The Iso-Stasis Experiment (The Experiments) (19 page)

“Can you promise me you’ll check your stuff first thing tomorrow to see if anything is gone?”

“No, I won’t. Nothing’s gone. You’re gone, overboard. And are we going after Fr. Dan’s book?”

“Yes, but in accordance with my agenda.” Jake folded his arms.

“Yeah, yeah.” Cal marched into her room and picked up his belongings. “Everything is according to your agenda.” She shoved his stuff at him. “If we decide to have sex to occupy our time, will that be part of the agenda, too?” She turned and walked back in her room.

Flustered, Jake babbled nonsense parts of words in his response to what she said. Before he could get something intelligent and or understandable out of his mouth, her light was out.

His figure could not be seen behind the tinted mirrored glass that was the entire far wall of his huge office. Aldo looked out at his crowded casino floor with pleasure, a drink in his hand.

“Mr.
Connilucci
, sir?” A younger man knocked on the door of his office, “Telephone, line three, Stan from the institute.”

“Thank you.” Aldo gave a nod as the man left his office. He walked with his drink and sat behind his desk. After a breath, he hit the speaker phone button. “Yeah, Stan . . .” Aldo rocked some in his thick leather chair. “What do you got for me?”

“It’s over.” Stan’s voice came through the speaker. “Cal beat the mental phase. Graison took charge.”

“Excellent.” Aldo clenched his jaws with a smile and nod. “What is his interest in my girl?”

“He likes her. You know the routine. Experiment boy meets experiment girl. It’s a little bit more this time.”

“What do you mean?” Aldo asked.

“They’re close. Not bed partners, but . . . from observation, close friends. I think they may be a team here. And that could get in the way of a single winner.”

“Doesn’t matter, I’ll take four million just as easy as I’ll take eight.” Aldo lifted his glass to his mouth.

“Yeah, but uh . . . will Graison’s investor feel the same?”

The glass stopped short of Aldo’s lips as he sank, instead of into bourbon, into thoughts about what Stan said.

As if they were watching the Super Bowl, Lyle and Stan held their breath, clenching tightly to papers, watching the monitors. When the moment arrived, they shrieked loudly.

“Yes!” Lyle shouted first. “He’s there.”

“Come on, Johnny boy . . . he’s going to chicken.”

“No way. She asked him and he didn’t answer, just walked in.”

“We are going to sail this one.” Stan held out his hand for a high five. “And everyone else said Cal and Jake first. Ha!”

“Wait . . . no John, don’t back up.” Lyle covered his eyes. “He looked at her.”

“Shut off the light, Jennifer, shut out the . . . yes!” Stan’s hand grabbed the remote. “Infrared on.”

“It’s over.” Lyle began to laugh. “We won.” He pounded his fist on the table three times. “Wait . . . unless of course oral sex doesn’t count.”

“Oh, please. We won.” Stan stood up and walked to the cork board and grabbed the envelope. “This was a big one, too. Including Aldo’s money, there’s five hundred bucks in here.” He smiled at his money.

Dr. Jefferson walked into the room clearing his throat and startled both of them, making them jump. “Another pot meets its end?”

Lyle quickly placed the money in his back pocket. “Uh . . . yeah, look at Monitor eight.”

Dr. Jefferson looked up peering at the screen at the end of his nose. “I see.” He shook his head. “Before you took that money, did you make sure that oral copulation counted?”

“Doesn’t matter now,” Stan said and zoomed in on them. “It’s ours. I’ll just shut off the infrared to give them some privacy.”

“You do that.” Dr. Jefferson sat down at the table with them. “I’m here right now to see if our controllers took care of both the situations?”

“Yes,” Lyle answered. “Jake is suspicious and certain now that someone has been going in Cal’s room. And the other thing, the last one was switched this morning. I have to tell you. It was close. Jake was right there getting Fr. Dan’s book. Before his . . .” Lyle chuckled, “agenda.
 
Anyway . . . Fr. Dan busted him again.”

“I see.” Dr. Jefferson said. “And what did our Major Graison confess this time?”

“Lustful thoughts,” Stan answered. “Fr. Dan scratched his head and finally told Jake to let loose, he was tired of hearing about it.”

Smiling at that, Dr. Jefferson stood up. “I’ll leave you two to . . .” his head motioned to the monitors. “I was just checking to see if our controllers got them.”

Lyle answered instead of Stan. “Yes, they switched the books just like you said.”

Dr. Jefferson walked to the door. “
Now
when those two find the manuscripts they won’t know any more than they do now. Imagine them thinking they can outsmart us. Do they not realize we know everything?” He opened the door and feeling upbeat Dr. Jefferson left the observation room.

Lyle lifted his shoulders and slid in the chair. “I take it he doesn’t know that Cal and Jake were in the bathroom the other night having a secret meeting?”

“No, and why tell him. We don’t know what they were saying and it’ll only make matters worse.”

“How do we know they weren’t fooling around in there? Speaking of which, he’s gone. You want to put that infrared back on?”

“You got it.” Stan sliding down in his chair, clicked on the infrared in Jennifer’s room, and sipped on his soda as he and Lyle watched the big entertainment for the evening.

Fr. Dan’s hands clenched tightly to the edges of the bathroom sink. He stared in the mirror, still fogged from his shower. With his right hand he wiped across the steam leaving a smear large enough for him to stare at his bloodshot, sore eyes. The dreams, every night for the past ten days he had the same dreams and woke with a headache that carried on until the afternoon.

Fr. Dan looked down to his hands and saw they trembled.
Stop this, just stop this.
You are better than this, control yourself.
They’re only dreams.
A sickening knot formed in his stomach as he looked at his face, the scar on his left cheek, the scar that was his painful reminder.

He noticed his brow had begun to sweat. That same dream was weakening him, and he couldn’t tell a soul about having them. No one could know. Splashing his face with cold water, he grabbed for a hand towel and brought it to his face.

“Fr. Dan!” Rickie called from his side of the bathroom. “Hey, Padre.”

Turning off the faucet and hanging the towel, Fr. Dan responded in a shaking, cracking voice, “Yes, Rickie?”

“Are you almost done in there, man? I got a piss boner that is screaming release me.”

“I apologize.” He unlocked the knob and opened the door. He saw Rickie sitting on the bottom of his bed, blanket across his lap, wiggling. “It’s all yours.”

“Thanks guy.” Rickie bolted for the bathroom and Fr. Dan went into his own room pulling the door closed behind him.

“Hey, Padre,” Rickie yelled loudly over his forceful release. “Are you going to breakfast now?”

“You go on without me, Rickie.”

“Whatever. Oh, man . . . I can’t stop.”

A bright spot, a slight smile came to Fr. Dan as he sat on his own bed staring at his desk. He had to face his dreams; he had to face what ate him. He had placed what it was in a box in his dresser. He would get that box when he heard Rickie leave. No earlier, he couldn’t chance Rickie walking in.

^^^^

Steam came from Jake’s mouth as he stood with Cal just outside the complex on their hillside. The morning temperature was a bit chilly which didn’t bother Jake as much as Cal. “You ready for me, babe?” He lifted his shorts and rested outward on his left leg.

“Babe . . . please.” Cal rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You won’t get me.”

“Cal, you haven’t worked out in a couple days.” Jake stood straight. “Speaking of which, how’s that knee?”

“I hate you.”

“Whoa, what’s with the attitude? Are we trying to get out of the chase?” He nodded at her.

“No!” She said with sarcasm. “You injured me on purpose. I get up in the middle of the night and you’re lying on my bedroom floor, without my permission, and I tripped over you.”

“I didn’t make you fall on purpose.”

“If you were in my room on purpose then you made me fall on purpose.”

Laughing loudly Jake flung his head back. “What the hell kind of lawyer-
wanna
-be talk is that? Get your shit together, get ready.”

“Way to bark orders at me. I’m ready.” Cal got into position.

“Now . . .” Jake pointed outward into the wooded area, “you have to go through the woods to the buildings. If you make it there before me, I do your clean up tonight. If I catch you . . .”

“I know, I know, I do your clean up tomorrow. So what do we compete for on nights we don’t have clean up?”

“Positions.”

“Positions in what?” Cal asked.

“Never mind,” Jake said as he looked at his watch. “Ten second start. Get ready. Go.” He watched her run figuring he’d give her a few more seconds, and then go opposite of the way she went.

Cal ran through the woods. Possibly not as fast as she would normally go, but her other senses were kicking in and she really had a hard time doing more than one thing at a time. She heard her own footsteps crunch against the leaves as she ran. A certain fear was with her also, the fear of the element of surprise. Not knowing where or when Jake would leap out at her, kept her pace slower than it should have been.
Where the hell is he?
She could see the two buildings through the breaking of the trees ahead. Her footing slowed up, as she stopped, the leaves beneath her feet sprayed. She listened. Faintly she could hear the crushing of leaves. She looked behind her, to her left, turning to her right. As she faced forward, Jake jumped out blocking her way. “Shit!” She began to run again veering to her right.

Jake held out his arms running sideways, smiling.

“Don’t tackle me.” She knew she was had. Shrieking loudly, Jake caught her. She felt his arms go around her waist and lift her up, throwing her over his shoulder and running with her through the rest of the woods. “Jake.” She hit her hands on his back. “You won. Put me down.”

Jake stopped running with her, he slid her body down across his as he put her firmly on the ground. “Clean up tomorrow.”

“I have to find something I’m physically better at.” Cal frustrated, kicked her foot before they started walking. “I have to beat you once. Aside from the intellectual shit we play.”

“I let you win at all those intellectual games we play, too.”

“Right . . . Jake. I could whoop your ass in
Candy Land
.”

“Oh, that’s funny. Ha, ha, ha. Let’s get something to eat. We build the skyscraper today.” He saw they were almost at the main building. “Race?” He smacked her backside and took off running.

^^^^

“Hey, you two.” Jennifer approached Cal and Jake as they walked into the dining area. “I wanted to let you guys know I made eggs if you were interested. But you don’t eat breakfast, do you, Cal?” Jennifer asked. “No wonder you’re so thin. But . . . did you notice.” She pulled at her pant leg. “I’ve lost weight this first month.”

“I see that, Jennifer. Gosh.” Cal smiled. “By the end of the experiment think how thin you’ll be.”

Jennifer was glad to hear that. “I may look like you.”

Jake’s disagreement with her statement was obvious. He let out a loud ‘ha’ and folded his arms. “I highly doubt that.” His comment was followed by a grunt, courtesy of Cal, who backhanded him in the gut. “
Ow
. . . . Will you stop hitting me?” Jake snapped.

“Will you stop being so rude.”

“I’m not being rude, I’m being honest. You think this little-miss-nice-thing you’re doing is honest?” Jake shook his head. “Who was the one bitching about her this morning?”

“Oh, I just hate you.” Cal stormed away from him.

“Hey!” Jake shouted to her across the dining area, grasping everyone’s attention. “That is twice in one day. I’m getting a complex.”

Cal, flipping him off, retrieved her granola bar and sat down at a table with everyone else, figuring Jake wouldn’t sit there. She was wrong.

“OK.” Jake laid his plate of eggs down on the table. “Here’s the deal.” He snatched the granola bar from her hand and slid the plate of eggs toward her. “I’m willing to forget this little ‘I hate you’ thing.
And
I will forfeit my win this morning, if you eat food.”

Cal looked at the plate of eggs and sniffed it.

“What are you, a dog? Eat.” Jake handed her a fork.

“If I do, it’s not because I need your forgiveness on the ‘I hate you’ . . .”

“Cal, I’m crushed.”

“Shut up, Jake. I’m doing this so you do my clean-up.” Cal plunged the fork in the eggs, lifted a fork full and brought it to her mouth. She hesitated, not eating them yet.

Jake grew frustrated so he helped the fork in there. “Eat.”

Cal wiped her mouth and glared at him. “I can’t believe you just shoved food in my mouth.” A jar of Salsa came down before Cal. She followed it up the hand and saw it was Carlos.

“Try this on your eggs. It’s excellent.” Carlos set his plate down and sat on the other side of Cal. “I’ll join you.”

Jake shifted his eyes back and forth in disgust, breathing heavy, shaking his head.

Rickie laughed at the scenario as he ate his eggs. Jennifer was hanging on John and John was trying to scoot further away. Carlos staring at Cal and Jake pissed off. To Rickie, it was funny. “You know, you can like swim in the sexual tension at this table, it’s so thick.” He snickered as his shoulders bounced up and down. “I hope you guys brought protection?” His comment seemed to catch everyone’s attention and they looked up. “Yeah, didn’t think of that, did
ya
? I’m a condom man myself.” Rickie shoved eggs in his mouth. “We don’t want a bunch of babies running around up here.”

“Rickie!” Jake slammed his hand down. “Even if one of the women did get knocked-up, it takes nine months to have a baby. We won’t be here that long.”

“Yeah, but still . . . you never know. It could happen. This is a scientific experiment. What if they put . . . hey…” Rickie’s eyes were focused across the room. “What’s wrong with the padre?”

Everyone at the table turned to see Fr. Dan walking slowly in. His hair tossed about, shirt hanging out of his pants. Frazzled was the best way to describe him.

Rickie stood up. “I’ll see what’s up.” He walked hands in his pockets to the priest. “Fr. Dan, you looked fried, dude.”

Fr. Dan lifted his eyes. “Did you take it?” he asked Rickie softly.

“No. Take what?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“No, I . . .” Rickie nodded his head. He was guilty. He did steal Fr. Dan’s cinnamon flavored dental floss. “Forgive me, father, for I have sinned.”

Shocking Rickie, and all that were in the dining room, Fr. Dan went into a rage, hollering loudly, scolding Rickie. “I’m not fucking around, Rickie. I am serious.”

“Whoa, Padre, so I took the box. I’ll give it back, no biggie.”

“Did you look in it?!” he shouted.

“Well, yeah, how else was I supposed to . . . ?”

With a loud scream and hands extended outward Fr. Dan lunged at Rickie knocking him to the floor with his grip tightly around Rickie’s neck. He pounded Rickie’s head with his every word. “You…can’t…get…away…with…this!”

Cal jumped up from her seat at the same time as everyone else but Jake. He still ate his cereal. “Oh, my God, Jake, do something.”

Jake turned his head back to Fr. Dan’s pounding of Rickie, and then he returned to his food. “Sit down Cal.”

“Jake.” Cal shifted her eyes to him. She watched as Carlos, Griff and John were all unsuccessful in helping. “Jake if you don’t go, I will.” She began to march over and he stood up.

“Son of a bitch.” He wiped his mouth and stormed toward the men who were disrupting his breakfast. He reached down, grabbed Fr. Dan by the back of his shirt and lifted him from Rickie. “Cool it.”

Fr. Dan spun around to Jake, close fisted and nailed him in the face.

Jake’s head jolted to the left. He felt the skin on his cheek bone spilt with the hard hit of Fr. Dan. Bringing his fingers to his face in anger, he looked at the blood on his fingertips. “Fuck.” Shaking his head he looked at Cal. “See, Cal? Now I have to hit a priest.” With all his strength, Jake hauled off and slammed Fr. Dan sending him in a spin to the floor. He shook off his hand and returned to his breakfast. “Thank you very much, Cal, now I’m burning in hell.”

Rickie picked himself off the floor. “Whoa, talk about a breath taking experience.” He stared down at the passed out priest. “All of this over dental floss? Imagine if I swiped his toothpaste.”