The Iso-Stasis Experiment (The Experiments) (47 page)

Rickie looked exhausted as he emerged from the dining area hallway. His eyes were red, his shoulders slumped and he yawned continuously. “OK.” He stretched his arms out. “Cal-babe, Sarge, it’s your shift now.”

Jake turned his head toward him as he removed Cal’s legs that lay over his as they sat on the couch. “Rickie, you still have another hour to go.”

“I know, Sarge, but like, I’m falling asleep down there.”

Jake stood up. “You didn’t fall asleep, did you?” he asked harshly.

“Jake, come on.” Cal stood up holding onto his arm. “The Stasis is still in a shell. Leave him alone.”

“Cal, this is the only way we can survive this. Watching him down there and waiting for him to step out so we can sick the wolves on him. That is the only way we’re safe. All it would take is ten seconds and we’re done. The thing will get out and in here.”

Cal shook her head giving Rickie a look that said ‘ignore Jake.’ “Come on, Jake, it’s our turn to watch the sleeping beast.” She pulled at him.

Jake slid his hand down and clutched Cal’s. “And, young man, you are supposed to wait until we come down and relieve you.”

“Yeah, yeah, Sarge. I’m going to bed. And . . . I’d like to add, I do not appreciate you two using my shift time as your designated sex time. It puts pressure on me knowing I have to play Rickie the Condom man and protect you.” He headed to the other hallway. “You don’t think I know. You may cover the camera but you’ve been forgetting about the microphone.”

Jake tried to ignore him and walked off with Cal. Almost in dining area they stopped and so did Rickie when all three of them heard
 
five loud thumps on the side of the building.

Jake flew into the gathering room. “What the hell was that? Rickie was that you?”

Rickie shook his head. “Sounds like when you and Cal used to climb on the . . .” His eyes looked up when they heard it.

“Shit!” Jake ran past Rickie down the hall and to his room. They weren’t expecting it. They had kept the Stasis at bay for nearly a month and they had stopped worrying about weapons. Jake flew out of his room, shotgun in hand. The hatch to the roof fell with a clamor and the Stasis dropped into the hallway with a bellow.

Jake fired once trying to hold him back as he walked as quickly as he could backwards. “Cal.” He blindly made it to the gathering room. “Down stairs, you know what to do.”

Trying not to panic, Cal darted backwards to the dining area. She knew she had to go down and wait until she saw Jake bait him out.

“Rickie!” Jake motioned his head to the door and then fired again at the beast. He only had five more shells in the gun.

Rickie charged to the door, lifted the pry bar that sat beside it and opened it up. “Hurry, Sarge.”

Jake felt in his gut that he didn’t have the beast’s attention. He watched as the Stasis’ eyes kept shifting to Rickie. Jake knew who the beast wanted when it made an outward swing and knocked him to the ground.

He felt the force of his fall on his left shoulder as he hit the floor and the gun fired off on its own. In a race against the slow moving beast, Jake picked himself up and stormed with all of his strength at the beast just as he lunged, arms outward, at Rickie. Jake fired as he ran; he leaped at it as the beast’s clawed hands grabbed at Rickie. In a hard pummel Jake landed on the back of the Stasis and the force knocked both of them rolling into the high piled snow.

Cal, the homing device, the homing device,
was all that ran through Jake’s mind as he lay stunned on the back of the Stasis. He felt the vibration and heard the rumble. The signal was off and the wolves began their decent.

Knowing he had to get to cover, Jake jumped up, firing one more shot at the head of the beast as he ran backwards into the building slamming the door behind him. “Yes.” He shouted holding the door back and counting to twenty. Twenty seconds was all it would take and the beast would go down again at the jaws of the wolves. “Yes, Rickie, that was a close call.” Jake pounded his fist on the door while still holding it closed with his weight until he heard the sound of the snarling fangs attacking the flesh of the Stasis. Jake waited . . . he heard it. “Oh, man.” He started to laugh. “I bet that thing feels like Wile E. Coyote every time we do that to him. Huh, Rickie? You’re the cartoon guy.” Jake, relieved to know they had secured themselves again, turned around. The smile dropped from his face. His heart sunk when he saw Rickie, struggling to his feet, holding his stomach as blood pouring profusely from a wound Jake did not know he had sustained. “Oh, God.”

“Sarge?” Rickie looked down to his hand and at the blood. An immediate frightened look hit him. “Sarge, help me.” He fell to his knees and then face first to the floor. His body rolled immediately into a fetal position.

“No.” Dropping his shotgun, Jake slid down to help the trembling young man. “No.” He rolled Rickie over placing his hand under his head. “I’m sorry, Rickie. I’m sorry.” Jake’s other hand lay tightly over his bleeding wound.

“It’s bad, huh, Sarge?”

Jake lifted his hand to look. He could see through the seeping blood that the Stasis had clawed his way into Rickie’s gut. Jake clenched his jaws tightly and kept pressure on Rickie. He didn’t answer his question. He felt helpless. He thought he was fast enough and that Rickie was fine.

“Jake, the wolves . . .” Cal’s words slowed as
she
did when she ran into the gathering room. Seeing Jake over Rickie in a growing pool of blood made her cry out in horrific shock. “No! Rickie!” She raced over, throwing herself on the floor. “This didn’t happen. Not to you.” She lifted up his head placing it on her lap. “Jake, help him. Help him, Jake, please.”

“Cal, I . . .” Jake looked down at Rickie’s wound. The frustration, the sadness he felt could all be seen in his actions. He raised his shaking hands clenched in a fist to his face, shaking his head, not wanting to speak.

Rickie started to cough and a trickle of blood came from his mouth with each of his coughs. “Cal-babe. I guess I’m not winning after all, huh?” He said weakly.

“Rickie,
Shh
.” She lifted his thin body close to her, cradling him in her arms. “It’ll be all right.” She pressed her lips to his cheek and then wiped her hand across his face.

“No, Cal-babe. It’s not.” Rickie closed his eyes slowly and then opened them again. He felt comfort lying there seeing Jake, feeling Cal. “That’s OK. You know what?” He took a long breath. “I’m not afraid.”

“You’ll be fine, Rickie.” Cal held him, rocking him, knowing that her words were far from the truth. She knew the truth; she saw it in Jake’s eyes. “Jake is going to fix you like he did John and me. You’ll see. Just hold on. Jake, go get
 
. . .”

Rickie raised his hand to her mouth. “No. He can’t. He tried though. He did good, Cal.” Rickie fragilely raised up his thumb. “Guys, you have to beat this for me.”

Jake’s hand ran down Rickie’s face. “We will. All of us.”

Rickie smiled. “See, you don’t lie well. That’s OK.” He reached up and pulled at Jake. “Remember the promise you made me. Remember that promise . . . Major Graison.”

It took everything Jake had to stay in control at that moment. He looked into Rickie’s eyes trying to hide what he felt. “I will.” Lifting his hand to Cal and shaking his head, Jake stood up. He ran his hand over his hair as he turned his back to a scene that was just too hard for him to face.

“Cal-babe.” Rickie looked at her. “You did so much for me. I’m going to do something for you.”

“What’s that, Rickie?” A tear fell from her face landing on Rickie’s.

“When I see your kid . . . I’ll tell her you said hi.”

Cal kissed him crying harder. “You take care of her for me, Rickie, you watch her.”

“Hey, I rule, and I’ll let her know you’re doing good and that you have the Major to watch you.” Rickie’s eyes closed. “She’ll be glad to know that. She’ll be . . . glad.” His head fell to the side and he became silent.

“Don’t you do this, Rickie.” Cal pulled him into her, burying his head in her chest. “You’ve given me back so much that I lost. Don’t take it away from me again. Don’t. Please . . . don’t.”

Jake’s heart broke as he listened to Cal cry. He closed his eyes tightly trying to block it all out. But he couldn’t. Jake knew, the moment he heard Cal’s cries transform into heart pulling sobs, that it was over. Rickie was gone.

^^^^

There were no words spoken as they wrapped Rickie’s body tightly in a sheet and placed it in Rickie’s old room. The cold air helped slow the decomposition. Sadly they left Rickie there, closing the door behind them.

Jake stood in the bathroom doorway watching Cal undress. Slowly, she peeled the bloodied clothing from her, staring at each article she removed, her face streaked with tears. He wanted to take it all away from her, all the pain she felt, the hurt. Jake wanted to take it all away from himself, too. He had faced death before. He had watched men die. But never had any of it ever hit Jake the way that Rickie’s death did. Yet, he knew his sadness, his hurt, had to be second in importance. Cal had to be first. He had to be for her what no one had ever been for her—strong enough.

He walked into the bathroom, seeing Cal trying to fight back the tears that seemed to come anyway. He slid his hand across her cheek to the back of her neck. “I’m so sorry.” Gently he pulled her into him.

Cal buried herself in Jake, letting her sadness momentarily find comfort in his strong arms. She cried the last of the tears that could flow over a boy, a mere boy she had grown so close to.

They stood for the longest time in that bathroom, holding on to each other and coming to the realization that they were alone. Alone to battle the elements, to face what would be thrown to them, to finish the experiment. Alone except for . . . The Stasis.

“Cal, it’s an option I really want you to think about before you say no.”

“I don’t need to think about it.” She stared up at the monitor watching the sleeping Stasis.

“It won’t be that bad. Rickie and I cleaned this place up. I think . . .”

“No, Jake.” Cal turned her chair to face him. “I will not hide. And that’s exactly what you want me to do.
You
don’t want to hide down here until help arrives and don’t tell me that you do.”

“I don’t.” Jake shook his head. “There is nothing more that I want than to finish this thing swinging. I want to fight this thing to the end. But realistically, we have ten shells and nine bullets for my revolver. That’s hardly enough to keep our heads above water.”

“Then what we’ll do is pack up all our stuff, have it on standby and, if we have to, then we’ll head down here. But only when we see no other option, agreed?” She rocked some in the swivel chair, giving hatred glares to the beast she watched. “I just really wish we had the power to end this thing with a bang.”

“I know what you mean.” He rubbed her shoulders. “Bring them down for once, instead of them bringing down us. Give the
Iso
-Stasis an ending they have never seen, you and me. And if we had the supplies we could do it, too. We’re one hell of a team you and I.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

“That we are. Unfortunately we’re a team without a defense. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

“You’re right. It’s not like we can pick up the phone and call for more supplies. Of course, if the phones weren’t crushed I could call and have the shit we need here in a heartbeat. Hey, maybe if I went out and wandered about I could find one of those blue mail boxes and we could send a letter for help.”

Quickly Cal turned her chair and stood up. “Repeat that.”

“You mean finding a blue box and mailing a letter?”

“Exactly,” Cal said and grabbed his face excitedly and kissed him. “We’ll mail a letter.”

“Cal?” Jake removed her hands from his face. “Mail a letter, Honey? I wasn’t serious.”

“I am.” Cal began to race from the room. “Stay here and watch the Stasis. I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you . . .” Jake sat down in her chair. “Where are you going?”

“OK.” Cal flew back in the room with John’s laptop tucked under her arm. “I cannot believe I didn’t think of this.” She laid the laptop on the counter, plugged it in and lifted the lid. As it booted up she begged, “Please. Please let it be loaded.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Pray for a browser, the internet.” Cal nodded assuredly. “Yes.” She clenched her fist. “He has one. You said you want to send a letter right? We are.” She searched under the counter. “Modem jack, where is the Modem jack?” As she stood up she pulled the grey chord that no longer had a computer attached to it and connected it to the computer. “Obviously they couldn’t chance having
wifi
with John, but they had to have some internet, whether it was satellite or not. We are going to send email. Now who is it that you think will help us out?”

“Chuck, he could fly . . . wait, how are we getting a letter to Chuck?”

“Do you live in the middle ages? I told you email.” Her hands worked, typing, moving. “O.K, I have my account loaded. Now to see if we can get a connection.” Literally holding her breath, Cal clicked on the ‘connect’ icon. She giggled like an excited school. “We have a connection. We can do it.”

“Do what?”

“God, Jake.” She shook her head. “All right, I suppose asking for Chuck’s email address would be inane?”

“I live four houses from him and I don’t know
that
address.”

“Well, what about your computer or one at your work?”

“Cal.” Jake shook his head. “I am completely computer illiterate. Hell, I have a fax machine in my office that I don’t know how to use. My secretary gets so irked at me.”

“You have a secretary? Is she cute?”

“Yes, Cal, he’s real cute.” Jake rolled his eyes and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Is there anyone else?”

“Let me think.” Cal folded her hands in prayer, bringing them to her nose. “I know. Joyce. She should check her mail today or tomorrow. She never goes more than a few days.”

“A few days won’t be bad.”

Jake pulled out a chair next to her. “So you mail Joyce and she gets a hold of Chuck?”

“Exactly,” Cal said as she started to type. “Let me open it first . . .
Joyce. It’s me. I’m still here. The experiment has gone bad. Two of us are left and we need help. Supplies are needed. You must contact a . . .
” Cal stopped reading what she was typing and looked to Jake. “What’s Chuck’s full name?”

“Captain Charles
Burgett
.”

“
You must contact a
Captain Charles
Burgett
at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. You must tell him that Major Jacob Graison
. . . Jake what do we need?”

“Tell him that Major Graison says to play me Bach.” He listened to Cal type. “Chuck will know exactly what that means and that should tell him exactly what we need. Also, Cal, put this down. We are approximately 50 miles, ‘N’ ‘NW’ Church Hill, Manitoba.”

Cal’s finger pressed dramatically on the last key she struck. “Now let’s just hope this works.” She filled in the address information and pointed the arrow to send. “Ready?” Cal took a deep breath, holding it until she knew by watching the indicator that the mail had been sent. “Done.” Her head dropped in relief.

“Done?” Jake was surprised.

“Done. It will be there whenever she opens her email.”

“Now let’s hope Chuck can get to us.” Jake slid down in the chair. “Email is amazing.”

“It’s old news. You are really going to have to learn computers if you are going to hang with me.”

“No, I don’t.”

Cal smiled at him, resting her hand on his. She knew they had allowed their attention to stray from the Stasis long enough. It was time to watch again. Watch and wait.