Ever-Life the Two Book Set: The C.P.T Incident and Time Trust (14 page)

“That book…It couldn’t have been written tonight; that is impossible.”

The two women looked at each other.

“What’s the last thing you remember, Child? You didn’t just appear at my door. Can you tell me?”

“Yes, I think so…”

She recounted her evening to Rachel.

“Angie, we have to get back to the hospital. There is a lot going on. Can you get us into ‘focus ward’?”

“Yes, sure...”

“I know I’m asking a lot of you
; but, you are in this, honey; otherwise why kidnap you and then leave you at my door?”

“Yes
, all right; besides I have to find Ralphy. The last thing I remember is him being thrown onto the street curb. I know I am right about this, Mrs. Sheldon. I know it.”

“We wil
l go to Matt’s office. You carry this book. We have to see the other one…Wait, let me think. I have to see Jack, first…The morgue; we will go there first. I know the department head. Come on; and Angie, whatever happens, don’t lose this vial; and don’t tell anybody you’ve got it, okay?”

“Okay; but, Mrs. Sheldon, Dr. Bellos wrote the email in the first place. He already must know I have it.”

Rachel looked at her and paused, with a confused look.

“You a
re right. Let’s go?”

Chapter 14      

Bellos & Jack

Dr. Jack Sheldon awoke naked
, in the corner of room 309’s bathroom shower. He slowly stood up and thought,
Okay, no bruises; no sores; Christ, I feel fine. I wonder what time it is. I’ve got to get myself together. What the hell has happened to me?”

There was a clean terrycloth robe hanging on the back of the door. He quickly put it on and walked back into the hospital bedroom. The door lock clicked and the knob twisted.
In walked Mathew Bellos.

“Matt, is that you?”

“Jack…”

They smiled at each other and embraced.

“How are you feeling? God, it’s good to see you up and about. Come; sit.”

“Matt, I had blood everywhere. I’ve been lying down, sitting; Christ, I fell in the shower
; and just woke up, crouched in the corner. For God’s sake; what the hell is going on?”

“I have a lot to tell you
; but, we have too little time for me to start, right now. Here, I brought you some clothes. Get dressed. We have to leave. Your body is in trauma. Obviously, you have no idea what happened to you. So, just shut up and trust me?”

“Okay Doc; now what?”

Jack started to dress.

“First
, take a sip of this.”

Bellos handed him a glass.

“What is it, white Champagne? Not bad.”

Ja
ck put on the clothes, leaning against the bed.

“Guess I am out of shape.”

“Come on; you’ll be fine; follow me. Try to be as quiet and quick as you can. There are people who, if they are not here yet, they will be. They want you; and I don’t mean in a good way.”

The two walked out of room 309 and down the hall
, into Angie’s office. Bellos opened the closet door.

“Matt, did we miss our coats?”

Bellos turned with a sarcastic smile. He reached out, tapping a particular part of the molding behind hospital gowns and whispered strange words, “Yuopenz echduar GGM-TBN 010”.

The wall slid to one side
, revealing an elevator, much like the one in Bellos’s office. They stepped in and Bellos continued speaking in his strange language, “Master secure, initiate directive-197.”

Th
e wall closed behind them and both men felt a slight tug down and to the right.

“What the hell was that? Is this some Vampir
e Castle with secret passages? And when did you learn Chinese-That Wong Tong, Wang Chang shit. What was that; Jeez?”

They both looked at each other;
and Bellos chuckled, “Shit, Jack, I’m glad you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”

“Great, thanks; that tells me nothing
.”

“The fact is
, my friend, to quote your favorite science fiction; we are going where you have never gone before; or something to that affect?”

“Oh okay; I feel ridiculous; like that’s exactly what I was thinking.” 

“Well,” Bellos shrugged, “I have to get you far away and safe, fast. We are getting on a plane here on the Complex.”

“Matt, I feel funny; all of a sudden.”

“Hold on; here we are.”

The elevator door
didn’t open. It appeared to just disappear, to reveal a flight hanger and a small one-engine propeller plane, waiting for the two to board. Jack grabbed his ears.

“Jesus, could it be any louder. So, are we back in the ancient 1960’s? Where did you get the antique?”

“We’re flying low and slow, to avoid detection. Come on; up the stairs; watch your head.”

“Just sit anywhere, and put the belt on, will you?
”

“I feel so sleepy.”

“You need a shot. You might as well give into it, for now. I have to see the pilot. I’ll be back.”

In a few minutes, even considering the noise, Jack drifted to sleep. It felt like only seconds, when the plane bounced on the landing strip and Jack woke up.

For security purposes, Bellos tried to give the impression that they were leaving the state, so he arranged for the plane to take off from the Andrews airfield, circle the campus several times, and then land at a private entrance.

“Jack, you up? We a
re here.”

“How could I not be
, with that smooth landing? Where are we?”

“Let’s go
.”

The two deplaned
and the pilot immediately took off again.

“This still looks like desert, except of course for the concrete door over there; oh, my head.”

The two walked toward a bright light, shining on the door, about a hundred yards away. A special ops guard, in full combat regalia, greeted Bellos with a smile and salute.

“Evening, Sir. This way...”

“Well, this can’t be Brazil,” Jack joked. “I don’t see any bikinis.”

They stood before a large fifteen-foot square concrete door.

“Oh, great, something else ridiculous; it looks like some old 1950’s bomb shelter?”

“Actually it is, sort of.”

Bellos gestured to the guard and the door slid open.

“Matt, I need to sit down. It’s like I’ve had the crap beaten out of me.”

Bellos held Jack’s arm and they walked through the door, into the first room on the right.

“Here; sit down and drink this.”

“This is the same stuff, you gave me before? What the heck is it; and where are we?”

“Just relax; you are going through some very radical changes.”

“Really, ya think? And I just got out of bed, you know.”

“Just drink it. Look Jack, I know you are upset. I
said I would explain and I will. But you have to be patient with yourself, the situation and with me. This is life threatening; it is very sensitive. The most important thing right now is, that you take it slow for a while.”

“Upset? I a
m way beyond upset. It’s all so frustrating; and where is Rachel? I have such a headache. Christ, I am a doctor; and I can’t even think. I feel like I have superpowers one second, and the next; it’s like I’m going to vomit my insides out from the pain. I can’t breathe.”

“Side effects, Jack, side effects. They should pass; and if they don’t, this is the one place on Earth you want to be.”

“And, where is this, I see four walls, a table and chair?”

Bellos put his hand on Jack’s shoulder, smiled and said, “
Listen; you are having massive memory issues; and I don’t want to repeat myself more than three times, okay? Do you feel up to eating something?”

“Yes, the only food I’ve seen
, is what that nurse dropped on the floor.”

“Then you remember the nurse?”

“Not really, maybe; I don’t know.”

Bellos sighed, leaned into him and examined
Jack’s eyes.

“For now, I don’t expect much. The only thing I’m asking you for
, is patience. Are you feeling any better?”

“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I am. What’s in that drink?”

“Good; come on then; follow me; this way.”

They walked out and down a hall
, to another door. Bellos pulled out his Knofer; waved it over the icon, above the lock, and the door clicked open. Jack walked into a very small room.

“So Matt, you’ve brought me from one closet to another?”

There was one lounge chair and table in front of a small round stone fireplace. A video image of a world map was on the wall, and what looked like a silver refrigerator stood in the corner.

“Jack, please
sit. We call this room a Unit. This one’s young, I mean small. It’s one of many here. If I had to describe the whole area; it’s like a bee’s honeycomb. You haven’t seen this part of the Complex, yet. There is nothing to fear at all; but it is highly secure.”

“Obviously, if you have kept it from me.”

“The important thing is that you are safer here than if you stayed in the hospital; and you get much better service. We have a lot to cover, in a very short time.”

“Okay;
what’s next?”

“Actually, I need you to get com
fortable here; drink more wine; and maybe nap a bit.”

“And how do I get food and the drink?”

“Well, that red button; just speak as you push. You can order anything. After you order, go around the corner and you’ll see a small ‘lift door’. Open it. Whatever you ordered will be there. Use the remote, on the table there. It will enable you to monitor hospital activities on the screen above the fireplace. You can catch up a little. We have no way for you to communicate with the outside though, sorry. As for the drink, more is in the refrigerator, over there, ready for you. Jack, this isolation is necessary for your health; just for a short time, and to guarantee your safety. Try to keep calm, will you? Just don’t forget to drink the wine.”

“In case you haven’t noticed;
I keep asking you what is that stuff?”

“It’s a very old and rare healing elixir. I couldn’t really explain it
, if I wanted to; but it makes you feel a lot better; doesn’t it? Drink all you want.”

“You a
re just trying to get me drunk, my first day back.”

“Unfortunately, B
uddy, the drink’s effects are only temporary; and it has no alcohol in it, sorry.”

Jack swallowed every drop, sat back and felt the warmth spread throughout his body.

“You must listen; there are things at work here you never foresaw.”

“I don’t understand. Quit being so damn cryptic and just spit it out, will you?”

“Do you remember C.P.T.?”

Jack looked puzzled at first;
but, then he felt suddenly refreshed and alert.

“Yes, I think so, Chemical Personality Transfer.”

“Right, what else; come on?”

“It’s the transfer of personality
, of our memory from a dead person to...Yes, I remember.”

“Where did it come from?”

Jack strained.

“From m
e?”

“Yes, you; and what happened, Jack?”

“Jesus, what did happen? Did I screw up?”

Bellos laughed.

“Not exactly; you did quite the opposite. You succeeded; you did it; you are the proof; well your serum.”

Jack went rigid and thought for a second.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you took all the findings and research, and you combined them into one fantastic
hypothesis, your manuscript. You proved it true. You found the formula, the chemical cocktail for yourself. Jack, you were dead, and now you are not.”

“
Dead…Holy shit!”

“ You were in a car accident. It was very bad.”

Jack was speechless, scared and his nerves went into overdrive. He started shaking uncontrollably.

“There are other things though. Right now, I have to keep you going
, with the elixir you are drinking, until we get the vial.”

“Why?”

“Let’s just say, you found the cocktail and how to extract and inject; but, you weren’t prepared for the corrective action, required by your body in total. You were a wreck, when you were admitted, bones broken, an arm and leg severed. You were pretty bad.”

“So, how did I survive?”

“Well, we gave you fix-its; to repair all body parts and functions.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You can’t understand everything right now. Your mind is still fried. There’s a lot more to hear. Right now, the drink needs time to work. Here, have another, doctor’s orders. And, I want you to put on this headset. Listen to the program; relax, as much as you can. Drink all of the wine, little by little. Order some food.”