by Adam Moon
She must have been just as shocked to see him. She reached into her coat and snatched out a cell phone. She hit a button and spoke into it like a walkie talkie, staring right at him the whole time.
“He’s here. Jack Mayberry’s in the apartment.”
Feeling violated and threatened by her presence he lunged at her but she sidestepped his leap and swung her arm around in an arc.
He hit the floor like a dead weight.
When he looked over his shoulder she had the gun leveled at his back. He thought about yelling, hoping Billy would hear it and burst in but Billy was definitely no faster than her trigger finger.
The woman said in perfect English, “Where did you come from?”
He sat up, looked into her eyes and decided to tell the truth since she had the gun, “I just came here from work.”
“No you didn’t. You haven’t been to work in days. Your boss said you quit.”
He thought about that for a second. This woman had been to see his former employer. Was he wanted for a crime or something? Was she a plain clothed cop?
“No, I came from my new job. Why are you here?”
“Don’t play dumb. I know they recruited you. We both know why I’m here. Where is he? Where did they take him?”
Jack didn’t know how to respond to this. She must have seen in his face that he had no idea what she was talking about.
“You mean to tell me you don’t know what you are? Have you even met him yet? He called for you to help him, you know that right?”
“Who?”
“Our savior. The messiah. The only one that can cleanse this terrible planet. He called out for you. Did you not sense it? Your name is Jack Mayberry, right? He’s in danger and you are his last hope.”
Jack had seen all manner of madness today so this didn’t much surprise him.
The old Jack from a couple days ago would piss his pants and beg for his life and plead with the crazy woman to drop the gun but new Jack was a little more tempered to this kind of bullshit.
He was picking himself up when a big black dude burst in through the front door.
He looked at Jack, “I can’t believe it. You’re here.”
He looked at the Hispanic lady next, “Put that fucking gun away you stupid bitch.”
He walked right up to her and backhanded her across the mouth. Her lips started to swell before the gun was even holstered.
“He came at me Daniel. He flew at me like a madman. What was I supposed to do?”
Daniel snapped back, “What do you think happens if this man dies? Our savior asked for him by name, beckoned for him. This man is to be the savior of our savior. Let the magnitude of what I just said sink in and then tell me what possible reason you could have for pointing a gun at him.”
She rubbed her tender lips and looked at her feet.
Daniel turned to Jack. “I’m so sorry for that. I’m not a violent man and I’ve never hit a woman before but you are just that important. I need to ask you a few questions and then I need to take you with us to debrief you on the situation. First of all, where are they holding him?”
Jack shrugged, “She’s been talking about some messiah guy too but I haven’t got the faintest idea what you people mean.”
Daniel looked like he was deflating. “Have you felt drawn anywhere in particular in the past couple of days?”
“I took a new job with the government. I didn’t feel drawn there except by the money they offered.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Daniel paused and tried a new line of questioning, “Where’s this new job of yours then?”
Jack was about to tell him when a shot rang out deafening everyone in the apartment.
The black guy threw his body in front of Jack the way the Secret Service does to protect the President. The lady dove behind the couch but Jack saw her hand reach inside her coat for the gun before she disappeared from view.
Jack’s ears were ringing but he could hear Billy’s voice calling for him. Billy ran up and kicked the black guy in his head, soccer style, before the guy could find his feet. He grabbed Jack’s arm and tugged him out of the apartment.
They heard a shot report but they were already down the hallway, opening the front entrance.
Billy bundled Jack into the passenger seat and got behind the wheel just as a rusty station wagon whipped around the corner, scudding on two wheels. There were two men and a woman in the car, all Caucasians, and they were staring right at Jack.
Billy floored it and the station wagon gave chase. Either the folks in the rusty car realized there was no way they were going to overrun the SUV or they decided to just lay back and follow them because the vehicle slipped further and further from view. Once they hit the open freeway Jack saw the little rust bucket still behind them, trying to keep a safe distance, follow them to their destination.
Jack voiced his hunch so Billy got his phone out and dialed a number. He explained to someone, maybe the General, that they were being followed by hostiles. He gave an accurate description of the vehicle and their location and hung up.
He took the next exit off-ramp and meandered around the city streets, winding this way and that. Jack asked what he was doing and Billy said he was told not to lead the station wagon back to the facility. He was given coordinates to get to and he was supposed to circle around until reinforcements arrived.
“So those two men and the woman in that car are going to be killed by guys just like you. I’m starting to think you guys are the bad guys lately.”
Billy explained matter of factly, “They won’t be killed, not out here. We have the authority to use deadly force but we need to use discretion. Hopefully we’ll capture them and take them in for questioning. They know nothing of our research so they don’t pose a real threat. They’ll probably be sent off for indefinite detention somewhere.”
Jack felt somewhat better about this plan now. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to die on account of him.
After an hour or so of navigating city streets Billy’s phone chirped.
“Ok sure,” he said into it as he pulled up to the curb and parked.
An SUV just like the one they were in pulled alongside and a uniformed officer Jack had never seen before rolled his window down and spoke to them.
“They must have taken off. There’s no sign of a car following you. The General requests the presence of you both as soon as you get back. You’ll be lead car, we’ll take up the rear and the helo will make sure we aren’t followed.”
With that he rolled his window up and they pulled away into traffic.
Jack saw the SUV slide in behind them once they hit the freeway. He didn’t see or hear the chopper the entire ride back but as they parked in front of the building he heard its whipping rotors overhead as it landed atop the facility.
Chapter 19: A General Misunderstanding
They were escorted to a small room on the ground floor by the two guys from the other SUV. The General was pacing within as the two escorts took their leave, shutting the door behind them. The General was livid with Billy. He kept saying court martial and yelling military arrest and hollering breach of contract.
Apparently Billy wasn’t supposed to let Jack out of his sight.
For better or worse, Jack backed Billy up by insisting that he probably saved his life back there. The General dismissed Billy with a flick of his wrist as though he were waving a foul stench away.
When they were alone the questions started coming rapid fire like. Jack had no adequate answers though. All he could do was explain exactly what happened but that just made the General angrier, probably because it didn’t make a bit of sense.
He said, “So this homely senorita was going through your stuff and then pointed a gun at you and started preaching about a messiah until a big black guy broke in and hit her, even though they were together, and he started asking you questions about your new job and if you felt the messiah calling to you? I believe you Jack but I sure
as hell don’t want to. There’s no Messiah here. I would have heard. There’s a lot I don’t know about this place but I know a so called Messiah wouldn’t be held by the government against his will in a secret facility. The PR fallout alone would prohibit it. I’ll send a couple men back to your apartment tonight to check things out but I’m guessing you just got robbed by a couple crack or meth heads.”
Jack didn’t buy it. Those two back at his apartment might have been nuts but they were wholeheartedly convinced in their story. And they had a following too; the three white people in the rusty sedan. There was no way five crack heads would be interested in robbing him. What would they steal anyway? He didn’t have anything of any value. He had a nice enough TV but it was already six years old and he had the ipod but split five ways they’d get exactly squat.
The General said absently, “I should get a promotion just for dealing with all the extra baggage you’ve brought into my life.”
Jack responded sarcastically, “Yeah, it must be tough sitting around here worrying all day long but not actually doing anything productive. Gotta be rough riding my ass all day, huh? I’m the one who nearly got abducted. I should get a raise.”
The General gave him an icy stare, “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that to me. Do you know that I’m here under the exact same circumstances as you are? I have no outside ties. I’m a military lifer because my folks kicked me out at age eighteen and wanted nothing to do with me after that so I joined up and never left. I can be punished just as severely as anyone else around here for a serious enough breach of contract and my contract requires much more from me than yours does of you. On top of that, as far as I know no one besides the Doctor has been stuck here longer than I have. If I come off as testy or pushy it’s because the pressure can get to me from time to time so you have no right to question my duties or my worth.”
Jack nodded as an apology.
This back and forth between them seemed to be a recurring theme in their relationship; they argued like an old married couple.
Jack was going to drink again tonight even though it was way past his bedtime. The General must have read his mind.
“Listen; let’s get past this useless banter. I’m thirsty, care to join me for a drink?”
Chapter 20: Grilling Dave
He let the General lead him down to his quarters. It was already midnight but his heart was still racing and a few drinks would be good medicine.
Billy had been waiting for them outside the door but the General waved him off.
Jack felt bad about that. He knew Billy had risked his life to stop those people from abducting him tonight. He was a decent security guard after all.
The General explained, “Only a select few of us stay below ground level. All nonessential personnel stay above ground. Most of security sleep up there as well as the pilots and grunts like maintenance and tech support. You truly have no idea what a privilege it is to stay below. Not only that, but the Doctor sees something in you he can use. By the time you’re done here you’ll probably be calling the shots.”
Jack hoped not. This place was driving the General up the wall. He didn’t want that kind of burden.
“Here we are.” The General unlocked a door and let him inside.
Jack wasn’t surprised that these quarters made his look like a slum. There was an extra room with workout equipment and another room with one of those little infinity pools. The bathroom looked the same but the Jacuzzi was larger and there was a flat screen TV mounted opposite the toilet. Beside the bathroom door was another door that opened on a small steam room.
He started to wonder why the General was always so uptight. This entire apartment was designed to relieve stress. He had two liquor cabinets and they were both stocked to the max.
The General pulled out a bottle as he beckoned for Jack to take a seat.
“Listen, we need to start to see eye to eye pretty soon. I don’t like how adversarial our relationship has gotten.”
Jack didn’t normally take to mushy conversations so he quickly agreed so they could move past it and just drink.
The General handed him a glass of scotch and took a seat beside him. He paused long enough for them to take a sip.
“Listen, do me a favor and don’t tell Doc Collins about what happened tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s under enough stress as it is. He doesn’t need to hear any crazy stories about meth heads and abductions or the Messiah.”
Jack saw through the lame excuse. “You’re worried he’s going to think you, or one of your men screwed up, right?”
“You got me. Yes, I don’t want his faith in my abilities questioned.”
This might be the perfect opportunity for Jack to blackmail some answers out of him. He had to give it a shot.
“I’ll agree if you’ll agree to answer a few questions.”
The General became visibly uncomfortable. He was being asked to do something that would get him court martialled or worse if anybody found out but he must have thought it was worth it to ensure Jack’s cooperation.
“I’ll answer all your questions to the best of my ability but only here and now and I’ll deny it if any of it leaks out. Promise me that this will remain completely confidential and we have a deal.”
Jack promised.
“Where do the artifacts come from?”
“The Doc brings them up from downstairs. Other than that, I don’t really know.”
“Why did you choose me for this job?”
“I told you already. You have no ties and you lived close by. Your skill set was exactly what we were looking for. We also knew you needed the money.”
Jack shook his head. People like Jack didn’t get chosen for this kind of thing.
“There must be others like me though. Why pick me?”
The General became agitated. “Listen, you met the criteria. The Doctor suggested we get an expert on symbolism and you were the guy I chose; it’s that simple.”
“Is there a Messiah here?”
“I’m an atheist. I don’t believe in God, let alone a Messiah. No, there’s no Savior in this facility. Those people were nuts or confused about who you are, that’s all.”
Jack was pleasantly surprised too hear the General admit that he was an atheist. Jack was a closet atheist, had been since his family was killed, but he didn’t tell the General. He had more questions.
“How long has this research been going on?”
“I’ve been here for about a year. I don’t know how long the Doctor’s been at it but he was here before me.”
“What do you know about the research downstairs?”
“A lot less than you buddy. I almost got to go down there one time. The Doctor called me to say they had a situation but before I arrived he called me off saying he had it under control.”
“Do you know that I in fact do have family? I have an Uncle.”
“Yes I do but he hasn’t been around since the day you turned eighteen, right?”
Jack nodded.
He’d half hoped the General would know where his uncle was hiding. He missed him but as soon as those checks stopped coming in the mail from the government, he’d left without warning. He abandoned his own apartment just to get away from his nephew.
It still made Jack angry and brought forth feelings of self loathing.
He’d tried to find him over the years with no luck but he knew deep down he’d never see him again. His uncle had raised him not out of love or devotion to family but for money.
The General put his hand on Jack’s shoulder and stood to refill their glasses.
“We have that in common; both our guardian’s abandoned us at eighteen. My dad died six years ago and my mom didn’t even tell me. I had to find out from the internet. Mom passed a couple years later.”
Jack shook his head sympathetically and accepted the glass as the General rejoined him.
“I stayed in my uncle’s apartment until the
Sheriff kicked me out. I went to college after that and I remember accepting my diploma and scanning the crowd hoping to see my uncle’s face out there but he wasn’t there. I used to imagine him driving by my dorm to secretly check up on me, make sure I was ok, but I know now that he didn’t care enough for that. I have some abandonment issues as a result and some residual pangs of remorse stemming from the car accident that killed my family. Sorry, I’m rambling on.”
“It’s ok. I know all about you. I’m genuinely sorry about the things that happened throughout your life.”
Jack didn’t mean to get all whiny; he usually avoided the topic completely so he changed the subject before he dwelled on it or started brooding the way he used to when he was with Samantha.
“What’s the most dangerous artifact you have here?”
The General didn’t need to think about his answer.
“The red balls. You analyzed them already. Those things killed four of my men before we got them contained. They scare me half to death.”
Jack remembered the one he’d stolen and hid in the beaker. He had to find a way to return it. He almost told the General what he’d done so they could return it to the box together but he decided their relationship was still too riddled with trust issues.
“I’d like to take another look at them if that’s alright?” That would give him a chance to put the stolen ball back.
“You have your pictures. I don’t want to put anyone at additional risk. Those things are not to be taken lightly. Sorry.”
Dammit.
“Did they do autopsies on the bodies of the men after the red balls killed them?”
He was still worried seeing as how he’d touched the damn thing.
“Yeah but they didn’t find anything conclusive. Everyone killed was under thirty five and in the peak of health. Their hearts hadn’t undergone any trauma so it wasn’t a heart attack. Their organs all looked healthy. They just ceased to live. I saw two of them die with my own two eyes and I can pretty much attest to the findings from the autopsies. They both looked emptied out before they hit the floor, like the life inside them was just snatched away or snuffed out like a candle flame. At least they didn’t suffer.”
