quite figure out. Trick is, no one’s sure about anything.”
Lyle expected Vess to continue, but the sickly man seemed content to stop there. “What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Lyle.
“Everything you believe to be true is just one discovery away from being proven wrong.”
Lyle stared at Vess and snorted in amusement. “If the military hired you to try and confuse folks, then they’re getting their money’s worth. You scientist fellows speak above my pay grade.”
Vess chuckled and pat Lyle on the back. “I’m no scientist, my friend. Not by any conventional definition at least.”
“No? I thought you were a science guy,” said Lyle, confused. “The way you were talking about that Tesla fellow earlier, I figured you were an egghead just like he was.”
“An egghead?” asked Vess, amused but mildly offended.
“No disrespect or nothing. I just don’t come from that stock.”
“Yes you do,” said Vess. “We all do. You can’t opt out of science, my man. It’s as much a part of you as the blood in your veins.”
Lyle snickered and shook his head, “You sound like the Baptist friends of mine, preaching your ‘truths’ and whatnot.”
Vess stared out at the gulls and said, “There’s no such thing as truth.”
“Well, you’re an odd chap, that’s a truth if ever there were one.”
Vess didn’t offer a retort.
“If you’re not a scientist, then what in the blazes are you? What are we doing here?”
The tall man looked down at his hands in contemplation for a few moments, and then glanced sideways at his companion. “I study other things,” said Vess. “Darker things.” Vess reached into his coat and pulled out a folded cloth that he handed to Lyle. “Be careful with that,” said Vess.
“What is it?” asked Lyle after taking it.
“Open it up,” said Vess as he reached back into his coat for something else. He pulled out what looked like the hilt of an ancient dagger, but the blade had long ago broken off.
Lyle opened the folded cloth and found a few pieces of jewelry. They were gold figurines that looked like they might once have fit on something larger. One of the smaller pieces was connected to a bracelet, and it was clear that it had been meant as a depiction of a pagan God of some sort. It had the body of a h uman and the head of a snake. Its arms were long, and it was holding a staff that had been bent and misshapen over time.
“What are these?” asked Lyle.
“Those were given to a young boy as a gift,” said Vess. “Be careful with them. They’re quite old. They were given to the boy as a way of honoring him for his sacrifice.”
“ His sacrifice?” asked Lyle.
“Yes, that’s part of what I used to study. Not necessarily just human sacrifice, but all the ways mankind used to try and contact their deities.” Vess regarded the bladeless knife, turning the old thing over in his hand to inspect the twine that wrapped the handle and the decorative skull on its pommel.
“So why’d you bring this stuff with you?” asked Lyle.
“It’s symbolic,” said Vess as he put the bladeless hilt back into his coat and then reached out to take back the jewelry. “They’re special to me.”
Widowsfield
March 13th, 2012
2:55 AM
“Oliver’s still here somewhere,” said Rosemary as they looked at the blood trail that he’d left behind after Paul had shot his foot.
“My assistant is going to try and follow his tracks,” said the nurse, Helen, who they’d been following out of the facility. “He needs to be bandaged up. I don’t think his injury was life- threatening or anything, but still, he can’t run around bleeding like that.” She motioned down to the trail that headed off deeper into the facility.
“Where do you suppose he went?” asked Jacker as he stared down the dark hallway.
Helen shook her head. “Beats me. I doubt I’ve seen even half of this place. My days are spent with the sleepers.”
“How long have you worked
Lyle expected Vess to continue, but the sickly man seemed content to stop there. “What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Lyle.
“Everything you believe to be true is just one discovery away from being proven wrong.”
Lyle stared at Vess and snorted in amusement. “If the military hired you to try and confuse folks, then they’re getting their money’s worth. You scientist fellows speak above my pay grade.”
Vess chuckled and pat Lyle on the back. “I’m no scientist, my friend. Not by any conventional definition at least.”
“No? I thought you were a science guy,” said Lyle, confused. “The way you were talking about that Tesla fellow earlier, I figured you were an egghead just like he was.”
“An egghead?” asked Vess, amused but mildly offended.
“No disrespect or nothing. I just don’t come from that stock.”
“Yes you do,” said Vess. “We all do. You can’t opt out of science, my man. It’s as much a part of you as the blood in your veins.”
Lyle snickered and shook his head, “You sound like the Baptist friends of mine, preaching your ‘truths’ and whatnot.”
Vess stared out at the gulls and said, “There’s no such thing as truth.”
“Well, you’re an odd chap, that’s a truth if ever there were one.”
Vess didn’t offer a retort.
“If you’re not a scientist, then what in the blazes are you? What are we doing here?”
The tall man looked down at his hands in contemplation for a few moments, and then glanced sideways at his companion. “I study other things,” said Vess. “Darker things.” Vess reached into his coat and pulled out a folded cloth that he handed to Lyle. “Be careful with that,” said Vess.
“What is it?” asked Lyle after taking it.
“Open it up,” said Vess as he reached back into his coat for something else. He pulled out what looked like the hilt of an ancient dagger, but the blade had long ago broken off.
Lyle opened the folded cloth and found a few pieces of jewelry. They were gold figurines that looked like they might once have fit on something larger. One of the smaller pieces was connected to a bracelet, and it was clear that it had been meant as a depiction of a pagan God of some sort. It had the body of a h uman and the head of a snake. Its arms were long, and it was holding a staff that had been bent and misshapen over time.
“What are these?” asked Lyle.
“Those were given to a young boy as a gift,” said Vess. “Be careful with them. They’re quite old. They were given to the boy as a way of honoring him for his sacrifice.”
“ His sacrifice?” asked Lyle.
“Yes, that’s part of what I used to study. Not necessarily just human sacrifice, but all the ways mankind used to try and contact their deities.” Vess regarded the bladeless knife, turning the old thing over in his hand to inspect the twine that wrapped the handle and the decorative skull on its pommel.
“So why’d you bring this stuff with you?” asked Lyle.
“It’s symbolic,” said Vess as he put the bladeless hilt back into his coat and then reached out to take back the jewelry. “They’re special to me.”
Widowsfield
March 13th, 2012
2:55 AM
“Oliver’s still here somewhere,” said Rosemary as they looked at the blood trail that he’d left behind after Paul had shot his foot.
“My assistant is going to try and follow his tracks,” said the nurse, Helen, who they’d been following out of the facility. “He needs to be bandaged up. I don’t think his injury was life- threatening or anything, but still, he can’t run around bleeding like that.” She motioned down to the trail that headed off deeper into the facility.
“Where do you suppose he went?” asked Jacker as he stared down the dark hallway.
Helen shook her head. “Beats me. I doubt I’ve seen even half of this place. My days are spent with the sleepers.”
“How long have you worked
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