Anomaly

by Alex Haitz
 Time is like the wind; it lifts the light and leaves the heavy. 

-Doménico Cieri Estrada

Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them. 

-Dion Boucicault

Clocks slay time.... time is dead as long as it is being

clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops
does time come to life.

-William Faulkner
 Prologue
(Day 0, Evening)

Hugh left the tent in a rage. How could they have mistrusted him
like that? They had to take 3 days to decide if he was fit for the
task? This simple little task?! He started pacing near the entrance
of the tent. Left, right, left, right. John threw open the tent flap
and walked out. “Hugh….are you seriously angry? Normally, we
wouldn’t let anyone of your position perform a task like this. This
should be an honor.” “Yea, I know,” Hugh said, “it just seems like
you had to think about it for too long. Like you thought I wasn’t
up for the job or something. That I wasn’t……qualified….for
something like this. What made you finally decide, huh? Don’t
have anyone else to do it? Is it because everyone that could have
done it is off working on the…” John quickly covered Hugh’s
mouth. “Shh!” John said. “Don’t say it!” He took his hand off of
Hugh’s mouth. “Sorry,” Hugh said, “I keep forgetting.”

John and Hugh were standing outside of the HQ Tent of their

encampment. The encampment consisted of about 20 tents
tucked away in a valley in the desert on the outskirts of town.

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They were hidden in the perfect spot. They could climb up the hill
concealing them from the city and monitor the open desert plane
to see if anyone was approaching the camp. They were in such a
secluded area of the desert that the chances of any random
person stumbling on their camp were below miniscule. Although
the camp was hidden deep in the desert, they were still close
enough to the city that they could reach it in under an hour. It
was the perfect hideout.

Also, their camp was completely clean. They had no papers or

data relating to their mission. In fact, the only equipment they
had was camping-related. Because of this, they could abandon it
at any time and not have to pack anything. So if any wanderer
happened to walk into their camp, it would look to that person
like a bunch of camping buddies out in the desert.

Not only was their camp clean, but their conversations were as
well. They never spoke a word that could connect to their
mission. Even though they were out in the desert, surrounded by
20 miles of open wasteland, they weren’t going to take any
chances. The plan had to be absolutely perfect. There was no
room for mistakes.

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“Well, you need to stop forgetting!” John said. “I’m sorry,” Hugh
said, “it won’t happen again.” “That had better be true this time,”
John said as he walked back towards the tent. “Come on. You still
need to be briefed.” Hugh looked at John for a moment then
looked up at the sky. The desert stars were emblazoned across
the sky in a magnificent display, twinkling down on the camp
from above. Hugh sighed before looking back down at John. He
walked back to the tent and they both re-entered.

The Administration was still sitting calmly in their chairs. Hugh

gave a skeptical look at John before turning back to The
Administration and sitting back down in his chair.

“Did you clear your head?” asked the man in the 4th chair.
“Yes,” Hugh responded.
“Are you thinking straight now? Can we give you your briefing?”
“Yes.”

“Alright,” the man said. “I’m just going to start over from the
beginning.” Hugh relaxed in his chair and propped his legs up on
the chair in front of him. “We need you to guard ‘The Item’ until
it can be utilized in our plan. It’s currently at a house back in
town. Since a lot of the other members have been “busy” and out
of town, it’s been unguarded for 3 days. This is top priority right
now. It’s a weakness in our plan that we have to deal with as

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soon as possible. You’ll be living in the house and keeping
constant watch over ‘The Item’. It may seem boring and
unimportant, but I assure you, it’s not. This is completely vital to
our plan. It needs to be guarded. Are you up for this task?”

Hugh was staring at the roof of the tent as the man finished up
his little speech. He contemplated what this job would entail. It
seemed fairly safe. After all, it was assumed that no one knew
about their operation but the people involved in it. How bad
could just staying in a house for a few days be?

Hugh looked back up at The Administration and smiled. “Of

course I’ll do it. I’d be glad too.” The man smiled back and said,
“That’s what I was hoping to hear.” He stood up and shook
Hugh’s hand. “You will be driven to the house in the morning,” he
said. “Once there, ‘The Item’ will be in one of the rooms upstairs.
Just keep it safe until another member arrives to collect it. Do
you understand?” “Yes, sir.” Hugh responded. “Great,” the man
said, “now get back to your tent and get some sleep.”

Hugh nodded and turned around. Along with John, he walked

towards the exit. As they neared the tent flaps, the man in the 2 nd
chair yelled at them. “Oh wait! Hugh!” Hugh and John turned
back to face them. “Yes?” asked Hugh.

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“There’s one more thing,” said the man, “it may be important.”
“Oh yes? And what’s that?” asked Hugh.

“It has been reported that ‘The Item’ has some…peculiar side
effects. Members have reported a lot of anomalies that occur
around it. You may want to be careful around it. I just thought
you should know.”

Hugh nodded. “Thank you for informing me. I’ll keep an eye out.”

Hugh and John exited the tent. The warm, crisp desert night air
surrounded them again as they walked away from the HQ Tent.
“I’m going to go play poker with some of the guys,” John said,
“want to come?” “Nah,” Hugh said, “I’m going to go get some
sleep. I feel tired.” “Alright,” John said, “I’ll see you tomorrow,
ok?”

“Ok,” Hugh said as he neared his tent. “See you tomorrow.”

He watched as John entered a tent at the other end of the camp.
The stars were still twinkling in the sky as Hugh entered his tent.

Once inside, he stripped down and got into bed. As he lay on his
cot, he got to thinking about tomorrow. About having to guard
the item.

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However, he let these thoughts fade away as he listened to the
guys at the other end of the camp talk and laugh. And finally,
drifting off into slumber, he thought about the stars outside in
the desert sky.

Little did he know, however, that tomorrow he would be seeing

the stars from a new perspective. Up close and personal.

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 Chapter 1: An
Offer
(Day 0, Morning)
Desmond walked through the rotating glass doors of the Tyrexx
building with a slight amount of anxiety. Although in need of
money, he wasn’t sure if he was up for whatever his contact
would assign him. He decided to just brush off his worries and
take whatever he needed to do. He walked across the fairly large
and semi-busy foyer to the desk.

“May I help you, sir?” asked the woman sitting at the desk.
“Yes you may,” Desmond looked at her nametag. “…Felicity.
That’s a name you don’t hear everyday.” She smiled and said,
“Well, thank you!” Desmond smiled then slightly shook his head,
becoming serious again. “Anyway,” he said, “I need to see…” He
reached into his pocket and pulled out the note. “…uhh, Mr.
Glass.” Felicity started typing at her computer. “Do you happen
to know his first name, sir?” “Oh yea,” Desmond said, looking at
his note again, “it’s uhh, Raymond. I actually have an
appointment with him for 11:30.” She typed some more. “Oh,
Desmond?” she asked. “Yep,” he replied, “That’s me.” “Ok…he’s

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on the 11th floor, room 1142,” she said. Desmond smiled. “Thank
you,” he said.

Turning away from the front desk, Desmond proceeded to walk

to the elevators. Even though he wasn’t really nervous anymore,
he still seemed to have some second thoughts about this.

Approaching the doors, he pressed the up arrow and waited. The

doors slid open and the open elevator was waiting there for him.
For a moment, he just stood there, mind empty, staring at the
elevator floor. This moment soon passed however and he
entered the elevator. Pressing the button marked “11”, the doors
slid closed, causing the elevator to shake and begin to rise. The
numbers began fly past. 4…5…6…7…8…

He could back out now, if he wanted. There had to be better

alternatives to get some quick cash right? He could wait a little
longer for a better alternative. But, before he knew it, the
number “11” dinged on the display, causing the doors to slide
open, revealing a neatly dressed man.
“Desmond?” he said.
“Yes?” Desmond replied.
“You are Desmond?” the man asked.
“Yes, I am,” he replied.
“Great,” the man said, “come with me.”

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Well, too late to back out now.
The man led Desmond down a long hall of doors that seemed to
stretch to eternity. He felt like he was being lead down “the long
tunnel with the light at the end”.

“So, Desmond,” the man said, bringing Desmond out of his

thoughts, “how are you today?”
“Uhh,” Desmond said, “good…how are you?”
“Doing great,” the man replied, “but I’ll be doing even better if
you accept what we have for you to do.”
“What if I don’t accept?” asked Desmond.
“Then we have other perfectly capable people who can do it for
us instead,” the man said. “But, it would be foolish for you to not
accept this. This is, in a manner of words, an offer you won’t want
to refuse.”

The man stopped at a door about halfway down the hallway. The
door read “Raymond Glass – 1142”.

“So,” Desmond said, “what is it that Mr. Glass does exactly?”

“Well,” the man said, “he’s an engineer. Just like all the other
people working here on this floor. However, this is just

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‘something he does on the side’. Sort of like a cover up. Here,” he
grabbed and turned the door handle, “you’ll see.

As the man opened the door and walked in, Desmond could see
an illustrious office before him. A well dressed man was looking
out the glass window, which apparently was the whole back wall
of his office, onto the foyer below. Potted plants and expensive
paintings adorned the room. There even appeared be a small bar
against the left wall. Mr. Glass appeared to be fairly successful at
his job.

“Sir,” the man said, “Desmond is here.”

“Thank you,” said Mr. Glass, turning away from the window. “You
may go now.” The man turned and left the office, leaving just
Desmond and Mr. Glass alone together.

Mr. Glass sat down in his chair behind his desk. “Have a seat,” he
said. Desmond sat down in one of the two chairs in front of the
desk. The fancy, wingback leather chair was one of the most
comfortable chairs he had ever sat in. This helped him relax
slightly and take his mind off of his troubling thoughts.

“Well,” Desmond said, “you’re supposed to have a job for me to

do?”

10
“Yes,” Mr. Glass said, “that’s right.” He must have noticed
Desmond’s tense demeanor because he proceeded to say “You
seem worried. Is something bothering you?”

“Sort of,” Desmond replied, “It’s just that I’m not sure whether or
not I’m up for whatever you have for me. Because, I mean, a job
that pays $10,000 has to have some risks right?”
Mr. Glass smiled. “I see what you mean. Well, it may have some
risks. But, if you are stealthy enough, or for that matter, lucky
enough, you’ll be just fine.”
“Oh, really?” Desmond said, “Now you have me intrigued. Please
continue.”

Mr. Glass stood up from his chair and began to walk to the bar.
“Before I begin, I’d like to have a drink. You want anything?”
“No,” Desmond said, “I’m fine.”
“You sure?” said Mr. Glass, “I have just about everything here.
Any drink you could possibly imagine. Come on, it’ll take a load
off. Calm you down.
“Well…” Desmond said, “I suppose I’ll have something.”
“Great,” Mr. Glass said, “what’ll you have?”
“Surprise me,” Desmond replied.
“Aha!” said Mr. Glass, “Adventurous. I like it. Keep up a mindset
like that and this job will be a breeze.”

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“Well that’s good to hear,” Desmond said, “Oh and by the way,
don’t make it too strong. Not much of a drinker.”

“Adventurous…yet cautious,” said Mr. Glass, smiling, “even

better.”
Mr. Glass returned to the desk with two drinks in hand.
“Tell me what you think,” he said, handing a drink to Desmond.
Desmond reached for the drink, brought it to his mouth, and took
a sip. “Very exquisite, sir. Perfect blend and balance.” said
Desmond. “Thank you,” said Mr. Glass, but then shook his head,
“Anyway, to business.”

Mr. Glass took a sip from his glass as well before putting his legs
up and resting them on his desk.
“Firstly, I’m just going to flat out state what your mission before
going into the finer details.” he said, “Basically, all you have to do
is go to a house and retrieve an item.”
“Well,” said Desmond, leaning back in his chair, “that doesn’t
sound too bad.”
“You’re right,” said Mr. Glass, “it doesn’t. Although, it may not be
as simple as that. The house could possibly be guarded. We are
not sure of that at this time though.”
“So,” said Desmond, “Mr. Glass, is this…”
“Please,” said Mr. Glass, “call me Ray.”

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“Oh, right. Well, Ray, is this person that’s guarding the house, is
he going to be armed.”
Ray placed his drink on his desk and stood up, facing the window
again.
“We don’t know for sure,” he said, “we are almost certain he will
have some form of defense though. So, we aren’t going to take
any chances.”

He walked back to his desk and opened a drawer. After reaching

inside, he pulled out a handgun. Desmond fidgeted slightly in his
chair.
Ray noticed this, smiled, and said, “Don’t worry. It’s not loaded.”
He reached into the drawer again and pulled out a box of
ammunition. He set it next to the gun and sat back down in his
chair, grabbing his drink and bringing it to his mouth for another
sip.
“This is your protection,” he said, “Have you ever used a gun
before?”
“No,” Desmond said, “I haven’t. But it can’t be that hard, right?”
“Not at all,” Ray said, “just push this button here.” He pressed a
button on the side of the gun and the clip fell out of the bottom.
“Load the clip.” He placed a single bullet in the clip. “Replace the
clip.” He shoved the clip back into gun. “…and then simply pull
the trigger.”
“Ok,” said Desmond, “that’s pretty easy.”

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Ray removed the clip and the bullet from the gun. “Now, this gun
isn’t registered,” he said, “So don’t get caught with it or you’ll be
in trouble.”
He reassembled the gun and gave it to Desmond along with the
ammunition.
“So,” Desmond said, “what does this ‘item’ look like?”
“Truth be told,” said Ray, “we have no idea. All we know is that
it’s in one of the bedrooms upstairs.”
“How could you know where it is but not what it looks like?” said
Desmond.
“I honestly don’t know,” said Ray. “I get my information and
orders from a higher power than myself.”
“So you’re not in charge?” Desmond said.
“I am in charge of selecting someone for this job,” said Ray. “But I
am not in charge of this whole ordeal.”
“Ordeal?” said Desmond. “How big is this thing?”
“Big enough to be important to this whole country,” said Ray.
“Possibly even the entire planet.”
Desmond leaned back in his chair, dumbstruck. “You can’t be
serious, can you? Just getting an item from a house is important
to the whole planet?”
“I am completely serious,” said Ray.
“Why aren’t the police doing anything about this then? Or the
even the government for that matter?” said Desmond.

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“Because we can’t afford to mess this up. Only us people on the
inside are the ones who know about this. Even then, there are
only 5 people among us who know about this item, including us 2
in this very room.”
“I see,” said Desmond, “So, what’s so special about this item that
it could threaten the whole planet?”
“Honestly,” Ray said, “We don’t know. All we know is that there
is an underground community of sorts that want to use it for
whatever their goals are. We think they are some sort of
anarchists or something similar. Anyway, whoever they are, they
want to use the item to accomplish what they believe is best for
the planet. But trust me, whatever they are going to do will most
certainly NOT be best for the planet. Chances are it will utterly
destroy it.”

“So, basically,” said Desmond, “I just have to go to this house, get

the item and bring it back to you? And I’ll have saved the world?”
“Basically, yes,” Ray said. “But you have to understand, if they
know that we know what they’re up to, they’ll abort, and we’ll
never be able to get the item. So, I’m going to call you tomorrow
and tell you when you should go to the house.”
He opened another drawer in his desk and pulled out a piece of
paper and a pen. “Here’s the address to the house,” he said,
writing it on the paper and handing it to Desmond. Desmond
began to reach for it but then Ray pulled it back. “By showing you

15
this address, this would mean that you are accepting this mission.
Do you want to accept it?” “Of course,” Desmond said, “For
$10,000, this’ll be a breeze.” “Great,” Ray said, handing him the
piece of paper, “But remember, don’t go anywhere near there
until I call you tomorrow. We can’t mess this up.”
“Gotcha,” said Desmond, standing up.
Ray also stood up and walked Desmond to the door. “So
remember, I’ll call you and tell you when to go, ok? And also, if
anyone is there, don’t kill them, just injure them. We aren’t
murderers.”
“Right,” said Desmond, opening up the door. The man who had
brought Desmond to the office was waiting outside.

“You can take Desmond back to the elevators, John,” Ray said.
John began to walk down the hall way with Desmond.

A couple minutes later, John returned to Ray’s office. Ray was

looking out of the window again.
“He’s gone, sir,” said John.
“Ok,” said Ray, turning around, “So, what’s new?”
“Well, the organization has let me right in,” said John, “It appears
that they believe I am one of them. No suspicions or anything like
that.”
“Great,” said Ray, “anything else?”

16
“Not really,” said John, “But I’ve got to go now. They are
expecting me back at camp.”
“Alright,” said Ray as John opened the door and walked out,
“Good luck.”

Chapter 2
(Day 1, Morning)
Hugh was awoken by the sound of a Jeep engine outside of his
tent.
“Time to go,” a voice said.
Hugh opened his eyes to see John holding open the tent flap and
peering in. “Ok,” Hugh said, “Just let me get dressed first.”

John let down the tent flap as Hugh got out of bed and began to
get dressed. Outside, John checked his watch.

9:02

“We have 58 minutes before we should be there,” John called

into the tent, “no huge hurry.” Within 2 minutes, Hugh emerged
from his tent. “Alright,” he said, “let’s go.”

Hugh and John got into the Jeep which was being driven by
another person. “Ok,” John said to the driver, “let’s get out of

17
here.” The man stepped on the accelerator and the Jeep roared
out of the camp. The dust flew into the air and obscured their
view of the camp, which was soon out of sight.

“Ok,” said John as the Jeep raced across the desert, “once you
get there, you will only have to stay for maybe 2 or 3 days. Some
members from Washington are coming soon to get it.”
“I see,” said Hugh, “So, what exactly is this item going to be used
for in Washington?”
“I honestly don’t know,” John replied, “Like you, I’m also kept in
the dark about a lot of these things. Truth be told, I don’t even
know what this ‘item’ is. The only thing The Administration said
was that it would be used ‘to help the mission along’.”

Nothing much else was said until they could see most of the city
on the horizon.
“

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