{Forum: ATS, Top Topic, Right Now, 3249.11.16}

sillysheeple63: Anyone hear about that explosion in Omaha?

{{Reply:}}

sk3ptic4l: Nothing on my feeds. Something DID happen, though. Whatever it was got swept up pretty fast. Every vid uploaded from Omaha on uVue got banned within sixty seconds. I'll bet you anything @Tactic(-)Tundra knows something about it. He lives pretty close. I'll ping him.

sillysheeple63: i heard it was a meteor

sk3ptic4l: If there was an explosion, it a) probably wasn't a meteor and b) would be a meteorite if it was.

sillysheeple63: *smh* why do i put up with you ??

sk3ptic4l: Because I know more than you?

sillysheeple63: debatable

sk3ptic4l: Sure, and any time you're brave enough to do that, sheeple, I'm ready for you.

sillysheeple63: whatever. @Tactic(-)Tundra?

sk3ptic4l: I don't think he's online ...

sillysheeple63: maybe a satellite?

sk3ptic4l: Maybe. It would make more sense than a meteorite.
sk3ptic4l: But why would they work so hard to cover up a satellite losing orbit?

sillysheeple63: military secrets?

sk3ptic4l: Maybe...

sillysheeple63: what about aliens?

sk3ptic4l: Really? Aliens? You conspiracy lot are much too predictable.

sillysheeple63: what else would they take to the green zone?

sk3ptic4l: We don't know that they took anything there. We don't even know if it exists.

sillysheeple63: yes we do. anyway, i dunno about you, but i need to sleep.

sk3ptic4l: Goodnight, then.

~~~Last message received at 11:43 p.m. from sk3ptic4l~~~

Tactic(-)Tundra: It was neither a meteor or meteorite, and certainly not a satellite. I was called to the site, since I live just a few miles away. There was a tent set up and a few hazmat vehicles there, and it looked like the army was starting to arrive. I was told that the charred remains of a human were found but scans detected brainwave activity from the near-hollow husk. I couldn't get near enough to whatever it is but I've been assigned to oversee it. You have too sk3ptic4l, I'll be sending you an email if I can't get ahold of you by phone in the morning. I think it's best I don't say much more here.

Malicious2155: Aha! All this time i've been saying these creatures exist. You're not exactly saying it's not alien life, are you?

Tactic(-)Tundra: I'm not saying anything at this point, Mal. I can't say much more than simple observation.

Malicious2155: But they took it to the green zone?

Tactic(-)Tundra: Not yet. Probably not ever. You know those portable CAT scans are still buggy. It probably misread something. Possibly some remnant of solar energy dying out mistaken for brainwaves.

Malicious2155: So it came from the sun?

Tactic(-)Tundra: Of course it didn't! Are you crazy!?
Tactic(-)Tundra: Oh, wait...

Malicious2155: Haha... /sarcasm. In case you're wondering, you're a prick.

Tactic(-)Tundra: So I've been told.

Malicious2155: There's a group of us getting ready to go out to Omaha to look for answers.

Tactic(-)Tundra: Just don't get too close to it.

---

It was almost midnight when they arrived at the scene. It was impossible to erect a tent around the entire crater, so the site was roped off for about a mile around. Floodlights had been set up immediately, powered independently of one another, and various military vehicles were scattered about the entire area. Several tents were set up near the crater, one further away as a disinfectant station. A dark van pulled up just outside the small ring of tents and a man stepped out, appearing to be about middle-aged but relatively young in appearance. The only obvious detail of his age was the salt and pepper hair.

He was approached by a woman in green, who handed him a camera. “Whatever it is, it’s got a human skeletal system. When we arrived it was mostly charred bones, but it’s... I don’t know, formed together again.”

“And I hear brainwave activity was detected?” The man, named Howard Chamberlain, flicked through the photos. Mostly the site, the crater, and a charred stretch of land. “In something so burned? Something that’s fallen from space?” He paused. “Was it really outside the atmosphere?”

“Yes, sir.” The woman nodded. “We’ve detected dust from various planets, and high readings of radiation---”

“Radiation levels are dropping rapidly!” A muffled voice called to them from the door of one of the largest tents. “Brain activity increasing two percent per ten minutes!”

Chamberlain and the green-clad woman jogged forward, and were intercepted by several others in white suits offering the same for sake of health.

~~~Last message received at 8:27 a.m. from Tactic(-)Tundra~~~

sillysheeple63: ahaha! it WAS aliens! suck it, sk3ptic4l.
sillysheeple63: AND there IS a green zone! sk3ptic4l - 0, sillysheeple63 - 2

sk3ptic4l: @Tactic(-)Tundra-- You DO realize this is a PUBLIC forum, yes? With idiots like sheeple on it?

sillysheeple63: stop flattering me, sk3ptic4l, you're making me blush.

sk3ptic4l: Shut up.

sillysheeple63: so when are you going to Omaha, sk3ptic4l, old buddy?

sk3ptic4l: That's none of your business.

sillysheeple63: so you're already there, and it's classified, amirite?

sk3ptic4l: No.

sillysheeple63: your words are telling me no, but your lack of biting sarcasm is telling me yesssss...

sillysheeple63: so was it the sun?

sk3ptic4l: Was what the sun?

sillysheeple63: the weird readings: sun or aliens?

sk3ptic4l: Not the sun.

sillysheeple63: Oooh interesting ... something new!

sk3ptic4l: Maybe. Still running tests.

sillysheeple63: so was it a human?

sk3ptic4l: Looks like one.

sillysheeple63: DEFINITELY aliens!!! @Malicious2155, you got any space on your bus?

sk3ptic4l: @Malicious2155, @sillysheeple63-- Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT come to Omaha. It's not as big as everyone thinks. Tell them, TT.

sillysheeple63: OMG it must be HUGE! Malicious, you've GOT to let me come!!!

sk3ptic4l: Fine. Waste your money. What do I care?

*****

The rhythmic beeping of various expensive equipment was almost soothing, Melissa Schroer thought, twining her fingers through her auburn hair. Of course, the effect was almost entirely nullified by the horrifyingly mangled body in the center of the room. Even after eleven years of studying forensics (and one very memorable trip to Egypt for a crash-course on mummification), something about a body whose flesh had changed texture (or disappeared) made her skin crawl.

Of course, this particular body was worse. The sight of the death and destruction of a human body was disturbing, but watching cells that were supposed to be dead-- cells that had been incinerated-- rebuild themselves step by step was horrifying. Any minute now, she'd be trapped in a locked room with a zombie; Melissa was sure of it.

She allowed herself one small shiver and dropped her hazel eyes back to the constantly updating readouts she was supposed to monitor. "Brain function somewhat stabilized. All bone fractures fully repaired, and bone marrow restored," she murmured, unable to prevent herself from looking back up at the body again. "Critical organs beginning growth. Body systems are beginning to re-form."

Still staring at the body realigning itself before her eyes, she hit the call button by her thumb. "Get me Chamberlain," she said. "He'll want to see this."

~~~Last message received at 9:10 a.m. by sk3ptic4l~~~

Tactic(-)Tundra: Of course, @sk3ptic4l, I know this is a public forum. This is why I didn't derive the location of the green zone. Surely you realize it's a publicly known area and not quite as secret as everyone involved thinks. Seems @sillysheeple63 didn't know that...

Malicious2155: But I did! Haha, I'm on my way, TT, you can't stop me! And I'll make sure to drop by to get you, Sheepie.

Tactic(-)Tundra: Mal, if you and SS go there you won't see anything. They've set up a huge perimeter precisely for you and all your conspiracy theorist friends! Whatever this thing is, it's probably crumbled to dust by now. Not worth the trek.

Malicious2155: Hah, yah right, Tactic. Not much can survive a fall that far, I mean, nothing outside a meteor or satellite or some resilient piece of space junk.

Tactic(-)Tundra: Mal... Fine. I can’t stop you.

Malicious2155: See you at the green zone. *wink*

Tactic(-)Tundra: Mal.
Tactic(-)Tundra: Mal! You still there?
Tactic(-)Tundra: Mal, damn it!

---

Howard was led through a series of hallways he couldn’t keep straight in his mind. Of course he was focused harder on what he was about to be shown. It had to be big to have this level of security. He had to leave everything from his watch to his belt beyond the security limit, and was thankful that he’d decided to wear contacts today. Whatever this creature was, it had to be at least something like human. It was a major reason he had been immediately assigned to this discovery, after well over two decades of studying the unique anatomy of dozens of terrestrial and extraterrestrial bodies. His observations of cell growth, organ function, and various chemical reactions had him out to the site in less than a couple hours.

His escort came to a halt in front of a glass door. Beyond that was a small hallway that separated the containment room from where they were. “Ms. Schroer is with the body now.” The escort said, swiping a clearance card in the reader by the door. A light bing sounded and the door was unlocked. “Hopefully you’ll be able to give more information than what we’ve been able to scrape up.”

“Well,” Howard said as he stepped to the door and accepted a copied clearance card. “I’m sure if it’s reforming as quickly as I’ve heard, it’ll give a lot more information than when it was first uncovered.” He nodded to the escort, who stepped away and allowed him to enter the small alcove and unlock the other door. Inside he found Melissa Schroer. She stood near a very damaged body. “Good morning, Melissa.” Howard said, giving it a bit of a light tone. He’d learned that, as one dissected body after body, assisted in the creation of life through glass, and observed cells multiply and react to various chemicals and situations, that a friendly disposition was necessary to avoid becoming gloomy or cynical. “I hear you’ve got an anomaly. Mind letting me in on what’s happened so far?”

Melissa snapped what she hoped was a smart salute, grabbed the commander's arm, and pulled him in front of the readouts.

"Sir, our 'meteorite' is rapidly regenerating," she said, indicating the numbers with her free hand.

When the silence between them grew uncomfortable, she remembered that he'd been on site when they'd discovered the rapidly increasing brain activity. Clearly he expected more.

"From what we can tell, brain activity increased rapidly almost immediately after impact. Bones just started knitting themselves back together. As of right now, the heart and circulatory system, kidneys, and lungs have reached human-normal functionality, and many other systems are rapidly reassembling, as well."

She turned away from Chamberlain and eyed the body again. Despite the harsh light of the laboratory, it appeared to be -- glowing slightly? Melissa shook her head and looked back at her commanding officer, who had apparently noticed nothing. Perhaps she was imagining things.

"Sir, the implications of this discovery are huge." An image flashed in her mind-- her father, smiling as he adjusted his bionic feet. "If we could only figure out what was causing the cells to rebuild, we could revolutionize global medical care. Hospital bills could be cut in half. Amputation would finally be eradicated. We wouldn't need vital organ donors anymore."

She took a deep breath. "My main concern is: with the rate at which this-- this-- being is regenerating, will we have enough time to study the process and discover the cause? There is no guarantee that this was self-initiated, and honestly, I don't think it very likely. I mean, there was zero brain activity for the first fifteen minutes. Even if it were self-initiated, will this creature be able to tell us how it happened when it awakes?"

The continuing silence forced Melissa out of her own head and back into awareness. When she noticed her bruising grip on he commanding officer's arm, the lab grew very warm. Releasing her hold on Chamberlain's sleeve, Melissa readjusted her ponytail, and fanned herself ineffectually with both hands.

"Sir, my question is, should we allow this process to continue uninterrupted?"

*****

~~~Last message received at 11:10 a.m. from Tactic(-)Tundra~~~

sk3ptic4l: This is to inform @sillysheeple63 and @Malicious2155 that their prank, while undoubtedly funny to them, was unamusing and rather childish.
sk3ptic4l: Also incredibly stupid.
sk3ptic4l: Did I mention immature?

sillysheeple63: come on, you know you thought it was funny

sk3ptic4l: I did not.

sillysheeple63: sure you didn't

sk3ptic4l: I have nothing to say to you.

~~~Last message received at 1:53 p.m. from sk3ptic4l~~~

sillysheeple63: we didn't mean any harm, you know
sillysheeple63: look, i'm sorry
sillysheeple63: all right, maybe it was kind of dumb
sillysheeple63: but it wasn't that big of a deal, was it?

Howard had never gotten used to being saluted, but it was something he lived with. At his level, he accepted it well enough, and copied the movement when necessary. He allowed himself to be pulled along, though, half-listening to Melissa go on as he studied the monitors. There was a grid of light placed along the developing body, like electrodes, monitoring the development. White lettering raced across a black background, lines upon lines updating every cell creation, every muscle fiber and bone fragment, hair follicle, and natural chemicals. He looked around to Melissa, silent in his contemplation.

He nodded slowly when she released him, stepping away from Melissa but making sure she knew he was still listening. The facility held plenty of things, most having only recently come out of beta testing. On a counter sat what appeared to be a large camera, similar to one from the late 2030s. It was a mobile X-ray device that weighed only a few pounds and gave available images in just a few moments. He raised it over the regenerating body and snapped several pictures, scrolling through a touchscreen on the front that showed clear development. A human male skeleton, fully regenerated in itself, but it appeared odd in various small ways. The hands seemed to have several extra bones along the wrist and knuckles, as were the same with the feet, and a spine that seemed a bit more complex than an average human. Howard couldn’t put his finger on it...

After a moment, Howard looked around to Melissa. “We can’t say anything right now.” He said, setting the camera aside. “Right now I’m not sure whether it’s human or not, and I can’t even consider the idea of using the regenerative properties on humans if it’s not.” He stepped up to the thing, the human-only-in-appearance thing, and from the table beside it, picked up what appeared to be a miniature spyglass made of titanium. It had come out some time before the X-ray camera. It used the same mechanics as a microscope, but in a more compact and maneuverable way. He bent over the creature, placing the small lens to his eye. In the harsh light, he could see the cells multiplying and moving faster than they should, faster than what ought to be possible.

“For now, I think it’s best to allow regeneration to continue freely. I doubt there’s any way we can stop it.” He set the item down and turned to Melissa. “We’ll allow this... thing... to fully regenerate in a controlled environment. We’ll wait an hour for it to wake, and if it doesn’t, well place it in stasis until we can determine the best course of action.”

He stepped forward. “I know how much you want to use this creature’s abilities to the advantage of humanity. I can tell your personal connection to it. But if we don’t take it slowly we could create the exact opposite. In any human body I’m sure this level of cell growth would be more than cancerous until we can control it in some way.”

Howard looked around to the regenerating body. It looked far less burned and more human in outward appearance, but he couldn’t help but think it might be possible to correct his vision. His eyesight had grown so terrible it was impossible to see without his glasses, and no amount of corrective surgery would help. Perhaps this was a miracle cure, in a way.

---

~~~Last message received at 1:55 P.M from sillysheeple63~~~

Malicious2155: No one can take a joke anymore... Not that it was a joke, haha.
Malicious2155: So what’cha got? Care to share?

Tactic(-)Tundra: Absolutely not. There’s a pretty clear lockdown on every available piece of information and you’re more crazy than I thought if you believe I’d risk my position to tell you what’s going on.

Malicious2155: But I won’t tell, promise!

Tactic(-)Tundra: Mal. No. You and all your little friends are out of the loop as long as we can keep it that way. And sk3ptic4l and I intend to make sure it stays quiet for good.

Malicious2155: Fine. We’re still not leaving.

~~~Last message received at 2:00 P.M. by Malicious2155~~~

Malicious2155: You hear me!? Not leaving!
Malicious2155: We’ll be here as long as it takes.

Melissa watched as the creature continued to heal at a speed that was increasing exponentially, her thoughts flicking back to Chamberlain's words. They stung. She had looked like an impulsive idiot! How could she assume that whatever-this-was could somehow work for humans? They'd observed it for less than a day, and even after running every scan on this creature that they could think of, they were no closer to understanding its secrets than they had been when its brain restarted itself in the crater.

She was a scientist, not a wide-eyed schoolgirl. She should have remembered that rapid cell change almost always spelled "cancer." But she'd forgotten, just for a moment, to be wary, to examine the evidence from every angle, and her superiors would probably not respect her scientific opinion again.

Her mind filled with Chamberlain's reproving look. Still-- something told her that letting this-- this thing wake up was a bad idea. She had nothing concrete to support that feeling, nothing but the certainty that a creature with the power to rebuild itself out of nothing would probably be no respecter of persons.

Regardless, she had her orders.

Glancing at her watch, Melissa realized it was almost time. The creature had nearly completely regenerated, and the hour-long wait Chamberlain had ordered would begin within the next sixty seconds. She pressed her thumb to the call button and said as much.

59.39 minutes later, Chamberlain still hadn't shown up, and the creature had not stirred. She supposed instant consciousness was a little much to ask after a full-body regeneration. Then again, if it could rebuild all its organs from scratch in less than a week, it probably didn't even know what "exhaustion" was.

Melissa pressed the call button again. "Creature regenerated; comatose. Awaiting orders."

Thirty minutes later, the creature still hadn't moved beyond the intake and expulsion of air, and Chamberlain still hadn't come. She was pretty sure that he didn't trust her judgment after her earlier misstep, but his "wait an hour and see" policy hadn't sounded like a definite order. She sent in a final request for orders, wondering what was so important that it kept Chamberlain from more closely monitoring the discovery of a lifetime.

*****

~~~Last message received at 2:10 p.m. from Malicious2155~~~

sillysheeple63: Uh... Tundra, a little help over here, please? They think we're terrorists.

~~~Last message received at 2:30 p.m. from sillysheeple63~~~

sillysheeple63: @sk3ptic4l, @Tactic(-)Tundra: Mayday!
sillysheeple63: @sk3ptic4l, @Tactic(-)Tundra: Mayday!
sillysheeple63: @sk3ptic4l, @Tactic(-)Tundra: Mayday!

~~~Last message received at 2:28 P.M. from sillysheeple63~~~

Tactic(-)Tundra: You idiots! What did you do this time? You got in, didn't you?

Malicious2155: No. No! They caught us outside the base, we weren't doing anything!
Malicious2155: We're being held in... Hell, I guess it's a prison...

Tactic(-)Tundra: It's the Suspicious Persons Center, like a prison for unknown persons until they can be shipped out. How are you even here when you're in the SPC...?

Malicious2155: They don't know.

Tactic{-}Tundra: Oh my God. I'm coming to get you both, then I'm going to kill you!

---

Howard didn't have to stop at the front gate to the SPC. The guards outside the chain link fence saluted as he approached, then swiped a keycard on a support pole and a a click sounded, releasing the front gates and allowing Chamberlain through with a nod. The guards readjusted their guns as the gate closed and left Howard to meet another guard. The place was heavily watched, mainly by cameras but with plenty of well-armed men and women. "You're here to question the terrorists?" She asked simply, turning to lead Howard into the plain cinder block building. The front doors were opened automatically, hissing forward, their heavy iron hinges squealing lightly.

"They're not terrorists." Howard said. They passed a front desk and went into a hallway to the right, passing several doors that led to various security levels meant to check prisoners for weapons, metals, drugs, illegal items, or anything that might be able to be fashioned into a weapon or escape device. "They're a couple crazy conspiracy theorists that want to know about the events that took place over the past couple days."

"Well, they were on the base, and you know we don't take that lightly." The guard seemed a bit high and mighty for her position, but it was a mark of a good guardsman or woman. "Found a Jeep nearby, must be owned by one of them."

"Any others?" Howard pushed his glasses up, which had a bad habit of slipping down his nose. "Or are there only two?"

"Only two."

Howard nodded, and something buzzed in his pocket. He paused, grasping the guard's arm to halt her, and pulled his phone out. It was thin, and shone silvery in the lights above. An image appeared at once, of a being human in appearance. It was a male, not overly solid in build and tan, with dark hair scattered about his head. Intense eyebrows laid over closed eyes. A message alert popped up and he accepted it: Creature regenerated; comatose. Awaiting orders..

Howard placed the phone to his lips and spoke: "Send message: Place in stasis until further command."

He pocketed the phone and nodded, and was led forward once more. Through a pair of bulletproof glass doors, he was met with a series of holding cells. Each looked alike: A steel toilet, a pair of bunk beds, and a bench in a very small unit. All but one was unoccupied, and as Howard stepped into the room, he could almost tell which screen name belonged to which girl. The guard put a hand on his shoulder, but Howard brushed her off. She hesitated, but turned to leave them.

"You must be Malicious." Howard said, stepping forward with his eyes focused on the girl with dark hair. She appeared to be in her mid twenties, perhaps, but she was aging well, much like the girl with lighter hair behind her.

Raine Simpson stepped forward and smiled, taking a chip out of her mouth. "Tundra, I guess." She said, brushing back her unevenly-cut black hair. Her appearance was that of a tomboy outsider---camouflage cargo pants that seemed a bit too large for her, held up by a thick leather belt, and a brown sleeveless shirt that showed off various black tattoos that didn't seem to mean anything to anyone but her.

"That'd be Howard Chamberlain."

"And I'd be Raine." She grinned widely, handing the chip over. "That's what we used to contact you."

Howard studied the chip, and pocketed it, to the puckered look of annoyance on Raine's face. He looked around to the other one. "You. And who are you? How'd you get into the base at all?"

Melissa sighed in relief when she got Chamberlain's message and called in some assistants to prepare for the transition to stasis.

The process went as smoothly as Melissa had ever seen, and within an hour, the creature was comfortably floating in a specially-engineered clear gel that provided excellent insulation. A few life-support tubes provided nourishment, oxygen, and seamless waste disposal. The system was pretty much the same as always, but the lab techs downstairs had specially designed the life support systems to work with what they knew about this creature. Whatever it was could stay exactly like this for hundreds of years without ever knowing that time had passed. In theory, anyway.

*****

"I'm Stephanie," Stephanie Jarvis said brightly, extending a hand and smiling coyly. Stephanie was blessed with cheerleader looks, and she'd learned long ago to use them to her advantage. If Tundra-- or rather, Howard-- were a few years younger, she'd even enjoy it.

"You probably know me as 'Sheeple,' or 'Sheepie,' if you like me. Is sk3ptic4l here? I've always wanted to meet ... him?"

Howard stepped forward, accepting Stephanie's handshake. She was pretty, but certainly young, and just not his type. In fact, his type had long since died, and the thought of her was a sad one. He shook his head and stepped back. "She's in the labs." Howard said simply. "Keeping track of the item."

"Ohh, what's the item?" Raine rubbed her hands together as if expecting something. "An alien? A spaceship? A piece of another planet or something harboring the origin of existence itself?"

Howard shook his head. "I'm not telling you. Either of you. It's too high a security level to share with citizens---"

"But we got in We got into the green zone! We've got to be more than regular-class citizens..." Raine gripped the bars of the cell hard, as if she thought she could bend them with sheer willpower.

With a sigh, Howard reached into his pocket and pulled out a keycard, which he slipped into the slot on the cell door. Cards were easier to handle, and difficult to copy, unlike metal or plastic keys. The cell unlocked with a beep, and the door slid aside. "I have other things in mind. Both of you know where the green zone is---it's been kept pretty quiet so far. We don't have the technology to clean specific memories from a person's mind yet, so I have a feeling the best thing for you to avoid prison is to prove you're of sound mind, body, and able to function. You might be pretty useful as a little more than a couple crazies, after all." He paused. "Of course, we could always keep a cell open for you two in Omaha." He turned, stepping to the glass doors.

Stephanie frowned a little. "So... do we get to meet her? I've always wanted to see what she was like in person. Can't she take a break from the .... uh... the thing, just for a little while?"

She tried to think of something else to say so that she could distract Howard--honestly, she liked "Tundra" better-- long enough for Raine to do her thing. If Raine had a thing. She looked like she did, anyway.

"So when did you wife die?" she asked, trying to wink at Raine but failing and ending up making faces. She thought about patting herself on the back for being observant enough to notice that Tundra had had a wife-- or somebody. Judging from the look on his face when he'd totally not fallen for her, he was nursing some sort of old grief.

Yes, this was why they paid her the big bucks.

Howard paused, eyeing the hall outside. What kind of question was that? Stephanie certainly had little way with words, that was obvious. Or she had little to no filter, which was familiar in many people he'd worked with, especially now. "She wasn't my wife." He replied simply. "And she didn't die." True, it was a much easier notion to believe she had. They had found her craft on the moon, abandoned and covered in a good amount of her blood. But no footsteps to or from, as if she'd never left, and no one had come to get her. Everything had been as it was when she had taken off, save the lack of actual body. He actually hoped she had died, to save her whatever fate might have been worse than death.

Raine tilted her head. Stepping forward, she took to his side. Her intention had been to get out, get Stephanie out, so they could continue their ideas and little projects, but perhaps Howard had something better in mind. "So... What's your angle? Got something better than prison?" She crossed her arms, and Howard looked to her, then to Stephanie.

"Of course I do." He said almost defensively. "But I can tell both of you are up to something. And that'll just have to be taken care of too." He knocked on the glass doors behind him, and the guard reappeared, suddenly wide-eyed at the prisoners' freedom. She released the lock, and Howard stepped out. "They're not terrorists. They just wandered into the wrong place." He told the woman. She pursed her lips, but nodded curtly. "Do you want me to---?"

"No. They're coming with me." He motioned for the girls to follow, but for the guard to stay behind, and spoke to them: "Stay close. Don't try picking my pockets, don't try running off or engaging anyone besides myself. Right now you're a very high security risk and I'm putting a lot on the line for the two of you. If you screw up once, you're dead. No second chance." He turned and started down the hall, spurring Raine to jump into movement too, just a little behind him. "So we're meeting 'her' now?" She asked eagerly.

Howard nodded. They would meet Melissa, then go through a variety of tests and questionnaires. Perhaps they'd be very useful, of their own free will. One could always use a couple on the outside.

Stephanie was beginning to get the impression Howard didn't like her. She didn't know why; she was pretty and smart and charming, and she'd been told many times that she was a delight.

But Howard kept giving her such strange looks, and Stephanie just wasn't-- oh wait, maybe she reminded him of his dead wife. Or not-dead not-wife, or whatever. That made sense. The way he spoke of her made Stephanie think that something seriously awful had happened, and she itched to know what it was.

Trailing behind the others, Stephanie pulled out the thin smartphone she'd concealed in her cleavage, glad she'd had the smarts to conceal it from the guards who'd searched her. Sometimes, the ability to call "sexual assault" was a wonderful thing. That, and planning ahead. Stephanie always carried two phones on her, just in case.

Well, actually, it had started with her wanting to buy that new Atomia before the plan on her Saskatoon ran out, and then she'd just sort of rolled with it. Stephanie was nothing if not flexible.

With a few flicks of her finger, Stephanie was back in the ATS forum, sending sk3ptic4l a hilarious message. Then she opened a new window and started searching for Howard Chamberlain on social media. Surely somewhere or other, there'd be mention of a huge breakup, or a fishy-looking accident, or something. Before this afternoon was over, Stephanie intended to find out what.

Nothing in her initial searches revealed anything, but Stephanie wasn't interested in the prospect of losing her lifeline, so she stuck it back into her bra and skipped forward to talk with Howard again. She hoped sk3ptic4l would be a little less standoffish.

*****

~~~Last message received at 3:32 p.m. from Tactic(-)Tundra~~~

sillysheeple63: @sk3ptic4l: Rescue effected. Back online! Coming to check your work now. :-P

*****

Melissa stepped outside the stasis room, locked it using all three protocols, and pulled out her phone. She frowned as she began to read the messages her phone had been saving for her. Her frown deepened the further she got. What were Sheeple and Malicious thinking, coming here? She didn't exactly love either of them, but she'd had some interesting discussions with them for the last few years, and she had to admit she'd miss seeing Sheeple online from time to time, the little jerk.

She sincerely hoped Tundra wasn't actually going to take them to see the … Thing. They really needed to come up with a name for it soon. Calling it "The Thing" or "The Creature" or "The Meteorite" or "The Alien" gave it too much power, but using its designated code of Golf-Tango-Echo-123948203992812 was a bit of a mouthful.

Melissa shook her head to clear it and looked up at the sound of voices coming toward her.

Halfway down the hall, Howard’s pocket buzzed and he came to a frigid halt. The only two that could have created that walked---or, now, stood---behind him. Jamming his hand into his pocket, the commander pulled out his phone and scrolled to the public forum, where his pale eyes narrowed. “Seems one of you got a little extra by security.” He muttered, and turned to face the girls. Raine was almost as tall as him. “So, I suppose it’s best to just say it: Give me whatever you have that can communicate with the outside world in any way, shape, or form. Do so willingly or this time I’ll put both of you through full body scans, have several female guards search you, and have you through metal detectors. I’ll also have your clothes confiscated and you’ll be given unpocketed prison clothing.”

He put out a hand, looking from Stephanie to Raine. He had her last communication device, however she managed to use it. So Stephanie had to be the one that had sent the message---no doubt, of course, her username had popped up. The meeting room he’d intended for them to enter---thus meeting Melissa away from the being, which was the best course of action for now. And if one of them had a device thus undiscovered, it’d be disasterous.

Raine glanced sideways. She’d willingly given up her communication device for this very reason---of course she’d subscribed to the forum and to both Tundra and sk3ptic4l, so if either of them posted, she’d be alerted immediately. No doubt Howard---and Melissa, the girl behind the second username---had too.

Stephanie smirked to hide the terror that welled up inside her. What had she been thinking? Of course the leader of a secret government project would monitor even the private messages of its employees. That terrifying amount-- and use-- of power was the reason she'd started watching the ATS forum in the first place.

She had to stop doing things because she was bored. Plus, she was never without her phone, and she hated to give it up now. But what choice did she have?

"Metal detectors, please."

She had no illusions that they wouldn't find her phone, but if she was going to go through pain and suffering, she might as well let them enjoy it, too. Plus, she'd always been curious about the security they had in these places. A better look at their facilities might even be useful later.

*****

Melissa saw Howard before he saw her, and the distinctly unscientific and un-military look of the girls behind him made her quite certain they were her "friends" from the ATS forum. She'd always assumed they were men, but looking back, she realized there was no basis for that assumption.

In any case, the three of them appeared to be having some sort of disagreement.

Of course they were. She sighed and stepped forward, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. Knowing Howard probably wouldn't appreciate her interrupting him, she simply radiated disapproval and waited for him to acknowledge her.

She seemed like a fiery one, Stephanie. Howard hadn’t doubted it was her who sent the message. Shaking his head, he pinched the bridge of his nose as he tended to do when annoyed or tired. Looking up, he caught sight of two female guards as they passed, waving at them to get their attention. “Ladies! Would you come here?” They obliged, shouldering their firearms as they did. “Please take Stephanie to a full secure search. Make sure a camera is rolling in case she decides to pull an assault card and try to tarnish either of you.”

They both nodded and saluted, and put Stephanie between them. “What of the other?” One of the two asked, casting a glance at Raine.

“She’s clean. Willingly gave up her last connection to anywhere outside the green zone.”

The women nodded again, and started away. Raine glanced after Stephanie. Sure, she didn’t exactly get along with women so much as men, perhaps because she related to men much easier than women, but she’d come to like Stephanie pretty well. No doubt they’d meet up again very soon, after the girl had been relieved of her electronics. Howard nodded to her, and she returned the movement as he turned, spying Melissa.

“I was just about to page you.” He said as they approached. “Melissa, meet Malicious---Better to know her as Raine...?”

“Simpson.” Raine stepped forward with an outstretched hand. “So we gonna see the... Ahem, thing?”

“Absolutely not.” Howard said quickly. “We’ll be meeting in a room nearby, and neither you nor Stephanie will see it until we know you’re sane and able to do so.”

Raine gave an annoyed look, but accepted that well enough. She never even imagined being able to get into the green zone---let alone seeing something placed under massive security clearance.

Stephanie counted Howard's move to pinch the bridge of his nose as a win. She nodded and smiled at the guards, tossing a wink back over her shoulder at Melissa as she left.

"Nice to meet you, Melissa! You're a lot prettier than I expected!" With that, she turned her attention to her guards. "Ooh, AK-57s, huh? Old school! And I must say, miss .... uh, is 'Taylor' your first or last name? ... I love what you've done with your hair!"

*****

Melissa shook Raine Simpson's hand and stepped to just behind Howard's shoulder as they continued on their way. She'd never participated in the vetting of another person before; she remembered her own experience with abject horror-- generally late at night, when nightmares came to life.

The women steadfastly refused to respond to Stephanie as they led her along. One would have a nearly impossible time telling identical hallways apart until they’ve worked around the base for some time, and both had certainly logged away many years. Of course their appearances would say otherwise, as both seemed fresh-faced and bright-eyed, if steely and serious. Stephanie was led to a large room, with various cameras in the corners of the room and a few metal tables, a large booth with a mounted monitor on the outside of its steel wall, and a series of rectangular arches with blinking red lights along the tops.

They deposited their guns in a bin before entering themselves, and locking the door for security measures.

***

They wouldn’t go to observe Stephanie’s searches. It seemed a bit creepy to Howard. Instead, he texted a quick order to both of the guards, the room number they would be in so questions wouldn’t be raised as to where to bring her afterward. It was a room right beside the stasis room, where the creature was suspended. As most of the base appeared sterile and blinding, this one was carpeted and full of calm colors, lights that were slightly lower and easier on the eyes, and various chairs and a couple couches along the walls. A kitchen outfit was to the left, acting much like a luxury breakroom. It was one of many, near a designated women’s sleeping quarters.

Stephanie had never really needed anyone to participate in a conversation with her in order to enjoy talking. She mostly directed her thoughts outward as a habit from when she'd told everything to her imaginary friend, a pink dinosaur named Toto, when she was three years old.

That, and she figured giving people a chance to be involved in her thoughts was simply common courtesy; her dad had always told her so.

Regardless, she fell silent as she took in the layout and equipment of the vetting room.

Honestly, she'd been expecting higher tech. She'd been hacking similar devices since middle school. This "Green Zone" was not nearly as interesting as she'd hoped.

She had no illusions that Howard or Melissa would actually give her any useful intel, and Raine hadn't seemed to like her enough to work with her. Staying felt … wrong. She and Raine probably already knew too much. Now was the best time to leave, maybe see if she could find that thing that had dropped out of the sky before anyone noticed she wasn't where she was supposed to be.

While one guard walked around to control the machine, she reached into her pocket and brought out some chapstick.

"My lips always get so dry, you know?" she said conversationally, shifting subtly closer to the female guard next to her. "I'm always dehydrated."

She moistened her lips, recapped the chapstick, and slammed it hard into the guard's temple. The woman collapsed into Stephanie's arms without a sound.

"Uh, Taylor? I don't want to alarm you, but your friend her just passed out."

The other guard approached warily but relaxed a little at the worried look Stephanie offered her. Clearly, she hadn't seen a thing. When she knelt over her comrade, Stephanie stood, leaned over, and struck the woman's vegas nerve repeatedly until she was also unconscious.

From there, it was a simple matter to swipe their key-badges, communications devices, and a security jacket and lock the door behind her.

She left her phone on one of the metal tables; she wouldn't be needing it anymore.

*****

Melissa almost wished she had gotten to see them question Sheeple; sitting alone with Howard and Raine, neither of whom she knew very well, was distinctly uncomfortable. She knew very little about their lives and couldn't talk about their work-- and there was a reason that she rarely talked to either of them online. She'd never quite gotten along with them in virtual reality, and now all those small incompatibilities seemed magnified, though she could't quite figure out why.

She pulled her hair from its ponytail so she could more easily twist bits of it between her fingers; it was a nervous habit of hers. As frustrating as Sheeple-- or rather, Stephanie-- was, she had always been interesting to talk to, and Melissa sorely missed her now.

"Um, does anyone want tea?" she offered. Since Howard had brought them to Melissa's assigned quarters, she figured he expected her to play hostess. That was, of course, one of their small incompatibilities. She would never have brought a stranger here.