Sleep Depravity

John Astor stared at the report the two agents had handed him earlier. “Boy, those two can be a handful,” he thought to himself right as someone knocked on his office door. “Come in.” William Taylor walked in and handed Astor another manila folder. Astor flipped through Matthew’s new life. “You’re sending her to Montana?” he asked.
“I heard that she grew up on a farm,” Taylor replied.
“Well, it looks good to me. We’ll send her ASAP.”
“I’ve got to ask you, Astor, is Nick’s real name really Herbert?”
Astor couldn’t keep a grin from spreading across his face. “You looked him up. Yeah, yeah, it is really Herbert Cartwright.” They spent a while laughing, and then Taylor asked, “Why does everybody at the Bureau call him Agent X, then?”
“He is really touchy about that name. Why, I don’t know, but he likes being called by his last name. That and the fact that he’s so mysterious got people calling him Agent X. Why did you decide to call him Nicholas?”
“Oh, when I was in 12th grade, I had a classmate named Nick. He was always quiet, rarely spoke. At graduation, one of the kids pulled out a gun and started shooting. Nick took him down so quickly, we almost didn’t see him do it. We were all pretty shocked. No one knew Nick could do that. Anyways, only one person was shot, one of the teachers, and he lived. I guess our Nick just reminds me of him, quiet and overlooked until he snaps into action.”
“Will, you had a messed up childhood.”

**********

Nick groaned. Could the Volvo in front of him be going any slower? He fought off the temptation to blare his horn and the urge to sleep. Mmmm…..wuh? I almost did it again. I should have just asked Taylor to drive me home, me and my pride. Nick watched as the black Volvo turned on to a side street. His mood improved until he realized that the only reason the Volvo had turned was because there was a roadblock ahead. He followed the black car onto the narrower side street. Nick started to drift into sleep when he realized that the Volvo had stopped. Stupid Volv—two cars swerved out of the alley behind him and blocked off any escape route. A trap! If only I wasn’t so sleepy, I could’ve seen this coming. Nick unbuckled his seatbelt and clicked off the safety on his gun, but it was too late. They had the element of surprise. Two of them had already reached the car and disarmed him with three more coming closer. Nick leaped out of the car and struck the taller man that was trying to subdue him in the throat with enough force to collapse his trachea. Nick followed up with a powerful kick to the other man’s groin. The others were on top of him now, striking any part of his flesh that happened to be available. “Stand him up!” a voice barked. Two of the men held onto Nick as a distinguished looking man with sandy blonde hair and cold, blue eyes stood before him. The two men Nick had struck were still lying on the ground. The one he had hit in the throat was clearly dead. The other was whimpering quietly.
“Bayer,” Nick said as he spat out blood.
“Ahrens or Herbert. Figures you would have a wimpy name. Of course we found out who you are.” He paused long enough to punch Nick in the stomach. “You caused me a lot of trouble taking Matthew’s like that.” This time he punched his captive in the face. Then he grabbed Nick’s face gently but firmly.
“What? You want a kiss, Bayer? Sorry I killed your boyfriend over there.”
“Cute,” Bayer said as he tightened his grip on Nick's face, “you still have a little fight in you. Don’t worry; we didn’t come here to kill you…yet. We’ll have her soon. You might want to worry about Taylor though.” He chuckled as he kneed Nick in the groin. “Message from Mayhem: don’t play the game unless you know the rules.” With that, he struck Nick on the side of his head. The last thing he felt was being dragged into an alley, thrown onto something that was soft and hard at the same time, and having something pressed into his hands. “Sweet dreams,” came Bayer’s cold chuckle, and Nick finally succumbed to cold, deep slumber.



**********



“I brought you some food,” Agent Taylor said as he came into Matthew’s holding cell, “You look like you can use it.”
Jean turned around and smiled when she saw what Taylor was holding. “Chocolate, how did you know?”
“My sister always said that she didn’t need my sympathy; she needed my chocolate. Look, you don’t have to be afraid. We’re going to get through this.”
“How can you be sure? What if relocating me isn’t enough? I’m surprised that Mayhem hasn’t found me already—“Worrying never helped anyone, so calm down. Bad things can happen, but you have to keep fighting for the good. Now, eat up. I’ll be here to check up on you in the morning, and there will be two guards posted outside your cell at all times,” Taylor said as he got up to leave.
“Agent Taylor?”
“Yeah?’
“Thanks. I just never want Mayhem to get his hands on my work.”
“Me either, Miss Matthews.”

Of Conflicts and Plans

“Imagine what Mayhem could do with that information,” Astor said. We were in Astor’s office, giving him the report and getting our orders.
“Probably sell it to China or North Korea,” Taylor replied.
“Yeah, but he can’t do that until he perfects and collects the formula, and for that, he needs Jean.” I said.
“And you, Nick. If he knows about you, he’s going to carve you like a Thanksgiving turkey to discover the secret of rapid healing.” Taylor paused and continued, “I think both you and Matthews should be placed in witness protection.”
“Now wait a minute! I don’t need to be protected, and we don’t even know if Mayhem knows about my “incident” yet. As a matter of fact, we should place you in protective custody. If Mayhem finds you, you won’t be able to pee without someone helping you!”
“It’s not the same thing and you know it!”
“Gentlemen! Settle down.” Astor shouted. We stopped and looked at him. He continued in a soft voice, “Look, X, Taylor was just looking after your safety; and, Taylor, X has got a point there too. You, Jean, and X are all in danger, but that’s what the job’s about. You are protecting this country. Alright? Now, the only one going into witness protection is Jean; but if she’s captured, which she won’t be, X will be placed into witness protection too. We have to assume that she’ll tell Mayhem everything.”
“Don’t call me, X.” I said quietly.
“Sorry, Cartwright.”
I sighed and tried to calm myself down. I know I’m not happy about the idea of being placed in witness protection, but I’m usually not this irritable. Suddenly, I started feeling woozy. My head felt like lead as I lowered it into my hands. My eyelids felt droopy. The only thing keeping them open were my stiff fingers.
“Are you okay?” Astor and Taylor asked simultaneously.
“Yeah,” I said, “just a little tired. I think I’m going to go home and take a nap.”
“Do you need someone to drive you?” Taylor asked?
“Naw, I got it.”
“Alright, just be careful.” Astor said. “Taylor and I will finish up here.”

And Now You Know Continued...

“Yeah, right. The FBI will protect me from Mayhem. I’m sure you’re aware of his capabilities. He’ll find me and you two before the week ends,” Matthews said.
“Well, what do you want us to do? We can’t just let you go. Mayhem will definitely find you then.” I paused to collect myself and started again. “Look, the Bureau, Agent Taylor and I, are gonna do our best to keep you safe, alright? Just trust us.” I replied.
Matthews stared silently at the table that was in front of her.
“One thing I want to know, Miss Matthews,” Taylor began, “is how did you heal?”
“To be honest, I’m not exactly sure. I have a pretty good idea, though.” Matthews sighed and continued, “I was the first person to be tested on; but it didn’t work. The cut I gave myself didn’t heal any faster then it usually would. We thought that it had been killed by my immune system, but --I don’t know-- maybe it was just dormant. Oh, the cut that I got while removing your watch is gone.”
I looked at my wrist and realized that it was gone.
“Well, like Agent Cartwright said, Miss Matthews, trust us. I would die before anything happened to you.” Taylor contemplated what he had just said, “That was a poor choice of words.”

**********************

Somewhere in the recesses of a place I can not name, a meeting was being held. One that a person wouldn't want to find himself attending, for the room had an eerie feeling that hung about it.

"These are the two men who took Matthews." said a man in a suit as he slid two manila folders across the table to another impeccably dressed man who was seated at the other side. "We haven't identified them yet, but we're getting close."

"When you find them, give the dark-haired gentleman the warning. Something about him tells me he's a mystery worth solving."

"What about the blonde?"

"Take him, along with Miss Matthews. He seems rather amusing. He might even make a good henchman."

"Yes, sir."

And Now You Know

"Well, well, if it isn't Cody Smith and the messed-up security gaurd."
That's how Jean greeted Taylor and me as we entered the interrogation room.
"Miss Matthews, you remember me." I replied.
"Mr. Mason, my life's work is living inside you. Of course, I remember you." Jean said.
"Please, call me Nicholas."
"Okay, Nicholas, what do you want from me, and who in the world are you?"
"As I said, I'm Nicholas, special agent for the FBI. This is my partner, William. What we want from you, Jean, is for you to tell us what your life's work is and to give us information on your boss.
"Ha, you're supposed to be two secret FBI agents, but you have no idea what's going on."
"We've got the basics down. Educate us."
"Well, I might as well tell you. As you know, I work for Genecorp. I'm part of a larger group working with the military to create the perfect soldier. Sam Miller and I were experimenting with rapid tissue regeneration. We finally engineered a cell that works like a virus. It infiltrates the cell and changes its genetic makeup, reacting to elements associated with healing, such as cortisol. You get the idea."
"Yes, rapid healing."
"Mayhem found out about this (probably from Miller, although he denied it) and contacted us. The only problem was that it hadn't been tested on humans. Our first human volunteer's immune system killed the cells before they could take over. Our next volunteer wasn't so lucky. the virus took over his body completely, and then his immune system killed him. After that we ran out of the cell. It was fairly expensive to make. We finally obtained some more samples. Mayhem came to consult us, and that's when you showed up. Amazingly, it worked on you. I have to admit, I feel a connection between us, Nicholas; which compels me to worry for you, both of us, actually. If Mayhem finds out about you, what you are capable of, he's going to turn you into a lab rat."
"But, why should you be afraid, Jean."
"I healed too."
We sat in silence for a while: and then I asked, "What about Mayhem? Do you know anything about him?"
"No, I never really talked to his men. It was mostly Sam."
"Well, thank you for cooperating with us, Jean. And don't worry, the FBI will protect you."

Sleeping Beauty, Meet the Wack Pack

I've been watching Miss Matthews sleep for a while now, pondering: my role in this story; Jean, the key to unlocking so many mysteries; if I used too much chloroform, for Matthews is still zonked out (I checked her vitals. She's fine.); and how Taylor managed to secure such nice accommodations. It really is a nice room, minus the fact that there are no windows and the walls and doors are bullet-proof (just a safety precaution). Taylor really can be helpful. Usually, the prisoners get a nice interrogation table and a chair. This room has a real bed, a cushioned chair, a vanity, and an adjoining bathroom (this one has walls). Okay, this is taking too long. She should be awake by now. I went over to check on Jean again. Huh, unbelievable! She's still out of it. I'm pretty sure the chloroform has worn out by now..... She's sleeping. Sure, why panic if you've been kidnapped, when you can catch some z's instead? "You are one weird girl, Matthews." Whatever, sweet dreams.

"Come on, Mag. It's no fun swimming alone." said a young male voice.
"You know we're not supposed to go swimming, today. The grown-ups won't check until tommorow." was her reply.
"Come on, it'll be fun."
Her face started to waver as she considered the proposition. Then her face turned blank. It was happening again. No! I stood watching helplessly as the room started to fill with water. The two kids stared at me coldly, zombie-like as they were slowly drowned. Now the water was over my head. I tried to swim up, but an invisible barrier kept me down. I kicked with all my strength, but to no avail. Finally, I ran out of air, and a light-headed sensation came over me. Down I sank into the depths. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was a hand breaking the surface and pulling me out of the watery grave.

There I was, holding a gun to an unsuspecting Taylor.
"Uh, no thanks. I don't bounce back like you do. Hey, are you ok?" Taylor said as he lowered my hand.
Apparently, I had fallen asleep while waiting for Jean to wake up, and Taylor had waken me.
"Yeah, sorry. Reflexes. Where's Matthews?" I said as I noticed that Jean was gone.
"That's why I came here. Astor had her moved to an interrogation room when she woke up-"
"Oh, so she actually woke up."
"Yeah, John wants you to be there for the interrogation."
"All righty. Let's go."
"Hey, man, are you sure you're okay. You seem out of it."
"Yeah peachy."