Read The Iso-Stasis Experiment (The Experiments) for Free Online

watched it knock over a can of soda. Todd started to rescue the manuscript before it got wet, but didn’t. Rickie wasn’t going to be reading it anyway.

CHAPTER FOUR
     

I-S.E. Twelve - Winnipeg, Canada
     
August 2 - 1:06 P.M.
     

    Stepping into the small special room at the airport, Cal was immediately noticed by the six others there. Dr. Jefferson greeted her with a firm handshake, telling her as soon as Major Graison’s flight landed they would board the private jet that would take them to the isolated compound.
    Cal didn’t say much, she didn’t need to. Any questions she had would probably be answered at the orientation she hoped would be given to them at the compound. As for that moment, while waiting on the Major, Cal looked about at the faces of the six in the room. She tried to place faces with names, guessing at them as were the others who waited.
    Jennifer was easy since she was the only other female. Carlos, the guitar player, was easy to pick out also with his acoustic guitar perched right next to him, not to mention his ethnic appearance, which matched his name. Rickie, the eighteen year old was a giveaway. His long hair pulled in a ponytail, his body bouncing in laughter as he listened to a cackling and chatty Jennifer. John Montgomery, the Harvard grad, sat with his lap top and clicked away. The only two that gave Cal a hard time were Father Daniel and William Griffith, or Griff as it was stated in the notes he preferred. They were both about the same age. And since the priest was not wearing a collar, Cal could not distinguish between the two forty-something men.
    She stepped into the room, holding onto her small carry-on bag. They were allotted three items. They could choose which three they wanted the institute to provide or bring them themselves. It didn’t matter. But it annoyed Cal when she saw the laptop and the guitar. Those types of items would never have occurred to her. She had thought of necessary items as more like a seven month supply of bourbon, coffee and cigarettes.
    Cal slipped off to the side and took a seat behind the two forty-something men. If nothing else, she figured she could at least spend the waiting time waiting eavesdropping on their conversation and try to figure out who was who before they divulged that information.

    Jake did not go unnoticed when he walked into the private room. His entrance immediately prompted Dr. Jefferson to gather everyone’s attention and inform them they would be boarding soon, and lunch would be served on the flight. Jake hoped it wasn’t bagel sandwiches.
    Maybe it was a bit neurotic of him, but Jake had to know. Was she there? He walked up to Dr. Jefferson and pulled him rather obviously off to the side. “Is she here?” he asked the doctor.
    “Who do you mean?”
    “The woman that scored higher than me, is she here?”
    Dr. Jefferson smiled at him. “Oh yes, she’s here. I can’t divulge which woman she is, that’s for you to determine. This is going to be a goal for you, isn’t it, Major? Proving that you are mentally stronger than she is?”
    Jake knew he was right, but didn’t need to tell him that. “Nope, don’t need to prove that. Excuse me.” He moved from him and looked at the two women. It was easy enough to spot Caleen Reynolds. The sales clerk Jennifer matched her background as well as Caleen matched hers. Jennifer was sitting alone, her small thin frame crouched up in the chair, and she was pretty. Actually, Jake thought, she was very pretty. And then there was Caleen , talking away to the skinny kid who looked stoned. She messed with her auburn hair and fiddled with her glasses. The pink shade of lipstick told him she wasn’t the self-proclaimed fashion addict. And there was a sense of relief for Jake when he noticed her heavy set stature. At least she didn’t beat him in the physical scores. What does this woman have? Jake wondered as he watched her. He had to find out. In his plotting mind he figured he’d