Amoeba (The Experiments) (5 page)

Aldo’s office was at its usual Monday pace, packed with people buzzing in and out, catching up on the work that seemed to compile over the weekend. Amidst the commotion, Aldo was on the phone. He’d laugh loudly, review a paper, hand it to someone, return to speaking, laugh again.

“Thank you for that, Cal.” Aldo wiped an after
-laugh tear from his eye and leaned back in his chair. “It brightened my day. You do know, though, if you don’t want that ho-hum military life complete with a daily agenda, I got a big house out here.” Aldo looked at a paper laid in front of him and shook his head.

“I appreciate the offer.” Cal drove Jake’s jeep as she talked on the phone.

“It’s a big house. Just me, and, well, the downfall, my rambunctious teenage daughter.”

“Always remember,
Aldo, the teenage daughter is your best asset.”

Aldo smiled. “I am humbled. So I take it I cannot propose marriage right now to you and move you into my house?”

“Thank you, but no. As a matter of fact, I have to get to the bridal shop, picked out by Jake of course, and then, speaking of houses, I have to drag his big ass tonight, whether he likes it or not, to check out a house I looked at today.”

“I thought he told you
to just pick one.”

“Aldo.” Cal chuckled. “Come on, it
’s Jake. Bet me he finds a million things wrong.”

“I’ll take that bet. You’re on, I think the big guy is too busy and will just tell you it’s fine.”

“It’s a bet.” Cal shifted her eyes to the clock in the jeep. “And I better go.”

“Cal, wait. Before you go, there is something I need to discuss with you. It’s very important. It’s about the . . .” Aldo stopped before he said the word ‘experiment’. He looked down
at a note set in front of him, a note that read, ‘Dr. Gregory Haynes on line 25’. “Cal, let me call you back.”

“You’re leaving me hanging
, Aldo.”

“Sorry
, but I’ll get back to you on that.” After hearing Cal’s goodbye, Aldo snapped his finger and held up his hand to bring silence to the room. He pressed the line that blinked and immediately switched to the business man tone. “Dr. Haynes. What do you have for me?”

From the back of the military jeep that stopped in front of his house, Jake lifted his briefcase. “Thank you, soldier,” he told the corporal who was driving. After saluting Jake, the corporal pulled away. Jake turned toward the walk of his house and stopped when he heard the call of his name.

“Jake
,” Chuck called out stepping away from his car.

“Hey Chuck.” Jake lifted his head.

“Wait.” Chuck trotted his way. “You’re home early,” he said, making his way to Jake.

“Yeah. And don’t forget Cal’s serving dinner at five-forty-five. She has me looking at some house at eight
even though I told her to just pick one, so don’t be late.”

“Jake
, before you go in there’s something I have to do.”

“What’s that
?”

Chuck p
ut on a stern face, snapped to attention, and firmly saluted Jake. “Congratulations Lieutenant Colonel Graison.”

The corner of Jake’s mouth raised
, and he saluted Chuck back. “Thank you.”

“Goddamn am I proud of you Jake.” Chuck gave a pat to Jake’s arm. “I really am. Way to kiss ass all the way up the ranking ladder.”

“You’re an asshole.” Jake shook his head and turned back to his house. “You can’t stay serious for five fuckin minutes.”

“Jake
, wait.”

“What now?” Jake slowed down.

“We have two and a half hours. You’re tense, you wanna go shoot some hoops before dinner?”

Jake looked at his watch. “You know what? Yeah. Cal said something about baking. She does that
, you know.” Jake nodded. “I’m gonna have baked goods.”

Chuck snickered. “Well, good for you. Do you?”

“Yeah. Give me five minutes to change.”

Chuck pulled at his own uniform. “Me too.” He backed up. “I’ll be over in five.”

Jake continued up his walk, and he paused when he stepped on the porch. He looked with oddness at the front window of his home. “Why are the blinds drawn?” He opened the front door and stepped into a dark house. “Cal,” he called out. “Sweetie, is there a reason we’re in the dark?. I don’t draw the blinds until dusk.” Jake set down his briefcase, shut the door, and reached for the light switch. He flicked it on. Nothing. “Fuckin Chuck forgot to pay my electric bill, too. Fuck.” A striking of a match and then the orange amber color lighting of the room caught Jake’s attention. He turned from the wall to see Cal standing up from lighting a candle on the coffee table.

“Your secretary said you were on your way.” Cal stood wearing only one of Jake’s long
, white button-down shirts.

“What’s all this about?”

“This is about your promotion.” Cal walked to him and grabbed his hands pulling him more into the living room. “You have years of celebrating to make up for.”

Though Jake wanted to look at Cal,
who was so beautiful with her hair pulled over one shoulder, his eyes kept going to the candle on his coffee table. “Cal, you really should put something under the candle. Wax is going to drip on . . .”

“Jake. Don’t worry about it.” Cal reached up and loosened his tie. “It will come off when it gets . . .” She pressed into him and softened her voice. “Hard.”

Jake swallowed.

Cal slipped off his tie then brought her hands to his shoulders removing his jacket. She tossed it to the chair.

“So this is celebrating.”

“Actually
,” Cal said, lifting his shirt from his pants, unbuckling his belt, and tossing it aside, “this is called spontaneous seduction.”

“Seduction
, huh?”

“Yep.” Cal unbuttoned his shirt.

“Should we go upstairs?”

“Not when it’s spontaneous
, no.” She slipped his open shirt off. He was wearing a tee shirt. “God, Jake, can you possibly have any more clothing on?”

“Sorry
, Cal, but I wasn’t expecting this . . .” He kissed her. “Spontaneous seduction.” He grabbed hold of the tee shirt and took it off. As he tossed it, he felt Cal’s lips touch upon his stomach, sensually kissing him. “Right here?”

“Oh yeah.” She moved her lips slowly up his chest. “Right here.”

Jake slid his hands down her back and slightly under the long shirt. He let out a chuckle when he felt her bare skin. Placing his hands to her waist, he lifted Cal to his level, wrapping his arms tightly around her, securing her to his chest, and began to kiss. His one hand slid further up her back and under her hair, kissing her harder. Then slowly, still holding Cal, he lowered himself to his knees.

Cal’s legs straddled over Jake’s as they kissed and their bodies gently moved on th
e floor. Feeling Cal, Jake’s hands moved to the collar of her shirt. He swept her hair to the side and brought his lips to her neck, gliding them down as he opened her shirt. With an edge of roughness, he pulled the shirt over her shoulders trapping her arms. His huge hands pressed behind her shoulders, gripping her, arching her back as he brought his lips to the center of her chest. So into it they grew until . . . Chuck walked in.

“Hey Jake . . . whoops.” Chuck stopped mid-stride in the house.

“Fuck.” Jake raised his head. “Don’t you knock!”

“No, I never knocked
,” Chuck answered. “And you said to come over in five minutes.”

“You still should knock.” Jake looked over his shoulder. “I live with someone now.”

“Sorry Jake, it’s just gonna take me some time to get used to the fact that you could be getting laid in the middle of . . .”

“Chuck, please.” Jake closed his eyes. “Can you uh . . . leave.” Jake motioned his head to Cal who was on his lap. “We’re trying to do something here.”

“Oh, sure. Are we still shooting hoops before dinner?”

“Chuck
,” Jake called out.

“I’m leaving. Call me when you’re done.” He moved to the door. “Oh
, and Cal, you may want to know that I can see your left breast.”

“Chuck!” Jake’s hands shot up covering Cal’s breast. “Leave.”

Cal laughed and lowered her head.

“I’m gone. Call me.” Chuck hurried out.

“Asshole.” Jake let out a breath of annoyance.

“Don’t worry about it.” Cal kissed him.

“See. That is why we do this sort of thing upstairs.”

“No, Jake. This . . .” Cal placed her hands on his face and kissed him. She moved her body against him forcing him back and down to the floor. She lifted her head allowing her hair to dangle down at him. “This is why it’s called spontaneous.”

Jake looked up at her smile, laid his hands on her cheeks, and pulled Cal to him. They kissed again, and when her chest met his, he gripped her and rolled her, bringing Cal to her back and his body to hers.

Billy wasn’t expecting anyone at his apartment. If he had, he would have cleaned up, or certainly shaved. He definitely wasn’t expecting the Executive Director of The Central News Network to show up at his home, either.

“How are you Billy?” Paul Kenning, a business man in his mid forties
with graying temples, asked as he stood at Billy’s door. A large envelope was tucked under his arm.

“Better.” Billy spoke grogg
ily. Actually, Billy had been drinking slow but steady since he arrived back home after Leonard’s death the day before. “Come in.” He opened the door wider for Paul. “I wasn’t expecting anyone.” Billy reached for his shirt that was lying on the chair and put it on.

“I wasn’t expecting to come and see you until tomorrow. But I spoke to Leonard’s wife
, and she said you weren’t doing all that well.”

“I’m doing.”

“Can we sit down?” Paul indicated to the sofa.

“Yeah, sure.”
Billy followed and sat down at the same time as Paul. “What’s going on?”

“It’s about this story.”

“You want me to drop it.” Billy folded his hands.

“Not entirely. Perhaps you’re going to need to take a different approach.” Paul handed Billy the envelope. “When the news of Leonard’s death got out
, the Science Review called. I told them you were investigating, and they sent these. Thought you may need them.”

Billy opened the envelope and pulled out a large pile of pictures
, clear shots taken at the airport of Cal and Jake. “Oh, wow,” he said in awe. “I can see his name tag. Major Jacob Graison.” He turned to another picture, one of Cal and Jake kissing at the airport gate. “They’re together, aren’t they? I find him, I find her, right?”

“Read the faxes that are in there.”

Billy reached into the envelope and pulled out two sheets of paper. “This letter is from Caldwell.”

“Yes. When Dr. Haynes called me this morning about Leonard’s death
, I took the liberty of telling him that we uncovered one of the participants’ names, Major Graison, and he kind of, well, chuckled.”

“Why?”

“The other fax. Dr. Haynes sent it with the letter.”

Billy began to read. “Shit
, they signed a contract of confidentiality.”

“Valid for over two
-and-a-half years. If they talk, they owe the institute the money back. I think the length of time is placed on there because who the hell is going to care or remember after thirty-three months.”

“Damn it.” Billy laid the faxes down on the table. “So basically
, anything I find out, I find out on my own.”

“Exactly. And though it probably will be hogwash . . . I convinced Dr. Haynes to speak to you.”

Billy’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yes, in exchange for not releasing details of Leonard’s death in connection with the experiment compound, he said he’ll meet with you next week.”

“That’s great.” Billy’s enthusiasm was low. “What’s he gonna tell me?”

“About the experiments and what they do
,” Paul explained. “I don’t expect it will be all that interesting or news worthy. He’s going to be very PC.”

Billy ran his hand down his face. “Swell.” He let out a slow breath. “I have two participants who probably won’t speak to me at all.
And I have a soon-to-be director who’s going to paint a pretty scientific picture and give one hell of an explanation for what I saw up there.” Billy tossed the pictures to the table. “Shit.”

“In other words, even with what you told me you know
, and what I saw, without proof or eyewitness accounts, you have a flash story that won’t last in people’s minds.”

“A boring story. So I take it you want me to drop it.”

“No. Not at all. Talk to Dr. Haynes,” Paul said. “ Do you know they start planning the next experiment years in advance?”

“Yes I did.”

“They start interviewing participants far in advance, too. Well, I’m thinking, if you start to gather up all you can about the upcoming experiment, by the time it rolls around, that experiment’s twelve participants will be free to talk.”

“Get all their information and break the story in the thick of it.”

“Well.” Paul shook his head. “That’s not what I’m thinking.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want you to talk to them, but not to break the story on experiment twelve, in order to help you with the story of experiment thirteen.”

“How are they going to help with the next experiment if they know nothing about it?” Billy asked.

“They’ll be more like . . . preparing you?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m a man of my word, Billy.” Paul spoke calmly in a business-like explaining manner. No emotions. Factual. “I said you could follow this story to the next experiment if need be. I keep my word. But instead of following it
to
the next experiment, how about following it
into
the next experiment.”

It took a moment, but then it dawned on Billy where Paul was going. And as he picked up the pictures again of Cal and Jake, Billy smiled
at Paul, a smile of agreement to what Paul was saying.