by R. J. Wolf
Nickie closed the office as quietly as possible and crumpled the sticky notes in her hand. She started to walk off when she felt a set of cold fingers settle on her shoulder.
“Ah!” Nickie screamed. “Jesus you scared me Mark.”
“I’d prefer it if you called me dad.” Nickie’s stepfather declared, striding out of the shadows.
“Yeah, and I’d prefer it if I didn’t.” Nickie said, rolling her eyes.
He glared at her suspiciously then forced an awkward smile. “What were you doing in there anyway?”
“Oh, I needed to borrow your charger…lost mine.” Nickie smiled holding up the white cord she’d tucked into her pocket at the last minute.
“Hmph. Well make sure I get it back.”
“Will do.” Nickie said as she walked past him and headed for her room.
“Nickie.” Her stepfather called just as she had started up the stairs. “What’s that in your other hand?”
“What?” Nickie said tightening her fist.
“That paper in your other hand. What is it?”
Nickie swallowed and took a deep breath. “Um, it’s…”
Just as she started to respond the phone in the office rung loudly. Nickie’s stepfather smirked at her and then turned around.
“Get to bed.” He yelled back as he stepped into the office and closed the door.
********************************************
“If you can hear me, I want you to know I love you.” Mr. Clark said as he stared down at the lifeless body of his mother.
He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. Mit stared at him from the doorway, his face wet with tears. He really didn’t know what to say, he wasn’t good at this sort of thing.
“Visiting hours are over.” A heavy set nurse called from the hallway.
Mit turned and rolled his eyes. Throwing his hands to the side he walked out into the hall.
“It’s okay.” Mr. Clark called to him. “She’ll be here for at least three weeks. We need to keep the nurses on our side.”
He bent over and kissed his mother again and then joined Mit. As they started to walk towards the exit, Dr. Novacks ran after them.
“Fullerton!” He yelled. “Fullerton wait.” Dr. Novacks gasped.
Mr. Clark and Mit looked to him with puzzled faces.
“What is it Dr. Novacks?” Mr. Clark asked.
“Your mother, her condition, we’ve never experienced anything like it. With your consent we’d like to transfer her to our facility in Bonita so we can gather more information.
“What!” Mr. Clark exclaimed. “You said the aneurism was gone, that you operated.”
“Yes, yes we did, but…” Dr. Novacks removed his glasses and rubbed his face. “While the doctors were administering the CT scan, the aneurism developed. They literally watched it occur. As far as I know this is unprecedented.”
Mr. Clark shook his head in confusion. “What you’re saying is she didn’t have an aneurism when we brought her in?”
The doctor nodded. Mr. Clark looked to Mit and took a deep breath.
“How long will she need to be in Bonita?”
“No longer than a week. As I said she is stable, but we really want to find out what caused it.”
“What do I need to sign?”
Mr. Clark followed Dr. Novacks back to the reception desk and filled out the appropriate forms.
“If it’s all the same with you I’d like her moved as soon as she’s able to.” Mr. Clark said as he sat the pen down on the desk.
“We can arrange the transfer for tomorrow if that gives you enough time.”
“That’s fine, I’ll bring her things tomorrow morning.”
Mit raised his eyebrows, but Mr. Clark shot him a look.
“Okay, well that’s all I need from you. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Dr. Novacks smiled and shook his hand.
Once they got in the car Mit erupted. “What the hell Mr. Clark!”
“Mitchell, you watch your language.”
“I don’t get it. What are you doing, just sending your mother off to some hospital in Bonita. You didn’t even think about it.”
“Oh I’ve thought about it, more than you know. Mitchell, someone was at the door and my mother answered it. That’s when she passed out and hit her head. Her sudden aneurism is unprecedented because it’s impossible. Whoever was at the door did this to her and I think they may come back. We are getting too close to LSK and I think sending my mother a hundred miles away from all of this is a great idea.”
Mit sulked down in his seat. “I’m sorry Mr. Clark. This is all our fault. Mrs. Clark would be fine if you’d never met us.”
“Nonsense Mitchell. My father was involved before I ever met you. I would’ve carried on his research regardless. But they know who we are and where we are. We need to be careful and find your friend fast.”
XI
Mit grinned anxiously at Mikey and then vanished under the chain-link fence. Standing up, he brushed the dirt off of his jeans and glanced down at the three foot hole he’d crawled out of. “You sure you don’t wanna try squeezing through?” He whispered.
“Just hurry up and get the door!” Mikey responded through gritted teeth.
Mit smiled and then took off around the back of the long square building. Mikey sighed, kneeling on the other side of the fence next to a pile of dirt. A ripped black tarp that was wired to the sides to keep out prying eyes flapped wildly in the wind.
Crawling on all fours, he rounded the building and stooped next to the tinted glass door. The light next to the access panel still flashed a bright red. Mikey nervously bit his nails and rocked back and forth.
It felt like an eternity as he waited for Mit to deactivate the alarm. His heart thundered and cracked beneath his t-shirt. The violent percussion played in his ears like a heavy metal band.
The wind blew a little harder causing the trees to bend and scratch against the roof. Shadows next to the building seemed to move and morph into frightening images. Mikey could see hands reaching out for him that turned out to be the silhouette of an overhead light. His ears seemed to pick up every noise with bat like accuracy. A little cricket crawling through the grass sounded like a herd of elephants.
Whispering to himself he tried to calm his breathing. He closed his eyes and slowly counted to ten. He thought of the calming rush of the ocean. He envisioned the long days of summer sitting on a board waiting for the perfect wave.
With a click, the little red light next to the door turned green and the door swung open. Mit stood on the other side looking especially pleased.
“They call this place secure.” He whispered.
Mikey slowly crept in and gave a thumbs up to the little brown station wagon that idled at the end of the street.
Mr. Clark sat the binoculars down and turned to Steve. “They’re in, now we wait.”
Steve huffed and laid the seat all the way back. “I hope they hurry up.” He mumbled.
Once inside, Mikey and Mit silently crept down the stone hallway. Behind the empty reception desk was an enormous LSK logo plastered to the wall with their motto etched underneath it, “Finding a Way to Tomorrow.”
The dimly lit lobby appeared pretty plain, nothing stood out that said alien research facility. Black leather sofas were arranged in a semi-circle around a glass coffee table. A day old newspaper and copies of Home and Garden magazine were stacked neatly in the center.
Mit wondered how many people had worked for the company without a clue of what they really did. How many had come through those doors day after day not really knowing what went on deep within the belly.
“This way.” Mikey whispered.
He pressed the call button to the elevator and stepped back. He nervously glanced from side to side expecting someone to walk around the corner at any moment. The elevator dinged loudly, echoing in the empty building.
“Why did Steve get to stay in the car?” Mit mumbled as he stepped into the elevator.
“Do you have the code?” Mit looked at the number panel embedded in the wall of the elevator. There were no floors just a ten digit keypad. Each floor could only be accessed by a specific code.
“It’s two, eight, seven. My memory is photographic.” Mikey waved his hand.
Mit smirked and punched the numbers in. The elevator beeped and then went silent. He looked at Mikey and rolled his eyes. As he opened his mouth to say something, an alarm went off and flashing red lights illuminated the cart.
“You idiot. Would it have killed you to write it down? We are so gonna die.” Mit started pushing random buttons in a panic.
“Wait, wait wait. Maybe it was seven, eight, two. Yeah that was it, try that.”
Mit quickly punched the numbers in and the alarm immediately stopped. As the flashing lights shut off Mikey turned to Mit and smiled.
“Well, I just saved your life again.”
“Uh huh. Remind of the first time.”
Suddenly the elevator shook and started to descend rapidly. They were already on the ground floor, but judging by the speed and how long they were moving they’d gone at least ten stories lower.
The elevator stopped with a loud beep. The cart rattled and the doors snapped open. Mit looked at Mikey and raised his eyebrows.
“This was your plan.” Mikey said as he ushered Mit towards the door.
Mit bit his bottom lip and poked his head out. To his right, there was a dark hallway with a glowing light at the end. To his left, there seemed to be nothing, but empty black space.
Mit looked back at Mikey. “We go right…I think.”
They both tip toed into the hallway and headed toward the glowing light. It was a sparkling blue ball that seemed to be suspended in nothing. It slowly spiraled in mid-air, little arms of light arcing off of it like an octopus. Mit felt a magnetic pull to it, like it was calling him, drawing him into it.
Mikey looked at him awkwardly as he stumbled towards it like a zombie. He didn’t speak a word, his feet just plowed forward like he was being pulled along a track.
“Looks weird huh?” Mikey spoke, finally breaking the silence.
Mit didn’t respond. He started walking faster, his pace almost at a run. Mikey stopped and stared at him.
“Mit. Mit! What are you doing?”
He still didn’t respond and was quickly nearing the light up ahead. Mikey took off in a sprint after him. As he caught up he dove at him, tackling him to the ground.
“Mit!” Mikey slapped him across the face.
“Ouch. What did you do that for?” Mit’s eyes seemed to focus finally looking at Mikey.
“You…you were gone man. You’d zoned out.”
Mit shook his head trying to clear his mind. He looked up at Mikey and then down the hallway. Mikey stood up and helped him to his feet.
“I don’t like this place.” Mit whispered.
“Yeah, I think we go left.” Mikey said. “And hurry up and get out of here.”
Mit nodded and they headed off the other way. He looked over his shoulder back at the light, but Mikey grabbed him and pulled him along.
“Try to stay focused.”
The long, narrow hall was dark and cramped. It felt like they were slowly navigating their way down a train tunnel. Their footsteps clapped loudly against the white tile floor, a beckon to anyone lurking in the shadows.
As they neared the end of the hall, three red doors jutted off in different directions.
“Which way do you think?” Mikey whispered.
“Maybe you should pick this time.” Mit grinned.
Mikey reached out and grabbed the hand to the one directly in front of them. He twisted the knob but it didn’t move. “I guess it’s not this one.” He laughed.
Moving to his left, he turned the knob of the next door and it slowly twisted and clicked open. Mit gasped and took a step back.
Holding his breath, Mikey pushed the door open and stepped inside. Reluctantly, Mit followed him. As he crossed into the room the door slammed shut behind him.
“No, no, no!” Mit yelled in a panic.
He grabbed the door, yanking and twisting the knob, but it didn’t move. He could hear the clicking of the magnets as the door locked shut.
“We’ll figure it out later.” Mikey whispered as he stepped forward.
Turning around Mit stared in awe. The room was enormous. It was easily the length of three or four football fields and just as wide. The ceiling was made of iron rafters and soared twenty feet overhead. There was a dim glow in the air from an unknown source and the rest of the room melted into the shadows.
Concrete walls ran the length of the room separating it into rows. Each row was about as wide as a lane of traffic with a red line running across the ground.
“I don’t understand.” Mikey said, as he looked on in confusion.
The walls were only a foot or so thick, but were dotted with red doors like the one they’d just entered. Every twenty feet or so there was a door that seemingly led to nothing.
“How are we gonna find Anthony in this?” Mit asked.
Mikey shook his head, still staring up at the towering walls. “What’s the deal with these doors?” He mumbled as he walked down one of the rows.
Slowly turning the knob, he held his breath and nudged the door forward. He expected to see the next wall, but instead he entered into another room.
Yelling out he slammed the door and stumbled into Mit.
“What? What is it?”
“There’s, there’s another room in the door. I mean there’s…like there’s a room in there.” Mikey stuttered.
Mit opened the door and stared in. There was a small dingy room on the other side. A strong mildew smell permeated the warm air and the sound of water dripping echoed softly. The floor was made of a slick looking concrete and covered in algae and vines. A series of heavy iron loops protruded from the floor with thick chains attached to them. And the brick walls connected to a rocky ceiling only eight feet high.
Mit closed the door and walked to the end of the wall. There was nothing on the other side, just an empty row. He ran back to the door and opened it again.
“Hold the door open.” He looked back at Mikey. “I’m going inside.”
Mikey grabbed the door as Mit stepped into the cramped cell. He walked to the far wall and knocked on it. A deep thud echoed in the empty room.
“It’s real.” He mumbled as he knelt down.
He rubbed his hand across the hard floor feeling the grimy slime of algae mixed with stale water. He smiled then took a deep breath. The warm damp air seemed to sit in his nostrils and he gagged a bit then coughed.
Back outside Mr. Clark thumbed on the radio while Steve sighed loudly, showing his displeasure with his musical selection.
“Sorry, I’m not really into the latest dance craze anymore. My knees just won’t put up with it.”
Steve grinned and laid his seat back. “Do you think he’s really in there?”
Mr. Clark considered him for a moment. “I’d like to think he is. Otherwise what are we doing? Everything we’ve found has led us here. All we can do is follow the crumbs.”
Steve smiled and began to nervously play with his hands. Mr. Clark watched him for a moment. Steve was normally the calm one, the cool head when everyone else spun out of control. Now he seemed to be unraveling, like he was no longer capable of controlling his nerves.
“Steve.” Mr. Clark grabbed his shoulder. “I know you want to be in there. I know you want find Anthony, but if something happens, if something goes wrong. You’re the only one who can get them out. It’ll be up to you to save them.”
Steve forced a smile on his face. “I know Mr. Clark. I know.”
Mr. Clark turned back to the road as a pair of headlights appeared in the distance. He eyed them suspiciously expecting them to turn away at any minute. The LSK lab was tucked away at the end of a five mile industrial r
oad. If you didn’t know it was here you weren’t going to accidently stumble on it.
“Steve get down!” Mr. Clark urgently whispered.
Steve looked up from the floorboard and had to choke back the yelp of surprise. Quickly he slumped back in his seat trying to make himself as small as possible.
Steve could feel prickles in his arms and a queasy sinking feeling in his stomach. Holding his breath, he stared on in silence as a black Suburban slowly rolled passed their car.
Parking half a mile away next to an old metal fabrication plant seemed overcautious at this time of night, but now Mr. Clark was happy he did.
“I don’t think they’re lost.” Mr. Clark said grimly as he sat up in the seat.
He grabbed the binoculars and watched as the SUV slowly rolled up in front of the LSK building and stopped.
“We’ve gotta get them out of there.” He whispered.
Steve nodded, grabbing the other pair of binoculars from the back. The door to the black Suburban swung open and a medium sized man stepped out. He was wearing a baseball cap, jeans and a beige colored t-shirt.
Sliding on a pair of shades, the man scanned around the building and took a deep breath.
Steve choked back a laugh and smiled. “Really, shades at night? We’re doing that now?”
Mr. Clark shot him a look and then turned back to the building. The man was no longer near the truck, but had started to walk around the perimeter of the building. He peered at the windows, at the doors and then stopped when he made it to the fence.
Mr. Clark gasped. “He knows! We’ve got to get them out now. I knew this was a bad idea. I knew it.”
Steve opened the door and stepped out of the car.
“What are you doing?” Mr. Clark grabbed his arm.
“Going to save them. Isn’t that why I’m here?”
“We need a plan Steve, we can’t just go running up there. You’ll get everyone killed.”
Steve rolled his eyes. “I didn’t plan on just running up there. It’s just one person right now, but if we give him a chance to call for backup then we’re really gonna have issues.”
Mr. Clark bit his lower lip and huffed. “Okay, but be careful and be quick.”
