It was around 7 A.M. on a Sunday when I slammed my hand over the alarm clock. I leaped from the bed. I was pumped. Today I was going to see Claudia Belle.
After the eventful night searching for her, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The school had been dreadfully quiet, and I knew why, as much as I didn’t want to admit it. I hadn’t come out and said it, even to myself. I wanted to deny it as if that would make it not true, but I could no longer avoid it. The cause of the disturbance was Claudia. She was the source, the power that Dr. Nicholson had often described. The very idea that it was she that I had been after all along frightened and worried me. The source wasn’t a thing or an idea, it was a person, a person I loved.
I did a few sit-ups and a few pushups to keep myself active. Then, I jumped into the shower. The water hit my face. It’s rewarding warmth filled me with a sense of renewed energy. I layered myself with body wash, scrubbing it on my body. I felt refreshed as I rinsed the soap away.
After the shower I brushed my teeth and picked out the best attire for the day with Miss Belle. Along with a little splash of cologne, then came down into the kitchen.
Joseph wasn’t downstairs. It wasn’t like him to still be in bed. I thought about going to his room and informing him where I would be for the rest of the day, but that man didn’t need to know everything that went on in my life. If I told him I was on my way to see Claudia Belle, he would’ve found something to convince me it was a bad idea.
He had already made several attempts to keep me from her.
I grabbed a protein shake from the refrigerator and the keys off the counter, along with my phone, checking it for any messages. There was one from Joseph regarding Dr. Nicholson. It looked urgent but it would have to wait. I wanted to get to Claudia’s house first before something else interfered.
Something always seemed to stop me, and I had promised to be there.
I was out the door almost immediately and into my car. I sped out of the driveway and onto the street. I was at her house within minutes. When pulling to the side of the street, my phone rang.
Before I could say a word, a voice firmly spoke over mine.
“Where are you?” I recognized the voice. It was Dr. Nicholson. My mouth suddenly went dry, and I swallowed the regret in my throat. I didn’t know what to say, but I knew answering incorrectly would cost me. He had caught me off guard because I hadn’t even read the email Joseph had sent me. I had no clue what the nature of his call was about. I sensed it had something to do with the email.
“At the rental,” I answered.
“I see.” His voice was calm, with the slightest tone of arrogance. “Then, I’m assuming you haven’t been briefed on the latest occurrence?” he said very dryly.
I didn’t answer right away and that was assurance enough I had no idea what had taken place.
“Joseph—”
“Joseph is here with me,” he cut me off. “In Milton.”
He’s here? My brow began to sweat.
“I had an understanding that you had already been notified by your guardian, and were en route? Am I to assume that the information was inaccurate?”
“No, sir, I’m en route I had a little problem with the vehicle. I’m headed there now.”
“Don’t keep me waiting.” The phone went dead.
I hurried out of the car and to Claudia’s front door. Before I could even ring the doorbell Claudia pulled open the door.
She had been waiting for me. She looked beautiful. She wore a flowery dress. Strangely, I knew it was something she wouldn’t normally wear. Had she gotten all dolled up for me? I couldn’t help smiling at the very thought.
She blushed but immediately knew something was wrong.
“John, are you okay?”
My name coming out of her lips sounded so rewarding. Her heart was fluttering, and that current was flowing from her once again. She was happy to see me, and that was reassuring since I hadn’t felt that from her in the beginning.
“I’m sorry I have to do this to you, Miss Belle.”
She gave me a perplexed look. Grabbing her hand, I pulled her to me as I reached out and closed the door for her. Her heart began to race and dance, soaring when our hands connected. This feeling shot blots of energy into me. She felt it, but it was I who was far more thrilled to feel it.
“John, what’s wrong?”
I turned to her as she hesitated, nearly falling over me. I tried to keep it together. I was sensing so much from her. My touch, our union, and the connection when we came together delighted her so much, it poured into my veins. It was a reward to me when she was happy.
“There’s a problem at Milton. I’ve been called in,” I said.
She blinked at me. I got a vibe from her. She understood, but she was afraid. I moved the dial of the watch back. I didn’t want her to know what would soon come. Dr. Nicholson would be there. It was too soon to introduce him when I had no idea who he was supposed to be. Not that it mattered if she could read my thoughts. She knew of him, but not what he looked like, I assumed. I thought it was best to leave it that way for now.
“Call in?” she questioned as we hurried to the car.
“The people I told you about, the ones I work for.” I said as I opened the vehicle’s passenger door.
“Oh,” I heard her whisper.
I didn’t want to tell her entirely what was happening, especially since Dr. Nicholson was there. Nor did I want either one of us to lose control and be discovered. He was keen on things, and he would surely sense something different about her. I already had my suspicions about Joseph knowing something.
“They’re there. At Milton. Something happened,” I said helping her in the car then closing the door. I came around and climbed into the Jag, turning on the engine.
“There’s a hole,” she suddenly said.
“What?” I looked over at her. A hole, how did she know?
“Michael got the call early this morning from the district, he said there was a hole in the parking lot. He’s headed there now.”
Got to hand it to Michael McClellan to be worried about a very old building. It was already falling apart, and he wanted to save it. Now, there was a large hole in the parking lot. I wondered if he would be able to get in with Dr. Nicholson there. Knowing the way Dr. Nicholson worked, he would have Joseph send him off, along with any other staff who showed up. The retrieval team would already be there scouting the area for anything strange or abnormal.
“Shit,” I muttered.
“John, what’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “I better go before I get another tongue lashing.”
“Maybe we should cancel for another time. I don’t want to get you in trouble,” Claudia suggested.
“Not a chance. There’s no way you’ll get me in trouble. No way I’m canceling my day with you over this.” I grinned hitting the gas and speeding off.
“Wow. Is this yours?” she blurted out, regarding the car.
Glancing over, I flashed her a smirk. “It is. It came with the identity.”
She was speechless. And there was a slight flush upon her cheeks.
The scent of new leather consumed the air. Claudia touched the fresh fabric and gazed at the beautiful interior.
“It’s nice,” she uttered.
The smile hadn’t disappeared from my face, nor could I stop looking at her. She was a vision of beauty and now she was here right alongside me.
“How can you afford something like this?” She smiled probably realizing it was part of my cover.
“It was a gift for my birthday. My father is an important surgeon, remember?” I joked.
Claudia laughed wrinkling her nose, “Your birthday? Wait, did you have a real birthday?”
Immediately leaning over I planted my lips on hers as we came to a stop sign. If she’d been intending to continue her line of questioning, I put a stop to that.
“I already got everything I want for my birthday, Claudia Belle.” Settling back onto the seat, and grinning back, I gave her a winked. She probably thought me a slight arrogant.
She blushed. For the first time, I felt I had the upper hand over her emotions.
“It must be fun to travel to different locations and meet different people,” she said, turning away.
I had to wonder if my glances were making her uncomfortable.
“I won’t lie, it is, but you can never make friends. My time is short. It gets lonely after a while,” I admitted.
My phone rang, I answered it, putting it on speaker. Claudia looked uncomfortable. I put a finger over my lip. She nodded.
“Why didn’t you call me? You didn’t even say anything before you left this morning.” I said as a way of answering.
There was a long pause before Joseph said, “I did call you. Several times, in fact.” There was another pause. “Besides, I wasn’t home, okay?”
My nose wrinkled. Claudia was quietly listening to us. She had no idea what we were talking about. Partially because she couldn’t read my mind.
I laughed and Claudia looked confused.
“You didn’t? Did you?” I said a little excited. Of course, Claudia wouldn’t understand what had happened and for a moment I regretted bringing it up in front of her.
“Yeah, I spent the night at Karen’s,” he finally admitted.
Guy talk. Yeah, I definitely regretted it. Far more, I was embarrassed because she was hearing me speak just like every guy does in a locker room setting.
“I got the call this morning and called you on my way to Milton.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“There’s a massive hole in the parking lot. It looks supernatural. I think our friend might be responsible. We won’t know until the retrieval team does their analysis and assesses the situation.” He paused.
Had he sensed there was someone else in the vehicle with me? The way he stopped again made me uneasy.
“We’ll talk when you get here. Just hurry will you. He’s not happy.”
He hung up and I turned the phone off. He’s not happy, that phrase kept mocking me. It was never good when Dr. Nicholson wasn’t happy.
“I think he knows someone was in the car with you,” Claudia said.
I thought the same. “Well, if he didn’t, he’s going to know when he sees you.” I glanced at her and smiled.
Claudia looked out the window, silent for a moment, she seemed worried. “I don’t feel comfortable around him,” Was she referring to Joseph? “He doesn’t like me.”
“That’s not true.”
She seemed surprised I didn’t think the same.
“Joseph is an acquired taste,” I joked.
“I don’t want to give him another reason to hate me.”
“Don’t worry about him.” I encouraged. “He won’t do anything. He’s bound by the rules. We have guidelines that he’s required to obey, and part of those is listening to his appointed official, which is me.”
However, I didn’t tell her the rest. He was also bound to inform Dr. Nicholson of any inconsistency or report any other issues that he found could jeopardize the mission, as well as any problems with me that stopped me from performing my assignment. There was no point in giving her another reason to be scared. That fact would only push her away and I wanted to keep her close.
“He won’t do anything,” I said putting a hand on her knee.
She looked over and nodded.
“Who was he talking about? When he said, ‘our friend?’ Does he mean the creature your boss is looking for?”
I nodded. I didn’t want to give more information than I needed to. Claudia looked uneasy regarding my gesture.
We arrived at Milton within thirty minutes, and I spotted the retrieval team at the scene. Claudia looked over the dashboard as we stopped near the entrance of the parking lot. I recognized the retrieval team even behind their phony disguises of City of Houston employees. The familiar abnormality detector glasses they all wore were a required tool when paranormal activity was detected. A glance at the watch on my wrist, was set on a low frequency. I switched it up.
Grabbing the thermal glasses on the side panel of the car, I put them on and looked over at Claudia. Nothing happened, I switched frequency and different slides.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Claudia thought I was just staring at her. The glasses were normal and nothing different in appearance.
“Just admiring the view,” I said.
The color returned to her cheeks as I removed them.
“Your quiet this morning,” she said.
There was no doubt she had noticed my mind was silent. Even my emotions were nonexistent. They had been there this morning and now were gone.
“I’m sorry, I have to,” I said to her. “You see those men over there?” I pointed cautiously. Claudia nodded. “They don’t work for the City of Houston, they work for the Company, I told you about.”
“How do you know?” she asked.
“The glasses they’re wearing are specially designed to find any abnormalities in the surrounding area from a few feet to several yards away from the active scene.”
“Is that why you picked up those glasses?” I nodded. “But how would they know if I was …” Claudia looked over at the men, examining them as they moved around, taking samples of the area.
“There’s a frequency that allows them to see … abnormalities … and energies which is what you project.”
Obviously, she didn’t understand because she couldn’t see what I saw when I looked at her.
“Sometimes you give off a beautiful glow. Not always, but when you do, I can see it.” Claudia lowered her eyes, her cheeks flushed again, and I could tell she was afraid. “Not everyone can, but I can. Not sure why, but I fear if I can, then they will too if they’re on the frequency that allows it anyway.”
She was speechless.
“You even leave a trail, it looks like a path of golden speckles, like glitter floating in the air. It’s beautiful,” I said.
Claudia gripped at her upper arm and that scarlet color returned to her face, as she bit at her lower lip. Quite frankly I thought it was quite sexy. But there was no doubt she was frightened by this news.
I grabbed her hand. “Relax. Look at me. Nothing is going to happen to you. Okay? You’re safe, they’ll be done soon. They’ll do their job and be on their way. Let’s not give them a reason to stay any longer.”
She nodded.
I drove up, and the phony officer let me through. Dr. Nicholson’s SUV was nearby, and only when I took a parking space did I notice what they were all looking at.
At the other end of the parking lot was a large sinkhole with a few cars piled into it. Far off, there was a car that appeared to be bent in half from the roof down. It looked like a wrecking ball had gone down through the middle of it.
What the hell happened here?
The men at the scene looked in our direction, then towards the building. Apparently, I had just missed my chance, and Dr. Nicholson was not very happy. The only retrieval here was the obvious damage and the unusual hole in the ground.
I got out of the car and came around to open Claudia’s door. Taking her hand, I helped her out of the vehicle.
She looked nervous and scared. “Do you think this is a good idea for me to be here?” she asked.
I was beginning to ask myself the same question. This was a hotbed for paranormal activity and bringing Claudia here with members of the Company’s retrieval team near was perhaps not the best idea.
“It’ll be alright,” I tried to assure her and myself. Glancing back, I recognized one of the cops staring and smiling over.
Taking Claudia’s hand into mine, we stepped up the stairs of the building and inside.
I was expecting to see Dr. Nicholson standing at the entrance of the school, or at least his security detail. But, if the men were here, they were lurking like snakes, making sure the boss was heavily guarded.
We entered the main office and found it empty. The sound of two male voices were coming from inside Joseph’s office. Claudia lingered by Mrs. Wallace’s empty desk. She took a seat to hide behind the computer.
“Wait here for me,” I said.
She nodded.
I knocked and entered only when I heard someone inside say to come in. Of course, I already knew something was wrong when I saw Dr. Nicholson standing by the window of the office staring outside. He was calm. He never made an appearance during an assignment until it had been completed. However, here he was in his clean, white suit and burning, flashy red tie. He had bold blond hair kept neat and short. He was facing the other way, with his arms behind his back.
“Come in and close the door,” he said.
I did as he ordered, catching sight of Joseph standing by his desk. He wasn’t sitting. There was another man in the room. I had often seen him coming out of Dr. Nicholson’s lab. He was standing to the left when I entered. I hadn’t seen him right away. He stood in the corner of the room and gave me a frown when our eyes met briefly.
“Jonas, make sure you instruct the retrieval team not to allow anyone else into the building until we’re done here,” Dr. Nicholson ordered the man in the corner. He must be the doctor’s security detail.
“Yes, sir. What should I do about the girl?” he said before moving.
Dr. Nicholson turned and narrowed his eyes at me. Did he know something? He had ways of finding things out about someone if he really wanted the information.
“She’s just a friend,” I said.
“She’s Michael McClellan’s adopted daughter. A no one,” Joseph answered for me. He had to, it was his duty to give information.
“A no one?” Dr. Nicholson repeated. “Then, why is she here?” The doctor asked a good question.
It was time to think on my feet. Joseph’s eyes bore into me with the same question burning through him.
“She’s meeting Mr. McClellan here. I just gave her a ride.”
Dr. Nicholson’s eyes furrowed. Not even I, bought that excuse. “Leave her, Jonas, but keep an eye on her.”
My eyes shot over towards Jonas when he moved past me and flashed me a smile. If he dared hurt her, he would answer to me.
Dr. Nicholson motioned for me to approach, “Please, sit,” he instructed.
I walked over and was about to take the seat in front of the desk when Joseph shook his head and ordered me to take the seat behind the desk. He pulled out the chair for me. I gave him a look. Since when had he become Dr. Nicholson’s hired man?
Dr. Nicholson took the seat in front of the desk. He leaned back. His legs slowly crossed and he clasped his hands, resting his elbows on the arms of the chair.
“Now, which one of you would like to explain to me why there is a giant hole in the parking lot?” he demanded. “John?” His eyes at once focused on me.
I didn’t know how to answer. His stare was burning a hole in me.
“I don’t know, sir,” was my response. A sad and poor response, no doubt. I could almost hear Joseph say those same words.
“That’s an unacceptable answer, I sent you here to investigate. It’s your job to know.” He was right. He leaned closer to the desk. “Late last night at approximately 2000 hours, we received an alert from one of the devices you planted. It picked up activity from the outside.” I followed his gaze towards Joseph. “As you know the mechanisms are designed to detach, if necessary. They release a mist when a threat is detected to subdue the subject and allow capture.”
I wasn’t aware they detached. My heart skipped a beat. Joseph stirred beside me. I could already hear him saying, I warned you kid.
“Both mechanisms were activated. The first on Friday afternoon at 1500 hours. The device was able to capture and record movement. Unfortunately, the one in the hallway failed, and was unable to record anything …”
Record? I choked back a breath. I could hear Joseph’s voice in my head now. I had failed to retrieve the device. No doubt Joseph knew it, too.
Joseph moved over to the desk in front of me where the laptop sat. As soon as he opened the top, a black and white video came on display. The video was of the parking lot in Milton. A vehicle raced in towards the building. It stopped within steps of the entrance. I looked away peeking at Dr. Nicholson, who was busy observing my reactions.
Joseph had taken his place on my left. I had a feeling he had already seen the video Dr. Nicholson was showing me.
The video continued. A figure ran from out of the vehicle, the video froze. Dr. Nicholson stopped the video when the figure on the screen emerged from the car. It wasn’t a very clear image. The figure looked like a bright blob. I could distinguish it was a person, but his or her form was completely obscured by the bright light that seemed to be coming from them.
“What does that look like?” Dr. Nicholson asked.
Staring closely, it was obvious what it appeared to be. “A person?”
His smile informed me that’s what he thought as well. “Correct …”
“Could there be a problem with the camera?” I asked. “Perhaps, a light hitting it at the right angle causing the light to block the image?”
He grinned. There was something different about his discovery and I could see that displayed in his pale blue eyes. “I thought the same but observe further,” he instructed.
He continued the video. At the other end, the door flew off the car and another figure emerged leaping onto the top of the vehicle. He was male and unlike the other figure I could clearly see what he looked like. Down to the scaly leather apparel he wore. It reminded me of a uniform.
“Et Product,” I uttered. The image of Project X’s face flashed behind my eyes.
“Correct. Product Q541 to be more specific,” Dr. Nicholson informed me.
“He’s alive?”
“It’s apparent. He’s one of the remaining few not yet accounted for, but he’s of no interest to me at this moment.”
I glanced back at him. The video stopped again, just as the Et product dropped down in front of the bright figure now racing to the steps of the side door. The camera seemed to find the figure, attempting to focus on the image, but was unable to get a clear picture of whether it was a woman or a man. The light emerging from the form would not reveal it.
The video stopped again.
“This is who I’m interested in.” His boney finger pointed at the bright image on the screen. “She or he has a remarkable ability. It’s stronger than anything I’ve ever seen. The energy can’t be contained within the form.”
The video continued. A blur flashed from the left of the screen. Two figures, or Et products, were fighting back and forth. At one point, they were flying high into the sky and coming down and crashing into the ground. A hole ripped through the parking lot. It was apparent what had caused the destruction.
“It appears they want the same thing,” Dr. Nicholson said. The video stopped as a surge struck the camera, and it went dead. A screen of fuzz was all I saw. “He or she is a beacon.”
Joseph stepped over and closed the laptop. His movements startled me.
“Unfortunately, that is all the information we have acquired. But it’s enough to assure me we are in the right location,” Joseph said.
“That being said, why haven’t you made any progress?” Dr. Nicholson demanded.
There was silence from both of us.
Joseph’s voice kept sounding off in my head from all the other times I had fucked up. Echoing like a bad reminder. I warned you kid…
“I’ve only come across one occurrence, sir,” I immediately said, trying to defend our lack of progress.
“I’ve heard of your encounter. I don’t wish to dabble on what you may, or may not, have seen,” Dr. Nicholson snapped. “I want them found. Whoever they are, I want them located and brought to me.” He rose from the seat.
His movements made me nervous. “I will, sir,” I promised to fulfill my mission.
“Is there a reason for these distractions?”
My eyes focused on Joseph. He reported me. I couldn’t blame him; it was his duty after all. It still stung like betrayal.
“Should I be concerned? Is there a reason to question you for this position? You can be replaced.” Dr. Nicholson turned to meet my gaze.
I was biting my lip hard.
“There is no reason to be concerned, sir. There is no distraction. I’ve been playing the role just like I’ve been assigned.”
“And the girl?” he pressed.
“A mere final touch to my cover.”
His stare burned into me. Dr. Nicholson came back toward the desk and leaned forward. “Find me the person in the video, I want them. Or I’m closing this project down.” His face became firm and cold.
Dr. Nicholson stepped back. “Give me something or I’m pulling you off this mission.”
He moved to the door. Joseph stepped aside, allowing me through, I walked over to Dr. Nicholson. Joseph followed, staying behind, allowing me to take the lead.
“I’ll make the reservation, sir,” Joseph said.
Reservations for what? I thought.
Dr. Nicholson turned around and now was facing me. The obvious questions were on my face.
What were they talking about?
Dr. Nicholson didn’t answer. He opened the door and stepped out. I followed him out of the office, catching sight of Michael and Claudia standing in the interior. Mrs. Wallace was busying herself on the phone and behind the computer. Michael was on his phone. He looked up as we came out and only put the phone away when we stepped up.