretty tired.”
She reached into the cab and pulled out a thermos and a foam cup. Without asking, she poured me a hot cup of coffee. I took it and greedily gulped it down.
“Thanks, uh—”
“Dana,” she smiled. “My dad owns the company and I’m his errand girl. I’m sure you’ll be seeing me quite often.”
I didn’t really want to see anyone quite often, especially my new boss’s daughter, seeing as how I was supposed to be staying under the radar. In the past, I would have loved to flirt with Dana for a few days. Maybe I’d even try to have a one-night stand with her. I had been with plenty of girls like Dana over the years. I’d enjoy their company for a while, then I’d pack up and move somewhere else. It was the perfect arrangement. When the girls know up front that they can’t get attached, it makes intimate relationships so much easier.
“Are you new to town?” she asked, taking my empty cup.
“Yeah,” I said shortly.
“Where are you from?”
“Oh, nowhere really.”
“Nowhere?” she pressed. “Okay, where did you live before here?”
I couldn’t talk about The Organization even if I wanted to. I don’t even think that the highest security clearance would get you that kind of information. It was the stuff of conspiracy theories.
“I was in the army,” I said. “A lot of the information is classified, and even though I’m not active any more, I can’t really say.”
The best lies are the ones that have hints of the truth. I didn’t want to give any personal information away, but I needed a story that I could stick to.
Dana’s blue eyes lit up. “The army?” she asked. “Interesting. What was that like?”
I needed to get away from her. I hadn’t worked through all of the ins and outs of my back-story yet. I worried about saying something that could be fact-checked. I couldn’t afford to incriminate myself over some brief small talk with a cute girl.
“Shouldn’t we get going?” I interrupted. “I don’t want the other guys to get upset about cutting their work hours short.”
I hopped in the crowded truck bed and listened in on the workers’ conversations. I nodded in agreement when they would talk about their wives or kids, even though I knew nothing about those things. I wanted to play the part, so I wouldn’t look like the weird outcast. The strange, mysterious guy that doesn’t ever talk to anyone would be just as suspicious as the guy that accidentally gives too much information away.
When we arrived at the construction site, I saw Dana apply a fresh coat of lip gloss in the sun visor’s mirror. This was my cue to bolt. I jumped out of the truck bed and quickly walked as far away as possible. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her defeated expression and she immediately got back in the truck and sped away. I felt a little bad for being rude, but I had no time for making friends.
In any other circumstance, I would have jumped at the opportunity to get to know her. Her subtle flirting gave me a sense of longing. I liked girls who are upfront about what they want. It removed a lot of the guessing games.
Even if I wanted to get with Dana, the very fact that her dad owned the company that I was working for was a huge problem. During my time in the military, I met a lot of hyper-masculine over-protective fathers, and they were terrifying. I didn’t want to find out what would happen if I had sex with the boss’s daughter and he found out.
I knew a few guys who would illegally use the military’s background check databases to dig up dirt on people. Whether it was a daughter’s boyfriend, or an ex’s new husband, there was always a way to find someone’s hidden past. It was incredibly easy to do. I knew that the fake identity I was given by the mysterious masked man was legit, but I didn’t know what would pop up when my name was searched.
“The boss’s daughter has a nice ass,” one of the workers cackled.
