Waiting by Erin Dennington ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 65 Matthew/Mateo pulled a box onto the table that he was sitting at in the video. Wrinkled brown mailing paper covered the box, but it was obviously a well taken care of box, as there was quite a lot of care evident in the way it was wrapped. Tapping a finger against the side, he said to the camera, "Inside here is my baby, the answer to all of the world's security problems." Using an Xacto knife, he slit the tape, pried open the box, and gently extracted a glass jar. Inside a thick and slowly moving mass shifted. He shook the jar and the mass separated just enough for it to be evident to the video audience that the jar was filled with insects. "Gross," Marty said, disgust evident in his voice. This time everyone shushed him, trying to hear the rest of what Matthew was saying. He told how the US government had paid him for a million of the tiny insects. "This, my friends," he said, "represents only ten thousand of the insects. I have many more of these jars that I filled for the government. Imagine that, if you will." Pausing, evidently waiting a moment for his audience to digest that fact, Matthew told of a secret cache that he'd hidden in an undisclosed location. "These insects work much like tiny killing machines. They are able to get into the tiniest cracks and deliver a deadly bite, so small that it's virtually undetectable by forensic tests. The poison they secrete is so minute, and yet so deadly, that not a living thing has survived a bite. But these insects travel only where you want them to go. For unlike other insects that are deadly and which you might have a chance in a billion of meeting in your life, these can be programmed. We've been able to put tiny microchips into their bodies, which respond to remote commands. They are the world's tiniest assassins. Think of the benefits of that, if you will. Imagine never worrying about an intruder or a betrayal." He paused again. "I wasn't supposed to make any more the insects, but they had bred on their own. The government had explicitly forbade me from creating any more, but since this happened quite by accident, I am more than willing to make use of the windfall I have been given and share it with you. I'm willing to sell the remainder of my jars -- and I have 1000 of them in stock -- to the highest bidder. Think about that. You could buy one jar of these insects -- 5000 all together in one jar -- and take care of your worst enemies without coming in direct contact with them." Lowering his voice, he leaned in and the camera drew close. His face looked contorted and Marty wondered what Christina had ever seen in this man. There didn't appear to be an ounce of sanity left in him; Matthew had crossed the border into the realm of those that no longer know how to tell what is true. By the determination on her face, Marty guessed that Christina wasn't going to let Matthew control her heart any longer. "All I ask for these insects is a small stipend. It's not much, considering what these are worth. Five thousand dollars per jar. I could ask -- and receive -- as much as a million for these jars, but hey, if you can make me an offer that I can't refuse, then I won't. All you have to do is drop a note off in the box outside this cafe," he said, reading an address, "and then, when I receive your money, I'll deliver to wherever you want the insects to go. I have no qualms about it." The tape abruptly ended and the room was once again silent, lights reflecting off of their faces from the now darkening television screen. Marty was the first to break the silence by standing up, stretching, and announcing that he needed to use the john. Once he stood up, it was as if a cue to talk had been given and the others started talking, discussing what they had seen on the video. They knew that at least one person had taken up the offer, for the bugs were now roaming around the city. But what no one understood was where the insects went; after noticing the insects, they all had seen them seemingly vanish into thin air, leaving no trace behind. A glint in the hallway caught Marty's attention as he was leaving the bathroom behind. Squinting, he stared out into the building's hallway and felt a chill when he saw a man staring back at him. Hurrying into the waiting room, he addressed Davis. "Hey, is someone else supposed to be meeting us here?" Preoccupied, Davis shook his head. "No, why?" "Because there is someone out in the hallway staring in at us." "Hmm. Weird," Davis said, brushing his hands off and strolling over to the door. Perhaps he needs help." He twisted the doorknob and found that it was locked. Frowning, he grabbed it and tried to open it again. Finally giving up, he shielded his eyes and peered into the hallway. "I don't see anyone out there," he said. "Maybe it was a member of the cleaning crew. I'll have to see if I can get one of them to come back here; the door appears to be stuck." Just as he said that, the room fell dark as every light in the building went off. Marty found himself gasping, startled and more than a little frightened, as he imagined clouds of insects heading his way. No one moved or said a word as they waited for the lights to come back on. After an eternity had passed, Christina said, voice quavering, "Suppose that man you saw in the hallway turned those lights off?" Marty found that he couldn't crack a joke. "Then I think we definitely have something to worry about." "That's what I thought," Christina said, laughing, sounding hysterical and on the verge of tears. Listening for her voice, Marty edged his way across the room, being careful to not trip over one of the many chairs and tables that cluttered the room. When he bumped into someone, he fell back and then tentatively reached out a hand. "Christina? Is that you?" he asked. He heard what sounded like a yes so he pulled her close, hugging her, trying to calm her down. Behind him, he could hear the others also approaching, and felt thankful that there were half a dozen of them. He didn't feel safe being in the dark. He didn't think he ever would again. 22:26 - 11.20.02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
||||||
|
||||||