Part 6: Temporary closure
Two full years passed. John's uncle had died from cancer. He continued to live in his uncle's house, supporting himself by running odd errands for the military.
He was now eighteen years old, and still haunted by the disappearance of Samantha. His depression caused him to become some what of an alcoholic. He was now a man, but broken and more alone than ever.
He'd often see young girls around. They'd remind him of his lost love.
One night, John received a strange phone call from a man who chose to be anonymous. The man on the phone told him to meet with him in the forest near the base, saying that he had information about Samantha.
The man on the phone was Mr. Spender's associate, Ronald. Ronald would be known to John only as 'Deep Throat'.
John met with Ronald AKA Deep Throat in the forest as he told him to. He was in great hopes of finding out information about the girl he loved. What the two men didn't know when they met was that they were being spied on by one of Mr. Spender's informants, known only as 'X'.
John approached Deep Throat in the forest. It was late at night, and they had no idea that they were being watched. The only sound that could be heard were the buzzing of crickets.
"I'm betraying that Smoking sonuvabitch by coming to you," yelled Deep Throat over to John. "But I hate the man, and I feel that you deserve closure about your lost love."
"What do you know about her?" John demanded.
"I once petitioned to have you killed," he said, temporarily avoiding the question. "However, I know now that you are no threat to the project I work for. The penalties of my meeting with you could be quite high, remember that."
"What do you know?" John asked again.
"After Samantha was taken from you, the Smoking-Man continued to do tests on her," he stated. "The Smoking-Man isolated her from all contact with everyone. He continued to rob her of her memories, including the false memories she told you of alien abduction."
"False memories?" John remarked. "I know those weren't false. You're a liar."
"I have no intention to prove otherwise," exclaimed Deep Throat.
John smiled at him. He didn't like the bluntness of this mysterious, shadowy man.
"Whateva," sneered John. "I know that you have many secrets to hide. You can hide all the secrets you want, but at least give me the truth about what you wanted to tell me."
"I can tell you this...," Deep Throat began. "As the torture of Samantha continued, and as she was robbed of all social contact, she eventually managed to run away. Some officials of a hospital picked her up and treated her nearby. They noted the scars on her body and listed her as a 'Jane Doe'. She was likely in shock, and refused to trust them with even her name. The Smoking-Man found out her location and went to pick her up. He believed that he had been forced to kill her for exposing our project... he's an insane drug-addict. However, he never found her. Nobody at the hospital knew where she went. She vanished without a trace."
"Nothing vanishes without a trace," John replied. "The aliens took her."
"No," stammered Deep Throat. "If she was out there, we would have heard about it. The Smoking-Man exhausted all avenues trying to locate her, but he never found her. The search for her has been called off. I'd bet a fine dollar that she'll never be seen or heard from again. She's dead. But I like to think that she was saved by the grace of God from the death the Smoking-Man would have inflicted on her."
"That doesn't make any sense!" cried John.
"Doesn't it?" asked Deep Throat. He pointed to the cross around John's neck.
"Surely you have faith that such a thing is possible," he continued. "She's safe from harm's way. That's all I have to say."
Deep Throat began to walk away. John was left unsatisfied.
"Wait!" John yelled. "Can you at least tell me what her last name was?"
Deep Throat turned around in his trench coat and faced John. The look on his pale face showed his paranoia and it was clear to John that this meeting had gone on too long for the informant's liking.
"Some names are better left unsaid," he replied, and then waved goodbye. Then he walked away.
John stood there, confused as always. What he didn't know was that Samantha was staring down at him from the stars; transported there in star-light by caring spirits who save young people from cruel, inevitable deaths.
John took Deep Throat's advice and held faith that God saved Samantha. However, that was not enough to save him from his self-abuse resulting from loneliness.