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25 years earlier. Alex North was born on the December 31st, 1999. He was one of many children born that night, but unlike the other new-born children, he was special. So special, he alone would be responsible for the mass murder of billions of people and the single most important person to save the Earth from catastrophe.
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For his parents Geoff and Elizabeth, he was a gift from God. A child they thought they could never have, but two months after his birth, they soon realised their gift was different. Alex never slept. In the end, they both had to take it in turns around the clock looking after him. One of them doing a night shift, the other doing the day shift. After six months, their Doctor confirmed he had a genetic anomaly only ever seen once before, and the outlook was not great. Alex’s brain would eventually become exhausted and most likely he would die before he reached the age of five. Their gift was now looking like it would be taken away. A cruel fate for two people desperate to share their love.
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Five years passed by and there were no signs of Alex degenerating. A pleasant surprise they could only dream of. Again, they consulted the experts. After lengthy testing, they concluded Alex was doing well. In fact, he was not just doing well, he was thriving. Geoff and Elizabeth had also noticed the other part of Alex that have been growing unlike a normal child. He had developed a thirst for knowledge that was insatiable. He would constantly ask for books and although it was a struggle to keep up with his demands for more books, they eventually bought him his first computer. It was an investment to them, and in the long run would be cheaper than constantly buying books, that was almost daily now. The Doctors had given Alex various tests to see how his brain was developing and as expected, his learning should have been impaired and showing signs of deterioration, but again, the opposite applied. His brain was developing at an accelerated rate and his IQ was way above the normal for a child his age. They had no real answers for Geoff and Elizabeth and could only say that he might get ill in the future. It was not what they were expecting, but either way, they were only glad the outcome was looking better each day that he survived. Although his future was still at that point unsure. They were entering unknown territory and only time would tell them if he was going live on into the future.
They both agreed to a more regular monitoring program, just to make sure he was staying fit and well. The Doctors told them it could be an advantage to see if things did start going wrong and with Alex’s brain, early diagnosis would be the key.
Behind the scenes, one Doctor already had plans for Alex. If his suspicions were right about Alex, when he was old enough, he would show him what he could really do with all that knowledge and brain power he hoped he would have. Again, time would tell!
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The years passed by and Alex was becoming more of a genius with each passing day. His learning capacities just kept growing and by the time he was fourteen, he was way beyond the normal realms of being taught by normal means. His frustrations would manifest themselves by Alex becoming more and more isolated. Some days he would not even leave his bedroom, much preferring the solitude and his vault of knowledge he had locked inside his brain. He had never interacted well with other children all through his school years and felt confused by their lack of understanding. To Alex, this was normal, and it was others that were different. He would question why people needed to spend so much time asleep when so much more could be done during that wasted time. He understood the processes that the brain needed to rest and digest new information. But why not him? What had made him so special? It was a question that would plague his mind all his life.
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As more time passed by, his parents became more and more worried that Alex was showing signs of illness. School had become redundant, and the teachers never protested about his absence. They had learned long ago that Alex was beyond their abilities to teach him. He already knew all the subjects and would often just sit in class with his mind researching other things, while the world around him just drifted by. He was only present in body, never in mind. It was suggested he go to a special school for the gifted. Geoff and Elizabeth never liked that word or suggestion. They were neither academic nor rich, and to them it was an alien concept and above all else, they just wanted Alex to have a normal life. They knew that was never going to happen, but never spoke those words.
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Another month passed by and Alex had all but withdrew from the outside world. His parents tried to ask him what the problem was, but Alex would never reveal it to them. He loved his parents and knew they had done their best for him. The frustrations he felt they would never be able to understand and even himself and with all his brain processing powers, could not figure out his next stage of development. They were left with no choice, his parents had to call for outside help from the people who were maybe the only ones who could.
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Alex’s parents lived a simple life. They worked hard, lived in a modest size terrace house and although they agreed to keep the Doctors up to date on Alex’s progress, they never liked the idea of constant monitoring. Over the years, a Professor named Simon Bourneski had become their only confident, and he had taken a particular interest in Alex. He specialised in brain development and unlocking its secrets. Alex was a gift he was eager to get his hand on and was one of those subjects that came along once in a lifetime. He would have to be patient, and he knew his time would come with Alex. He would have much preferred to have access to Alex more often, but had to settle for the annual reports he would send over to his parents to fill in.
Alex knew it would only be a matter of time before his life would change. Something inside him mind had been telling him this change was coming and soon. He had no idea how, he just knew. After Professor Bourneski received the phone call, he hoped would come one day because it was his time now, and he was going to show Alex his true purpose in life. There was a war going on, and if the professor were right about Alex, it was he alone that could bring an end to this hidden genocide that was looking set to go on into the future.
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A few days later, Professor Bourneski was stood outside Alex’s house. He had been waiting for too long to meet the child that he knew held so many secrets to the future of humanity. He had studied so many potentials in the past, but Alex was unique. Alex was born a genius, untainted, raw and was now ready for his next stage.
The door opened before he could even knock it. Geoff and Elizabeth had been so worried that it was already too late, and that Alex was ready for some sort of mental breakdown and were eager to hear what the Professor had to say. Little did they know everything was about to change.
“Thank you for coming so soon Professor.”
“Please, Elizabeth, call me Simon. Is Alex in?”
“Yes. He never goes out, just sits in his room and messes about on that damn computer all day and night. Please, come inside. Can I get you anything?”
“A coffee would be great.”
“Please, come through to the lounge.”
They both walked into the lounge and Geoff was stood waiting for him.
“So, Doc, is he losing it?”
“Far from it. In fact, I have been expecting this day for a long time.”
“What do you mean?”
“He is going through a change. His teenage years are a turning point for him, and his body is being flooded with growth chemicals. Puberty if you will.”
“But why is he so withdrawn? Shouldn’t he be out there with other teenagers?”
“Geoff, you have to understand what he is going through. This is no ordinary teenage body where it grows a few inches and starts to become a man. This is a boy that has more brain power than a hundred people, if not more.”
“I don’t understand?”
“Look, imagine you owned a library and let us say for the last ten years people had been borrowing books and bringing them back. Are you with me so far?”
“Yes, go on. A library and books.”
“For all those years those books have been just stacked randomly and not put in any order.”
“I don’t understand?”
“Alex, all his life has been collecting information and now is at a point where he has no order to all this information. His inner library is out of control. He is withdrawing from this and now he has hit puberty he has no way of dealing with this vast quantity of information he has collected and all those raging teenager chemicals in his brain. He is becoming a man and needs to be shown how to process all his books? It’s as simple as that and once I have shown him how to do that, he will be able to process information in a way never seen before and may never be seen again.”
Elizabeth came in with the tray of drinks and looked at the confused look on Geoff’s face.
“Is everything okay?” She asked, looking at both men in turn.
“Yes love. The doc is just going to help Alex build a library. Isn’t that right doc?” Geoff said, as he winked at Professor Bourneski.
Professor Bourneski replied with a strained smile. It never ceased to amaze him what nature could do and for these two averages, maybe less than average people to produce such a progeny was inconceivable to him.
“Can I see him?”
“Yes, straight up the stairs Doc. First door on the right, but do not expect too much from him. He hardly speaks to us these days.”
The Professor smiled and made his way to Alex’s room.
He stood outside the door for a second, a little excited to meet him finally. Alex opened the door, and they both stood there and stared at each other like long-lost friends, analysing each other. The Professor in his old tweed suit looking the part of a mad Professor with his grey hair all flailing about, and Alex in his scruffy tee-shirt and jeans that looked like they had not been washed for weeks.
“Can I come in Alex?”
Alex did not reply, he just opened the door wider for the Professor to walk in. His room was as dishevelled as he was, with books strewn all over the place and his bed covers still not made from the night before. Notes and screwed up pieces of paper littered the floor along with empty wrappers and last night’s half-eaten pizza still next to his computer.
“I see you have been busy!”
“What do you want?”
“I think you know. Don’t you!”
“I have been expecting you. Are you here to help me?”
“Oh yes Alex, and once I show you what you are really capable of, all this confusion will be academic. Do you like travelling Alex?”
“Why?”
“We need to go to my Lab for your next phase, and we have a lot of work to do. Are you ready for that?”
“What about my parents?”
“I am sure they won’t mind.”
Professor Bourneski smiled at Alex. It was like a hidden conversation was going on and Alex knew he needed this strange looking man, but he was not sure why yet. All he knew right now was that he trusted him, and he was here to help. Alex knew he could not figure out this next stage on his own and something deep inside him had told him that this day was coming and now it was finally here.
“Pack what you need while I explain everything to your parents.”
Alex never questioned the orders and was just pleased the answers were coming, even if it did mean leaving home to find them.
He set about packing the few possessions he needed while the Professor retreated down the stairs. Alex could hear him talking to his mother and father and by the time he came downstairs, they were both stood at the bottom. They watched him as the Professor waited by the front door.
“You’re going to be okay son.” His dad said, as Alex got to the bottom of the stairs.
They all hugged as the Professor opened the front door, indicating it was time to leave. Alex never spoke and just smiled as he turned around to leave. If he had known he would never see them again, perhaps he would never have gone, but with all his strengths. Seeing into the future was not one of them.
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Ten minutes driving along, Alex spoke.
“Did you pay them?”
For a second, Professor Bourneski debated whether to tell Alex the truth, but lying was not what he did so said what he had to.
“Yes.”
“Will they be okay?”
“I hope so Alex.”
Alex never asked about them again, but something told him they were not going to be okay and although he felt a trust for his new friend, something else was worrying him, and again. If he had known what was coming, would he have gone so easily! It was another part of Alex’s life that would also haunt him. If he had stayed, what then!
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For the next eight years Alex settled into this new life. The Professor had housed him in his flat on the facilities site where he also spent most of his time. Alex thought he might have been home sick, but instead, he relished this new way of life and what the Professor was showing him. The constant presence of military personnel unnerved him at first, but after the first few tenuous weeks, he soon realised they were neither interested in him, or him them. Alex was just another face at the base.
The facility was basic but had everything he needed. A gym, canteen and more importantly, enough computers to fill an Olympic swimming pool. Entertainment was limited, but Alex had only one thing on his mind. Company, and the need to find a partner neither entered his mind nor bothered him. He was a loner in this world and that is how he liked his life. No external complications to veer him off his goal.
It was easy for Alex to relate to the Professor with both being obsessed with their work, but in slightly different ways. Both understood their goals in finding what they were both looking for, and over time, become close friends. The Professor had shown him new ways to store the information inside his mind with imagery. It had revolutionised the way Alex could absorb new information and store it inside his mind. It was organised and easier to access the information when he needed it and it freed up his capacity to free-think ideas without having all the information rattling around in his head in a chaotic manner like he had before.
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As his teenage years came and went, Alex matured into man, and began questioning more than just his research. His focus never faltered on his task and that was to expand his mind to its fullest, but doubts were coming. For now, he left them alone, and he would have time to find the answers later. Now was the time for discovery, but those nagging doubts would need answers.
The computers at the base meant he had access to some of the most powerful machines in the world, and with his new ideas and the way his brain could process information, he soon had the biggest revelation to-date. It would enable technology to advance further than it had ever done before, and with this new technology he had invented, he would be able to be advance his knowledge even more and be more creative than anybody could ever imagine.
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The first problem Alex had tackled was the way programming was done. The systems used were out-of-date and were still being built on top of a computer language that should have become obsolete by now and was a ticking time bomb. Alex needed to rewrite the entire way computers spoke to each other. The out-dated binary basic language, of all those 101’s, was way overdue to be changed and yet no-one person had managed to solve this problem, until Alex put his mind to it. The problem was not the language, it was the way it was used. Every single program had this at its core and overwritten with modern programming. Sixty years ago, it coped well, but now the internet was exploding under its own massive weight of programming and data storage was starting to turn to spaghetti. A term used for programming overwritten so many times to get it to function, it became like spaghetti and was almost impossible to correct. This could only be sorted out when it malfunctioned by overwriting with yet more programming. It was like a brick wall, constantly being built on top of with inadequate foundations. Eventually the wall becomes unstable under its own weight and Alex foreseen a time when the entire internet would cease to function, simply because no-one person wanted the task of rewriting the whole system. It was a mammoth task, but Alex knew it had to be done if he was ever going to utilise this new technology. It took another two years for Alex to figure this problem out, but finally he had. Alex had gone right back to a basic form, but this time it allowed for a more straightforward program to be written. Instead of millions of lines of data to run a simple program, it now only took a few. It directed lines in his new format to do the same function and would free up masses of space in servers all round the world. It would allow programming of the most complicated tasks to be done in a fraction of the time it presently took and more importantly, it allowed Alex to manipulate this invisible world as he wanted.
The technology he had developed was able to give Alex the thing that he had always wanted, in his sleepless life. It was something everyone took for granted, but for him, he longed for it. It was not sleep, it was what sleep had given people that he could never have, dreams. Alex, even as a child wondered what a dream would be like and now, he would soon be able to find out. He had been experimenting on the idea that if he could tap into someone’s alpha-waves as they slept, then he might be able to figure a way for him to be able to experience what a dream would be like. Unknowing to the Professor, Alex had been using him as a guinea pig for months. It was simpler than he could have ever imagined. Wi-Fi signals flooded the world constantly and all he needed was a way to send a signal along the wave, then connect to a sleeping persons alpha-waves and bring that single directly to him. The choice of device was an easy one. Mobile phones had virtually taken over everyone's lives and were so powerful and were used for everything. From the governments monitoring and tracking the world's population, to people’s habits. Even companies had been using it for years to predict buying habits and lifestyle choices. Everything conceivable was being tracked these days, which made it easy for Alex to choose his tracking device. His new language was easily installed into the Professors mobile phone and was just like any up-date, but this was no ordinary up-date. This was Alex’s new, super improved programming that only he knew how to use.
The first time he used it after the Professor went to sleep was a little hit-and-miss. Alex had turned his mobile into a tracking device that received his instruction, but also scanned the Wi-Fi single for signs of the Professor's alpha-wave signal. Once located, it would send the signal back to him and from there, Alex just needed to decipher its meaning. It took some time to figure out the wave content, but between his skills and his new programming now running his computers at the facility, it did not take long before the first images of the Professors dreams to become live streamed on his mobile phone.
At first the images were random, like tuning an old valve television. Then the first true image played. It had a fairy-tale feel with the edges blurred out, but in the centre a make-believe scenario played out. A naked girl was laying on a bed. Alex guessed she could not have been older than sixteen. The next images were of her enjoying herself by touching her intimate parts. The image flipped again with what looked like the Professor having sex with the girl, but through the Professor’s eyes. Glimpses of the Professors body could be seen as he looked down at himself, penetrating the young girl. Alex felt sick; he never imaged the Professor as a pervert. He never indicated that he had any interests in anything other than work. Another notion came to Alex. Was this what dreams were like? He was always in control of his thoughts, but someone freely thinking in a dream did not. Was it right to intrude? Alex never got the chance to find out.
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Two days later, arrived at the laboratory to find all his work and the computers had been taken, and a man he had never seen before was waiting for him.
“Who are you, and where are the computers?”
“Firstly, young Alex. I am Captain Miller. We have been watching your work, impressive.”
“Why have you taken them?”
“Taken is probably the wrong word. They were never yours.”
“What do you mean?”
“You work for me, ergo, your work is my work.”
“So, who are you again?”
“Look Alex. I am Captain Miller. We asked the Professor to help you and he has done exceedingly well, and we love your ideas. The dream tracker, wow. That is amazing.”
“Where is it?”
“The computers have been sent away for analysis, and that new programming I have to say is some work.”
“You know about that?”
“Do you think we wouldn’t know? This is the secret headquarters of the most powerful cyber-crime unit in the world. What do you think you are doing here?”
“I thought because...”
“You thought because you are special you were brought here to play little games inventing new stuff and doing what you like!”
“Well... no... but, isn’t that why I am here?”
“Oh, far from it. We have been hoping you would be as smart as the Professor promised and I have to say he has delivered on that promise.”
“Where is he? He never came home last night!”
“Home, I like that word Alex. Home.” The Captain chuckled.
“Where is he?”
“He has been reassigned.”
“Really!”
“Yes really. It has been deemed he was needed elsewhere.”
Alex could sense this guy was not telling the truth. They had taken the Professor, just like he had suspected his parents had been also taken. He needed to think fast, and this situation felt like this was becoming a trap. This captain guy was not here just to take the computers away. Something else was going on here and Alex long suspected that once he had done whatever purpose they had for him, he too would disappear. He had been following the news reports on cybercrime being at its worst levels and the governments were at a loss on how to bring the most powerful criminals to justice that now seemed to be running the entire planet from inside the web. He knew his technology could be adapted for that purpose of tracking and bring these people to justice, then that gave him the idea that probably saved his life.
“I can help you round up all the worlds criminals.” Alex blurted out, as the Captain began fiddling with is side arm.
“Is that so Alex.” The Captain said, as he shuffled about looking like he was readying himself for something.
Alex suspected he was getting ready to shoot him and could only hope his idea got his attention.
“The programming has a fail-safe built into it, and if you don’t know the code sequences it will destroy itself. Along with any hardware connected to it.”
The captain stopped dead in his tracks and stared into Alex’s eyes. Was Alex bluffing? And how did he know what they wanted the technology for? Had he been secretly doing his own research and found out more than he was supposed to know?
“What exactly do you know Alex?”
“I know you need me.”
“Why?”
“You wanted that technology all along and that’s why you wanted me here.”
“Yes, we have had high hopes about you for a long time, and now we are close.”
“Do you want to risk it?”
He was being propositioned. Kill Alex and risk he is telling the truth and the technology would be worthless, keep him alive, and he may-well have a further new use for him! There was still plenty of programming that needed to be figured out and Alex did seem the obvious choice. The Captain admired him in a strange sort of way. This young man had been isolated all his life from the real world, and yet he had the instinct to know he was being hunted and the only way to survive was to think his way out of it. And he had. He had never planned for this outcome, but faced with the choices, Alex had won this hand of poker.
“You are a clever man Alex. What do you want?”
“Isolation.”
Alex had been thinking for a long time something was not right. Not only with this place, but with the world in general, and he had sensed changes were going on in the real world, and his technology was the basis of that change. This is what they had wanted him for all along, and now they had his technology, he no longer had a use unless he made himself useful. He had already found the perfect location for his hideout on a hillside made of pure granite. There was only one way to send or receive a radio single of any kind in and out of the place, and geographically it was perfect for him to do his research and not be traced. He had suspected he had been watched from the first day he had walked inside this military facility, and this new revelation just confirmed he had.
“I will make the arrangements.”
Alex did not reply. Instead, stood watching the Captain smile at him.
“You have played a good hand, so consider yourself a lucky young man. Do not let me down Alex. Second chances do not exist. You will be given a project when you are rehoused and a time limit to complete it. Details will follow shortly.”
The Captain left, and Alex sighed a relief, but there was something wrong here and now he was left wondering how far the Captain would go to get whatever he was doing!
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A month passed by while Alex waited for his new location to be ready. He was taken there by a woman who had been assigned to him. Lesley Fulham. She was a nice woman, friendly, chatty in a giggly, nervous sort of way and for the first time, Alex noticed something he had never did before. He was now a grown man, and something clicked after meeting this woman. He was not sure what it was at first as her scent assailed his nostrils as she drove him to his new home. It evoked a primordial feeling inside of him he had never felt before, lust. She made him feel excited and at first, he was not sure why. Having never felt the need to have contact with other people before, especially woman, but there was no mistaking this feeling. He felt aroused and the more they chatted as they got to know each other, the more he felt attracted to her.
It was a three-hour drive to his new home and the last ten miles of rough road started to give the place he had chosen the isolated feel that he wanted. The journey there with Lesley had made the time fly by and as they emerged from the roads end, a wooden cabin appeared like it had been dropped there from outer space. He could see it had been fitted-out with satellite dishes and a metal container was housed a little further away that had the generator in, plus food supplies as he requested.
Alex had been sceptical about it after such a long wait, after he had spoken to the Captain that day, he did wonder if it was ever going to happen, but all that was over now, and he was at last, here. It would be time for him to continue and find out those missing pieces he had left taunting his mind, like a nagging that was never going away. One thing that did stick in his mind. What did the Captain mean by, “We are close?” There was no time to keep thinking about that for now. He was here and hopefully so were the computers he had asked for.
“Well, this looks nice Alex!”
“It’s perfect.”
“Did you really have to have it so remote?”
“Honestly, yes. I don’t mix well with people and I much prefer my own company.”
“Oh, okay. I had better be on my way then!”
“No, please stay. I meant, normally I prefer my own company.”
“Do you want me to show you around. I did help set this up and the generator can be a swine to get started?”
“Yes, I would like that.”
They both smiled at each other, then got out the four by four. Lesley had been overseeing the site that Alex had wanted and had tried her best to install all that he had listed. She knew he was special, and that the military wanted to keep him onboard for as long as they had a use for him. The briefing she had, was simple. Keep him compliant, at all costs! It was her first assignment outside of the base, and she wanted it to go well. Lesley was still green herself and still learning the ropes now that she was working for the military. Initially she was recruited to help in the development of Bio-chemical controls. It was a new way to control people who were beyond the system of reform. Murderers, rapists, drug addicts and generally anyone who could not be reintroduced into society by normal rehabilitation. It was an exciting role and Lesley was more than eager to cut her teeth with this project and was promised Alex was part of the program in respect to his ability to be able to figure out the necessary programming needed for the drugs to work. It was exciting stuff and although a little odd, she never questioned the assignment. Her orders were also noticeably clear. Do not let Alex know what the programming was for and only tell him the basic functions it needed to be used for. Again, it was all a bit odd to Lesley, and she did not understand the need for all this cloak-and-dagger stuff, but that was the job, and she went along with it.
They both walked around the outside and Lesley showed Alex the generator and where the fuel was kept. She switched the generator off and showed Alex how to restart it, not that Alex was interested. His mind worked on a different level, and he could figure this out without the need to be shown, he just liked Lesley and was happy going around the place with her. It had been so long since he had any real contact with anybody, and it felt good to be talking again. The Professor had been his only confidant all his life and for the last month he had missed their talks. It was mostly about work and ideas they had and after his initial training he could more comfortably talk openly about his worries he could see happing around the world. The Professor had convinced him he was the key to the future and when the time was right, he would know all the answers to the questions Alex had been wondering about all his life. He made it sound real and for the first time in his life, Alex had a real focus and up until he had met Lesley, was one hundred percent focused. She was different and for the first time in his life, Alex thought he had found somebody he liked.
His mind drifted back to Lesley who was explaining he had enough fuel to last six months and the same as the food supplies that were also in the fridges inside the container, being too large to fit inside the prefabricated log cabin. Inside the metal container the sound of the humming coming from the generator had a relaxing feeling, and Alex was happy to stay and listen to Lesley. He watched her lips moving as she spoke and could smell her perfume every time, she leant close to him to show him what each control panel did. Her hair brushed past him as she leant down, and he again was melted by the scent of her shampoo as the golden locks of hair flung back as she stood upright again. Alex was having trouble listening, his mind raced with excitement and the thoughts of sex. He had never had these urges before and somehow, this woman was bringing them all to the surface and instead of not wanting them, like he had thought it might be, it was the opposite and would have loved nothing better than to take this gorgeous woman into his arms and kiss her.
“Are you listening Alex? This is important. At night, it is pitch-black out here and trust me, I have seen it at night here. You will never work this out without knowing what to do.”
“Sorry, yes I’m listening.”
“Are you okay, you seem distracted?”
“It’s just... I don’t know how to say this.”
“Just say it.”
“I like you.”
“Is that odd for you?”
“I guess it is. I have been so focused on me, I never really had time to get to know anyone.”
“You’ve never had a girlfriend?”
“No. Am I odd?”
“Well, it’s odd for this day and age, but hey. What isn’t odd these days.”
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
“I did until the slimy git cheated on me, but I guess I am more like you these days. University took up seven years of study, then holding down crappy jobs to pay for it. Then struggling to pay my rent, and masses of debt to pay off. I never had time to find another man and just worked and studied for, oh god... years now. Then this came along. That’s me really.”
“It sounds like you have worked hard.”
“I guess, but let’s not get into that. Let me show you your new home. I chose the furnishings myself. I hope you like them.”
Alex smiled, as another connection had been made. Lesley grabbed his hand and like two school children, they ran off to the cabin.
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They both stood at the doorway of the log cabin, excited, and stood facing each other.
“I have something for you!” Lesley said, as she stared at Alex with her bright blue eyes like an innocent child.
Alex’s mind drifted and hoped it was a kiss. He felt swept away by her charm and purity, only to realise she was holding a key under his nose. A twinkle in her eye told him she was teasing him. Alex looked at the key she was holding up and felt a little disappointed. Before he had chance to take the key, Lesley pecked him on the cheek. Then turned and opened the door.
“Come on, let’s get you tucked in.”
Lesley grabbed his hand again and pulled the dazed Alex inside. It had been his first kiss and although on the cheek, for Alex, that counted.
Alex looked around as Lesley stared at him for a reaction. The cabin had been fitted out nicely. The lounge area had a large TV and comfortable three-seater settee and a small coffee table that had a brown sealed envelope on it, with TOP SECRET stamped on it in red letters.
“What do you think?”
“It’s great.” Alex replied, in a less than enthusiastic tone.
“What’s wrong, don’t you like it?”
“Are you staying tonight?” Alex said, thinking that once she had shown him this she would have to leave.
“I have to get back to my job. Why?”
“It’s nothing, I understand.”
“If something is wrong Alex, please tell me. I want to you be felt like you can tell me anything.”
“No, it’s okay. I was just enjoying your company. That’s all.”
Lesley felt herself blush. She liked Alex and the naivety he had about himself and would have liked nothing better than to have spent more time with him, but she had other work to attend to and was under strict orders to get back to the Captain with a full report after Alex had been taken to his new location. She did not like this side of her assignment and would have much preferred to have been honest with Alex. That had also been made clear. She could not tell him anything.
“I can come back at the weekend if you want and see how you're settling in! It’s only two days away, and we could have a look around this place if you like?”
“Yes. I would like that.”
“Look, here is my card. This is my direct number. If you need anything just ring me.”
Alex took the card and felt a little sad, knowing what was coming next. He was not scared to be alone but would miss Lesley. Two days seemed a lifetime away right now.
“I must go Alex. Call me later and let me know you are okay.”
Alex again smiled and watched her leave.
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Lesley left, feeling guilty she was going. It was like she had done something wrong by leaving and would have stayed if she could have. As she got back into the vehicle, she could see Alex at the doorway. He was like a lost child having been sent to a strange new school and not knowing who to ask for help. Lesley reversed and smiled as she turned and pulled away. The last thing she had expected was to be falling for a man she had only met once and was that even possible? Lesley thought, as she began to drive along the wooded road out of the wilderness.
––––––––
The first night had been lonely for Alex. Another thing he had not expected, but as he watched the sunset over the trees, he forgot about Lesley and set about his tasks for being there.
First was to open and see what the Captain had sent him in the large brown envelop he had been avoiding.
––––––––
For the next two days, Alex settled in. There was a room next to the lounge purposely kitted out with all his computing requirements. The kitchen was basic but functioned well and the fridges were stocked with more than he would ever need. He had his perfect hideaway.
––––––––
The following weekend came and went. The captain had given Lesley so much work to do, it made it impossible to take the time away from the facility to visit Alex. She was going to ring him and explain, but never did. The secret security cameras dotted around had shown her he was okay.
It was another two weeks before she could visit him again, but this time it was different. Gone was the innocent man she had left there the first time and this time, it was a more confident, distant Alex.
He had completed the first assignment he had been given and Lesley felt a coldness about him. Was he punishing her for not coming back when she had said she would? He showed no signs of emotions towards her this time. Clinical is how it felt visiting Alex, like a doctor prescribing medication. This is what you take, and I will see you again if it does not clear up. Lesley left feeling disappointed. She was sure there was a connection between them both, or had it been just two lonely people, lost, and now that was gone.
––––––––
For the next eighteen months they both stuck to this routine. Alex getting his projects to work on and Lesley coming down every month to collect them. Each time she visited Alex; he would seem a little more distant. How was he managing to live this way all alone with no stimulation other than his work and this isolated place, Lesley had no idea, but this is how he wanted it. She followed her orders and reported it as she saw it. She continued to watch him on the security cameras and longed to tell him how she really felt, but that time had seemed to have passed and now she had no choice but to continue until the Captain dropped the next bomb shell that would change everything!