Changes (4 page)

“Why not the labs?”

“They have their own security force for the labs. They’re armed. They keep to themselves. They stay out of our way pretty much. They’re busier back there, so as long as you stay out of their way, they’ll leave you alone.”

Jimmy nodded. He tried to understand everything. It felt like a lot to take in, all at once.

“Other than that, it’s pretty basic work. It’s pretty quiet and subdued.” They came to the end of the new hallway, turned left and entered yet another hallway that looked like the first two looked. “It’s easy, really.”

“Looks complex?” Jimmy continued to follow. “I’m going to get very lost here, I’m sure?”

“Nah. After a while you’ll be walking through this place like you own it.”

Jimmy nodded, tried to laugh but couldn’t make it sound the way he wanted it to. Instead, it came out sounding more of winded sigh than anything else.

“So, you want the job?” Fairchild turned yet another corner and there he stopped. His eyes showed a sparkle behind them.

Jimmy recognized the look. He wanted him. He needed him. He almost drooled for him to take the job. He looked down the new corner and found yet another hallway that seemed to go on forever and ever more. “How many others do I work with at night?” he felt that he needed to ask, so he did.

“None. You’ll be working alone, except for the lab’s security force, but that‘s it. Most of the time, you won’t see anyone. Our job is mainly the offices and the outer front of the labs. They take care of the dock and some of the more
sensitive
areas.”

Jimmy nodded.

“So, do you?”

Again, he nodded.

“Great!” Fairchild blurted out with a smile flaring out over his somewhat chubby face. “You have to take the security class at the office to get your license from the state. I’ve been told that you’re going to do that next week. Can you start the Monday after that?”

Jimmy, again, nodded.

“Good. It’s Monday morning thru Friday morning. You’ll have the weekends off. The shift is eleven to seven. We’ll give you some training, which usually lasts about a week, and then we’ll let you have the place to yourself. If anything happens? I‘m only a phone call away.” Fairchild held out his right hand again. “Welcome to Ravenswood Labs.”

Jimmy sighed. He took the man’s much larger, chubbier hand and shook it. A smile crossed his lips. Everything now felt over. He felt happy that it was finished. He hoped that his decision to take the job wouldn’t haunt him. He wasn’t sure if he wanted it, and as far as he could tell, there was only one way to find that out. He just had to do it. Besides, what would it hurt?

Jimmy did the training at the
Ever-Safe Security
office, they started the licensing, and he was issued a temporary badge. He then started at the labs. The training did go well, and Frank Fairchild was right, he did find it rather easy to get used to the place after a while. By the third night, he made his way around it with almost relative ease. Everything he felt afraid of at first, he found as nothing. The alarm panel turned out to be simple to use. The red button was the emergency gate they could lower over the front doors in case they needed it. Overall, he learned everything quickly. He headed into his first full week, alone with the emptiness of his newfound world around him. That’s when he finally settled in and relaxed. It felt seamless. It felt all too right.

 He arrived at work a little before his shift began that first Sunday night, relieved the second shift guard Pat Moore, put his thermos full of coffee behind him, and took his place behind the counter. He settled down, and began watching the three monitors that lined the interior wall of the counter with each one showing him a different view of the building, and so far, everything looked quiet. Now all he had to do was wait an hour for his first tour of the night to begin. Then he would get up and walk the route that he learned with intensity the week before. At twelve o’clock he would start. The time went by slowly.

Sitting there, thinking, he thought about what Brandon said when he first told him about taking the job at
Ever-Safe
. It turned out that he was right about everything; he had to admit that much. It gave him the time to think about everything that happened. He thought about losing his job at
Save Money
, and when he finished with that, he thought about Sally. He concluded that he couldn’t do anything different than what he did. Everything seemed like it was all supposed to happen. More importantly, being alone with his own thoughts, it gave him the time to breathe. It gave him the time to feel better.

The first hour went by rather fluidly and before he knew it, it was time to start his first tour. If his memory was accurate, and this was the first time to test it, it would only take him about half-an-hour to do it. Before he began, he first needed to gather his thoughts. He replayed the tour over, and over again in his mind, trying his best to picture it completely before he started. He tried to keep it clear in his mind. He looked at the clock sitting next to the computer on the counter and it read twelve.
It’s time.

He stood up and pushed in the only chair at the counter, took his wand, a cylindrical black colored five-inch long flashlight looking devise that would register his movements throughout the building, with him, and held it firmly in his hand. The thing would tell Fairchild if he accomplished the tour correctly. He hoped he would. He wanted to be accurate. He put the wand in his back pocket, took the handheld radio that he needed to carry with him, and clipped it to the left side of his belt. He turned it on and it gave him a loud buzzing beep in return. With everything ready, so was he.

He left the back of the counter and headed up the stairs to the second floor. The place sounded quiet with only the lights in the lobby on behind him as he moved. With it, it made everything else look dark, almost spooky. With it all, his mood felt pure. He reached the first chip to hit with his wand at the very top of the steps, tapped the front of the wand to the chip and a small red light at the front of the wand lit up, and it beeped a soft subtle ping that registered the location. With it set, he knew that his tour had begun.

He followed the hallway on the right, walked down it to the very end of it, and at the first turn, found the second chip along his way. He struck it with the tip of the wand and again it beeped a high-toned sound, and the light lit up red. He looked down at his wristwatch and saw that he was only five minutes into his run. He was doing well and he seemed to be right on time.
Not too bad, if I do say so myself.

He continued on, heading off to his right. At the end of the hallway, he found another chip, touched it with his wand, and the
beep
echoed around him. He walked along, keeping his stride, finding every chip along the way. Before he knew it, he came to the entrance to the labs. Seeing it, he knew that he was almost halfway done with his first tour of the night. He looked at his watch, and read that it was a quarter after twelve. Seeing the time, he felt surprised. He was doing better than he thought.

He looked at the doors to the labs, and instantly, and quite unexpectedly, he noticed a light coming in through the two windows built into each door.
Those lights are supposed to be off.
He touched the chip to the right of the door, looked through the window, and could see a long hallway stretching out from the doors. Everything looked well lit, and it took his breaths away.
What the hell is this?
During his training, the labs were always dark. He never once saw anyone there. Seeing the light, and what they could mean, he felt instantly nervous. He felt apprehensive. He just didn’t know what to do about it.
Should I check it out? Should I just keep going?
The only thing he did know was that he had to do something, and that thought alone answered his questions for him. He had to do it and he didn’t feel that he had a choice.

He reached for the access card that was faceted to his shirt’s breast pocket, looked for the keypad, a square three inch by three inch black colored box that was to the right of every door, and found it right where it was supposed to be. He touched the card to the front of the pad, and a green light flashed at the top of it. A soft beeping sound danced around him as the doors clicked. He took a deep breath. He had to prepare his mind. When he felt ready, as ready as he was ever going to be, he reached for the handle and went through the doors.

He walked into hallway as the left door closed silently behind him and stopped. The brightness greeted him first. The sounds of dress shoes on a tiled floor came next. Someone was there all right, and that someone seemed to be walking in the hallway somewhere ahead of him.
No one is supposed to be here.
He looked ahead with a certain amount of trepidation creeping up within him all at once. He wasn’t sure what to do when he found someone in the building. The security policy told him to check everyone to make sure they were supposed to be there. They had to have their ID badges with them. He knew that, but he also knew that he hadn’t done it yet, and that made him nervous. But again, he didn’t have a choice.
I better check it out. I don’t want to get into trouble for not doing what I’m supposed to do.
He had to do it, but first, he had to find them, so he moved cautiously. He moved with purpose. He moved down the hallway and followed the sound.

At the first hallway junction, he turned to his right and stopped. He listened as the footsteps continued and seemed to be coming from his left. He nodded and sighed before he turned that way and moved on.

He followed the sounds. He passed several closed doors on both sides of the hallway, and when the footsteps stopped, he held his breaths. By the sounds of them, he could tell that they came from a room, just up ahead of him on the left. Believing that, he nodded and took another deep breath. Finished, he moved on, but this time, he slowed his stride. He walked with caution. He came to an open door right where he thought the footsteps came from, and there he stopped. He peered through the doorway and looked into the room.

Countertops lined the walls and they made two neat rows in the center of the room.
It looks like any other lab I’ve ever seen in high school.
He chuckled some, as just across the room, he could see movement coming from another open doorway towards the back wall. Seeing that, he held his breath again.
Now what do I do?
He finally breathed.
You came in here. You have to find out who they are. It’s your job. You have to do it.
He nodded before he slowly moved. His heart raced as he went into the room and made his way across the floor. He walked quietly as he moved around one of the counters, and came to the door. Slowly, he approached it. Slowly, he stepped inside the doorway. The sounds of a woman’s screams came next.

“Holy shit!” A young, beautiful woman spun around in the closet and held her breaths. The box in her right hand fell to the floor and the sound of its thud followed it. Instantly her right hand rushed to her forehead and the left covered her heart.

Jimmy also screamed, but his sounded worse than hers did. He always seemed to squeal when he became scared and now was no different.

“You scared the life out of me.” She took a deep and exaggerated breath. When she finished, she laughed softly as well.

He likewise sighed before having to take a deep breath before he could explain what just happened. “I’m sorry. I saw that the light was on. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He tried putting his words together, but had trouble hearing his own voice. In fact, he wasn’t even sure if he was talking at all. “I had to check it out.” He sounded winded and sounded flushed all over.

She listened and nodded, accepting his explanation. “It’s okay, really.” She allowed her breathing to gather again, and sighed as she quickly relaxed. Seeing that he wore a light blue dress shirt with a badge over the left pocket helped her racing heart calm even more.
He has to be one of the security guards that works in the lobby.
She heard about a new one starting this week, so it had to be him. Realizing that, she dropped her arms back to her side. “I just didn’t expect to see you here.” She used both hands to brush her long black hair away from her face.

“Same here.” He likewise calmed and attempted to bring himself under some sort of control. It worked some, until he watched her sweep the hair from her face. With it, he held his breath and his heart stopped. Instantly sweat flared across his face. She looked more than just beautiful. She looked almost perfect. It had to be her long black hair. It had to be the curves of her face. It had to be the sounds of her voice. Whatever it was, he just couldn’t believe how beautiful she really was. Suddenly his legs tightened and his mind flew into a thousand different directions at once. Realizing it, he knew that he had to try to pull himself back together again. “I’m Jimmy—or—James Walls.” He smiled. He felt lucky that he was able to say anything at all. He was good with people to a point, but when it came to a beautiful woman, he lacked the natural charm that most men had. He couldn’t help himself. He suddenly felt lost.

“Doctor Garland—Rachel Garland.” She laughed, and a smile flared over her.

Seeing the smile made him melt. He had to blink several times before he could say anything else. “Nice to meet you.” He offered her his hand and smiled. His own awkwardness began to build up in his chest. He instantly felt bashful. He instantly became nervous. The monster of his shyness had to be showing, and he hated himself for it.

She took his hand and shook it. “Same.” She let go of his cool, clammy hand. “I’m glad to meet you, too.” His shyness showed and his nervousness flashed. Seeing him react that way, made her feel instantly refreshed. Most men were usually brash, almost arrogant to a resounding point, but not him. Already, she knew he was different, and she liked him instantly for it.

“What are you doing here?” His voice cracked. He had to do something before he lost further control, so getting back to his job seemed to be the best way to do it.

“Working.” She laughed trying to be funny, but when she saw his face go pale, she knew instantly she failed. He didn’t seem to get the joke, so she turned serious all too quickly. Hell, he looked like he was about to pass out if she didn’t. “I had to take care of a few things before heading off for the night.”

He nodded. “Sorry.” He could feel that old sensation of embarrassment coursing through his chest. His cheeks flared with heat as his mind doubled in numbness. His thoughts went blank as he realized that he said something stupid. Everything he did was so like him, when it came to a beautiful woman standing in front of him. “I should let you get back to work?” He smiled, but he actually felt like running. More than ever, he felt like he was about to explode.

“It’s okay really? I was just completing everything. I’m almost done.” She turned back to the closet to get what she came in there for in the first place, and quickly realized that that was now on the floor, so she bent down to pick it up.

He saw what she was doing, and feeling guilty for causing it, he bent down as well.

They went down at the same time, and their heads came together halfway down to the floor with a solid bump.

For Jimmy, the pain of stupidity for him causing it, felt even worse. “Oh God, I’m sorry.” He winced for what he did.

She smiled and stood back straight. Both hands went to the top of her now aching head. “It’s okay.”

His face now felt beyond red. It almost felt like it was on fire.

She saw it and smiled again. “I’ll get it.”

He watched her bend over and pick up the box. He wanted to say something else, but this time he couldn’t find the right words, so he didn’t even try to, and instead, turned and headed back to the exit as fast as he could move. The feeling to run came too strong for him to fight it. In fact, he almost ran to the door. He never once even looked back.

“So, how long have you been,” Rachel began as she took her extra box of slides, and turned back to him, but stopped as she saw that he was gone before she could finish it. He must have left fast. She never even saw him leave. “That was weird?” She nodded, not sure of what just happened. She responded to it all with a simple shrug, closed the closet door, and headed back to the counter at the far wall. Before she reached it, she could hear a new set of footsteps coming from the hallway, so she turned, expecting to see the guard coming back. The man who came wasn’t the one she expected, and in fact, she would have preferred the guard.