Post by impossibletraveler on Sept 19, 2021 14:38:26 GMT -5
Late last night, and the night before
Tommyknockers, Tommyknockers, knocking at my door
***Department of Scientific Intelligence
Exact Location: Unknown
09:30 September 19th, 2021****
“Concerning reports having been coming out of a small, Podunk town in Iowa recently.”
From her place at the rectangular table of fellow agents and scientists, Betsy Granger looks up from the mindless doodling she’d been engaged in. She was the freshest agent in the room, and one of the brightest minds they had; but lord, how boring did these meetings have to be? More often than not, Director Raven would just drone on and on about a few potential bites that seldom produced nothing more than a wild goose chase. Anyone who watched him lead these meetings could see that he would rather still be in the field at the heart of the action. Her green eyes study him as he speaks, hoping her cheeks wouldn’t flush, giving away her true feelings for the man. It hadn’t taken long after she’d been assigned to his Special Operations team that they had fallen into bed together. She would often joke this was the price he had to pay for her to attend his boring meetings; but the truth was, there was nowhere else she’d rather be these days than wrapped up with him in his bed sheets.
On the days that were too boring to tolerate, she’d fill her notebooks with wild ideas, sketching out weapons and technology that would allow this department to flourish in its pursuit of knowledge. Her father had worked for “The Shop” for many years, and she had been inspired by the stories of exploring alien technology to enhance humanity’s own pursuit of evolution. The idea of searching for new, exciting ways to improve the world had never left her heart; now at age twenty-five, she was sitting where her father had once sat.
If only he’d mentioned how tedious some parts of the job were going to be.
“An anonymous source sent an audio message from a town called Bellevue; he seems to believe that something strange is going on there.”
With the mention of her tiny hometown, Betsy was now alert, taking in every word Director Raven was saying.
“It seems when he crossed the border into the town, his car stalled out. He says just before this, as he got closer, the radio went haywire, as did all the interior and exterior lights. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t get his car to restart and the town of Bellevue was a short way off. He goes on to say that the townsfolk were acting strange, always watching him intensely as though he were on display. He said they spoke to him cordially, but their expressions and mannerisms felt more as though he were some sort of prey. The message ends on him babbling about a telepathic connection and possible nuclear radiation contamination before something grabs him. The feed dies on him screaming for them to spare him.”
Betsy inhales sharply as Director Raven pauses, her heart pounding over this disturbing bit of news. Though both she and her sister Adelaide had left the one-light town, her parents still resided there, as did many of her old school chums who had settled down to the small-town life. As though he could sense her distress, Director Raven turns his serious brown eyes to her. She sits up in her chair, her breath caught in her throat as she waits for worse news. They gaze at one another for an eternity of moments before he finally looks away from her, continuing.
“The Big Guy has already called and made it clear he wants this one thoroughly examined.”
Now there’s a collective gasp from the other occupants of the room. “The Big Guy” as they called him around here rarely ever stuck his hand in matters such as these. It was no secret that he’d found the entire department a joke and constantly dismissed them as useless. Whatever was happening in her hometown, it was a serious threat. Without thinking, she gets to her feet, causing every eye in the room to turn her way. Her mouth turns to cotton as her voice comes out in a breathless rush.
“Sir, I’d like to take this mission.”
“I figured you would Granger, but I’m afraid I can’t let you have it. You’re too close to it and we can’t have you being compromised.”
“With all due respect, Director, I think I’d be the best person for the job. I grew up in that town-”
“Precisely. If something IS happening there, as The Big Guy seems to think, then for all we know, YOU could already be affected by it.”
Her mouth drops open.
“Me?! Whatever is happening there NOW shouldn’t affect me, I haven’t been home since last Christmas! Come on Ja... Director Raven, I know that town inside and out. If there’s something amiss, I’ll find it faster than anyone else here.”
“It doesn’t matter, Granger, I don’t want you going. You’re too green; if this is the real deal, then this is NOT the mission to get your feet wet. I’m sorry, but my answer is final.”
Knowing better than to argue with him in front of the other agents and scientists, Betsy snaps her mouth shut tightly. Giving a curt nod towards him, she slinks back into her chair, seething silently. In her heart, she knew the only reason he didn’t want her to go was that he didn’t want to lose his personal plaything. Everyone in that room knew she was more than qualified to take on the mission and they needed someone who knew that town backward. As Director Raven carries on the rest of the meeting, Betsy begins to plot ways to get back to the place she grew up...
“Dismissed.”
The single word snaps her of her reverie as she collects her items and shoves them into her tote bag. Dawdling intentionally, she waits until the rest of the room has cleared, allowing her long blond hair to cover her face. After the shuffling of many feet, the room grows silent, save for the click the door makes as Director Raven shuts it behind them. Refusing to look his way, she slings the bag over her shoulder and turns towards the door, her head still down.
“I have paperwork to do.”
“Then why did you stay behind?”
She can feel him close the distance between their bodies; when he tugs to slide the bag off her shoulder, she allows him to do so. Her heart flutters at his closeness for a moment before she remembers why she wanted to stay behind. Fire lights up her emerald eyes as she takes a step back.
“You know I’m the best person for that job, James.”
She snarls at him throwing as much venom into her words as she can. The smug smirk on his face as he just watches her only infuriates her further.
“I know you are Bets, that’s why I’m sending you as MY inside gal.”
“Huh?”
James scoops her up into his arms and playfully kisses the tip of her nose. She scrunches her face and squirms against him, attempting to free herself of his strong grip. His hands lower to her butt as he pulls her closer to him; she whimpers softly as her body responds and when his lips crush hers, she doesn’t fight it. When he finally pulls his lips from hers, his eyes are sharp as he peers into her face.
“If The Big Guy wants to a personal hand in this, then we finally have the real deal. He’s going to have me assign at least two of his men to investigate; I’ll have absolutely no say in the choice.”
His face sours at the thought; his disdain of The Big Guy was long known among the agents in their department. Betsy wraps her arms around him and nestles herself against his broad torso.
“What do you need me to do?”
Resting his head on top of hers, he speaks softly, ensuring only they could hear.
“An old friend of yours seems to be at the center of the action, one Ed Houston. I wasn’t quite as forthcoming with the details as The Big Guy would have preferred.”
His brown eyes twinkle as Betsy gasps, looking scandalized.
“Before the audio ended, the anonymous tipster mentioned that a lot of folks seemed to come in and out of Eddy’s woods at all hours of the day. They were always sweaty and dirty, as though they’d been doing strenuous labor, but they seemed... enraptured by it.”
“How odd.”
Director Raven nods as his face grows deadly serious.
“I hate sending you in there, but you’re the only one I can trust with this, Betsy.”
Nodding her head vigorously, Betsy cups his face gently with her hands, her green eyes limpid pools of devotion.
“I won’t fail you.”
****Forest Home of Eddy Houston
Location: Bellevue, Iowa
16:00 September 19th, 2021****
After surprising her parents with her arrival home, Betsy sits on her old bed in her former room, looking around the walls. Pictures of wrestlers were hung all over, along with the family photos and all her doodles over the years. Normally, the old farmhouse, this room, would offer her the comfort she needed after a stressful day.
But from the moment she'd crossed the town line, she knew that something was very off... and very, VERY wrong.
Now she stood at the wide-ranging white fence that protected the land that belonged to her school friend, Eddy Houston. A line of bicycles was lined up on their kickstand as the owners continued their diligent work in the woods beyond the large manor home. Walking carefully up the path she knew so well, Betsy scanned her surroundings, taking note of every little thing. The Houston Manor hadn't aged a day since she'd last been here, the woods were flush as ever. From the woods, she could hear the labor of the townsfolk, their strained grunts stifled by the thick foliage of the trees.
"Betsy Granger, is that really you?"
Eddy Houston's voice cuts through her thoughts as he heads towards her, looking disheveled. Allowing a smile to light up her face, Betsy turns towards the voice and is immediately crushed in a hug. Once they break the hug apart, Betsy takes a hard look into his face and fights back a gasp. The once vibrantly handsome young man looked as though he'd aged about fifty years in the seven in which they hadn't seen one another. His face was drawn and grey, several teeth missing from his mouth. His eyes were dull and lifeless, his hair patchy from the clumps that had fallen out. Dirt was clumped heavily under his fingernails, his entire body covered with the damp, brown earth he'd been working in.
"Oh Eddy, what happened to you?"
He studies her carefully, as though he couldn't decide whether to trust her or not. After several stressful moments, his face finally clears, and loops his arms through hers, leading her to the woods.
"You're still one of us, I can tell... I discovered something amazing, Betsy. Something that's going to change everything for us..."
"Eddy, have you looked at yourself recently? You're not well."
"On the contrary, Betsy; I've never been better... or ALIVE... than I am now. Because my life finally has a purpose... has meaning."
As they approach the group of townsfolk, all of them focused on their digging, Betsy stifles another gasp. Within a tree hangs a strap of white leather, a teal and pink design emblazoned on the front. It seems to glow all around them, creating a light that she hadn't noticed until she'd stepped into the center of its beam. It's then that she can feel the pulsing start. Her green eyes sweep to the ground, where several shovels are working in tandem. Peeking from the dirt is the stop of what appears to be the top of a blue box. Though the entirety hadn't yet been unearthed, Betsy could tell that each clump of dirt that was tossed away was allowing the power of this strange box to grow.
"Eddy, what is all this?"
A lifetime of affection and love comes through his face when he turns to his friend. Taking her hand, he leads her to the strange object on the tree; gently, he lifts her hand up and forces her to touch it. As soon as her fingers brush the cool material, Betsy begins to hear a soft whisper in her mind. At the same time, vibration passes through her, as though the power this belt contained was meant specifically for her.
"You can hear them, can't you? The voices that promise everything you've ever dreamed of? Listen to them, Betsy... And join us."
TO Be Continued!
TO Be Continued!