by Glynn, Anne
“You’re six years older than me.” Clarissa knit her fingers together, her painted nails resting on the backs of her hands. “Rather timid and set in your ways. Exactly who we don’t need.”
Leah studied her face. “You had someone else in mind, didn’t you?”
“Not a specific person, no. When the position originally became available, I encouraged my superiors to find a recruit from within the organization. I was told we had to have an outsider.”
“Why?”
“That’s a mystery, isn’t it? They could have selected one of the brightest minds of our generation. Instead, we ended up with you.”
“I’m flattered,” Leah said flatly.
Clarissa reached for a drawer at the bottom of her desk. Finding a sheaf of papers bound together with a metal clip, she placed the contract in front of her employee. “This spells out the conditions of your employment.”
Flipping to the end, Leah discovered the document was fifty-six pages long. Returning to the beginning, she started to read through it. After the first few paragraphs, her brain threatened to rebel from the legalese. “Have you read this?”
From Clarissa’s expression, she knew she had.
“It’s filled with impressively-long words but the terminology’s all so vague. I’m on page twenty-six and I still can’t see what I’m doing or where I’m doing it. For something with so many words, this contract is careful not to say anything.”
“Page 40 talks about money.”
Flipping to the section, Leah read it over. Stunned, she said, “You’re kidding.”
“The government is deadly serious when it comes to money. Every penny of it is yours, as long as you never share a word of your experience outside of this facility.”
“Why so much?”
Clarissa’s green eyes considered her from across the metal plain of the desktop. “We’re paying you to take a vow of silence, not of poverty.”
Leah felt excited. Seconds later, an uneasy feeling settled in the base of her stomach.
Whatever the job ahead, the agency was promising her a monthly stipend for the rest of her life. In the next three years alone, it was more money than she’d ever expected to earn.
An opportunity like this didn’t come without some sizeable strings attached.
“I recommended we offer substantially less but, again, my proposal was ignored.” Clarissa touched a finger to one of her earrings, rubbing at it distractedly. “If you’re wondering what you have to do to collect this oversized paycheck, I can’t tell you.”
“Can’t? Or won’t?”
Clarissa didn’t answer.
“Will I be staying in Nevada? Going somewhere else?”
Her supervisor remained silent.
“You can’t honestly expect me to accept these terms blindly,” Leah said. “Nobody would.”
“I’m certain you’re right.” Clarissa’s tone suggested, I knew you weren’t the one for us. Not someone as timid as you.
Leah thought of her empty bank account and all of the lovely numbers promised to her if she put her signature on the last page of the document. “What happens after I sign?”
“If you decide to sign? You’ll stay in a safe house tonight and we’ll head out tomorrow.”
“I can’t go home tonight?”
“Jon will collect your belongings.”
But I don’t have any suitcases, she thought. Damn you, Brandon!
“I’ll be sent to some vague somewhere, is that correct?” Thinking over what Clarissa had said, she added, “Did you say you’re going, too?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” Reluctantly, as if it made her unhappy to share any information with the woman across from her, Clarissa said, “You work for my department. Within the hierarchy of our organization, you’re my responsibility.”
“But you don’t want me here.”
“You’re my lone remaining candidate,” Clarissa allowed. “You were good enough to survive the pre-hire process. That’s all. Good enough, bright enough, stable enough. In every category that mattered most, you scraped by.”
Her fingers tightened, her nails pressing into her skin. A frown threatened to crease her lovely face but was arrested at the last moment.
“Aren’t I lucky,” Leah said.
“Aren’t we both. If you don’t work out, if something goes wrong, I’ve hired the only person who met Colonel Dahlgren’s criteria. I can’t be blamed.”
“What happens if I decide I’m not interested?”
“We’ll reassess. If you’re worried about employment, don’t be. I’ll find something for you to do.”
“Within the GJSA?”
“A mid-level position at one of our smaller stations, someplace where you’ll fit in. The pay will be adjusted accordingly but you’ll get by.”
Leah thought, I’m so tired of just getting by.
“Eli Rannell is being transferred to Kelly’s Ridge. Have you ever been to central Michigan?”
Leah had been to central Michigan and she remembered it a bit too well. During her first and only trip there, the snowfall had been heavy and the wind chill factor had made every outside moment miserable.
Holding the papers in front her, she asked herself, WWJD? What would Jenna do?
She knew the answer immediately. Jenna Beasley would smoke a spiff, sign the contract, and then, after hours, bring Jon Wexler back to Clarissa’s office. She’d seduce him and, the next thing Jon knew, he’d be taking her on top of the room’s executive desk.
Jenna might regret her actions later but probably not. She lived for the moment.
“Give me a pen,” Leah said.
Chapter Six
Extremely tall and imposingly-wide, the man filled the doorway. Wearing a blue suit, white shirt, and red tie, he was dressed appropriately for a job with a federal agency.
Agent One Bear said, “It’s only for the one night.”
“You’ve already taken my purse and my cell phone,” Leah said. “This place doesn’t have any books, a magazine, anything. It doesn’t even have a television!”
“It’s a safe house.”
“No, it isn’t, Agent One Bear.”
“Call me Ryan.”
Ryan doesn’t seem like an Indian name, she thought, but refused to let herself be sidetracked. “Say what you like, Ryan, this isn’t anything like a real house. A house has things to do inside of it. It has a stove and cooking supplies. If I was lucky, it might have a craft room with scrapbooking supplies. Any respectable home offers some form of entertainment. A library, a stereo system, a computer. Something to keep its residents from going stir crazy.”
Behind the guard, the night sky twinkled with a million stars. He said, “I can find you a writing pad and a pencil, if you’d like.”
“So I can write a suicide note?”
His broad, square face didn’t react to her words.
Leah said, “Give me something to do, I beg of you. A portable DVD player. An Etch-A-Sketch, for God’s sake. I’d settle for a Lite Brite! Do you remember those? A kid’s toy?”
“You want me to find you some toys?”
“No. I just need something to do.”
“You’d like an adult diversion.”
“Now you’re getting it.”
“Well, why didn’t you say so?” His fingers looped beneath his tie, loosening it. “I can give you something to do.”
His sentence ended in a sensual growl, surprising her. Stepping away from him, Leah retreated into her room. Ryan followed, pushing the door closed. He dropped his tie to the carpet.
“You’re not allowed in here,” Leah said, her legs bumping into the bed that filled the center of the room. “Not inside the residence. You’re supposed to stay outside.”
“Or did you say you wanted someone to do?” The officer tore his shirt open. His muscled chest, bronze-colored and smooth, was revealed to her.
“I didn’t mean – I wasn’t….”
“Don’t pretend, you littl
e tramp. Otherwise, why would you come to the door, dressed like that?”
Leah looked down at her body. She was wearing a pink, baby doll nightie, its frilled lace ending just below her waist. Besides the nightie, she was wearing red, satin pumps and a pair of crotch less panties.
Nothing else.
I’ve never greeted a stranger, dressed like this! she thought, shocked. What was I thinking?
Still staring down at her barely-there underwear, she said, “You have the wrong idea.”
“I don’t see how that’s possible.” Ryan One Bear lifted her into his arms, pressing her to his naked skin. His engorged cock rubbed against her stomach.
“You can’t do this,” she said. “I’m telling you now. You have no right!”
“You signed the contract.” She felt her feet lift from the floor he placed her onto the bedspread.
“I didn’t know!”
“You should have read the fine print,” Ryan whispered into her ear.
She rolled onto her side, trying to push herself upright and off the bed. Reaching out, he caught her. He held her without apparent effort, his sex nudging against her.
Despite herself, Leah felt a growing wetness between her legs. “Please don’t,” she said, her voice fading. She knew she should cry out or fight back.
She didn’t do either of those things. She wanted him.
“Haven’t you ever had a stranger?” he demanded.
“It’s none of your business!”
“Maybe just this once, then.” He nuzzled the small of her neck. “Don’t you get tired of being the good girl?”
Yes, oh, yes.
“What would Jenna do?”
“How do you know about Jenna?”
Ryan reached between her legs, his fingers opening to catch the moistness there. He touched her briefly, arousing her, before pulling his hand away. His arm moved behind her and she felt him touch himself.
“What are you doing?”
“Readying myself for you.” Spreading the cheeks of her ass, he shifted his body. Then something big and stiff slipped inside the opening of her anus.
Leah jumped. “No!”
Coated by the wetness of her own desire, his dick pushed forward.
“No, don’t. I – I can’t.”
“Leah, it’s time.” Corded and thick, his cock entered her.
Her entire body felt on fire as he slid inside of her. She could feel herself stretching to engulf him. “Ryan!”
There was a pounding at the door and she opened her eyes. Keys rattled and Agent One Bear entered her room. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.”
“I heard you cry out,” the big man said.
“It was…a dream. I was having a dream.”
“I’ve been calling to you from outside,” Ryan said. “It’s time to get going. Agent Wexler will be here soon.”
# # #
Ryan One Bear stayed at the safe house as the Hummer drove off. Jon sat at the steering wheel, guiding them to their mystery destination. With Clarissa riding shotgun beside him, Leah was left in the center of the vehicle’s second row seat.
She stared out at the surrounding desert. Southern Nevada had its own kind of beauty but she’d seen enough of it while traveling yesterday. It had taken less than an hour before she’d grown weary of staring out at rough terrain filled with sand and cactus.
Her earlier efforts at striking up a conversation had been unsuccessful. Clarissa wasn’t interested in speaking to her and Jon was savvy enough to follow his supervisor’s lead. Even after their truck left the main road, bumping onto a gravel strip not much wider than the vehicle itself, nothing of interest was said or shared.
All of which left Leah a little too much time to think.
You know what last night’s dream was about, right? she asked herself. Your subconscious is trying to tell you something.
You should never have agreed to that contract. Knowing better, you signed it, anyway.
Now you’re about to get fucked up the ass.
Finally she slept, only to awaken as the Hummer stopped outside of a guard gate. Jon gave the sentry a package before providing identification cards for himself and his passengers. His conversation was muted but she caught a few, startling words.
“Did you say ‘Area 51’?” Leah asked as Hummer moved past the gate.
“What of it?” Clarissa’s tone was curt.
“I heard the guard. He said something about Area 51. We’re going – oh, my God, I don’t believe it.” Leah shifted in her seat, bringing her feet to the floorboard. “Now I understand.”
“Which is?”
“Area 51. Everyone knows Area 51, it’s famous.” When neither of the others responded, she stated, “Flying saucers, extraterrestrials. I’m an ambassador to the stars.”
“Look at who I have to work with,” Clarissa complained to Jon. She turned in her seat. “Area 51 is in Nevada, you’re correct in that much. But the base was miles ago, back where you saw the sign for Groom Lake. It’s a very ordinary military facility, with a number of perfectly adequate researchers. If you ask the scientists there about alien life, they’ll laugh at you.”
Leah felt deflated. “So all of the theories, all of the stories, they’re just pretend. Area 51 is a hoax.”
“Area 51 is very real, as I just told you. You need to learn how to listen.”
In front of them, the road suddenly opened up as the asphalt separated and fell at a 45-degree angle. Jon pumped the car’s brakes briefly before the Hummer dipped forward and was swallowed by the earth. The vehicle never slowed as it rode into the darkened tunnel.
Overhead, the asphalt sleeve rose to its original position. There was a snick! sound as it locked into place.
Gasping, Leah started to speak, only stopping when she saw a smirk curl the corners of Clarissa’s lips. The supervisor expected her to be startled. She wanted a chance to mock her once again.
Refusing to give her that satisfaction, Leah stared outside the window in wonder. Outside of the movies and a few of Brandon’s video games, she’d never seen anything like this.
This is just like one of the old spy films, she thought. One of the classic MGM pictures, with the ground opening up as the hero enters a hidden passage. This is like the secret entrance into Stavro’s underground lair.
Or was it Dr. Evil who had an underground lair?
The passageway was dark, the black glass of its curved walls shimmering under the passing headlights. The path’s only other illumination came from the glowing blue strip that bisected the road ahead of them.
On each side of her, Leah saw the Hummer’s reflection on the walls. Behind the glass, she had a sense of movement and activity.
“When people wonder if there’s intelligent life outside of our planet, I’m surprised they don’t just do the math,” Clarissa told her. “With billions of solar systems in our galaxy, with at least a hundred billion galaxies in the universe, how could there not be?”
With caution in his voice, Jon said, “This is highly classified.”
“Don’t be tiresome, Jon. What secrets do you think we can keep private beyond this point?”
Although she’d never admit it, it made Leah feel better to see Clarissa’s ire directed at someone beside herself. “What secrets are there?”
“Alien visitation isn’t anything new or shocking, not to the GJSA. Not for decades.”
“Decades?”
“A Fifth Encounter occurred in the late 1940s,” Clarissa told her. “Society was in the middle of the Cold War and everyone was scared to death of Commies. No one was even thinking about aliens.”
“I’m sorry but…a what encounter?” Leah asked.
Jon explained, “A Close Encounter of the Fifth kind.”
“There are five kinds of Close Encounters?”
“Seven, actually.”
“A Fifth Encounter is when there’s direct communication between an extraterrestrial and someone on Earth.” Clarissa’s d
iamond earrings caught the light as she shook her head in irritation. “May I finish?”
“Please.”
“It’s the ‘40’s, the world is in the grip of paranoia, and no one is watching the skies. When he found out what had happened, President Truman played Joe McCarthy like a puppet, using him to raise millions of dollars to fight ‘the Red Menace’. Almost all of that money went to building a highly advanced research laboratory in the Nevada desert.”
Leah listened with rapt attention. It was exactly like in the movies.
“We’re taking you to the one place where we know aliens have appeared and where, for the last half-century, we’ve had the opportunity to study one another.”
“Study one another?
“We haven’t learned as much as we’d like. Many of our questions are ignored. When we do get an answer, we struggle to understand its meaning. When we answer their questions, they often seem amused by our responses.”
“The aliens speak English? Or – or Earthling?”
“Not exactly. And, here, we don’t call them ‘aliens’. The extraterrestrials are called ‘the Visitors’.”
Ahead of them, another gate came into view. Behind the guard post, the tunnel opened into a huge dome, multi-storied but curiously empty of people. Even though the dome was underground, an artificial sky sparkled overhead, its glowing light provided by some hidden source. It offered nearly as much visibility as if she’d been outside during a cloudless day.
“It’s time for you to meet Colonel Dahlgren,” Clarissa said.
Jon added, “Welcome to Area 72.”
Chapter Seven
Colonel Ronald Dahlgren joined them at the Hummer. He was of medium height, with sandy-colored hair, pale blue eyes and a soft chin. On Leah’s first impression, his chin was his only hint of weakness. Every other aspect of his physicality suggested strength and command.
Entering the back of the SUV, he sat beside her. He said, “You know where to take us, Jon.”
Jon shifted into gear and the vehicle rolled toward the center of the dome.
Colonel Dahlgren sat rigidly straight, a photo-perfect image of a military leader – except for the cord dangling around his neck. A rock rested at the bottom of the strand.
