I exhaled. “When I was in Argentum, I was told of a couple—academics—who came to Argentum. They were seized by who the locals thought were police.”
“Dr. Adam Abraham and Dr. Nancy Little. Two members of the Corcillium. They were never seen again. It was only when the Corcillium rescued me, and I acknowledged that it was my own grandson who was abducted, that they told me. And warned me I would likely never return. But I was willing to risk it. I knew you would risk it as well. Of course, in the end, you were the only one to ever come back.”
“Steven—” I took a deep breath. “I need to know… if this Corcillium has determined… what we carry inside us.”
Steven rubbed the back of his neck in response.
“Then you know about it,” I said. “I am hoping you have uncovered more. I’m deeply worried about my family and their safety.”
He shook his head. “I wish I could tell you more, Lynn. But there’s a lot that I have yet to learn. Even though the Corcillium has investigated this, I know there’s no physical evidence. There’s never been any device or implant ever discovered in someone who claims to have been abducted. Now, we’ve never had someone like you or William—”
“There will be no inspection of my grandson.”
“But, there is… you.”
I smiled sadly. “Observing me all those years ago wasn’t enough, was it? Do you want to dissect me now?”
“Of course not. But… we have to try to determine what may be within you. You’re the only one, Lynn. The Corcillium understands allowing them to run tests on you would be… taxing. That’s why they’re offering up your father’s letters. About your mother.”
I blinked. “There are more letters?”
“I was shown the first just before I came. There are several, I’m told. They explain how your parents found you. And honestly, it led to a great discovery. It’s incredible where they found you—”
“That I wasn’t returned to Argentum but to one of the other bases the government set up to contain us?”
His eyes widened as I continued. “Obviously you’ve seen the brief footage of me at the end of that interrogation film. I’m looking out a window, and beyond that window are a beach and an ocean. At my last recollection, there is no ocean in Colorado.”
“You’re as sharp as ever, Lynn. You see a brief flash of something in an old film, and you connect the dots.”
“I’ve also seen the entire film, including my responses to the government agent’s questions. I know what I described aboard that ship. I know what William saw too, because there’s a recorded interview of him as well. And… I saw them.”
I could see that Steven had stopped breathing. “You saw one of them? What did it say?”
“I want those letters, Steven. I want to know what happened to my mother.”
“And you should have them. You must have them. We asked Barbara to give you my message asking to meet here for two reasons. One—we need access to this site to study. There are so few places in the world that we know of where multiple abductions have occurred. It’s vital we try to understand why. And two, because… because they want you to come join us.”
I brushed an unruly curl from my face. “I risked everything to keep my family together, Steven. There’s nothing that could convince me to leave them now. Or ever.”
“I’m not asking you to leave them forever. But Lynn… what you’ve seen… the fact that you had some sort of communication… it’s essential we learn from you. And you from us. What the Corcillium has uncovered. What they know about the abductions—”
“I’m not leaving my family. Ever again.”
“If those letters were mine to give, you’d have them right now. But I don’t. Only the Corcillium has them.”
I breathed out slowly through my nose. “I get it. They entice me with the letters, show you just enough to whet my appetite, as a way to draw me in. Well, you will remind them that this is my land, and neither you nor any of your peers will ever step foot here again without my permission. So here are my terms: If you want to come to this site to study, you will only be given access when and if I deem it possible. I don’t know what you hope to find, but whatever you do, you will then report to me and answer my questions. All of my questions. You will share every single shred of information, regardless of how minute, about what may be implanted within us. And as a token of your appreciation, you will deliver all the letters from my father. It’s that simple. If you agree, you can pass your requests to come here through Barbara and I will reply with the appropriate times. There’s no negotiating on this.”
Steven managed a smile. “You still hold all the cards, Lynn. It’s why the government and the entire world is waiting on you to explain how you found William. What is it you said when you gave that statement to the reporters in Denver? ‘There is a vast government conspiracy, and I’m working to uncover the truth.’ No wonder the government still has Argentum shut down and closed off for ‘homeland security’ reasons. And all those people with missing loved ones are still rallying outside, protesting, demanding to know if the person they’ve been searching for is in there.”
My face softened. “I wish I could tell you that I saw your sister, even though I wouldn’t have begun to know what she looked like. The people who have called me, written me, asking if I saw their missing friend or relative—I can’t bear to tell them the truth.”
Steven hesitated. “The truth?”
“That if their loved one was once abducted and then returned, only to be contained in the government bases, they’re gone now. All those people were taken back into the ships that arrived above Argentum. What they intend to do with the people, I don’t know. But there is another stage, something else is coming. If your Corcillium has any information about what’s happened or may happen, I must be told.”
“I have to warn you, Lynn, that the Corcillium closely guards what it discovers. Of course, they want to share everything with the world, once they have all the proof they need. But they have concerns… about Tom. They can’t risk this information being leaked. All Tom has ever said publically is that he believes you, just before he withdrew from consideration for vice president. Would you intend to share everything with him? They don’t feel they can trust someone who still very much serves the government.”
“I trust my husband completely–” I paused and cocked my head slightly. “Your Corcillium doesn’t want some simple grandmother exposing the truth. They want to do it. They want the credit. You can tell them that I started discovering their secrets forty years ago. Sitting at that desk at midnight, unraveling how to read documents with so many words blacked out. You can remind them how quickly I figured out the rest.”
My hands joined at my waist. “Those are my terms, Steven. Tell your Corcillium that I am eager to learn of their findings. Ten minutes from now, I will remotely open the gate, and it will be your only moment to slip out.”
I nodded to him once and headed back to the gate.
“I know you’ve seen it, Lynn,” Steven called out after me. “The book that’s coming out. The Senator’s Wife, they’re calling it. It doesn’t seem fair to you. You shouldn’t be known as just a politician’s wife.”