Part one
"Good morning Houston, it'll be a sunny day today again with temperatures rising into the 90's..."
FBI Agent Thomas Cantrell didn't really listen to the local radio station babbling today's news. He crossed the intersection on West 11th street with West TC. Jester Blvd and drove on to East TC Jester Blvd who would eventually take him to the Federal Bureau of Investigation that resided on 2500 East TC Jester Blvd. A light blue FBI chopper flew over his car and through the sunroof he glanced at it. When he arrived, he parked his car in the underground garage on the spot reserved for him as it had his number plate painted on the floor. He got out, locked his car and walked with his Daily news tucked under his arm to the elevator that would take him to the ground level of the building. |
With his paper still in the same position, he strolled into the landscape office, plunged down on his desk and unfolded his newspaper where the front page article was smiling at him.
FBI Agent Landon got out of the office of the 'Cancerman' and headed towards Cantrell. "Cantrell, de Cancerman would like to see you in his office." Cantrell only nodded, folded up his paper and got to the designated office of the Deputy Director. The Deputy Director Lafon aka "the Cancerman" browsed attentively through a Person file with a picture stapled on top of the paper of a young woman sitting in front of him. Cantrell guessed she was about 22, dressed in the dark blue FBI field uniform with strapped legs that covered her combat shoes. Her short cut hair had a Military flair written all over it. Her FBI cap was resting on a corner of Lafon's desk. |
She got up and reached out her hand.
"Catharina Rosse, 25" she only mentioned and took her seat again. The Deputy Director added her details. "As Under lieutenant of the USA Marine corps, she completed one battle mission in Iraq where she survived a roadside bombing. When she struggled through a rigorous revalidation that lasted one year and 5 months, she realised she was not cut out for this kind of job. She took the FBI Training recruitment offer. Now, that she graduated from the FBI Quantico Training Academy, she is joining our ranks here at the FBI Bureau. She will be your new partner. I expect that you show her the ropes." "Considered it done, Boss" he only replied. "Welcome to the Federal Bureau, FBI Agent Catharina Rosse." |
The night bar "The Wild Mustang" was an enormous six squared room where people engulfed in smoke and flashing light bulbs drained their life existence by dancing till the wee hours of the morning every night.
The overpowering music draining out any noise blasted out of tons of box speakers neatly hidden and designed to fit into the high and dark ceiling. In the middle of the six squared room a round steel bar floated. Against the walls almost about 39 inches from the dance floor, cages were put up with half naked bimbo's in them dancing and whirling around the fixed pole in the cage. |
They were only visible by flashing multicoloured spots and their blond hair whirled in the air by the hidden fans turned on maximum speed.
Carol Falcom was one of them. She was the daughter of a rich Industrial named Jack Falcom. She was of course spoiled rotten and her life consisted out of organizing and joining parties. Till, it hit the roof and her dad kicked her out screaming at her, she wasn't his daughter any more. Of course, she wandered around a bit till she ended up here in the night bar. Despite her young age at only 25, you could clearly see the damage already done to her due to the excessive drinking and drug use. |
So, in the wee hours of the morning, Carol wiggled out of the night bar trying to keep her failing body in check. She had been the centre of adulation all night.
Dazed, she glanced at an appearance in front of her who had the shape of someone dressed in a black hood. "Carol Falcom? " The hoarse sound hardly got through to her. "What? " "Are you the daughter of Jack Falcom? " "WHAT? " She screamed by now. "Yes, I'm the daughter of this son of bitch. Leave me the hell alone now." Wiggling she lashed out to him, she lost her balance and smacked her face to the ground. When she finally managed to get up grabbing the wall for support, the black hood had disappeared. She looked around her. "The son of a bitch threw me out, his own flesh and blood, do you hear me? " She screeched, pushed herself off the wall and headed into the night like a drunken sailor on a rocky boat in the ocean. She didn't realize she was tracked though. |
It was mushy hot in her bedroom, so hot that everyone in the building, that had known better days, had left a window open to catch every soft breeze possible. Yet, the night hadn't brought the desired freshness and the air co in her flat had been broken for months now. In her bedroom and still in a dazed mood, she pulled out her white silky 'see through' blouse out of her black mini skirt. In one slick move, it slithered over her head. She momentarily lost her balance and it made her fall on her bed where she remained. |
The four figures all dressed in black hoods who tracked her without being seen, stepped onto the fire escape stairs leaving no sound behind. They peeked through the open window of the bathroom. One of the figures, pointed it out and the others only nodded.
Inside no sound was audible. Carol was bunking off her in her delirious state. The four figures entered her flat. The street lantern shone into her bedroom and pictured the sleeping woman. Suddenly, she shuddered awake. Bathing in fear and not knowing why, she remained utterly still with closed eyes she listened. |
'Why did she wake up? Has she heard a noise out of the ordinary? Did someone break into her flat? ' rushed through her mind.
She didn't dare to move an inch afraid she would miss a sound or a sigh that would tell her that there was indeed an intruder in her flat. Carol gathered all her courage and so first opened one eye lit and then the other. 'What was that at the foot of her bed? ' Bathing in fear, she pulled herself up, resting with her elbows, she now clearly saw 4 figures in black hoods talking to each other. Suddenly, the middle one turned around and looked her straight in the eye. Paralysed of fear, she screamed. 'Those eyes! ' |
Chief in control, Aldrin Scott, glanced at his panel with flickering lights and switches and noticed the time indicator had T minus 0:01:57 running as the indicated time frame.
"Icarus I, Ground Control speaking. APU start is GO. You are ready for launch, over." “Roger, go for launch, out.” Pilote Jill Helliwell turned her casked head and glanced through her visor at the person seated left from her. "This is it" she mumbled. On T minus 0:06:94, de main computer gave the order to start the main thrust engines. Four seconds later, they were giving out 90 % of their power yet. On T minus 0:02:64 de rocket boosters ignited what made the thrust accelerate. "LIFT OFF! LIFT OFF of Icarus I, two minutes past the hour. The shuttle has left the platform with authorisation heading for ISS, International space station;" Pliote Jill Helliwell saw how the platform disappeared from sight. When 7 seconds had elapsed, she felt how the shuttle turned 120° to its right. "Shuttle roll! " she heard in her headphones. Now, the shuttle had rolled itself on its back, she had a nice view of the ocean. Right through the thundering noise of the boost rockets, Jill heard the command of the chief, Aldrin Scott, in her headphones. “ Trans Atlantic Abort. -- Trans Atlantic Abort” A few seconds ago, Icarus I had reached the point of Max Q. The point where the Shuttle had to endure the toughest aerodynamic pressure ever. In that phase, the spaceship recultantly protested against the air friction, what made it tremble heavily. |
Scott had taken back some throttle but now the warning lights signaled that 2 of the 3 engines had failed. With only the rocket boosters and one main thrust engine, it was impossible to overcome the earth's gravity. "Houston, we have a problem, left and middle engine has failed." Scott's voice sounded clear and firm. "Understood, Icarus I" "That can't be happening" Jill mumbled while she popped open the menu "Trans Atlantic Abort' on her main computer. 'One abort launch can be conquered but sometimes you need a little miracle to succeed' rushed through her mind. She had felt it instantly though, the sudden gasp from the running motor like it spit out the last drop of fuel. She closed her eyes for a moment due to the release of the fired up rocket boosters plummeting away from the main thrust engines. The thundering noise went quiet. Helliwell felt nauseaus when the shuttle took on its new position by literally rolling overhead. The horizon took on its usual direction. "Icarus , switch off the main thrust engine." "Understood, Houston." Seconds later, the huge fuel tank disengaged itself only to crash into the sea. The shuttle Icarus I plummeted to earth like a bird with broken wings increasing its speed with every second of its doom. "Houston, we have another problem, navigation computer 3 is malfunctioning, even the Back ups are failing." "Icarus I, we're looking into the problem." |
"We're losing height at a much dizzying speed to get the shuttle in the right position. We're tilted too much to the right ." You could hear the worry in Helliwell's voice.
Scott pulled on the joystick with all his might but nothing changed. Icarus I was heading straight for the abyss. Jill's stomach protested now even more and she had to withhold any fluid or chunks. 'G-d have mercy on us' rushed through her mind again. It ended all abruptly just above the surface of the ocean. In a last attempt to fight off the abyss, Scott managed to get the shuttle floating horizontally again... But too late as the shuttle crashed into the water. The shock of the shuttle entering the water surface was heavy enough to rattle its passengers. J ill Helliwell peeked through her cockpit window and noticed how the division between heaven and water disappeared, only the blue seawater was visible now. Silence engulfed them for a moment. The flat computer screens that portrayed the windows of the shuttle turned grey now. The crew remained buckled up in their seats. Jill opened her visor and addressed herself to Aldrin. "Impossible, we did everything by the Operator's Manuel. Of course, things go bump in the night hey if they 'overload' the simulation with all that could go wrong. We didn't stand a chance. The mission was doomed anyway." Chief in control, Aldrin Scott nodded and spoke: " Well, them big boys wanted to play, hey." A taunting voice sounded in their headphones. "Sorry guys, you didn't make it and now you're off to see the Master." |
The soles of EMT Kitty Swanson's sport shoes were squeaking down the hall when she rushed through the E.R of the NASA Medical Centre. A nurse walking in her direction, yelled at her: "Trauma room 3" while she showed 3 fingers. "I'm on my way" she huffed and puffed. Six faces turned towards her and let out a relieving sigh as she walked into the cubicle. One glance was enough to asses the condition of the patient and to spot if all the 'life saving' equipment was at hand. An unsteady bleep whizzed on the screen of the heart monitor. It was the electric patron of a heart trying to survive, struggling to overcome the nearing decay that death brought with him. It was just lurking around the corner. "What 'we got here? " She asked the nursing staff who let her get a better view of the culprit. EMT in training, Barry Thomson, gave her a short description of the known facts. "John Doe, hit by a vehicle in the near vicinity. Pupils are active and reacting, internal bleeding in the belly, Large bore IV line with Saline. Blood pressure only 8 over 6" "Blood count? " She only spat out seriously. "O negative and on it's way! " 'He's a goner' her mind fretted at her. 'He's bleeding to death here.' "We need that blood presto! " she insisted while the guy went into V-tach. |
Her professional skills took the upper hand and she began to call out all sorts of Medications that should be injected into his IV just to get the heart pumping again but nothing seemed to work...
She began to sweat like an ox and though her brain spotted the 'hopeless' situation they were sailing into, she wouldn't give in not even when the heart monitor started screaming 'blue murder'. "BLOOD" she screamed almost frantic. "I NEED BLOOD URGENTLY AS IN NOW." It was too late anyway as through the massive blood loss in his abdomen, his heart quit pumping. The nurses were already withdrawing from him to save their energy for one more worthy cause a 'bleeder' like this was 'a lost case' after all. I know, it sounds cruel but such an injury is almost always of the 'fatal' kind. Still Kitty wouldn't budge as she worked up a sweat when she gave him CPR. She yelled at the Doctor in training to assist her. She first didn't notice that everyone had backed away already. "How long? " A nurse checked the big white clock on the spark clean white wall on the left side of the Trauma room. "47 Minutes" It made her sigh as they almost passed the 'golden' hour to get someone back from the death. 'Where was that blood at? She really needed it NOW! From where was it transported? Timboektoe?' yelled her mind. "Where is the blood?" She asked again. "I need it now! " "I'll check it for you" One nurse offered and picked up the phone hanging on the wall. The manual stuff didn't pay off so it was time for some more power. She got the defibrillator in gear. "200 CLEAR" |
The body heaved in the air only attracted by the sucking motion of the electric pads. It didn't change his 'hopeless' state though.
"300 CLEAR" Sweat pearls glistened on her cheek. No, she was not gonna have another loss on her shift. "360 CLEAR" she screamed. The body now seemed like dead weight only sucked from the gurney by the electric pads. All life seemed to have drained from it. The Doctor in training quit his duty. It looked like just a rag doll on the gurney. His eyelids didn't blink any more. His pupils were fixed and dilated staring into infinity even his mouth was left ajar. All hope was gone... As sweat pearls touched his cold and rigid body, she let out a deep sigh and said: " Sorry, man! " She briefly glanced at the machine who was still screeching 'blue murder' and all the lines that were supposed to show 'the dance of life' were flat, utterly flat... "Time of death... 02:36 PM" she spoke discouraged, pulled her bloody apron and gloves off and left the trauma room. She was about to enter to elevator when she heard her name. She turned around and saw how a man walked to her in a fast pace. "Doctor Swanson? " "Yeash! " she waited at the open elevator. "Inspector Danny Lester, Nassau Bay Police Department, can I have a..." She interrupted him. "If it's about the unknown MVA, I have to disappoint you cause we just lost him. He's been moved to the Morgue. Any questions will have to be addressed to them now." She turned around and got into the elevator that quickly shut behind her. She really was defeated and had no sense in answering pointless questions of what happened and why she lost him. He stood there awestruck for a moment of her reply while the lift doors closed and then nodded his head. He had to go to the Morgue now. |
“Jersey village, we have to leave the highway here or we have to go all the way to Weiser Air park" Thomas remarked, pointing at sign featuring that exit.
FBI Agent, Catharina Rosse nodded her head, hit the break, cut the SUV speeding next to her off, changed lane and took the exit. She opened her window and placed the blue beacon light on her roof. Her partner FBI Agent Thomas Cantrell frowned his eyebrows wondering what she was doing. "Was all this necessary? " She only smiled as she glanced at him nodding 'yes'. She slowed down again and her vehicle almost crawled ahead now. Right in front of them, two squad cars from the Houston Police Department and the Coroner's van were parked there. Police officers in uniform were redirecting traffic signalling where the cars were supposed to drive now. Two agents stood guard by the dumpster that laid on its side blocking most of the street.
A blond woman wearing a dark blue two piece suit and a stylish pair of sunglasses resting on her nose stood by a third cop. They were entangled in a heavy quarrel. Rosse parked the Cadillac Sedan at the side of the road. Both FBI agents got out and walked to the officer quarrelling with the lady. Thomas now spotted what all the mayhem was about. The blond woman had crashed her Porsche head on into a dumpster. “FBI Agent Thomas Cantrell. This is my colleague FBI Agente Catharina Rosse.” Meagan Rybeck, the blond lady, kept on waving her arms in the air fretting about her 'total loss' Porsche. The lady here insists that the dumpster fell out of the sky and so she couldn't ditch it anymore. She's however sober. We already did a breath analyser test" Officer Conellie spoke. Cantrell only nodded. "Where's the body? This is now a Federal Investigation case." Officer Conellie looked baffled at Cantrell. "In the dumpster" A firm build and dominant looking woman of middle age, dressed in a dark blue Jeans and a blue Officer shirt with short sleeves walked to them in a fast determined pace. "Hey, would you leave my man alone. They got something better to do than chat around" she bellowed austerly. |
"You are? " Cantrell asked her calm.
"Head Inspector La Croix, Houston Police Department Westheimer road and I got the lead in this bizarre case." "Right, up untill now...' Cantrell fiddled out his badge and flashed it in front of her. “FBI Agent Thomas Cantrell. This is my colleague FBI Agent Catharina Rosse.” He hid his badge again in his chest pocket. "Why don't you contact your superior and he will confirm that this bizarre case, as you like to call it, belongs to us, right now." She glanced at him quite offended by his power, took her sunglasses off and put them in one of her breast pockets. She got her cell phone out and dialled her superior. You should have seen her face change as she got him on the line. "Of course, Sir. I'll grant my full cooperation to the FBI, Sir." With a flick of her hand, she closed her cell phone and let it glide back into the pocket of her jeans. "What did your superior have to say? " "It's a Federal investigation case and I have to grant you full cooperation." She stepped back putting on her sunglasses on again. She turned around and vanished out of sight. Cantrell addressed himself to Officer Conellie again. "You take her with you for a drug test." He pointed at the blond lady. "Oh and confiscate her Porsche too." "Oh Boy! " Rosse mumbled quietly and walked to the dumpster in a fast pace. 'The Golden Nugget, Las Vegas' It said on the multi coloured banner sticker on the side of the dumpster, that reached to her collarbone so she had to stand on her tiptoes to peek in it. Suddenly, she dashed off with her right hand before her mouth, she stopped, bend over and regurgitated all off her lunch. Cantrell walked to her not knowing what she had seen and so he frowned his forehead. He walked to the dumpster too and then realized why. He spotted the naked body of a young female that was half covered in rotten food and flies and maggots where crawling in and out of her. Where her left eye used to be, was now a dark hole surrounded by grain of rice.... Rice? Nah, it were wriggly maggots feasting on her body that was decomposing. For a moment, he thought he was gonna throw up too but he manned himself up and walked to Rosse worried why she was still standing there bowed over. "You okay? " She only nodded and threw up again. She pressed her stomach with both her hands to get rid of it all, I guess. |
"A dumpster with garbage containing a corpse that falls out of the sky? Who makes that one up! "
"Meagan Ryback" Catharina smiled. She got some colour back in her cheekbones. "It does say Las Vegas! How 'you explain that? " She added pointing at the multi coloured sign. Cantrell looked at her and nodded. Then he only shrugged while he noticed and pointed out the stains on her two piece suit and her combat shoes.
"There's Mountain Dew to rinse your mouth in the car and your two piece suit needs to go to the cleaners, I'm afraid. Oh and your combat shoes need to be polished too." She looked at it and nodded. "Okay... Okay... I've seen it too" she reacted a little agitated. She trotted to the vehicle and jerked open the passengers seat. She took a sip of water, twirled it in her mouth and spat it out again. Rosse pulled off her vest which made her gun holster visible. In it a Colt 45 was resting. She turned her vest inside out and threw it in the trunk. From her handbag, she took a perfume bottle and sprayed it gloriously all over her chest. Meanwhile, the Coroners team had lifted the corpse out of the dumpster and collected it a black body bag with a stylish silver zipper. "ah, Cantrell, How are you doing? " "Couldn't be any better, odd case, right? " Coroner Robert Ray Walker nodded with his head and noticed her. "Oh, Cantrell, new colleague? " Cantrell nodded smiling. "Fresh blood straight from Quantico FBI Training Academy." Catharina walked towards them. "Coroner Walker" he introduced himself and reached out his hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Coroner Walker, Catharina Rosse." "Autopsy Coroner office Texas city, tomorrow at 10 AM." "Okay, I'll be there! " Cantrell walked back to Inspector La Croix. "Is he okay? " Coroner Walker asked. Smiling she only nodded, turned around and walked towards her partner. "Would you send the Police report of this case to FBI, East TC Jester Blvd. addressed to FBI Agent, Thomas Cantrell? " "Yes, I will, Sir" La Croix nodded. Both FBI Agents got back to the car and left Ridge Hollow drive. |
It was seen as a custom tradition to gather after a simulation flight with the team in the Fly by Night bar to relax and make amends with what occurred today. What did they do 'perfectly' according to plan and what needed to be fixed? Jill Helliwell enjoyed the taste of her Budweiser. In the cozy and relaxed athmosphere of the place, Aldrin Scott talked about the simulation. They were all convinced that it was all the mayhem thrown at them that caused the aborted mission. "The day after tomorrow, there is another simulation day planned. We did learn a lot from the previous one though" he finally spoke and the team decided to call it a night so everyone got to their own car. Pilot, Jill Helliwell decided to stay in the Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake Hotel during this mission course and she was heading out for a good night of sleep now. |
Suddenly her car bathed in a bright light once blue and then yellow.
'Must be an official vehicle' rushed through her mind so she slowed down and parked her car at the side of the road but no 'official' vehicle whizzed by. Puzzled, she glanced into her rear view mirror. Only the empty darkness stared back at her. She was alone, right? No car with a blue and yellow warning light in sight! Jill got out and suddenly noticed it a few metres in front of her. In the gleaming light, she caught something that resembled a stealth plane. There were also three figures with a silver grey space suit on cause they wore their black tinted visors she couldn't pinpoint who the jokers were. |
"COME ON FELLOWS, THE DAY HAS BEEN QUITE LONG AND TIRESOME ENOUGH. i DON'T FANCY PLAYING RIGHT NOW" she bellowed. In a fast and steady pace she walked to them.
One of them opened his visor. "No... This can't be... You just can't park a stealth on the free way like that... and for Goodness sake! Remove that golden mask! " She hollered quite offended. “ Helliwell... Jill Helliwell ... You have to come with us" spoke a monotone computer like voice. "Sorry boys... I'm not going with you... It's late... Go home... I'm off to sleep. Tomorrow, is another day to play." Helliwell turned around and walked to her car. |
When she drove into Space park Drive, she had noticed the faint yellow ambulance but didn't pay any further attention to it. The driver of the ambulance had seen her in his rear view mirror. He waited for her to pass and then left his parking spot. EMT Kitty Swanson got indoors and turned the key with a sensation of 'finally HOME'. Yet the whole week, she had the premonition that someone is eyeing her, following her, even stalking her. |
'Was she getting paranoid? ' rushed through her brain.
'or was it just the exhaustion taking its toll?' She bolted the door and hooked in the chain. Nicely and safely barricaded in her flat, she threw out her shoes and walked barefooted over her thick and woolly carpet to the bedroom. The airco made her flat nice and airy. Awhile later, she tippled to the bathroom only wearing her princess dress. The floor tiles felt cold which her feet welcomed cause they've been running around all day overheating in those trainers. Slowly, night set in... |
Her flat looked like an aquarium. The lights on in every place she walked through where in shrill contrast to the coming darkness taking over the city.
How the four men in black operated remained the same. Get in through the fire escape stairs. One of the figures pointed at the bedroom window which had a 'fly net' installed. The others only nodded. The foursome was already present in the bedroom when Kitty innocently strolled in barefooted. The white coloured cotton of her short night dress and short seemed highlighted by her ebony skin. Before she even realised it, one got her in a tight stranglehold. Terrified not knowing what was awaiting her, she glanced at the figure standing in front of her. He was dressed in a black hooded coat. It made her scream closing her eyes. Suddenly, she felt how a cold and gloved hand got under her night dress and explored her body. Constantly checking if she was the right one! He nodded affirmative. The figure holding her in that tight stranglehold let her go, only to push his thumb and ring finger against her temples which made her slip unconscious to the floor. |
"Dispatch, here night patrol car 54" Agent Muray and Agent Kinroy had been partners for years now and were now patrolling the area on NASA Parkway at 20 past 1 AM. "We're approaching a silver grey Chrysler Voyager, parked on the emergency lane with open drivers seat. The motor seems to be still running and the car lights are still on too." They switched lanes to the emergency one too and came to a hold a few inches away from the astray car. Agent Muray shone the bright light mounted on their vehicle on the car in front of him and called in the number plate. "Muray, approach car with extreme caution." "Okay, Dispatch. Don't you worry! " He replied in his walkie talkie attached to his blue uniformed shirt with short sleeves. |
Both agents left their squad car and walked over to the parked car. Agent Muray stood before the opened car door and peeked inside.
"Dispatch confirmation: vehicle is abandoned. The "END CD" signal is flickering. The driver, a man or a woman must have just popped out of the car with the intention of pulling into traffic again." "Muray, the car is registered on Jill Helliwel, stationed at Edward Airforce Base." Agent Kinroy remarked in the shade of the night, two objects located on the road just a few inches from him. He pointed his flash light at it and spotted some sunglasses and a baseball cap. He walked to it to investigate it further . He went through his knees and glanced at the badge which read Icarus I. He also called it in. |
"It could be her cap. Jill Helliwell is an astronaut at NASA. Back up is on its way. Set up a wide perimeter and start searching in the immediate vicinity."
There was no more peace and quiet on NASA Parkway as the howling and flashing blue yellow squad cars arrived at the scene of the crime. The search went on for the remainder of the night but no Jill Helliwell had been located so far. The trace research team had spotted strange little black burnt holes a few inches from where the sunglasses and cap were found. It looked like the road had melted away from something scorching it though the holes weren't hot any more. They seemed to be made in a right angle shape. Inspector Danny Lester of the Nassau Bay Police pointed his flash light in the little hole and noticed it showed some residue. He went through his knees beside it and pushed his gloved finger in it. He pulled it out again with the residue stuck on it and a familiar penetrating scent overwhelmed him. It was the one associated with chemicals or even an electric cable. PHEW! "Take pictures and a sample" he demanded the team. When hours of investigating this had whizzed by without any result, he called off the search and finally spoke: At dawn, we'll continue the search! " Finally, peace and quiet returned to NASA Parkway. |
Jill Helliwell woke up from a deep sleep, still sleep drunk, she opened first one eye and then pried open the other one. Laying on her back, she stared at the dark grey ceiling.
'Where the hell was she? ' crossed her sleepy mind. 'This was certainly not the hotel room she was staying in cause the room felt too cold.' She laid there on a mattress that had earned its stripes and the floor was metal like. Above all, it s was hauntingly quiet here... Shivering of the cold, she straigthened herself pulling herself up by her elbows and the gold coloured blanket fell off her. "Where are my clothes?" She wondered when she noticed she was stark naked. Quickly, she pulled the isolation blanket over her till it reached her neck. "Where am I? What the hell happened here? " Jill tortured her brain to remember something, anything. "How could she not know? She only drank one pint of Budweiser during the staff meeting and then she left for the hotel... Someone must have spiked her beer and that's why she felt funny in her head now." |
Suddenly, it dawned on her...
"Halfway NASA Parkway, she had parked her car to give way to a priority vehicle. When it didn't pass by, she had left her car encountering men wrapped in spacesuits. She had been offended by them and spoke her mind that she was tired and it was too late for pranking. One of them had stepped up to her with an open visor and then... BLANK..." However, she tortured her brain to remember every detail. She couldn't remember what happened to her and how she got here in the first place on that filthy mattress. 'Was this part of the prank or was it much worse? Was she kidnapped somehow? ' Rushed through her mind. 'By whom and why? ' Jill got op, wrapped the isolation blanket around her like it was the latest fashionable beach towel and decided to check out the place. It seemed completely deserted with the exception of a stained mattress. |
A few inches from her, she noticed a young female... She laid on a mattress that was even more filthier than hers. The isolation blanket had been thrown on her in a jiffy and hardly covered her ebony skin. Jill carefully neared her and remarked she was a young woman of Afro- American nature.
"She's still alive" assured her heart while she glanced at her chest that went up and down in a steady pace. Blood traces stuck around her belly bottom and on the inside of her thighs. "What happened to her and more important... Did it happen to her too already? " Jill quickly pulled off her blanket and inspected her body. NO... There were no blood traces found yet! She heard footsteps in the distance what made her fall back on her own mattress and she closed her eyes pretending to be asleep. The door slide open, someone neared her in a fast pace. The figure bend over her and it made her come alive again but as she glanced into his face, only a scream escaped her mouth. Nevertheless, a Fazer electric pulse paralized her... Her world turned black again... Compulsing, she fell into an unconscious state again hitting the mattress... |
"Spot on time" Catharina Rosse nodded afirmative. "Is it really necessary that we're both present at the autopsy? " She glanced at Cantrell awaiting his answer. "No, if you really don't wanna be there, it's not mandatory we're both present at the autopsy." "I really don't feel like being present there." "I don't mind! I don't want you to ruin another two piece suit." Rosse glanced at him kind of offended. "I'm kidding, okay." This made her smile though as she slapped his shoulder. He looked at her, nodded and then got out. She turned on the car radio. FBI Agent Thomas Cantrell hated latex, I guess it was the smell. He loathed that part of the job cause he associated the smell with blood and other bodily fluids. His brain told him to 'brace himself' and that's what he did. Straight from the heat outside, he stepped into the autopsy room what made the sweat on his forehead feel chilly all of a sudden. He was now wearing a white protective suit. When he had pushed his mouth mask in place, he also pulled on the hood over his head. His shoes were covered with paper shoes cause he knew out of experience that sometimes parts fell off the table. Thomas took a deep breath and head for the autopsy table where the covered up stiff was already present. Coroner Walker and his assistant were already preparing the scene with laying out the needy instruments on a metal trolley. When all was in place, the assistant rolled the trolley to its place beside the autopsy table. "Good morning Cantrell, where is your fresh blood? " He remarked not spotting his new colleague. Thomas only nodded 'no' with a smile but didn't comment on it though. "Let us begin with the autopsy, shall we? " Cantrell only nodded. Robert Ray reached for the blanket and tore it off. "Carol Falcom, white, age 25, height 5,7 ft, weight 149,91 pound." However Thomas had 'braced himself' for what he could expect, the first glance at the body did startle him as he felt a nauseous wave travelling through his body. Though he got it 'in check' quickly. Her stark blond hair stood upright in spikes of blood, her red lips were half opened like they had been frozen by her last scream. In horror, he remarked again that she was missing her left eye. He pointed it out and Robert Ray only nodded affirmative. |
The blood and the food waste had been rinsed off her body leaving only her injuries staring at them. A second wound was located in her abdomen. Thomas pointed out the bluish prints showing at her waist and femur.
"She's been tied up." "Yep, with tape and metal straps on both wrists and ankles." Thomas took a deep breath and blew out steam. Coroner Walker shone his investigation lamp on her abdomen and pointed out her belly wound. "Massive amount of blood in the abdomen cavity points out that her heart was still beating at the moment of the incision. That means she was still alive when the incision was made. It looks really secure and without edges which I conclude that she was either out or tied up so tight she couldn't move so the blade couldn't sidetrack. This wound wasn't aimed to be lethal. It had a different purpose." It made Thomas swallow as he looked at the blue streaks around her wrists and ankles. A little dot shaped line travelled over her hips. "Yep, Carol Falcom did indeed resist... Put your hand in the wound." Quite to the dismay of his sudden request, he did fulfilled it. His gloved hand reached inside the wound. The flesh was cold and rigid from the cooling. It reminded him of how it felt to put your hand in a plucked and seasoned turkey. Wondering about what he felt, he glanced at the Coroner. "Her uterus is missing, right? " Robert Ray only nodded 'yes'. "They removed it. In fact all her reproductive organs were stripped from her. The precision of how it was done makes me come to the conclusion that we must locate the perpetrator with a Medical license." "The question remains... WHY? What was the purpose here? " Robert Ray only shrugged. "An obsession? Women hate? " "Okay Robert, I'll leave you to it. Would you send the report ASAP to the Office? " Cantrell backed away from the autopsy table and left the room. Once outside, the heat fell on him like a ton of bricks. |
As he approached the vehicle, he remarked how she got settled. The passenger seat was lowered and Rosse laid their with her eyes shut listening to the radio. Sinatra and daughter were singing,
I stand in line to have an evening with you.” The airco kept the car nice and fresh. When she heard the car door open, she came alive again cause the soft music had made her sleepy. He got inside. “And then I spoiled it all by saying something stupid like I love you.” Catharina turned her head and she looked at Thomas with a glare of 'I'm on Cloud 9. Care to join me? ' Thomas didn't get it the 'hidden message'. Trying to hide her disappointment, she blurted out: "how was the autopsy? " She pushed the seat back into the former position. "Horrific what happened to her. In my opinion, this is the work of a psychopath. Somewhere, he tied her up on a bed or a table. Without any anaesthetic, he cut her open and ripped out her uterus and all her reproductive organs." Still in shock, he fell silent again. Catharina glanced at him in disbelieve but did see the whole scene happening right in front of her eyes. Cold chills sizzled through her body what made her 'cloud 9' bubble shatter to pieces now. She turned off the radio. "So, we're looking for a Psychopath then? " "Yep, according to Robert Ray, it's someone with a medical license cause the removal of her female organs was done with medical precision." "That means we're looking for a wacky surgeon." Cantrell nodded and fired up the car. "Indeed" When they survived the 90 minute busy traffic jam, they arrived back at 2500 ETC Jester Blvd. Cantrell cruised his Cadillac Sedan into the subterranean garage and parked it neatly on the reserved spot. Rosse got out and walked to her GMC terrain vehicle parked a little further from his light grey Chrysler Voyager SUV. She raised her hand and yelled : "have a great Sunday, Thomas! " He followed her with his glare how she disappeared in her car and left the garage. |
When Catharina Rosse entered the landscape office, her partner was already chilling reading his morning newspaper, The Daily News.
Her presence made him look up. In her hand she was holding a white and a brown A4 envelope that she dropped on her desk. "Good morning Catharina, sporting something new? " "Yep, bought it yesterday in Posh Boutique on Westheimer Road. 'You like it? " He laid his newspaper down and inspected her once more. Then he only nodded affirmative. "Posh hey? Fits you perfectly! " It made her face beam with a smile. "I found the Coroner and Police report in our mail box." She pointed at the envelopes on her desk. "It wasn't there when I arrived" he only commented at first. "Have you seen the paper today? " Rosse only nodded 'no', throwing off her FBI cap. Both her hands glide through her military style hair and then she plunged behind her desk. She unbuttoned her black bolero top adorned with white embroidery. She got out her piece, a Colt 45, from her shoulder holder and hid it in her desk drawer. Thomas wondered what she was doing while she ripped open one of the envelopes. "It gets in the way of my desk duty" she only fretted at him. He only shrugged, smiled at her and then nodded his head. "Did I spot the news today? Nope, something shocking happened today? Is the world coming to an end tomorrow? " She joked. He only showed her the front page "Astronaut Jill Helliwell kidnapped, car found abandoned with open door." She took 'The Daily News' he reached out to her and thoroughly read the article. |
"Cantrell, Rosse, the Deputy Director would like to have a word with you in his office."
"ARGH, why can't we stay in today? " She fretted. "New case Cantrell, first report made by the Police Department Westheimer Road. A young female from Afro-American origin fell out of the sky on a hood of a car. Identity unknown so it's a Jane Doe. Both her eyes are missing, her left booby has been amputated and she has liaisons in her abdomen. It happened on 1848 Westheimer Road just across the Boutique Pixie & Ivy." The deputy Director Lafon, better known as 'the Cancer man' ,went silent for a moment sucking on his cigar like his life depended on it. He glanced at Cantrell. The room soon filled with smoke that he blew out like a chimney would do. It made Catharina cough. "What is happening here, Cantrell? It's already the second woman falling out of the sky. First it was a white one and now a black one." Deputy Director, Lafon awaited his reaction but none came. "Inspector La Croix is at the crime scene already. All the other cases are put on hold. I want that you get to the bottom of these two strange cases." "We'll see to that, Sir" Both agents left the office of the 'Cancer man' . "Westheimer Road? That's known territory for you hey! Posh Boutique." Catharina Rosse gave him a push. "Don't do that! " Quickly she walked to her desk, got out her Colt 45 from her desk drawer and shoved it back into her shoulder holder where it belonged. She threw both envelopes in the desk drawer too and quickly shut it. |
To her surprise, she realized the Cadillac Sedan wasn't there any more when she got to its spot in the garage.
"He must be waiting outside already" she mumbled. Indeed, there he was with the motor running already. The heat fell on her like a ton of bricks but the airco inside was heaven. " Damn that heat! I think they wanna fry us so we're used to the heat once we reach hell. My clothes are already damp and sticky" she fretted as she plunged into the passenger seat. "Take them off then" he commented smiling at her. "You would really like that, would you Thomas? Me sweating here in my bra and panties and you drooling as a dog on a collision course with the wall... Yeah, sure! " She gave him a naughty smile with her eyes twinkling at him. She took off her FBI cap and wiped the sweat away with the palm of her hand. "You know the way? " She teased him. He only nodded though she began to recite: "You leave here in the North west direction heading for Pinegate. You take a curb of 180° degrees, take a right to stay on Jester BLVD..." she took a deep breath and then blew it out. He let her continue. "You turn left at W 11st, then right again... Where is Thomas then? Right on Westheimer Road. Go on, why are we waiting? " He only smiled at her. "With you as companion, I don't need GPS. No wait, you're better than a GPS system and much much prettier too." She glanced at him for a moment and charmed by it, she hit his shoulder. |
35 minutes later, they were at the Boutique Pixie & Ivy. Head inspector, La Croix noticed both FBI Agents getting out of their car and head towards them. "I know... This is... Again an FBI case" "Good morning La Croix" She only nodded. On the side walk in front of the Boutique Pixie & Ivy, there was a black Chrysler Voyager SUV that knocked down one of those red fire hoses spewing water onto the street now like a waterfall. It cleaned the car and the naked corpse on top of the hood. The body of an Afro American lady lay there in an unnatural position while her face had shattered the black tinted wind shield. Catharina Rosse observed the SUV and its surroundings and turned towards her partner. "We get off easily this time around, Thomas." Cantrell only glanced puzzled at her. "Well at first, I don't have to drop off my two piece suit at the dry cleaners, I don't have to polish my shoes..." she bravely told him "... and Coroner Walker is spared from washing the body clean." Cantrell smiled and only shook his head, he then turned to La Croix. |
"Have you identified the casualty yet? "
"Nope, not yet... Would you like to follow me to the Command Unit? Agent Conellie is already taking the statement of the driver of the SUV." The threesome got into the control centre vehicle. The airco kept the place nice and bearable too. "I will now read your statement and if you wanna add or change anything, please let me know" Conellie informed the flustered woman facing him. "I... as in Jean Cruow declare the following statement. I was driving along Westheimer road. When I passed by the Boutique Pixie & Ivy, a naked woman fell on the hood of my car. Her head smashed through my front wind shield. Two dark blooded cavities glared at me. Shocked, I lost control over the vehicle and crashed into one of those fire hoses planted on the side walk." "Do you wish to add anything? " The lady only shook her head 'NO'. "Okay, please sign here." Both FBI Agents left the Command Unit again and the scorching heat almost ripped their faces apart. |
The Coroners team had removed the body already and preserved her in a black body bag with a stylish silver zipper. Robert Ray neared Cantrell.
"The injuries are the same. What's going on here? Do we really have a serial killer on our hands? " "More like a wacky surgeon or an overworked Coroner that went bananas" she stated. Cantrell only shrugged. "I don't know. The investigation will point out the real cause of death." "Autopsy this afternoon at 3 PM." "We're going to get a bite to eat now. What would you think of a steak with all the trimmings, Rosse? " Cantrell kept quiet for a moment. "On my tab" "A steak would be nice. I'm hungry as a horse. Where are we going? " "Patience, Catharine Rosse. Patience is such a good virtue" The airco in the car was again a blessing in disguise. |
Cantrell and Rosse walked into Sullivan steakhouse. The airco here was on full blast too bathing the place in a nice and cool temperature.
Cantrell waited for his turn at the counter and then ordered two fat and juice steaks with all the toppings. To his surprise the lady at the counter served them still raw on an Inox plate and pointed at the Grill section at the back of the joint. "You have to grill them yourself." Catharina saw what took place and neared him. "Come on, let me do this for you" she offered while Thomas ordered two large sodas. He then chose a table by the window and took a seat already. As a team they were still in the 'getting-to-know-each-other-' phase. In the office of the Deputy director, about 3 weeks ago, she had introduced herself as Catharine Rosse, 25 springs young. On her 18th, she had joined the USA Marine corps. "It's in the genes" she had told him playfully. "... As my dad is the Commander of the Army base in Fort Bragge." To his delight, he spotted how handy she was with flipping over the steaks on the grill. Suddenly, the memory of his late partner popped into his mind. It had gone all bloody wrong that night when he lost her... The scene played in front of his eyes again like a broken record... |
A few days ago, they were on a stake out. That night they were in down town cause one of their informants had revealed a major drug operation at hand.
Around 3 am, they spotted down the street barely lighted by scattered street lights here and there, two badly dressed man who were plastered beyond reason yelling and mumbling while trying to get home suppose. They were coming their way. One of the hoodlums, knocked on the window and yelled: "YO, GIVE US A RIDE TO THE STATION!" He had rolled down the window to hear them better and then... NOTHING... ZILCH... NADA.... Catharina Rosse put both plates on the table and sat down opposite of him. She sipped from her soda. "Once we have eaten this, we can take on the world again." It made Thomas shriek out of his thoughts. "You were daydreaming..." He glanced at her and shook his head, took his knife and fork and cut a piece of his steak. "I just thought about my previous partner who got killed during a stake out... I don't know what triggered this memory... You wanna hear the story? " Catharina nodded. |
"Well, last September we were doing a stake out. That night we were in down town cause one of our informants had revealed a major drug operation at hand. Around 3 am, we spotted down the street barely lighted by scattered street lights here and there, two badly dressed man who were plastered beyond reason yelling and mumbling while trying to get home I suppose. They were coming our way. One of the hoodlums, knocked on the window and yelled: "YO, GIVE US A RIDE TO THE STATION!" I glanced at my partner... She looked puzzled at me and I only shrugged. I rolled open my window... and..." He went silent, cut another piece from his steak and divulged it into his mouth.
"And what? " She asked intrigued about the story. "Then... nothing I guess... I still can't remember... The attending Doc claims its traumatic memory loss... It'll return, I'm sure..." He glared outside and drank from his Coke... He glanced at her and continued his story. "I could hardly open my eyes and in a daze I took in the surroundings... It was so quiet that it scared ye... I was lying on the road.... Every bone in my body ached. I had the feeling that my skull was gonna explode any given moment now... Every breath felt like torture... Every time, my lungs filled with air, I was dying of the pain... I struggled to get to my feet... I couldn't locate my partner at first... Every step I took, was pure torture... The door to the building block was left ajar and more dead than alive, I stood there in shock gawking at what I witnessed now. My partner laid there in an overflowing bathtub with eyes gone blank and mouth wide open like she was cut off in the midst of a scream...." He went silent again. His eyes filling up with tears.... He drank from his Coke and then checked his Rollex. "I think we better go now if we want to be on time for that autopsy." She too checked her watch and only nodded. Without another word spoken, they left Sullivan's steakhouse. |
It was only about 24 hours since the last autopsy that Cantrell and now Rosse were present around the autopsy table. Before them laid the remains of a young woman of Afro American origin. She had been brutally maimed.
Coroner Walker pushed his mic in front of his mouth. The autopsy was always audio and video taped for further reference. Both agents listened carefully and glared at the corpse spread out on the table. "Kitty Swanson, young female of Afro american origine, age 23, height 5,2 ft, weight 165,35 pound... approximately time of death... Sunday July 5th around 11PM" It made Thomas swallow as he looked at the bluish streaks around her wrists and ankles. On her waist and thighs there were little point shaped skin bleedings visible. "She been tight up just like Carol Falcom..." Robert Ray only nodded. "Yep with tape or metal straps on her wrists and ankles... She too put on quite a struggle." |
Catharina took a deep breath and exhaled it. Were once beautiful eyes were situated, were now two dark blooded cavities. Robert Ray pointed them out.
"Surgically and precisely removed. left breast amputation but why? The killer cracked open her chest too but the chestbone hasn't been sawed through. He probably used some kind laser technology... I don't really know how it is possible... it had to be done in a Medical Centre. Both lungs and airways are missing too. On her forehead and diaphragm there is a strip of skin missing... WHY? That's the question! " Coroner Walker aimed the light on her belly now and pointed out the belly wound. "Quite an amount of blood in her belly can only mean that her heart was still beating when the incision was made. God knows what the purpose is of all this? Just like with Carol Falcom, all the female organs are removed too." |
Robert Ray stepped away from the autopsy table "End of audio, end of session." He removed his gloves and threw them in the yellow waste container labelled Hazardous Medical waste. In horror and disbelieve he glanced at both the FBI agents. "The facts make me conclude that... it's too crazy to even think about the possibility of... and still... the wounds on both the body of Kitty Swanson and Carol Falcom shows signs of an earlier autopsy... performed by who... and why... That are the million $ questions if you want to solve these sadistic murders." "That is what we are investigating" Rosse told him and got out of her white suit and paper shoes. She threw them in the yellow container too. Both left the cool autopsy room for the much hotter air outside pushing on you like some dead weight. After a gruelling 88 minutes in rush hour traffic, they arrived back at 2500 ETC Jester Bvld. where Rosse parked the Cadillac Sedan neatly in the subterranean garage on the designated spot for it. |
When Catharina Rosse walked into the landscape office this morning, her partner was already reading the morning paper 'The Daily News'. He looked up from his paper.
"Good morning Catharina" "Good morning to you too, Thomas. I'm first gonna grab a cup of coffee. You want one too? I got breakfast on the go here... I slept in, you see." He nodded and replied: "You go right ahead, dear! " Then he submerged himself into his paper again reading the front page article. After awhile, she came back from the coffee room, placed the tray on his desk and bended forward. She grabbed the brown bag stained with grease and revealed a doughnut. While chewing it, she glanced at the article. Leaning a bit over his shoulder she read it with her eyes. "Young Afro- American woman falls out of the sky on a hood of the car." Her woman scent penetrated his nostrils. " I really have to dig into the Police report of Carol Falcom. This ain't an easy task! Too many unsolved question marks!" Rosse told him while she was in the middle of her daily routine and then she plunged into her desk chair. She took out the brown A4 enveloppe which had 'Police department Westheimer Road' labelled to it. She pulled it open and by holding it in a 45° angle, the contents slipped on her desk. She buried herself in the report. Some time had passed when she finally lift her head and with an agreeing nod, she glanced at Thomas who was still hiding behind his paper. “Meagan Rybeck, you know... The blond lady with her dark blue two piece suit an her state of the art sunglasses on her nose. She had crashed head on into a dumpster. Well, it says here she was sober and even not a trace of drugs were found in her system. Then why... did claim she couldn't avoid it cause it fell from the sky? " |
No answer...
'He's not listening again' rushed through her mind. It made her frown her forehead and she put the left over doughnut in her mouth. She swallowed it with a gulp of coffee... No answer yet... So, she got up and bended over his desk. She reached out his hand and pulled his paper down. She looked at him with a glance of 'didn't you just hear what I said? ' He looked at her with a naughty smile still on silent mode... "What were you saying, Catharina? " She had finally drawn his attention. He folded up his newspaper and threw it in the desk drawer. "Why does Meagan Rybeck claim... You know... The blond lady with her dark blue two piece suit an her state of the art sunglasses on her nose. She had crashed head on into a dumpster. Well, it says here she was sober and even not a trace of drugs were found in her system. Then why... did claim she couldn't avoid it cause it fell from the sky? Dumpsters don't normally fall from the sky, do they? How is it possible that the dumpster, from the Hotel The Golden Nugget Las Vegas, end up on Ridge Hollow Drive in the first place? " She recapped her story. "That's more than 1242 Miles from here... And another thing... Why dump a corpse in a dumpster? What message does it convey... that Carol Falcom is 'waste' too? " She glanced at him wondering and shook her head from left to right... She peeked at the report again... "The mystery of the fallen from the sky Golden Nugget dumpster can only be solved by accepting it really fell from the sky..." she continued in thoughts. Her perseverance to get to the bottom of this got a dent with yet another baffling question that popped inside her brain. "The container must have floated down as there was hardly any damage to the road itself and to the dumpster in question. Who's capable of this act and foremost why? " |
He only observed her and a smile popped on his face. She noticed it and grabbed the police report.
She read out loud now: "Police report on Thursday July 4th " Crime scene: Ridge Hollow Drive Primary complaint: A vehicle had an head on collision with a dumpster fallen from the sky. Stats on current psychical and psychological state: 28 years white female, Meagan Rybeck, was at the moment the crime occured not intoxicated by any substances nor was she under the influence of alcohol. She claimed she simply couldn't avoid the dumpster that suddenly fell out of the sky. Deposition of head of kitchen concerning the disappearance of the dumpster on: On Sunday, June 28 at around 10, one of the kitchen staff reported the dumpster was missing. The local garbage disposal unit empty them always in the evening and they put them back straight away. This has been confirmed by above mentioned unit too. Deposition by the Sam Houston Tollway office: CCTV shows no passage whatsoever of any dumpster traffic with the label 'The Golden Nugget Las Vegas'. |
"Please help me out here, Thomas. I'm not gaining any step to a solution here even with this Police report."
"Can it be solved? Dumpsters just don't fall from the sky, do they? " "Well, you're not helping here, Thomas" she pouted a little disappointed. "I'm gonna get another cup of coffee, you want one too? " "I'd love too" When she came up with the cups of coffee, he was already the Police report too. Suddenly, he thought about what the 'Cancerman' had said yesterday. "What is happening here Cantrell, it's already the 2nd woman that drops out of the sky. At first she was white and then black. Is there any connection between the two cases? " Catharina looked at him with a glance of 'yeash, I know'. "Indeed, there is a connection... Aerospace... NASA Space Centre. Kitty Swanson worked there as an EMT for NASA." Cantrell shook his head. "Carol Falcom didn't work for NASA though. She was a Las Vegas pole dancer and much more..." "That's correct but her dad's company Falcom Industries mainly worked for NASA. Coincidental or not, Jill Helliwell is a NASA Astronaut." Cantrell thought about what she just said. "So..." he replied "... If I understand you correctly... We'll find her one of these days in a dumpster or on a roof of a car? " "I'm not sure of that but it is possible though" she answered with some hesitation in her voice. "What 'you mean by that? We have to locate the perpetrator in NASA itself? Someone out for revenge cause he got laid or something? " "Yeah, could be but then he's gotta have the surgical knowledge." She took back the Police report. "How do you explain the airborne dumpster then? " She shook her head and plunged back behind her desk. "We're never gonna solve this, are we? " "Patience Catharina, solving these kind of cases requires a lot of patience and stamina. We'll crack this one eventually" |
Just like every morning, FBI Agent Cantrell slipped in the FBI building with his paper under his arm. Like a conditioned reflex, he checked their mailbox.
"No Kitty Swanson Autopsy report yet" he mumbled "or Rosse beat him to it." He entered the landscape office. Catharina Rosse was already seated at her desk reading that report. She had already filed it too. "Good morning Catharina. Gonna get me some coffee first. Want one too? " "Yeash, Thomas. Black and 2 lumps of sugar... He was right, you know... You hear me? The wounds inflicted on Kitty Swanson were indeed from a former autopsy performed on her as Robert Ray claimed they were... Where had it taken place and by who is still unknown." While she carefully studied the autopsy piccies, she expected an answer. It remained quiet though. 'He doesn't hear me as usual' she fretted. Thomas came back from the coffee room. "Who was right? " He put her coffee down on her desk, bended over her shoulder and peeked at the row of piccies presented there in front of him. His brain revealed what scent penetrated his nostrils. 'Aftershave? ' He wondered and frowned his forehead. She beat him to it by babbling out. |
"It's Paco Raban for Men, Something I drag with me from a previous job... Who was right, you say? Robert Ray ... was right all along. The wounds inflicted on Kitty Swanson were exactly from a previous autopsy" She told him again while she glanced at the autopsy piccies. Rosse stirred her plastic spoon in her coffee and sipped from it. She really enjoyed this blend though! "You know what is missing here? A fresh filled blueberry muffin! " "Oh, really? I'll get some tomorrow." She gulped out her cup of coffee and pounded it back on her desk. "Reading her autopsy report, I've become aware of a quite scary conclusion." She pointed at a pic of mutilated Apaloosa horse. It lay on its side, his eye was missing and a piece of his skin in his neck region, the size of a big square, was cut out. Thomas looked at it. The picture lay next to the one of Swanson. Next to her picture, lay one of a cow with the same mutilations and next to that one, was the piccie of Carol Falcom. Cantrell took a deep breath and nodded 'NO' with his head. Before he could speak, she told him what she thought of all these events... "Shocking revelations hey? The same mutilations... What if this is the next step, you know! Concerning the cattle mutilation, the local government checked out different versions of the story ranging from UFO's to grand scale government conspiracies. The cattle mutilations were never quite solved. Wild accusations of extra terrestrial presence here on earth circulated heavily but has always been denied by the government." Rosse waited for an answer, took her mug and realized it was empty. She put it back on her desk. |
"What now, Thomas? What if the government really covers up the truth of these cattle mutilations. What if there is really an alien presence here on earth? Then, we are really F***ed. I really need another coffee." "I'll get one for you, Catharina" he spoke up. "There is no need to fear the worst now. It can easily be a copycat." "Is possible but... then one with surgical knowledge" she replied. "The shocking revelations won't go down so easily by the mainstream public. The solution is however... You write down all your conclusions in a 'CONFIDENTIAL' report and wait for the right moment to present it to the Cancer man." Rosse nodded and glanced at the laid out piccies again. FBI Agent Landon popped out of the office of the "Cancerman" and walked towards Cantrell... He stopped briefly to look at the displayed photos and frowned his forehead. "Cantrell, the Cancerman would like to see you in his office. Progress report, you know! " It made Cantrell nod. He turned around and got to his office. Rosse glanced at him. "I think, I better get that coffee myself, if I want another one" she mumbled under her breath and so she did. Awhile later, he came back out of the office of the "Cancerman" and plunged on his seat behind his desk again. "Rosse, we've got the Helliwel case too. The NASA insisted on it cause the local Police and the Boss Lafon claimed we are the 'perfect match' for it. He will mail us the report." |
Agent Mauzer and Sergeant Mahonie did their regular patrolling duties on the Sam Houston Tollway to, however crazy it must sound, prevent that any more dumpsters would fall out of the sky. They neared the crossroad with the Sam Houston Tollway and the Katy Fryway. "What's that... There on the emergency lane? " Sergeant Mahonie yelled suddenly pointing his finger at the object. He pointed the search light on it and noticed it in a glance that it must be a young female lying there all crouched up. By the sudden flash of light, she lifted her head up a little and glanced in his direction like a deer caught in the headlights of a raging truck. |
It startled him for a minute or two but soon he regained his composure.
"Stop the vehicle! I believe there is a woman on the emergency lane. " Even before the car came to a full stop, he had already jumped out of it as he rushed towards her. The young female seemed wrapped in a gold colored 'rescue' blanket like she was heading off to the beach. She once again glared at him with frightened eyes. Almost inaudible, she whimpered: "Please, don't hurt me any more." "Dispatch, here night patrol car 33, Sergeant Mahonie speaking." "Dispatch here, what do you have to report, Mahonie? " |
"We found a young woman crouched up on the emergency lane, clear signs of trauma and only wrapped in a gold 'rescue' blanket. Further, only superficial wounds and dehydration." Sergeant Mahonie took a deep breath.
"We need medical assistance here, give 911 our position." "Understood Mahonie, ambulance is on its way." "Mauser, do we have a blanket in the car? " "Yeah, on the back seat." "Please get it for me so we can at least keep her warm until 911 arrives." Sergeant Mahonie stayed squatted by the injured lady whom he covered with the car blanket. "Who ever did this to you and where? " She only glanced at him with a frightened look. "I... got... away..." she only stuttered. "Men... In space suits... came to... get me... I... I was... locked up and I got... away." She rambled on. Mahonie looked at her in disbelieve. It must be the shock that made her say this so he didn't answer to her ramblings. The night sky was lit once red and then once white by the storming ambulance rushing to the scene. |
EMT Tom Mc. Callum heard the screaming sirens of the nearing ambulance. He felt how his heartbeat raced and how his nervous system got his body in gear ready to save someone's life again.
He pushed the red button to open the heavy metal rolling door of the ER which revealed the BIG BAD world. His team and himself had been 'on hold' for any casualties 'dropping' in and now it was all hands on deck as the ambulance rushed in. The screaming siren went quiet as the ambu came to a standstill. Tom pulled open the back door as two male nurses jumped out and pulled out the gurney with the poor bait strapped in. The poor thing was a young woman who was covered up to her chin with one of those yellow knitted gurney blankets. You could spot the blood on her blond cut short hair and the wounds on her feet told him she must have walked barefoot for awhile 'till she fell from pure exhaustion on that emergency lane on the Sam Houston Toll way. |
He glanced at her face and received quite a shock as he realized he knew that face. That young woman was no one else than the youngest daughter of Samuell Helliwell, one of his youth friends.
"Jill" he whispered softly. "Jill Helliwell? " Jill looked in his direction but didn't seem to recognize him. "It's me, Tom... Tom Mc.Callum” Her eyes revealed so much fear. "I'm in pain... pain everywhere..." She closed her eyes and moaned softly. "I already administered 5mg of Morphine IV. " The male nurse rolling in the gurney stated. "Do you know her, Doctor? " He only asked. "Indeed, I do" he sighed. "For years, I've known her father. Jill Helliwell was a fighter pilote stationed at the Ellington Air Force Base but she's been an NASA Astronaut for a while now. She was gonna make a trip to the IRS soon. Too Bad, she is not gonna make it now, hey." Tom Mc.Callum removed the yellow blanket and realized that the only thing left on her was the gold rescue blanket that was wrapped around her body like she planned a day at the beach instead. |
The ER team around the gurney counted till 3 and then lifted her off the gurney and into the designated ER bed.
"Ask the ER receptionist to call Inspector La Croix of the Houston Police Department to confirm we have found the missing Jill Helliwell please, thanks." He took a peek at the huge white clock on the wall which screamed how late it was. "38 minutes past midnight admitted at Memorial Hermann South east Hospital. I need blood samples and an MRI scan, okay! " But at 02:20 AM... Yeash, in the midst of the night, the light blue CMC SUV of the NASA Medical Centre drove into the Memorial Hermann South east hospital, where they 'confiscated' her body according to the 'special kind' of injuries she sustained. |
When he arrived at 2500 East TC Jester Blvd, another car pulled into the garage too. It was the GMC all terrain wagon of Catharina. Both parked their vehicle on the designated spot.
He got out... Locked his car, tucked his newspaper under his arm and head to her vehicle. "Good morning Thomas, you had a good night? You read the Daily News yet on this warm and sunny morning? " That's how he began to recognize her, always a little playful in the morning. They both got in the elevator that would bring them to the ground floor. "No, I haven't. You know, I always buy one, tuck it under my arm and only read it when I have some peace and quiet at my desk and of course when I have time for it." "I never buy one" she replied. " I always read yours, hey. However, today, I did buy one. The radio that wakes me up talked about the missing Jill Helliwell so I was intrigued." The elevator reached its destination and the 'tjing' sound told them to get out now. The metal door slid open and talking about what she read they entered their landscape office. Like each morning, Rosse plunged on her seat, buttoned open her top and got out her piece, a COLT 45 only to dump it in her desk drawer. She unfolded her newspaper and read the front page article about Helliwell. "Thomas" she called out startled when she encountered the first glance on the front page which showed the piccie of the missing astronaut in a azure blue training suit. It was adorned with the patch of Space shuttle Icarus I. "Night patrol found her crouched up and traumatized on the emergency lane on the Sam Houston Tollway. She was only wearing a golden rescue blanket." Cantrell looked up surprised. The door of 'The Cancerman' blew open and he stood there on the threshold, holding onto the Washing Post. He looked quite irritated "Cantrell, Rosse... I need you in my office NOW." Rosse folded her paper and threw it in her desk drawer too. The 'Cancerman' was already seated at his desk when they entered it. He took one of his Havanna cigars out and lighted it. When he blew out the first smoke, it made Catharine cough. It made him look up of course! In front of him lay the Washing post on page 3 that 'screamed' : "DUMPSTER FALLS OUT OF THE SKY CONTAINING A MUTILATED BODY, A SEVERE WOUNDED AFRO- AMERICAN WOMAN FALLS ON THE HOOD OF A CAR AND WHAT DOES THE F.B.I DO? " |
Annoyed, he pointed at the page size article.
"FBI Director, John Martin, is doing my head in really... Demanding an explanation... Do we have one yet? " Lafon was really expecting a 'No, we don't' kind of answer from Cantrell. "We do have one though... I don't know if it's a suitable one for you or even for Washington DC? " Rosse answered instead quite resolute. Cantrell looked shocked at her. "One sec, Boss? Can I gather my evidence, please? " Lafon only nodded. Rosse turned around and left the office. His Boss, Lafon, shrugged puzzled at Cantrell. "She came up with a theory for both the files. I'll do her the honour of presenting it to you." Thomas hadn't witnessed her being so serious yet as she came back with the whole file including a white A 4 envelop that contained the pictures that she carefully took out now. It were the ones she showed Thomas yesterday. Their Boss, Lafon, was intrigued by the evidence he saw appearing before his very own eyes. He blinked that pictures as Catharina Rosse began her plea with a nervous twitch in her voice. "Reading the autopsy report of Kitty Swanson, I came to a shocking conclusion;" She pointed at a piccie of a mutilated Apaloosa horse that lay there on its side, one eye was missing and one rectangle piece of skin had been cut out of his neck. Lafon gawked at it. Beside it lay the autopsy piccie of Kitty Swanson, then a picture of a cow with the same mutilations and next to it, the autopsy piccie of Carol Falcom. Cantrell took a deep breath and nodded affirmative with his head. Before, Lafon could open his mouth, she told him what her daring theory was... "Shocking resemblances hey... The same mutilations over and over again. What if this is the next phase in the cattle mutilation. I know, the local government is seeking all sorts of solutions from UFO's to a massive conspiracy of the state. The cattle mutilations were never really solved. There were just wild accusations of an alien presence here on earth but the state has always denied these claims." Catharina Rosse took a pause there, giving him time to think and allowing her to catch her breath. "What if there is really an alien presence here on earth? Then, Houston... We have a major problem, do we? What is purpose of an autopsy made before Coroner Robert R. Walker even performed one on both Carol Falcom and Kitty Swanson? " Catharina held her breath again. |
"Gathering knowledge... Knowledge of how we, the female kind of the human race, is build. That's why the reproductive organs of the women were removed. " Her throat was dried out from talking, she scraped it and took a deep breath.
"Shall I get you a glass of water? " Cantrell asked. She only nodded while her Boss was still checking out the piccies. Thomas came back, handed it to her and she gulped it down in what seemed only one sip! She dried her lips with the hand palm of her hand. "Dumpster falls out of the sky containing a mutilated body and a severe wounded Afro- American lady falls on the hood of a car... Well, when they got hold of what they needed to know, they just 'dumped' the bodies like we would throw away a squeezed out lemon." Catharina went silent again and looked at Cantrell for any confirmation. He only nodded 'yes'. 'When we, as Homo Sapiciens Eerectus, fret about futilities and bug on and other... We're being studied and plucked apart in much more detail than we peer at the night sky. WHY? With what purpose is the Million $ question here. I'm afraid that they will use the knowledge they gained to start an own civilisation here with the use of our womankind. That's why they only 'abduct' young fertile woman." Rosse ended her plea here awaiting a reply from her Boss. "You asked for an explanation" Cantrell stated boldly. "We, as a team, came to these conclusions after an extensive research of all the facts of both cases. It's now up to you and Washington DC if that is a plausible solution or not? " "I'm a man with an open mind and I will thoroughly evaluate these facts and conclusions." The Boss, Lafon, sucked on his cigar and noticed it had died out so he laid it to rest in his ashtray. "Catharine Rosse, that was quite a plea there. We'll just have to wait and see what the Helliwell case brings us hey! " Both FBI agents exited his office. Rosse walked to her desk and plunged down on her seat. She took a deep breath and unbuttoned her top again. "That's more comfortable" she stated. "I'm gonna read the article of Helliwell now." She unfolded the Daily News and escaped into the story. Cantrell observed her and after awhile, he hollered to her: "Rosse, get your Colt 45 out. We're gonna take a trip to the Memorial Hermann South East Hospital and then look for a bite to eat. You know any good places to eat out? " Rosse looked up, frowned her forehead at first and then thought about it... "if you like Mexican food? Then, Juanita's Mexican restaurant is the place to be... if you want chicken? There is a fine place called Church chicken.They have quite a exquisite menu there." "What do you like the most? " He asked her as they head for the elevator that would take them to their cars. "Well..." she boasted. "I really dig chicken." Only the thought of it, made her mouth water. "Okay then Church chicken here we come." |
Cantrell en Rosse entered the lobby of the Memorial Hermann South East Hospital and walked to the Info desk.
Cantrell fished out his badge from his jacket and held it in front of the woman's face sitting at the Info desk. "FBI Agent Thomas Cantrell and this is my colleague FBI Agent Catharina Rosse." He flipped his badge shut and it slip back into the designated pocket of his jacket. "In which room does Jill Helliwell reside here? " He asked formally. The woman at the info desk looked at him and then played with her fingers on her keyboard while staring at her screen so she could give him a sensible answer. "I'm sorry, Sir. Jill Helliwell is not listed here any more. Members of the NASA collected her." "Okay, thanks for the info." |
Cantrell turned around and exited the building again and Rosse only followed him.
Once outside, he fiddled with his hand in his jacket again and revealed his cell phone. He flipped it open and dialled a number. "I'll just give NASA Medical Centre a call, okay! " He only spoke. Rosse only nodded 'yes' while she looked around. "Wth NASA Medical Centre? " "Indeed, NASA Medical Centre here. How can I help? " "This is FBI Agent Thomas Cantrell here. Is it correct that you have Jill Helliwell in your vicinity? " "One moment please, Agent Cantrell" was the short reply. Their was a brief silence on the line... |
"Yes but since she is confined in the germ free zone, you'll need a written application to be able to visit her."
Cantrell only shook his head with a look of 'you gotta be kidding me now' towards Rosse. "We'll get that permission" he only answered somehow irritated by that command and flipped his cell shut again. He turned to his partner again. "The planned visit to the NASA Medical Centre will be for another day. Where did you say "Church Chicken" was? " "6962 West TC Jester Blvd" Catharina opened de passenger door and pulled off her waistcoat top, got into her seat and unbuttoned the first pearl of her cream coloured blouse. Then, she put on her sunglasses. "Much too hot and crampy to drive like this" she only uttered. She put the airco on high speed and Thomas followed her example, he got rid of his jacket too that he draped over his seat the same way that she did moments ago. The airco in the car was again quite a blessing. |
Jill Helliwell was knocking on heaven's door now as she was strapped to a gurney dressed in the 'infamous' greenish operation cloth.
Her light blue eyes were swollen shut. Her slim figure had disappeared too as it seemed she was highly pregnant now. EMT Tom Mc. Callum joined her now. He was in the presence of the team of Professor Mc Coy. They were wrapped in 'space suit like' clothes standing now around the gurney. Softly, he caressed her cheek. Jill opened her bloody reptile shaped eyes. "Jill" he spoke softly. "Jill Helliwell? " Jill looked into his direction. She was trying to focus but she was not able to detect him. |
"It's me... Tom... Tom Mc. Callum"
"I can't see you" she pouted. "I can't see a thing any more." "I'm right here by your side" he assured her and laid his hand on hers. "I don't want to die like this" she pouted again. He wiped a tear away, wanted to say something to her but swallowed his words. "What day are we today? " "Tuesday, why? " "Who's filling in for me on the Icarus I team? " "Pilot Cassandra Cunningham." |
Suddenly, she cramped up. A line of dark red blood dripped out of the corner of her mouth. Her eyes turned skywards, her pupils got fixed and dilated.
"Jill? " He bend over her. She didn't react to any stimuli any longer now. Out of all her bodily cavities blood and other fluids escaped. Professor Mc. Coy looked at him and defeated he shook his head. "I'll do an autopsy on her later. If you want to attend it, no problem." Mc. Callum only nodded his head in disbelieve and left the germ free zone through the airtight door.... |
FBI Agent Thomas Cantrell drove his musky grey Chrysler Voyager SUV out of the subterrain garage of the FBI building. He was on his way to pick up Rosse at her home so they could both drive to the NASA Medical center.
His 'not so good looking' GPS often gave directions to Winrock Blvd. where her condo was situated admist a lot of green. It was the first time that he drive to her place so the once annoying GPS voice was now heaven sent otherwise he would have gotten lost. "Travel on the North side of Jester Blvd to W 11th Street..." He followed his GPS almost blindly to her spot and arrived about 20 minutes later at the point where his 'GPS lady' announced they had reached their destination. So at around 8 AM, his SUV drove on the private parking lot for a place to rest. He checked his watch and agreed, he was on schedule. In the large hall he searched for her name and eventually her bell too. That once he found, he pressed of course. |
Catherina startled awake and instantly glanced at her alarm clock. Great, instead of showing the current late, it was blinking like crazy. Another sound was penetrating her brain or was she still dreaming this?
Nope, there it was again. She stumbled out of bed barefooted and still with a voice in slumber she answered her bell that came with an intercom cause you couldn't let any fool walk into your condo hey. "Rosse" she answered it. "It's me! " He replied in a cheerful tone. "Hey Thomas" She recognized his voice and it woke her up too. "One moment, I'll buzz you in. Come up! " Cantrell got into the elevator that would take him to her floor. As the door opened, he saw her standing there in front of her door. |
She was just wearing her green boxershort and ditto sleeveless T-shirt. I guess it has seen the washing machine too often yet as it had shrunken already so he even noticed her taned belly that went up and down from her breathing. He also noticed her Marinecorps tattoe.
"Come in" she insisted. "I overslept you see. My alarm clock didn't wake me. I suppose there was a shortage tonite. " He entered the spacious living room. "Please take a seat. I have to shower first but I won't be too long now." He admired her athletic figure and she noticed it. "This is prettier than your GPS, hey?" she teased him as she whirled around and then disappeared from the room. Cantrell plunged down on the sofa and intriguing he inspected the room. Nice place! His attention was drawn to a table with framed pictures on. "Oh, piccies of my old life! " She commented as she walked in again. Smelling wonderful and all dressed to the Tee. "I'm ready..." He acted startled. "Let's go! " "Can we stop for breakfast first? " She asked blushing. "I always go to Avalon Dinner here. They got a great selection there." "Sure, I forgot Breakfast too! " He only replied. |
Cantrell drove his musky grey SUV
on the grounds of the NASA Medical centre, slowed down and came to a stand still before the barrier. The security guy on duty got out of his cubicle and neared the waiting car. FBI Agent, Thomas Cantrell buzzed open his window and flashed him with his badge and the clearance note. The security guy held on to the clearance note, briefly studied it and then got back to his cubicle where he took the phone and pushed in a few numbers. He had a brief convo with the man on the line, nodded, hung up and neared the waiting car again with 2 badges and the clearance note in his hands. "Please wear these badges visually at all times when you're on the grounds here. You're expected at Block E. You may pursue and park your car on that section of the parking lot. Just drive straight on." The security guy motioned a straight line with his hands and then he retrieved to his cubicle. A few mere seconds later, the barrier opened and Cantrell put the car in first while Rosse checked out where Block E was. When they found it, Cantrell parked his SUV on the designated spot and both got out. They straightened their clothes and their hair and off they were. Inside Block E on your right, you had an info desk with a receptionist dressed in a white two piece suit behind it. Cantrell got out his badge again and held it before her. "FBI Agent Thomas Cantrell and this is my partner Catharina Rosse." The woman in her white sparkly two piece suit snapped at Rosse. "You probably have one of those too, huh? " Yep, I have that thing too and I can do a lot with it." Rosse snapped back at her. The woman in her white suit noticed Rosse' serious glance and suddenly realized this was uncalled for so she hid behind her screen, played a bit with it and then pointed out a waiting room. "Please wait there, Sir and Ma'am. Someone will come and pick you up then." She told them in a more friendly tone. Cantrell hid his badge again in his chest pocket. A few moments had passed when they heard the 'bling' sound of the elevator opening and footsteps nearing them. An older man with quite an ironed and crisp white overcoat came to shake their hands. "Proffesor Mc. Coy. Would you like to follow me to meeting room 3 where we could discuss the case of Helliwell in all privacy? " "We had made an appointment with her, Sir! " Cantrell only stated. Mc. Coy looked him on wondering if he wasn't aware of the news yet. "I'm afraid that won't be possible. Jill has lost the battle that caused havoc in her body. She passed away at five thirty in the germ free zone" he sighed. |
That fact both startled them but Mc. Coy comforted them.
"We have her complete and detailed medical file. Our hypnotic specialist Dr. Sprinkle could record her testimony of the events." The treesome entered meeting room 3. "Please take a seat! Can I offer you some coffee? " "Okay, thanks" Mc. Coy got out his cell phone and pushed in a number. "Mc. Coy here. I would like three coffees, milk, sugar and some sandwiches for meeting room 3. Oh, please bring a digital copy of the file of Helliwell too, thanks! " A little silence clouded the room as they were awaiting the stuff the Proffesor ordered. It came soon enough and Cantrell immediately pocketed the digital copy in his chest pocket. Evidence, right? While we browse through her file, maybe you would like to eat some of the buffet I ordered? " He offered as he opened his laptop and clicked on her file. The BIG screen projected on the wall, showed the result of the first bloodcount administered at the ER in the Memorial Herman South East hospital. Mc. Coy pointed out one item in the list. "These strange substances don't belong there so we thought they messed with it and we took a new sample but to our surprise it showed the same result. Jill's blood is contaminated with a strange substance that we have not found a solution to so we can only conclude that they are not from this earth or said in other words 'alien' " Catharina pulled open her eyes and it spiked her attention but she kept quiet for now. Mc. Coy sipped from his coffee and took a sandwich. During the breathing pauzes in his lecture, they had gobbled up theirs too. "When we took a DNA sample, we concluded that even that was altered. You know, that DNA are the building blocks for the chromosoms and the cells in your body? DNA normally has 4 building blocks. Jill Helliwell has 5 now which meant she would become a 'mutant', a new species among humans. She lived the last 5 days in a glass container room in the germ free zone where as I told you, she died at five thirty this morning." Mc.Coy sipped again from his coffee and pressed the next icon. "What is most disturbing to me is the total absence of her eggs. They were surgically removed. Her ovaries are like plucked grape ranks. What was the purpose of this harvest? By all means, who did it in the first place? One thing for sure is... Who did this to her, has excellent medical knowledge even at a higher level than us, I'm afraid. " A silence fell... |
Suddenly, his cell phone rang.
"Yeah, go ahead" he nodded. "Oh, okay... I'm wanted urgently at the lab, I'm sorry" he excused himself and dashed out before collecting his laptop. A colleague entered the room and announced: "I'll take you back to the info desk now." The outside air and the silence brought some solace to this quite serious meeting they just had. Cantrell checked his watch and it screamed 12:48 PM. The midday heat was almost unbearable again. Rosse got out her sunglasses and planted them on her nose. Both walked to the waiting SUV baking in the sun too. Once they arrived, he threw her the keys. She looked surprised at him. "Why? " She uttered glancing at them. "Well, then you will know the feeling of driving an SUV for once." She only nodded smiling and head for the driverseat. She pulled off her waistcoat and hung it over the seat. One rub trough her short cut black hair and she was ready for this new adventure. Cantrell had already taken his seat. Slowly, they left the parkinglot heading for the exit. Once again, she too slowed down and eventually came to a standstill for the closed barrier. The security guy popped out of his cubicle again to retrieve the badges and so he let them out too. Catharina slowly but sure took up speed to feel the power of the SUV as they drove on Space Park Drive now. "You know, Kate, being my prettier GPS, you also know the way back? " He asked with a giggle in his voice trying to digest the awful meeting and so brighten up the mood in the car. She looked up to him. It was the first time, he called her 'Kate' and that made her smile really. "Yeash but let that GPS thingy do its work instead" She answered in a playfull tone too. Cantrell turned it on and programmed the destination. "Turn right at Hospital Blvd/ St. John Drive" she announced. Rosse frowned her forehead and then shook her head 'NO'. "Guys hey" she commented recognizing it was a woman's voice that gave the orders. She did obey her though and about 88 minutes later, they arrived at the office again where she parked his SUV on his designated spot. It was a nice drive and she thanked him for it. |