The First Day: Life Changes, part 2
The taxi ride to the pick-up point was uneventful, if a little harrowing. Apparently the driver had been told to "step on it," and he did so with obvious glee. Nevertheless, they arrived without incident, and, true to Jones's word, a large black helicopter was waiting when they arrived, rotors spinning. A green insignia was prominently displayed just behind the rear compartment; it was much like that of the United Nations, but the laurel leaves had been replaced by what was clearly a liminal arm and hand descending on the left and a human arm and hand on the right, each reaching down to clasp the other. The letters "DIA", also in green, appeared below the insignia. So the Department of Interspecies Affairs even has its own helicopters, Daniel reflected.
He went to pay the taxi driver, but the driver waved him off, saying it had already been taken care of. He then proceeded to the helicopter; the pilot opened the door for him and told him to buckle up as he climbed inside. He did so, securing his backpack within reach, and they lifted off less than a minute after he had arrived.
It was his first helicopter ride, and while Daniel did appreciate the experience, he was more concerned about the girl he was going to meet.
He pulled his pad computer out of his backpack and asked the pilot's permission to use it. The pilot nodded, so he powered it on, connected to his satellite Wi-Fi service, and went over all of the information he could find on manticores.
There were a number of images but few actual photos. Apparently their size and coloring – and even such physical features as the size of their wings – varied quite a bit. Hmm. Carnivorous, found in wastelands, volcanic areas, and mountains. He wondered how and where she had been found and resolved to ask later. Highly intelligent, but infinitely lustful, even sadistic and cruel. Really? Predatory, but only in a sexual sense. Almost never talk about their feelings. That last wouldn't be a problem if he could connect with her as he could with most humans. As for the rest, he'd have to see.
But this girl had been traumatized over a long period of time. She was almost certainly suffering from post-traumatic stress, given how Agent Jones had described her behavior. Any human girl would be. But he couldn't really know anything for sure yet. He sighed, realizing that this exercise in speculation wasn't going to be very useful. He needed to see her, to feel her. That was the only way he was going to be able to know and help her. And he wanted to be as objective and unbiased as he could be. She'd need him to hear her, not to have preconceptions and compare her with a limited number of people's impressions of some limited number of her species. If I can get her to talk to me in the first place…, he mused.
One thing he could do, however, was to brainstorm on the various ways he might be able to help her and what she might need most, both in general and from him in particular. He set about doing just that.
It was just before noon when they drew close to what appeared to be their destination: a sprawling complex with a number of buildings, all painted black, some of them as many as ten stories high. Well-funded, indeed. The helicopter set down on a landing pad at the edge of the complex. Thanking the pilot and retrieving his backpack as he disembarked, Daniel spied a figure in a black suit waving him over just off the landing pad. As he approached, he saw a familiar face.
"Agent Jones – Abigail – how did you get here before me?" he asked with a degree of astonishment.
"Oh, I wish we had time for me to play along with that. You look fun to tease. But we really don't. Name's Agent Alexandra Jones. You can call me Alex," she said, reaching out to shake his hand, smiling with a gleam in her green eyes. The smile faded rapidly, though, to be replaced by worry. "I'm glad you got here so fast. Please come with me."
Alex led the way at a brisk pace toward the center of the complex. Daniel reflected as he followed her that at first glance, Alex and her sister seemed as near-identical a pair of twins as he'd ever seen. She even wore her long deep-auburn hair up in a ponytail as well. Apart from the physical, though, they seemed to be worlds apart. Whereas Abigail was precise and measured with her words and feelings – rather like he was himself – Alex seemed to be one to just let it all hang out. This should be interesting, he thought.
The landscaping for the complex was meticulously maintained, with neatly-trimmed grass, fragrant flowers and flowering bushes, and a few full-grown trees interspersed among black metal pathways which meandered to and fro between the buildings. Each path was wide enough to accommodate two people walking abreast. Along the paths were a number of black metal benches large enough for three people, all vacant at present, with tall black posts spaced at regular intervals, perhaps for illumination at night.
"So, you guys really like black…" Daniel observed.
"Adds to the mystique, don't you think?" Alex chuckled.
As they neared the center of the complex, Daniel saw that they were heading toward a large transparent dome covering a man-made depression that descended well over a hundred feet; he counted ten floors visible. The depression was entirely surrounded by what looked to be the same black metal as was used for the paths. The dome itself was easily a hundred feet across and gradually rose to a height of about twenty feet above the path they were on. It allowed sunlight to reach all the way down to the lowest floor he could see.
"You built down, too?" he asked Alex.
"Yeah. The towers are our administration and living quarters. Be happy to give you the tour later. The Crater here is where our labs are located."
"Really? That's what you call it?"
"Well, I wanted to call it the 'Pit of Despair', but they overruled me."
"Loved that movie. How many floors down does it go?"
"I have to get clearance to tell you that. Sorry, Dan. Is it okay if I call you Dan?"
"Sure…," he replied, only slightly begrudgingly, as his mind was suddenly distracted. There was much to absorb about this place, but now was not the time. There was something – someone – far more important, and he needed to focus entirely on her now. "Can you tell me how our girl is? And what's her name?"
"Here we go." Alex stopped abruptly about twenty feet before the dome and pulled out a small key fob. As she pressed the button, a black rectangular structure rose quickly from the ground before them; the side facing them slid open almost noiselessly to reveal an elevator. Alex stepped inside.
Daniel followed her inside, and she pressed the button for the 10th floor. The door slid shut automatically. As the elevator began to descend smoothly to the low hum of electric motors, she replied, "I don't think anyone knows her name. Everyone's just been calling her 'our guest', which is kinda weird now that I think about it. Last I heard, which was just before I came up to get you, they were putting her on life support. She'd collapsed, because she's refused to eat or drink anything since she got here."
"Okay," said Daniel, worried, but having already formulated his plan. "There are a few things I'm going to need done."
At that moment the elevator stopped, and the inner door slid open onto a slightly chilly corridor about fifteen feet across and the same measure high, extending to the right and left. Alex stepped out and headed to the right; Daniel followed close behind. The wall to their left was transparent, allowing sunlight to filter down from the dome above. To their right, the wall was entirely opaque and appeared black, with doors which looked to be heavily reinforced spaced regularly every thirty feet. Softly illuminated light strips tracked along where the ceiling and floor met the walls, four in all. The corridor itself was spotless, almost sterile in both cleanliness and scent; indeed, there was a slight but distinguishable odor of antiseptic in the air. The corridor appeared to circle the entire level around the transparent wall of the Crater.
They were fast approaching the first security door, at which stood two burly guards in helmets and full body armor with automatic weapons. Despite the fact that their helmets were open, their facial features were entirely concealed by internal equipment, with the single exception of their eyes.
The upper part of the security door had a large window, and through it some kind of laboratory could be seen, with tubes running from various machines, rising up to overhead supports before descending again to a body that was lying on what looked like an operating table. The head, which was not clearly visible, was farthest away from the door, and the feet, which were about human-sized but with black sole-pads and four disproportionately large toes, all covered with thick deep-blue fur, were closest to it. No one else appeared to be in the room right then.
At their approach, one of the guards stepped forward to block their way, saying, "That's far enough," while the other held his gun at the ready.
Speaking to the guard, Alex gestured to Daniel and said, "This is the man who was flown in to try to save our guest."
The guard replied, "I'm sorry, but we have our orders. No one but Dr. Reynard is allowed in."
"Dr. Reynard?!" Alex exclaimed, "He just wants to dissect her! You heard what he said about her."
"I'm truly sorry, ma'am, but Director Packard gave the order herself."
"Packard?! That cold-hearted b…" Alex fumed, suddenly – and perhaps fortunately – at a loss for words, so great was her anger.
Daniel unobtrusively peered into the eyes of the guard and saw that he was in fact deeply sorry… and also something else. Just maybe…
"Alex, who is Abigail's boss?" asked Daniel, continuing to watch the guard's eyes.
"Director Montrose," Alex managed, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. "He's mine and probably yours, too."
Daniel noted not only recognition but also respect in the eyes of the guard. Addressing the guard directly, he said, "Is there any way you can contact this Mr. Montrose and straighten this out?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't leave my post."
Wondering why the guards couldn't just call it in on their radios, Daniel decided to let it go for the moment and try a different tack.
"Okay, look," Daniel spoke in a low, non-aggressive tone, hoping that what he'd seen in the guard's eyes was real. Unless he was mistaken, the guard had lost someone recently, maybe a daughter? If he could somehow connect with that pain… "My name is Special Consultant Daniel Carson. I was just flown in urgently by helicopter from Boston by Agent Abigail Jones. This girl," he said, pointing through the door, "is on life support now and can't have much time left. She's been here for five days, and her condition has only gotten worse. I know she's not human, but that's actually an important point. If she dies, it could cause a major diplomatic incident." He took a breath, then continued, with every ounce of sincerity and conviction he could muster, "But even more important than that, she's a girl, and she's dying. They clearly don't care – no one's even with her right now. Won't you please let me try to save her?"
The guards looked at each other, both seeming to be stricken of conscience. The one who hadn't spoken then lowered his gun and nodded to the other, who turned back to Daniel and asked, "Alright, how can we help?" The tears in his eyes were unmistakable.
Letting out a big sigh of relief, Daniel said, "Thank you, gentlemen. First, I need to get in there and see her. Second, someone needs to get in touch with Director Montrose and let him know what's going on. It looks like a turf war has broken out over this girl, and that has got to be stopped. Third, we need a doctor – one we can trust – to monitor her condition. And finally, please consider this girl to be under my personal care from now on. She is to be my homestay if all goes well. I may have some more requests once I've seen her. Oh, and can I ask your names?"
The guard who had spoken answered, "I'm Harrison; this is Adams," gesturing to his partner with his thumb.
Daniel nodded to them and said, "Again, thank you both. Now, I really need to get in there."
While Adams moved to open the door, Alex said, "I'll call Mr. Montrose. Better yet, I'll get him to come down here." She turned to leave, but not before turning her head to look back at Daniel, her expression one of amazement and admiration.
As Daniel stepped past to enter the lab, Harrison asked quietly, "Can you save her?"
Daniel looked him straight in the eye and answered just as quietly, "Lord willing. You've lost someone, haven't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.
Harrison's eyes went wide. "How did you know?" he asked, his voice hushed.
"It's sort of what I do," Daniel responded, his own voice low and comforting. "I'd be happy to talk about it later if you'd like."
"I just might take you up on that," Harrison said, both appreciation and wonder in his eyes.
Daniel smiled and nodded, placing a hand upon the man's armored shoulder. "It would be my honor." He then stepped through the door but immediately called out, "Guys, why is she shackled to the table?"
Adams replied this time, "Standard procedure for dangerous liminals," his voice carrying more than a hint of apology.
"Can you please release her? I can't do what I need to do if she's tied down like an animal. You can keep the room sealed if you want. I need to trust her with my life. If I'm wrong, and she kills me, well, then I'll have failed, and you'll have learned something important."
"Are you sure about this?" Adams asked.
"Believe it or not, I'm more certain about this than I've ever been about anything in my life."
"Alright, Mr. Carson, since you're taking personal responsibility for her, it's your call." He fished on his chain of electronic key fobs for the one that opened the shackles.
"Thanks once again."
Adams unlocked the restraints on the bed, and the shackles slid into their resting places. He then withdrew, sealing the door behind him.
Daniel turned his attention to the girl on the table. She appeared to be unconscious. Though her body was covered by a sheet, he could tell that her breathing was ragged. He slid the sheet off just enough to determine that she was naked underneath, replacing it immediately with a heavy sigh. "They couldn't even give you just a little bit of dignity," he said quietly, shaking his head sadly as he moved toward her head, avoiding the tubes that were connected to her body. He took off his backpack and set it down next to the table where he was standing, roughly at her right shoulder.
Standing there and looking down at her face for the first time, he felt his heart skip a beat. Her features were surprisingly delicate; in fact, her face was easily the most beautiful he had ever seen, even with her eyes closed. It was framed by lustrous, silky reddish-violet hair that was long enough to disappear beneath the sheet. Her ears were similar to those of a cat but larger and covered with fur of the same deep-blue color as her feet. They were also filled with tufts of downy indigo-colored fur. He could see that she bore a "collar" of the same indigo fur about her neck, disappearing beneath the sheet. Her lightly-bronzed skin was unblemished, thankfully bearing no signs he could see of abuse nor of the hunger and thirst she must have been feeling. Her wings and tail weren't visible from his present vantage point. He couldn't determine her age from her appearance – she might be as old as her late twenties or as young as her late teens. He might be able to tell better once he could look into her eyes.
My goodness, you really are a beauty. If I were younger…, he sighed. But I'm not, and I can't let myself fall for you – you may be young enough to be my daughter, which is kind of what I was expecting. I hope you'll be happy with me as your host-father, and I hope that maybe you'll let me treat you as the daughter I never had.
With that resolved, he smiled down at her and said in a soft voice, "Hey there, Kitten. I'm Daniel, and I'll be taking care of you from now on, if you'll let me. You're safe now. You don't have to worry about a thing." He reached down and touched her cheek, then he reached up a little higher to rub her ears lightly. Her breathing changed suddenly, and he heard a low rumbling sound that appeared to be coming from her chest. He bent down to listen and noticed that her breathing was now easy and regular. And that rumbling was definitely coming from her upper chest area, right below her fur collar. Could she be…?
"Well I'll be…," he said quietly, smiling. She was purring. He leaned over to kiss her on the forehead before straightening back up. "Sleep well, Kitten," he said softly, his eyes tearing up from a sudden surge of emotion. "I'm not going anywhere."