Earth Man

by Richard Paul Evans

  “What did this?” Danny asked quietly.

  “You know what did this,” Dr. Glass said.

  He removed his glasses and began cleaning them with the end of his lab coat.

  “I killed the Growth. It’s finished.” Danny replied.

  “Oh yes, I know. I’ve got the body downstairs. This was another one, Mr. Boyle. That means there are now two of these things on this planet. One contained in our secret facility and another that is on the loose and looking for it. Isn’t that amazing?”

  “I don’t know if amazing is the word I’d use.”

  “We need to find it, Mr. Boyle. We need to find it before they find each other.”

  “I agree. But what can I do? The last one came after me. I don’t have any way to track these things. If I see it, I might recognize it, but other than that, I can’t possibly be more useful than the U.S. military.”

  “That may be true,” Dr. Glass said, rubbing his chin. “Yet I can’t help feel like you are connected in some way. Come; let’s see the body of the other one. Perhaps it will reveal something we previously missed.”

  They headed back down the hall, this time passing the stairwell and heading toward an elevator at the other end. They only descended one more floor, but this floor was active with scientists coming and going from labs on either side of hallway. They walked past four doors on the left and Dr. Glass opened the fifth, holding it for Danny to go first. Reluctantly he stepped into the room. It was small and dark but Dr. Glass quickly turned on the light. The body lay in the center of the room, sealed inside a plastic cell that looked more like a transparent coffin. A large machine was attached to the front of the cell and Danny had no idea what it was for, or why there was a big red button on it. He remembered his dream and suddenly the hair on the back of his neck began to stand on end.

  “You sure it’s dead?” Danny asked, walking around the plastic cell.

  “There are no vital signs that we could detect. If you wish I can show you a thermal scan, there is no heat at all.”

  “You said you faced one of these things? Did you mean the one on the video?”

  “Oh, no. That one had no vestigial limbs, no way of communicating. No, I faced the one that broke in here. I was in the lab when he, or it, came looking for the other.” The way Dr. Glass spoke, Danny could tell he was proud of himself.

  “It spoke, quite clearly, WHERE IS SHE, it said. I managed to dodge out of the way as it began throwing the tables around. I hit it with a broom but the broom broke and well, it stood there staring at me for a moment. I think it was debating whether or not to eat me.”

  Like a cartoon character, Dr. Glass described how he’d fought for his life. Danny couldn’t take his eyes off the corpse in the case.

  “It came at me, so I ducked underneath it. Its face kept changing, as if it was made up of different people and couldn’t decide which face to keep. I threw everything I could find at it but nothing worked until I came across a rather large amount of liquid nitrogen. The cold did not hurt it, not exactly, but I believe I surprised it. Its hand froze and shattered so it ran away. We’ve got the fragments around here somewhere.”

  As he finished Dr. Glass took off his glasses and began to clean them off with the end of his medical coat.

  Danny leaned in close to the plastic cell, staring at the corpse inside. It seemed to be moving. As his eyes passed over the exposed bones and blackened flesh he thought he saw something shifting and squirming out of the corner of his eye. When he tried to focus on it, it remained still. It was clearly dead and yet he could not shake the queasy feeling he got looking at it.

  “It’s still alive.” Danny said.

  “Why yes. Unfortunately it escaped back the way it had come in.”

  “No, not the one that broke in here. THIS one.”

  Danny opened his hands, pointing them at the corpse.

  “Impossible. There is no life in that cell, Mr. Boyle.” Dr. Glass’s voice took on a rude tone and he put his glasses back on.

  “No life you recognize, perhaps nothing like anything we’ve ever seen before. But I am telling you, this thing is not dead.”

  In response to his voice, a black tentacle suddenly smashed against the plastic cell leaving a black smear where Danny’s face had been. The two guards immediately raised their guns as Dr. Glass jumped back.

  “Jesus Christ!” Dr. Glass shouted.

  The doctor stumbled back, toward the door and the two guards stepped between him and the case. Danny placed his hand against it but it did not come directly for him. Instead the tentacle waved around, banging on both sides of the cell.

  “The consciousness is gone, but the body is still reacting to the environment. We need to get rid of this thing right away.”

  Danny circled the cage until coming around the front. He realized suddenly what the large buttons on the device were for. Reaching out his hand slowly he hit the giant red button. Flames engulfed the creature inside the cell as it roasted and squirmed.

  “NO!” Dr. Glass shouted, grabbing Danny’s arm.

  It was too late; the creature stopped moving, its body popping and hissing as it simmered. Black smoke obscured the inside of the transparent cell.

  “Sorry.” Danny said, adjusting his tie.

  He was lying; it felt good to see the creature reduced to a puddle. Dr. Glass saw this on his face and sighed.

  “Yes well it needed to be done. I wish we’d had more time to study it, but that was why I brought you here. Come, let’s leave this room. I’ve had enough of these creatures for today.”

  As the guards escorted Dr. Glass out of the room, Danny stood behind watching the last flames go out on the remains of the Third. Nothing moved or twitched, it was finally dead. Yet out there in the world were two others, perhaps even more. The thought of facing two more of them send a cold chill up Danny’s spine.

  Dr. Glass flopped himself down in his desk and removed a bottle of water from a fridge hidden beneath it. After drinking back large mouthfuls, he opened the fridge a second time and took out another bottle and handed it to Danny.

  “You got any beer in there?” Danny asked sarcastically.

  The doctor paused for a second, then opened the fridge again and removed two cold bottles of Corona. It wasn’t one of Danny’s favourite beers, but he took it, handing the doctor back his bottle of water.

  “Thanks.” Danny said.

  “You’re welcome. Now on to the business at hand. Mr. Boyle, you seem to have a keen instinct when it comes to these creatures.”

  Danny choked on his beer slightly. Instinct was not the word that he would have chosen.

  “The reason we brought you here was to hire you, Mr. Boyle. Your insight into the monster, your assessment of the threat, was quite impressive. That was something wasn’t it?”

  The doctor reached into his drawer and removed a white handkerchief and wiped his forehead. Taking off his glasses, he tried to clean them with the handkerchief but when the greasy fingerprints do not come off, he throws his glasses down on the desk.

  “We need to capture this other creature. The idea of it out there makes me very uncomfortable.” Glass said.

  “I agree but how exactly do we do that?” Danny asked, finally sitting down across from the Doctor.

  “We work together. The full resources of Chem-X are at your disposal. When you locate it, you call us and we will help contain and incarcerate the creature.”

  “Then what?” Danny asked.

  “Then we’ll turn it over to the U.S. government. It’s ultimately their prerogative. Who are we to make decisions of this magnitude?”

  Danny scratched his chin, mulling over the offer. He knew what he wanted to say, but he was struggling for a way to say it.

  “What is my compensation?” He finally asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I could die tomorrow and then what? What does my family get? I mean why should I help you? Maybe I can do it myself, I beat the one we just fried
alright.”

  Danny was lying of course, defeating the Third had been a fluke and it had left him weak, exhausted and depressed for months.

  “I want $250,000 dollars.” Danny said flatly.

  Dr. Glass stared at him, his eyes narrowing. Danny wasn’t sure if he was squinting to see him better, or if he was trying to read his mind.

  “That’s possible. In return you tell no one about this arrangement. No media, no police or other government bodies, nobody. Do you understand me?”

  Danny was ecstatic. Was it really that simple?

  “Half up front.” Danny said, extending his hand. Dr. Glass seemed angry but the corners of his mouth turned up in a smirk.

  “Deal.” Glass replied.

  Dr. Glass took a chequebook out of his desk and quickly scribbled out a number. As he handed it to Danny the two men shook hands.

  “I look forward to working with you.” Dr. Glass said.

  “I look forward to spending this.”

  “You are an interesting man, Mr. Boyle.”

  The two men finished their beer and Danny stood up, folding the cheque and placing it in the pocket of his pants.

  “Pleasure doing business with you.” Danny said, shaking Dr. Glass’s hand again. The doctor handed him a business card.

  “Call me soon with a contact number and we’ll get to work. We still have the first creature in a secure location so if all else fails you and I will go and pay it a visit. The other one can’t have wandered too far.”

  Danny left the Chem-X facility and looked up at the night sky. It would be dawn by the time he got home but he did not mind. He took a moment to make sure the cheque was still in his pocket and then with a wide grin on his face he flew into the air. The wind was cold and he wished he’d worn a hat, but he knew he’d be able to buy himself whatever he wanted with the money Dr. Glass had paid him. If they were willing to pay him for something he was going to do anyway, a duty he was given by the planet itself, of course he’d gladly take it. After all, he was saving their lives too and if they could afford it, what was the harm?

  Helen was taking groceries out of the car when Danny flew down and swept her off her feet. She let out a shriek and dropped the bags as he spun her around in the air. It was Saturday morning and the kids were still half asleep

  “Danny! Stop! The groceries!” Helen shouted but he was kissing her and smiling. Raymond and Morgan got out of the car and pointed up at their parents.

  “I’ve got a surprise Helen. The best surprise! The kind you like!” Danny shouted.

  “Daddy, bring Mommy back!” Morgan shouted, jumping up and down. Morgan was still wearing a one piece jumper under her thick wool coat.

  Danny turned in the air and brought Helen back, putting her down near the kids. He picked up the groceries scattered about the driveway and took all the other bags at once.

  “I got this stuff, you guys go in the house. I’ve got something to show you!”

  Helen and the kids gathered in the kitchen as Danny put the grocery bags on the counter. Danny showed them the cheque, a wide grin on his face.

  “We’re rich!” he shouted.

  Helen narrowed her eyebrows and took the cheque from his hand. She flipped it over, reading it front and back. Morgan hopped up and down on her toes trying to see what her Mom was reading.

  “Did we win the lottery?” Raymond asked, scratching his head. He wore one of Danny’s old Metallica shirts with a long sleeve white shirt underneath.

  “That says two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.” Raymond reached out his hand to his mother but she shook her head, she was not letting go of it.

  “Yeah, Ray! It’s not the lottery, but it’s still a lot of money!”

  “How much is two hundred?” Morgan asked, trying to be part of the conversation.

  “Who is Chem-X?” Helen asked as she handed the slip of paper back to him.

  “A major U.S. company. I don’t really know what they do.” Danny replied.

  “Chem-X, Dad? There one of the big evil corporations,” Raymond said. “One of those bad, global monsters like Monsanto or Apple.”

  “Apples are bad?” Morgan asked innocently, pulling on her big brother’s hand.

  “It’s a quarter of a million dollars Raymond. That’s all I need to know!”

  Danny and Raymond high-fived each other.

  “What is it for? I’m guessing they want you to do something for it. Nobody gives away that kind of money.” Helen said, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “I just have to do what I was planning on doing already. What I was chosen to do.”

  Danny moved his eyes from Helen to the kids, trying not to say any more.

  “I don’t like that word, chosen.” Helen said.

  “Can you kids go watch TV? Your mother and I need to talk about this. Tomorrow we’ll all go shopping okay?” Danny asked, ushering the kids toward the other room.

  The kids cheered and Raymond took his little sister by the hand, leading her out to the living room. Danny hadn’t seen him do that since he was a little boy. As soon as they heard the TV come on, Helen spoke.

  “Danny that’s a hell of a lot of money.”

  “I know. But they want to help me destroy these alien things.”

  “People don’t usually pay you as a means of help. They pay you because they want something.” Helen said dryly.

  “You’re right.” Danny said, leaning back against the counter.

  The happiness he’d felt withered away under her questioning. Yet he knew she was right, Mr. Glass had seemed nice enough but there were a lot of things Danny didn’t know. He hadn’t even asked for a phone number, he’d simply taken the cheque and flew home with it.

  “They want the bodies,” Danny said quietly.

  He opened the fridge and took out a single serving Tupperware bowl of chilli.

  “We disposed of the thing that killed Dr. Rue. When I find the others, they’ll clean up the mess and get rid of the bodies. It doesn’t change what I have to do, Helen.”

  “How many of those things are out there?” She took the bowl of chilli from Danny before he could eat it cold and tossed it in the microwave behind her.

  “Two. Or so they think. One of them is already in their custody. I just need to track down the other one.” The microwave beeped and Helen took out the chilli, handing it to Danny. He ate in silence while she thought about what he’d said.

  “At least I’m not alone anymore.” He finished the chilli quickly and began washing the container out in the sink.

  “You’re not alone Danny, you have us.”

  “Honestly Helen, I don’t want you and the kids anywhere near these things.”

  The very idea of his children becoming one of them, being consumed by them, made his stomach heave. He forced the horrible thought from his head.

  “I guess,” Helen replied.

  Danny was still wearing his suit and as he finished washing out the chili bowl he wiped his wet hands on his jacket. Helen scowled at him and threw him a tea towel.

  “Aliens, government agencies, mega-corporations, super powers. It’s all too much to handle at once Danny. I don’t even know what I am supposed to do.”

  “You should be happy. We can pay off the house now. We own it!” Danny said with a big grin on his face.

  Helen however did not see the humour in any of it and she gave him a scowl.

  Danny wrapped his arms around Helen and tried to make her smile too. He knew he should be more suspicious of what was going on. What she was saying was right; there was a truth in her words that he could not argue with. Power always came with a price, whether that power was success, wealth or fame, there was always a cost to pay. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that he’d been given wealth and power that he had not earned. He’d been running from that thought since he’d first been given his superhuman powers but now with the cheque in his hand he knew it was catching up with him. It made Helen nervous but Danny could not face i
t, he could not face what the cost might be. Helen wanted to talk about it, to explain her feelings about it but she knew he was too stubborn, he’d keep running from it as long as he could. Danny simply refused to understand; he was too trusting and naïve to see the larger world around him. If she pushed him or hammered him on it they would end up fighting and she was tired of that. Instead she wrapped her arms around his chest and held him as tight as she could, for as long as she could.

  “I’m going to take a shower, get this monkey suit off. Maybe nap for a couple hours. I was flying all night.”

  Helen hugged him tightly one last time before he kissed her back and then he pulled away.

  She’d watched the video of him fighting the creature over a hundred times in the months he spent recovering, hiding it from the kids as best she could as she obsessed over it. Watching him had filled her with pride but not enough to overcome the fear. As he slid from her arms she had a terrible premonition, a sense of dread that choked the words from her.

  “Get some rest,” she said weakly, holding back her emotions, “I love you.”

  Danny yanked his tie and waved bye to her with it as he left the kitchen. She faked a smile in return and it broke her. The second he disappeared the sobs burst out of her, overwhelming her. Helen leaned on the counter, holding her chest, trying her best to breathe calmly again. The kids were waiting for her to make breakfast, so she wiped away the treacherous tears and let anger rush in to fill the void.

  “Raymond! Morgan! Come in here please, help me put this stuff away!”

  The next day, a cold Sunday in late November, Danny and Helen took the kids shopping as they’d promised. Thanksgiving in the United States had just ended and the Canadian stores were pushing Black Friday sales and early Christmas offers at the same time. Helen spent most of the time at the expensive spa; she’d walked by it every time she’d been to Orchard Plaza but never went in. It would take weeks for the money to clear from Chem-X, but in the meantime they tapped into their savings to cover their shopping trip.