Chapter Text
2 months later
Morris Fletcher was so very bored.
He was slumped over onto his desk, his cheek flattened against the hard surface.
He had grown to loathe his job. It had gotten far too boring and predictable. He was going to have
to think about lifestyle changes and very soon.
He picked up his head to find a puddle of drool on the desk.
"Shit!"
He looked at his calendar, all dates filled for the next two weeks, all the assignments boring. Too
many boring reports about alien activity in and around area 51.
There was nothing in here about recent abductions, the last one seemingly have stopped nine
months ago.
How utterly boring it all was.
"If I don't get something new and intriguing within 2 weeks I'm quitting... Maybe I will go into
clandestine arms sales, that might be fun."
His eyes became bright, and he wiped the drool from the desk as the intern entered this office.
"Hey, are you... Jessie Kramer?" he asked, puzzled. Didn't administration promise him male
secretaries?
What knockers!
"I am!" she smiled brightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Fletcher. Oh here's my clearance
papers."
"I'm still a little confused... "
Jessie nodded, a little uncertain of her new employer.
“Well, we can start with my skills. I can
multitask. 120 words per minute, basic mechanic skills, proficient in first aid and CPR, I can speak
five languages-"
"Yeh, I see now" he held up the papers. "great resume... well... what are you doing Friday night?"
New Jersey
12pm
"Now is the time for the auction to begin. The bidding starts out at $250,000 Do I have $250,000
for this two-story home that was built in the 1950s. It has a basement, a very roomy attic with five
bedrooms and three bathrooms and a spacious living room..."
While safely hidden away in the bell tower of the church down the street, Christopher Wagner
watched with binoculars. Leah was sitting down in the corner, clutching a box of Kleenex. her
fingers twitched badly as she fought down the urge to sign to herself, but she couldn't because she
was holding on to the Kleenex, but Christopher didn't need it that much; he cried for less than a
minute.
With the absence of the two, the state had foreclosed on the house. The feds seized it and put it up
for auction. Christopher and Leah had staged a daring robbery in the middle of the night to grab
some old photographs and other family mementos; whatever the two could carry in one backpack
would have to do. Christopher Wagner and Leah Kimball decided to take their own path and did
not contact Walter Skinner at the FBI. The two were now fugitives on the run.
The cold floor was hurting her ass, so she leaned over against the wall, watching her new brother
carefully. She figured there would be a lot more tears but there were not. He only took one tissue
and she was left with a now-crumpled box in her hands. She took some tissues, crumpled them up
into a ball and threw them at him to get his attention.
"I'm sorry you lost the house."
Christopher thought about this. He picked up the backpack and put it on.
"It's okay I have my sister back."
Leah felt disappointed, she wasn't sure what that meant to her yet.
"It just made me sad anyway. I don't think I would have liked living there. You can keep the
pictures. I get the feeling Mama Wagner didn't like me very much."
He put out his hand, helping her off the floor.
"She loved you more than you know. Maybe more than even I know. She always knew the aliens
were coming and she was terrified."
Leah shrugged, confused.
"Why are you defending her?"
Christopher didn't answer.
"I don't remember Mom and Dad. Just the aliens. Remember what I said Chris, no one cuts me
ever again."
Leah handed him the crumpled box of Kleenex then made her way out of the bell tower and began
heading down the stairs.
Christopher just followed along until they reached the bottom floor. "I don't think they're after you
anymore. I mean it's been almost a year now. You told me your abductions were
more frequent than that. I think you're safe from the aliens."
She looked off into the distance, then back at him. She smiled really big.
"We're going on an adventure. We're going to Area 51."
Christopher was puzzled, then his eyes got wide.
"Dreamland!"
Leah just shrugged. "They keep aliens there."
"I know that," he remarked "I mean, it's a military installation. We won't get in there."
"We have to. Besides, it's not like you have anything better to do. I don't have anything better to
do."
She took the backpack from him and began to dig through it. After a couple minutes he patted her
shoulder, making her look at him.
"Not getting arrested, that is something better to do."
"They won't arrest me, I have ID."
Then she poked herself in the belly. She looked angry.
"I want answers, and you should too! Christopher, why would they give away their own children?"
He didn't answer. He couldn't answer. But he realized they had enough money, and so
they boarded an Amtrak train that would take them to Nevada with a few stops in between.
2 days later
"Well tell me about what happened before I was taken. I still don't remember anything except the
TV show.
"You enjoyed it... It was from the 1950s. It was a seriously idealistic time in American history."
"Sounds like a real garden of Eden."
Christopher shrugged. "Yeah. But there was a snake in the garden. It was the fear of communism."
"Well what about my life. Our life. Their life or whatever."
"Mom and Dad?"
"If you say so."
Christopher looked away from her, and out the train window. He didn't know where to start.
"Alison, what are you doing?
She was maneuvering in a zigzag pattern across the line in the backyard, stomping down hard into
the grass.
"I have to mow it today," He signed to her.
The 10-year-old smiled at him, made faces, and continued what she was doing. He went to her side
and looked at the ground.
"This is a bad thing," he noted as he looked at the three-toed footprints scattered over the whole
yard.
He looked far and wide over the yard and found it was covered with three-toed footprints.
"This is hideous!"
Christopher put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him and held up his other hand.
"Go to your room."
She pulled away from him frowning, then went right back to what she was doing. He shook his
head. It was just the sad truth when she got off on one of her kicks, nothing could stop her. But he
had to mow the lawn and so went to the shed to get the lawn mower.
Allison just looked at him as she was jumping across the yard. She was not happy with him. He
doubled down and thumbed towards the house.
"They want to be my friends," she signed emphatically.
"You're stupid," He signed back.
Dad got home from work then, and came into the backyard and was just staring at the damage, his
hands on his hips.
"Christopher, get this cleaned up!"
Hank Wagner picked up Allison, who immediately became pissed off. She stiffened up in his arms,
making it hard for him to carry her back into the house. Dad was lurching as he moved away
towards the back door.
"I don't think she did this," Christopher offered "I don't know who would do something like this.
Well what exactly do you want me to do, dad?"
"Your mother will be home in 2 hours. You know how she gets. Just take care of it!"
"Crazy." she signed
He kept looking out the window. Leah slapped his shoulder.
What did Mr Smokey have to say???
“She wasn't supposed to be taken, Christopher. It's beyond my understanding why they did so.
We were sure they would come for you! I even told your father that!"
As test subjects?!? You sick monster!”
"That's true... Except for one thing! They don't take infirms Christopher! Even if they did she
would not have remained an infirm for very long! That's not how they operate!"
He lit up a cigarette. "They insisted on a name change, so she wouldn't remember either. I
understand she's quite fond of it."
"Allison... had an implant."
Charles frowned. "In many cases, their intent was well known. In your sister's case... I just don't
know... "
He grimaced. Was this a good or a bad thing? He did not know. "He told me they don't take
infirms."
Leah was stunned and then angry.
"He called me an infirm?"
"He was the puppet-master, so I was told by Marita Covarubbius."
"Did you think I was an infirm?"
Christopher narrowed his eyes, smiled gently.
"Not for one second."
x-x-x
2 days later
Just outside Rachel Nevada
12:44 a.m.
Morris Fletcher raised the night-vision binoculars to his eyes.
"I can't believe this is happening. This is actually happening?"
He turned to his associate, Carl and handed him the binoculars. "Check it out!"
Carl watched into the distance, across the desert floor, and already well past the last warning sign
and 6 ft tall chain link fence.
"They actually got over the barbed wire! I'm impressed!"
"I'm not!" Morris yelled at him. He took the binoculars back and looked as a young man and young
woman just crossed into the danger zone, and seemingly uninterested in whether they lived or died
tonight.
There were warning signs after all!
Morris Fletcher motioned to the woman soldier who was climbing onto the top of the military
truck and began loading her sniper rifle.
"No sign of weapons," Carl remarked. He motioned to the other gathered soldiers. "We'll need
positive identification on the interlopers."
Pictures and video were taken at rapid speed. The cameras were emptied and the memory chips
were then handed off to a fellow soldier who ran to his car, got inside and began driving quickly
back to the base.
Fletcher was still looking through the binoculars.
"What the hell? The security breaches don't go down like this. I haven't seen one go like this yet.
Well this is new!"
"Drone surveillance footage indicates they came in on foot... your orders sir? The woman on top of
the truck asked in a firm voice
He stood there for what seemed like forever.
"Sir?"
The two of them were making it so easy that Fletcher was mildly annoyed.
"Ah... Shoot to wound. The woman first."
The soldier wrapped her index finger around the trigger and pulled.
"Damn! The scope is trash sir. I don't know if it was made in another country!"
"Huh!" Fletcher exclaimed, "would you look at that?!"
Fletcher was in shock as the man did not continue on, nor did he turn and run away from Area 51.
Instead he dropped down beside the fallen woman and appeared to be giving her medical treatment.
"I have a clear headshot sir!"
"Hold your fire. Okay everybody in the car. Soldier, if you will head back to the base and prepare
for a debriefing that would be appreciated!"
The sniper saluted and got into the truck and headed back to base.
It took Morris Fletcher's team about another 5 minutes to reach Christopher and Leah. Christopher
was too involved in preventing Leah's sucking chest wound, from becoming a fatal situation, he
barely took notice of Morris Fletcher and his men.
Fletcher cocked his head becoming even more and more amused by these mysterious events
unfolding right before his eyes. He bent down. "Are you a doctor?"
Christopher turned his head slightly, revealing the anger and the fear in his eyes and then he went
back to what he was doing.
"That was so stupid! What the hell were you thinking, coming out here? Did you just happen to
miss the 10,000 warning signs to stay away?!"
There was no answer. Fletcher got on the radio. "I'm going to need a medical evacuation. Gate 25,
section 40. You'll see it."
Then he knelt down next to the two. The girl's eyes were half open and she was gasping for breath.
"Can you keep her alive?"
"Mr Fletcher!" One of the soldiers ran up to him. "If this is a serious medical emergency I'm sorry
to inform you that Dr Lemay is in Wisconsin for a symposium and he won't be available for 2
days."
Morris Fletcher waved him back, hovering close to Christopher.
"The question is not that hard. Are you a doctor or not?"
"Yes!" Christopher looked at him "is it too much to ask you for a first aid kit?"
"Wow, today's your lucky day." He then pointed to the road where the ambulance was racing
towards them.
"She's my sister... There's no other doctor around?"
"Damn. Really? You're more stupid than I thought. How the hell could you not see something like
this coming?"
"Is there any doctor available?"
"Yeh, you... right?"
"I... she's my sister. That makes things complicated!"
"But not impossible?"
The mobile medical unit arrived and two tired looking paramedics got out with the stretcher and
said to work.
Fletcher turned to the paramedics. "Okay just follow his lead."
Fletcher got up front in the passenger's seat. "You know what? If the situation were a little bit
different I would shoot first then ask questions later, but that seems kind of tasteless would you
agree?"
Christopher looked up momentarily then went back to his job, reminding himself, his sister was a
patient in need, and only he could do the job.
"But you have me very curious. What is a doctor and his little sister coming out here for? So you
just do your work and be prepared for me to ask you a whole hell of a lot of questions later!"