"Keith wake-up!"
Hearing her slam her hands on the table I straightened my body. Pained but I was awake. That small rest reliving that event was horrific. I felt like I was trying to win against Freddy Krueger. Stuck once again in a confined area with water filling my lungs within the short span of three months is a crazy thing to happen. But it did so there's no way around it.
"Sorry Ms. Rose, your conversation was a lot longer than I anticipated. Made me doze off."
Her face shows that she unamused by my answer. Might even be angry at the fact that I fell asleep.
"If there ever comes a time where you feel like 'dozing off' in my office again, Don't. This room is where I do my work and I don't want people who come in here and find a man just sleeping in the corner or in front of my desk. Understand?"
Rose said dozing off with air quotations. She also seems very serious about the matter at hand.
"I understand."
I just answer, no jokes, no playing around.
"Now back to the matter at hand. I'd say this is the last time you will be here. On this timeline area you understand that?"
"Yes."
"Good, I'm going to re-brief you on your mission once you get there. You will need to find out the working and understandings of how Hitler died. We have just assumed that he killed himself, but we are unsure of the way he did it. Was it with a gun? Or was there something else? Something like foul play, like his soldiers turning on him, shooting him, poisoning him, and etcetera."
"Yes, I understand that part of the mission."
"Now, the next part. We are thinking that there was an experiment that might have successfully finished it's happening, and when undiscovered for the passed 78 years."
"I never got brief on this part though ma'am?"
"That's because this is very much classified information. W— I have decided to tell you personally."
She stumbled over hers word, she's not the type to do that and that…
Genuinely Surprised me.
"We thought that the experimentation never got finished. Never went through. Got scraped or something like that. But it apparently didn't get stopped. It was successfully completed, then it got stopped for a while when the Union lost."
"The Soviet Union?"
"Yes, that Union. Recently there has been reports of the 'experiments' getting more frequent appearing in the shadows."
"May I know what the experiments are?"
"I have provided more details than I should have but, the experiment makes human animals. This is something that should and Will stay between us."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Experiments with an S. That means that there are multiple. That must have been torture having to endure all that pain of have turned into an animal and then back into a human. Does the DNA change every time they change.
"You may now leave and remember Keith. Don't tell anyone what you heard."
I push myself off the chair. Standing on my two feet and I nod my head:
"I understand, Ms. Rose."
I start walking toward the door. Reaching for the door Ms. Rose calls to me.
"Ohh, and say goodbye to nurse Thia for me. She retired."
"Yes, I can. May I ask how she retired she has an amazing job with money and probably a huge amount of benefits along with the fact she can't be of age for retirement."
She sits and pulls open a drawer on the side of her desk and starts rummaging through it.
"I don't know much but from what she said probably a family issue has happened and she will be leaving state or the country. Just say goodbye to her for me and you."
"Yes, Ma'am."
I step through the door make my way to the elevator.
~~~
Today, I didn't just dress nice to go to Ms. Rose office, the people that are going through the experiment with me wanted to meet together. Do this type of team bonding experience.
I'm heading to a restaurant. Right now all I know is the area is nice and the food is amazing. Or so said Ryan, the one that wanted the experience and the who also wanted to go to the restaurant.
I pull out my phone from my pocket and look at the location again for the fifteen time this hour. Looking at my phone I continue walking. Using the phone red line to guide me to my location. I look up every now and again to avoid people and street lights.
I must not have been paying attention that well though because I bump into someone. A small girl. She panting and holding a puppy in her arms, the puppy is neck deep in a wet sack. She red haired, small and young. I'd say she around 2nd grade, she has freckles on her face, she's still holding her bag, guessing from school.
I stash my phone into my pocket and couch down to her level to talk to her.
"Hi, little girl. Are you okay? I never meant to bump into you."
She gets up and runs around behind me. Clutch my shirt.
"There is people trying to take the puppy from me."
Around a building in front of us. Two teenagers come running around in front of me, both guys. One with jet black hair and stubble growing around his face. The other baby faced with long hair tied into a pony tail. Both dressed in jorts and a blue uniform that has a tiger in the top corner of it.
"Girl give us the dog!"
The one with the stubble, almost yelling at her. There's a lot of animosity in the way his voice is talking to her.
"Man, chill, she just a kid and her dad is here man."
Pony tail seems like the voice of reason in this conversation.
"Okay, boys, I know you want the dog but calm down there no need to be chasing a little girl for it. She probably very scared."
I say to them getting up slowly.
Pony tail starts walks to us.
"Sir, I'd just like the dog back. We did something bad and we need to hide the evidence or we could lose our whole future."
"If you don't mind me ask what did you do?"
Before Pony tail can speak, Stubble interrupts him.
"Your not actually going to tell him, right?"
"No, Sir I don't feel comfortable telling you what we were—-."
The little girl interrupts him as well:
"They threw the puppy in the water! With a sack over it! I grabbed the bag and ran as fast as I could."
I look back at the small girl she's as tall as my lower thigh. She staring up at my face.
"Little girl, is this true?"
Stubble jumps in before her:
"Dude we won't do that type of stuff look at us, our—."
"Kid, I'm gonna need you to shut the f*ck up! And let her speak."
I look at him for a second them back to the girl. She now staring at my feet. A second later she looks up at me and nods her head.
I look back at the teenagers.
"Okay, you two get the f*ck out of here. Now!"
"Dude we just need the dog and we'll—."
"I'm not gonna tell you again."
Pony tail steps back and grabs Stubbles arm.
"Man, lets just leave. I mean look at all these people and if word got out that we did this our parents would kill us. And we'd go to prison. Let's just go?"
Pony tail starts running in the direction he came from. Few seconds later so does Stubble.
"Okay little girl looks like they are gone but—."
I turn around and the girl is missing. Like she just disappeared. I look at my phone and realize that I was here for fifteen minutes longer than I needed to be.
I start into a full sprint, stopping every now and again to catch my breath. Two blocks away from the restaurant I stop running and just walk. It's now evening, sun slowly setting and people slowly dissipating. Entering their homes or going out for a bite right off the job.
Me, I'm included for the latter. Going for a bite right off the job.
A few minutes later I'm in front of the restaurant. The name is in a language in not even going to try figuring without sounding racist. But I'm guessing the name is gU-ts Es-en. (gutes Essen)
I grab the handle for the door and pull it open. Ready to meet my 'friends'.