The Summer Intern

The Summer Intern

The sun beats down hot and bright on Mack, short for Mackenna Leyva on the first day of a summer that would change everything. Her years in business school had finally been awarded by the summer internship of her dreams: working on-lab at Juniper Palm Laboratories. She smiles, despite the impending sunstroke as the top of her head continues to bake. It is June 1st, 1986. All the interns have just finished their orientation day, and are now getting a tour of the enormous lab. Juniper Palm Labs sits on close to 100 acres of foothills in Southern California. Some interns were talking of grabbing a beer at the end of the day, and even catching a movie. Mack beams at the idea of a summer filled with life on-lab, grabbing beers in the dusky evening, and watching all the summer blockbusters.

“Right. So, here’s your desk where you’ll be sitting this summer. You’ll be working closely with me, and we’ll always need coverage in the office. If you need to pop to the toilet or have to leave your desk, be sure to let me know,” exclaims the fussy, Australian woman. Her name is Sally, and she is built like a beefy, football player. She is the office manager where Mack will be working for the summer.

“Okay, but office coverage isn’t party of my intern duties. I’ll be working mostly on the business side of things,” says Mack.

“You look mixed,” Sally remarks to her. Mack frowns.

“My mom is from India,” says Mack, trying to hide how offended she is. Sally raises her eyebrows. Mack narrows her eyes.

“Is that a problem?” asks Mack. Sally turns away from her.

“I don’t know. Is it?” she says in a nasty tone, and saunters off. Mack immediately does not like her.

“Sally Jessy Raphael?” squeaks a friendly intern named Camille, several days later at lunch. Mack rolls her eyes at her.

“Just Sally, plain and simple. As is my desk. Plain, simple and boring,” she says, sighing. The office she has been assigned to has given her stupid desk duties like answering the phone, and filing papers. After a week of the same duties, Mack is beginning to feel deflated.

“I mean, everyone always talks about how great Juniper is. That it’s the internship of a lifetime. Working with cutting edge scientists. Where’s all the excitement?” Mack asks Camille. She just shrugs at Mack.

Mack is almost at her wits end one day, after nearly falling asleep at the Xerox machine.

“You are just an intern, young lady. All the important duties are saved for the more prestigious employees. We work with researchers, post docs, fellows, and the like,” says Sally, before whisking off to her lunch. Mack is so annoyed, she throws a stack of files on to her desk in a huff. One of the bosses of her department, who happens to be the deputy director of the Science Division, walks in at the same time.

“How’s it going?” he enquires, giving her a curious look. Mack quickly shuffles the file away in embarrassment.

“Fine. Just fine. Settling in,” she says, unconvincingly. His name is Dr. Daly, and half the time Mack can’t tell if he is cracking a dry joke or being dead serious.

“You uh, bored enough yet?” he asks, looking down at her piles of paper and files. Mack chuckles, and nods. She suddenly spills her guts, without even thinking.

“I’m just feeling like everything I’ve studied so hard for is being wasted. I want to dig my hands in, and support some real science,” she says. Dr. Daly nods.

“And let me guess...the warden from Brisbane isn’t giving you a chance in hell?” he says. She chuckles loudly, and nods.

“Well, maybe there’s reason for that. After all, a lot of postdocs are here, too. Working on research,” he says, trying to reason with her. Mack slowly nods, feeling defeated. Dr. Daly must have taken pity on her, because he clears his throat and offers her a proposition.

“Okay, look. There is someone who needs an assistant in a lab not too far away. He’s had several people work with him this past week and they haven’t worked out. There’s a few things you need to know, though. After I explain these things to you, let me know if you’re still interested or not,” says Dr. Daly. Mack nods vigorously, already planning to say yes to anything if it gets her out of the shared hell hole with Sally Jessy Raphael.

What Dr. Daly explains to her is this: there is a young researcher, a fellow visiting from Canada who is a tireless workaholic, and desperately needs an assistant. The only issue is that he works nights on-lab. And, he has a reputation of being difficult. So difficult, that he has gone through one postdoc and two interns in the span of a week. Mack nods, aching at the thought of summer nights spent with the other interns, throwing back beers, going to the movies, going out on the town. She closes her eyes, and forces the thoughts out of her head.

“Count me in, Dr. Daly,” says Mack.

“Are you kidding me?” exclaims Camille. Mack has shared the news with her after work that day, over cold beers. Tomorrow, she will be starting her shifts at 2:00 p.m. and ending at 10:00 p.m.

“What about all the fun shit we talked about doing every day when we get off of work?” asks Camille.

“Trust me, I was looking forward to that. But I didn’t work my ass down to a whittled twig just to sit at a desk and answer dumb phones. I know jobs to assist a real scientist are few and far between. I think this will be a great opportunity,” explains Mack.

“Doesn’t it sound a bit odd and creepy to you, though? 2:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.? The dead of night? In one of the ‘dark’ buildings?” says Camille. The dark buildings were infamous on-lab, as they could not be accessed by every employee. You needed a special badge, which Mack had just picked up from the security office. Nobody knew what went on in the dark buildings, because the projects weren’t allowed to be discussed. Rumor had it that they were top-secret, military projects.

“Working on a dark project could be an amazing opportunity. It would look really good on my resume,” says Mack.

“But, what about this Dr. Belmont? He sounds tough, dude. Doesn’t sound very nice,” says Camille, frowning. Mack nods along.

“I know. I definitely have anxiety about that,” Mack confesses. “It’s just that I’ll take anything over having to sit at that lame desk, next to Brisbane butt face,” says Mack. Camille tries not to choke on her beer from laughing.

The next day, Mack arrives promptly at 1:00 p.m., so her and Camille can grab a quick lunch together before Mack heads to her new assignment. Mack is feeling anxious, and eats her food too quickly. As she waves goodbye to Camille, she checks her teeth in a compact mirror and nearly crashes into a tree. She makes her way up the hill. It’s a long walk to one of these mysterious “dark” buildings. It feels weird that her work day is just starting, while everyone else’s is starting to wind down.

After nearly getting lost, she finally finds the correct door she needs to walk through. She silently prays that she has no issues with her badge. Luckily, the light beeps green and she opens the door. Inside, the darkness is almost as blinding as the summer sun. The door slams shut behind her. It is not very quiet. There are low humming sounds, and bubbling sounds, and air conditioner sounds. She starts walking forward nervously, not really having any idea where to go.

“Who are you?” growls somebody in the doorway to her right. She nearly goes into cardiac arrest, as she didn’t notice the person standing there. His hair is crazily disheveled, and he’s wearing goggles. He fits the “mad scientist” look to a T, except for his youth. He’s not as young as Mack, but maybe around 5 years older. It’s hard to tell. She tries to speak and chokes on what feels like dust or sand in her throat. She clears it loudly.

“I’m Mackenna Leyva? I’m your new assistant,” she says, reaching her hand out. He looks at her hand, then shakes it wearily.

“So. It looks like they’re sending me another intern,” he pulls his goggles atop his head, and motions for her to follow him. Mack picks up a slight French-Canadian accent. They walk through several doors and hallways. Mack is pretty sure she can figure the way back, but the twists and turns are a bit much. He stops suddenly and turns towards her, and she nearly crashes into him. He is about a foot taller than her.

“Did they tell you about the NDA?” he growls.

“What? No, they didn’t. I have to sign an NDA?” she says. He turns and walks to the left, into an office.

“You’re damn right you have to sign an NDA. Everything and anything you see from the moment you set foot in this building is classified. If you breach that, I’ll have you arrested,” he says, sifting through a pile of messy papers on a desk. There’s an eerie green light on one end, and a white light on the other. Mack frowns at the messy state of the office.

“Aha!” he exclaims, holding the paper up to her face. She takes a step backwards to get a proper look at it. He points to another desk across the hallway, on the far side of what seems to be the main lab. He irritatingly waves his hand for her to go and sit there.

“You can sit there and fill it out. Don’t touch anything, don’t look at anything until you’ve signed the form and returned it to me,” he spits. Frowning, Mack nods and quickly makes her way to the desk.

An hour after signing the form, Mack’s stomach is doing flip flops as she watches Dr. Belmont pace the lab. After reading and approving her NDA (although glaring the whole time), he tells her to clean and sterilize several casings and then to wait for him. She cleans everything faster than they had both anticipated. After inspecting her cleaning job, he takes several deep breaths and begins to talk.

“Your main assignment while you are here is to listen and document the radio signals I assign to you, and make sure all of my equipment and lab tools are cleaned and organized,” he states. Mack nods. That doesn’t seem too hard. Listening to radio signals sounds much more interesting than any business assignment.

Three days go by without mishap. They both seem to run in different orbits, although they are technically working in the same lab. When Mack does her radio signal sessions, she goes into a separate office and puts on headphones to hear everything clearly.

“Clearly, the professor sounds mad,” says Mack’s roommate, Raven. That is the nickname Mack and Raven have given Dr. Belmont. Mack came home from a particularly stressful evening in which the professor went nuts on Mack for organizing certain sample tubes wrong. Raven has incense going, Fleetwood Mac playing, and a bottle of wine open. Mack couldn’t help but spill her guts (although she kept any info about the experiments and the lab to herself). Raven is a good listener...and she is also a sorceress. In her own words. She is practicing to become a witch.

“Maybe we should cast a spell on him,” Raven says. Mack almost spits out her wine, laughing. “If that could help me, I’m all for it,” says Mack. Raven smiles, and takes a sip of wine.

“There is something, though,” says Raven. She looks concerned.

“What is it?” asks Mack. Raven leans forward, towards Mack.

“Are you...do you have something of his on you?” asks Raven. Mack frowns, but then raises her eyebrows. From her back pocket, she pulls out a pen. She shows it to Raven.

“Actually, I do. This is his pen. I had to grab it from his desk,” Mack says. Raven holds it.

“What’s the Ohkotsk Institute?” Raven asks. Mack shakes her head.

“I don’t know. Never heard of it,” she replies. Raven smells the pen, and then hands it back.

“Something’s not right. The energy...doesn’t feel right. I think you need to be careful around this man,” says Raven, dead serious. Mack smiles and shakes her head. But the way Raven seems so serious unnerves her. Normally, she doesn’t buy into Raven’s witch shit. But she is starting to get the same feeling about the professor as well.

“Dr. Belmont?” she calls down the dark hallways. It’s been a week since she started her new position, and a miracle that Dr. Belmont has kept her on. They stay in separate orbits, though sometimes they have to work in close proximity. Dr. Belmont hardly speaks, though he does mumble to himself often. She’s gotten into the habit of listening to some of her TOTO and Foreigner tapes on her Walkman. The headphones help to drown out the mumbles.

She finds the professor asleep at his desk, his arms wrapped around a framed picture. Mack gets a look at the picture...it’s a small girl, maybe around 2 or 3 years old. The professor wakes up. He wipes drool from his chin, and sits back. He realizes he is holding the picture, and hides it from Mack.

“Is that your daughter?” Mack asks, innocently. Dr. Belmont tries to remain gruff, but he lets it go.

“Yes,” he says softly. For the first time, Mack sees something in his eyes that stirs her soul--overwhelming sadness and grief. Mack remains quiet, afraid to ask anything else. Just by the look on his face, she can tell the little girl must not be alive.

“What...is...her name?” Mack asks.

“Mathilda. She was almost three years old when I lost her. Her mother died afterwards, during childbirth. One tragedy after the next,” Dr. Belmont says. Mack drops down into a seat next to his desk.

“My God. I am so terribly sorry. That must have been beyond awful,” she says. Her voice chokes a little. Dr. Belmont nods, and gives her the tiniest of smiles. For the first time, she finds her brown eyes locked with his green eyes. She clears her throat, and stands up. So does the professor. They both get back to work.

“Mackenna, do you know what this is?” says the professor to Mack. She is too busy dancing her head to the beat of the Cure, while organizing lab equipment. He pulls her head phones off.

“Hey!” she exclaims.

“Listen. Do you know what this is?” Mack listens. The sounds are staticky in waves. But they are eerie and low….like moans.

“Radio waves from somewhere near the Bering Strait,” says Dr. Belmont.

“How do you know that, Dr. Belmont?” asks Mack, amazed.

“Jim. You can call me Jim. I know because I’ve heard it before. When I was last in the Bering Strait about 4 years ago,” says Jim.

“Is that where the Ohkotsk Institute is?” she asks. Jim whirls around, and gives her a hard look.

“How did you know about that?” he asks, his eyes fierce. Mack flinches. She points to the pen she had been writing with. Jim snatches it and shoves it in his pocket.

“Don’t mention that name again, Mackenna. Understand?” he says. She nods.

“Sure, Jim. You got it,” she says, quietly. Regret crosses Jim’s face.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. Talking about that institute can be….dangerous,” he says. She believes him, and tries to change the subject.

“Tell me more about the radio waves,” she asks. Jim snaps out of his funk.

“I’ve actually been studying these radio waves for quite a long time. Years, you see. In fact, it’s what brought me from Canada to the Pacific Ocean, and eventually to California. And after my years of studying, what I’ve been trying to prove here at the lab is that the waves are in fact...a signal,” he says, looking at her.

“A...signal?” she says, cocking her head. He nods.

“Mack...how much do you know....or rather, do you believe in the existence...of UFOs?” he asks her, dead serious. Mack raises her eyebrows. She chokes out a smile, but can see how serious Jim is.

“Well, I...certainly am open to the idea that they can exist. I would hate to think that we are the only ones in this universe who are able to listen to The Smiths and Depeche Mode,” she says. Jim nods, staring at her. Mack continues.

“And...I know that there is so much phenomena in outer space that we don’t even know about--” She is cut off by Jim.

“Vast. Vast amounts of phenomena that we can’t even begin to fathom or understand,” says Jim, excitedly. Mack nods in agreement.

“I mean, I think that’s why I’m so excited to see Aliens,” says Mack.

“Aliens?” Jim says, intrigued.

“The movie? It’s the sequel to Alien, from 1979? With Sigourney Weaver,” Mack says. Jim looks confused.

“It’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, although it’s quite horrific and gruesome. But the sequel looks amazing, from the trailer! I bought tickets weeks ago, it’s coming out in theaters very soon. Ripley is one of my heroes,” says Mack, breathlessly. Jim raises an eyebrow.

“Sounds boring,” he bemuses. They both chuckle.

The next day, Mack presents Jim with a brand-new VHS copy of “Alien” from 1979. Jim gingerly holds it, taken aback by the thoughtful gift. His gaze softens.

“That’s very kind of you. We could...watch this during our lunch break later? We have the TV and VCR in the break room. What do you say?” asks Jim. Mack is surprised by his sudden smile, and how handsome it makes his face look. For once, he looks like a normal man instead of a disheveled mad scientist.

“Most definitely. Maybe we can even find some popcorn,” says Mack.

“I see what you mean, about the signal. It repeats. There’s a repetitive code that I keep hearing now,” says Mack, as she listens to the radio signals again.

“Precisely. And it does not match any other radio code or signal I’ve found. The only thing it does match is the signals I heard four years ago, in the Bering Strait,” Jim hardly talks about his time in the Bering Strait. He avoids it as much as possible. Talking about it has made Mack realize that it is very painful for him.

“Jim. I know you don’t like to talk about it. But...I get the feeling that something happened during your time there,” she asks. They’ve worked together for a month and a half now. Her increased knowledge of the research and experiments of the radio signals have convinced Mack that it is beyond personal for Jim - it resides somewhere deep within his soul. Not only that, but there is something else growing between Mack and Jim. Mack tries to ignore it at first, but she sees it in the way he watches her when he thinks she doesn’t notice. She sees it in the way she finds herself stealing looks at him, when he’s bent over working. When their eyes meet, it becomes increasingly awkward...and increasingly harder to break away.

“I lost her there,” he says. Mack grows still, and watches to see if he will continue. When he doesn’t, she asks, “Who?” but she already knows.

“Mathilda. My daughter,” he says, and he brings out the framed picture for her to look at closely. She is filled with hundreds of questions, but she sees the pain in his eyes. They both stay silent.

“You’re still working for that asshole?” asks Sebi. He is an intern friend from orientation day who has joined Mack, Camille, and Raven along with some other interns for a Sunday BBQ in mid-July. He heard that Mack was working for Dr. Belmont. Mack, holding a cold beer bottle in her hand, surprisingly feels defensive.

“I know why you would say that...but he’s really not that bad,” she responds. Sebi rolls his eyes.

“Right. He’s a lunatic. And his lab gives me the creeps,” says Sebi. Mack frowns.

“You mean, because it’s so dark and the hallways are twisty--” Sebi cuts Mack off.

“That, and that creepy basement that he doesn’t let anyone into,” he says. Mack frowns even deeper.

“What basement?” she asks, trying to think of where it could be. She hadn’t seen any basements.

“You have to go down to the very end of the hall from the entrance, go down three flights of stairs, turn right through the second door, and down one more flight of stairs,” Sebi says, as everyone around him stares. Raven chuckles.

“This sounds like a treasure hunt,” remarks Camille.

“Dr. Belmont mumbles a lot. Well, one night he fell asleep with a picture in his hands. He starts mumbling loudly about the basement. Almost like he was having a nightmare. So while he was asleep, I found the basement location on the stairwell map. I went down there...and there was this door…” Sebi trails off, swallowing. Everyone holds their breath, and watches Sebi. He shakes his head.

“I couldn’t get it open. It was a heavily locked, double door. But...after I saw the door….and tried to open it...I started having these...weird...dreams,” Sebi says. The majority of people chuckle and roll their eyes, including Raven and Camille. Everyone walks away, except for Mack.

“Dreams?” Mack asks.

“Like, visions. Hallucinations. Whatever you want to call it. Dr. Belmont got rid of me that first week, but I couldn’t have been happier. It was interfering with my sleep,” says Sebi. Mack stays quiet. A burst of leftover fireworks from the Fourth of July lights up the sky. Sebi looks down. Raven and Camille call to Mack--they’re leaving the party. Mack starts to walk away.

“Just...be careful. I wouldn’t go down to the basement, if I were you. I don’t trust Dr. Belmont,” Sebi calls after Mack. Mack looks back at him, and nods.

“What do you mean you can’t go?” Mack yells into the phone. It’s 9:30 p.m. on a Friday night, and Mack is off of work in 30 minutes. Raven is on the other line, telling Mack she can’t go with her to the 10:45 p.m. showing of “Aliens” because her “auras” are misaligned and she has terrible food poisoning.

“I’m sorry, Mack. I really am. I’ve been stuck on the toilet for the past hour. I tried using my crystals, but I think I need to continue to flush out my system,” Raven complains. Mack moans. She had bought the tickets weeks ago, and had been counting down the days to watch this new movie. She knew Camille couldn’t go because she was out of town. She glances at Dr. Belmont. He is watching her, and quickly turns away.

“Alright. Not a big deal. I’ll try to find someone else. I hope you feel better,” Mack tells Raven, before saying goodbye. “Broken Wings” by Mr. Mister is playing on the radio. Mack takes a deep breath, and approaches Dr. Belmont. He is turned away from her, trying to pretend to look busy. Mack clears her throat.

“Ahem. Um, Jim?” she says. Jim turns towards her, and removes his goggles.

“Oh, hi Mack,” he says very awkwardly. He is no good at pretending he wasn’t eavesdropping. Mack takes another deep breath.

“So...Raven can’t come with me to the movies. I bought the tickets weeks ago and...I was just wondering if...maybe...you would like to come with me,” she says, looking down.

“I would love to join you,” says Jim. Mack looks up, her face and neck flushed. Jim smiles at her, and she can see his neck and cheeks turning red too.

“Why don’t you go ahead and close up, and head over to the theater? It’s the Academy 6 on Colorado, right? I think there’s a place across the street we can grab a bite and a beer. I’ll meet you there,” says Jim. Mack has never seen him this easy going before.

“Great! I’ll see you there!” Mack says, and starts to close up for the night. Her nervousness can’t get her out of there fast enough.

Mack had been certain Jim wouldn’t show up. He was always so nervous and full of anxiety, she figured he would come up with any reason not to meet up with her. But true to his word, he showed up where he said he would. If she thought she would be calmer through dinner and beers, she thought wrong. They try to make light conversation, but Mack finds herself giggling uncontrollably a lot. She is annoyed at how nervous she feels. Jim keeps fiddling with his fingers, and rearranging condiments on the table, and even his beer glass. The one thing they both can talk about is how excited they are for the movie.

“I never would have seen Alien and loved it, if it wasn’t for you,” he says, smiling at her.

“Isn’t it just fantastic? I mean, I could discuss it for eons,” she says, swigging her beer.

“What’s the name of the actress? The one who plays Ripley?” asks Jim.

“Sigourney Weaver,” she replies.

“Sigourney Weaver. Wow, that’s an interesting name. Anyway, she was so fantastic. Just really fantastic. They all were. All the actors, actually,” he says. Mack nods enthusiastically in agreement. His accent is a hint thicker from all the beer, and she thinks it’s cute. Jim looks at his watch, and jumps.

“Ho, we better get some beers to go and head to the theater,” he says. Mack calls the waiter over. They get some beer bottles to go, and close their tab.

Even though they have just eaten, Jim can’t help but get a small bucket of buttered popcorn. Mack steals a few kernels here and there. They both slowly sip on their beers, as the movie plays. The theater is packed, but so quiet that you can hear a pin drop. Everyone is wrapped up by how good the movie is. Mack and Jim have already jumped a few times, the first time being during Ripley’s dream sequence in the beginning. After they finish the popcorn, Mack has to pee badly. She runs to the bathroom, and runs back. Jim fills her in on what she misses. Then he runs to the bathroom, and runs right back. Mack tells him what he missed. During the later scene where the remaining survivors are barricaded...but then look up towards the ceiling, Mack accidentally screams. Jim grabs her hand and laughs, trying to shush her. She covers her mouth, embarrassed. But they continue to hold hands for the rest of the movie.

When the movie ends and the credits roll, everyone in the theater claps and cheers loudly. Jim and Mack discuss the movie excitedly. The theater starts to empty. At one point, Jim asks Mack a question and looks at her lips before he looks back at her eyes. Mack’s stomach does deep flip flops, and she stands up. Although she wants to kiss Jim, she has to pee badly again.

After they both use the facilities again, they meet up outside of the theater. The cool air freshens and perks them both up.

“Can I walk you to your car?” asks Jim. Mack smiles and points. The sidewalk in front of the theater is where she was able to snag a parking spot. The lights from the theater turn off, as “Aliens” was the last showing of the night. They are plunged into darkness, except for the street lamps. They both nervously fiddle about.

“I had a really amazing time with you tonight, Mackenna. And...it was nice to get away from the lab,” he says, and he takes one of her hands.

“I did, too. In fact...I’m glad that you’re the one who came with me to watch the movie. I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much with anyone else,” she says, feeling her cheeks burn. Jim takes a step closer to her, and Mack walks in to close the gap. Mack starts to lean in and close her eyes, when Jim stops.

“No. I’m sorry, Mack. We can’t do this,” he says. He turns his face away, and drops her hand. Mack is stunned, and sputters to say something.

“We work together. Not just separately in a random office. But together, in a lab. Just the two of us. You’re the best assistant I’ve ever had, and I can’t afford to lose you if things don’t work out for us romantically,” he says, bluntly. The hurt cuts Mackenna to the core. She looks away, embarrassed.

“Oh...yeah. Oh my gosh, you’re totally right about that,” she nods, and tries to remain calm.

“I’m sorry. I’m really so very sorry. Really,” he says, trying to hold her gaze. She shakes it off, and quickly looks at him.

“It’s totally fine. Really. I understand completely. I mean, it’s unethical actually...isn’t it? I don’t want to jeopardize my internship,” she says. He nods slowly, sadness in his eyes. She smiles quickly at him, and starts to walk to her car. Jim stays rooted, looking after her.

“Have a good night, professor! I’ll see you tomorrow,” she says, and closes the car door. She drives off as quickly as possible, leaving Jim standing on the sidewalk. When she safely turns several corners, she pulls over. Tears are streaming down her face, and she’s trying to stop them. She tries to shake it off, and keeps wiping the tears from her cheeks until she finally stops. She takes a really long, deep breath. She reminds herself that she’s an adult, and she can handle this. Before she can let the tears start flowing again, she drives home.

The next day, when Jim and Mack come face to face...Mack is all business.

“Hi, how are you?” Jim asks her, concern etched across his face.

“I’m great! Doing fine! Just ready to get to work,” she says, making herself busy so she doesn’t have to look at him. Jim wants to ask her something, but he decides to leave it alone. After several hours, they settle into their normal rhythm of working with the radio blaring the top hits. The Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” is playing when Jim stands up from his lab area.

“I have to go check something. I’ll be right back,” he says, walking for the door.

“Is it something in the basement?” Mack asks absent-mindedly, as she adjusts the radio wave monitor. Jim stops. He doesn’t say anything, and slowly turns to look at her.

“What did you say?” he asks. His voice sounds almost menacing, so Mack stops what she’s doing to look at him.

“Um. Nothing,” she says. Jim approaches her, his menacing look increasing.

“What did you say about the basement?” he says, practically in her face. Mack swallows. This is worse than even the first day she met Jim - he is frightening.

“I just asked if what you were checking on was something in the basement?” she says, meekly. He is almost nose to nose with her.

“Who told you about the basement?” he spits out loudly.

“Sebi. I saw Sebi at a party, and he said he tried to open it one time. He couldn’t...but he had some weird--” before Mack can finish, the professor has flung a tray of lab equipment sprawling across the office. It crashes with a loud clatter, several instruments broken. Mack covers her mouth.

“You listen to me, and you listen to me real good. Sebi is a colossal idiot, who was poking his nose where it doesn’t belong. You stay away from the basement, do you understand me, Mackenna? That area is forbidden,” he yells. She nods, not able to answer. He takes a big breath, puts his hands on his hips, and exhales loudly.

“Please clean up the mess,” he says, and walks out. Mack, shaking, starts to pick up the broken equipment from the floor.

The next few days are tense. Jim is very snappy with Mack, and his temper seems to heighten. Mack mostly works silently. There is still that weird attraction when they are near each other. Mack hates it. She feels like the victim in an abusive relationship, and it makes her sick. She starts to spite the man. One day, she walks into the lab a bit earlier than usual. Once again, Dr. Belmont is asleep on his desk. His hands clasp the framed photo of Mathilda. Mack feels a defiant sensation well up inside of her. She puts her stuff down quietly, and goes back out to the hallway. She heads toward the basement.

Sebi wasn’t kidding about the directions. Mack keeps repeating them as she descends deeper below ground level. The air feels thinner, tighter and the darkness is weighted. She wishes she had brought a flashlight with her. The disorientation almost feels on purpose. When she finally reaches the last hallway to where the double doors to the basement live, she feels terrified. The last hallway is a dank, dark affair...complete with leaking roof and flickering halogen light. She wouldn’t be shocked if she ran into a vampire living down here.

She reaches the double doors. They are old, she can’t tell from what decade. She knows the lab is very old itself, and has bunkers that date back to World War II. The doors definitely have to be around twenty years old. But with brand new, state-of-the-art heavy duty door locks and door bars. There is alarm wiring at the top of the door. There is also a key pad, and what looks like a swipe scanner for a key card. Mack traces her fingers on the keypad. She looks at the doors up and down. Heavily locked, fully wired with alarms.

She gazes at the doors themselves. She touches them with her hands, and slowly leans her head on the door. She presses her ear to the door, to try and listen for anything. Is there something….alive….behind those doors? Just as she’s about to laugh at herself for being paranoid, she hears a subtle shift behind the door. And she is blasted away from the door. She slams into the other side of the hallway so fiercely, she thinks it might be her imagination. Her body radiates with pain from the impact, making it all too real. She gets up quickly and runs back down the hall. She climbs the first stairwell, skipping two steps at a time. She doesn’t dare look behind her, she is beyond terrified. She feels her bowels and her bladder quake. She gasps and cries aloud, despite herself. She doubts she’ll bump into anyone down here anyways. Climbing up the many flights of stairs is painstakingly slow. Was it a bolt of electricity? Did she just get electrocuted by the door, and thrown across the hall? That is the closest thing she can compare it to. There is no other explanation. She is one and a half stairwells below the lab, because she can hear the radio. The song blaring is “Waiting for a Girl Like You” by Foreigner. She is crying, gasping, desperate to get back to the lab. She stumbles on the steps, forcing herself to slow down. But the terror presses her forward. Don’t look back, she tells herself. The song is growing louder.

She finally enters the main hallway to the lab, and lets out an audible cry. She keeps running, and almost crashes into Dr. Belmont. He catches her, as tears run down her face.

“What’s the matter? What’s the matter?” he asks, concern crossing his face.

“The basement! I went down there and--” she gasps, tears streaming down her face. The song is almost too loud, it’s hard for them to hear each other.

“I told you not to go down there! What did you do?” he asks, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. She shakes her head and continues to cry, the gasps turning into sobs.

“Don’t you ever go down there again, do you understand me? It’s too dangerous,” he says, yelling and shaking her shoulders. It just makes Mack cry even harder. Jim lets her go, and she almost crumbles to the floor. Jim quickly picks her up, and looks into her face. She locks eyes with him. He folds her into his arms and kisses her deeply. Mack stops crying, and kisses him back. The kiss is heated, and grabby. The electricity of their kiss reminds Mack of what she felt down in the basement, and she pulls away.

“What was that? I thought I had been electrocuted,” she says, searching his face. Jim shakes his head, and smoothes her hair away from her face.

“Please promise me you will never, ever go down there again. The basement is highly top secret, and extremely dangerous. No one is allowed down there, except me,” he says, softly but determined. She loses herself in his eyes, and slowly nods. They sink into another kiss, and slowly sink to the floor together.

At home, Mackenna is in a daze. Her thoughts are so jumbled, and warped. On the one hand, she cannot stop thinking about the maddening kisses her and Jim shared. On the other, she cannot stop thinking about the basement. What happened? To that end, she is still confused. Jim doesn’t seem to know...or care enough to explain. He just continued to kiss her and make her melt until she stopped asking. She knows he is hiding something. One thing is certain--the basement was and is very off-limits. And dangerous. She touches the bruises on her thigh, from the impact. What could he possibly be hiding in there?

Several more days pass. Things seem to settle into a calm rhythm….except for Mackenna’s dreams. They start that very same night, after the incident. She woke up in a cold sweat, not remembering anything except feeling terrified. After another night, she starts to remember visions from the dream. They mostly involve her going back to the basement...and opening the door. Even back at the lab...she doesn’t feel like herself. She keeps hearing a very low sound...like a whisper. Once, she thought it was Dr. Belmont but he was nowhere to be found. Another time, it sounded like someone was standing right behind her but no one was there. The whisper is an indistinct voice, and she can’t ever decipher the words.

“Sounds like witchcraft to me,” says Raven, as she peers into Mack’s worried face. Mack frowns at her, and can’t get over the black gentlemen’s top hat that Raven is wearing with her black dress.

“I don’t think so, Stevie Nicks” says Mack, shaking her head. Raven grabs her hand. She feels Mackenna’s pulse with her fingertips, and nods as if to confirm her theory.

“Come on. Let me do an aura cleanse, and we’ll place a spell of protection over you. Better to be safe than sorry,” and before Mack can stop her, she’s already preparing the spells. Mack is particularly perturbed this evening, because earlier she received a startling phone call from Sebi. He says he needs to talk to her in person. They are expecting him to arrive any minute. As Raven sits back down with her crystals, mortar and pestle, and some other odds and ends...there’s a knock at the door. Mack jumps up to open it, and lets Sebi in. He’s holding a file folder of papers. Mack introduces Sebi to Raven. Raven tips her top hat to Sebi.

“So, I’ll get right to the point--I knew that Dr. Belmont was hiding something, and I finally found out what,” he says. Mack and Raven look at eachother. Sebi looks at both of them for emphasis. He pulls out a newspaper clipping that is several years old. The headline reads, “Scientist Loses Child in Tragic Accident at Sea”. Mack grabs the newspaper clipping and stares. She begins to read it out loud.

“Dr. James Belmont, formerly of Quebec, Canada is sedated after a Japanese Coast Guard rescue in the Bering Sea following a may day call from his science research vessel the Akira, formerly of the Okhotsk Institute. Thus far, Belmont is the only survivor of the ship found, as all others aboard the ship including his two and a half year old daughter, Mathilda Belmont, are missing. Belmont had to be sedated as he was babbling incoherently and kept meaning to jump over the side of the ship. One coast guard member and witness states,”Dr. Belmont repeated over and over again that they had “taken” her. We figured he meant his daughter. But he was in such shock, we could not determine who he meant by “they”. We can only assume that another party is involved with the disappearance of the entire crew of the Akira, as well as his daughter,” Mack stops reading. She throws the newspaper clipping down, gripping her head.

“How did you find all of this out?” Mack asks Sebi. Sebi pulls out more papers and newspaper clippings.

“The researcher I’m working with now. I found out she worked with Dr. Belmont several times over the years. I let it slip what an arsehole I thought he was, and she started divulging all kinds of things to me. She’s not a fan of him, either. There’s lots of stories and rumors about him. Some people think he tossed his daughter out of the boat. But one thing is for sure...there’s a lot of people on-lab that think he’s nuts,” says Sebi, making the hand sign for crazy.

“Really? Like, what? What else are they saying?” Mack asks. Sebi takes a deep breath, before he spews his next bit of information.

“Apparently...Dr. Belmont is convinced that a UFO took his daughter. They were conducting communication experiments at the Okhotsk Institute, which is on some island in the Sea of Okhotsk. They took many long sea voyages all over the ocean, for these experiments. Dr. Belmont claims that they were able to “lure” a UFO to make contact, but then the majority of the ship was supposedly abducted. Since then, Dr. Belmont has traveled through the Bering Strait, and then started working on experiments in Alaska. He kept moving down the coast, until he ended up here. Supposedly, it’s also not the last time he has made contact with these...UFO’s. He is still trying to find his daughter. But the rumor is that he also keeps moving to keep the authorities alluded. There’s still no explanation for the disappearance of the rest of his crew, and the families have been searching for answers,” Sebi says. He shows Mack and Raven some of the clippings and copies that piece together the same story. Mack feels sick.

“So….he’s crazy. He’s literally insane,” says Mack. Sebi nods.

“How could they keep a lunatic working at a prestigious lab like that?” asks Raven, angrily.

“He’s a brilliant researcher. Throughout it all, he’s still able to pull in money and grants. There’s even some UFO researchers and private institutes who have given him funds, to continue his work on UFOs. That’s also the reason why he works odd hours at the lab. Because he’s UFO hunting during most of the night,” says Sebi.

The next day, Mack and Sebi have a plan. Raven has given them a concoction to knock Dr. Belmont out. Mack just needs to put it in his drink. Once he’s asleep, they will take his key card and go down to the basement. Mack’s palms are sweaty, as the day turns into night. Towards the end of her shift she looks for Dr. Belmont, and immediately spots his coffee thermos on his desk. She looks around one more time, and doesn’t see him. She pours Raven’s tincture into the thermos, closes it, and shakes it a bit. Once that’s finished, she calls for Jim. Dr. Belmont finally appears from another office.

“Hi there, Cutie,” he says, and gives her a quick kiss on the mouth. The warm kiss riddles Mack with guilt. She recalls all the horrible things Sebi showed her the night before, and remains determined.

“Would you mind if I had a little sip of your coffee? I’m feeling a bit sluggish,” she says. He nods, and says “I think I’ll have some, too. Might as well finish it,” he says. She smiles, knowing he would want to share a drink with her. Another pang of guilt, at knowing his coffee habits. He pours a small cup for her, and pours a large mug for himself. She pretends to take a sip, smiles at him, and goes about the end of her work day like it’s business as usual. So does he. She acutely listens for every sip he takes from the mug.

“Mack?” he says, sounding strange. Mack turns towards him. He is holding on to the counter.

“Yes?” she asks, staying where she is.

“I’m feeling a bit strange…” he says, as his vision turns sideways. Mack runs to him, to catch him before he falls to the ground. He looks into her face, and frowns. There’s drool coming from his mouth.

“You...you did...this…” he says, before he passes out. His head has slumped into her lap. The whispering has returned to her ears, and this time it sounds excited. She lays him gently down on the cold, laboratory floor. She worries about the tincture she has given him, and checks his breathing. He is practically snoring. Mack quickly finds the key card clipped inside his coat, grabs it and runs out of the lab, her sneakers squeaking on the clean floor. She flings open the outside entrance door, and Sebi rushes in. He sees Dr. Belmont laying on the ground.

“Let’s go!” he says to Mack, and they both run madly down the hall to the stairwell.

“Are you sure he’s okay?” asks Sebi, as they breathlessly descend the stairs.

“Yeah! I checked his breathing,” Mack calls down to him. He is a few steps ahead of her. They continue to rush down the stairs. The whispering in her ears is growing louder, and even more excited. She feels confident that she is doing the right thing. Mack wonders how long Raven’s concoction will keep Jim knocked out. The guilt is eating away at her.

They finally reach the last hallway. The dark and dank are even more overwhelming than before. The air feels heavy, like sparks could ignite with a match. Mack takes a deep breath, as they approach the door.

“Are you sure about this?” Mack asks Sebi. “No. But I need to know why I’m having those damn visions,” he exclaims. Mack nods.

“I’ve been having them, too. And the whispering,” she says.

“I know. It’s almost deafening here,” says Sebi. Mack doesn’t say anything. Sebi is hearing the whispers too.

He extends his hand for the key card. Mack gives it to him. They look at eachother one last time, before Sebi slides the key card on the side of the key pad. The key pad beeps with a green light. The door hisses, and unlocks. To both of their surprise, the doors slide apart instead of having to be pushed open. The whispering immediately stops for both of them.

Inside, a dim light is on. The air feels much cooler, and controlled. It’s hard to make out what they see. It seems like a bed or cot of some type, many monitoring machines including a radio wave machine like the one upstairs in the lab, shelves, and beyond the shelves...a figure hunched over. The skin and the shape look wrong. Before they can take a closer look, all the lights go out. Mack tries to look around, and sees inky blackness.

“Sebi?” she calls.

“I’m here,” he says, and he sounds like he’s gone further into the room. Mack curses herself for not bringing a flashlight.

“I think we should close the door, and go back,” she says, her voice is riddled with anxiousness.

“Mack, just stay calm. There’s something here,” says Sebi.

“I know. Let’s close the door, and go back,” she says, inching backwards. She tries to use her hands to feel for something, anything.

“I’m almost there. My God...I think--” before he can finish speaking, he screams.

“Sebi?!” Mack screams. She hears a whoosh through the air, and then a loud thud. As if Sebi was thrown against the wall.

“Sebi! Sebi?” cries Mack. The darkness is too inky, she can’t see a damn thing.

“Run, Mack! Go, get out of here!” Sebi manages to yell. She can tell he’s in pain. She turns to run. She’ll get the professor, call the police. She’ll do whatever she can to save Sebi. She pounds down the hallway, but trips at one point. The darkness is too black. She feels around until she finds the door to the stairwell. Behind her, she hears Sebi scream and another sound that can only be described as an unnatural, primeval voice. Something not of this world.

She pounds up the staircase, and is quickly out of breath. She doesn’t stop, even though her heart feels like it’s going to explode out of her chest. She makes it to the second stairwell. Tears stream down her face, as she hears her own voice echoing through the stairwell. She hears a door below open, and close. That unnatural, primeval voice echoes up towards her. She starts crying out loud. Please.

She bursts through the doorway to the lab. She hastily drags a heavy file cabinet in front of the door. In her haste, the corner of the filing cabin leaves a deep scratch up the length of her arm.

She turns to run, and crashes into Jim. He is not able to stand fully straight, and his face is still groggy. He tries to grab her arm.

“Jim! Come on, we have to get out of here!” she says, grabbing his arm to pull him towards the building exit. He pulls back and sees the terror on her face. His anger at her disappears.

“What happened?” he asks, still trying to shake off Raven’s tincture. Mack begins crying.

“Jim. I’m so sorry, Jim. Sebi and I...we went down to the basement. Sebi’s still down there, I think he’s really hurt,” she says. Jim looks back towards the stairwell. He looks back at Mack. He instinctively puts his hand inside his coat, to look for the key card. There’s a loud bang on the door. Jim looks at Mack.

“What have you done?” he asks her. Another loud bang prompts Jim to pull Mack towards the radio room, where the radio signal machine is. Jim turns it on, and also turns on the speakers so you can hear the signals out loud. The sounds reverberate throughout the lab. The door at the end of the hall bursts open, and the thing gives an unearthly scream. There’s not enough time to make it to the entrance. Jim stumbles, and pulls Mack down behind one of the counters in the lab. The lights all around the lab begin to flicker.

“It’s an alien, isn’t it? You had an extraterrestrial in the basement, didn’t you?” Mack says, trying to keep her voice low.

“They took my daughter. For years, I searched and tried to figure out ways to get her back. Through my research, I was able to lure one with radio signals. I captured it and kept it alive. My plan was to barter with them...make an exchange. One of their own, for one of my own,” he says. The creature yells again, much closer. It’s almost inside the lab now. Mack grabs on to Jim’s arm, and looks around for any type of weapon. But then it enters the lab, and it’s too late.

The creature is enormous. It’s close to 7 feet tall, lanky, with shiny brown skin that reminds Mack of an eel. It’s face is completely flat except for strange slits that resemble a nose and a mouth. It’s eyes look like the triangular pupils of a goat. Mack’s mind seems to do a subtle shift--this is beyond what her mind is capable of understanding. This is what it feels like when someone is driven to insanity, she thinks. The creature doesn’t see them, but walks straight to the radio signal machine. Jim jumps up, and Mack isn’t strong enough to stop him.

“No!” he cries, running towards the creature. Somehow, he is able to grab a heavy microscope. But before he reaches the creature, it lifts a long, scaly arm and Jim is hoisted into mid air. Without touching Jim, the creature flings Jim in mid air across the room. Jim slams into a shelf on the wall, filled with glass that breaks everywhere. Mack covers her mouth, to keep from screaming. She remains hidden behind the counter. She hears the creature touching the radio machine. Adjusting it. It’s using the controls and knobs. The signal that emits from the machine is horribly ear piercing. Mack covers her ears, but it’s almost unbearable. She hears the creature make it’s way out of the lab. Mack slowly stands up, still covering her ears. She runs over to Jim, who has cuts all over his hands and arms from the impact. He is still conscious, and she helps him to his feet. The signal pierces their ears. They both head to the door, to follow the creature outside. They crash into something in the hallway--it’s Sebi. He is very bloody, and one shoulder is obviously dislocated. But he is walking.

“Sebi!” Mack cries.

“What happened to it?” he asks, his mouth is also split and bleeding.

“It went outside. Come on,” Jim tells them both. The three of them head outside.

As soon as they step outside into the night air, they can see strange lights in the sky. The creature is not too far away, just standing on a small hill looking upwards. As soon as it sees the three of them, it yells again and throws all three of them into the air with a flick of his long arm. The three of them hit the wall like rag dolls. The strange lights have moved much faster to the lab building. Mack tries to see clearly what it is. It’s as if the sky has filled with a large, fast moving, circular light. Its so enormous, it’s hard to see the rest of the sky. It seems to be hovering just above the lab building, and the small hill. As if she wasn’t shocked enough, Mack realizes with a start that it’s a spaceship. For it’s size, it is hardly making a sound. For a second she wonders if anyone else on lab at Juniper has seen the ship. But then again, hardly anyone is there at night.

Jim jumps up and starts running towards the creature. It’s hard to see, the light everywhere is a blinding white. Mack and Sebi can barely pick themselves up from the floor. Sebi is in extreme pain from the shoulder dislocation.

“No! Wait!” cries Jim. The creature is ignoring him, and looking up at the spacecraft.

“My daughter!” Jim screams as loud as he can. He focuses all of his thoughts and mental power on the creature, willing it to understand him.

“I want my daughter! Give me my daughter back!” Jim screams at the creature. The creature looks at him, watches him for a moment. Mack is stumbling towards Jim. Looking directly up at the spacecraft, Jim screams again at the top of his lungs.

“Give me my daughter back!” he cries. He drops down to his knees, and sobs. Mack reaches him, and puts her arms around him. The light is blinding, and the air whips around them.

The light disappears. The spaceship moves off slowly at first, and then ascends quickly upwards toward the stars.

“Daddy?” a small, light voice says. He looks, and sees his daughter standing before him. He grabs her and bursts into hysterical sobs. She is a few years older, but still quite small. She is wearing a dress he doesn’t recognize. He breaks the hug to look at her again, from head to toe. She smiles at him.

“It’s you. It’s really you!” he exclaims excitedly. He hugs her tightly again. He has her. He has Mathilda back. He hears a sound behind him. He turns and sees Sebi approaching them, holding his arm.

“Where’s Mackenna?” asks Sebi. Mack. Jim looks around. She had been right next to him. Her arms had been wrapped around him. He had felt them. But when the lights disappeared…

Jim and Sebi both look up towards the sky. The spaceship is a tiny speck now, continuously moving into the distant night sky.

“No,” says Jim, quietly.

“They took her,” Sebi says, dropping down to the ground in disbelief. Jim shuts his eyes tightly, and then looks at the sky again.

“Nooooo!” he screams at the top of his lungs. The stars only twinkle back silently at them.

The End