The Iso-Stasis Experiment (The Experiments) (7 page)

“No, I didn’t eat. I was going to head down, but I didn’t know if it was too late.” She shrugged.

“How can it be too late?” Jake gave a motion of his head as he walked to the door. “I’m heading down if you want to join me.”

“Sure why not.” Cal started toward the door, but not before reaching into the trash and removing that candy wrapper and laying it back on her night stand. She spotted the appalled look on Jake’s face, grinned, walked out and closed her door.

^^^^

They chuckled in familiarity, Jennifer and John did, as if they had known each other for years. They both slowed down as they left the dining area when they spotted Jake and Cal coming down the hall.

John shook his head disgruntled. “Look at those two. Sure proves that misery loves company.”

Jennifer nudged him. “Oh, John, be nice.” She lifted her hand high in an attention grabbing wave. “Cal! Jake!”

There was a slight roll to Jake’s eyes when he heard the call and saw her hurrying toward them.

“Hi.” She smiled. “As duly designated compound activity coordinator, I wanted you two to know we devised a cooking and cleaning schedule.” She tilted her head. “You know, to make things easy. We posted the schedule.” With a little smile, she crinkled her nose. “Sorry, but you two are on clean up tonight. Come on, John.”

John only smirked as he walked between the pair.

“
Fuckin
’ figures, don’t it?” Jake shook his head.

“See, now, I would think you’d like clean up.”

Jake stopped and gave her a serious look. “Why would you think that?”

Cal just stared and said, “Um, no reason.” She shook her head and pointed. “Here’s the dining room.”

Jake took a few steps to the doorway of the dining area then stopped, stepped back and held his arm to block Cal. He turned to her, finger to his lips in a ‘silent’ signal and then pointed in the dining room.

Cal peeked in. Fr. Dan and Griff were the only two in there. It was quiet. Griff wrote on a tablet, passed it over to Fr. Dan. Fr. Dan read, nodded, wrote and passed it back.

Jake glanced briefly at Cal and then back in the room. “Deaf?” he asked in a whisper.

“Looks it,” Cal replied.

“I didn’t know that. Did you?”

“Odd.” Cal said. “It wasn’t mentioned in my book.”

“Mine neither. Makes you wonder what else we don’t know.”

From behind them a voice whispered, “I’m wearing blue underwear.”

It took everything Cal had not to laugh. But with a grunt, Jake spun around only to be irritated more when Rickie stood there laughing hysterically.

A sports bar perhaps, that was what the wall of televisions reminded Lyle of. Lyle wanted to be a fashion model, actor, something in the public eye. Anything but an experiment monitor who watched row after row of televisions that showed eight people living their daily lives. Long blond hair, often flowing, was today pulled into a ponytail as Lyle hid his body beneath a lab coat. Not that he wasn’t trained for the position, he was. He had gone to school for a degree in clinical psychology. He had done an internship at Caldwell in the animal isolation labs. Lyle had plans after graduation to pack up and head straight to Hollywood. However, when the offer from Caldwell came in, seven months of work for a paycheck that was just too sweet, Lyle couldn’t turn them down. Hollywood would wait, so could his talents and looks, at least for seven months.

Lyle began dreading his decision the first minute on the job. Sit there. Watch. Take notes. Talk with Stan. Stan wasn’t a bad monitor partner. He would be Lyle’s partner, and the only one he worked with in that huge conference style room for the next seven months.

Stan was funny enough or at least he seemed to be. He knew what he was doing and he promised Lyle that things would get better as time moved on. Stan knew. It was his second time to monitor an
Iso
-Stasis experiment. He had monitored numerous other experiments in the nine years he had been with the institute.

Nine years and Stan was still a monitor? Lyle had to question him about that. And Stan was honest. Pay was great, the monitor door was revolving and monitors were hard to get. But the real reason Stan stayed in the division, he was demented and enjoyed it.

Lyle supposed he’d find out. Or at least he hoped.

Stan always wanted to be a scientist and even tried to look the part, but didn’t really pull it off. Too thin, tall, and he had a naturally sculptured handsome face that Lyle had to admit, made him a little jealous. Of course, Stan was losing his hair, which in Lyle’s mind was a negative if he ever decided to try modeling.

They watched pretty much . . . Nothing.

“Thought I’d stop by,” Dr. Jefferson announced as he walked into the monitoring room. “Gentlemen, how’s it going?”

Stan swiveled his chair around. “Good, bad, not as expected.”

Lyle was curious. “Dr. Jefferson, I thought you said these people wouldn’t get along. It started out promising when Cal hit John, but nothing since. They’re getting along.”

With an arrogant look, Dr. Jefferson shook his head. “That punch was not expected, unusual for so early in the game. But I promise you, things will stir up. One of the deciding factors is the chemistry mix of the participants. Things will change.”

“I think you might be wrong in one case,” Stan interjected. “That big conflict, rivalry, Nemesis thing you were counting on between Graison and Reynolds,” smugly Stan shook his head, “not going to happen.”

“I highly doubt that,” Dr. Jefferson retorted. “My psychology experts agreed. Those two are my ace in the hole.”

“Your experts missed,” Stan said as he picked up a remote control. “Check out monitor two.”

Dr. Jefferson watched the monitor that showed Cal’s room. His eyes widened and his temper flared when he saw Cal and Jake sitting on the floor, playing cards and drinking beer. “Oh,” he grunted in disgust and stepped back, “ruin my evening.” Another grumble escaped him and he pointed. “That will change. Oh, that
will
change.” He nodded as he stepped back. “I guarantee you.” He moved to the door. “Stan, get hold of our controllers up there.” After looking one more time in irritation at the monitor screen, Dr. Jefferson left.

Slowly turning from the door, Lyle faced Stan. “Our controllers up there? Can he do that?” Lyle asked.

Stan chuckled. “He can do anything he wants. This . . . is the
Iso
-Stasis Experiment.”

Perhaps it was the fact that Cal had gone to bed before midnight that made her stir from her sleep. Glancing with squinting eyes at the red numbers on the alarm clock, she couldn’t believe the time or the reason for her awakening. The running water, the low banging—probably the toothbrush against the sink—the opening of the medicine cabinet, all that noise at five in the morning? What was Jake doing up this early?

Her door to the bathroom was still slightly ajar like she had left it the night before. But now the light from the bathroom shone through the crease sending light into her room. Flipping off the covers, Cal’s feet landed on the cold floor. She stood flattening her bed head hair before knocking on the partly open bathroom door. “Jake?” she whispered.

“Yeah.” He opened the door wider for her. “Morning, Cal.” His face was wet from washing it and the top of his hair had caught some of the water. Wearing only green boxers he stood in front of the mirror wiping his face dry with a hand towel. “I’ll be done in a second and it’s all yours.”

Cal, still groggy, was confused at how awake he was. “Why are you up at five in the morning?”

“I woke you, didn’t I?” Jake cringed. “I didn’t mean to.”

“Jake, what could you possibly have to do at five in the morning?”

“A workout, you know, training. I figured it would eat up three hours of my time.”

“That takes you to eight in the morning. What are you going to do with the rest of your day?” she asked, her eyes squinting in the brightness of the bathroom.

“I have an agenda. Got the day planned out. Knowing what you’re going to do will keep you busy. Hey . . . you are more than welcome to join me in the morning to work out.”

“At five in the morning?”

“Sure. In fact, if you’d like, you’re more than welcome to accompany me on my whole agenda. We can keep busy.”

“I appreciate that, Jake.” Cal smiled and then turned serious. “Find me when your agenda reaches a decent hour. Have a good work out.” She turned and went back in her room.

“Cal,” Jake followed her, “you’re already up. Come on. Exercise won’t hurt.”

“I’d never be able to keep up with you. Besides. . .” she straightened her bed covers, “I’m going back to sleep.” She sat down on the edge of her bed and plopped sideways on her pillow. Her feet still dangled off the side. “Jake . . . you’re standing in my room in your underwear.”

“Oh . . .” he looked down at himself, “I am. I’ll be back.” Leaving her room through the bathroom, Jake went into his own room, found his shorts, put them on to be polite, and then went back into Cal’s room. In the few moments he was gone, she had fallen fast asleep. Debating for a second whether to wake her, Jake chose not to. Figuring she’d wake up stiff, he lifted her legs to the bed, threw her covers over her, nearly covering her head, and went back to his room to finish dressing. He’d get her the next day, he thought. All he’d have to do was challenge her.

^^^^

Cal had every intention of eating her breakfast alone. She even went so far as to sit at the smaller table in the far corner or the room and put on her best pre-menstrual syndrome face. Sitting with her back to everyone, Cal slowly unwrapped what she thought was the best breakfast choice, a granola bar. The concept behind the ‘ready-to-eat-heat-and-serve’ meals was good, but they lacked appeal in both looks and taste. Remembering the orange slushy substance labeled lasagna the night before and seeing the brownish gray strips of so-called-bacon this morning, made Cal grateful for the goody stash she brought in her bag. Food-wise, it was going to be a long seven months.

Granola exposed but it appeared as if it wouldn’t even break. Good teeth or not, Cal wasn’t taking a chance on biting into it, so with her fingernails, she began to pick the bar apart. It didn’t crumble easily and every tiny speck of oat that she rolled in her fingers made her think of the mini chocolate donuts back in her room. The only bonus about a bad granola bar was it aided in the ‘keep away’ look of disgust on her face.

Down went the bowl of cereal and then Jennifer’s happy voice snapped Cal from her granola daze.

“Menstruating?” Jennifer asked.

Up went Cal’s right eyebrow followed by her eyes. “Excuse me?”

“You have that . . . ‘don’t bother me I’m menstruating’ look.” Jennifer poured milk into her bowl.

“Um, yeah,” Cal said with sarcasm flicking off an oat bit.

“That’s a shame.” Jennifer shook her head with compassion. “First day?”

Staying in control and not letting out a gasp of irritation, Cal answered, “Pre.”

“Post myself,” Jennifer said nonchalantly. “I ended two days before we got here.”

Thinking,
‘Do I want to hear this?’
Cal picked at her breakfast bar.

“I joined you because I’m not in the mood to deal with men in the . . .” The heavy spoon dropped from Jennifer’s hand, splashing the milk all over the table. Her mouth dropped open and slowly, almost in amazement, she said to Cal, “Oh . . . my . . . God, wow.”

“What?” Cal turned and looked behind her. Jake had walked into the dining room. “You mean Jake?” Cal asked. “You think he looks good
now
?”

“Yeah . . . you don’t?”

Cal shook her head. “He’s all sweaty.” She cringed with a shudder and engrossed herself in her granola.

“Yeah,” the word slipped from Jennifer’s mouth as she tried to eat her cereal. “That has got to be the best body I have ever seen in my entire life.”

“He’s too big for me to even consider attractive.” Cal shrugged.

“Not me.” Jennifer’s eyes lifted.

“Well, then seeing there are only two females here . . .” Cal smiled. “Major Jake Graison is all yours. Seduce away.” Before Cal could get any response from Jennifer, a huge hand dropped to her shoulder and she was started by Jake whispering in her ear.

“Thank you for that, Cal.”

Cal lifted her eyes enough to see Jake walk over to where the food was. “Well,” she pushed the granola toward Jennifer and stood, “you can finish this.”

“Are you leaving?” Jennifer asked.

After a quick shift of her eyes to see Jake reaching into a cupboard, Cal nodded. “Yep, see
ya
.” Not wanting to hear backlash from Jake about her remark to Jennifer, Cal darted out.

Jennifer knew the reason. Though she didn’t hear what Jake whispered to Cal, she knew. He probably thanked her and asked if he could have breakfast alone with Jennifer. Smiling at the prospect of the handsome Major’s company, Jennifer tucked her hair behind her ear and waited.

“Where did she go?” Jake asked balancing the bag of cereal and a bag of milk stacked in his bowl. “Was she done eating?”

“Not really.” Jennifer pointed to the granola.

“That’s what she was eating? That’s pathetic. Is she coming back?”

“No.” Jennifer smiled flirtatiously. “She left to give us our privacy.”

“Oh, she did, did she?” Snatching up the granola bar, his cereal bowl still in hand, Jake walked out of the dining area.

^^^^

Cal smiled just before the final gurgle of her ‘in-room’ coffee pot. “Done,” she said to Rickie. “Want some?” She stood up.

“No, thank you.” Rickie held up his index finger which sported a mini chocolate donut. As if a game, he nibbled away at it. “Almost . . . aw!” he whined when he broke, “Babe, I lost.” Rickie shoved the broken bits in his mouth. “Thank you for sharing these.”

“Oh, you’re welcome, Rickie.” Cal smiled. “I’m glad you came back to my room with me.”

“Cal-Babe, when you said you were having mini donuts in your room, I was so there.”

A single knock accompanied by a short Jake call of ‘Cal’ caught their attention.

Cal looked up at the door. “Come in.”

“Cal,” Jake said as he entered, “I’ve been looking for you outside.”

Cal shrugged. “I’ve been right here all along.”

Jake looked down to Rickie. “What’s he doing here?”

Rickie held up two fingers with chocolate donuts. “Having breakfast, guy. I’m munching away here with the Cal-Babe.”

After mouthing the words ‘Cal-babe,’ Jake looked at Rickie in disgust. “How old are you?”

“Eighteen and a half, guy.”

“If you’re eighteen, why do you have chocolate all over your mouth?”

Rickie snorted a laugh. “I’m eating chocolate.”

“Try a napkin.” Jake swung his eyes down to Cal. “Oh, Cal, by the way,” he said sarcastically, “thank you very much for deciding to play match maker with me and Jennifer.”

“Dude!” Rickie said with excitement. “We rule, do we not? Two babes and we got them.”

Jake was shocked by Rickie’s remark. “Excuse me? What do you mean?”

“You and Jennifer, Me and Cal,” Rickie said and bobbed his head. “Early, too.”

“I am not with Jennifer,” Jake snapped.

“You just said.”

“No, I did not. I was being facetious,” Jake said. “And you and Cal?”

Smiling, Rickie held a chocolate covered hand out to Cal. “Yes, me and Cal. Don’t think you can step in on the territory I’m starting here, guy.”

Jake looked at Cal while speaking to Rickie. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I hear I’m too big to be attractive anyhow.”

“There you have it, Guy,” Rickie said. “You’re like, nine feet tall. I’m a lean, mean, five foot six.”

“You’re also almost young enough to be her son.”

“If she gave birth to me like at five.” Rickie smiled.

Jake rolled his eyes. “Listen to you. Young Man, may I give you some . . .” Jake stopped talking irritated by Rickie’s laughter. “What . . . is so funny?”

“You called me, young man.” Rickie picked up another donut.

“Out,” Jake ordered.

“Jake,” Cal snapped.

“Dude, you’re rude.”

“Don’t call me, ‘Dude’”

“Sarge, you’re rude.” Rickie attempted again.

“I am not a Sarge,” Jake stated adamantly.

“What am I supposed to call you?” Rickie asked.

“How about you call me Major Graison?”

Rickie shook his head. “It doesn’t work for you.”

“Out.” Jake pointed to the door.

“Chill. Chill.” Rickie stood up. “Cal-babe, thank you for the treats,” he said and moved to the door. “But I think to be even I’m going to hit on
his
babe now.” At the door, Rickie, as his own last word, made a childish face to Jake and darted out.

Cal stood up. “That was really rude, Jake.” She set the donuts on the desk.

“And telling Jennifer to seduce me wasn’t?” Jake picked up the wrappers.

“It was a joke.” Cal grabbed the wrappers from Jake. “And quit picking up my room.”

“I cannot believe this is what you consider a healthy breakfast. Cal, in order to . . .”

“Jake.” Cal stopped him. “What do you want?”