*****
Ten minutes later, Sam and Richard had trays heaped with food. They sat down at an out-of-the-way table, like they usually did.
Sam sighed, completely forlorn. Richard rolled his eyes. "Samantha, is there something else troubling you, or are you still preoccupied with the thought of someone seeing you naked?"
"You're hilarious."
"Yes I know; it's my burden and curse. So, are you planning to share or can I go back to eating my vegetables and dietary supplements in peace?"
"Richard, I can't shake the feeling that I knew him."
Richard popped a supplement and a couple of cherry tomatoes into his mouth. "And who do you supposedly know?"
"The sec-guard. Well, I guess I don't really know he's a guard, but the person who helped us."
Richard chewed his food slowly as if he were preparing himself for something unpleasant. "So you feel as if you recognize this knight in shining armor who saved you from the bad men?"
"Yes. I swear. It was a little thing; small, tiny, every other similar adjective I can think of. There was something about him that I recognized."
"So who is he then?" asked Richard with little to no interest. "Who is your mysterious savior?"
Sam gave Richard a scathing look. "You'd better not laugh, Richard. I think... I think he reminded me of Adam."
Richard burst into laugher. "Samantha! Don't be ridiculous. What reason, what possible reason, could Adam have to hide his identity from you?"
"What do you mean? Weren't you the one that said he was untrustworthy?"
"Of course, but only within the context of the everyday adolescent construct. What you are saying is just crazy."
Sam scowled. She knew she shouldn't have told him, but she wasn't backing down. She had only seen the man for a few seconds, but the way that he talked, walked, acted, the way that he moved; it all had the air of familiarity to it. Sam had had plenty of time to run the scenario over and over again in her head. She knew that man, and the only one that made sense from the build to the height to the hair was Adam.
"I don't know. He's from the Jade Empire, did you know that? Maybe he's a spy and he's trying to protect me."
"Protect you? Protect you from what, Sam? If he's a spy from the Jade Empire, what could he possibly want from you?"
Good question. Sam mulled it over. Maybe it wasn't her at all...but something else...
Sam's mind reverted back to the box. Why hadn't she thought of that before?
"You do realize that if it's true and the person that undressed you without your knowledge was in fact Adam, then he saw your nude figure in all its glory."
"Yeah so?"
"Well, after he saw you in your birthday suit, he disappeared for weeks. That doesn't say much for your naked body. Also, riddle me this: Did you know that in 18th century England there was a tradition that unmarried women could not marry if they were seen in the nude before their vows were taken? It's too bad that the Victorians destroyed their own traditions."
Sam scowled again. He was having way too much fun. She spoke without thinking. "If it was Adam and you know that I like him, then he saw me naked and you haven't. Shouldn't that upset you?"
Richard's face contorted in surprise. "In reality Samantha, I would hope that you would be the one upset about Adam seeing you in the buff, as you put it."
"Attention students, attention. An assembly will be taking place immediately. Again, please assemble in the complex. Please gather with your instructors and proceed to the Central Chamber. Attendance is mandatory for all students."
The students in the lunchroom started to move, dumping trays, returning plates, and gobbling up what was left of their food. Richard looked down with melancholy at his barely touched lunch.
"They'd better have a damn good reason for interrupting."
Sam gathered her stuff, and then she and Richard started down the hall. Richard pulled out his tablet and started tapping away vigorously, the sound drowned out by the chatter of the crowd. Sam gave them all no notice, but continued to ponder the events of the past few months, especially the day that she and Cammie got attacked. Her conversation with Richard had left her wanting and had simply restarted the cognitive process that so many times before had left her irritated and disappointed. She just couldn't leave it alone.
What bothered her most was the distinct impression anchored within her subconscious that the man who had saved them was Adam. His actions, his body language, everything about their rescuer during that brief interaction was just too familiar. It had to be him. But if it was then why not show himself? Why not take credit for helping them? It didn't make any sense.
Worse still was the fact that no one, including Cammie and Richard, gave credence to her theories. It ate at her in the most grating of fashions. The whole mess jumbled in her mind whenever she tried to make sense of it.
Still, she tried to shake the feeling that she was missing something obvious. She couldn't help but believe, somewhere in the pit of her stomach, that these strange feelings were somehow connected to the box she had in her bag. She felt all of this was connected; finding the box, her sudden rise to fame at school, Adam taking notice of her, she and Cammie being attacked; so many random events in such a short time. They all had to be related somehow. But how? And why would she be at the center of it? Sam closed her eyes briefly, centering her thoughts as she clutched the bag to her chest. Richard's increasingly vigorous tapping on his tablet irritated her.
"Rich can't you do that a little quiet--"
Sam stopped mid thought. Richard was staring at his screen, his expression one part confusion and one part anger. Richard continued to read with lightning speed. The further he moved down the page, the more his anger and confusion morphed into deep thought. Sam was almost too startled to ask.
"Rich, what's wrong? Why do you look so upset?"
"This assembly. It wasn't on the schedule, and they don't have any information on the server indicating its purpose."
Sam let out a breath of relief. "Is that all? And here I thought you were really mad about something. Not everything goes according to plan, Rich. Someday you're going to have to learn that."
Richard didn't answer.
The students pushed through the many sets of double doors leading to the huge centralized auditorium located at the center of Academy City 676. Sam saw that they weren't the only ones being called in for this assembly. All the younger kids were being rounded up as well. More disturbing still was the presence of many unknown men and women. Some of them were in black suits and some in lab coats, but all were mulling around and directing students. Medical and lab equipment were out in abundance, not to mention, though they tried to hide it, many men with guns. And not just any guns. Highly advanced looking guns. Something was not right here.
The older students were pushed to the outer ring near the walls while the younger ones were herded towards the center. Right smack in the middle of the building a circular stage was erected with nothing on it but a podium and two people. The first Sam recognized: Peter Thomson, the principal of the school and Mayor of Academy City 676. The second was a woman that wore a unique black body suit that fit as if it was tailored to her every curve. It was almost like a black-skinned suit of armor. The woman wasted no time coming to the podium.
"Shut your traps, you brats."
The room instantly went silent. Every eye was on the woman. "Now that's better. I have a special assignment here today, and if all goes well, we can exit quickly and quietly. The government has commissioned my company to find something very special and I need your help and cooperation. Can you help me with that?"
There was a murmur of assent.
"Good. My name is Ms. Green and I'm from MESA Labs." She continued in a more mocking tone. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."
An Indecent Proposal
Time: Current day, right after lunch
Scene: Main assembly hall, Academy City 676
"MESA Labs? As in the weapons manufacturer?" Sam looked at Richard, who was still deep in thought. "What could they be looking for here?"
Richard shook his head and kept tapping away. Sam caught a fleeting glimpse of what looked like blueprints flash across his screen.
"Rich, come on, can't you get off of that thing? I'm a bit on the freaked-out side."
"I apologize. I was attempting to ascertain what a company like MESA would be doing here. I can't seem to find anything about it on the school's server. They appear to be just as surprised as the students are."
Sam squeezed at her bag in a way that was both reactive and instinctive as her thoughts once again jumped to the box. She shook her head, trying to clear it. She was just being paranoid; there was no way that they were looking for the box...right?
Sam shook her head again. Of course they weren't looking for the box. That didn't make any sense. Why did her mind keep going back to that stupid thing?
"Now, my little experiments, if you will all sit down for the moment until you receive further instructions, this will go a great deal smoother." Ms. Green pointed to the young students in front. "Please no talking. I don't want to have to cut out your tongues."
The woman smiled sweetly. Sam's jaw dropped.
I don't want to have to cut out your tongues? Sam thought. Can she say stuff like that?
The room was quiet for the most part, the stress of the situation keeping the crowd under control. Yet as time passed, the younger students gave in to their nature. A nine year-old boy started messing around in the front.
"Excuse me little boy," Ms. Green pointed and again smiled sweetly at the kid, who simply went on playing.
"Excuse ME, LITTLE BOY!" she said with heavy emphasis.
Again he ignored her.
"LITTLE BOY!"
Ms. Green's hand flashed to her side. The next thing Sam saw was Ms. Green posed foot forward and right hand out.
A scream mixed with additional yelps and cries sounded from the front of the crowd. Sam didn't know what had happened until the younger children scrambled away, literally stepping over each other in panic. Apparently Ms. Green found their fear rather humorous as she began to laugh openly. Sam's face screwed up in anger as she realized what she was laughing at.
Now that his classmates were gone, the nine-year-old boy sat wide-eyed in a perfect combination of terror and embarrassment. The source of the terror was a 30-centimeter throwing knife glowing with a faint blue light, lodged deep into the floor right between the boy's legs, nestled next to his crotch. The sight of it made Sam's anger towards the black body-suited woman turn to rage. The boy was terrified. He looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Tears and snot were running freely from his face and he was sniffling incessantly. It was then that Sam noticed the puddle of liquid the boy was sitting in and the wet splotch on his pants.
"He soiled himself," said Richard in a flat voice.
Sam wasn't listening. She started up on her feet and was already thinking about moving towards Ms. Green, intending to give the leather wearing devil woman a piece of her mind. Who throws glowing knives at little kids? This woman was going to pay for that. Sam was going to make sure of it.