The Iso-Stasis Experiment (The Experiments) (4 page)

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Rickie
Cettero
worked really hard to clean the spot on the floor of his living room. Next, he cleared away empty bags of chips, soda cans, socks and whatever else he and his roommate Todd had accumulated since their last monthly cleaning. He pushed the items aside and placed them in a really neat pile. The spot was ready, where was Todd?

“Dude,” Rickie called out from his floor seat as he peered up at the television that sported a huge hand swipe across the screen through the dust. “Come on. You bailed out, guy. I worked hard to get cleaned up for this momentous final round.”

“Dude, like I’m pinged out on Pong.” Todd propped his feet on the coffee table. He flipped through the bound manuscript that Rickie had received.

“How can you be like, pinged out on Pong?” Rickie asked. “It’s like the root of all video games.”

“It’s boring and makes me think of my parents. And dude, when I put Pong and my parents together what I get is pity, pity for the parents. Guy, like that doesn’t even wash right.”

“Valid point but . . .” Rickie turned around. “You must respect them for enduring this game. It’s the ultimate challenge.” Rickie pointed at the television. “Dude, this is bi-video. Bi meaning two, Dude. Two colors…Black…White. Two shapes… A line…A Dot. Guy, think of the genius behind this game. No weapons to turn to. No awesome graphic people. All you can do is hit the dot with the line. Hit it over and over, faster and faster. Why do you think Stephen King is so brilliant, guy? He was stuck playing Pong. No game companies fed images in that dude’s mind. He had to come up with them all on his own. Bet me he thought of Carrie while playing Pong.”

“Whoa,” Todd whispered slow and deep. “That is really Rickie thinking.”

“And you’re the smart one guy. Look at you being all intellectual by reading.” Rickie set down the controller and stood up. “What
are
you reading?”

“It’s your vacation guide.” Todd held up the manuscript. “The letter said you should read it to find out who you’re going to be camping with.”

“Dude, I have, like seven months to learn them. Personally I think they wasted their time on the books. I mean, who’s going to really read them?”

“True.” Todd agreed.

“Plus . . .” Rickie snorted a laugh. “Can you believe they’re paying me to go on some mountain retreat experiment? Just in time, too, dude. I lost my job at Burger Boy.”

“You didn’t need that job. You have better qualifications.”

“I do.” Rickie nodded. “So like, you hold off the landlord for seven months on my half of the rent, OK?”

Todd shrugged, and then his eyes grew wide. “Oh, Dude! You like have a monster up there with you.”

“No way, Dude! Like really?” Rickie said with excitement.

 
“Before you get yourself all worked up, I was referring to a dude, a six foot six dude. Imagine . . . Hulk Hogan.”

“Whoa. How much does he weigh?”

“Doesn’t say,” Todd answered. “But bet he weighs a lot. He has to, guy, he fights bears for a living. He’s a Forest Ranger.”

“Wow. No wonder they picked him.”

“He works in the Army’s Forest Ranger section.” Todd scratched his head. “I like, didn’t know the Army ran the forest rangers.”

“Think about it, Dude. National forest. . . National Interest, get it?”

“Valid Rickie-
Miester
point. You are going to rule up there. You are so much smarter than these people.”

“True and I kick ass at Pong. Shall we?” Rickie pointed to the television.

“All right, I’m ready.” Todd stood up.

“Dude, one more thing I have to know, are there going to be any babes up there?”

Todd looked. “Guy, like only two, so like, if you want to get laid, you better get a jump on it, like right away.”

“Oh, you know it. And . . . that info, the two babe info, that was the vital info, guy.” Rickie winked. “So toss the vacation guide and let’s Pong.”

In total agreement and out of his pitying parents phase, Todd did as requested and tossed Rickie’s manuscript onto the table with everything already there. He watched it knock over a can of soda. Todd started to rescue the manuscript before it got wet, but didn’t. Rickie wasn’t going to be reading it anyway.

Stepping into the small special room at the airport, Cal was immediately noticed by the six others there. Dr. Jefferson greeted her with a firm handshake, telling her as soon as Major Graison’s flight landed they would board the private jet that would take them to the isolated compound.

Cal didn’t say much, she didn’t need to. Any questions she had would probably be answered at the orientation she hoped would be given to them at the compound. As for that moment, while waiting on the Major, Cal looked about at the faces of the six in the room. She tried to place faces with names, guessing at them as were the others who waited.

Jennifer was easy since she was the only other female. Carlos, the guitar player, was easy to pick out also with his acoustic guitar perched right next to him, not to mention his ethnic appearance, which matched his name. Rickie, the eighteen year old was a giveaway. His long hair pulled in a ponytail, his body bouncing in laughter as he listened to a cackling and chatty Jennifer. John Montgomery, the Harvard grad, sat with his lap top and clicked away. The only two that gave Cal a hard time were Father Daniel and William Griffith, or Griff as it was stated in the notes he preferred. They were both about the same age. And since the priest was not wearing a collar, Cal could not distinguish between the two forty-something men.

She stepped into the room, holding onto her small carry-on bag. They were allotted three items. They could choose which three they wanted the institute to provide or bring them themselves. It didn’t matter. But it annoyed Cal when she saw the laptop and the guitar. Those types of items would never have occurred to her. She had thought of necessary items as more like a seven month supply of bourbon, coffee and cigarettes.

Cal slipped off to the side and took a seat behind the two forty-something men. If nothing else, she figured she could at least spend the waiting time waiting eavesdropping on their conversation and try to figure out who was who before they divulged that information.

Jake did not go unnoticed when he walked into the private room. His entrance immediately prompted Dr. Jefferson to gather everyone’s attention and inform them they would be boarding soon, and lunch would be served on the flight. Jake hoped it wasn’t bagel sandwiches.

Maybe it was a bit neurotic of him, but Jake had to know. Was she there? He walked up to Dr. Jefferson and pulled him rather obviously off to the side. “Is she here?” he asked the doctor.

“Who do you mean?”

“The woman that scored higher than me, is she here?”

Dr. Jefferson smiled at him. “Oh yes, she’s here. I can’t divulge which woman she is, that’s for you to determine. This is going to be a goal for you, isn’t it, Major? Proving that you are mentally stronger than she is?”

Jake knew he was right, but didn’t need to tell him that. “Nope, don’t need to prove that. Excuse me.” He moved from him and looked at the two women. It was easy enough to spot
Caleen
Reynolds. The sales clerk Jennifer matched her background as well as
Caleen
matched hers. Jennifer was sitting alone, her small thin frame crouched up in the chair, and she was pretty. Actually, Jake thought, she was very pretty. And then there was
Caleen
, talking away to the skinny kid who looked stoned. She messed with her auburn hair and fiddled with her glasses. The pink shade of lipstick told him she wasn’t the self-proclaimed fashion addict. And there was a sense of relief for Jake when he noticed her heavy set stature. At least she didn’t beat him in the physical scores.
What does this woman have?
Jake wondered as he watched her. He had to find out. In his plotting mind he figured he’d seat himself next to her on the flight. Then again, maybe he wouldn’t have to. When Dr. Jefferson announced they would board, Jake watched as
Caleen
approached him. She had a smug smile on her. She probably knew already she killed him on the psych evaluations.

“Hello?” She tilted her head and extended her hand.

“Ma’am,” Jake said and shook her hand.

“I take it you are Major Graison,” she said.

Jake looked past her to the others that began to slip to the door to board. “You may call me Jake. Seven months is a long time to call me, Major.”

“Thank you . . . Jake.” She tucked her auburn hair. “I’m Jennifer Reilly. You can call me Jenny.”

Jennifer?!
Jake’s eyes widened when he realized his mistake and also realized the real
Caleen
was boarding.
Shit! Someone’s going to snatch the seat next to her.
“Excuse me.” Pissed at himself for making an error, he fled past her hurriedly like she was the plague.

Jake spotted her as soon as he boarded the large aircraft. She sat toward the back next to the window and was staring out. Different from what he expected, he knew he had to at least meet her, and possibly, in his own way--just to see--he’d test her.

Cal’s body bounced when she felt the weight of someone plop down in the empty seat next to her. She turned her head sharply toward him, giving him a weird look. “In case you didn’t notice, there are fifty other seats on the plane,” she said jokingly.

“So,” Jake reached above his head and fiddled with the light and fan to see if they worked, “I
was
, you know, just going to say hello, meet, and then leave.”

“We’ve met before.”

“We have?” He fiddled some more, blowing the air her way, proceeding with his own ‘Jake way’ of testing her nerves.

“Yes.” She reached up and gently moved his hand from his new found toy. “At the final interviews, you bumped into me.” She removed his hand again. “For a Ranger I thought you’d be more observant. You know, pay more attention?” She spoke with sarcasm.

“I do,” he raised his hand again, “when there’s someone that
captures
my attention.”

Cal stayed in control despite his rude remark. “You’ve said your hello. You can leave like you said.”

“Nah,” Jake tapped his hands on the side arms of the seat, “I like it here.”

“You’re joking, right? There are fifty other seats available.”

“I like this one.” He reclined, comfortable in the seat.

“You’re going to sit here this entire flight? I really wanted to sit alone.”

“No problem.” Jake stood up and stepped in the aisle and waited.

“What are you doing?” Cal noticed he wasn’t moving.

“I’m letting you out.”

“I’m not moving. I was here first.”

“Well then, you have company.” He plopped hard again into the seat.

Cal grunted loudly and stared out of the window.

Speaking in a whisper, Jake leaned to her and said, “What is your problem?”

“What is
my
problem?” Cal answered in an angry whisper. “There’s a whole plane. You’re sitting here. I was here first. You’re sucking up all my air space, you and your big body.”

“My big body?” Jake settled himself even more into the seat. “If you feel claustrophobic, then move. If you’re not going to move, then be quiet so I can get some rest.”

Cal wanted to scream, but didn’t. Her soft high pitched snarl said it all.

With his eyes closed, Jake smiled. “You have a problem?”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” He opened one eye and looked at the woman who obviously was losing her cool. “You know, if you can’t make it an entire flight without losing it, how are you going to make it seven months?”

Cal opened her mouth to blast him, but stopped. “Did I . . . do something to you?”

“How could you do anything to me? I don’t even know you.”

“Then in that case
 
. . .” with a fake smile, she extended her hand, “Cal Reynolds. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise, I’m sure.” Jake brought his seat forward and shook her hand. “Major Graison.”

“And I believe your first name is . . .”

“
Major
Graison.” Jake nodded closed mouthed and reclined his seat back again.