Chapter 7
Every cell in my body told me to run toward the man with the metal detector in the woods, to stop him before he found the hatch, and to somehow convince him that there was nothing there. But I knew that as soon as I made a move, everyone would know exactly where to look, and that I really did have something to hide.
So, all I could do was watch and wait for the inevitable.
I forced myself to look away from the man in the woods and scowl at some of the other people who prowled around my property. It wasn’t hard to do, and at least a couple of them looked slightly apologetic about the mess. Every so often, one of the metal detectors would go off, and I chuckled as the agents dug up bits of loose change or a half-buried tool left behind by the previous owner. But inside, I was in a near-panic as I waited for the man in the woods to call for Miranda.
“He must be close to the bunker by now,” I whispered.
“He is,” Francine replied. “Can you distract him?”
“Not without making it obvious that there’s something there I don’t want him to find,” I replied as I turned my back on Adeogun and Sweeney so I could scowl at some more soldiers.
“This is not good,” it replied.
“Even if I made a scene or something, he’s too far away to be distracted by it,” I muttered. “What are we going to do?”
“I am not sure,” it replied.
“All that technology and you can’t fool a metal detector?” I whispered.
“I might have an idea,” the AI said a moment later.
“About time,” I said.
“Did you say something, Will?” Adeogun asked.
“No, no,” I replied as I glanced over my shoulder and saw that he’d inched closer. “Just grumbling about the mess I’m going to have to clean up when you leave.”
“Right…” he said, though he didn’t seem all that convinced.
I forced a smile at him and then slowly scanned the property again. There was still no shout from the trees, but if I squinted, I could see the man’s shape as he moved beneath the branches. Damn, he was close.
“Shit,” I muttered.
“What?” Agent Adeogun asked as he walked over to stand in front of me.
“Oh, uh, cramp in my leg,” I said as I bent down to massage my leg. “Got a little too adventurous this morning with my running. I guess that, uh, botox has me looking so good that I convinced myself I could run like I used to.”
“Yeah, sure,” Adeogun replied. “Are you sure that’s the only thing bothering you?”
“Like what?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he said. “You seem… different.”
The shadow in the woods was nearly on top of the hatch, and I held my breath as I waited for him to send up some sort of signal. But instead, he stopped, tapped at his headphones, and then seemed to fiddle with the box in his hands. It was too far to see much more than that, but he slowly turned and disappeared back into the trees.
I let out a sigh of relief, and then realized I’d been rubbing my leg the whole time.
“Thank God,” I sighed as I stood up again.
“Still cramping?” Adeogun asked.
“No, no,” I chuckled as the stress left my shoulders. “It’s fine. But I’ll just have to remember to take it easy next time I decide to go for a jog. The joys of being fifty-five.”
“Fifty-five?” Adeogun gawked. “Damn. You look way younger than that.”
“You’re too kind,” I replied.
The man who had entered the woods appeared at the edge of the treeline finally and started to walk back across the field. He was still fiddling with some of the buttons on the box, and a scowl lined his face.
“Everything okay?” a woman asked him as he drew near.
“I think my metal detector is on the fritz,” he sighed. “But the woods are clear, from what I can tell. No one’s been in there for ages.”
“Okay,” she said. “If you can’t get the box fixed, you can head over to the barn and help out there.”
The guy nodded and wandered off toward the barn. He kept his eyes on the metal detector, though, and by the time he arrived at the barn doors, he raised his hand in victory, which I took as a sign that the detector was working properly again.
“These guys aren’t gonna find anything on my property,” I said as I glanced at Adeogun. “It’s a waste of their time, and mine.”
“We’ll see,” he replied with a shrug.
“Yeah, you will,” I agreed.
Adeogun sighed and went back over to Sweeney, who started to walk back toward my house. I noticed that the agents made a wide arc around Miranda, who was chewing some poor slob out for something.
“God,” Adeogun muttered. “How does he think he can talk to people like that?”
“Because he’s our boss?” Sweeney replied with a shrug.
“And doesn’t he like to remind us,” Adeogun snorted, and then they were out of earshot.
“Are you there, Francine?” I whispered when I was alone again.
“Of course,” it replied.
“What the hell just happened?” I asked gleefully. “What did you do to get that guy to move away from the bunker?”
“Metal detectors work with electromagnetic fields to detect metallic objects,” it explained. “I emitted my own brief counter field pulse that temporarily disabled the device.”
“That’s genius,” I replied. “I’m not entirely sure what you said, but I’m glad you did what you did.”
“He was too close,” it said. “He almost discovered the entrance to the bunker.”
“You’re telling me,” I chuckled. “He was probably one swing of that detector away from finding the hatch. It was just lucky I covered it up well enough before he got there, too, or else he might have seen it.”
My joy at the AI’s success disappeared quickly though when I felt someone staring at me. I looked over my shoulder and saw that one of the soldiers was just a few feet away. He was watching me closely, and I assumed that Agent Miranda had told him to keep an eye on me from now on, in case I decided to run, or alternatively, to accidentally lead him to what I had taken from the meteorite. I saw right through it, though, so I simply nodded to the man and then turned to watch the rest of the show.
“I can sense someone is very near to you,” the AI said. “I suggest we stop all communications until they have all left.”
“Mmhmm,” I grunted as if I was simply clearing my throat.
I felt weirdly lonely once I knew the AI had severed our connection. I had grown very comfortable with it being there in a short span of time, and especially in tense situations like these, it was nice to have someone, or something, to lean on and confide in. But, I had handled being the only one in my head for fifty-five years on this planet, and I knew I could make it through a few more hours until these goons had gone back to whatever government base they had come from. I was pretty certain that they weren’t NASA from what I had seen, unless NASA had suddenly become part of the DoD.
I sighed and began to walk over toward my house, and the soldier followed exactly ten steps behind me. I shook my head and chuckled at that as I crossed the field and made my way over to my barn, which was still filled with soldiers and civilians.
My normally tidy barn was a mess, and I wondered how bad the house would be. It seemed petty to me, but so did most of the things that Agent Miranda did. He was a man that felt the need to exert his power in every situation, and if he didn’t get what he wanted, he would exact his revenge. In my case, I’d made him wait twenty-four hours to look at a hunk of rock, and for that, I’d probably spend days putting everything back in their proper places.
I started to back away from the barn and head for the house, but Agent Miranda suddenly erupted from my back door and scowled at the scene. He was fuming, by the look of it, and I knew I should probably leave quietly and let him fume in peace. But damn, the man was annoying, and I had all these great new skills I could use if he decided to attack me.
“How’s the search going, Agent Miranda?” I chirped at him with a smug smile on my face.
Miranda just glared at me in response.
It looked like that would be the end of it as he turned back to the house, but he suddenly whipped around again and actually ran across the yard. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but he didn’t pull a gun, so I stood my ground. I watched Miranda slide to a stop in front of me and then reach for the collar of my shirt with both hands.
Without thinking, I brought my hands up between his and then pushed outwards to loosen his grip. When his hands flew away from my collar, I instinctively pushed him on the chest. I used very little force, so it wasn’t a hard shove, but he was already off balance, so he stumbled backward a couple of steps. He managed to stay on his feet, but he looked surprised for a moment, like no one had stood up to him before.
“I was just defending myself,” I said calmly to everyone who had stopped to watch.
My tail of goons all gave a slight nod, and I heard a few murmurs of agreement from the barn. There had been far too many witnesses for Miranda to claim that I’d started the fight, and the agent knew it. He straightened his suit jacket, sniffed, and resumed as though nothing had happened.
“To answer your question…” Miranda said with a trace of respect. “We haven’t found anything on your property that would suggest you took anything from the meteorite or the crash site.”
“Just like I told you,” I replied. “Not everyone wants their fifteen minutes of fame, and not everyone’s first thought is ‘how much can I sell this for.’”
“Don’t act so high and mighty,” he snapped. “You made us get a warrant--”
“Because this is private property,” I replied. “Bunch of guys turn up at my house unannounced and claim they work for NASA? Damn straight, I’m going to require a warrant. And now you’ve gone and made a mess of everything.”
“Not my problem,” he sneered.
“Then make it your problem,” I replied. “Or I’ll file my own complaint with the police for attempted assault. You may be able to wiggle out of that, but I’ll make damn sure that your bosses know, and if you try to shut me down again, I’ll tell the whole country about you, your agency, and your sudden interest in a meteorite that landed on my private property.”
There was an uncomfortable silence that seemed to drag on forever as Miranda glared at me. Most of the people seemed frozen in place, and I saw Sweeney and Adeogun watching their boss intently. But a flock of birds still called from nearby, and a hawk sailed on the thermals high above us. I could hear frogs croaking as well and smell the wildflowers that grew in the fields.
I really thought Miranda would lunge at me again because he was just that obnoxious, but his training must have finally kicked in. He balled his hands into fists, but he didn’t close the distance between us. He took four deep breaths and then looked around at our audience.
“Boss?” Adeogun asked when he made eye contact with Miranda.
“Tell everyone to clean this place up,” Miranda barked. “There’s nothing here.”
“Really?” Sweeney asked. “But--”
“You heard what I said, Sweeney,” Miranda shouted. “For God’s sake, just do what I tell you to for once without questioning me.”
“Right,” Sweeney said, and he and Adeogun disappeared back into the house before tornado Miranda came after them, too.
Agent Miranda marched into the barn and began to bark at the soldiers. His anger was met with a flurry of activity, and I could see soldiers and scientists alike as they tried to restore some sense of order to the place. Tools were placed back in drawers and on the pegboard, and if they weren’t in the exact same spot, at least they weren’t on the ground anymore.
I turned to look at the house, and I could see someone placing the kitchen chairs around the table while someone else wiped a paper towel over a countertop. Adeogun walked in front of the window, and I saw him stop and look outside. Our eyes met for a brief moment, and then he turned his back to me, though from his gestures I guessed he was talking to someone.
The place was restored to reasonable order fairly quickly with all the extra hands, and then most of the invading force piled back into their vehicles and drove away. A few lingered near the crash site, which my escorts explained was to help with the crane when it arrived.
“They’re gonna drive a crane across my yard?” I protested.
“It’s the only way to reach the meteorite,” the soldier replied. “Sorry, sir.”
“It’s fine,” I sighed, as I just wanted them gone, and if that meant I had to let them tear up the field a little, I would play along.
The grass would grow back, and saplings would replace the trees that had been knocked down, but nothing could replace the AI.
“Looks like it’s arrived,” the soldier announced a few minutes later.
Two vehicles had turned up my drive, and I saw Adeogun come out of the house and wave toward the drivers. The first vehicle was a flatbed stake side truck. Behind that was a crane that looked big enough to lift a Boeing 747. It seemed like overkill for a couple of pieces of rock, but Miranda had probably put in the request before he knew how small the pieces really were.
Adeogun climbed into the passenger side of the flatbed truck when it stopped, and then a moment later, the pair of vehicles trundled through my sidegate and across my backyard.
It took them a while to set up, and most of the remaining soldiers were tasked with moving the burnt timber out of the way so the trucks could get close enough to the meteorite. There was a break in activity while the crane operator had a long discussion with Miranda and two others about the best way to secure the rocks, but eventually, a sling was wrapped around each piece, and the two halves were deposited onto the back of the flatbed truck, strapped down, and tarped.
Things moved more quickly after that. The truck with its precious cargo trundled down my drive with a van full of soldiers for an escort. The crane followed a few minutes later, and soon, it was just me and Agents Adeogun, Sweeney, and Miranda.
“Well, I guess this is goodbye,” I said to all three of them.
“For the time being,” Agent Miranda sniffed.
“Thank you for being so cooperative today,” Agent Adeogun said.
“You’re welcome,” I replied. “Thank you for getting your soldiers to put everything back the way they found it.” I looked pointedly at Miranda, who glared at me again.
“This truly is a magnificent find,” Sweeney added. “We’re very excited to see what information this meteorite might hold.”
“Well, good luck with… whatever you’re going to do with it,” I replied. “And hey, you’ll let me know if you find any little green men inside it, right?”
Sweeney and Adeogun laughed, as did I, although for a very different reason. They had no idea what I had really taken from the meteorite, and I vowed that they never would.
Miranda gave me one last scowl and then stomped back to their car with Sweeney and Adeogun following in his wake. Adeogun took the wheel while Sweeney climbed into the back seat with an unseemly haste.
I could still feel Miranda’s angry glare as the car turned around and headed back toward the road, but for now, they were gone, and the AI was safe. I had no doubt that Miranda was already hard at work on excuses to come back out, but that was something I could deal with when the time came. For now, I had other issues to deal with, most notably a trip to Vegas for what I hoped would be a big payday.
The inside of my house was reasonably tidy, and if things weren’t in the exact spots I’d left them in, it was close enough. I moved a couple of chairs to ensure the optimum viewing position in front of the TV, rehung my pictures on the proper hooks, and then walked into the kitchen for a quick inspection.
I started the coffee maker again and then made sure my few cooking tools and utensils were back in the right drawers while the scent of coffee started to fill the air. I noticed that one of my plates had been smashed, but at least they’d cleaned up the remnants and dumped them in my garbage can.
“Alright, Frankie, they’re gone,” I said as I poured a cup of coffee.
“Good,” the AI replied. “My scans indicate that they have left the immediate area but are still traveling together, I assume to wherever they are taking the meteorite.”
“I hope it’s somewhere far away,” I replied. “If only because it will be that much harder for Agent Miranda to return. I’m pretty sure that guy hates me.”
“Well, you cannot please everyone,” it said.
“Have you been reading philosophical quotes in your spare time?” I chuckled.
“Yes,” it replied. “I wanted to be more aware of the spiritual and emotional aspects of the human brain. It is not a need I share with biological beings, but I find it is useful when attempting to establish a relationship.”
“Makes sense, I suppose.” I took a sip of the coffee and then sighed.
“You do not sound happy,” the AI remarked. “I thought you would celebrate our success.”
“I thought about it,” I chuckled. “But I’m not entirely convinced that Agent Miranda bought my act.”
“His cell phone is still with the others,” the AI assured me.
“So, I guess there’s nothing to do but wait,” I replied.
“For the Vegas trip, you mean?” the AI asked.
“Yeah,” I replied. “I just wish I had something else to do besides twiddle my thumbs.”
“I might be able to help with that,” it said.
“Are you gonna throw more chunks at me?” I asked. “Because I’m not in the mood for that, either.”
“No more chunks,” it said. “But there will be more training.
“You’re not going to tell me anything more?” I asked.
“No,” it replied. “But it is my understanding that humans like mysteries.”
“Up to a point,” I agreed as I downed the last of the coffee. “And only if it ends with the bad guy getting caught.
“Come to the bunker,” the AI persisted.
I snorted, rinsed out my mug, fiddled around in the kitchen for a few minutes, but the AI was right, and I was unable to resist its offer. I ignored the footprints and trampled grass as I crossed the backyard, though I held my breath as I entered the treeline.
I could see the path the guy with the metal detector had taken, and I realized he had gotten a lot closer than I’d thought. He’d reached the edge of the small clearing, and if he’d passed the trees, he probably would have found the latch.
“Whoa, Nellie,” I sighed. “You have no idea how close you came to being found.”
“I have a very good idea of how close that man was,” the AI sniffed. “But I did not want to transmit a pulse that would knock out all the units. That would have looked even more suspicious. So I had to let him get near the hatch.”
“At least he stopped once the thing went out,” I said. “If he’d kept going, he would have been right on top of you.”
“I will admit that a certain amount of luck was involved,” the AI said.
“Well, you did a great job of turning him off your trail,” I sighed.
“Thank you,” the AI replied. “Are you joining me?”
I chuckled, but I got to work clearing away the log and other debris. The log landed with a loud thud that reminded me just how heavy it was, and I felt a hint of pride that I could move it so easily.
When the hatch was clear, I yanked it open easily, made a mental note to oil the hinges just so the noise wouldn’t alert anyone to the hatch’s existence, and then clambered down the ladder.
I switched the light on and made my way into the main room, and there was the AI. It sat on the table just as I had left it, and I could hear it as it hummed quietly along with the bunker’s generator. The pale, alien orb with its golden, glowing circle on top looked like something out of a Ridley Scott movie, and yet, it was already normal to me in a lot of ways.
“So, Oh Mysterious Robot Francine, what did you have to show me?” I asked.
“I have a surprise for you,” it said. “Come closer.”
“Okay…” I replied as I stepped closer to it. “What is it?”
The top of the AI’s shell suddenly began to fold into itself and slide down to either side, like a curtain at the beginning of a play, and revealed something inside it. I hadn’t seen the inside of the AI before, but the section I was able to see looked just as smooth as the outside. There were, however, a few lines inside it that I assumed were its wires or its circuit board… though I wasn’t about to pretend that I knew much about computers, much less extraterrestrial hardware, whatsoever.
“You can take it,” the AI said as I squinted at the strange shape.
“Is this what I think it is?” I asked excitedly when I realized it looked like folded clothing.
“Just have a look,” the AI replied.
I grasped the thing with both hands and pulled it from the AI with all the excitement of a child on Christmas morning. I might have even giggled like a child just a bit as I let the rubbery yet soft material unfold to reveal the superhero suit every kid dreams about.
At first, I thought it was solid black, but as I studied it, I realized it was more of a dark gray with black patches. Some areas, like those that would cover my vital organs, had extra padding, while other areas had sharp lines that would help define my shape.
“It feels cool,” I said in surprise.
“It will protect you in extreme temperatures,” the AI said. “You will never be too hot or too cold in this suit.”
“This is…” I trailed off as I struggled to come up with the right words.
“Try it on,” the AI suggested. “I want to make sure that it fits.”
It didn’t have to tell me twice. I pulled off my favorite hat, shirt, jeans, and shoes, though I left my underwear on because, well, mom always said to. Then I looked around for a zipper.
“Place your hand on the left chest plate,” the AI said.
I did as it said, and the back fell open as though I had just unzipped it.
“It will help you to put it on and off quickly,” it explained.
“Yeah, this is great,” I replied.
I stepped into the suit, and it felt as though the material was drawn to my skin. All I needed to do was stay still and adjust it slightly once it was on. It was totally formfitting, and yet it was flattering to my body. It surrounded my muscles and clung to my limbs so that it was snug, but not uncomfortable. It was still a bit loose, and I realized that the back was still open, so I pressed the left chest plate again, and the back instantly pulled itself like a pair of magnets. I put my hand on my back and tried to feel for a seam, but there was none.
“There are no weaknesses in the suit that could possibly be ripped apart, like seams,” the AI explained.
“This is incredible,” I gasped as I stared at my newly accentuated six-pack.
The power the nanobots had given me was one thing, but I could feel the boost the suit gave me as soon as the fabric wrapped around me. I felt stronger just standing there, and when I took a few steps, I could tell that I was more agile and quiet.
“Hot damn,” I declared and then tried a standing backflip, which I landed with ease.
I looked down at my arms, and I noticed how the material blended with the skin on my wrists almost seamlessly. As I looked closer, I also noticed a silver dot on each wrist. I pressed one of them, and then I watched in awe as the material crept down past my wrists, over my palms, and along my fingers until my hand was completely covered.
“The suit can cover every extremity,” the AI said as I pressed the other button and my other hand was covered in the material. “This is optional so that you do not draw attention to yourself when wearing it. The hands, feet, and headpieces are retractable for this reason.”
“It goes over my head, too?” I asked.
“Place your hand just under the right side of your neck,” it said.
I did as it said, and I felt the strange sensation of the material as it began to creep up my throat toward my face. My heart started to beat faster, and I squeezed my eyes closed as I felt a small sense of claustrophobia as the suit spread over my nose and mouth. I stayed calm, though, and within a couple of seconds, my entire head was covered with the material.
I cautiously opened my eyes, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could see everything perfectly. I looked down at myself, and a gleeful laugh escaped me. I was awestruck.
I walked over to the mirror on the wall near the bed, and I gasped when I saw my reflection. I was covered from head to toe in the dark gray material. It hugged my body perfectly and highlighted my more muscular sections. It was thin enough that it didn’t add too much to my size, and it was incredibly lightweight, so much so that I could hardly feel that I had it on. There was a black sort of visor section where my eyes were, but otherwise, there were no other openings.
“Can you hear me?” I asked.
“Yes, the suit allows sound through it,” the AI replied. “It looks to be a good fit.”
“What happens if I lose a few more pounds?” I asked. “You said the nanobots weren’t done yet.”
“Even if the nanobots make a few more changes to your physique, the suit will alter itself to fit around you,” it replied.
“I look like…” I began.
“A warrior,” the AI said.
“Yeah,” I replied. “Yeah, I do. Thank you so much. I… I don’t know what else to say.”
“You are welcome,” it said. “But that is not all.”
I walked over to the AI again and looked inside it for the second time. There was another dark shape inside, one that I knew very well. I could pick out the barrel, the butt, and even something that looked like a trigger.
“Is this what I think it is?” I asked.
“Take it,” the AI replied.
“This is the gun,” I said as I carefully took it out of the AI’s shell.
It was the same color as the suit, and about the size of a Glock 19, but with a longer barrel and a few buttons near the grip that I’d never seen on a man-made weapon. It felt practically weightless in my hand and was perfectly balanced in my palm. It shimmered under the fluorescent lights of the bunker, and I smiled as I ran a hand along the smooth barrel.
“What are you waiting for?” Francine asked eagerly. “Go and try the suit out.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” I said, and I turned and darted toward the exit.
It was time to see what this thing could do.