Maria does not love the IBF basement, but she doesn’t hate it either. She has experienced a sense of calm or completion since her arrival, as though the urgency that had brought her all the way to the secret facility had melted away. It was true that she had received a lot of reassurance that her childhood memories were not delusions or hallucinations and that is a relief, but there is something else. She feels that she is where she is supposed to be. If the Alia lady is right, then Maria would do good at the IBF, and she could give Dr. Cousins some peace of mind that his boss and coworkers wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the patients who trusted their care. Maria doesn’t really understand Cousins’s alarm; Moss seems like a nice lady, but Cousins knows her much better than Maria does.
She spends this afternoon sitting outside with Aile and Elia, both of whom are silent and sunbathing. Maria paces between a tree and the chair where Elia sits. She is worried about Cousins and what he plans to do.
Cousins comes out of the building to the genteel courtyard where the ladies are enjoying the sun.
“Hey,” he says smiling weakly.
“Hey. So what’s up?” Maria is jittery, unsure how helping Cousins will change the new life she has come to tolerate.
“I think there’s something in Dr. Eakran’s office, something secret.” Cousins says in a whisper.
“So what?” Maria asks.
“So, I don’t know what or where it is, but there’s a stupid number of locks on his door. I wanna know what he’s keeping so secure.”
“What does it have to do with your partner?”
“I won’t know until I find it. But there’s too many secrets in this basement and I want to know some of them. I only just noticed the locks in Eakran’s office, but Moss knows about them. Maybe she knows what Eakran is hiding in there.”
“But we’ve all been in his office a billion times. What do you expect you find and how will you find it.
“That’s what I need you for. I need you to command Moss to open whatever safe is in that office.”
“I can’t do that. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“I need this Maria. There are so many things that aren’t lining up and I have a feeling that if Eakran is hiding something in his office it will help explain things for me.”
“I just don’t want to cause trouble.”
“Its no trouble Maria, I promise. But I think everyone in the basement deserves to know Eakran’s secrets.
“When would we even do this?” Maria asks.
“I’m going to suggest that Moss sit with you and I want you to test the limits of your abilities. I know with Nebuchad and the influence of that drug, I can only get him to repeat things as I think them. Maybe your ability is the same, maybe you can do more.”
“But why would she sit with me if I can control her mind?”
“She knows you, Giovanni knows you, I know you aren’t trying to take control of the basement. She knows you don’t have bad intentions. She’ll sit with you because we’re trying to decide if your abilities are similar to the other ladies, the Aliarum. But I know that they’re not. We both know that your ability is some how connected to that drug and the aliens who abducted you.”
“So what am I supposed to make her do exactly.”
The next day, Moss and Cousins sit talking in Eakran’s office.
“Why wouldn’t we just have Giovanni do it?” Moss asks.
“We can do that, but we don’t know if you’re susceptible to her ability. If you are we can compare you and Giovanni to better understand the immunity.”
Moss nods, it make sense. “Fine, bring her in.”
Cousins is nervous as he retrieves Maria and escorts her to the office where Moss waits, but the two had gone over the details of their plan many times.
Cousins waits outside as the two women converse. At first, Moss avoids eye contact with Maria as she asks questions and makes notes, but about twenty minutes in, she looks Maria in the eyes and the expression on Moss’s face changes.
“Do you know why there are so many locks on Dr. Eakran’s door?” Maria asks, knowing that Moss is under her sway.
“I do know, but I am sworn to secrecy.” Moss said. “Cousins can’t know.”
“Why not?” Maria asks. She wants to look back at Cousins, but she is afraid to break their eye contact.
“It would make him angry. Dr. Eakran knows that Cousins thinks that much of the work we do here is dangerous to patients. He is talented, he is my partner, but Cousins can’t know the truth. He would leave me and I need Rick here. We’re doing great things.”
“What is the point of the locks?” Maria asks.
Cousins can’t stand silent anymore and he bursts into the office. “Ask her what she’s keeping from me…”
“Stop it.” Maria says. “Don’t interrupt. She’ll remember everything when this wears off so we only have this chance. Dr. Moss, why are there so many locks?”
“The doctor has to protect his secret.” Moss says. “When all of the locks are engaged, then the panel behind the wall can open.”
“What panel?” Cousins asks.
“Show me the panel.” Maria says and Moss stands. Maria stands with her trying to maintain contact as Moss hits a hidden button on the side of the desk that causes the door to the office to slam shut, all of the locks to engage, and the metal sheets to fall down and seal the windows. Moss turns to the wall behind the desk and pushes her hand against it. A panel of the wall moves out and there are three holes exposed in the panel, two toward the top and one at the bottom. Moss stops there.
“What is going on?” She asks. “What have you done?”
PRL Serials 