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replied.
    “ But I didn’t think we were
doing anything to hurt him,” she whispered, her face growing
pale.
    He started the car and backed out of
his parking space. “I know. You were told he volunteered for the
experiment.”
    “ But...” She gulped and
shook her head. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell
me?”
    “ Orders. I couldn’t.” Just
like his mentor couldn’t tell him. Then his mentor had an attack of
conscience and leaked some of the information to the reporters.
Shortly after that, his mentor had a heart attack, or at least that
was what the autopsy claimed. “Orders,” he repeated, the word
barely audible.
    “ What else don’t I
know?”
    He waited for a long moment before
answering. “I can’t tell you.” When she looked like she was ready
to demand he tell her, he asked, “Do you want a new
partner?”
    Understanding lit her eyes. “Oh
God.”
    Oh God, indeed. He turned onto the main road and shifted in his
seat. “All I can do is take you to someone who can remove the
implant and any others you might have.” His gaze drifted back to
the paper. “And I can tell you that whatever you do, don’t take
these pills.”
    She turned forward in her seat and
stared blankly ahead.
    Knowing there was nothing else he
could do or say, he proceeded to drive.
    ***
    Dr. Reyes glanced up at Alex from the
doctor’s report. “He says it’s safe for you to take the
pills.”
    Alex shifted in his chair and ran his
hand through his hair. “Yes. He said the pills had nothing to do
with the heart attack.”
    The psychiatrist waited for Alex to
continue, but when Alex didn’t, he asked, “Do you
disagree?”
    Letting out a long sigh, Alex scanned
the wall where the man’s diplomas and awards were neatly arranged.
Finally turning his eyes to the doctor’s, he said, “I’m
twenty-nine. How can I have a heart attack?”
    “ Young people get heart
attacks. Sure, it’s rare, but it happens. Just like young people
get diabetes and cancer. These illnesses that trouble our bodies
don’t care what age you are.”
    Alex couldn’t argue that point. His
gaze lowered to his hands. Despite his better judgment, he’d taken
the pills as soon as he got home. Nothing bad happened since then.
In fact, his life finally had a sense of normality it hadn’t had in
a long time. So what was troubling him?
    “ Have you had any more
trouble with the alien?” Dr. Reyes asked.
    “ No.” Taking a deep breath,
he said, “You know that blond woman that was just here?”
    “ Of course, I do. I walked
her out of the office.”
    “ Yeah, well, I think I’ve
seen her before.”
    “ How so?”
    Alex shook his head. “I’m not sure. I
mean, she seems familiar and yet she doesn’t.”
    “ Maybe she looks like
someone you’ve seen before?”
    “ Maybe.”
    Alex didn’t think so, but it was a
possibility he ought to consider. Still, there was something that
tickled the back of his mind, as if his subconscious mind was
trying to tell him something.
    “ If you’d seen her,” the
doctor began, “do you have any idea where it would have
been?”
    “ No. I don’t.” He rubbed
his forehead. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought he was developing
a headache. “I don’t.”
    “ It’s okay. Give it time.
It might come back to you.”
    “ I guess.” He let go of the
urge to fight through whatever block was in his mind, and his
headache eased. That’s odd. Glancing at the clock, he realized his hour was
almost up. He breathed a sigh of relief.
    “ Did you read through the
list of symptoms to watch out for when you take the pills?” Dr.
Reyes asked.
    “ Yes.” He’d read through it
several times and couldn’t find anything that would explain voices
from the TV, a heart attack, a humming sound... “Yes, I read the
list.”
    “ Good. Did you also get the
psychiatric testing I ordered?”
    “ Yes, I did that too,” Alex
softly admitted, wondering what those tests would find. Was he
going crazy? Hearing