FutureTech Labs, Rangerville, Tuesday, May 11th, 2021, 3:10 PM
"Molly, can I talk to you about something?" Dylan asked.
Sitting in the break room, he looked uncomfortable. Molly had known something had really been bothering him all day. She'd hoped he'd bring it up. It was tricky, as a project manager, prying into the private concerns of her team. Still, she'd already decided to ask if he hadn't said anything by the end of the shift.
"What's wrong?" she asked gently.
"Well, it's personal... and kinda strange," Dylan looked a little embarrassed.
"I'm usually pretty good with strange," Molly smiled reassuringly. "If you want to talk, I'll listen. No judgement."
"Well, OK." Dylan took a deep breath. "Last night, late, Christie came in and woke me up. She hasn't done that in a long time. At first, I thought she'd had a bad dream, but she said something was wrong with Jess."
"I heard her saying something to Lucius at the barbecue, about Jess acting strangely," Molly said.
"Yeah, she's been saying something was wrong with her mom for a couple of weeks," Dylan nodded. "I keep telling her everything is fine but..."
"But it's not?" Molly asked.
"I think something's really wrong," Dylan admitted.
"See, when Christie woke me last night, Jess wasn't there.
"Christie said she'd gotten up in the night, to go to the bathroom. On her way back to bed, she saw her mom, coming out of our room and... heading outside. In her nightgown.
"She tried to call to her, but Jess just kept going out the door. So, she came to get me.
"Well, I reassured Christie that everything was fine, and I put her back to bed. Then I looked around, just to make sure Christie wasn't confused and Jess was in actually in the kitchen or something."
"I'm guessing she wasn't," Molly said.
"No, she wasn't," Dylan sighed. "She really was out in the yard, in her nightgown. It was like she was sleepwalking or something. I tried to get her attention but..."
"What?" Molly asked.
"It's nothing," Dylan shook his head. "I mean, it didn't make any sense. Just nonsense out a dream or something."
Molly said nothing, just waiting.
"She was standing over one of those strange plants," Dylan said at last. "You know, those strange blue ones that have been popping up all over town... and when I tried to get her attention, she said..."
"She said?" Molly prompted.
"Well, I think she said - 'Open your eyes to their beauty,'" Dylan said. "It's just nonsense, right?"
"Well, those plants are beautiful," Brian from Biotech interrupted. "We've got a bunch of them growing down in the botany lab. You know, Dylan, if your wife wants to come over in her nightgown and look at what I've got, she'd be more than welcome."
"Did you need something, Brian?" Dylan said curtly.
"A bunch of us are going out for beers at 8 Bells after shift," Biobro Brian smirked. "I wondered if you wanted to join me, Molly."
"No," Molly said curtly.
"Standing invite," Biobro Brian said, unruffled. "Catch you later, Dylan... if you're not looking for your wife."
"That guy is such a creep," Dylan grumbled after Biobro Brian was gone.
"I think FutureTech HR has a directive," Molly mused. "There has to be at least one creep at every facility, usually in a team lead or senior management position."
"You're probably right," Dylan snorted, more in disgust than humor.
"So, about Jess, has she been sleepwalking a long time," Molly asked.
"Just the last couple of weeks," Dylan said distractedly. "I mean.. well, yeah, OK... the last couple of weeks. I haven't wanted to worry Christie, but I've noticed she's been waking up before I do and sometimes isn't in bed in the middle of the night."
"Around the time of that explosion everyone's not talking about, right?" Molly asked.
"Yeah," Dylan said. "She was on guard duty at the base. She insisted it was no big deal, but she was shaken up. I could tell."
"So, there's some explosion the Army doesn't want anyone to know about," Molly pondered, "and right after that MoD moves up the deadlines on the sensor module and upgraded hazmat filters, these strange plants show up all around town... which Biotech is now trying to cultivate... and your wife starts sleepwalking."
And, Molly thought to herself, Lucius of the Luxurious Hair shows up investigating an 'invasive species' ...
"What are you thinking?" Dylan asked.
"I think I want to sneak into a secret Army base," Molly said.
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