Amoeba (The Experiments) (86 page)

“I cannot. Those things are defrosting.”

“Turn this chopper around right now!” Cal screamed, her face red. “You will not leave my husband there!”

“I cannot do that,” the pilot argued.

“You will turn this chopper around
. . .” Cal swiftly pulled from the back waist of her pants a revolver, clicked the hammer, and placed it to his temple, “. . .right now, or I’ll blow your fuckin brains out. And don’t think I can’t fly this thing.” Holding the barrel tight to the pilot’s head she turned her gaze to Rickie. “Open that door and lower that line, Rickie. Now!”

“Uh
, Caldwell,” the pilot spoke. “I got some crazy lady holding a gun to my head making me turn around . . . roger that.”

Cal felt the helicopter tilt and head back to the island. “Yes! Can I talk to my husband through that headset
?”

“I’d have to get him on that frequency.”

“Good, get him for me.” Cal snatched the headset straight from the pilot’s head.

“Ow-ow. My ears. Shit.” The pilot reached out and changed channel. “Crazy woman.”

Cal held the headset to her ear. “Jake. Jake, come in.”

“Cal?” Jake called huffing as he ran.

“Jake, head for the beach and we’ll get you there.”

“Cal, you can’t do that. Don’t come back.” Jake’s words were breath
less. “Tell that pilot to pull back. Pull back, Cal. Now!”

“No.” Cal spoke strong
ly and with deep passion over the airwaves. “I will
not
leave you. You hear me? I won’t.” Cal saw the pilot indicate with his wide eyes and pointing hand. They were high in the air, high enough to see the ripple of amoebas that moved across the island. Cal took a breath. “What’s our theme? United we stand. Divided we fall. If our backs should ever be against the wall . . .”

“We’ll be together
,” Jake said softly. “But this is not one of those times.”

“Oh
, I beg to differ. With us, Jake, it is always one of those times. But it’s gonna be tight. We’re gonna be swinging around, line hanging down. So get ready and charge as fast as that big ass can move. We get one pass by, one chance, and don’t you blow it.” The helicopter tilted drastically and swung wide, ready to fly fast in toward the beach and back out to the ocean. “Time to back up that mouth, Lt. Col Graison.”

“I’m ready.”

“So am I.” Cal put her gun in the waistband of her pants and moved next to Rickie by the open door.

Jake could see the clearing of the trees not that far ahead of him. “Cal
, if something should happen promise me you’ll drop me.”

“Like a bad habit. But nothing is gonna happen
, Jake. I’ll see you in few.”

The ocean came more into his view, then Jake looked back,
and like a moving wall high and black the amoebas were behind him. “Cal . . .” Jake leaped over a log hitting the sand. “Know that I love you very much.”

“I love you too
, Jake. Very much.” Cal crouched down to the floor holding her hand on the line that flung out.

12:48 p.m.

“Almost . . . almost . . .” Daniela breathed out his words in nervousness, trembling finger on the button, watching Jake running onto the beach in a mad dash from the amoebas that pursued him. “Just about . . .”

Rickie shook. Stan closed his eyes. And Cal, hair whipping from the wind, looked over her shoulder to the pilot, “When I yell we have him, you lift high, wide and fast.”
She saw Jake. It was going to be close, but confidence was all over Cal’s face. She set down the headset and gripped the line with both hands. “Do this, Jake. Do this.”

The noise of the chopper was as loud as the noise the attacking amoebas made. In his bull raging run, Jake saw the chopper and the line that dangled from it. He looked back to the amoebas
that were so close he could smell them. It was when he hit middle of the wide beach that he saw the fast moving helicopter make it’s wide turn toward the ocean. Giving it everything he had, the wall of amoebas in his peripheral vision, Jake, with a grunt, a charge, and a jump, leaped upward toward the line that swung right by him. His left hand gripped hold at the same time in his headset he heard the scream of the word ‘now’ from the control room, and Cal’s distant voice yelling, ‘We have him!’. And just as he brought his other hand to the rope and began to rapidly climb, a sequence of violent explosions, boom-boom-boom-boom-boom rang up in a blast from the island below.

“Faster! Higher! Hurry!” Cal screamed, nearly leaning out of the chopper, watching Jake move as fast as he could. The fire and explosion that raged soon disappeared, as the amoebas that didn’t get fried made a final leap as the chopper moved over the ocean. A large black floor chased Jake with rapidity. It was so huge, that Cal couldn’t see anything below the amoebas, not even the ocean. “Jake! Move!” Her screaming words carried long.

The chopper lifted up. Jake climbed fast, but the amoebas were faster. Looking like the fingers on a cupped hand
, the amoebas reached for Jake. At the same time that Rickie screamed, Jake disappeared beneath the profusion of amoebas that attacked and encompassed him.

Cal didn’t hesitate nor did she flinch. Eyes locked on Jake, hands still on the line, Cal, with a swift jolt, released the life line Jake had gripped, and down, with speed, Jake dropped. Heavy and straight he passed through the remaining wall of amoebas like a cloud, dragging them with him, directly into the ocean.

A ton of noise filled the inside of the chopper that flew further and further from the burning island. Rickie cried in hysteria, staring at the water. Stan and the pilot rambled fast and insidiously. Still on the floor, Cal peered out the door. She could see the steam rising off the ocean from the multitudes of disintegrated amoebas. “Quiet,” Cal spoke up. No break in the noise. “Shut up!” She screamed her loudest and grunted as she stood up. “Turn this back around and pick up my husband.”

“Cal.” Stan grabbed her in her move to the pilot. “You saw. They had him.”

“And I dropped him!” Cal blared. “I dropped him.” She calmed herself down. “He’s fine. Six to eight seconds burrow time. I’m sure of it. Now let’s turn back around and pick him up.” She saw the pilot didn’t pay attention. Politely, she tapped him on the shoulder, then moved her face close to his so he could get the gist of the seriousness on her face. “Go back and pick him up . . . now please.” Standing straight, Cal turned her body and reached behind the back seat for the second line. The instant she gripped it, the chopper swung back around. She went to the open door, bent down to the floor, secured the line, and waited.

12:51 p.m.

“It’s awfully close
, Aldo,” Colin told him as he checked out the timer. “Too close. We have to detonate the nuclear weapon.”

Aldo kept his eyes on the screen. “We still have time.” His eyes shifted to the
clock. “Twenty-four minutes. Plenty of time.” He looked back at Colin. “What the hell does it matter anyhow? If we don’t pull this off, we’re dead anyway. So don’t worry about it. Let them look for Jake.”

12:53 p.m.

Cal had moved to the front with the pilot. They had to close the door because the thick smoke from the island kept making its way in.

The pilot shook his head. “Even if he is out here
, we’ll never see him through this. I can barely see.”

“This is where he fell. I know it.
The angle of his fall puts him right here,” Cal said. “Can you hover close to the water, blow away the smoke down there, and maybe we can look again though the door?”

“We can try. But keep in mind
,” the pilot said, pointing backwards to a coughing Billy, “how much of that smoke can he take.”

Cal turned around in her seat. “He’ll be fine.” Cal got up and moved to the door. “Let me know when you’re close.”

“Got it.”

Cal felt the vibration on her feet as she stood by the door with Rickie.

“Cal-babe,” Rickie spoke sadly. “You really think Sarge made it?”

“I
know
he made it, Rickie. I know it.” Cal smiled at him.

“We
’re down,” the pilot yelled back. “I don’t know how long I can keep her steady like this, so look good and fast.”

With a nod, Cal flung open the side door. The ocean
’s surface was only three feet away. The whipping blades not only blew tiny waves in the ocean, but it cleared the smoke in a circle around them. On her hands and knees, Cal looked out, to her left and to her right. “Come on, Jake. Come on.” There was nothing but moving ocean. “You’re out here. Where?”

“Cal-babe, maybe he swam back for the island.”

“I doubt it.” Cal held back her hair as she looked.

“Lady
, I have to lift up.”

“One more second.”

“I have to . . .”

“There!” Cal screamed out when out from the water shot Jake. He held his arm high in a signal to the chopper. Cal
uttered a high-pitched shriek, grabbed Rickie, kissed him, and pointed for the pilot. “You see him?”

“Moving that way.” The pilot veered the chopper to the right.

“Jake!” Cal screamed leaning out the door, a wide grin on her face. She clenched her fist in her excitement, tossed back her head, and screamed loudly. The helicopter lifted up and she lowered the line. It skimmed across the surface of the water, through the smoke in Jake’s direction.

Like a whirlwind, the chopper blades moved the smoke making it harder to see below. But adding the dramatic effect for when Jake climbed up the line, emerging though the smoke and making it to the chopper.

Jake’s large wet hand slammed down on the chopper floor, and his head rose into Cal’s view. He smiled at her, and Cal grabbed his hand pulling on him as if she actually had the strength to bring Jake into the safety of the chopper.

The moment he rolled his soaking wet body inside, Rickie slammed the door shut and the chopper lifted higher.

Jake lay on his back on the floor, and Cal leaned down to him touching her hands upon his face covered with the bloody bites of the amoebas.

“Jake.” She breathed out his name as she smiled. “I knew you were all right.”

“Thank you.” His wet hands gripped her cheek, pushing away her hair that dangled down to him. “God, thank you so much.” His chest rose and fell with the heaviness of his excitement, hitting against Cal’s chest with each one of his deep inhales. “Cal, if I live to be a hundred, I swear to God I will never stop falling in love with you over and over again.”

“I’m gonna have to say the same thing
, Jake.” With a smile, Cal let out a soft, ‘whew’ of enthusiasm and laid her hand on his holding it tightly to her face. “It’s been one hell of a ride, this experiment, Wouldn’t you say?”

“One hell of a ride.” Jake grinned, spreading his fingers and catching Cal’s in
between his, locking his eyes to hers with a proud look. “I swear I could just stare at you forever right now.”

“Stare later
, Jake. Kiss me now.”

“Oh you got it.” Pulling Cal to him at the same time he lifted his head, Jake’s mouth widened before their lips even met. And after a short laugh and a smile, Jake locked his lips to Cal and deeply delivered to his wife a kiss filled with intensity brought on from not only his emotions, but from his near death experience as well.

Aldo swore if his chest beat any harder he would go into cardiac arrest right there in the control room. Daniela bit his nails rocking in his chair. Douglass took a long drink straight from a bottle of bourbon. Ivan smoked a cigarette for the first time in his life. But no matter what they did individually, as a group they all watched Colin on the phone. Waiting for an answer. Would Russia and China be satisfied, or would their lives be over in a flash in five minutes like those in Hawaii?

Slowly Colin hung up the phone. He brought his hand to the top of his head, scratched it, exhaled
, and turned to face Aldo and the others. Slowly he shifted his eyes about them first, then smiled. “Satisfied.”

Leaping from their seats, Aldo, Douglass, Ivan
, and Daniela jumped up and down, screaming in excitement like teenagers at a football game.

Colin enjoyed watching them. He gave a pat on the back to Kirk who stood up and stood side by side next to him. “We’ve done good. It looks as if the nesting place has been destroyed.”

All of them, Aldo, Douglass, Ivan, and Daniela let out long, loud breaths, grabbing their chest.

Aldo
’s whole body shuddered in excitement. “I knew it! I knew it! Good job, everyone. Hell of a way to be a team.”

Colin nodded in agreement. “It certainly is. You pulled together and ended this thing and the experiment. Now that we
, uh, . . . are finished here, could I get you gentlemen to follow me?” Colin extended a finger to the door.

They all shrugged, adrenaline still pumping,
and in a line they followed Colin and Kirk out of the control room.

They made a right, then an immediate left to the long hall that they knew led to the gymnasium that was used for storage.
They walked through empty dark halls, chattering about their success and becoming silent when they reached the gym doors.

Colin cleared his throat standing before the double doors. He had a hint of a giggle to him. “At this point . . .” He tapped his index finger to his lip as he spoke to the remaining investors. “I’m not very good at this. So I’ll give it my best shot. At this point
, I am to tell you how much Caldwell has appreciated what you’ve done. And for making the experiment a giant success, they want to thank you for participating in Iso-Stasis thirteen.”

Aldo snorted out a laugh. “Participating? You mean investing.”

“No.” Colin shook his head and turned the door knob. He pushed open one door, and Kirk pushed open the other. “We mean participating. Step inside to the other half, the half you did not see, of the Iso-stasis experiment.”

It took only one step into the large gymnasium, one look around
, and the four of them stopped cold.

“Oh
, fuck!” Aldo exclaimed. “Son of a bitch!” To their left was the entire set up of the Central Network News room. Beth Chase waved high with a smile. To their right, cameras and computers were lined up. Large green screens, with miniatures set up.

They were s
o engrossed in what was around them that they failed to hear the footsteps heading their way. “A bit unusual,” the male voice said. “But once they convinced me it would work, I was hooked.”

Aldo, Douglass
, and Ivan knew the voice better than Daniela but the four of them knew it well enough, and they spun around to see a very healthy and alive Dr. Jefferson.

Dr. Jefferson bounced from he
el to toe, hands behind back and smiling. “Hope you aren’t too upset.”’

Aldo’s mouth opened a few times before he spoke. “You . . . you died.”

“Hardly.” Dr. Jefferson shook his head. “Part of the plan. The only Caldwell tragedy at the center here was Barb’s.” Sadly, Dr. Jefferson took a breath. “We didn’t expect that. But she, like you, agreed to endure the experiment. Unfortunately, she knew it was a set up, but you didn’t. You couldn’t. If you did, we wouldn’t have compiled valuable psychological results.”

“You said . . .” Aldo pointed. “Barb was the only one. Does that mean . . .”

“That is exactly what it means.” Greg walked from behind the set of Central News Network. Lyle was behind him with Ian Carrington.

At the same time, a shriek of fright came from all four investors.

Greg laughed. “Sorry to frighten you.”

“Haynes.” Aldo twitched his head. “You have some explaining to do.”

“Most definitely,” Greg said. “And I’d love to now. We have chairs set up. Please . . .” Greg motioned his hand that way. “And then I have to be off to the hospital to check on our participants. Which, by the way, Aldo, you and Daniela split the pot.”

Daniela leaped with a loud. “I won!”

Aldo shook his head. “Do they know it wasn’t real?”

“They should by now. Stan was telling them on the chopper.”

“Son of a bitch.” Aldo took a seat. “Jake didn’t believe it for a second.”

“No, he didn’t
,” Greg said. “And that worried us with you, Aldo. We really thought, and I lost on our own inside bet, we really thought you wouldn’t buy it because Jake didn’t.”

“I bought it all right.” Aldo watched the other four sit down.

Greg waited patiently for everyone in the gymnasium to gather around. Reporters, soldiers, Colin, Col. Johnson. His props for the second part of Iso-Stasis thirteen. “Now I’ll try to explain everything. Any questions . . .” Greg smiled. “I’m sure Aldo will ask.” There were chuckles. “All right.” Greg lifted his leg onto a chair and leaned into it in an explaining mode. “First off, the Hawaiian islands are still intact. There are no amoebas there, and none were ever found. The special effects . . .” Greg held his hand out to four men, “. . .courtesy of CGI. These wonderful special effects experts worked on the film about aliens a few years back. Fourth of July, was it?”

“No.” The one shook his head. “Independence Day.”

Greg snapped his finger. “That was it. Anyway, miniatures as you can see, effects. We did it all. The world hadn’t a clue about this. I guess you know that by seeing our own Central Network stage. We hired the low on the totem pole reporters, set them up. They did great. And . . . where’s Leo. Oh.” Greg reached behind Beth and pulled forward a small man, no bigger than five feet tall, thin, dark hair. “He’s afraid you’ll kill him. Leo here played the voice of our President. He’s a wonderful character actor who does voices for cartoons. All of our soldiers, including Col. Johnson, are courtesy of the Screen Actors Guild right here in LA.” Greg indicated to all the military dressed men. “And of course, if I were to give an award to best actor, I’d have to say . . .” He pointed to Colin. “Dr. Colin Whitney. Or, rather, Steve Harris. He did great.”

“What?” Aldo blasted in shock. “This man is an actor?”

“Quiet impressive.” Greg nodded. “Dr. Jefferson and I did the scripting. We all learned our lines. I knew Steve in school. We did dinner theater together in college. But . . .” Greg chuckled “I almost died the other night. Tell them Dr. Jefferson.”

Dr. Jefferson laughed first. “I called Greg from the hotel and told him to put on the station where they showed old television programs. You know, I was enjoying an episode of Laverne and Shirley and who walked by on the screen as a waiter
?” Dr. Jefferson pointed to Colin.

Greg laid his hand on his own chest. “I thought we were screwed. With all the television you watch
, Aldo, I thought for sure you’d flip through and see him. But . . .you were too engrossed in the news.”

“Which wasn’t real.” Aldo nodded.

Greg stood up and started to pace. “Some of it was real. The amoebas were real. And I have to admit . . .” He whistled. “They got out of hand. But . . .we knew we could kill them. See, when Dr. Jefferson and Dr. Carrington invented the amoebas many years ago, they invented a gas that would destroy them as well, or we would never have used them. The botched rescue attempt was real. The tank that didn’t unload, we set that up so all that chopper could lift would be Cal and Rickie, letting the rest play out. And we were going to say the other chopper ran into trouble. Then, as you know, Reed jumped in and our amoebas unexpectedly hit. So knowing the danger in a rescue, not to mention the expense, we decided to leave Cal and Rickie on that island.”

“What about the nuke?” Douglass asked. “That was real right?”

“No,” Greg answered. “In fact, everyone warned me against using that idea, right, Dr. Jefferson?”

“Right.” Dr. Jefferson nodded. “I thought for sure one of you would realize how farfetched it was that we were dropping a nuclear weapon into a volcano
. I warned Greg, but he insisted that you would be so engrossed, you wouldn’t even question the redundancy of it.”

Aldo sat back in his chair. He lit a cigarette and chuckled as he blew out the smoke. “And he was right. We were engrossed. And I have to tell you
, Haynes, you got me.” Aldo pointed his cigarette at Greg. “I have to say, thinking about this now, I really had a good time. Scared the hell out of me, but I had a good time.”

“Good.” Greg smiled “I’m glad. That’s what we’re supposed to do. Provide maximum entertainment for our investors. And you cannot say you weren’t entertained. And we used the clause of the contract you signed to include you in the experiment.
After all, you did agree to oblige us in whatever Caldwell deemed necessary for the experiment, and that was you. We had an independent council of psychologists and psychiatrists observing your behavior, and Aldo . . .” Greg titled his head. “They said you were the best under stress. You took control. You led the reins. You finished the experiment for us. The other three that left were so upset when they found out it was a set up. All four of you did extremely well. But you, Aldo, you were the man.”

The whole room filled with applause.

Aldo blushed. “Hey, what can I say?” He tossed his hand out. “Jake has nothing on me.”

Ivan
, who had remained quiet in his shock, finally spoke up. “You guys certainly went to an abundance of trouble for this experiment.”

Greg tossed his hands up. “I vowed to beat the last one. And I vowed to make it the best.”

Aldo nodded, but let out a whistling breath. “But at quite the expense. I mean, this couldn’t have come cheap. You have got to be some sort of budget master, Haynes.

“Budget Master?” Greg had to chuckle. “No, more like Game Master. No amount of budget mastering could have afforded all this.
Actually, aside from you investors and outside institute funding, we had a little bit of extra help. Well . . . an extra eight million dollars worth of help.” He extended his arm. “Gentlemen.” From behind the set of the news walked eight men.

When Aldo saw them, he, Ivan
, and Douglas immediately stood up.

Greg stood before the suited men. “Mr. Daniela, I don’t expect for you to recognize these eight gentlemen
, but I expect Aldo, Douglass, and Ivan will. Do you three remember these eight men?” Greg received stunned nods. “Some of these gentlemen invested in experiment eleven with you three, some in experiment twelve. Only they weren’t pleased with not having a chance or being loser so . . .” Greg gave a sneaky smile. “Like you gentlemen invested in our participants, these eight gentlemen invested . . . in you.”

“Son of a bitch.” Aldo fell backwards into his chair. “We were pawns in our own game.”

Doing like he had done so many times when he was pleased, Greg smiled. “Exactly.”