Witness Relocation - Part Two

"Done" Wendy states, pulling the hard drive from the laptop. "I need a coffee. Once the volunteer gets here just press..."

"Enter, I can do that Ms. Hale" Carl huffs, obviously still frustrated at her previous comments. We both watch as the short technician shuffles out of the room, grumbling under her breath about this and that. "So, Mr. Hughes..." Carl chirps, his jovial nature returning in an instant "Climb on in, and do mind the edges."

Swallowing hard, I look between the device and Carl. My stomach sinks a little, the image of the three men from that fateful night flashing through my mind as I shuffle over to the device. My mind races struggling to come to terms with, or even full comprehend what was about to happen.

 

The trial had been tenuous at best, dragging on for months and months. I had been stuck inside these very offices for most of it, the third break-in attempt across three separate safe-houses leaving me with little better options than to be kept under guard back at headquarters until all was said and done. For days I was left to simply wander the backrooms, not being allowed near any windows or external doors, sipping on cheap coffee and chatting with the various agents kind enough to keep me company.

While most conversations were nice and pleasant, after many months of chit-chat, it started to feel like they were merely drilling me for information about my life and interests.

Days sleeping on mattress atop a conference table soon turned to weeks and then months as both sides tried to sure up their cases. Even when I was on the stand, giving my eye witness account that conformed perfectly with the evidence at the scene, it wasn't a done deal. First they had gone after my intoxication on the night in question, then the secrecy surrounding surrounding me.

Even after I had given my testimony the threats didn't stop, with my car and home being broken into the day I had originally planned to return home. Thankfully, Agent Davies had invited me to dinner with his missus or who knows what could have happened.

It was that night that it was decided that I would be relocated, not just on paper but completely and irrevocably.

The heat radiating from the device is no joke, sweat rapidly beginning to build over my body as I inch closer and into the muggy and humid air clinging to the machine. The air around it is almost electric, the moisture in the air leaving it feeling almost thick and resistant to the touch.

I'm forced to push myself forward, my rough and filthy sneakers sliding against the dusty and wet wooden floor as I stumble over.

"Careful" Carl calls out, his beady blue eyes going wide as he watches me catch myself on the mouth of the machine. "This thing is likely to give you a one way ticket to frostbite or electrocution if you touch her..."

The sound from his voice suddenly turns dull and unintelligible, a deep warbling replacing it as though he was trying to shout at me while submerged in water. As I lean over the flat sheet metal wrapped in duct acting as a makeshift bed I feel the pressure around me rapidly build before pulling away as my skin tugs away and into the short lived vacuum.

Gripping at the edge of the 'bed' with white knuckled fists I glance back at Carl, the sight behind me leaving me moments from losing my admittedly very scant lunch.

The wide and doughy man appears to ripple and shimmer like some sort of mirage, his stocky frame and overweight belly wobbling as though it was the wax inside a lava lamp. The whole room follows suit, the shelves and lights flickering and melting like butter on a hotplate before snapping back to normal only a second later.

Squinting at Carl I think I see him make some sort of gesture before turning away, his attention being drawn away by another agent entering the poorly hidden room. His hand wobbles and wiggles in such a manner it makes the gesture hard to read, was he beckoning me out or telling me to go inside. I listen for a moment, waiting to hear something change, only for the constant droning and occasional crackle of static through the moist air to continue unabated.

Panting from the sickening humid heat I begin to climb inside, my blood running cold and my heart pounding so hard it leaves my head bobbing slightly. I shiver and shake as I crawl inside the device, the exposed freezing cold pipes and deadly wires doing little to calm my nerves.

With each minor movement I feel the pressure around me build more and more, the sudden releases of the atmosphere around me sending my dirty shirt fluttering.

Looking around I can see... something, embedded inside the tangle of wires and pipes. Sheets of perfectly smooth metal appear to be pried apart with heavy industrial wires, the taut and straining cables looking odd as they restrain what appears to be sheets of aluminum that are only a fraction of an inch thick.

Suddenly, as I shift my arm forward for another crawling step something seems to click. The air around me snaps as atmosphere upon atmosphere of pressure slams me down into the tape and pins my arms to my side. Blood drips from my nose, the impact breaking something before I'm lifted into the air by the force imprisoning me.

Slowly, I begin to spin around inside the chamber. Arcs of bright blue energy bound from the exposed 'aluminum' sheets, launching themselves at my flesh. I brace myself for their burning touch, for the convulsions of my muscles and the stinging pain it would bring. However, no such pain comes.

Looking down I watch in amazement and horror for but a moment before the pressure forces my neck back in line with my body, the force feeling as though it would snap my neck if I didn't comply. The bolts of blinding blue light ripping their way through the air seem to burrow into my skin, my flesh bulging as the warm energy worms its way deep inside of me.

I open my mouth to scream, the sight and the feeling of the seemingly living lightning crawling through my innards putting the fear of god into me, the second I do so I quickly realize my mistake. The slithering arcs of energy quickly plunge into my mouth, my lips burning as my throat bulges with the intrusion. With the new easier entry point I feel the surge race through me, embedding themselves in every inch of my being.

My skin bulges and writhes, my muscles quivering and my bones bending awkwardly as I feel the wriggling masses shift and move throughout me in search of something. Tears fill my eyes, the pressure pinning me down fighting painfully to bend my bulbous body into shape. 

My vision grows hazier by the second, the bright lights of the arcing energy searing my eyes as they begin to appear with greater and greater frequency. Soon they return to poking and prodding at my skin, what few that can't find purchase in my flesh turning to my clothes instead.

Suddenly, with a gagging retch I feel my jaw pop as my mouth distends. In an instant the wriggling and writhing lights emerge from my broken maw, their light dimmer and carrying a richer yellow hue to them as they slither back into the metal of the device.

In a mater of moments I feel normal again, only the memory of how the shifting inside had felt remaining as the outside pressure pounds me back into shape.

Without any warning I find myself slamming back down into the bed, thankfully landing my back this time as the force holding my aloft suddenly ceases. I groan with pain and discomfort, my skin crawling and body aching after the assault on my senses. For a moment I try to work out how I was going to slide myself out of the narrow passage I am in, the powered up device making it hard to wriggle out.

 

Pausing for a second to catch my breath I notice something, I can hear myself breathing. Not just that, I can hear my heart hammering in my chest as well.

The room is entirely silent, the machine having been entirely shut off to be not even in standby mode. With a tentative hand I reach out, gripping the side with a wince as I feel my hand tingle and ache under even the slightest touch.

"Fuck... fuck shit..." I whimper softly, panting and huffing as I slide my way down inch by painful inch.

Before long I manage to reach the end, cocking an eyebrow as I look around the oddly dark room. Carl is nowhere to be seen, nor is the laptop that had turned the damned thing on in the first place. The lights seem to be in emergency lighting mode, two extremely dim florescent tubes guiding me towards the exit.

The air is dusty and dry, a far cry from the humid and hot air that had come off the cooling coils surrounding the mystery device. Despite the lack of moisture and heat everything around me feels electric, the whole world seeming to buzz with a static hum mere inches from my body at all times.

For a moment I'm left stupefied, my eyes darting around the room in search for some sort of understanding before it suddenly hits me.

"I never needed the machine..." I squeak, musing to myself quietly as I tap at the tap covered bed. "So they must keep it off unless they need..." I begin to state, jumping from the metal tray to get to my feet.

My sentence is cut short as my feet hit the floor, the heavy impact of my shoes against the floor triggering something in the heavily charged air around me. I scream in shock as the room is suddenly illuminated with a shower of bright orange sparks, my feet erupting into a blaze like freshly lit thermite.

As the sparks spray out I can't help by feel relief, a tight and pressure-filled sensation inside me suddenly relieving itself in the effected area. The difference is starling as it sinks in, the rest of my body feeling as though it is made of crate paper on the verge of tearing under some kind of internal force.

I'm forced to shield my eyes, unsure if the hail of bright fiery sparks are harmful. However, as the impossible light dies down, the bouncing motes dimming as they burn out, I glance down to see what the hell had caused the reaction in the first place.

My jaw drops as I stare at my feet, wriggling my toes in disbelief as I stare in awe at the familiar sight beneath me. Gone are the sweaty old sneakers, the only pair of shoes I had worn for the past few months suddenly being replaced with...