GRACE AND THE DRAWL INVASION OF EARTH
Written By
DALE CUSACK
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2010 Dale Cusack
Legal
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Contents
Wind howled and tore its way down through the valley. Tiny back-flowing eddies threaded their way between the teeth-like icicles that hadn’t seen the sun in thousands of years. The wind produced an eerie howling that chilled, far worse than the cold, all those who heard it. Needle-like precipices rose up from the rock in defiance of gravity and combined to make this the highest place on earth.
A barely worn snow and dirty ice-covered path threaded its way between the jagged rocks. A man moved slowly along the path, tied off to another man behind him who was hunched over in a futile attempt to stave off the biting winds. Progress was slow and deliberate. One false step would see the climbers plunging to their deaths smashed and torn against the rocks below.
The entrance to the monastery was built into the rock. An ancient place built thousands of years ago by the secretive order of monks who lived here. Contact with the outside world was largely forbidden and only a few trusted villagers from below were allowed entrance to trade for food and supplies.
Sonam pressed on the last few meters to the entrance and banged loudly on the large wooden doors so as to be heard over the wind. The sounds of activity behind gave way to the groaning of wooden hinges as the doors swung slowly open just enough to let the two traders in. Once inside the noise of the wind abated and the temperature increased to something more tolerable.
‘Sonam, Norbu tashi dele,’ the old Monk greeted the travelers as he ushered them into the temple. Sonam was always amazed at the resilience the monks had to the weather. They seemed almost oblivious to the bone-gnawing cold that left exposed flesh numb.
‘Tashi dele Dorjee,’ Sonam replied. He parked himself in front of a small fire that was part of a cooking stove. In the distance he could hear the monks chanting.
Nan mo ah mi tuo fuo,
Nan mo ah mi tuo fuo.
Over and over again they chanted their voices flowing about the rooms so that they became part of the temple, its foundations, and its atmosphere.
‘Something to drink to warm your soul?’ Dorjee offered the two men some steaming broth from the cauldron over the fire. Sonam and Norbu removed their gloves and wrapped their hands around the hot mugs.
‘We were only just able to get through. A few more days and the passes will be impenetrable for the rest of the winter,’ Sonam whispered. His lips regaining their color as the hot drink warmed its way through him.
‘Norbu pass me the bag please,’ he beckoned to his companion. Norbu slipped the small pack off his back and passed it over.
‘I hope this is enough to keep you going over the winter. There won’t be any more until the thaw,’ Sonam said as he turned to warm his front against the fire.
Dorjee felt the weight of the small canvas bag and inspected the contents.
‘It will do. Thoo jaychay my friend.’
Dorjee was about to say something else but he paused and listened. The chanting had changed. The dulcet tone of the familiar Buddhist prayers had been replaced with a fervent chant rising in pitch that was growing louder and more urgent.
‘What is it Dorjee? What do they chant?’ The trader asked seeing his friend react so strangely.
‘This is most unusual. I have never heard this chant before. It sounds like they are saying ‘The Drawl are coming.’
For Boot, who died of illness so suddenly.
~~~~
The second hand slowly swung itself around to the twelve o’clock position and the clock finally read eleven pm. The hot grits diner could now close and its two very tired waitresses could go home. The cook had left an hour ago when the kitchen had closed. Coffee and pie were the only things the eclectic bunch of customers could purchase after ten. They were the same bunch of regulars that came in after their own late shifts every night.
‘Come on Dave it’s closing time,’ Sally the younger of the two waitresses called. Big Dave was always the last to leave. Sally wondered if he even had a home to go to outside the diner and work.
‘Just one more piece of cherry pie!’ he begged. But Sally and Martha were already turning off the lights and all but Dave’s chair had been put up on the tables.
‘Oh shucks, don’t make me wait another day for a bite of the chef’s special,’ he complained jovially, but Sally was already walking him towards the door. It was pretty much the same scene that played out every night. The girls were well used to it.
With Dave pulling out of the car park in his rusty old Ford, Martha slammed the diner door closed with a bang and said good night to Sally.
‘Have a good day in class tomorrow,’ she called, her voice deep and husky from years of smoking.
‘Good night Martha, don’t smoke in bed!’ Sally warned half joking half seriously as she plunged her cold hands deep inside her parka and headed off towards home.
Sally lived reasonably close to her part time job. She was a high school senior and this job was her way of contributing towards her college fund. It didn’t pay much but with tips and the fact that she had been working for a couple of years now the money had soon piled up. She had been tempted several times to buy a car with it, but her dad wasn’t keen on the idea. Cars are depreciating assets. Save your money he would say.
Sally turned down Williams Street into Baxter Ave. A wind had picked up and she pulled her jacket collar up around her chin in an effort to keep warm. A strange noise came from the avenue to her left. She paused to listen. Probably some passed out drunk getting comfortable, she thought. Sally continued on but the noise continued. She picked up the pace a little. It was only a few more meters before she was back out on the main road and then home.
This time the noise sounded like it was right next to her ear. She turned but still could see nothing. She started to run. Sally almost made the main road. Almost but not quite, by morning all that remained of her was a single white flat-soled shoe and a pink ankle sock.
***
Detective John Griffin was tall, well groomed and carried a respectable weight for a middle aged man. The once jet black hair that topped his head had been replaced over the years by a steel grey color that completed the image of a kind, but firm looking man. His partner Drew Cooper was much younger. She was fine featured and still abounded with enthusiasm for her job. Recently promoted she had wanted to be a homicide detective all her life. Her father had been a beat cop, her grandfather too. Drew wanted to go one better and carry a detective’s badge. She was very close now and solving this case might just do it.
‘So what’s this, number four?’ she asked as she read the report.
‘I’m afraid so, it looks like we might have a serial killer on the loose. It’s the same meaningless M.O. A young person, alone and no sign of a body, just doesn’t make any sense,’ John was frustrated. In the thirty years he had worked this city he had never seen anything like it. This was the fourth missing person they had investigated this week. They were always the same, no witness and no physical evidence of an attacker.
‘Maybe they will all turn up alive somewhere?’ Drew ventured, but she knew from her training that most kidnappings that didn’t result in a ransom demand ended badly for the victims.
John re-examined the scene. There were faint footprints of the girl coming from the diner. At one point she had started to run, and then the tracks just stopped. How could her attacker chase her down and remove her without leaving a trace? John re-examined the shoe, no signs of blood. No damage other than the normal wear and tear on a shoe. It just didn’t make sense.
***
Rock music bleared out from the tiny radio that perched precariously upon the ledge of the dorm room’s open window. From outside, the sounds of tapping on a keyboard could only just be heard over the music. A young woman’s fingers darted deftly over the keys. She paused to read and drink some stale pop from a can beside her mouse. Her eyes were bloodshot and her fingers ached from typing. About her, books lined the shelves on the walls. They were piled high in stacks and served as improvised coffee tables. Newspaper clippings were stuck to the walls and a half-eaten TV dinner had lost the battle with mould and now resembled a small yellow forest.
Grace stabbed the off button on the front of her PC and the hum coming from the computer fans wound down. She jumped up out of her chair and cranked the radio a little louder. It was a favorite song from her younger days. After the song the news came on:
‘…Yet another teenage girl has disappeared leaving behind scant clues for police who are desperately trying to solve this case. Some suggest that it might be the work of a sociopath and have nicknamed the kidnapper the Pied Piper.’
Grace switched the radio off and closed the window. She packed her satchel and slung it over her back. With one final, quick look in the mirror she left. She had to run because she was now going to be late. Grace hated arriving late at lectures. It always meant sitting up the front and Grace loathed sitting in the front row.
With class over for the day, Grace settled into her chair and watched her computer boot. She glanced distastefully at the empty instant noodle containers on the table. Her roommate wasn’t just messy; she had disturbing eating habits as well. Grace took a bite of her sandwich and opened up a browser. She logged into her personal homepage and started updating her blogs. She had been blogging since she had left school and a small following of loyal readers followed her comments with interest. One person in particular, Wheezer, would often spend hours chatting online with Grace about the mysterious attacks that were happening around the campus and in the city. She had spoken of the Drawl in her blogs and there were plenty of people out there in cyberspace who were quite happy to believe it was all possible. As Grace checked her email, an instant message came through.
WhEzEr:>hi Mace, wos news?
The_Mace:>Another disappearance, same M.O.
WhEzEr:>That’s how many this week?
The_Mace:>number four ;<
WhEzEr:>You think it’s the Drawl?
The_Mace:>Sorry Wheeze got an essay due, bbl
WhEzEr:>ciao
Grace shut down the computer and dumped the contents of her backpack on to her bed. The essay was due in the morning and it wasn’t going to write itself. As she settled onto her bed to read there was a knock at the door.
‘Damn,’ Grace mumbled as she rose and padded over to the door. She cracked the door open a little but kept her foot against the back of the door; a safety measure her dad had taught her. Grace was stunned by the face that grinned back up at her.
‘Well are you going to invite me in?’ Shadow asked. Grace still couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She looked back at the bed, half expecting to see herself asleep and dreaming. Shadow let out a little cough and Grace snapped out of her stupor.
‘Yes, of course come in. Shadow is it really you? I never thought I’d see you again. I thought…well I thought you were dead,’ Grace studied her old friend. He had aged since she had last seen him in the catacombs of the cat world. But he also looked more energetic, alive and vibrant.
Shadow strolled in and looked about, a whisper of disdain flashed across his face at the state of Grace’s dorm room. Grace brushed some papers aside on a chair by her bed and offered Shadow a seat.
‘I prefer to stand, thank you,’ he smiled nervously. ‘Dear Grace it’s been a long time, and look how you have grown, you’re not a little girl anymore,’ Shadow smiled but couldn’t hide his nervousness.
‘What happened to you? I never heard anything,’ Grace hadn’t seen the cats since she had left home to go to college.
‘After we separated in the catacombs, I faced those creatures, the Nellaf. But just like you, I had to travel to their dimension to do it. I was lucky. They were old, ancient creatures and very weak. They were the last of their kind, a pale reflection of the fearsome creatures they once were. They were pure evil. I had to kill them.’
Grace could sense the pain in Shadow’s voice. It troubled her old friend that he had been responsible for the extinction of an ancient race. But he had had no choice. Those creatures had brought the Drawl to the cats’ dimension and had been responsible for the Drawl attacks on humans. Attacks that Grace now thought were growing more and more brazen.
‘Hey wait a minute, I just realized, how come I can see you? I mean, see you not as a cat but as you are in your dimension,’ interrupted Grace noticing that Shadow was indeed standing before her wearing his usual simple clothes.
‘It’s new technology the Drawl have developed. It allows them to materialize in your dimension. We discovered it when we intercepted one of their raiding parties. Then our scientists reverse engineered this device. This brings me to why I’m here Grace,’ Shadow paused to suck in a slow deep breath. ‘They are coming. This time they plan to invade your world directly and there is nothing we can do to stop them,’ Shadow studied Grace’s reaction. The news didn’t seem to surprise her; in fact her face remained impassive.
Shadow had aged but so had Grace. He could see she was no longer the scared little girl lost in a nightmare that he had rescued in hospital. Even the girl that had helped them save the cat world, brave and uncertain, had been replaced. This was a girl on the brink of womanhood, someone who had seen too much and wore it like a scar on her face. It didn’t disfigure the flesh but it pocked the soul. Grace looked jaded. But she also looked hardened and resolute. She had an air of fatalism that had replaced the youthful feelings of optimism present in most people her age.
‘I’ve been watching them. They are getting adventurous in their attacks. No longer content to draw energy from people they are actually consuming people now. I’ve tried to get the message out there but it’s like one of those serialized TV shows, every time I find one the evidence vanishes. There is simply no proof. People don’t want to listen. They are already so overloaded with bad news they just don’t want to hear any more,’ Grace plodded over to her tiny kitchen sink.
‘Would you like a cup of tea?’
‘Yes, thank you,’ Shadow was deep in thought. He let out a long silent sigh.
‘You helped us once. For that we owe a debt of gratitude. We should help you now. I’ll speak to the others.’
Grace poured out two cups of tea and handed one to Shadow. They sat sipping at the steaming brew as they chatted about the old times. Shadow told Grace about his time in the Nellaf’s dimension and how he managed to get back to the cat world. Grace was interested in hearing about Boot and his friends. Amandus and Vintus had had kittens that chewed on everyone who came to visit. Scooter was still a hoot, playing jokes on everyone and making them all laugh.
‘And what about Boot?’ Grace asked nervously, wondering why Shadow hadn’t spoken of him yet.
‘Boot is...,’ Shadow let out a slow sigh, ‘He simply sits outside his little hut everyday brooding. Occasionally I drop by to see him and we play Go but his mind is not settled. I think he still misses Alisha. You know it wouldn’t hurt you to visit us once in a while.’
Grace sipped at her own tea, it was still hot. She held the cup with both hands and watched the steam drift whimsically about the top of the cup.
‘I do want to go back. It’s just well, I’ve got exams and assignments and I just seem so busy lately,’ the excuses sounded so lame to Grace. She had been tracking the Drawl and writing about them on the web. But she hadn’t really done anything about it. Going to the police or the army would be a waste of time. No one was going to believe her that multidimensional monsters were behind the spate of abductions in the news lately. And that our only hope was an alliance with the domestic house cat.
After finishing his tea, Shadow bid Grace a fond farewell. He promised to return when he had support from the others. He also made Grace promise to come and visit the cats soon.
Grace lay in bed trying to sleep. Her brain, still busy ticking over the day’s events, wouldn’t let her rest. She pulled a drawer open in her dresser and picked out a small red box. She opened it and removed the necklace with the amulet that cats had given her to travel to their dimension. She took another look at the bright LCD clock by her bed. It was four thirteen. Her roommate was obviously staying over at her boyfriend’s. A bang at the door convinced Grace otherwise. She must have forgotten her key again. Grace slipped out of bed and walked over to the door.
‘You know I’m not very impressed, do you know what time…’ It wasn’t her roommate. Two large men dressed in ill-fitting suits stood outside her door.
‘Good evening miss, terribly sorry to call upon you this late. But would you mind accompanying us?’ the one who had knocked asked. He was a fraction shorter than the other who hung back from the door on the other side of the corridor. Grace studied them, they didn’t seem right. Apart from the obvious fact that it was after three am, their haircuts were short, too short to be trendy, they looked alert. And as Grace looked further she noticed they both wore thick soled boots. To Grace they looked military.
‘What’s this all about?’ she questioned, as she shifted her foot in behind the door. Although she was quite aware that one big shove from this guy would probably break her toe.
‘Mr. Smiles would like a word with you miss. He is waiting downstairs,’ the soldier replied.
‘Well does Mr. Smiles know what time it is? How would Mr Smiles like to come back at say,’ Grace looked at her wrist even though she wasn’t wearing a watch, ‘nine o’clock when I’ve had some breakfast and a good night’s sleep?’ Grace started to close the door but the soldier put up his hand to stop it.
‘I’m afraid Mr. Smiles doesn’t have time tomorrow. He is on his way to the airport. The soldier pressed past Grace into her room as she hurriedly withdrew her foot.
‘You need to change, and put some shoes on,’ his voice was firm and he sounded like someone people didn’t question.
‘Now just a minute mister...whatever your name is. You can’t come barging into a girl’s dorm room in the middle of the night demanding her to…’ Grace was cut off.
‘Please Miss, Mr Smiles has limited time.’
‘Do you have some kind of ID? Or am I supposed to trust that you’re not some kind of freaky murdering psycho?’ Grace was wondering why she hadn’t screamed to alert everyone to this whacko’s presence, but something inside her believed he was legitimate. There was something about the guy, something that reminded her of Boot. Grace had little doubt that these two were soldiers. But why would the army send two goons to talk to her in the middle of the night? Grace hadn’t realized it but she had pulled on some jeans and a sweater and was tying her laces as she thought. She pocketed the necklace and followed the soldiers out.
The car was a little disappointing, it wasn’t a stretch limo, nor was it a seven series Beemer. It was a very nondescript looking thing, probably an import. Grace found Mr. Smiles seated in the back. He was reading some papers in a brown manila file when Grace sat down next to him. The two soldiers sat in front and the quiet one started to drive.
‘Miss Kelly, how charming to make your acquaintance,’ he uttered with well-polished but fake sincerity, as he drew his glasses down his nose to study her.
‘It’s very good of you to come. It’s a matter of national security you see.’
‘What’s so important it couldn’t wait? And just who are you people?’ Naturally Grace had a ton of questions burning in her mind.
‘I’m Mr. Smiles, and I’ve been asked to brief you on the way to the airport. So let me see,’ he studied the folder before him. ‘History major, average student. Parents still alive. You have a brother,’ he said looking up.
Grace opened and closed her mouth without a word.
‘Does it say what kind of toothpaste I like too?’ she spat sarcastically. Mr. Smiles was unmoved.
‘You have a web-log and go by the name “The Mace”. Hmm,’ said Mr. Smiles looking up and removing his glasses. ‘What kind of nickname is that for a young lady?’
Grace found herself thinking back to her school days, when she had knocked her teacher flying in gym class. Naomi had given her the nickname, ‘Grace the Mace’.
‘Look I don’t even know why I got into this car with you. So if I don’t get some answers to what’s going on soon I’m going to have to insist we stop and I go home.’ Grace wasn’t afraid of this guy. She was simply tired and his obstructions were frustrating.
‘All in good time my dear. Now this web log, it says monsters from the fourth dimension are attacking. Do you seriously believe this stuff?’
‘Is that what this is about? You know as far as I’m aware we have the right to free speech in this country,’ Grace was starting to get defensive. Outside the window they had left the city behind and were heading into the country.
‘Hey wait a minute; this isn’t the way to the airport. What the hell!’ Grace was starting to worry. She remembered the mantra drummed into her since she was old enough to walk to school alone. Never get into a car with a stranger.
‘We aren’t going to the commercial airport. It’s an air force base.’ Hardly had Mr. Smiles finished when the vehicle pulled up at a sentry post that had appeared out of the darkness. Grace hadn’t had a clue that such a place existed just outside of the city. The sentry shone his torch in the window and inspected the card the driver showed him. After checking the passengers in the back he saluted and the car was passed through the gates.
As the soldiers opened the doors the first rays of the morning sun were lighting up the morning clouds. Grace could make out a small Lear jet on the runway.
‘Well it was a pleasure to meet you Grace. And I hope they are right about you. Now if you excuse me we both have a plane to catch.’ Mr. Smiles moved off towards the Lear jet at a brisk pace. Grace started to follow but the chatty soldier stopped her.
‘Not you Miss, you’re taking a different flight,’ as he spoke a jeep pulled up and a man dressed in a silver flight suit jumped out.
The pilot spoke to the soldiers for a moment and then turned to Grace. It was hard to hear him over the sound of the Lear jet’s engines but Grace thought he said hello. They drove around the back of a small office block.
‘Good morning Miss, my name is Chuck and someone must be in a real hurry to talk to you,’ the pilot spoke as he pulled up outside a small hangar. He beckoned Grace to follow him inside.
Inside the hanger was dark but Grace could make out the sleek shape of what looked like a rocket with wings. A steam like vapor was rising from its surface and a small generator hummed alongside it.
‘Wow, what kind of plane is that?’ admired Grace, taken with the beauty of the craft.
‘It’s a highly modified X-43a. Here put this on!’ The pilot handed Grace a silver flight suit. She struggled awkwardly into it. It was very tight and had little hoses running up and down the outside. It was also very androgynous and totally unflattering. Grace was just glad there was no-one else around to see how dorky she looked.
‘So where are we going?’ Grace had only just thought to ask.
‘Sorry Miss I don’t know, I won’t find out until we are in the air.’
Grace’s stomach rumbled silently away, a sure sign that she was uneasy about things.
The pilot disconnected the generator from the plane and pushed back the hangar doors. He helped Grace up the ladder and she squeezed herself into the seat.
‘This thing isn’t built for comfort is it?’ she quipped.
‘No Ma’am, it’s built for speed!’ he replied with a hint of pride in his voice as he shut down the canopy and fired up the engines. The silver craft slipped silently out onto the tarmac and coasted down to the end of the runway. Grace had her headphones on and was listening to the chatter from ATC.
‘Scram one you are clear for departure on runway two. God-speed.’
‘Roger that tower’. The pilot pushed the throttle forward and for a second nothing happened except a lot of noise from behind Grace. Then she was thrown back into her chair so hard the air was knocked from her. The ground tore past the window so fast it was a blur. As the plane ran out of runway the pilot pulled back on the stick and they were airborne hurtling straight up. Grace was expecting them to level out but they just kept heading up.
‘How are you doing Miss?’ The pilot’s voice broke over the headphones in Grace’s helmet.
Grace managed to mumble she was fine, but she didn’t feel fine. As they had taken off the suit had inflated and was crushing Grace’s legs and chest. The air in her mask tasted bitter and she had a headache.
‘We will be ascending to an altitude of fifty three kilometers and a cruising speed of eleven thousand kilometers an hour. Our destination this evening is Geneva. Time to destination is thirty three minutes.’
‘Switzerland? What the...?’ It had been a fantastic night. Seeing Shadow again, being whisked off by mysterious soldiers in the middle of the night and now being flown to Switzerland in some secret rocket plane.
As the pilot finished the ascent and leveled off, Grace tried to peak out the tiny window.
‘Holy cow, I can almost see the whole planet! How high did you say…?’ But before Grace could get an answer the pilot had activated the scram jet. If the speed in which they went up was impressive, the speed of the scramjet was insane. It felt to Grace like someone had hit her with a concrete wall. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, but it was losing the battle to push the blood up into her head. The first thing she noticed as she was forced down into her seat was that everything was now in black and white. Things started to disappear as the acceleration increased. It now looked to Grace like she was seeing through a pipe. The pipe was getting smaller and smaller as the G’s passed seven. The last thought Grace had as everything went black was how could the pilot fly the plane?
Chuck would have grinned as he watched Grace slump forward in her chair if the G-forces had permitted it. With the new STING+ suit he was wearing and years of training he could fly in the ten G’s the plane was pulling at this speed. But only just.
Grace recovered consciousness in time to watch the plane come in for a landing. Again a very dark part of the city was chosen, Grace didn’t know how the pilot could navigate in such dark conditions. The plane seemed to drop out of the sky and onto a very short runway.
‘As you climb out be careful not to touch the plane Miss, it gets very hot,’ the pilot instructed as the canopy retracted. Again this airfield was almost deserted. Grace noticed a small fuel truck in the distance and a jeep was parked close to where they had parked.
‘I guess this plane is a pretty big secret huh?’ she remarked.
‘Yes Miss. Can you drive? I have to refuel and get back. Someone will meet you by the main gate,’ the pilot indicated the entrance in the distance.
Grace thanked Chuck for the ride and plodded over to the jeep, she removed the flight suit before jumping in. Grace found the keys in the ignition and started the jeep. It stalled and Grace noticed there was an extra pedal on the floor.
‘Great a flippin’ manual!’ she snapped at no-one. Grace turned her mind back to when her father had taught her to drive.
With a lot of bunny-hopping Grace finally made it to the gate. Behind her she heard the unearthly sound of the secret plane’s engines starting up. Chuck was wasting no time.
Grace pulled up in front of the gate and almost instantly six figures materialized out of the darkness. They were all dressed in black, wore night-vision equipment and carried stubby little machine guns. Grace suddenly felt very afraid. What the hell am I doing here? she asked herself silently.
‘Miss, step out of the vehicle and walk this way please,’ said the soldier closest to her. He offered her his hand and Grace took it. His voice was warm and his accent familiar. The soldiers moved off into the darkness. Another couple of vehicles came into sight further down the road. Grace was bundled inside one and the rest of the soldiers climbed into the other. The vehicles sped off into the night.
As the cars whizzed through the night Grace caught glimpses of her surroundings. Street signs flashed past. The small convoy turned into a quiet little cobbled street that Grace caught the name of, Route de Meyrin. The vehicles rolled to a stop and the soldiers piled out. Grace was escorted inside a building and over to a lift. A well-dressed woman in a suit met them outside the elevators.
‘I’ll take it from her thank you Sergeant.’
‘Very good Ma’am,’ he replied. The soldiers disappeared out of the building as quietly as they had arrived. Grace found herself in an elevator with a tired looking woman carrying a brief case. The woman’s hair was short and straw brown. Her lipstick had worn away from too many coffees and was in desperate need of a reapplication.
Grace had a thousand questions burning in her mind, but doubted this woman would have any answers. After a long descent into the ground the elevator stopped and the doors opened. The woman ushered Grace along grey concrete corridors lined with metal pipes and ducts. Grace followed her up a flight of stairs and past two armed sentries. Two large doors were opened and Grace found herself in a darkened boardroom. Men and women were already assembled and someone had a projector on. There was a murmur as Grace entered the room and a young man came forward to greet the pair.
‘Dr Young, thank you, I’ll take things from here,’ the woman who had accompanied Grace took a seat at the back of the room.
‘Grace I’m Doctor Hess. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I have heard quite a bit about you.’ He motioned towards the screen in the room where a picture of Grace filled the screen. It looked like it had been taken a few days ago outside her collage.
Grace couldn’t contain herself any longer. She opened her mouth and let fly.
‘Look just what the hell is this all about? I mean come on, spooks picking me up in the middle of the night, flying me half way around the world in some damn rocket ship. It’s all a bit over the top isn’t it? I’m a college student with an over active imagination,’ Grace looked at the faces in the room. There were bright looking men and woman in white lab coats and a couple of shady looking guys in suits. Two men in military uniform sat near the front. Grace started to shake. Maybe I’m in some kinda trouble, she thought.
‘Would you like a something to drink dear?’ a sweet voice came up beside her. Grace turned to see a young woman pour a tall glass of water from a pitcher and hand it over. Grace took a long slow swig and started to calm down a bit.
‘We certainly thought so, that is until a few hours ago. What do you know about the Drawl?’ the young man questioned Grace.
‘What? Is that what this is all about? My blog?’ Grace thought for a moment. As far as she knew freedom of speech was still guaranteed. She hadn’t written anything in her blogs people would find offensive. Nobody believed her theories about the disappearances anyway, or her stories about the cats. There was no proof of course because it was all in the fourth dimension.
‘Amongst other things, but we want to hear it from you,’ the man’s tone was quite persuasive. Grace took a deep breath.
‘They are creatures from another dimension that attack us and feed off our energy.’ Grace tensed for the laughter but it didn’t come. She studied the faces in the room. Grace wouldn’t have known a physicist from a football player but she guessed these were the scientific elite. The people who could have someone flown from one side of the world to the other in less than forty-five minutes obviously had very powerful connections.
‘Look my blog’s been on the net for years, why the sudden interest. No-one’s believed me before. How do you even know about my blogs? My sites only had about two hundred hits in all this time.’
‘Grace have you heard of echelon?’ Doctor Hess asked.
‘That’s that thingy that governments use to spy on people right?’ Grace’s eyes narrowed a little.
‘Sort of, you see echelon inspects net traffic for anything malicious, anything that may be a threat. Certain keywords in your blog must have alerted echelon to your content and it was tagged for follow up. Although it would have been assigned a threat rating in the lowest percentile it was still tagged.’
‘But it still doesn’t explain why you flew me here.’
‘Show her!’ an impatient voice commanded from the back of the room. Grace squinted up towards the speaker and against the projector light she could barely make out an older man in military uniform.
An aide tapped away on his laptop and an image came up on the giant screen.
Grace’s jaw dropped in absolute disbelief at what she saw.
‘You’ve been spying on me, my God that was taken tonight from my dorm room,’ Grace was red faced with anger.
‘We routinely monitor the communications of all suspected activists…’
‘Activist? You think I’m a threat to national security?’ Grace was so angry she was shaking again. ‘Just you wait until the press hears of this! Government caught tapping students in dorm room.’
As Grace fumed she heard a familiar voice from the video clip. It was Shadow’s voice. The video had captured Shadow’s and Grace’s conversation. It suddenly dawned on her why she was here.
‘There is something still a bit fishy. If this spy program marked my blog as a miniscule threat, how come you went off and bugged my dorm room? Or are you guys bugging everyone these days?’ Grace was confused and upset at the thought that the government had been spying on her. The thought of some sweaty nerd sitting in a van parked on the street ogling her in her pajamas infuriated her.
‘No we certainly don’t run around bugging everyone on the echelon lists.’
‘So then what happened to get me pushed up the list?’ Grace demanded. An idea was forming in her head. ‘Something happened didn’t it?’
Dr Hess looked up into the back of the room at the well-dressed man. He nodded back at Hess.