The Iso-Stasis Experiment (The Experiments)

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Fr. Dan!” Rickie called from his side of the bathroom. “Hey, Padre.”

  Turning off the faucet and hanging the towel, Fr. Dan responded in a shaking, cracking voice, “Yes, Rickie?”

  “Are you almost done in there, man? I got a piss boner that is screaming release me.”

  “I apologize.” He unlocked the knob and opened the door. He saw Rickie sitting on the bottom of his bed, blanket across his lap, wiggling. “It’s all yours.”

  “Thanks guy.” Rickie bolted for the bathroom and Fr. Dan went into his own room pulling the door closed behind him.

  “Hey, Padre,” Rickie yelled loudly over his forceful release. “Are you going to breakfast now?”

  “You go on without me, Rickie.”

  “Whatever. Oh, man . . . I can’t stop.”

  A bright spot, a slight smile came to Fr. Dan as he sat on his own bed staring at his desk. He had to face his dreams; he had to face what ate him. He had placed what it was in a box in his dresser. He would get that box when he heard Rickie leave. No earlier, he couldn’t chance Rickie walking in.

  ^^^^

  Steam came from Jake’s mouth as he stood with Cal just outside the complex on their hillside. The morning temperature was a bit chilly which didn’t bother Jake as much as Cal. “You ready for me, babe?” He lifted his shorts and rested outward on his left leg.

  “Babe . . . please.” Cal rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You won’t get me.”

  “Cal, you haven’t worked out in a couple days.” Jake stood straight. “Speaking of which, how’s that knee?”

  “I hate you.”

  “Whoa, what’s with the attitude? Are we trying to get out of the chase?” He nodded at her.

  “No!” She said with sarcasm. “You injured me on purpose. I get up in the middle of the night and you’re lying on my bedroom floor, without my permission, and I tripped over you.”

  “I didn’t make you fall on purpose.”

  “If you were in my room on purpose then you made me fall on purpose.”

  Laughing loudly Jake flung his head back. “What the hell kind of lawyer-wanna-be talk is that? Get your shit together, get ready.”

  “Way to bark orders at me. I’m ready.” Cal got into position.

  “Now . . .” Jake pointed outward into the wooded area, “you have to go through the woods to the buildings. If you make it there before me, I do your clean up tonight. If I catch you . . .”

  “I know, I know, I do your clean up tomorrow. So what do we compete for on nights we don’t have clean up?”

  “Positions.”

  “Positions in what?” Cal asked.

  “Never mind,” Jake said as he looked at his watch. “Ten second start. Get ready. Go.” He watched her run figuring he’d give her a few more seconds, and then go opposite of the way she went.

  Cal ran through the woods. Possibly not as fast as she would normally go, but her other senses were kicking in and she really had a hard time doing more than one thing at a time. She heard her own footsteps crunch against the leaves as she ran. A certain fear was with her also, the fear of the element of surprise. Not knowing where or when Jake would leap out at her, kept her pace slower than it should have been. Where the hell is he? She could see the two buildings through the breaking of the trees ahead. Her footing slowed up, as she stopped, the leaves beneath her feet sprayed. She listened. Faintly she could hear the crushing of leaves. She looked behind her, to her left, turning to her right. As she faced forward, Jake jumped out blocking her way. “Shit!” She began to run again veering to her right.

  Jake held out his arms running sideways, smiling.

  “Don’t tackle me.” She knew she was had. Shrieking loudly, Jake caught her. She felt his arms go around her waist and lift her up, throwing her over his shoulder and running with her through the rest of the woods. “Jake.” She hit her hands on his back. “You won. Put me down.”

  Jake stopped running with her, he slid her body down across his as he put her firmly on the ground. “Clean up tomorrow.”

  “I have to find something I’m physically better at.” Cal frustrated, kicked her foot before they started walking. “I have to beat you once. Aside from the intellectual shit we play.”

  “I let you win at all those intellectual games we play, too.”

  “Right . . . Jake. I could whoop your ass in Candy Land.”

  “Oh, that’s funny. Ha, ha, ha. Let’s get something to eat. We build the skyscraper today.” He saw they were almost at the main building. “Race?” He smacked her backside and took off running.

  ^^^^

  “Hey, you two.” Jennifer approached Cal and Jake as they walked into the dining area. “I wanted to let you guys know I made eggs if you were interested. But you don’t eat breakfast, do you, Cal?” Jennifer asked. “No wonder you’re so thin. But . . . did you notice.” She pulled at her pant leg. “I’ve lost weight this first month.”

  “I see that, Jennifer. Gosh.” Cal smiled. “By the end of the experiment think how thin you’ll be.”

  Jennifer was glad to hear that. “I may look like you.”

  Jake’s disagreement with her statement was obvious. He let out a loud ‘ha’ and folded his arms. “I highly doubt that.” His comment was followed by a grunt, courtesy of Cal, who backhanded him in the gut. “Ow . . . . Will you stop hitting me?” Jake snapped.

  “Will you stop being so rude.”

  “I’m not being rude, I’m being honest. You think this little-miss-nice-thing you’re doing is honest?” Jake shook his head. “Who was the one bitching about her this morning?”

  “Oh, I just hate you.” Cal stormed away from him.

  “Hey!” Jake shouted to her across the dining area, grasping everyone’s attention. “That is twice in one day. I’m getting a complex.”

  Cal, flipping him off, retrieved her granola bar and sat down at a table with everyone else, figuring Jake wouldn’t sit there. She was wrong.

  “OK.” Jake laid his plate of eggs down on the table. “Here’s the deal.” He snatched the granola bar from her hand and slid the plate of eggs toward her. “I’m willing to forget this little ‘I hate you’ thing. And I will forfeit my win this morning, if you eat food.”

  Cal looked at the plate of eggs and sniffed it.

  “What are you, a dog? Eat.” Jake handed her a fork.

  “If I do, it’s not because I need your forgiveness on the ‘I hate you’ . . .”

  “Cal, I’m crushed.”

  “Shut up, Jake. I’m doing this so you do my clean-up.” Cal plunged the fork in the eggs, lifted a fork full and brought it to her mouth. She hesitated, not eating them yet.

  Jake grew frustrated so he helped the fork in there. “Eat.”

  Cal wiped her mouth and glared at him. “I can’t believe you just shoved food in my mouth.” A jar of Salsa came down before Cal. She followed it up the hand and saw it was Carlos.

  “Try this on your eggs. It’s excellent.” Carlos set his plate down and sat on the other side of Cal. “I’ll join you.”

  Jake shifted his eyes back and forth in disgust, breathing heavy, shaking his head.

  Rickie laughed at the scenario as he ate his eggs. Jennifer was hanging on John and John was trying to scoot further away. Carlos staring at Cal and Jake pissed off. To Rickie, it was funny. “You know, you can like swim in the sexual tension at this table, it’s so thick.” He snickered as his shoulders bounced up and down. “I hope you guys brought protection?” His comment seemed to catch everyone’s attention and they looked up. “Yeah, didn’t think of that, did ya? I’m a condom man myself.” Rickie shoved eggs in his mouth. “We don’t want a bunch of babies running around up here.”

  “Rickie!” Jake slammed his hand down. “Even if one of the women did get knocked-up, it takes nine months to have a baby. We won’t be here that long.”

  “Yeah, but still . . . you never know. It could happen. This is a scientific experiment. What if they put . . . hey…�
�� Rickie’s eyes were focused across the room. “What’s wrong with the padre?”

  Everyone at the table turned to see Fr. Dan walking slowly in. His hair tossed about, shirt hanging out of his pants. Frazzled was the best way to describe him.

  Rickie stood up. “I’ll see what’s up.” He walked hands in his pockets to the priest. “Fr. Dan, you looked fried, dude.”

  Fr. Dan lifted his eyes. “Did you take it?” he asked Rickie softly.

  “No. Take what?”

  “You know what I’m talking about.”

  “No, I . . .” Rickie nodded his head. He was guilty. He did steal Fr. Dan’s cinnamon flavored dental floss. “Forgive me, father, for I have sinned.”

  Shocking Rickie, and all that were in the dining room, Fr. Dan went into a rage, hollering loudly, scolding Rickie. “I’m not fucking around, Rickie. I am serious.”

  “Whoa, Padre, so I took the box. I’ll give it back, no biggie.”

  “Did you look in it?!” he shouted.

  “Well, yeah, how else was I supposed to . . . ?”

  With a loud scream and hands extended outward Fr. Dan lunged at Rickie knocking him to the floor with his grip tightly around Rickie’s neck. He pounded Rickie’s head with his every word. “You…can’t…get…away…with…this!”

  Cal jumped up from her seat at the same time as everyone else but Jake. He still ate his cereal. “Oh, my God, Jake, do something.”

  Jake turned his head back to Fr. Dan’s pounding of Rickie, and then he returned to his food. “Sit down Cal.”

  “Jake.” Cal shifted her eyes to him. She watched as Carlos, Griff and John were all unsuccessful in helping. “Jake if you don’t go, I will.” She began to march over and he stood up.

  “Son of a bitch.” He wiped his mouth and stormed toward the men who were disrupting his breakfast. He reached down, grabbed Fr. Dan by the back of his shirt and lifted him from Rickie. “Cool it.”

  Fr. Dan spun around to Jake, close fisted and nailed him in the face.

  Jake’s head jolted to the left. He felt the skin on his cheek bone spilt with the hard hit of Fr. Dan. Bringing his fingers to his face in anger, he looked at the blood on his fingertips. “Fuck.” Shaking his head he looked at Cal. “See, Cal? Now I have to hit a priest.” With all his strength, Jake hauled off and slammed Fr. Dan sending him in a spin to the floor. He shook off his hand and returned to his breakfast. “Thank you very much, Cal, now I’m burning in hell.”

  Rickie picked himself off the floor. “Whoa, talk about a breath taking experience.” He stared down at the passed out priest. “All of this over dental floss? Imagine if I swiped his toothpaste.”

  John ruffled his hair in confusion. “What are we going to do about this? Obviously we can’t have him hanging around us until he calms down.”

  Jake, who had continued to munch on his cereal, called out from his seat. “Lock him in his room. There are padlocks in storage. I’ll go get them.”

  Covering her mouth, upset, Jennifer shook her head. “No, we can’t keep him prisoner.”

  Carlos looked over at Jake. “He’s right. We have to lock him up. He may get better. He may not. I’m not willing to take that chance. You saw how strong he was.”

  Griff signed to Cal.

  Cal returned the signing. “Griff agrees also. He wants to know who’s taking him back to the room.”

  All heads turned to Jake.

  Buried in a bowl of food Jake only lifted his stare. “No.”

  Cal held up her hand to everyone, she walked over to the table with Jake, stopping only to wet a cloth in the sink. She sat in the chair next to him. “Jake.” She spoke softly, lifting his chin and turning his head to her. “You’re the only one big enough to pick him up and carry him.” She dabbed lightly to his wound. “It’ll take you a minute.” She laid her other hand flat on his face. “Please.” Gently she dabbed the cloth again.

  Reaching up, Jake grabbed her hand that held the rag. “Cal . . .” he stared in her eyes, “you owe me.” Pushing his chair back, Jake got up, moved to Fr. Dan, lifted him up over his shoulder and carried him out.

  ^^^^

  When Jake returned to his room after bringing the locks in from storage, he could hear the shower water just turn on. Not only did he have to deck a priest, carry him to his room, get the padlocks, now he had to wait to take a shower. But it gave him opportunity. He had placed the tiny strips of paper on the bottom of Cal’s drawers, all of them, something he had been doing all the time. He would use this time to see if any papers had fallen out. And if they did, he’d double check with Cal to see if she went in that drawer. Usually, if there was a strip on the floor, Cal was the blame. She never saw the paper or the tiny pieces of lint he placed under her daughter’s photograph and other things she had on her desk. Jake was bound and determined to prove someone had been in her room. His instinct told him so and he always trusted his instinct. If that was the case, and someone was in there, then Jake had to find out who it was.

  He knocked once on the bathroom door before opening it to tell Cal he had returned. “Cal,” he called in. “I’m back.”

  “Wait. Did you get Fr. Dan situated?”

  Jake leaned with is back against the door. “Yeah, I . . .” He shouldn’t have, it was wrong, but Jake’s eyes immediately went to the mirror, Cal was right there. He could see her foggy naked figure through the frosty glass door. He swallowed. “I . . . yes.” He shifted his eyes away and then returned them. “What do you make of this?” He hung his head down, trying to behave badly. “I think it’s the same as with you.”

  “I do, too,” Cal shouted over the water. “But we read about him. There was nothing in any of the books. What would his weakness be?”

  “The excommunication, you think? It doesn’t make . . .” his eyes lifted, “sense.” He leaned against the door, gripping the handle. “What are the odds that maybe we were . . .” he saw her lift her leg up, possibly to begin shaving it, “…wrong?”

  “About what?”

  Jake didn’t hear her. He was too far gone, lost in watching her, lost in awe as his imagination took over. Envisioning his dream, he was seeing himself take off his clothes, open the shower door and slip in there with her, the leg, the perfect leg, bent up, that he would lift to his waist.

  “Jake? About what?”

  “The books, maybe we were wrong about the books.” He ran his hand down his face. Looking toward the mirror, he saw it had begun to steam up. Jake couldn’t figure out if it was his saving grace or his punishment. “I’ll uh meet you in your room. I want to talk to you about getting Carlos’ book.” Nervous, he quickly shut the door.

  “Jake?” Cal stuck her head out of the shower but he was gone. She shrugged her shoulders and continued her shaving.

  ^^^^

  Jake felt it the second he walked into, or rather snuck into Cal’s room. He was going to get an answer. The proof was in the small slips of paper that lay on the floor around Cal’s dresser and desk. The piece of lint on Jessie’s picture was out in the clear open view. “Cal couldn’t have opened all these, no way.”

  “Jake?”

  Jake jumped as he heard her voice call from the open bathroom door. He moved his stare from the desk to Cal. She was peeking out, only her face and bare shoulder were visible.

  “I forgot to bring in my clothes. Could you?”

  “Um, sure.” Jake walked to the dresser. “You weren’t in your drawers at all?”

  “No. I just wanted to beat you to the shower. They’re on my bed.”

  “Oh.” He picked them up. Holding her clothes he awkwardly handed them to her with his head turned.

  “Thank you.” Cal took them with a giggle and shut the door.

  Letting out the breath he held, Jake placed his hand on top of his head. “I am not handling this very well.” he said.

  “Handling what?”

  God she has radar ears. “Nothing.” Jake bent down picking up the little bits of paper, his evidence. He had t
o just figure out who and why.

  “Cleaning up my room again?” Cal stepped back in, brushing her wet hair. “What did you want to discuss about Carlos’s book?”

  “I want to get it as soon as possible.”

  “No waiting? Jake I’m shocked. What’s up?” She sat down on the bed.

  “I was thinking, what if we’re wrong about the books?” He sat down next to her on the bed. I mean Fr. Dan was set off about something. You and I know there was nothing in any of the books, except the excommunication, that would give hint that he was off.”

  “So then we might be wrong. Why go after Carlos’ book then?”

  “His and Fr. Dan’s are all we have left. We saw Fr. Dan, I just want to hurry and get the book thing done with now.”

  “Thank God. But . . . Carlos is fine.” Cal stood from the bed. “In fact, he’s a lot calmer than you or I.” She set the brush down on her desk and straightened Jessie’s picture. “When?”

  “This afternoon. He does those goofy guitar exercises in the gathering room. You keep him there until I return for you. And you stay there with other people.”

  “OK, but what if he wants to go to his room?”

  “Stop him. Think of something. Just give me time in his room.” Jake got up and moved to the bathroom.

  “How long is going to take to get his book?”

  “Just give me time.” Jake stepped into the bathroom knowing that the book was not the only thing he was looking for. Anything possibly missing from Cal’s room was on his agenda for the search.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  I-S.E. Twelve - Seal River Complex, Manitoba, Canada

  September 3 - 2:05 P.M.

  Carlos stared down to the platform city that lay on Cal’s room floor. He nodded his head at it. “Very nice, thanks.” He folded his arms. “I’m going back to my room now.”

  “No wait!” Cal stopped him, blocking him as he walked. “You can’t go yet. We’re talking.”

  “Cal, I’m a bit suspicious here.” He smiled stepping toward her. “You follow me to the gathering room. I tell you I’m not playing and you don’t want me to leave.” He tilted his head. “What are you up to?”