Trouble with UFOs
By Toni Walker
Episode 6: Attack of the Nanies Part Two
I’m not sure what time it was. I felt like I’d slept over eight hours. For the first time, I looked around my room. I shook my head. My room. It was hard to believe I had a place here.
My door opened suddenly and Penny stuck her head inside my door. A big smile crossed her face. “Hey, girlfriend, you coming out anytime today?”
I winced and struggled into a sitting position. “I thought I was a prisoner.”
Penny looked upward in thought. “Well, yeah, in a manner of speaking, but there are so many cool things to do here.”
She came inside and pulled me into a standing position. I don’t think I could have done so otherwise. Her smile was infectious.
“Get up. Come on. You’ll love it.”
As she pulled me outside my door, I suddenly felt a lot better. I took a deep breath and sighed.
“I see you noticed the aromatherapy,” Penny sniffed the air. “Vanilla bean and lavender with a touch of mint.”
I raised my eyebrow.
“What? It’s a talent.”
Penny led me down one row and over two.
“You’re gonna love this,” she said. Penny pushed me out into the main throughway. “Ta da! What do you think? Cool, huh?”
Whatever I was expecting, it wasn’t this. It was like looking at a vendors alley in Disneyland. The closest place had a large circle logo. It took me a second to realize what it was.
“A Starbucks? In Area 51?”
“I know! Killer, huh?” Penny got into line behind a tall black man who had to be pushing sixty. The man behind the counter handed Penny a tall frothy drink that probably had more sugar than a dozen donuts.
“What’s your poison?” Benji, the manager, asked.
“Hazelnut with cream. But I’m not a fan of Starbucks,” I said with a shrug.
“Of course,” he said as he accessed a panel on the side of the kiosk. “Ah, St. Louis Bread Company, eh?”
I smiled in surprise. “Yeah, how did you know that?”
“They know all,” Penny said wiggling her fingers.
“Take a look around,” Benji said. “A lot of interesting things around here to keep you occupied.”
“Benji’s all about keeping busy,” Penny said. “Hey, you gotta check this out.”
Penny led me to what looked like a bookstore with the words Amazon.com stenciled on the glass.
“We all get a Kindle when we arrive, but it’s more fun to browse through a real tangible bookstore than search for a book on the website.“ Penny whipped hers out of her pocket. “And I know you love you some books. I’ve seen photos of your book collection. And might I say -- AWESOME.”
“How do you know about my book collection?”
“I sometimes help out with technical issues. You know, computer stuff.” Penny smiled. “You should check out your kindle. I’ll bet they put every book you own on it plus a whole bunch you only dreamed of having.”
“That sounds great,” I said slowly. I was more than a little freaked out that Area 51 knew so much about me, about my preferences.
Penny searched up and down the isles scanning bar codes of books. I picked up one as well scanning a label of a book that wouldn’t come out until September. The lady at the front desk stared at my scanner read out. “That’s all? Just one?”
I nodded. “How much does something like this cost?”
“It’s all free,” she said with a weak smile., “Everything on the Concourse is. You must be new.”
“I’m showing her around,” Penny said enthusiastically. “This place is basically a one stop shop filled to the brim with anything you could ever want or dream about.”
“It sounds too good to be true.” I leaned against a bench inside the Kindle Store. “I think I’ve had too much of a good thing.”
“Ah, come on! You can’t leave now. We’ve only scratched the surface.” Penny pouted with as much enthusiasm as she smiled.
Before I could return to my room, Clarke Jenkins appeared on the Concourse. He seemed to be looking for someone. It turned out that someone was me.
“You’re a hard lady to track down,” Clarke said. “Considering what happened yesterday, shouldn’t you be resting?”
“What happened yesterday?” Penny’s innocent eyes stared up at Clarke, but it was another voice that answered her.
“I’m afraid that’s classified.” Jack Osbourne parted the crowd with a stern look.
“Jack?” I was relieved to see a familiar face. I clutched him in a big bear hug he only half returned. He and I had our issues in the past. Maybe he was still dealing with them. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m part of the military contingent that works here.” The easy smile I remembered returned for a brief second and then was gone.
“Did you see that?” Penny pointed to Jack’s face. “I think I saw a moment of true emotion. There goes my theory that you’re a government issued automaton.
“Penny, we’re going to have to steal Taffy away for awhile.” An edge of concern marked his brow.
“More tests?” I asked, deflated.
“I’m afraid so.”
I waved a goodbye to Penny while Clarke and Jack momentarily conferred then momentarily loaded me into what looked like a golf cart. Clarke whisked me away toward the restricted area where the labs were located.
“It shouldn’t take more than an hour,” Clarke assured me. “I want to take a closer look at the anomaly I found in your blood.”
“Get that look of terror off your face,” Jack said.
“Excuse me for being freaked out, but the last time they tried a routine procedure on me I nearly died.”
“Died is a strong word. You were having a seizure. Technically, that’s not dying,” Clarke wiped my arm with alcohol.
I turned away. I was not a big fan of needles. I had been a sickly kid and spent much of my youth in and out of doctor’s offices.
“Still have a needle phobia,” Jack asked.
I closed my eyes until Clarke finished drawing my blood. “Let’s just say, I’m not a fan.”
+++
“What’s the verdict, doc?” Jack asked. Clarke could tell he was being patient but that would only last up to a point.
Clarke moved from one slide to the next, then shook his head. “It’s not there.”
“What’s not there?”
“The foreign nanites. The ones that attacked my nanos. They’re gone. I can’t explain it.” Clarke raked a hand through his hair.
“Where could they go?” Jack asked. She’s been under constant surveillance since she arrived.
I don’t know,” Clarke said.
“Can you put one of your nanites into one of these samples of Taffy’s blood?”
“What could would that do?”
“Just do it.”
Clarke reluctantly followed Jack’s suggestion. As he added one nanite with a syringe to the closest blood sample. As he observed under the microscope, the foreign nanites began popping up in the sample.
“Oh, my God. That’s not possible Somehow my nanites bring out the foreign ones in her blood.”
“Ah, doc…” Jack was looking into a second microscope fitted with a drop of Taffy’s blood straight from the vile. “You need to take a look at this.”
Clarke slid over, peered into the second microscope and gasped. “That’s not possible.” But it was clear as say. This blood sample also had the foreign nanites as big as life. “I altered that sample over there. This sample should theoretically be clean.”
“Maybe they’re somehow wirelessly communicating with each other.”
As Jack posed his theory, a light of wonder filled Clarke’s eyes. He stood and ran to the room where Taffy was resting.
“What?” Jack asked, following the doctor. “Am I right?”
When they duo arrived in the room, Taffy was seizing on the bed.
“This shouldn’t be happening,” Clarke said. “That blood sample in the other room shouldn’t be effecting her here.”
“But it is.”
“She’s defying basic scientific principles.”
“Screw the scientific principles. Save Taffy.” Jack ran back to the lab and grabbed the slide. “What if destroying the nanite doesn’t work this time.”
“I’ve been asking myself the same question.”
