/Ella
Buzz of the laptop woke me up. It was still the middle of the night.
The work that I kept on exploring - my great quest - still in the document format on the screen. Auto saved multiple times.
I looked at the door - closed. It was open before. I remember how it was absolutely open before.
My eyes darted across the room - checking if all was still intact, in the same place, untouched.
I breathed out in relief - Erick was on the sofa. Asleep.
"Thank goodness it was just you." - I thought to myself.
Finding lighter and ashtray in the pile of paperwork scattered across the table was a little task. The piles of the paper could slush down if not moved carefully.
After finding the two ingredients, I reached into my pocket to pull a pack of reds out.
Flicker of a lighter, zip sound and the cigarette was lit. I took a sweet dose of nicotine.
Looking at my sleeping brother was my great meditation. He always looked absolutely peaceful, like all the worries in their world never existed.
Ericks hand moved up, covering his eyes, he turned around.
"If you keep staring like that at me - you'll burn a hole in my side." - Husk in his voice was due to him just waking up. I always found it cute.
"Your fault for being such an easy target." - I smiled, then puffed the smoke out.
"He was here." - Erick spoke up.
"Who?" - I dabbed cigarette, ashes filling up the ashtray.
"That darn dude. He is from "an office" he says. I am sure he is just sniffing around a lot. He is way too often "visiting" lately. Can't get the gist at all." - Erick removed hand, then turned to face me.
I was looking worried. My gaze was on the ashtray, as I nervously smoked.
"It's going to be fine. I know it IS going to be fine. Stop worrying for nothing." - Erick exhaled.
I raised my head, looked at Erick:
"Hope it plays out as easy as you say it."
"You just have to calm down and face the parade. It is not such a great strange task to do. You did that many times over. This is not an exception."
"You say so, but Erick, it IS an exception. This is something that even I can't properly put down. You know how this is. I just need to get that little "sparkle" started and that will allow me to finally make it." - I puff smoke out, as I speak.
"Sis, you're over-complicating this." - Erick got up to sit now. - "You are trying to get something really odd to work out and now you're slowly attracting weirdos to this research you do. Just stop and it will be ok. Or push it all out and make it work out."
I locked my eyes with Erick.
"This is not that simple and you know it. If there comes a day that something happens to me - you have to promise me - you'll keep on going." - I was dead serious as I said it.
"You'll be fine. I know you better than saying those cliches." - He would not take me seriously.
"I'm serious Erick. If I fail - you have to know all of it and you HAVE TO keep on with it!"
I was worried. Erick saw that, but would not budge.
"Alright. I promise." - Erick scratched the back of his head.
Next day all I could do was to compile it together. The names and the places were already exposed. But I felt like that was not all. James told me that the higher ups were more advanced and even there was someone who was making it happen. One to bring out the whole mess. He said that rumours were it was a man. But none knew any more details than a gender.
Research… My whole work as a journalist is in this whole thing.
What got me to it was a case that I stumbled upon, that was being covered up by a fellow friend who worked in science - James. He was my inside man for some good things, bad things, but one to keep me on my toes when it was about the news.
One day, as we sat in the office that belonged to a local intelligence group, as a safe meeting space, posed as a cafe on the corner of a building, top floor.
James had shared his concern with me.
"It came across multiple times now." - James began. - "I've been receiving the files on the people from the asylums and mental hospitals with the patients being redirected to a new facility. Though, that facility is a whole another hospital. I checked into the details - the place does not exist, rather it looks like a fortress with no possible way to get in, or out. The website states it's a brand new place developed especially for hard case mental patients, with great videos and photos of the facility and all - and all does look pristine, appealing and wonderful. But, the thing is - I checked what I could - the workers do not leave the premises for a week, then they change to new ones. There is no roster of the doctors, nurses or other staff I could access or even find. Like personnel is strictly under NDA policy. It's odd."
"As fishy as it gets, I see. So, if there's no way in, how do you propose to get in?" - I smirked, as I lit my red and puffed out smoke.
"I found a number - called in saying I'm applying for the position inside. Sent credentials. They've replied by calling me up tomorrow. To let me know the result." - James had his gin with a slice of cut meat.
The next time James had managed to get to me was a few months later. Just before he went dark, he texted me that he got the job there.
Once I met him after - his hair became white, he was paranoid, anxious… Apparently he escaped the facility and stormed off to my safe house. Where I was at a time, to prep for my other gig, prior to setting out.
"They… They are mad there. I knew it was bad, but I was not aware of how deep that rabbit hole went." - James was telling me after I made him drink a few glasses of gin.
The safe house was a basement flat in the least expected place - beneath the culture history museum. The part that was closed off even for the staff, but had access to the tech, electricity and all the goodness of shower and toilet.
"So what is brewing there?" - I asked and placed the voice recorder on, next to us.
"The people they take in… That place runs experiments on them that are beyond what I had imagined. They are being duped with some chemicals and then almost brain fried by the electromagnetic waves at a resonance that is not good for any organism. Those chemicals make them feel the resonance, with the brain lighting up like a Christmas tree, yet the rest of the body is absolutely in agony from the chemicals that are injected." - James was telling, as he held his glass of gin, having a bit in between sentences. - "They have placed people to see if they can access the other plains of realms. Like, connecting to self existing someplace else. That's absolute madness."
"Connecting to self in other plains? How do they…?" - I ask.
"Yeah, what I thought as well - bunch of weirdos and crazy twats, but no. Imagine the shock I felt when I met the dude that began the whole circus. He claimed that he is one of people who actually travelled to another place, another self. And that lunatic actually pulled a stunt of acquiring a lengthy pile of tech that was eventually replicated from there to here. From that plain into this one." - James shook head, as he felt the dread of recollecting memories. - "The room with blueprints amazed me. I broke in, sure deal, to check this fuck for myself. I was speechless. It was actually such a tech that can be made and is made and is absolutely mad in the works. From the water filters, to devices that allow local teleportation, to the lab that had all the cures in the world - it's absolutely… Astonishing."
I was puzzled, observing my friend in such a state.
"The dude was by the name Adrian. He looks no more than 27-something, but the shit he speaks makes him out to be over a few hundred years old. Like, his eyes look like he went through life multiple times over. He read me instantly, when he caught me. Yet he let me escape. I don't know if that's for long, but I feel like they'll find me. So, don't be mad when I'm gone. Just expose that crazy bastard."
That was the last I've seen of James. He left after taking the bottle of gin and leaving me with a small usb that contained more details on the topic. He was found in the river, dead, the morning after.
I knew it was not a joke, nor was it his doing. He wanted to live, I knew that, but he… I was devastated. This thing had to be exposed, but what price does one have to pay to get it out?
I took up trying to dig up more, finding a few other escapees, who verified what James said. Some knew more, some knew less, yet they all were dead within days after.
At some point I understood that I took it too far - I saw that I am being tailed. The people, the cars… Seems like I got on the watch list of these vultures.
Now, as I have all the details collected and evidence gathered - I decided to leave it with Erick, as I saw them today… Them being on the watch for me. Few men just tailed me too hard, so I knew. I just knew.
I hid the drive in a place only Erick can access. So, I hope he gets it. I did tell him some bits of it, but not all, yet I hope he understands it.
Yes, baby brother, be safe out there.
With the night being dark, as I sat at my table with papers piled up, my ashtray in front of me, along with the glass that had gin. I puffed out the smoke, as I filled my lungs with nicotine.
The door was opened and a suited man walked in.
"Ella, I presume." - He spoke in a cold tone.
"Indeed. And you are?" - I puffed out smoke as I spoke.
"My name is Adrian. Let us have a chat first." - He raised his hand, having a man behind him hand him a syringe with white liquid. - "After our chat, I'll see to it that it never gets out of this room."
I let out a sigh. I knew they'd come. But the man up top here himself - that's quite the honour.
He came closer, leaning on the table, towering over me.
"So, the great man himself is out here to do the dirty work. I'm not sure if that is a great honour or a great offence." - I let out, tapping my cigarette on the ashtray.
"I presume it's the definition of being entrapped, as there is no honour here, nor there is anything that might save you. It's just business." - Adrian flicked his hair off his face. - "So let's begin with a few questions…"
/Erick
Just days later did I feel the pain and regret.
It was a tragedy. My sole refuge in my family was lost.
Ella finished her life in a suicide, as medics concluded. Parents were not aware. They got to know about her death only a week later.
That's what they said - suicide. It looked like a heart attack, but she never had problems with heart. There was something else - she had a rash on her neck… But even that was covered up.
That's when it clicked - that I have to continue and run. She gave me the details, the data, the external drive with all the info, I found all that in the spot we used to exchange the gifts between us. A nifty corner in the house we lived in.
I fled the country. It was too dangerous to stay there. I had the research in my possession now, and sure as day - I had to…
I paid off the whole lot, as I noticed parents, faced the backlash from them and went away. Half a world away. Escaping.
Escaping to regroup and finish what she started.
I knew that they would come after me next. I was raised by my sister, and she was a fighter not a quitter. So I knew I had to make it in her stead.