Shadow Me

Four- You'll See Why Soon Enough

Evan

Life always gets a little more interesting when we get jobs. We don't have too many around here. Not too many people getting into business with the government. But when we do, it's serious stuff. My last job was to isolate and extract information from a serial killer targeting government figures. Getting the information from the guy was like pulling teeth. Literally, I think, smiling stupidly at the table.

"We're gonna go prep and head out soon," Marty says.

"Yeah, I gotta go get briefed," I say.

They get up and walk away, but I'm not moving without finishing my orange juice.

***

I wait, leaned back, relaxing in the small chair outside the council's office. It's the same story every time. Here's your job. This is what the person is like, personality traits, and so on. Here's what we've studied. Here's what we need, and what we want for you to get from us. We'll take care of the rest. Sometimes I wonder why they can't just leave me a voice mail, but I know. Leave no trace. No one can know what we do around here, practically not even us. I thrum my fingers against my thighs like I'm playing the drums, wondering what's taking so long. I'm their star Keeper. They should have a little more respect for my time.

I stare at the clock, unblinking until Janipar comes to get me.

"The council will see you now," she says.

"Thank you, Jan," I say, knowing how much she hates the name her parents gave her.

People started giving their children weird names after Yellowstone blew. Like we were entering some new age. Really, we have a couple generations of oddly named kids with personalities that nearly match.

I stand and make my way through the door she holds open for me, closing my eyes as the bright light shows through the hall, and then wanting to peel them back open and hold them there with my own hands when it darkens. The council has it set up this way to confuse anyone who might try to enter unannounced. Really, it's just irritating. I come out the other side of the hall and take a chair, turning it around and sitting on it backwards, much to a few of the ladies' dismay.

"I hear you've found a job for me," I say, winking at one of the girls in the room.

She clears her throat, clearly annoyed. I live for this stuff. I'm good at getting under peoples' skin.

"Yes, and this one is important. Probably more important than any one you've worked with before. Have you heard what the Vaughn scientists did recently? What we've discovered?" one of the men says.

They never say their names. Something about anonymity. Some days I think it's all to piss me off. I have no clue the names of the council members I speak with.

"No, no rumors have been moving around in the compound," I say.

"Good. Word doesn't need getting out on this matter. Peter and Alma Vaughn. You know who they are, right?" he continues.

"Of course," I say. Everyone has heard of what the Vaughns have done for the organization.

"They're geniuses. They created a virus that has plagued the nation for a decade, and inoculated the important people. Yourself being one of them. We'd asked them to create that cure as the virus's counterpart, and they did. Recently though, they've destroyed it, along with the original virus."

My eyebrows shoot up, and a low whistle shoots out of my mouth before I can stop it. One of the ladies narrows her eyes at me. I smile.

"That sounds like a problem," I say.

"We've isolated the Vaughns and have been working on getting the formula. It seems, however, traditional methods aren't working on them. If we don't get the formula to the cure, a lot of people are going to die."

"So I'm keeping the Vaughns?" I ask.

"No, we've found something different, but we don't have a lot of information at this time. We found it this morning."

"What are you saying?" another one of the council members speaks up.

"I'm saying, Mr. Beckendorff," he says as he turns back to look at me, "that you'll be going into this one blind."

I perk up, ready for the challenge.

"Sounds like fun," I say.

"This person will need around the clock watching at the Lidell facility. Isolated, completely. No one but you or a few other people getting in or out. Not much around the facility except the small town it's in. That shouldn't be a problem though. The walls are, of course, sound proof."

A slow grin settles itself across my face.

"I can work with that," I say.

"I'm glad you think you can handle this, but until we know what we're dealing with we're going to need you to hold back just a bit."

"Hold back?" I say.

"This person is not the person who wronged us, Mr. Beckendorff," he says, "Now I know we've treated even those who haven't wronged us the same, and I know we've never used this protocol before, but I think this delicate situation calls for it. Hence the importance of this briefing. Middle of the road. Meetings with us twice a week. We'll show this person the best and worst of us, and see where we find ourselves."

I look at them, shocked. They're right. We've never used this protocol before. We've never had reason to, and I hesitate to use it now, knowing about the scientists and their mad behavior.

"Middle of the road is crazy," I say, looking to the other council members for support.

"You'll see why soon enough," the one who's been briefing me says, "consider this a test."

With that, he waves me away and I leave the room stumped, and confused. If they want a middle of the road protocol, why put the star of the organization on duty? I don't have much time to consider this as Jan begins handing me papers and keys; the papers are coordinates and maps to the Lidell facility where my job will begin in - I look at the paper - three hours. The town that holds it isn't far away. It's the closest of our facilities, I suppose, and completely new to me even though it's twenty minutes from my current location. I check out my company SUV and head over to set up. Every job starts the same, regardless of the protocol. I need to be ready.

When I reach the facility I set the SUV into park and head to the back, popping the hood. Each job comes with its standard supplies already settled into the trusty company car. I pull out the duffel bag and chair, knowing that I'll have to make a trip out later in the day to collect my things. When you have a job, you stay with the job. I'll be living at Lidell for awhile, if the vagueness of the situation is any indication. Next, I pull out the wooden chair I'd swiped from the compound. I swipe the same one every time. It's like a demented souvenir from my past Keeping jobs.

I walk up to the facility and put the key in the lock, opening it in the same bump of my shoulder, and carry in my supplies. The first thing I'm met with is a flight of stairs. Rather, three sets of stairs that go all the way to the top. Reaching the top shows me a hallway of rooms. One of which will be mine, another that will be theirs. I open the first door, noting that the lock to get in or out is on the outside, needing the key to leave the room, and making entry easier. I decide it will be the one I use for work. The setup of the room is much like a hotel's. There's a bathroom immediately to my left, a bed in the middle, a TV on its stand in front of the bed, and a mini kitchen made up of a sink and microwave.

I close the door behind me, knowing it won't be locked. I'll be have to be careful when I'm in here with the subject. I open the bathroom door and take in the chair and duffel bag. I set the chair facing the bathtub and zip open the duffel bag, exposing the trusty ropes I'll be needing for my first task. I begin threading the ropes through the chair, not knowing how the situation will be when the job gets here, but knowing I'll need to have complete control. Not just of myself, but of the subject.

When that's done, when I have every last possible variable nailed down and taken care of, I sit on the bed and I wait. Eyes narrowed, muscles tensed, and damn near everything buzzing in my head.