Chapter 2
When Mike awoke, the first thing he noticed was the smell from the doctor leaning over him. He felt distant and fuzzy, like his head was full of cotton. Mike looked at the doctor and said "hello."
When Mike awoke, the first thing he noticed was the smell from the doctor leaning over him. He felt distant and fuzzy, like his head was full of cotton. Mike looked at the doctor and said "hello."
"Good morning Mr. Smith. How are you feeling today?"
"Not bad all things considered." Mike reached a hand around to scratch his back. It was only after he had
returned that he noticed that his Other was missing.
He looked around for a second and then said to the doctor: "Where is it?"
"Where is what?"
"My...Other...you know."
"What are you talking about?"
Mike rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Look, judging by your smell, you haven't taken a shower in a week."
"That's normal for interns."
"OK, score one for you, but I'll bet you $20 that you've got one on your back."
The man stared at Mike for a few seconds. "You've been through a lot of stress lately, you must not let it upset you."
Mike leaned back and considered the doctor.
"I just want to make sure he's alright."
"You were alone in your car."
Mike looked at the doctor a while longer.
"You're afraid I'm going to tell someone?"
"Tell someone what?"
Mike sighed. "Have it your way then."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing." Mike yawned. "I'm feeling kind of sleepy, is it OK if I take a nap?"
The doctor stared at Mike a little longer, then picked up a chart at the foot of the bed. He scribbled something on it and said "Rest up."
* * *
“Quit giving me the run-around.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Mike was sitting on the other side of Dr. Schwartz’s desk. Schwartz was the doctor who had attended him after the accident.
Mike sighed. In the weeks since the accident, he had slowly started regressing. His confidence was crumbling, he found it difficult to pay attention to work, his life was basically unraveling. He had hoped that things would not come to this, but...
“If you were hiding something, it would be unfortunate if someone were to talk about it.”
Schwartz’s eyes narrowed. He reached under his desk.
Deciding that things were going south Mike broke in: “Have I told you about the new book that I was working on? No? Well, it’s about this invasion that takes place at a hospital. I hope you don’t mind if I based a few characters on the people who work here.”
“That sounds rather far fetched.” Schwartz tapped his fingers on the desk.
“Yeah well, I’ve thought of doing some filming as a kind of promo when I go to my publishers. You’d be
surprised how some things can look in the right light. Mind you, most of this stuff was taken after hours -
things can look almost incriminating under the right circumstances.”
The door behind Mike opened. A burly man stepped in.
“I don’t think you are going to find a publisher.”
Mike smiled. “Ah, but that’s the beauty of the digital age! You can publish things on your own.”
Schwartz stared at him for a few seconds. The guy behind Mike shifted uncertainly.
Finally Schwartz glanced up at the orderly. “I think I can handle things from here.”
The guy shuffled out.
Schwartz leaned back. “What do you want?” he asked flatly.
“I want my friend back.”
“What?”
“I said I want my friend back.”
“Do you know what you are saying?”
“I take it that most people do not react favorably to the ah...partnership?”
“It’s not a partnership.”
“At least you cleaned yourself up a bit.”
Dr. Schwartz smiled thinly, then got up.
“Come on.” Schwartz opened the door to his office and took a left. Mike followed him.
“How’s the leg and the arm?” Called Schwartz over his shoulder.
“Fine. After a week or two they stopped hurting.”
They came to a stairwell. Schwartz went in and started down to the basement.
“Keeping things under the radar?” asked Mike. Schwartz didn’t answer.
They came to the basement. Schwartz headed down a corridor. After a number of turns they found themselves in the laundry room.
“This is silly.” Mike observed.
They passed into another room. There was a stool with a vision testing gizmo in front of it.
Dr. Schwartz turned to Mike and said “Please sit down, take off your shirt and press your head against the screen. We are going to conduct some visual tests.”
As Mike was taking his shirt off then asked “Do people actually believe that?” Schwartz shrugged.
Mike pressed his face into some sort of ophthalmological gizmo designed to determine what his vision was.
There was some movement behind him. Mike had a moment of fear where he thought that they were going to kill him rather than give him a partner, but then he felt the sensation of something cold and slimy being put on his back.
Not you again! The Puppeteer said.
Nice to see you too.
Mike was somewhat surprised that it was the same alien that he had "worn" before. He wondered if perhaps this was some sort of punishment.
I think it is. Said the Puppeteer.
No one asked you.
One immediate effect was all the layers of worry and doubt melted away. Mike was back. Now the hard part.
Mike stood up under the direction of the Other.
“He has no evidence to expose us with. It was all a bluff.”
Schwartz signed. “I thought so. Do you think we should kill him?”
Mike had planned on tricking the Puppeteer into saying something, but before he could so much as think, the other used his voice to say:
“No, I want to study this subject for a while then decide what to do with him.”
“As you wish.”
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