It is true that we have dreams that we cannot recall. Some people claim to never have them, but there is no way to know if they are right. Maybe it is true that any time our bodies rest, our minds run wild through our subconscious, only, we are unable to remember those journeys and sleep feels like a sprint from eyes closed to eyes open. Maybe dreams are a symptom of sleep even if they are invisible to the sleeper.
Over the course of the week that Maria is detained in the IBF basement, she has lush dreams that she remembers clearly, as though she inhabits a different life on the other side of her eyelids. But it is not a new life that she sees, it is a life that people who loved and cared for her had tried her entire life to convince her was not real. She relives her alien abduction, the time when she was twelve and living in the mountains with her mother and she was playing outside when she was greeted by a man that she did not know, but for some reason trusted instinctively, and followed him onto a ship that she could not see until she was inside of it. She experienced that day in her dreams over and over and in vivid detail that allowed her to smell vegetation in her backyard and feel the roughness of the alien man’s hand. She could smell him, like a handsome cologne, and she could hear his voice invite her to a land so far away that it’s star is not visible on Earth even with a telescope. And she could see the complex inner workings of the ship that was as big as a mansion inside, with sleek metal structures and stairs, and busy with a crew of beings who looked the same but different; all like the man were tall with rich, dark brown skin, and rough hair that was neat in many variations, and hands with only two fingers and an opposable thumb with a nail sharp as a knife that might scare Maria if the beings had not made her feel so comfortable and welcomed. She dreamed about sitting in a room with the man who never gave her his name, but who knew hers though she never spoke it, and the man told her how special she was and that her trip to his planet would teach his world a lot about the human beings of Earth.
Over the course of the week, Moss and Cousins limit contact with Maria as Moss attempts to contact Eakran, and Cousins tries his best to shake his encounter with Maria. He refuses to be in the same room with the woman and he begs Moss to avoid it as well.
“Giovanni seems to be immune to whatever ability she has.”
“Then he’s going to have to help us find the connection to Nebuchad and Alia. Have him supervise a meeting with them both and you monitor. Give Giovanni an earpiece so you can feed him questions”
By week’s end, Giovanni is sitting with Maria in the office that Cousins normally uses while Cousins watches through the window and listens in via a communicator that Giovanni wears.
“When will Dr. Eakran be here? I don’t mind the wait, the food is nice, and sleeping here is so peaceful, but how long should I be expecting to be detained here?” Maria is not alarmed or upset at her detention and she has come to like Giovanni. He is the only other person she has talked to since the day she arrived.
“You know that I have only ever been honest with you, so believe me when I say that I have no idea about the doctor. And as far as your detention, it depends on the two doctors here and then the higher ups in the CIA. But your cooperation will facilitate quick processing and release when appropriate.”
Cousins says to Giovanni through their communication link, “Ask her to state her name and why she came here.” Giovanni asks.
“Maria Moreno. I came here to speak with Dr. Eakran. I saw him speak at the university where I worked and I wanted to talk to him about his work.”
“Ask her the nature of her ability to control minds. How is she able to do it, and if this is what she wanted to discuss with Eakran.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Maria says. “Mind control? I don’t have that ability.”
“Tell her that her interaction with me proves the contrary.”
“I wasn’t controlling his mind…I was just…I don’t know…is he here? Can I talk to him” Maria turns toward the window and Cousins ducks to avoid being seen.
“He is here and I am speaking to you on his behalf. Ms. Moreno, I have only ever been honest with you and I am imploring you to show me the same courtesy. This is a very advanced laboratory and the scientists here have worked with many strange or unusual cases. Anything you say here will be met with intellectual curiosity, not with scorn or persecution of any kind.”
“I am being honest when I say that I don’t know anything about mind control. Sometimes people do what I say when I ask, maybe more so than for other people, but I’m not controlling their minds. Guys think I’m attractive, some women think so too, so they do things for me that they might not do for other people. But mind control? That’s crazy.” Even from an early age, Maria was able to get her way with adults when she really wanted it, when she looked into their eyes.
Cousins isn’t sure if she is being honest, maybe she isn’t aware of her abilities, but she is definitely more than just a pretty face.
Without any prompting from Cousins, Giovanni says, “I know that you are not telling me the whole truth Maria. And I feel obligated to reiterate how important it is that you do. Let me reassure you, there is no such thing as strange or abnormal here. Even I am a testament to the strange things made reality in this basement. There is a patient here who can read your thoughts. One patient believes himself to be a bull when he isn’t screaming about aliens. Whatever your story, you have found yourself in a judgement free environment and if anyone can understand you and your situation, these doctors can. Tell me everything please. I think I have proven myself to be your ally. And I won’t let any harm come to you, you have my word.”
Maria looks back at the window and this time she sees Cousin dart out of view. “He’s afraid of me? He really thinks I controlled his mind?” She seems devastated that her presence is met with fear. “Why are you here then? Aren’t you afraid of my ability?”
“I haven’t experienced what Dr. Cousins claims to have experienced.”
“Then maybe there’s something wrong with him.”
“Is it such a crazy idea? Have you ever felt that you were controlling someone?”
“Controlling someone? I don’t know, that’s a crazy thing to ask. Like I said, people will do anything for a pretty face…”
“And yet, I have not had the same experience as Dr. Cousins. Maybe you have an ability that doesn’t work on everyone.”
“Maybe you don’t think I’m pretty.”
Giovanni laughs. “You are a gorgeous woman Mrs. Moreno. So give it a shot. Compel me to do something.” Giovanni leans forward on the desk. “Don’t tell me what, just give it a shot.”
“This is stupid…”
“Humor me. Look me in the eyes and talk to me sweet like you do when you get your way; see if you can’t make me bark like a dog or something.”
He doesn’t do it often, he usually wears a neutral face that doesn’t showcase much of his emotions, but Giovanni’s smile puts her at ease.
“Fine.” Maria leans in and gives it her best shot. She takes a deep breath, arches her right eyebrow, pinches her lips into a half smile, then runs a hand through her long black hair that settles in a cascade over one shoulder. “Can you do something for me? Can you stand on one leg?”
There is a second where the two stare at each other.
“Nothing,” Giovanni says. “Ok, now give me a minute.” He goes outside to Dr. Cousins who looks nervous. “You ready?”
“I really wish there was a better way. As soon as we confirm, you get me out of there. I don’t want her making me do anything weird.” Cousins reluctantly leads Giovanni into the room. “Now try it on me,” he says and sits across from Maria.
Maria sees that he is agitated and decides against small talk. She does a similar ritual that she had enacted before, and says the same words and Cousins stands up quickly, balancing on one leg.
Moss is frustrated on the phone, talking with the CIA is like pulling teeth and of course they are extremely reluctant to answer any questions about Dr. Eakran. She has to convince them of the urgency of her request.
“I need to discuss a patient transfer request…it’s at the behest of your agency so I think you should have some information…what do you mean ‘just comply with the request’? This is a person we’re talking about, not a piece of military equipment…well, that isn’t the only thing I need to discuss with him…just, please get a message to him, it’s absolutely urgent that we talk as soon as possible, and you should know that our office won’t be complying with any requests until Dr. Eakran responds, he’ll absolutely be required to facilitate the transfer of such a sensitive patient…I thought that might make you cooperate, I’ll hold.”
The mood in the basement has been especially tense with Cousins walking on eggshells to avoid Maria and preventing any interaction with other patients for fear that she could manipulate them in someway that could prove detrimental to them. He is reluctant to let any of the patients out of their rooms and Moss has largely avoided the basement in her efforts to find Eakran. After minutes on hold she is greeted by a familiar voice.
“Doctor, it’s been months!…yes, we have an interesting new case…you should speak to her yourself…I know about the transfer but that can be arranged after you meet Maria…I understand that it must be a very important reason but you should really…I understand doctor, I’ll get Alia ready, but she’s leaving tomorrow? Why so soon…I understand, she’ll be ready.”
Moss goes to talk with Cousins. “You have to put them in a room together like now, Dr. Eakran is pretty insistent on transferring Alia tomorrow. They’re sending a CIA escort first thing in the morning.”
“Is this really a good idea? Who knows what kind of effects it’ll have on Alia, and then shipping her out to the CIA? I don’t think the doctor is considering her needs. Where is she going anyway? What do they want with her?”
“I don’t know, it’s top secret of course. What’s the worse that can happen? Why are you so afraid of Maria?”
“Why aren’t you more concerned? She just shows up out of nowhere and she can literally control my actions when she wants, that’s cause for concern. We don’t know who she is, the info Giovanni has on her could all be easily planted by some foreign or hostile government trying to get at Dr. Eakran’s work and we know how sensitive his work is.”
“You sound so paranoid. Let security worry about that stuff. We need to explore this new phenomenon that literally fell into our laps.”
“This just feels off, and I have a feeling it’s gonna blow up in our faces.”
“Have Giovanni put Alia in a room with Maria. He can take care of her.”
Maria’s encounter with Nebuchad is uneventful. Cousins and Giovanni had set him upright in a chair in one of the observation rooms before Giovanni escorted Maria in. He was in a bull spell and Cousins watches, unexpectedly hopeful that the mysterious woman would shake something loose in him. Nebuchad just sits, moving his mouth subtly.
“I don’t think he even knows where he is.” Maria says with concern.
“Yea, this isn’t really going anywhere. Please turn and face the wall Mrs. Moreno.” Giovanni says as he signals for Cousins to help him take Nebuchad back to his room.
Maria rolls her eyes and faces the wall of the room behind her. “Tell Dr. Cousins that I’m not gonna do anything to him.”
Giovanni return shortly after with Alia walking slowly behind him. She is smiling when she sees Maria, like she is seeing an old friend after a long time. When she sits, she grabs Maria’s hands.
“You’re safe, after all these years.” Alia says.
Maria smiles weakly, there is something unsettling about the milky centers of her brown eyes. Maria does not recognize the woman and it is strange that she seems to be so familiar with her.
“I guess they haven’t come back for you yet. But you shouldn’t be here, there’s one of them here.”
“One of who?”
“Those aliens that took you. That doctor is one of them” Alia says in a whisper.
Maria is shocked. “How do you know about that?”
“I’ve seen it, and they’re coming back and you have to stop them. You can do it, you will do it. But don’t let that doctor get you Maria, he’ll make it impossible…”
“Dr. Eakran is an alien?”
Alia is becoming more agitated and she is speaking loudly. “Yes! And you’ve come here looking for answers from him, but it’s not the future you should have chosen. He has you now Maria, and now you’re his prisoner just like me. But he’s not here now. We have to get out of here!”
Maria is disturbed by the woman’s insistence; she obviously believed what she was saying and Maria wondered if she can believe it. Maybe that’s why she was so attracted to Eakran, because was one of her alien visitors from all those years ago. She compared her memory of Eakran’s face to the memory of the alien from the vivid dreams she’d been having since arriving at the IBF, and they were similar, and he was tall like the aliens.
Before Maria can ask anything more, Moss barges into the room with two agents of the CIA.
“Time to go Alia.”
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