CHAPTER 2
The moment she’d stepped out of the Howland the secrecy was for life.
Signing the contracts, the feeling of being an imposter grew; what if they changed their minds? What if they realized that she wasn’t whom they were looking for? What if she wasn’t as “perfect” as Mr. West said she was? What if she signed her life away for nothing?
When the contracts had been signed, her hand was clammy as she shook theirs, but they welcomed her to the team.
After Margery had picked up the contracts, Dr. Bryce was called up to the office to share a toast with them, but the stern woman seemed more annoyed and stressed than happy as she stood with her hand deep into the pockets of her white coat.
“Well, now that Miss Vernon has been hired and the papers have been signed,” said Dr. Bryce, “I see no reason to postpone the project any further.”
Mr. West nodded. “You’re right, Melinda.
” With a deep breath, he motioned Dr. Bryce to lock the door and turn the lights off.
Once the room was set in darkness, a projector lit up.
“Miss Vernon,” said Mr. West and started a presentation on his computer.
“Project Titan is unlike anything this world has ever seen.” He changed slides to a black-and-white picture that seemed like some sort of crash site.
“We all know about the Roswell incident, about Area 51. Well, five years ago, an anomaly was sighted above the Rockies in Colorado, and reports of an impact came pouring in. Our team was first on sight, and what we found astounded us all.” He changed slides again, this time to the wreckage of some sort of aircraft.
“The metal, the technology, the design—none of it was known to man before. Highly advanced, and completely out of this world.”
Lila stared at the images shown in the presentation, and her chest tightened. “W-what am I looking at, sir?”
“You’re a smart girl,” said Mr. West. “I’m sure you understand.”
“No…” Lila breathed. “No, it’s impossible.”
“So did we think,” said Dr. Howland, “at first.”
“Until we found him.” Mr. West’s face was serious, and the room was steeped in silence. “Miss Vernon, before I show you the next set of images, I want you to take a deep breath. Some find them… disturbing.”
Lila did as told, her whole body tingling with trepidation. When ready, she gave a short nod.
Mr. West pressed down a key on his keyboard, and the image that appeared on the projection made Lila freeze; on it, there was a creature, large and imposing, lying unconscious or dead on a cot.
It looked like a man, with very similar anatomy and shape, but it was much larger; its muscles were bulging and terrifying, but well-shaped and well-built; its hands that rested on its sides were large with big, black claw-like nails; its feet looked like a mix between feet and paws, but the strong legs were definitely humanoid; its face was symmetrical, with a strong jaw, full lips on a rather normal mouth, a somewhat flat but well-shaped nose, heavy black eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and defined cheekbones.
It looked like a man, but still so different, so feral.
On its head, black dread-like tubes ran along the top, cascading down his back, almost like a mane; its ears were a dead giveaway that it wasn’t human—they were pointy.
Another image showed the creature’s mouth, with long, thick, sharp, and terrifying teeth set in front of a purple tongue. Its skin was a bluish grey or a greyish blue, with faint dark speckles. Its skin seemed leathery, almost like a reptile’s hide, wrapped tightly around defined muscles.
Lila’s throat ran dry. She was looking at an alien. It was a fucking alien. “How—” She tried to talk, but it came out as nothing but croaks. “How come you’ve got… him, and not the government?”
“The government doesn’t know this specimen exists,” said Mr. West. “They came to the site after we’d retrieved the creature. They secured the wreckage, claimed the technology, and made sure to sweep it all under the rug. It’s part of their Area 51 project.”
“We, on the other hand,” said Dr. Howland, “kept this specimen, and everything that was on it. We’ve tried to figure out its anatomy, and we believe this extraterrestrial race carries the potential for several cures. This is Project Titan, the very project you will be working on.”
Lila swallowed hard. “How do you know it doesn’t carry any diseases that are fatal to us humans?”
“We’ve kept him under strict surveillance for five years, Miss Vernon,” said Dr. Howland. “We’ve done every test we can, and so far, we’ve been completely safe. He’s healthy.”
“He’s more than that,” said Mr. West. “He self-heals, self-cures.” He stood from his chair and buttoned his jacket before reaching his hand out to her. “So, Lila Vernon, do you want to help us save the world or not?”
She gazed at the outstretched hand and then at the creature in the image. No, not the creature—the alien. Swallowing again, she stood and took Mr. West’s hand. “Yes, I do.”
“Good,” said Mr. West. “You’ll leave with the research team tomorrow morning.”
“Leave?” Lila gazed around at the other two in the room. She wasn ’ t going to work in the Howland & West Industries building, after all? “What do you mean?”
“The project is conducted in a research facility in northern Canada,” said Dr. Howland. “You are the last one on the team, and Project Titan is moving there permanently.”
Lila blinked. “P-permanently?”
Mr. West furrowed his brows. “Yes, you just read it in the contracts.”
“Oh,” she blurted out. “Yes, of course!” What else had she missed in those damned contracts? “But… but what about residency and—”
But Mr. West only raised his hand. “It’s all taken care of, don’t you worry.
Be ready to travel tomorrow. Only bring essentials—Canada is a sophisticated country, you know.
You can buy new stuff once you’re there.
” Then he looked at her with a peculiar gaze.
“I know you just read the contracts, Miss Vernon, and I will not insult your intelligence. Just know that it gets lonely in such an isolated place, and for a young woman like yourself, that could be difficult. But I must emphasize the rule of no sexual relations while you’re employed at Howland & West Industries.
It’s a very strict policy, one we will not see between the fingers at. ”
Lila felt her cheeks redden. “O-of course, Mr. West.”
Dr. Bryce and Dr. Howland both rose from their seats, and the room was lit up again. Lila felt like a fish out of water as she watched the people move about as though they hadn’t just seen pictures of a giant alien.
But Dr. Howland smiled and placed his hand on Lila’s shoulder as he passed her. “Welcome to the team, Miss Vernon. I’m sure you’ll make us proud.”