FIRZWOOD A-Z

By Joshua Deaton

Three test subjects escape from the shadows of a classified U.S. government testing center, which triggers the creation of a response task force, code named: FIRZWOOD. The task force is led by the enigmatic Dr. Dorothy Everly, who guides them along a journey to locate the missing subjects. As the mystery of the three subjects intensifies, a classif

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joshua Deaton
• Release date: Jan 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781736513729

Book preview

1

The Three Subjects.

Watch closely and observe all of the subtleties. Notice their little movements. What you're about to see is extremely disturbing, the lab technician instructed.

The Chinese Diplomat looked curiously at him. He had known the lab technician for a few months now and had grown accustomed to his matter-of-fact demeanor. You mean the images are violent in nature? He asked, searching the technician's face while trying to observe any hints of deception.

No, I mean they are haunting.

Inside the lavish hotel along the Las Vegas Strip, two foreign agents sat in a room on the 12th floor watching the live video feed on the monitor take place from the adjoining room. The evening meeting with their new source was proving to be more rewarding than they had hoped. His name was Edward Blythe, and he claimed to have video evidence of the US government's involvement with extraterrestrial biological subjects obtained from a clandestine office located at an underground Department of Energy facility on an American Indian reservation in Nevada. Under ordinary circumstances, such outlandish claims would oftentimes go ignored, but there was nothing ordinary about the secrets this technician was trying to sell.

The lab technician had reached out to the Chinese Consulate a couple of months ago claiming to possess classified information, which he would be willing to sell for the right price. After meeting with one Chinese diplomat several times in Las Vegas, the two had become friends and reached an agreement on the price of $500,000 in exchange for the information. Edward was confident that the Chinese diplomat was, in fact, exactly who he had claimed to be. After all, he had shown Edward all of his diplomatic credentials, which had included passports, consulate identification, along with photos of the diplomat with various Chinese government leaders. This diplomat was definitely going to pay him handsomely for the information he had been sitting on.

Or so he believed.

Edward Blythe had been contracted to work for the US Department of Energy as a laboratory technician for a radical form of scientific research conducted on lab animals. The administration of these lab animals was only a sub-component of a much greater experiment involving three biological subjects at the same remote underground facility. However, there was also nothing ordinary about these three subjects.

This is the evidence that the US government is knowingly working with extraterrestrial biological entities, the lab technician said to the Chinese diplomat. "This video is from one of our recent experiments with the aliens. But I have to warn you... some of these images... you simply cannot un-see them."

The two men watched the video screen as Edward hit the play button on the computer. There was no color on the video, but the black and white imagery was crystal clear. The three subjects were sitting at a table inside a brightly lit laboratory room. They wore no clothes, had no hair on their heads, but still gave off slightly feminine appearances. Their heads appeared slightly larger than normal humans. Small eyes could be seen piercing out of large ocular cavities. They had smaller noses and smaller ears with noticeably slender necks.

Their postures seemed calmed and relaxed as a lab technician brought in a white rat and set the creature down on the table in a small cage in front of them. One of the three subjects waved its six-fingered hand in the air while staring intently at the lab rat. The animal shrieked loudly and then immediately fell dead to the ground. A minute later, one of the other subjects waived its opposite six-fingered hand in the air while staring at the animal and something extraordinary happened.

The lab rat came back to life.

The two men continued to watch the screen as the experiment was repeated on various laboratory tests involving rabbits, snakes, and baby pigs. Each iteration of testing showed one of the three subjects would take turns killing the animal, while another one would take turns bringing it back to life. They had seemingly turned the experiment into a type of juvenile game and appeared to have fun with it as slight grins would quickly show and disappear from their faces throughout the entire process.

Until the last test animal was brought in.

Here it comes, the lab technician said as he turned up the volume on the screen.

The Chinese diplomat leaned forward and watched closely as the screen showed a lab technician bring in a small chimpanzee inside a cage and setting it down on the table. Both men listened intently as they heard one of the three subjects ask the lab technician on the video whether this particular animal was evil or not. Yes, it is evil, the technician replied.

The three subjects then stared fiercely at the chimpanzee. The chimp began to scream in terror. A high pitched tone overtook the volume of the screams, and the chimpanzee fell down dead inside its cage. It didn't move, and it was clearly not breathing. The high-pitched tone faded, and the three subjects looked around the room with their small eyes blinking waiting for further instructions. A lab technician could be heard on the video telling them to bring the monkey back to life.

But they refused.

Bring it back to life this instant, the video continued.

No, we will not, they remarked plainly.

Why not? the technician pleaded desperately.

Because we do not help evil monkeys, the three subjects replied as the video faded.

The two men sat motionless in the room as Edward Blythe closed the computer file. The Chinese diplomat stared at the floor with his mind racing at the implications of everything he had observed. How are they able to do this?

We aren't exactly sure, but we know that it only takes place when all three of them are together; when it's just one or two of them, they are unable to recreate the same results. Also, it is somehow tied to a unique humming sound that they are able to omit together during the experiment. I overheard one of the lab engineers commenting about an unusual, vibration frequency they are able to produce when two or more of them are together.

"Normally, I would assume that a video like this has been doctored to make it look genuine, but you have passed two of our polygraphs from our best people. We have confirmed your background and the location of the underground facility. We have known for some time that a series of advanced research experiments were taking place there, but this is an extraordinary development. The rumors are true. I have to get this back to the Chinese consulate immediately.

And the money? the technician asked.

Yes, here it is, the diplomat said as he passed over a backpack full of cash. Would you like to have some more?

Sure... I'll take whatever more you want to give me.

Good, because we need at least one of those three subjects for our own advanced military research outside of Beijing.

Isn't the video enough?

No... we need at least one of them alive, preferably all three. And you are going to help us achieve this. I can get you ten times this amount, he said nodding towards the backpack.

For that amount of money, all things are possible. I'll be in touch.

I'm sorry Ed, but you're not leaving just yet. I am mobilizing a team at your facility in the next couple of hours.

What do you mean? Edward said as another chill slowly began to creep up his back. I can't help you tonight. I would need at least a couple of weeks to prepare.

Preparations have already been underway. We were just waiting for visual confirmation. Don't worry... Business is the highest form of friendship. We are in this together now, and we are going to help each other.

You don't understand, I can't just show up at this facility at night. There are protocols in place. They will know that something is wrong. They will not let me just walk into their rooms. I'll get arrested for this!

Listen, we are going to acquire these subjects one way or another. If you don't help us, Ed, then we will leak your video along with your personal information to the FBI. So, you can either join us and take the millions we are offering you to start a new life, or you can run and face arrest.

Wait a second, you can't do this to me. I have given you the information you tasked me to obtain. You now have access to one of the most closely guarded secrets on US soil. What happened to all of that friendship you promised me?

Even when you think you know the whole story, there are still secrets within secrets that remain... and we need more now.

The Chinese diplomat opened the computer file again to review the footage, trying to take in the brevity of what he was witnessing. A chill ran through his spine. Extraordinary, he said to himself as echoes of the chimpanzee's screaming continued to fill the room.

I'm sorry, but this won't work.

This will work, Ed. My team can be in and out of your facility in 30 minutes.

What if they get caught?

We have contingencies in place. They all have fake IDs and credentials linking them to North Korea. It won't be tied to us.

Where will I go? If I suddenly leave for China, they will know I was the one that helped you!

Calm down, Ed. Firstly, you will not just up and leave for China. You will continue your work for another few weeks as if nothing has happened. Then we will relocate you with a job offer in either Taiwan, Singapore, or Indonesia. You will get a business visa through an independent research facility in whichever country you choose. We will handle it.

This won't work. They will investigate and polygraph everyone employed at the facility. I won't make it through.

Then we will prepare you for it.

I'm sorry, but I just can't.

The Chinese diplomat stared at the floor nodding his head. I understand. You have faced a great deal of risk to help us already.

Yes, I have.

And I know that you are loyal.

Yes, I am.

And I know that the fear of getting caught is enough to ensure you will not tell anyone about any of our meetings.

Yes, yes... absolutely!

Then please accept a parting gift from me for you to enjoy, he said as he spoke into the radio mic on his lapel. Bring her in. The door between the adjoining rooms opened and a beautiful young Asian woman stepped into the room wearing a silk robe followed by an elderly lady. She will keep you company until the operation is completed. I hope you don't object.

Oh, wow. Not at all.

2

Two hours later, the Chinese diplomat exited the lavish hotel along with his fake wife and fake mother. The lab technician that he had once called his friend would be found later the next day naked on his bed, dead from the heroin overdose they injected into him with the needle still in his arm. It was a necessary decision to tie up the uncertain loose end now that the information had been acquired.

As the Chinese operatives left Las Vegas, their counterpart team arrived at a Nevada warehouse sitting atop of the classified underground facility where the lab technician had been working with the three alien subjects. The covert team pulled up to the security gate in a white van, and one by one they emerged from their vehicle shooting everyone in sight.

Deep inside the facility, the three subjects rested. They were unaware of the forthcoming events that were about to unfold, or the opportunity that was about to be bestowed to them. They continued waiting just as they had always done; waiting for any sign of hope that they all desperately coveted. For years they had been subjected to endless testing, and they did not know why. If there were any others like them, it had never been disclosed to these three subjects as they had been deliberately separated in isolated rooms throughout the corridors of the underground prison they knew as their home. They knew they were special, but without any explanations to help them understand exactly why. The days they had spent waiting patiently for an opportunity to escape was finally on the verge of being rewarded.

And so it started.

An explosion rocked a section of the facility. Distant gunfire could be heard echoing down the nearest corridor. The lights inside the facility starter to flicker. One of the young female subjects rose up from her bed. She walked towards the door of her room to peer through the glass opening of the small embedded window. Down the hallway, she stared at the two other rooms she had been staring at for years. She hoped her sisters were okay. Then all of the lights inside the facility suddenly went out. Alarms began to ring and echo against the walls. The shriek of the alarms brought terror to the young female subject as she began to pace across the floor of her tiny room. She felt anxiety swirl all around her and she began to scream uncontrollably. A loud and thunderous boom erupted against the walls, causing the entire facility to shudder. Another turbulent wave of some unknown force crashed against the building's structure, knocking her to the ground. She looked back up towards the door to see the cracks appearing. A tear from the ceiling was spreading wildly down towards the door. The frame began to buckle and tear from the weight of the shifting ground. The glass within the door's window broke into pieces. She stood up confidently and approached the door.

Then the alarms stopped.

Immediately she tried to open the door, but it was wedged sharply against the frame. She looked around her room to find anything that could be used as a tool, but there was nothing. Her room had been deliberately designed to avoid any potential use other than sleeping, and the lone mattress and pillow would not provide the force she needed to ensure her escape. She dragged the soft mattress towards the door and folded it in half. She stepped on top of the elevated mattress to stick one of her long arms through the broken window. Her small frame and long arms provided enough length for her to search the entirety of the door outside her room. Reaching downward the elongated fingers began to search for anything that would help unlock the door to open. Her six long, gray fingers found the latch. She moved the latch forcefully and then retreated her arm back inside to push the door away from the frame. The screaming continued until the door opened.

She stepped cautiously into the hallway and stared at the bodies. Four armed intruders and two security guards were lying motionless in pools of blood on the floor. She ran towards the two doors where her sisters were being held. One by one she opened their rooms until they were reunited. They looked at each other and did not speak. Their shared anxiety had unexpectedly been transformed into joy.

Their small gray silhouettes headed towards the elevator at the end of the hallway. The smallest of the sisters raised her arm and began touching buttons with her long fingers, but the electrical outage provided no response. Another sister moved towards a nearby door and opened it to reveal a large encircling staircase reaching nearly a mile up above them. They did not hesitate. Moving immediately towards the stairs, they began to climb each step one by one. These three subjects were also three young sisters, although they were far too small to take on the challenges of any world outside of their prison. However, these three sisters were extremely special.

And they were not human.

Minutes later, Dr. Dorothy Everly was awoken by the telephone next to her bed. The elderly woman, who was well into her 80s, was not accustomed to receiving any phone calls at such an unseemly hour. She sat up, pulled her silvery gray hair away from her face, and answered the call. Yes... Hello, Sarah... When? Where are they now?... How could this happen?... I see... Does the Alliance know yet?... Okay, good... Can you buy us some time?... No, I'll take care of it... Have Col. Redford meet me on the airstrip at once... Yes, we'll have to get to DC by the morning before the Pentagon tries to fuck everything up... Yes, go ahead and initiate all of the FIRZWOOD protocols... And Sarah, thanks for the notice.

She hung up the phone and stared at her jittery, six-fingered hand.

God, help us all, she said to herself.

3

Three Days Before Event Detection.

The Virginia morning skyline was still very dark outside. The roads leading into Washington, DC were almost entirely barren, except for the few federal workers that were making their way into the offices ahead of the morning rush. Ben Milton drove up to the entranceway and showed his credentials at the main security gate. After clearing security, he drove into the employee parking lot to begin another morning ritual: parking, walking, stairs, elevators, and three additional security checks. Upon arrival at his desk, he turned on three computer stations to begin his work. He enjoyed the early hours of the day, and he enjoyed being the first analyst to arrive at the office. His office was one of many large government buildings found on the outskirts of Washington, DC. The building was home to one of 17 publicly known intelligence agencies, and proudly commanded a budget larger than CIA's. After the three computer screens came to life, the words 'Property of the National Reconnaissance Office,' were seen displayed on each one.

Ben logged into each system, sipped his coffee, and began to read.

As a private contractor, Ben had worked diligently at figuring out how to distinguish himself against his peers for advancement, promotions, and bonuses. One of these methods was to arrive before everyone else in his section and be the first one to review the early morning intelligence reporting coming. If knowledge was power, then the first to reach this knowledge commanded a tremendous advantage to a world where secrecy was a form of currency. Ben had been at the Chantilly office ever since it was built in 1992. It was his home away from home, and he usually preferred this home to the one he returned to every evening, where his wife was waiting for him. He loved his wife in his own way, although he did very little to show her. Ben expected her to be a dutiful partner but did not go out of his way to treat her with any of the love she had hoped when they were first married. She was much younger than he was, which made Ben feel a sense of pride. Her name was Eilleen Milton, and she was a therapist for intelligence professionals; a growing field increasing every year with the military, civilian, and private contractors returning from war zones dealing with traumas from their time abroad. Eilleen loved her work and loved her husband, but constantly longed for more attention and more affection from Ben, who preferred work and research over romance. Ben had become too engrossed in his work to realize that she had been having an affair.

Ben continued to scurry through report after report, scanning the headlines from each of the sister intelligence agencies to determine which ones might be more beneficial to read for the day. Ben was eligible for another quarterly bonus evaluation and wanted to impress his supervisors with any key developments that he could find. After finishing a review of the Big Five intelligence agencies' reporting, he decided to switch to another computer system to begin reviewing various military reporting. He knew that every once in a while, a tactical report from one of the military elements abroad could sometimes contain a tiny gem of information. Ben referred to it as hunting pearls. It was a method often described by his peers as useless and pointless, but today Ben was feeling unusually lucky.

Let's see what we have here, he whispered to himself.

The first report that caught his attention was labeled 'China Air Defense Drill.' Ben decided this report was too conventional to contain anything substantive, so he continued to scroll through the volumes of military reporting. The second report that made him pause was one entitled 'Russian Missile Test Postponed.' This report at least peeked his attention, but Ben was determined to find a genuine pearl this morning. He continued to scroll down the long list of overnight reporting when he finally found what he thought would satisfy his search.

It was a report entitled 'Unknown Drone Sighting.' He sipped his coffee and read over each line again. Impossible, he said aloud. His face began to frown and he leaned forward in his chair towards the computer screen. Something was wrong. The report originated from Pacific Command indicating that a North Korean military official claimed to have seen a large vessel appear over his outpost near the eastern coast of the Pacific. The report was a signals intercept, and within the notes, it contained a literal translation of the officer's comments. The direct translation read as follows: Fire, fire everywhere, and on the horizon... a million fires with a million shadows.

Ben jumped back from his computer. His cup of coffee fell to the floor. He shook his head and grabbed his chest. He exclaimed, That's impossible... it hasn't even started yet. He tried to print the report, but his coughing began to overwhelm him. He reached for his secure phone to try and contact the National Military Command Center. Someone had to be warned, he thought to himself. He tried to focus and dial each number, but his fingers kept slipping. His coughing grew louder. His thoughts became more erratic. He decided to leave his desk and step outside of the office building to quickly call his wife.

Ben, you need to calm down, Eilleen said to him. Remember what the doctor said about you needing to avoid excitement for a while. Take your medicine.

Eilleen, you don't understand. I was consulted on a project that hasn't even begun to be developed, and now there's an indication that the project has somehow been completed.

So, they finished ahead of schedule, isn't that a good thing?

You don't get understand. On the horizon, a million fires and a million shadows... I have to go now, he said in a frustrated tone.

Ben quickly returned to his desk to re-read the opened report. His arm began to tingle. A warm fever began to swell up on the left side of his neck. He rubbed his neck as he reviewed the report again and again. Then the fever on his neck crept up to the side of his jaw. The coughing continued and Ben began to squeeze his fist as the left side of the body now felt as if it was freezing. He looked at the report for the last time, never knowing why it had been published that night. Never knowing if he would ever get the answers he was reaching for. Never knowing of his wife's trespasses. Never knowing just how valuable this particular gem actually was. Never knowing that his current breath would ultimately be his last.

And there in the lonely halls of the National Reconnaissance Office, Ben Milton died of a heart attack at his desk.

That same morning, Jared Moore awoke to begin his own ritual. After gathering his things together, he set off for the long drive into DC. Jared arrived at the basement of the Pentagon for his early morning shift at the National Military Command Center. It was his last week after a year-long assignment there. After passing through seven layers of security checks, he sat down at his desk and sighed. One more day of out-processing and I'm done here. The assignment was given to him as punishment for a previous deployment to Afghanistan filled with mistakes. Jared had suffered a PTSD related event, where he decided to pick a fight with a bottle of whiskey, inevitably getting himself kicked out of the country and costing his agency thousands of dollars in the process. His senior leadership decided to reintegrate him back into the workforce because of his knowledge of sensitive intelligence operations there and didn't want him fired from his career armed with an arsenal of such secrets. That would have been a recipe for vengeance. So instead, they assigned him to mandatory therapy sessions for six months and sent him on rotation to the Pentagon for a year. The job was simple; watch out for any reporting noteworthy of alerting the Secretary of Defense on key matters in the Pacific Region, which seldom ever occurred. Even today.

After checking his daily reporting traffic on his computer, he noticed that one report had been recalled and removed. There was no title to the report, but only an indication that it was some signals intercept that had originated from a military reporting element in the PACOM area. He tried clicking on the report to see if any details were available, but the report only stated that it was no longer available. 'Probably another reporting glitch,' he thought as moved from one computer system to