The Dismantling

How long had it been since the old compound was first built? It must have been decades, the weathered paint and cracked concrete steps testified to that. It was an eerie place, no doubt, rumors flew about in the towns and villages around the compound. There was no question that the hollow buildings were once highly guarded government property. But what had happened inside the dormitories, the laboratories, hospitals and cafeterias; that was anyone's guess.

In any case, such conversations were never heavy fare, perhaps a few words exchanged over drinks on a groggy summer afternoon. They often joked that it was their own personal Area 51 and perhaps someday they would see a flying saucer pass by with little green men. But otherwise, no one had time for conspiracies. Life wasn't easy and it got harder everyday. Such things held true even for the government, which was why the buildings stood there, barely used, then, abandoned and rotting.

"This is De Luca and the preliminary assessment of the unknown compound. Buildings are structurally sound and vandalism has been relatively low. No indications of what this place might have been, signs have been torn down and completely destroyed. Buildings do not match up with archival blueprints."

Maria de Luca was a tough woman and determined to make herself a place in the busy offices of the Italian Carabinieri. After an abusive marriage and two devastating miscarriages before the age of 23, she had figured that she needed a new start. The military was perfect, and soon, the nightmares of being Signora Russo was washed away by the disciplined titles and starched uniforms of the Carabinieri.

Three weeks ago she had stumbled across a record of the compound she now stood in, it was a bizarre anomaly. The compound was logged as being relatively large, nearly 10 acres. There was no name, no indication in the log of what it might be, just the words "All biological tests terminated and incinerated. May the angels ferry them home." She searched far and wide for any other records of the compound, she drew blanks everywhere.

As she stood in a courtyard surrounded by overgrown vegetable gardens, she was no closer to anything. But the buildings, in their eerie empty way, screamed that there was a truth. A living, laughing, breathing truth that had been forgotten for so long.