The Broken Mask

Sgt. Rodgers and her troop took their sweet time. When they finally showed up it was obvious that she didn't want to be there, but rather, felt she had to. "Is that it?" She asks Jones, eyeing the mask in his hand. "Yes ,Sergeant." Jones hands Sgt. Rodgers the mask. She examines it carefully. "The lens is broken." "I noticed that myself."Jones boasts. Sgt. Rodgers continues to examine the mask. "But it fits the description we have in the data base." "Does that mean we can go?" Olivia asks. Sgt. Rodgers thinks for a moment. "I don't know. I don't know if this works or if it's junk." "We can make this work." I say. Sgt. Rodgers smiles smugly and hands us the mask. Olivia wears the mask. She takes a large step back, as if she just received a vision. "She's seen something!" A soldier shouts. "It would appear so. And what would be going on now?" Sgt. Rodgers questions. "I don't know. I just feel a surge of power going through me." Olivia shouts in excitement. She generates a force field through her hands. With in seconds she is surrounded by her pink bubble. The soldiers stand in awe. Sgt. Rodgers, however, sees through the facade. "Impressive. Mind if I try on the mask ?" Sgt. Rodgers asks, placing her hand on the force field. "I don't think I can remove it now." Olivia says, trying her best to lie under pressure. "That's fine." Sgt. Rodger turns away from Olivia and walks towards me. "But you lied to me." "We did not." I says, defensively. "You did, and you wasted my time." Sgt. Rodger's aims her assault rifle at me. "You're coming with me." Sgt. Rodgers turns to Olivia. "And you're staying here. Don't try to follow me. Jones will watch you to make sure you don't attempt an escape."

Todd's Fort

"Ta da!" Todd proudly exclaims while extending his arm in the direction of the massive rubble. O'Neil looks around puzzled thinking this is a joke. "What's going on?" He asks. "I finished." "Finished what?" "I made something out of all that like you wanted me to." Todd says. "Did you?" "I did. Don't you see it?" "No, I don't." "It's right there." O'Neil squints his eyes. "Do you want me to show you?" Todd asks, in a frustrated tone. "I do." O'Neil replies. Todd walks up to the huge pile.
"Do you see it now?" Todd asks with his back turned to O'Neil. "No, I don't." Todd sighs loudly. He opens a small door. He then proceeds to walk inside the rubble. Once inside, Todd glances out a small window. O'Neil could see it all too clearly now. Todd  had made himself a small, brick home in the middle of the large pile. "You made a fort. Cute." O'Neil sneers. "It's more than a fort." Todd replies. "It can do other stuff?" O'Neil replies with doubt in his voice. "Loads." "I would love to see what else it could do." "Are you sure?" Todd asks. "Positive." "Ok. Don't say I didn't warn you." O'Neil, expecting nothing to happen, crosses his arms and stands with a cocky smile. Todd fidgets with something inside. A moment later Todd's small, circular, brick home shoots out of the rubble. Todd almost hits O'Neil in his escape. O'Neil has to jump out of the way last minute. Without warning, Todd smashes through a wall. The long chain is still connected to the brick house, and with it bits of the rubble from the Wellness Center. O'Neil watches dumbfounded as the chain and rubble leave the room. He then decides he wants to go for ride. O'Neil grabs a hold of the chain. He is going to see just exactly where Todd is headed.

Wake Up

O'Neil rested Todd on a doctor's bed. He slapped Todd's face before he realized that dowsing him with freezing, cold water would be a better way to go. Todd opened his eyes slowly. "You're awake. I'm so glad." O'Neil exclaims. "Where am I?" Todd asks. "You're in the medical wing. How are you feeling?" "Dizzy." "Here, take this." O'Neil says, offering a glass of water. Todd grabs the glass and takes a big gulp. "So, when do you think you'll be able to work again?" O'Neil asks. Todd glares at O'Neil. "What?" He responds, without a clue. "I just passed out and the first thing you ask me is when will I be able to go back to work?" "To be fair that's not the first thing I asked you." O'Neil replies. Todd stares hard at him. "Well, when are you going back?" He asks. "You have got a lot of nerve." "I'm just doing my job." Todd shakes his head. "If find your lack of humanity disturbing, but everything is done anyways." "Done? What are you talking about?" "The task  you asked me to do? I'm done with it." "Don't try to squirm out of this. I was there. There was nothing but rubble in that room." O'Neil says, sternly. "I suggest you take another look then." O'Neil clenches his teeth. "Fine, but if I go back there you're coming with me."

The Call

Sgt. Rodgers strapped herself into the cockpit next to to the pilot. She readied herself for takeoff. She was prepared to leave us all behind when all the sudden she received a call on her radio. "Sarg, I think I found something." Jones says in a less than confident voice. "Oh you did, did you?" She replies. "Yes, I believe we have found what we were looking for." "That's too  bad we've already left." Sgt. Rodgers says, flipping off her radio. The pilot turns his head towards Sgt. Rodgers. "What?" She snaps. "Permission to speak?" He asks. "Permission granted. But be brief." "Do you suppose there is some truth in what Private Jones was saying?" He asks. "There might be. However, to turn back would be to admit I was wrong, and I do not do that." "But what if we could use the technology for our own good?"  Sgt. Rodgers sighs. She flips back on her radio. "Private, stay right where you are. Don't let those two or the mask get out of your sight."

Bad Idea

O'Neil felt that enough time had passed. Expecting  Todd to be standing before a completed or at least partially completed project, he swung the door open to the surveillance room. To his surprise he saw Todd passed out on the floor, drenched in sweat. He quickly rushed over to Todd."Wake up! Wake up! I need you to wake up!" O'Neil shouts, lightly slapping Todd's face. Todd was unresponsive. O'Neil checks Todd's pulse. He is still alive, but time may be running out. O'Neil carefully scoops Todd off the floor, and heads out the door to the medical wing.

Jones Trembles

Jones, the fresh faced soldier tried his best to give off an air of confidence when guarding us, but we knew better. We could see the end of his assault rife shaking. "You don't have to do this." Olivia says. "I have orders." He replies. "I know. You don't have to do this " Olivia repeats. "Shut up. You don't know anything." He says, trying to sound bigger than he really was. Olivia's eye's widen. "I don't know anything?" "That's right. That's why I'm here, and you two are there." "So, does that mean that you know more than me?" Olivia questions. "I think I do." "Then why did she leave you here on this godforsaken island?" Olivia asks. "She'll be back."He says with a shaky voice. "I wouldn't be to sure of that." I chime in. "Your sergeant left because she was afraid." Olivia taunts. "It wasn't worth the risk." He shouts. Olivia shakes her head. "That's a shame because she was so close to the mask." "You shut your mouth. For all I know you two are dirty, rotten, no good liars." "I understand where you are coming from, Jones, but there is a suspicious looking mound of dirt by your feet." Olivia says, calmly. Jones eyes the mound of dirt. "You want to take a look at that?" Olivia asks. "I think I might." Jones crouches down, still aiming the gun at us. "I give you my word Jones, we won't go anywhere." Olivia assures. Jones carefully examines the mound. He brushes dirt away with his hand, and we can clearly see a broken goggle lens. "Is that what I think it is?" Jones asks. We don't respond. We instead let him pull out the mask instead. He holds up the mask with horrified, apologetic look on his face. "I'm gonna radio Sergeant back now."

Not Working

Todd stared at the massive piles for the remainder of the day. He didn't budge a muscle. He barely even blinked. He just sat and stared for hours on end. "Doesn't look like you've made any progress." O'Neil says through an intercom attached to the ceiling. "I haven't." Todd replies, unphased. "This is not good. You need to work." "No, I don't." He says, lethargically. "We need you." "I know. I can't believe I trusted you in the first place." "I'm not your friend." O'Neil says, firmly. "I know. It felt like that for a while though." "Sorry. But it was all part of the plan." Todd shakes his head. "There are others in the hanger, aren't there?" He asks. "Of course. How else do you think I got all this in here? While we were playing games someone was setting this room up." Todd sighs. "I'm so stupid." "No. You are a smart man, but know you need to use your wits for us." "Why should I help you?" "Because it is your duty as a citizen." "Not of your country." Todd says, defiantly. "You're here now, so you will help us." "No." "Then you leave me no choice." "What are you going to do?" Todd says, trying to sound unworried. O'Neil doesn't respond, but a loud clanking can be heard overhead. "Did you hear that?" O'Neil asks. "Yeah, what was that?" "The heat. I turned it up, and I will continue to crank it up until you work." "That's the best you got?" "You have no idea how warm it can get. I suggest you get to work now. Unless, that is, you want to see for yourself what hell feels like."

Find

I wondered what could possibly be important enough to grab Sgt. Rodgers' attention. I thought maybe they had found a helmet. Then I remembered that Olivia wasn't the only one to leave behind something on this island. We were all face to face with the net that caught me. "You think someone else is on this island, Sarg?" A fresh faced soldier asks Sgt. Rodgers. "Our satellite surveillance didn't pick up any inhabitants on the island, but you can never be too sure." She calmly replies. "I think there are other people. " I say without thinking. Sgt. Rodgers raises and eyebrow. "Oh, you do? Do you know for sure? Or is that an educated guess?" She asks, inching closer to me. "An educated guess." I say. "You better not be withholding any information." "He's not. We're not." Olivia says nervously. Sgt. Rodgers turns and re examines the net. She feels the ropes with her fingers. "They appear to be withered. This could be an old trap, a very old trap. In that case it would be likely there are no inhabitants around. But I can't take any chances." "Does that mean we're leaving?" Olivia asks. Sgt. Rodgers laughs. "We are." "What?" Olivia and I say in unison. "You heard me." Sgt. Rodgers whistles. Her troop comes to her side. She starts to leave the jungle. "Jones, stay here." She says to the fresh faced soldier. "Why me?" He asks. "Someone has to ensure they don't leave." With that Sgt. Rodgers takes off into the thick jungle with the rest of her troop.

Piles

O'Neil showed Todd the remnants of the Wellness Center. There was a pile of bricks, a pile for siding and shingles, and one for random odds and ends. All three piles were placed on the cold, steel table in the surveillance room. Todd could do little else than stare at the massive piles that nearly touched the ceiling. "What's the matter?" O'Neil asks. "What do you think. I worked hard on this. Granted I was no where near done, but this was mine." "I was only following orders." O'Neil says, consolingly. "I still don't understand that." "What's not to understand? You were in a secure area without authorization. We had to take caution." "I guess. It's just such a shame." Todd says, with a sigh. "It is, but you can rebuild it. In fact, that is exactly what you should do." "I know I can. It will take a while though." O'Neil backs up to the door. "That's fine. Take your time. Take all the time you need." O'Neil exits the room, but Todd is too engrossed in the piles to notices. O'Neil slams the door behind him and securely locks it.

Under the Parachute

We climbed down ropes from the helicopter to the heart of the jungle. I couldn't tell you what my lunch looked like this afternoon, let alone a mangled, white parachute from two years ago. However, I think it was safe to assume it was ours. Sgt. Rodgers eyed the white cloth with her troop. "Is that what we're looking for?" She asks. "Yes. So is that, and that, and that." I say pointing to the various areas the parachute was spread. I counted five trees in total it was caught on. "You said it was underneath the tree?" "Yes, but I don't know which one." I reply. "That's fine. We have the manpower. Everybody start digging." She shouts. "With what?" Olivia questions. "You have hands." Sgt. replies, coldly. Olivia and I start to dig into the earth with our hands. "Sergeant, take a look at this." A soldier cries out. "This had better be good." She says rolling her eyes. The sergeant walks away, leaving Olivia and myself alone to dig. She come back just a moment later. "I think you two better come take a look at this as well."

Searching

Sgt. Rodgers let Olivia and myself stay with the pilot while we search for a parachute that might or might not be there. I thought it was a kind gesture at first, then I realized while we were up front, Sgt. Rodgers was with troop in the back. I'm sure she took the extra time to feed them rhetoric about how we were not to be trusted. It was frustrating, but I couldn't give in to petty annoyances. "What's that?" Olivia points to a flapping cloth in the distance. "Can you see what that is?" I ask our pilot. He flies to the area in question. Olivia and I examine the spot carefully. We have no validation from a closer vantage point. It still just looks like a dirty, tattered, white cloth. "You think that's it?" I ask Olivia. "I don't know. It could be." "Is this what we are searching for?" The pilot asks us. Olivia and I look at each other. "I need an answer." He says. "We think it could be. It probably is." I reply. "Do you want me to keep going?" He asks. "No. Stop here. We'll search on the ground." I say. The pilot nods. "I'll hover here. Get sergeant. She'll know what to do."

Video Games

Up, down, side to side, triangle, square, circle, x! Pow! Pow! Bang! Boom! The digital violence was like nothing Todd had ever seen. He immersed himself fully in the dystopian game. His eyes were bloodshot, and sweat was pouring down his face. Todd's fingers were numb for playing many hours straight. This was the last game he told himself. This was going to be the final match. He bit his lip in anticipation of the fatal blow he would give to O'Neil, and then... BAM! Todd threw down his controller. He raised his hands in the air in celebration. "That was a good match." O'Neil says, trying not to let Todd's gloating get to him. "You want a rematch?" Todd asks with crazed eyes. "No, no more rematches." "Are you chicken?" "No, but I realize it's good to stop every now and then." "I think you're chicken." "Sure." O'Neil says, rolling his eyes. "That was a great game." Todd says, still very much filled with adrenaline. "It is fun. Supposedly it will help us prepare, but I don't know." "Prepare for what?" "The inevitable." O'Neil replies, expecting that to be enough information. "What is the inevitable." O'Neil sighs. "Surely, you can't be that naive?" "What is the inevitable?" Todd asks again. "We have a shaky relationship with many different extraterrestrial civilizations. It's only a matter of time before they attack us. Hence the game. We have to be prepared." "You have a relationship with hostile aliens?" Todd asks. "They aren't hostile now, but it's only a matter of time." "I don't understand. What makes you think they'd want to harm us?" "You don't have to understand." O'Neil responds. "But why would they come all this way just to hurt us?" O'Neil shakes his head. "Who knows how they work. But that is what will happen."  Rather than continue to debate how murderous the aliens can be, Todd chooses a new approach. "Is there anything we can do?" "Develop technology faster." "Is that why they all went to find that thing?" Todd asks. "You're a smart cookie." Todd shakes his head. "Na, I'm just putting the pieces together." "Well, you're doing a better job than me." "I guess, I just don't understand why you tore apart my house." "We had to know." "Know what?" Todd asks. "You know, that you weren't an alien." Todd glares at O'Neil. "Besides we wanted any technology you had." "But it doesn't belong to you." Todd says, defiantly. "You were on our property. Therefore it belonged to us. I don't feel good about this either." "You don't feel good about it? How about we make it right then?" "How do you suppose we do that?" O'Neil asks. "You give me back everything you found from the wreckage." "I can't do that." "Yes, you can. You give me back everything. I'll fly so far away. You'll never see me again. Ever." O'Neil takes a deep breath. "Ok. I can make a deal."

Convince Sgt.

We trudged along the outer perimeter for a good hour and a half. The sun was beating down on us, and every step forward was two steps back. At the half way point I found my legs ready to give out. I didn't want to slow down. I didn't want to collapse, but truth be told, I hadn't had any water in what felt like ages. "C'mon. Get up." Olivia urges. "I can't." "Yes you can." "No, go on with out me." "Cut the shit. We're  ahead of everyone else , but Sgt. Rodgers is gonna catch up with us any minuet." As if one que, Sgt. Rodgers walked up with her troop. "Found the mask already?" She asks. "We were just taking a break." Olivia says. "No. No breaks till we find the mask." She says with gritted teeth. "But we have no idea where it is." I shout. "And yet you two were on the island before? How strange is that?" "That was two years ago." "I don't care for excuses. Pick him up." She says, coldly. Olivia helps me up. "There, are we ready to start again?" "Sergeant, may I speak a concern?" Olivia asks. "Speak quickly." "Well, it seems we're going about this the wrong way." Sgt. Rodger's face reddens. "Are you questioning my authority?" "It just seems there is a much better way to go about this." "And what would that be?" "Why are we all together? Shouldn't we spread out?" Olivia asks. "Absolutely not. I cannot risk losing one, single soldier. Besides I don't trust either one of you. Any other suggestions?" She asks smugly. "Yeah, why are we walking along beaches? " I chime in. "Excuse me?" "There is more jungle than beach." I add. "What's your point?" She asks, annoyed. "I'm pretty sure the last time we had it was in the jungle, not the beach." "So, you remember that all the sudden?" She says, sarcastically. "He's right. It's in the jungle. Deep in the jungle." The sergeant breathes heavily. "We'll finish securing the perimeter. Then we'll venture into the jungle." "But we have a helicopter. We don't have to walk everywhere." I say. "Yes, we do. We'd have no way of finding that while in the helicopter. It would be like a needle in a haystack." She scolds. "Not necessarily. I remember landing on the island by parachute one day. All we have to do is look for a parachute caught in a tree because the mask was in that area." Olivia replies. "That was two years ago. I'm sure the parachute blew away by this point." Sgt. Rodgers says. "Maybe not. We should check." I insist. " I seriously doubt it's there..." "But?" Olivia says, trying to pull the words out of her mouth. "But you could be right." Sgt. Rodgers turns to her troops. "Everybody back to the helicopter."

Tour

Lackluster was not a strong enough word to describe the tour of the hanger. Todd was expecting to see top - secret war planes. Instead he got broom closets, coat rooms, and corridors. It's possible that O'Neil had no clue where anything remotely exciting was. He was kept in the dark about other matters, so it didn't seem far fetched at all. At any rate, while viewing the winter coat room (Exactly what it sounds like. A coat room specifically for winter garments.) Todd felt a yawn coming over him. He tried his best to conceal it, but his efforts where in vain. Realizing that he was losing Todd, O'Neil led him down a long and winding corridor to an office break room. It looked like any typical break room. There were tables spread out, a coffee maker, and a water cooler. There was even a lounge area in the far corner with a leather couch and a flat screen T.V. "I call this the coffee room because this is where I get coffee." "I see." "Would you like a coffee?" He asks. "No thanks." "But I saw you yawn. You must be tired." Todd doesn't respond. "I'm boring you, aren't I?" "No it's not that it's-" "What? You think I'm a terrible host?" O'Neil starts to hyperventilate. "You're fine. I just had higher expectations I guess." "Higher expectations? What were you expecting to see?" O 'Neil questions. Todd wants to say airplanes or alien technology, but he remains silent. "Everything I've shown you is top of the line. The T.V. over there is state of the art." "Yeah. It's a beauty." Todd says, changing the subject. "You think it looks nice?" "I do." O'Neil sighs. "You want to play Halo?" Todd half smiles. "I don't really play video games." "I don't much either. One of the guys bought it." "That means I can beat you?" Todd asks. O'Neil raises an eyebrow. "We'll see."

Beach Orders

"I suppose you recognize this place?" Sgt. Rodgers announces to us in front of her soldiers on the island beach. "I suppose we do." I say, coyly. "This is where you entered, is it not?" She questions. "I don't know. All the beaches look this same." Olivia says. "It was this one." Sgt. Rodgers replies. "How do you know?" I ask. "I just do." "But how?" "Never mind how. We have a mask to find. Take us there." Olivia and I look at each other. "Well, start walking." "We don't know where to go." I inform. Sgt. Rodgers slowly raises her assault rifle. "You better walk somewhere." "You have any idea where to go?" Olivia whispers to me. "Not a clue." "We're waiting." Sgt. Rodgers shouts. "Yeah, we think it's this way." I shout back, and without having any clue what to do next, we both march forward.

Chain of Command

Todd was left alone for a very long time. I don't think it was a form of psychological torture, but rather they actually forgot about him. The hours passed. Eventually O'Neil came in. "You ready?" "I suppose." Todd replies. "Good. I guess you should get out of here then." Todd starts to stand. "So, what you guys having me do?" O' Neil gives Todd a puzzled look. "What are you having me do?" He asks again. O 'Neil stares for a moment. "You have no idea, do  you?" Todd says. "No, I do not. No one tells me anything." "That makes two of us." O'Neil chuckles to himself. "Why do they keep us in the dark?" "Who knows?" Todd says. O'Neil taps his foot. "So, I'm supposed to be telling you to do something." "And I'm supposed to be doing something." "But we have no idea what that something is." There is a brief pause. "You wanna just take a tour of this place?" O'Neil asks. "Yeah, might as well."

Helicopter

We promptly left the military hanger in a large, olive green, helicopter. It was the length of a football field and had three propellers. Two in the front, and one in the back.  This mode of transportation seemed less about stealth, and more about show. I don't say that just because of the loud noise from the propeller, but more than half of helicopter was glass. Anyone, and everyone could see in. While Sgt. Rodgers kept the pilot company in the front, Olivia and I remained with the rest of the troop in the back. "What are we doing?" I whisper to Olivia. My voice barely audible over the shaking. Olivia shrugs. "We're going to find the mask." "But it's broken." "I know that." "So, what do you think we should do, run away?" I suggest. "We can try. We have to find the mask first though."

Development

"So, you remembered something for me?" Sgt. Rodgers asks while closing the door behind her. "We know what you're looking for." Olivia says. Sgt. Rodgers, now intrigued, takes a seat at the steel table. She folds her hands. "What might that be?" "A helmet, or rather a mask" Olivia replies. "A mask? Well, this has suddenly gotten more interesting. Did you by any chance use this mask?" "We did. We couldn't get it to work too well though." I say. "Tsk tsk. That's a shame. Perhaps I would have better luck with it?" She ponders. "Maybe." Sgt. Rodgers pushes herself away from the desk. "Where are you going?" I ask. "There is a mask out there, is there not?" "There is, but -" "But, but what? You don't have it, do you?" "We don't, but we don't know where it would be on the island." "I'll bring you two and some of my troop. We'll find it." "You want us to go back to that island, and search for a mask that might not even work anymore?" I question. "That's exactly what I'm saying. Well, except for you that is." She says point to Todd. "Why can't I come?" Todd demands. "Because I have something else in store for you." "What is it?" She shakes her head sternly. "Not now. I have a helicopter to catch with these two. O'Neil will be here shortly. He'll tell you what you must do."

Three Caballeros

"She's lost her mind" Todd chuckles to himself. Neither Olivia nor I respond. "Don't you think." We still don't say a word. "Oh come on. Have you two lost it as well?" "We haven't lost anything." I say. "It must be all of the stress. That's what it is." He replies, sharply. "It's not stress. We did get abducted." Olivia says. "What's with you two?" "You don't believe us?" Olivia asks. "No. I think you've both gone loony on me." "Really? After all we've seen? You don't think it's possible that we may have been abducted at one point." I ask. "Nothing we did was ever out of the ordinary." He says. "What about the falcons? That weird society?" Olivia asks. Todd shakes his head. "All in a days work." I lean forward. "What about that mysterious yellow substance?" Todd squints his eyes. "How could I forget? It destroyed the first Wellness Center." "My point is that that stuff was extraterrestrial. Knowing that don't you think its possible we could have been abducted?" Todd rolls his eyes. "I guess."  Olivia and I smile. "Well, now we have more information. Now we can get her back in here." He says. "No, I don't think that's enough for her." I remark. "What did happen to that spaceship?" Olivia asks. I shrug. "It disappeared." "But we did find something, right?" "Yeah, we found that third eye helmet." "You think she could be looking for that?" Olivia wonders. "It's possible, but we have no idea where it is." "No, but we can always make up something if she asks. Get her back in here." Olivia urges. I do the only thing I can think of at that moment. I bang on the one way mirror as hard as I possibly can with my fist. A minute later the heavy, steel door swings open. Sgt. Rodgers enters with an unusually calm demeanor. "Ready to talk?"

More Questions

With no one to talk to and nothing to distract me, time passed by slowly in the surveillance room. I could hear the second hand ticking away. It was the only noise in the whole room. Just me and tick, tick , tick, tick. It was driving me nuts. I was so happy when the door flung open and I saw Olivia and Todd. I gave them each a huge hug, and then Sgt. Rodgers strolled in. "I hate to break up the love fest, but we must get back to work." We break apart at once. Sgt. Rodgers eyes Olivia and Todd. "You two were also abducted two years ago?" "I was, he wasn't." Olivia replies. "And how do you know him?" She asks. "I'm their boss." Todd says. "But you weren't abducted with them?" Sgt. Rodgers questions. "I didn't know them yet." He says, defensively. "Alright, well stick around. I'm sure we'll need you soon." "I'm sorry. What is this about?" He asks. "I'll get to that. Take a seat." Olivia and I comply. Todd remains standing. "You destroyed my home."  "It was a necessary precaution." "How so?" The sergeant scowls. "Simple. You stumbled into a secret military base without authorization. Take a seat." Todd puts up no further fight and sits down. "There, now that we have that unpleasantness out of the way, continue." Olivia searches her mind. "Um, we crashed into the ocean." "Which one?" She asks, more sternly. "I think Atlantic." Sgt. Rodgers smiles. "And then you swam to an island." "Yes." Sgt Rodgers leans back in her seat. "That all?" She asks. "Yeah." I respond. Sgt. Rodgers shakes her head. "I don't think so. What happened to the spaceship?"  "It sunk." I say. "You didn't think to look for the wreckage?" "We did." "And?" "There was nothing there." "Liar!"She screams. Sgt. Rodgers jumps out of her seat and walks to the door. "You three can sit in here until you come up with a better story."

Escape

"Are you sure about this?" Todd asks glancing out the attic window. "It's either that or we become part of rubble." Olivia shouts over the violent sledgehammers. "It's just so far down." Olivia looks out the window. "It's not as far as you think. They leveled off most of the chain, so we are much closer to the ground then we were previously." Todd gulps. "So, how do we get down?" "The roof is slanted. We'll slide for a little bit. Then  we'll grab on to the gutter and we'll drop from there." "Ok." Their escaped starts off smoothly. However, when they start to slide down the roof, not only is it much faster than anticipated (shingles fly off) but the gutter is  missing. There is nothing to stop them. They speed off the edge of the roof and fall 5 feet onto a hard, linoleum floor. They gradually get up, brushing off bits of rubble from their bruised bodies. "Watch out!" Todd shouts. Olivia looks up in time to see O'Neil wielding a sledgehammer. She quickly throws up her bubble before he can inflict any damage. The sledgehammer bounces off Olivia's bubble and throws O'Neil back. "What the fuck is going on?" She cries. "You'll have to excuse my inferior .He's not bright." An approaching voice says. Olivia turns her head to see Sgt. Rodgers walking her way. "Who are you?" Olivia asks. "Sergeant Rodgers?" "Sergeant Rodgers, what's going on?" "All a misunderstanding, I'm afraid." "That's an understatement." She mutters. "You can disarm yourself now." Sgt Rodgers says. "I'd rather not." "Suit yourself. I have your friend by the way." "What did you do to him?" Olivia asks, angrily. "Just asking questions. I was hoping you could fill in the blanks." "Me?" She questions. "Yes, and him as well." She says, pointing to Todd.

July 2014

I was escorted to a small, dimly lit room with one steel table. I was left alone for hours to wonder who was watching me behind the one way mirror. Eventually sergeant Rodgers entered. She had a  fake, warm small and she extended her right arm to the table. "Take a seat." I sat down opposite her. Where am I? What's going on?" "I'll ask the questions." She says, still trying to keep up her calm demeanor. I lean back in my seat. "Fine. Fire away." She clears her throat before starting. "Where were you July of 2014?" "What?" "I want to know where you were July of 2014." She says more firmly. "I don't remember." "It was only two years ago." I take a deep breath. "Um, I saw the fireworks." "I don't care about the fireworks." "That's a shame because they were a good display that year." Sgt Rodgers slams her fist on the table. "You were on an uncharted island, weren't you?" She grills. "I was on an island. Didn't know it was uncharted." "It was. Do you remember how you got there?" I chuckle to myself. I know there is no way she would believe I was abducted. "Go on." She urges. "Um."  "You were taken up into the sky by an unidentified flying object?" "Yes, I was." I shout. The sergeant leans in. "Now we're getting somewhere. Did they say anything to you?" I shrug. "All I remember is that we were supposed to help them find a way home," "We?" "Yeah, me and Olivia. She's back in that building." The sergeant turns pale. She gets up. "There really was another person?" "Where are you going?" I ask. "I have to do something. Stay here."

Wrecking Crew

"The storm has passed." Todd declares calmly. "How do you know?" Olivia asks. "I just do." Olivia shakes her head. "Alright. You want to get out of here?" "Yes." Todd and Olivia stumble out of the darkened room. Not long after a loud bang could be heard outside the Wellness Center followed shortly by a tremendous shaking. It knocks both Olivia and Todd down. "I thought you said the storm has passed." Olivia shouts. "It did. That was something else." "What was it?" "I don't know. I'll check it out." Todd walks in to the dark room. There is another loud band, and Olivia gets knocked down again. "Todd, I don't think the storm is over." There is no response. Olivia decides to shout louder. "Did you hear me? It's not over. There is still a mighty storm." Todd creeps out of the dark room with his had hanged low. "What's the matter?" Todd lifts his head. He has water in his eyes. "They're destroying my home." He sobs. "Who is?" "I don't know, but they have sledgehammers. They've just about taken down the chimney." "What?" She says in disbelief. "It's being destroyed. All my hard work is going down the drain." "Todd, we have to get out of here." "I didn't even get a chance to finish it." Olivia shakes Todd. "Listen, that sucks. It really does, but right now we have bigger problems. If we don't leave this instant we will be hurt very badly."

Sgt. Rodgers

A moment later the stout military man reemerged with what appeared to be his commanding officer. She was a tall woman. Almost a full foot taller than the stout man. She had blonde hair that was pulled tightly behind her ears. She wore green camouflage, and had the sternest look on her face. "State your business." "Miss, I -" "Miss!" She roars. "Do I look like a adolescent female waiting for a chance to take out the Maserati?" "No?" I say, unsure of myself. "Then why are you calling me miss?" "I don't know. I thought it was polite." She huffs. "Polite? At least you didn't call me Ma'am. Do I look 80?" "No, you do not?" I say, more confused. She takes a deep breath. "Good. Now that we have that out of the way." She stares me dead in the eye. "State your business." "I'm only here by accident." She laughs to herself. "It's true." I insist. The stout man decides to chime in. "He brought others." The sergeant turns to the officer. She stares at him coldly for a moment. "Did I ask you to speak? You will speak when spoken to." She turns back to me. "Is that true?" "Yes, I can go get them." The sergeant shakes her head. "No, I'll deal with it. O' Neil!" "Yes, sergeant." The stout man replies. "Take this man away. Put this man away somewhere secure." O'Neill places his hand on my arm. She starts to carry me off. "What about the others?" I shout. The sergeant glances up at the Wellness Center. "We'll  take about your ship bit by bit, and then we'll see exactly what you are hiding. Take him away now."

Hanger

I glided the Wellness Center into a dark, jet hanger. I wanted to let everyone know that I was not a threat. So, as I jumped off the chains  I mad my presence known by shouting "hello" as softly as possible. I heard the stomping of boots in the distance and felt a slight relief. Then I saw a short, stout, military man appear from the shadows. He made direct eye contact with me and reached for his radio. "We have a breach in security. Stand by your positions." I raised my hands above my head. "I mean no harm."  "And just what are you doing in a government facility?" "I had no idea what this place was." I plead. The military man sneers. "You had no idea? You just happened to float in?" "Pretty much. I was looking for shelter from the storm." He rolls his eyes. "Give me some identification." I reached for my wallet. I hand him my driver's license. He views it carefully. " That your current address on here?" "Technically this building is." I say, tapping the chain to the Wellness Center. The military man looks up at the Wellness Center. He sighs and hands me back my ID. "I suppose you're fine." "Great, I'll tell the others." "Others?" He questions. "Yeah, they're inside." The military man's face stiffens. "Stay where you are. I'll be right back." Just like that he vanishes into the shadows, leaving me alone in the floating hanger.

Steering

I fastened my hood and cape tightly to the chain. Not many people know this but while my cape usually hangs just above my ankles, it can stretch to enormous lengths. It also has self - regenerative properties. So any rip or tear is fixed by itself with in a matter of hours. Currently my cape is the size of a sail on a long boat. This helps me to steer the Wellness Center. I do that by leaning my body from side to side. Fortunately, I didn't have to avoid any mountains, but there is a giant, grey, floating, jet hanger ahead. Perhaps I should land there?

Safe Spot

Olivia stumbled into a dark room filled with stacks of boxes. She groped the wall tirelessly looking for a light switch. "Don't bother searching for a switch. There isn't one." A voice calls out. Olivia squints her eyes. "Todd?" "That's me." "What are you doing here?" "Contemplating." He says, simply. "I see." "No you don't. You have no idea where I am."  Olivia sighs loudly. "There is a box by your feet. It's pretty sturdy if you want to sit down." Olivia slowly crouches down and sits on the box. "What are you contemplating?" She asks. "Oh, things aren't going well." "With the building you mean?" "Yes." "That's fairly obvious. But we can help you." Olivia says. "I'm afraid I might have to take you up on that." Olivia is slightly taken aback. "Don't act like it's such a bad thing." She snaps. "It is. This Wellness Center has been passed down my family for generations. I should innately know what to do, but I don't." "Stop being so hard on yourself. You have this. Some of your ideas are... well they're bad, but we can improve on it."  "I guess you're right." He says, still less than enthusiastic. "You're damn right I'm right. Now let's get out of the dark." "I don't think that's a good idea." "Why?" Olivia questions. "You guys dug up the anchor, right? Causing the Wellness Center to lift high into the atmosphere." "We did. Why?" "Surely you noticed that the winds are much more destructive in the sky?" "We have, but what do you suggest we do?" "Stay here. The winds won't harm you in this room. This is the safest place to be right now." "How long do we stay in here?" Olivia asks. "Till the windstorm is over." Olivia pauses for a moment, reflecting on Todd's statement. "If this is truly the safest room to be in how will we even know when the windstorm is over?" "I'll know."