In the light of morning I realized things might be more dangerous than I had decided they were the previous night, but I got ready and packed up for the day with the intention of trying to get work done while we were out in the jungle. It was our job, after all.
Jack held me close and assured me all would be well, and I held that sentiment in my mind on my walk to the train. I kept my eyes peeled for my team, especially Marilyn. I saw Nick first, waiting at the platform. His face was serious. I hurried over to tell him what I had learned from Adam, but before I could start to tell him, he told me Marilyn was not responding to any of his attempts at communication.
“I just get her voicemail. It’s not like her. I don’t think she was out late last night partying, not after what happened yesterday.”
I could hear the worry in his voice, and it suddenly dawned on me that he might have feelings for her. I felt helpless, and I didn’t know what a team leader would do in this situation. Soon, Elizabeth and Luke showed up, and we all boarded the train, grim-faced. It seemed everyone had been trying to contact Marilyn to ensure she was OK, but to no avail. I went ahead and told them all what Adam had relayed to me, and they were all fascinated. They peppered me with questions, but I repeated that what he had told me was all I knew for now.
“Please be patient until I can find out more. In the meantime we’ll stay in the station and try to do as much as possible from there,” I offered.
Luke rolled his eyes. “That will render us utterly useless.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, but I’m not here to win any popularity contests,” I snapped at him, and immediately regretted it.
Still though, my goal was to keep everyone safe, and with Marilyn possibly missing we had to stick together. We arrived at our usual stop and got off, and Cayman was waiting with a bright smile for us all. We kept our conversation work-related, not wanting to let any outsiders know of our troubles. He asked where Marilyn was, and I deftly lied, saying she was ill with a virus. He expressed his concern but didn’t seem suspicious. We wound our way through the forest and found ourselves at the station once more. I felt a sadness that I would not be going out to track the bonobos, but there were surveillance cameras in the station that had far-ranging capabilities. We could at least try to track them via video.
Nick went to the console right away and tried to contact Marilyn again, using a more complicated communication system that I wasn’t familiar with. Her face showed up on the projection screen, but it was just her voicemail once more. Nick made a sound of frustration and began searching the database again for a species match to yesterday’s footage of the mysterious creature. Luke slumped in a chair and began playing an interactive game, while Elizabeth and I sat down to scour the forest with the camera system. And we all had our eyes open for the creature. That much didn’t need to be said. We were all on edge, wondering if it would show up again, and not knowing what we would do if it did. Luke posited that we should try to capture it. We had different-strength sedatives in our tranquilizer guns to capture any number of animals in the forest, if they were injured or ill, but I didn’t think it would be possible to catch this particular creature. We had all seen its speed and ability to jump. A simple trap likely wouldn’t have any effect on it either. But I allowed myself to have a conversation with my remaining team about how to resolve the issue and get back out in the field, although I wasn’t hopeful for a solution anytime soon.
I had told Cayman to pick us up a lot earlier today, because I knew we wouldn’t need the usual amount of daylight hours to accomplish our work. We tried to stay occupied, and Elizabeth and I eventually were able to view one of the juvenile bonobos meandering through the brush, foraging. It was better than nothing, but it wasn’t the group dynamic I was thirsty for. She was disappointed too. The guys had given up on doing any work after a couple of hours and were playing chess on the console.
“We can’t continue like this, Mina. We need a solution, and fast,” Nick said to me, his normally cheery face now lined with worry. I agreed.
I would go to see Adam again tonight, and I hoped he’d had the opportunity to find out more information. I reassured my team I would not rest until this was resolved. We heard Cayman pulling up, and I felt odd going home so early. But maybe I could distract myself with a run along the trails until Adam returned. The train ride home was somber, and I sensed everyone was frustrated as well as worried about Marilyn. I decided to overcome my aversion to my communication device and promised I would keep trying her all night. Meanwhile, Nick would go to her apartment. If he found anything, he would let me know immediately.
We parted at our stop and I hurried home, looking forward to a run, but I’d need to change first. I rushed up to my apartment, checked to make sure Adam wasn’t home yet, and was a tiny bit relieved he wasn’t. I desperately needed to clear my head with some sprints, and I quickly changed my clothes and grabbed a water bottle. Jack had given me an old-fashioned music player, and I had been ecstatic with the familiarity of it. It had all the music I had enjoyed in my previous life, and I took another train to the trails with the earbuds already in and blasting sound.
I looked around at the people on the train; none of them seemed distressed or worried, and I envied them their calm, but their diversity didn’t enchant me today. I once again reminded myself that a team of scientists most assuredly could come up with a solution to our quandary, and at the trails I forced my brain to shut off. I didn’t even warm up, just began to lope along the paths. I pushed myself to the incredible limit I was now capable of, and my worries began to fade. The sweat was pure, and my breathing was labored but steady. I kept my eye out for anyone crossing my path, to avoid another accident. But this run was uneventful, and two hours passed before I forced myself to slow down and stretch. I was amazed at my endurance, and at the endorphins coursing through my veins. The run had given me fresh perspective, and I was now certain I could arrive at a solution to our problem.
But once I got home and knocked on Adam’s door, my sense of well-being disappeared. One look at his haggard face told me the news was not good. My heart began to beat in anticipation of what he would say. He ushered me into his apartment and shuffled slowly over to his kitchen table, where a bottle of liquor stood.
“Don’t worry, I’m not too drunk,” he mumbled, and offered me a drink.
I declined, and nervously asked what he had uncovered at work. “They fired me. The order came straight from the Director. My snooping around didn’t go unnoticed. And it’s like I suspected, they somehow got to the video you took. Everyone else I work with has clammed up. They’re either too scared to do anything, or they’re involved, or maybe they just don’t know anything. But I can tell you something big is going down.” He took a swig of the amber-colored liquid and passed a hand over his unshaven face.
I felt my stomach sink in response to his news. This did not bode well for me or my team. Or anyone, for that matter.
“What happens now?” I asked, at a loss. I was concerned for Adam’s future, but more so for the safety of my team.
“I suggest going about your business as usual, because they’re watching all of us. Whatever the big secret is, nothing good will come of it.” He slumped into a chair at that statement, and blankly gazed at his wall. I realized he wasn’t going to talk much more, and pumping him for information would be useless. Feeling despondent, I left Adam to his bottle and went back to my apartment. What was I going to do now? My only connection to the Facility had been fired, and I had so many questions left unanswered. I decided to try to contact Nick and see if he had had any luck locating Marilyn. I pulled out my communication device and spoke his name. I waited through several sing-song tones until he picked up. I hadn’t mastered how to use the face-to-face function, so I just heard his voice and it was even more dejected than Adam’s had been. It was also full of fear.
“Mina, I don’t know what to do or what to think,” Nick said, and he sounded almost tearful. “Marilyn isn’t at her apartment. It looks like someone ransacked it, or maybe she packed things up in a hurry. Either way, she’s gone, and I don’t think she’s coming back.”
Realizing the gravity of the situation, I asked Nick what authorities we could contact to try and find her. “We go file a report at an Obedience Officer’s station. Or rather, I’ll go. It’s important for you to look like everything is normal, because something is going on, something big,” Nick replied, almost mirroring what Adam had said. I suddenly longed for Jack to be home, comforting me with his easygoing manner and certainty that everything in life would resolve itself. Nick said he had to be going, and I floundered for a proper response to his despondency.
“We’ll find out what happened to her, Nick. In the meantime I think we should all show up for work tomorrow. OK?”
He agreed, but I could hear the reluctance in his voice. All the joy in our work was gone now, and I had lost much of the hope I had regained.