Jack awoke, sweating profusely in bed again. It was the same nightmare that he had the previous three months. At first he pushed them aside, thinking nothing more of them, placing the cause on heavy foods and too much late night television.

Jack was a man in his mid fifties. He was overweight, with white hair circling his head, the top of which was bald. His features were looking older and older by the day as he himself was aging day by day. He had lived his entire life in the business world, always dealing with hard facts, and never delved into the supernatural, or anything of the sort. This is what perplexed him the most about these dreams…the fact that he did not believe in such things.

He had seen all the programs that talked about abduction. But he had always been a skeptic. He never believed in any of those events taking place. Aliens abducting human beings? That was preposterous. The likelihood that there was even another intelligent being out there in the universe was highly improbable, let alone one that was close enough to study humans and cares enough about humans to study them. And to do so while humans slept, and leave such few traces of evidence behind so as to fade away into the imaginations of the individuals that they ‘abducted’, all seemed rather, convenient.

But that was what his dreams were about. In his dream he was strapped down onto a table, and these tiny aliens were apparently poking and prodding him. He woke up, and never felt any scars or cuts. Sometimes some pain, as if he pulled a muscle while he slept, but nothing more.

These were the typical white or grey skinned aliens that were shown on television. They had long slender fingers, three of them, and an opposable thumb. Their eyes were solid black, no pupils, which only added to the mystery and fear that they brought with them. To Jack, the eyes were the most frightening thing about them. The physical structure of these aliens was small in stature, standing only three to four feet in height, and they were all very slender. Jack had the feeling that if he could break free of his constraints, he would be able to crush the bones of all of them with no trouble to himself at all.

And then he woke up, dazed and frightened, though he was not always sure of just what frightened him. Maybe it was best if he didn’t remember what that last final image was, Jack thought to himself, even if it was only a dream.

This day, he awoke in the middle of the night. He looked at the clock next to his bed and found that it was only 3:00 in the morning. He lay back in bed, stareing up at the ceiling, wondering if he would be able to fall back asleep. He was sure he would be able to, but these dreams were becoming annoying, and problematic. He could not remember the last time he went without a nightmare of some kind in the past three months.

The next thing Jack knew, it was 7:00 in the morning and time to get to work. He jumped out of bed and into the shower. He quickly got dressed in a suit and tie, and jumped in his car. He would stop by some fast food place and grab a bite to eat on the way to work. He had an early meeting with a couple of clients and wanted to be there on time.

He arrived in his office with fifteen minutes to go before his meeting, so he sat down, turned his computer on, logged onto the net, and read the news as he quickly ate his breakfast. No sooner after he swallowed his last bite then the secretary walked to his door and knocked.

"Come on in," Jack said. The secretary walked in sashaying her hips unintentionally. Quite the attractive woman, with long red hair, and a nice figure. But with all the beauty she possessed, she lacked as much in intelligence. That’s not to say Carla wasn’t a nice person.

"Umm, Mr. Folton and Ms. Terrance are here," Carla said. Jack nodded and tossed the paper remains of his breakfast in the garbage, and stood up. He straightened his suit and looked ahead to the meeting that was soon to be at hand.

Jack walked into the room and saw the two recently graduated business people. They worked for a company that he supplied with goods and services. Jack didn’t dislike them for being young, or even inexperienced. It was that they both carried an air about them that they felt they were better then everyone else.

Martin Folton was a typical Ivy League College grad, his brown hair was neatly trimmed, and his face was clean-shaven. His suit was almost as nice as Jack’s, and Martin always seemed to have his nose placed high in the air.

Maria Terrance was a leggy blonde who seemed to come from similar stock as Martin. She wore an expensive suit, and expensive jewelry. She also seemed to have her nose perpetually pointed to the sky, affirming she either she was always stargazing, or her head was locked in the position under her boss’ ass, where she spent most of her time, like Martin.

Maria and Martin stood up and shook hands with Jack, before sitting down. Now, this meeting was supposed revolve around him telling them what the new prices were, but from the start, it didn’t go at all like it was supposed to.

"I-Tech Industries would like the following purchases and services," Martin said, handing a piece of paper to Jack. Jack glazed over the sheet, and noted that some of these prices had changed.

"I can’t accept this," Jack said.

"And why not? Surely such a valued customer as I-Tech Industries deserves the best possible service," Maria said.

"Yes, you do. And the services which you will get will be the same as all of our other customers," Jack said. "But at our current prices,"

"Shall I bring up the contract which our two companies signed?" Martin asked.

"Contract? What about the contract?"

"The contract states that these services are to be purchased at the following prices until such time as the market changes. And we have conducted several studies at I-Tech, and discovered that the market for these items, which you sell, has remained static," Maria said. Jack gritted his teeth. But he saw an escape from this long meeting.

"Well, I will have to bring this past my lawyers then. Until then, we can’t make any other deals. So, until then, I bid you a good day," Jack said starting to stand. Maria and Martin remained sitting and stared up at him, as if he had just changed into a pink elephant. "That’s it, the meeting is over,"

"There are still other matters which we must discuss," Martin said. There always are, Jack thought to himself.

"Our superiors have asked for certain information about your company which we must bring back with us," Maria said. Jack sat down in his chair again. So much for the short meeting, he thought.

It was three long hours before he made his way back to his office again. He sat down in his chair, and turned to look at his computer. His secretary came in, knocking on the door before she entered.

"Yes?" Jack asked.

"I need your signature on a few things," Carla said. Jack mumbled to himself and took up a pen and started to sign the papers.

"You look tired today," Carla said.

"I didn’t get a good night sleep last night," Jack said.

"Another one of those nightmares?" Carla asked.

"Yes," Jack said. He was regretting ever mentioning the dreams to her.

"You should think about getting hypnotized," Carla said. Now he was regretting telling her.

"Hypnotism doesn’t work," Jack said. "It isn’t science,"

"Well, I wouldn’t say that. There was an article done a while back that proves hypnotism works," Carla said.

"I’m sure," Jack said.

"It can. I’ll give you the article so you can read it," Carla said. She hurried out of the room with the signed papers before Jack could say anything. She quickly returned and handed Jack a twelve-page article entitled, The Science of Hypnotism: Unlocking the Secrets of the Mind. "Try it, it can help you,"

"I really don’t have the time Carla," Jack said. He looked up into her eyes and saw that she genuinely thought this would make him better. "Alright, I’ll read this and consider it, ok?"

"Ok," Carla said. "Trust me, you won’t regret it," She smiled and walked out to her work. Jack sat there looking at the article. It was the least he could do, and other then being a little sleepy, he didn’t have that much to do now that his meeting was over. Carla walked back into his office.

"Your daughter is on line one," she said.

"Thank you Carla," Jack said. He picked up the phone and the call was transferred to him.

"Hi dad," Jennifer said.

"Hi Jenny, what’s new with you?"

"Oh, same old, same old. We were going to be in the neighborhood running some errands today, and I was wondering if you were going to be around later today,"

"Oh, yeah, I’m thinking of taking some time off today. I should be home at about three," Jack said. "Is the we you and little Karen?"

"Yes, just the two of us today. Joe is off at his friends house, and of course Mike never gets the day off," Jennifer said.

"Well, he better start finding some time off," Jack said. "I’ve made it to the top, and it’s not all that grand to spend all your time getting there at the price of not seeing your family,"

"I’ve tried talking to him before, but he’s a hard worker," Jennifer said. "He won’t easily give up,"

"No, I guess he wouldn’t. It’s one of the things that I admire about him," Jack said. "Well then, I will see you later today then,"

"Great, I look forward to it," Jennifer said. Jack heard the click as she hung up her end of the phone before he hung his end up. He sat back and started to read through the article, all the time thinking of his dreams. He wished they would just leave him alone, but that may not seem to be realistic. He sat back and read the article line by line.

The day rolled on until it was finally time for him to go home. Jack finished his paperwork and placed his pencils and pens that littered his desk, into a drawer neatly. He then turned and waved goodbye to the secretary and proceeded down the flight of stairs to the parking lot.

He managed to get home just minutes before his daughter came to the doorstep. He opened it with a smile on his face. Jennifer smiled and greeted him warmly. She was a petite blond wearing a T-shirt and faded jeans. Karen bounced up and down behind her mother, excited to see her grandfather. Jack bent down and Karen raced to his arms.

"Hello grandpa!" She yelled excitedly in his ear.

"Well hello little one," Jack said. He stood up, with her on his hip. "I’ve got something here for you," He turned to Jennifer. "So long as your mother doesn’t mind," Jack smiled at her with these last words, to which Jennifer smiled back.

"Of course not," Jennifer said, she walked in and sat down on a couch in the living room, waiting for Karen and Jack to return. Karen ran back into the living room first, a candy bar in her hand. She bounced up onto the couch and sat beside her mother. Jack walked in a bit slower then Karen did, and sat down in a recliner, facing the couch and Jennifer and Karen.

"You seem tired dad. You okay?" Jennifer asked of Jack. Jack raised his hand.

"It’s nothing really. Just those damned dreams," Jack said.

"Well, maybe you should see a psychologist," Jennifer said. "They might be able to help you,"

"Hmm," Jack muttered. "I hadn’t thought of that. My secretary told me about this hypnotism thing, and even gave me an article about it," Jennifer giggled at Jacks words. "What is it?"

"You. Being hypnotized. Now that’s something I want to see," Jennifer said.

"Oh, you think that would be funny to see, do you?" Jack asked. Jennifer just merely smiled. Karen bounced from the couch to the side of Jack’s recliner. She stood very still, swaying back and forth. Jack knew she wanted something, and could give a good guess as to what.

"Grandpa, can I watch TV?" Karen asked.

"Certainly," Jack said. He rose from his chair, grabbed the remote resting on top of the television, and turned on a channel showing cartoons. She at once sat down and her eyes did not move from the screen as the painted images danced back and forth before her eyes. Jack turned around and was about to sit down again.

"Where are my manners? Jennifer, would you like anything to drink?" he asked.

"Pop if you got it. If not I’ll have water," Jennifer said. Jack walked into his kitchen and grabbed 3 cans of pop and 3 glasses. He filled one with ice and returned to the living room. He placed the glasses on the table, the noise of which broke the trance Karen was in. She spun around and saw the pop, and she flew to the table. It appeared commercials did not hold a child’s attention as long as the cartoon did.

"Can I have the one with ice?" Karen asked.

"Of course dear," Jack said. He poured a small amount into the glass with the ice and handed it to Karen. "Now be careful,"

"Okay," Karen said. She slowly sipped the pop and turned slowly towards the television watching the cartoons.

"I’m worried about you dad," Jennifer said after taking a long sip from her glass. Jack leaned back in his chair, glass in hand.

"I’m fine Jennifer, don’t worry," Jack said.

"No, I mean it. It’s not good for your age to be troubled like this," Jennifer said.

"It might be my age that is the cause of this," Jack said.

"Well, I would feel a lot better if I knew those words came from a professional," Jennifer said.

"A shrink you mean?" Jack said.

"A psychiatrist," Jennifer said. "I will be there with you if you want,"

"No, that’s fine. I’ll set up an appointment tomorrow," Jack said. Jennifer smiled and continued drinking her pop. The two of them talked for a few hours until Karen became too excitable. Jennifer declined Jack’s offer to stay for dinner and she and Karen left, leaving Jack all alone.

Lying in bed that night, before drifting off to sleep, he knew there would be nightmares. He would see those aliens again this night. But, he made a decision that night, in bed, to make an appointment with a shrink the next day, if for no other reason to put his daughters mind at ease, if not a part of his own as well.

The psychologist’s office was quite nice. Jack had in his mind a small shriveled old man with a gold watch in hand, swinging it in front of his face. He had pictured this man to sit inside a small and cluttered office, in some back alley. But the office was quite large, with lovely leather couches, and chairs, atop beautiful carpeting. The large windows overlooked the city, a splendid view, Jack thought.

Standing in the background, remaining silent, was Jennifer. Jack had asked her to come. He knew that she was concerned for his well being, and was concerned about his troubles at night. Jack thought it best if he brought her along, and the doctor saw no problem with her overseeing the appointment.

The psychologist himself was a burly man, used to the good life it seemed. He wore a large beard, a fine suit, with a red tie. A set of thin wire frames sat on his face, and he placed them on the bridge of his nose when he eyed Jack, pushing them back on his face whenever he wrote or read something.

Jack had explained his predicament to the psychologist, and he, in turn, was told that hypnotism might help to discover what was really bothering him. Jack had already convinced himself what would happen to him under hypnosis. He laid back on the couch, and the psychologist sat in front of him, holding a pen in front of his face.

"Now, I want you to listen to the sound of my voice," he said. Jack stared at the pen, and concentrated on the sound of the psychologist’s voice. After a few minutes he was hypnotized. "Alright Jack, can you hear me?"

"Yes,"

"Where are you Jack?"

"I am in a dark room. I am on a table,"

"Who is in there with you Jack?"

"There are several small figures with me,"

"How many?"
"Four, maybe a fifth one I can’t see,"

"What do they look like?"

"They are small, with large heads and big black eyes. The say nothing, but they seem to be communicating with each other somehow,"

"What are they doing Jack?"

"They are examining me,"

"How are they examining you?"

"There is one to the left of me, he is placing a needle in my arm. I can feel the pain. I want to make him stop, but I am strapped down?"

"You are strapped down? Can you not wiggle your way free?"

"I am trying, but I feel as if I can’t move at all. Wait, I have an arm free," Jack said.

"Try and touch the creature to your left,"

"I have his arm, he has let go of the needle, and is calling for help from the others. I have to try and stop him, I don’t want to be here. I don’t trust them," Jack said. "I let him go so I could unstrap myself from the table completely, but I still have this needle in my arm. I have pulled it out, and now the four are rushing me, trying to force me back on the table, but I don’t want to go. I pushed one to the floor, and am now punching two others. I’m actually fighting them doc. I stabbed one of them with that needle. I don’t think he liked it. Two are now not moving, lying on the floor. The others are still rushing me, but I never knew I could fight this well,"

Jack punched the first figure in the face, knocking him down. The second pulled out a baton and swung at Jack, hitting him behind the knee. Jack fell to the floor, unable to stand for the moment. Looking up, he saw that this figure had his head turned slightly, calling to one of his companions. Jack took the opportunity and tackled the figure, taking him down to the ground. He managed to get a firm hold around his neck. Jack’s first instinct was to twist and kill the man, but Jack hesitated. That hesitation could have given his opponent an opportunity to recover and counter his attack. But his opponent merely flailed about, frightened of the predicament that he was now placed in. Jack applied a sleeper hold instead and shortly there after, the figure stopped moving.

Jack stood up slowly, frightened, and not knowing where he was. There was still pain in his knee, but he was now able to withstand the pain and get onto his feet once more. He heard a siren blaring in the distance, he picked up a baton and left the room knowing that the siren was on account of his actions. When he opened the door, he witnessed a sight he had not seen before, nor could he have ever imagined.

The room opened up to a metal walkway. The walkway was a good sized area, and was capable of moving a couple people side by side in comfort, and possibly equipment of some kind as well. Across from the walkway was another walkway, with a building attached that reached up over one hundred floors, and down further then he could see easily. Each floor had its own identical walkway, and each walkway had rooms which were connected to those walkways. The rooms numbered in the hundreds, thousands, quite easily, possible even in the millions or more, for Jack could not see the depth of the buiildings.

"Hey!" He heard a man cry out. Jack spun around and saw four guards coming for him, two on each side. The carried batons and wore black uniforms, with red emblems on the left chest. Jack did not want to fight them, and so ran to the railing, pulled himself on top of it, and reached up with his hands for the next floor up. He grabbed a hold of the railing, the pounding of the guards footsteps echoing in his ear with each passing heartbeat. He was just able to pull himself up, and out of arms reach of their grasp at the last possible moment.

Jack’s bare feet hit the metal walkway, and he took off running. He heard more footsteps nearby coming across the walkway. Jack quickly darted into a room nearby. He breathed easily and looked around as the guards rushed past the door.

This room was identical to the one that he had just been in. Except on a table strapped down, was a woman. She was young, with long blonde hair, and a nice figure. She was dressed in a green hospital gown, and was alive. Jack looked at himself and saw that he was in a similar set of clothes. But he looked at his hands and arms, and he marveled at the youth that raced through his veins. He was no longer old, or out of shape, but appeared to have the body of a young man, in rather good physical condition as well. This confused Jack to no end, and looked about for a mirror to discover what he looked like. But there was none to be found.

Jack approached the table that the woman lay on, and saw that the table was not of simple construction, but appeared to be a part of a large metal contraption, and that her head appeared to be hooked up to a large machine. She appeared to be in a comatose state, and did not awaken when he accidentally bumped into her leg. Lights flashed on the machine, and it emitted a low hum. Jack did not wish to pull her free from it, without knowing the kind of damage that he would cause by committing to such an action.

The rest of the room appeared vacant, aside from a dresser, constructed of metal, as was everything else in the room. It was not locked so Jack opened it up. The doors swung open, and inside he saw a T-shirt, a jacket, a dress, a pair of socks, a pair of shoes, a hat, a purse, and a plastic container. The container appeared to hold keys, some money, lipstick, and various other odds and ends. Jack picked up the purse and opened it, only to find it empty. Turning to the side of the doors, Jack noticed a number on each of them. #1300098598. This was the same on both doors, but Jack could not guess at what it was.

Jack closed the dresser doors just as the main door leading into the room began to swing open. A pair of guards walked into the room as Jack ran and hid up along side the doorway, keeping out of sight. By the time the first guard spotted him, Jack had already struck him over the head, and kicked behind the knee of the second one. With the second guard on the floor, he was able to quickly apply a sleeper hold once more, and closed the door up behind the fallen guards.

He sized up the two guards. One was male, the other female. They appeared to be about his height, bigger then the small aliens that he had seen hovering over him. He took their helmets off and saw that they were in fact human! Jack could not believe it. But he could not stand here and ponder on why humans and these aliens were working together. Nor could he guess at his involvement in their scheme. He removed the clothes of both guards first. Jack then placed the male guards uniform on his own body. It was a comfortable fit for the most part. Jack had larger muscles then the guard and he could feel the fabric pull at various places. He then took the green robe that he took off, and the clothes of the female guard, and quickly tied and gagged both to the table. Picking up his baton, Jack looked at his identification badge to learn his name. Robert Kilpatrick. He walked out of the room and walked casually down the walkway.

He walked for what seemed like hours, but was in fact more in the range of minutes, and he had not seen a single guard. He saw a pair of guards walking up to him and nodded to them in a friendly manner. They proceeded to tackle him and bring him to the ground. Jack got an arm free, and pulled one guard off of him, knocking him against the railing.

"Help!" one of the guards cried out. Jack was easily overpowering them, and was almost free when he heard the pounding of more footsteps, both above and below him. Jack took a quick glance across the distance and saw that the second building was only five feet away, maybe less. He could jump that. Jack thought in his mind that he was beginning to act like some action hero from a movie. Except that this was all happening, in very vivid detail and in very real life.

Jack kicked one guard in the groin, and the other a quick strike to the throat, not enough to collapse the windpipe, but enough to block the air flow for a moment. Jack then dashed for the railing and leaped over to the other building. It all seemed so clear as Jack reached the other side. Everything that he was doing was almost a second nature to Jack.

As Jack pulled himself up onto the metal floor once more, he heard the cursing and bellowing of orders from across the ways. It appeared that they were not accustomed to someone breaking out. Jack ran as fast as he could, and darted into a room once more, when he felt he had enough distance. It was a room that was quite similar to the others, with the only exception being the person inside. That person was a man in his late forties it appeared. He was in a green gown, similar to the one he wore, and the one that the other woman he saw wore. This individual was also strapped to the table, and hooked up to a machine.

Jack looked up above the machine, and saw a metal grate. An air vent it appeared. Jack only hoped that he could fit inside. Jack climbed up onto the metal table, and balanced himself on the machine while he removed the plate. He slid the grate inside the vent, and climbed his way inside. Jack was careful to replace the grate to its former place, before traversing down the vent as quietly as possible.

The vent was quite large, and he made a bit of noise crawling around, but after a few minutes, he was able to move without any noise. Jack came across several grates along the way, and a few side paths, but they all seemed to lead to similar rooms. Jack was beginning to think he was trapped with no way out.

One of the many grates that Jack passed had people in it. Jack took a moment to stop and he gazed with wonder at the event that was taking place.

The room was constructed as any other was, the single table with a woman placed on it, and a metal dresser against the other wall. The main difference about this room was the number of people inside. There was a man about the same age as the woman as well as some small children and one elderly gentleman. They stood in the background, while men and women in white jackets worked to unplug the woman from the machine. There was a bright light that shined in her face and she could be seen to blink and squint as she looked into the light. The straps were undone, and she slowly sat up.

She greeted her family at once, naming them and embracing them.

"That’s all, your free to go," one of the men wearing the white coats said. She appeared grateful, and at the same time calm. Jack continued moving, trying to place that scene into the puzzle that he had found himself in.

He came to another room, with a very similar environment to the previous one with the difference being a man was hooked up to the machine. What Jack took to be his family stood in the background while the men and women in the white coats worked on bringing the man around. But this time, they placed the man back into the machine, and Jack could see the hopes dwindle in the family’s eyes.

"I’m sorry, he still has a bit more time left. Perhaps soon, but not now. Again I am sorry," a woman in a white coat said, sounding as sincere as possible. Jack left this scene quietly without bringing any unwanted attention to him.

Now jack came to a completely different room under one of the grates. This room was filled with monitoring units with just a few people walking around. They were not dressed as the guards were, so Jack guessed that their jobs were somewhat different. Looking about the room, which appeared to be fairly good sized, Jack saw that there were only two remaining, the others were leaving to go to other duties in other rooms.

"Did you hear that someone broke free?" a woman asked. The other woman nodded.

"Yes. They still haven’t caught him,"

"Well, this hasn’t happened before, has it?"

"No, not since the system went online, after the tests,"

"You think he’ll get far?"

"No. This is a big place. He can’t remember much anyway, especially after that abrupt disconnect from the machine,"

"That’s a relief,"

"Don’t worry. Hey, I’m gonna get some coffee, you want something?"

"Yeah, a can of pop,"

"What kind?"

"I don’t care. As long as it’s not diet anything, or caffeine free anything," The other woman laughed.

"Alright, be back in a few," Jack heard a door open and then close. He saw his chance when the woman that was still in the room had her back turned. He crashed through the grate and into the room. She spun around, terror stricken, and was about to scream had Jack not been fast enough to grab her mouth. Her eyes were wide with fear, and Jack was feeling a bit uneasy.

"I’m going to remove my hand. Do not scream," Jack said in as stern a voice as he could muster. "Do you understand?" She nodded that she did, and Jack released his hand. She dried her tears and stood there, quivering.

"What do you want?"

"To understand," Jack said. The woman stopped trembling as Jack said those words. She eased up, and walked to a viewscreen.

"I can give you some information, but I need a place to start. What was your name?"

"Jack,"

"Last name," Jack said walking over to her, and looking over her shoulder.

"Montgomery," She typed in Montgomery, which resulted in a few names coming up. Jack saw Jennifer’s name, his own, and Karen’s name.

"Is that you?" she asked.

"Jack, yes, but what about Jennifer and Karen there? What about them?" The woman began typing, but heard footsteps and changed her plans. She copied them onto a disk, and handed them to Jack.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Because you are lost. I pity you. But be careful," the woman said. As the door opened the woman carried the coffee and pop and Jack calmly walked out. The woman watched as he left, before turning to the second woman, and told her of how that guard was in fact the criminal who had just come through the ventilation.

Jack heard the screams behind him, and did not need to turn around to see what was the matter. He kept walking at a steady pace around a corner, when he sped up. There were a few secretaries, and doctors it appeared as Jack ran down the hall, but no guards. It was clear that they had not expected him to come this far. But Jack did not know where here was, or why he was hooked up to the machine along with the countless others.

The guards were anything but silent. Jack could hear the difference between a single guard moving through the halls, and one of the office types that tried to stay out of his way. It was also becoming clear that the guards could spot him, and Jack determined that this was due to the fact that they traveled in pairs. He would need a comrade to aid him in order to blend in properly, and that was not going to happen. Still, the guard uniform was a lot better then that green hospital robe he woke up with.

Jack still had the disk in his hands. It was not in the same style and construction of disk that he was used to, but it still retained a silver circle on the back, and was flat, square, and composed of plastic and metal. It had, however, tabs sticking out on the sides, and the back end, which were the obvious physical differences. But Jack was interested in the material that was placed upon this disk.

There was a door nearby, and the guards were getting close, so Jack hurried into the room, and shut the door behind him. Inside was a computer, which was already on. Whoever was using the machine was out, but they would be back, so Jack had to hurry. He placed the disk inside the computer, and read the files that were contained within. It was a very small file, and read as follows.

Jack Wilhelm Montgomery-Joseph Terrance Klagg-1-0;34509-443-23343

Jennifer Ann O’Hara-Lyidia Gregoria Leopold-2-1;46266-039-56943

Karen Michele O’Hara-Nadia Alphra Clemmens-12-5;16747-886-99472

This information was all quite confusing, and Jack did not have the time to learn the computers further to search the database. He would have to discover some other means to get his information. He had a way to complete his task, but it was a bit malicious in his mind. Looking at the alternatives however, Jack saw no other way around it.

There was just enough space under the large desk for Jack to hide in. He waited there for the user of the computer to return. And Jack did not have long to wait. He heard the door open after just a few minutes.

"Be on the look out," he heard a stiff voice say.

"I will," a man said. The door closed and the soft footsteps made their way towards the desk. Once the man was seated, Jack placed the tip of his baton near the man’s crotch.

"Don’t move and don’t say a thing." Jack said. The man looked shocked, and Jack could understand why.

"Okay, just please, don’t hurt me, please," the man said.

"I won’t…so long as you do what I say," Jack said, thinking upon the words he said. He was acting like a criminal now. It was necessary to understand his predicament, but Jack still regretted it.

"Alright, what do you want?" the man asked.

"See that file open on your computer?"

"Yes,"

"I want you to tell me what they say, and give me a printout," Jack said.

"Alright, the...the first is your name inside Gaea, and the second is your true name. Umm…the first set of numbers are lifetimes, ones you have, and ones you have completed, and the last is your citizen identification number,"

"What do you mean? Who am I?" Jack asked.

"I’m not quite sure I understand the question," the man said. Jack looked up at the man’s jacket, and saw a badge. In big blue letters were Gaea.

"What is Gaea?"

"Gaea is where we are now," the man said, as he handed a printout to Jack.

"What do you do here?" Jack asked. The door clicked open and Jack tapped his baton on the inside thigh of the man.

"Yes?" the man asked.

"Do you have the timesheets ready?" a woman asked.

"Umm…no, not..t yet," the man said, in a slight stutter.

"Is everything alright?" the woman asked.

"Yes. Everything is fine. I’ll get you your timesheets in a bit. Been a bit busy today, what with that breakout and all," the man said.

"Yes," the woman paused for a moment. "Well, I’ll be back later then to get those timesheets," she closed the door and jack stood up, and pushed the man out of the way. He looked to the back wall of the office and saw some air-conditioners, but no windows. Jack felt the wall, and as he came near, he could hear a slight howl of wind on the other side.

"Turn around," Jack said. The man did so, so his back was facing Jack. "I’m sorry about this," Jack said, and he rendered the man unconscious. He then kicked the air-conditioner out of the wall. It took a few kicks for it to give though, but when it did, there was a sudden rush of air coming into the office. It was now going to be quite apparent however as to how he got out. Jack looked down, and noticed that he was a good distance in the air. He could see a large city, with an impressive skyline in the near distance from his position. He saw bright lights coming from space flying towards the city at incredible speeds, slowing down at the last moment. The sun was setting behind the city, giving it all the more spectacular view.

Jack did not wish to take a long time to admire the view. He quickly set out onto a ledge, and saw some footholds, and pipes, that he could climb up. He did so, without looking down, or at anything around him. He would sightsee the rest of this complex once he reached the top of this building, which, gazing up at his journey, would take some time.

It was more then fifteen minutes before Jack was able to pull himself on top of the roof. He looked out at the beauty of the imagery around him. But in his pocket was a piece of paper, with his name on it, both of his names, as well as his daughters and granddaughters name. He needed to find out information about them, and what exactly Gaea was.

Looking over the side of the building, several buses rolled up to the building he was standing atop, and a whole line of people filtered out of the them, past guards armed with batons, and two with rifles. Jack watched until the empty buses left the complex and headed into the city. Jack knew where they were going to be soon, and that only gave him more and more of a reason to discover what Gaea was, though the pieces of that puzzle were beginning to fall into place.

Jack gazed over at a door on the roof. If he was going to find out about himself and his family, he was going to gave to go back into the complex. Jack took one last look at the sky above him, feeling some longing to return there, and re-entered the door.

The door was, of course, locked. Jack quickly took the keycard panel off and crossed a couple of wires with ease. In a matter of seconds, he had the door open and the panel replaced, leaving no evidence of his transgression.

The stairwell was dimly lit, and Jack proceeded carefully. He made not a sound as he began to infiltrate the complex. His mission priority was to get information. That information would most likely be in the computers somewhere. He just had to find out where.

He saw two guards standing by a computer terminal. They seemed to be waiting for something so Jack hid in the shadows and waited. He did not have long to wait. He saw that they received some sort of message through their helmet comms. Now was the time to ambush them. Jack rushed up and knocked the first guard onto the floor with a body check. The guard flew against the wall and bounced to the ground like a doll. The second guard punched jack across the face and tried to kick out his legs. By pure reflex Jack lifted his leg and hooked his foot around the head of that guard, knocking her out cold. The other guard it seemed was also in a state of unconsciousness. Jack wasted no time as he accessed the computer terminal. The area was vacant for some reason, but there was power o the terminal. He by passed the access codes quickly and hacked his way into the main network.

After he reached the main network he paused and looked back on how he was able to do all of this. It seemed a second nature to him, and faint images were now returning to him. Images which detailed his life, not as Jack, but as whoever else was next to his name.

Jack shook his head. He needed to quit questioning his actions. There was the mission. He needed to complete the mission. There was nothing else. The mission was to discover the true identities of his family and himself, and what Gaea was...although he was beginning to realize what Gaea was. All that he required was proof of his assumptions.

He first pulled up a file on citizen identification number 46266-039-56943...Jennifer’s. The file that came up was not Jennifers at all. The screen then changed, displaying information about a Lydia Gregoria Leopold. The picture appeared to come from a driver’s license. Lydia was a dark haired woman who looked to be in her mid thirties. There was a section labeled information. It stated that she was a prostitute who lives in Germany. She has a few drug problems as well. Under another section labeled crimes and punishments it stated that she was given a two lifetime sentence for her drug related problems.

Next he input little Karen’s number. The picture shown on the information page was that of a tattooed oriental woman. The name that was stated on the screen was Nadia Alphra Clemmens. Been all over the news, still is actually. Her list of crimes was quite long and gruesome. The section under crimes stated that she has tortured, killed, scalped, beaten, etc. over three hundred individuals and personally lead the Topeka Riots last year(3409). Her sentence was stated as 12 lifetimes. All this seemed quite daunting to Jack. He hesitated as he typed in his own number.

34509-443-23343. The information screen produced no picture of him...and almost no personal information. Under crimes was stated ‘Defiance of orders resulting in sufficient loss of life concerning the Battle of Trallgor’ His sentence was 1 lifetime.

He now knew what Gaea was. He trembled slightly at seeing it for what it was...so many individuals leading lives that were not theirs. Lives that, in a few weeks of what they would come to know as real time, did not matter at all. He felt a need to stop this, fueled by the parental desire in him over Jennifer and Karen.

Jack raced up the stairs to the roof once more. He was beginning to remember everything. If he could get to the city he could hide away for an eternity, and strike back at Gaea.

The roof door opened behind Jack. He spun around and saw an old man in white robes, and a pair of wire frames balancing on his nose. He was accompanied by ten guards, all armed with rifles. It seemed the passive resistance on their part was coming to an end.

"Time to return Colonel Klagg," the old man said under the protection of the guards.

"Never. You won’t send me back to that false world," Jack said.

"It is our way. You fought for our freedoms and it is time that you stood up for them. No one blames you for this political gamble that is pressing against you,"

"It is for my family that I accomplish this task. Politics don’t enter into the game here," Jack said. He inched himself closer to the edge. As he did so the guards lowered their rifles and took the safeties off. They were well trained.

"Don’t you know why we are all here? What Gaea’s purpose is?" the old man yelled trying to save Jack’s life. I will tell you colonel...our society believes that it is better for people to have their problems amended quickly and brought back ino society as productive members rather then locking them up in a cage away from society,"

Jack stopped and looked back at the city. He now understood Gaea. He now understood what was going to happen to him in the next few days. Jack tossed his baton to the ground and walked up to the doctor. The old man motioned with his hand to not impede him further. The guards understood and followed as Jack and the old man walked side by side to his room.

"Why small grey aliens?" Jack asked. To which the old man giggled to himself as finished strapping Jack’s head into the machine.

"Because if we showed any creature large and powerful that might tempt people to fight back. But...a small and relatively defenseless creature that can not do great physical harm indices a unique fear. It is a greater fear of the unknown,"

"Why change the way you look at all?"

"Because any images that might be remembered in the subconscious can trigger a total recall of your life in the real world and destroy the work Gaea might have done," The old man said. Just before he turned the machine on and sent Jack back in he added. "Besides...we need to run a test on you that measures a certain chemical that fear produces. Now sleep tight,"

Everything blackened.

Jack awakened on a table, in a hospital. A doctor was leaning over him, smiling as he came around. Jack looked around, and noticed his hands were that of an older man again. He saw Jennifer and Karen over against the wall, eager to see him awake once more. Once the doctor left, they came rushing to his side. Jennifer stood there motionless, tears streaming from her eyes, while Karen was jumping up and down, happy to see her grandfather awake once more.

"Oh Dad, I missed you," Jennifer said.

"I missed you to Jennifer," Jack said. Karen jumped onto Jack’s lap.

"I missed you to," Karen said hugging Jack tightly.