Rise of the Fallen: Ascensionis

It’s a chilly February morning in Center City, Philadelphia. The serenity of the sky is suddenly overcome with the blaring sounds of police car sirens. Thirty year old Lieutenant Barbara Echevarria is sitting on the edge of a bed inside of the Four Seasons Hotel. Her long dark brown hair sways back and forth against her slightly tanned skin as she gathers her belongings. While rushing to get her jeans on, thirty-five year old Jonathan Morales turns over and shows his bare, muscular chest while yawning.

“Come back to bed, Barbara. I’m sure they can handle it.”

Barbara glances at his chest and indeed is tempted to stay in bed with him. His wedding ring catches her attention when he uses his hand to brush his hair. This doesn’t bother her. She enjoys having things just the way they are. No commitments. No children. No bullshit. Just get the sex out of the way and move on with life as usual. Barbara’s known Jonathan since her childhood so he understands her wishes to not be tied down.

She replies, “Sorry, Jonathan. I need to be there.”

Barbara exits the apartment and runs toward the elevator. She then glances down at her watch and sees that it’s currently 8:55 AM. The traffic is going to be a nightmare. Lieutenant Barbara Echevarria is considered the best hostage negotiator in Pennsylvania having a very high rate of success in ending the situation with little or no violence. At exactly eight in the morning, a deranged individual took a classroom hostage at the Friends Select School in Center City.

Barbara opens the driver’s side door of her vintage Mustang and quickly enters. She starts the engine and the tires screech as her foot pushes down the gas pedal. Her cell phone rings. The image on the screen is of her captain.

“I shouldn’t do this but...”

Barbara takes her eyes off of the street for just a few seconds to answer the call. When she looks up, the traffic has stopped because of a red light ahead. With not enough time to hit the brakes, Barbara turns the steering wheel and successfully avoids an accident. She turns her head to her left and is shocked at the sight of a tractor trailer truck getting ready to impact the car.

She whispers, “No.”

The truck slams into the car and the passenger window shatters into pieces. A shard of glass punctures Barbara’s right eye and she screams in pain as the car begins to tilt. The onlookers witness in horror as the car flips over and over again. The flipping finally comes to an end and the demolished car is on what’s left of its tires. Barbara notices the scent of gasoline and struggles to open the crushed passenger door.

Barbara begins to lose consciousness due to the tremendous blood loss. The car suddenly gets engulfed with flames and she begins to cry as she witnesses her own legs catching fire. People outside begin to scream in terror as they watch Barbara get cooked alive. Out of nowhere, a police officer opens the passenger door and Barbara’s burning body falls to the street. Her body quickly gets covered with blankets to put out the fire. Barbara finally loses all consciousness.

She inexplicably finds herself deep within what looks like a secluded forest. It is once again the same recurring dream where she sees herself in the body of a scared little girl running through the woods...as if searching for something.

Barbara slowly opens her eye and notices a nurse injecting her with a syringe. Her eye looks around and she realizes that she is in a hospital room.

The nurse looks at her and says with a southern accent, “You’re awake. Good. Try not to talk, okay? Your vocal cords are severely damaged.”

She notices the blurry form of a person sitting on a chair beside her. It’s Jonathan. His eyelids are swollen and his face covered with a mixture of sweat and tears. He rises to his feet and walks until he is standing next to her. The burns on her face are so severe that she can’t even manage to form a smile. He places his finger on her lips to prevent her from speaking.

“My God, Barbara. It’s a miracle you survived. You know that?”

Of course, Jonathan doesn’t expect her to respond and takes a deep breath before talking again. The heavily bandaged thing on the hospital bed that used to be beautiful is now staring at him with that one eye...eyebrows burned off completely. Never, in his wildest imagination, did he envision getting repulsed by her appearance.

“I have to go soon. I just wanted to tell you that...I can’t do this. What we had was wonderful, but it has to end.”

Barbara begins grunting and twisting her bandaged body in a state of panic. She is feeling vulnerable right now and the only person that comes the closest to a best friend is leaving her...tossing her away to the garbage can like a charred chunk of over-barbecued beef.

“Stop it! I can’t take care of you...I mean, your legs are gone for God’s sake!”

A raspy and nasty sound comes out of Barbara’s mouth. “What?”

She looks down and finds that what Jonathan is saying is true. Her legs are gone...forever. She shakes her head in denial and looks up at the ceiling praying to God in silence (because her throat still hurts from whispering that one word) that this is all a nightmare.

The nurse becomes outraged at Jonathan’s lack of compassion and tells him using a scornful tone, “That’s it. Get out of here before I call security, you son of a bitch.”

Jonathan places his hand over his mouth and wishes that he could take back what he said to her. The nurse is right. He’s a selfish son of a bitch and a rotten excuse for a friend. He immediately exits the room to avoid upsetting her even more and whispers, “I’m so sorry, Barbara.”

Barbara uses her head as if requesting that the nurse come closer. She whispers into her ear while crying, “Kill...me.”

“You know I can’t do that, girl. God saved you for a reason. Don’t you give up on Him now. Sleep...that’s what you need. Rest.”

Barbara is too upset to sleep but finds it impossible to keep her eyelids open. They close and she falls asleep. She awakens again the following day and the person sitting beside her comes into focus. Barbara looks at this old, white-haired man with curiosity.

He grins and says with a thick Swiss accent, “Welcome back, Lieutenant.”

Barbara continues to stare at this strange old man whom she does not recognize. His age has to be somewhere in the range of sixties to early seventies. She closes her eyes and thinks about the children at the school. The man says to her while gazing at his watch, “Just so you know, the children from the school survived. The terrorist surrendered.”

He moves closer to Barbara and asks, “I bet you’re wondering who the hell I am, yes?”

The old man sits back and says in a serious manner, “My name is Dr. Frankenstein. Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein.”

Barbara’s eye widens and she whispers, “Nurse!”

“You don’t believe me. All stories originate from a truth.”

He turns his head and motions to the mysterious person waiting outside to come inside. The person walks inside and Barbara is somewhat confused by his...or her...appearance. It is difficult to determine the gender of this pale-skinned person with long, straight black hair. He or she walks and stands next to Dr. Frankenstein. Barbara stares at this person’s facial structure. Its nose is smaller than a regular person’s and its mouth is just a thin slit with feminine lips. She then looks nervously at Dr. Frankenstein.

He says to Barbara, “This is my friend, Indrid Cold.”

Barbara cannot believe what she is witnessing and clicks on the button in her hand to summon the nurse. Not a sound is heard as she frantically presses the button several times.

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant. We cannot have any interruptions.”

Dr. Frankenstein stands up and says in a higher tone, “I’m going to have Indrid create a telepathic bubble for us.”

He then closes the door and nods to Indrid Cold. She removes her sunglasses to reveal her eyes. Barbara is shocked to see that they are both completely black. However, there is a shimmer caused by the light inside of the hospital room and she can now see her reflection. They remind her of the time when she was about ten and she found a shiny obsidian ring while looking through her grandmother’s jewelry box. All of a sudden, a strange wave is seen emanating from Indrid’s body. The three of them are consumed by the telepathic bubble which resembles being underwater. Barbara looks at Dr. Frankenstein and thinks, “Am I dreaming? Is this real?”

Dr. Frankenstein replies by thinking, “This is not a dream, Lieutenant. It is very much real.”

Indrid adds by thinking, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Barbara Echevarria.”

Barbara gives Indrid a frightened look and begins to wonder why her right eye is covered completely.

Indrid informs her, “Your right eye has been removed.”

The news makes her close her eye and wish that this all was just a terrible nightmare. But this is the harsh reality.

“What do you want?”

Dr. Frankenstein smiles and replies by thinking, “I want to fix you. Make you better. Give you another eye. If you allow me, I can make you into something extraordinary and beautiful.”

“You want to turn me into a monster? You want to fix me with dead body parts?”

Dr. Frankenstein laughs. “No, my dear. I will be using state of the art technology. Think of it as prosthetics but with living android tissue.”

Barbara does not reply and instead looks down at her amputated legs. She starts to see the grim reality that awaits her. Years of therapy and constant pain. Not to mention that she’ll also have to get accustomed to using one eye. She would also face not being able to continue with her job as a hostage negotiator. Would she be able to cope with all of that and relying on the help of other people after years of being independent?

Dr. Frankenstein waits patiently for Barbara’s response. He looks at Indrid and begins to wonder if he made the correct choice. Indrid nods and looks down at Barbara. After several minutes of silence, Barbara looks up at Dr. Frankenstein with a stern expression on her bandaged face.

“What would happen to my life if I accept? Would I be able to continue living normally?”

Dr. Frankenstein hesitates and gently strokes his white goatee while explaining, “No. You will need to leave all of that behind. To the public, you will have died from extensive injuries.”

Barbara now realizes why Dr. Frankenstein chose her. She has no family. Her parents are dead. She never married and does not have any children. No one would really miss her. She looks up at Dr. Frankenstein and nods in acceptance. He clenches his fist and sighs with relief. The doctor gently places his hand on her forehead and gestures to Indrid to step closer. He then says, “Very well. We’ll be starting right now, Barbara. Indrid will stop your heart and you will die shortly afterwards.”

Indrid ends the telepathic session and looks deeply into Barbara’s eye. She quickly becomes consumed with an overwhelming sensation of fear. Her body begins to shake violently and the heart monitor beeps faster and faster. In the blink of an eye, both Indrid and Dr. Frankenstein disappear. The nurse opens the door and quickly runs to Barbara’s side while frantically shouting.

“Code blue! Bring the cart!”

She finally gives a long gasp and passes away. The faint sound of a doctor yelling, “Five milligrams of Epinephrine stat!” is heard nearby. The noise of the panic-stricken voices gradually lowers to the point that only mumbling can be heard.

Another dream. Barbara is now hiding but she does not know the reason. The freezing rain is coming down hard and she is finding it difficult to prevent her teeth from chattering. In the distance, men are screaming obscenities in Spanish. Maybe she is trying to hide from them?

Barbara awakens and finds herself sitting on what seems to be a dentist’s chair. She raises her hand and gently touches her new blue eye. She then realizes that her hand looks different. It is a feminine hand but not her own. The skin complexion is lighter and is missing the scar she got on her elbow when she was a child. She looks up her arm and begins to breathe nervously when she notices how the skin tone gets darker. Dr. Frankenstein suddenly appears behind Barbara and says, “Welcome back to the world of the living! Oh, and sorry about the heart attack. I could not risk an autopsy finding something suspicious in your bloodstream.”

She does not reply and looks in amazement at her newly implanted legs. She then begins to cry with happiness as she wiggles her toes. Dr. Frankenstein lowers his head next to hers and whispers, “Extraordinary. Is it not?”

Barbara laughs as she nods in agreement. She then wraps her arms around the doctor’s neck and hugs him tightly. He strokes her half-blonde, half-black hair gently as he grins at her.

“I’ll just perform a few final tests and then you’ll be able to meet the others.”

Dr. Frankenstein walks toward his computer terminal and sits down on his chair. After typing several commands, a robotic arm appears and moves toward Barbara. She is fascinated by the sophisticated design which reminds her of a science fiction movie. A needle begins to protrude out of one of its fingers. Without looking at Barbara, he says, “I need to make sure that your nerves are operating properly. You may feel just a slight bit of pain.”

She squints in pain as the needle touches each one of her fingers and toes. She then realizes that she feels nothing when the needle inserts into the toes of her left foot.

Dr. Frankenstein notices this and says, “Don’t worry. I will take care of that.”

Barbara’s eyes widen as Dr. Frankenstein grabs hold of a much longer needle. He looks at her and says, “I’ll need for you to look down at the floor, Barbara.”

After a brief hesitation, she lowers her head as instructed. Dr. Frankenstein walks toward Barbara and says with a sort of fatherly concern in his voice, “This is going to feel strange and somewhat uncomfortable but it is extremely important that you remain still.”

She gasps as she feels the needle puncture the skin of the back of her neck. After completely inserting the needle, Dr. Frankenstein walks back to his computer terminal. As he quickly types, Barbara asks, “Do you work for the government?”

He grins and replies, “I used to. My father, Victor Frankenstein, was part of a secretive program called Project Paperclip back in 1945. It was then that he was working on his first experiment. Ah ha...there is the problem.”

After a moment of silence, he continues, “Harry Truman found the prospect of having a super soldier very enticing. A soldier that did not need sleep nor food and immune to any form of disease.”

Dr. Frankenstein stands up and walks toward Barbara. As he gently removes the needle from her neck, he says, “My father’s experiment was comprised of the remains of deceased human beings. After bringing him to life, he noticed something about him. He was not just a mindless creature. To his amazement, this creature had a very gentle soul and the curiosity of a child. My father was determined to find a way for him to escape and live a peaceful life away from humanity.”

He walks back to his computer terminal and sits down. The robotic arm activates and proceeds to insert the needle into each one of Barbara’s toes. This time, she feels the pain. Dr. Frankenstein sits back and reminisces.

“He lives out there deep in the wilderness. He has been spotted from time to time on several occasions and has been given a name. Bigfoot.”

Barbara opens her mouth slightly to express her shock and says, “No way.”

Dr. Frankenstein stands up and points to the folded clothing beside him. He smiles as he looks at Barbara and says, “Enough about me. Here are your clothes. I’ll be waiting outside to give you a tour of this facility and introduce you to the others.”

She clumsily stands up and asks, “Where am I?”

As he opens the door and begins to walk out, he turns his head and replies, “Careful, now. It will take you some time to get accustomed. You need to see it to believe it.”

Barbara puts her clothes on and walks toward the door. She searches for a way to open it because it lacks a door knob. As soon as she steps forward, the door slides open. While taking a peek outside, she sees how the tunnel resembles the inside of a submarine.

“Is this supposed to shock me?”

He does not reply and climbs up the ladder. She shakes her head in disappointment and follows his lead. Her eyes squint as she looks up at the opening. Suddenly, her new eye glows a bright blue and Barbara is now able to zoom further. They are inside of a building maybe? Why is the ceiling moving? She proceeds to slowly climb up the ladder. A wrinkly, old hand appears and she grabs it tightly.

Dr. Frankenstein pulls on Barbara’s hand until she is finally able to stand on her feet. To her surprise, she sees that they are inside of a transparent dome. Stepping closer to the wall, she becomes startled at the sight of several fish swimming by. Barbara raises her hand and slowly begins to touch the wall with her finger. She feels the coldness as her fingertip makes contact with the water. Almost as if the wall doesn’t exist. She pulls out her finger and stares at the water as it drips to the floor. Dr. Frankenstein asks, “How’s this for shocking?”

“How is this possible?”

“I could try to explain it. However, I need you awake for the rest of the tour.”

Dr. Frankenstein extends his arm. Barbara walks toward him and places her hand in his arm. As they proceed to walk down a long corridor, she is amazed at the beautiful oceanic life swimming around them. They reach the end of the corridor and Dr. Frankenstein motions with his hand allowing Barbara to walk through the doorway first. She steps forward and the door slides open. Barbara does not believe what she sees in front of her. The way to best describe this marvelous architecture would be imagining the departure area of an airport decorated with marble floors and walls. The Corinthian style pillars were also made of marble and lined with a gold-like substance which made it glisten. The windows were similar to the transparent dome structure in that one can feel the water outside. Dr. Frankenstein stands beside Barbara and says, “Welcome to Atlantis.”

As they walk toward the exit, Barbara stares in awe at the statue of Poseidon located at the center of the main fountain. Upon exiting, she realizes that they have entered inside of a spherical transportation device. The door closes behind them and Dr. Frankenstein tells the navigation system, “To the main castle.”

A small quake is felt as the pod detaches itself from the departure station. The pod hums and Barbara almost loses her balance as it accelerates suddenly along the tube. She looks out of the window and is taken aback by the sight of the numerous interconnecting tubes in the ocean. Barbara turns her head and looks at Dr. Frankenstein in a state of wonder. Similar to a little girl going to the zoo for the very first time. The pod spins and arrives backwards to another station. A quake is felt as it attaches itself and the door slides open. Barbara gets nervous as she stares at the doorway. Dr. Frankenstein says, “You’re afraid of what’s out there, aren’t you?” He stands up and walks outside. He then raises his hand slightly.

“It’s normal to fear what you don’t understand.”

Barbara looks down at his open palm and reaches for it. The doctor takes her hand and gently pulls her until she steps outside. She despises feeling vulnerable and depending on another for safety after living most of her life independently. And now, she’s met the real Dr. Victor Frankenstein who has reconstructed most of her body with robotic parts and coming face to face with what she thought was a work of fiction. Barbara gets startled as she hears the echo of a familiar voice in her head. It then becomes clear that the voice belongs to Indrid Cold.

“Hello, Barbara Echevarria.”

Indrid Cold shakes Dr. Frankenstein’s hand and gives Barbara an unintentionally creepy smile. She then says with sympathy, or at least trying to, “Please forgive me. I know the heart attack was not a pleasant experience.”

“It’s okay.”

Barbara gasps as her ear gets flicked by an unseen force and quickly turns around. To her surprise, she discovers nothing behind her. Dr. Frankenstein grins at the puzzled expression on Barbara’s face.

She covers her ear with her hand and asks, “Did you see that?”

A strand of her blond hair gradually begins to rise and she stares in disbelief. After a while, Barbara grabs her hair and begins to walk backwards. Dr. Frankenstein can’t help but laugh and says, “That’s enough, Henry. Stop scaring your new teammate.”

A young man with blond hair materializes from thin air. He is dressed in a rather old-fashioned manner. As if he was transported from the 1940s. He replies, “Thanks a lot, Doc! I was having fun!”

Dr. Frankenstein walks toward Barbara and rests his hand on her shoulder.

“You’ll have to forgive him, Barbara. Allow me to introduce Henry Walter Griffin. As you may have guessed, he is the Invisible Man.”

Henry takes a step forward and nods. He then says, “Sorry for spooking you like that, Miss.”

Barbara studies his antiquated attire and asks, “What’s with the outfit? You realize that we’re way past the forties?”

Henry glances over at Dr. Frankenstein and says, “I like her.”

The doctor replies to Barbara, “His power of invisibility was acquired during the Philadelphia Experiment. He was one of the few sailors from the USS Eldridge that mysteriously disappeared.”

Henry continues the story by saying, “I reappeared two years ago at the same age as when I left in 1943.” He then looks at Dr. Frankenstein and asks, “Hey, where’s Dave?”

He replies frankly, “You know him by now, Henry. We need to go and speak with Queen Thessalonike.”

As Dr. Frankenstein leads the group toward the main gate of Atlantis, Barbara asks him, “What’s up with this Dave?”

He replies candidly, “Werewolves are solitary creatures.”

She stops walking and says in a low sarcastic tone, “Of course, he’s a werewolf.”

One of the guards at the main entrance touches the pillar next to him. Barbara arrives and notices that area around the guard’s hand glows and becomes a touchscreen panel. Similar to the seven inch tablets used in her previous life. He uses his finger to make a complicated gesture and the sound of the gate unlocking is heard afterwards. As the gate opens, Barbara stares in amazement at the sheer size and beauty of Atlantis. It resembles Italy’s city of water, known as Venice, with paths of water instead of streets and highways. The guard welcomes Dr. Frankenstein as the group enters the majestic kingdom under the sea.

They arrive at a docking bay with several futuristic boats gently bobbing up and down on the water. Indrid’s body suddenly gets consumed by a dark and misty shadow. Barbara is horrified by what she is witnessing. The shadowy figure sprouts moth-like wings and reveals mesmerizing red eyes. In the blink of an eye, the creature goes airborne and flies off toward the city. Barbara remains speechless as she points her finger upward and looks at Dr. Frankenstein. He shakes his head and informs her, “Indrid has never really liked boats.”

Henry scoffs as he sits down and adds, “Humph! She’s a show off.”

Dr. Frankenstein sits down at the driver’s seat and touches the screen in front of him. The boat hums as it turns on. He looks at the still bewildered Barbara and shouts, “Barbara!” She becomes startled and looks at the doctor. He then says, “Shall we depart?”

Barbara nods and while stepping onto the boat, replies, “That was the scariest shit I’ve ever seen.”

Henry giggles in a sinister manner and says, “Wait until you see the queen.”

His comment causes Barbara’s eyes to quickly widen with fear. As the boat departs the docking bay, Dr. Frankenstein sternly says, “Don’t listen to him. Queen Thessalonike is beauty beyond all imagination.”

As the boat makes its way down a long path of water, Barbara can’t help but be in utter disbelief at the civilization around her.

“So, where is this city located exactly?”

“It’s located just off the southeastern coast of the United States.”

Barbara thinks for a moment and realizes that what he is referring to is the imaginary location noted for unexplained disappearances.

“The Bermuda Triangle. Okay. Does that mean that we just disappeared off the face of the Earth?”

Dr. Frankenstein does not reply and instead focuses his attention on the paper thin monitor. He touches the screen and it instantly disappears into the control panel. Indrid Cold gazes at the approaching vessel with her shimmering black eyes. She sees Dr. Frankenstein maneuver the boat sideways until it attaches itself onto the docking bay. As the crew exits the boat, a young woman approaches. She has very long, brown hair and is wearing an ancient Roman tunica palmata. Dr. Frankenstein bows in respect.

“We have arrived, my lady. Salve.”

She nods and turns her head to look at Barbara.

“I assume this is the one.”

“Yes. Allow me to introduce Barbara Echevarria. Barbara, this is Royal Guard Commander Derceto.”

She is slightly intimidated by the stare of the Commander and extends her hand. Derceto glances down at her hand and grins at Barbara’s kind gesture. The Commander awkwardly shakes her hand and greets her. “Salve.”

Derceto focuses her attention on Dr. Frankenstein and says, “Come. The queen awaits.”

Commander Derceto proceeds to walk up the steps that head toward the enormous main gate of the castle. While the group follows her, Barbara glances at the wondrous marble structure which reminds her of the ancient Roman architecture found in history books. Upon entering, the first thing she notices are Corinthian pillars similar to those found earlier in the departure area. The marble floor is somehow different in the towering castle. Its design is quite unique in that water is seen flowing between the thin and intricate cracks. Numerous fountains and statues decorate the inside of this royal palace. Barbara stands next to a fountain and reaches out to feel the soothing water touch the palm of her hand. She tastes the clear liquid and is surprised to find it is the most refreshing water she has ever drank in her entire life! As Barbara catches up to the group, she notices two extremely tall and muscular guards standing on each side of the entrance to the throne room. Their attire is similar to that of the legendary Spartan warriors of ancient times. They both touch the pillars at the same time and the tall doors begin to slowly open.

The captivating sight of the throne room is, without a doubt, the most enchanting thus far. The room’s Romanesque windows are transparent showing the ocean life instead of stained glass. In the middle of the floor exists a gigantic, oval shaped pool. As the group reaches the edge of the pool, Commander Derceto raises her hand.

“All of you must wait here.”

Barbara notices a stairway on the other side exiting the water and leading to the queen’s throne. She is startled by the sight of a shadowy figure maneuvering its way underwater toward the marble steps. To her surprise, the figure has long hair with a feminine body. Most shocking, however, is the sight of what seems to be a fish tail where her legs should be. Two young and beautiful women are seen walking down the steps to meet with this mysterious creature. One of them is holding a towel while the other is holding a long, tan colored tunic. Henry taps Barbara’s shoulder and whispers, “This is my favorite part.”

A head with very long, white hair pokes out of the water. As the beautiful woman uses her hands to make her way up the steps, a dry towel is placed over her naked body. The fish tail then magically changes into human legs and feet. The woman stands up and allows herself to be dried with the towel. She then proceeds to put on the tunic while walking up the steps. She turns around and looks at the group standing on the other side of the pool.

Her aquamarine eyes meet with Barbara’s stare and she proclaims, “I am Thessalonike. Queen of Atlantis. Salvete.”

Dr. Frankenstein bows respectfully. “Salve, your highness.”

The queen’s expression quickly changes to that of concern upon hearing Indrid Cold say, “Salve.” and slowly sits down on her throne.

“Indrid Cold. Not to seem impolite...but I would rather not see you here.”

Dr. Frankenstein steps forward and explains, “Our apologies, my lady. I must inform you that Indrid has told me of a great tragedy that may occur.”

Queen Thessalonike raises her hand to interrupt him and looks at Derceto. She asks, “Are we to be affected by this tragedy, Derceto?”

Derceto becomes saddened and replies, “Yes, my queen. It is unclear as to how we will be affected.”

Queen Thessalonike uses her hand to brush her hair away from her eyes. Her hair may be white, but her face reflects the youthfulness of a twenty-eight year old woman. Her mesmerizing irises are colored an opaque aquamarine giving them an eerie appearance. She says in an authoritative tone, “Very well. Indrid Cold and Derceto. I will speak with the both of you in my private chambers.”

She looks at Dr. Frankenstein and continues, “Ludwig. You may take Mr. Griffin and...your new project...”.

Barbara interrupts her and says, “My name is Barbara.”

Dr. Frankenstein becomes very annoyed at her outburst and gives her a cold stare. The queen is both shocked and impressed with Barbara’s seemingly bold nature. He then whispers, “Barbara! You must show respect.”

Queen Thessalonike grins and says in an apologetic manner, “No, Victor. She is well within her right. Please accept my apologies...Barbara.”

Barbara nervously nods and replies, “Thank you, your highness.”

The group is suddenly startled by the loud sound of a girl yelling, “Dad!”

Dr. Frankenstein turns around and sees a sixteen year-old Caucasian girl with long, brown hair running towards him with her arms wide open. He laughs as he hugs and raises her in the air.

“Salve, my little konfect!”

He lowers her and, with his arm around her, looks at Barbara. “Barbara. This is Princess Alexandria. My daughter.”

Alexandria slowly walks toward Barbara and stares at her face with curiosity. Barbara feels awkward at this moment and simply greets her by saying, “Hello. I mean, salve.”

The wide eyed princess touches her face and says, “This is her, isn’t it? This is amazing work, dad.”

Before Dr. Frankenstein has time to reply, a little puppy enters the room frantically wagging its tail. The doctor is shocked by what he sees and asks, “A puppy? Here?”

Alexandria picks up the puppy and hugs it. “This is Fluffy. My science project!”

Fluffy growls and lets out a strange, computerized bark. Almost as if he were using a speech synthesizer.

Barbara giggles and asks her, “Is the bite worse than the bark?”

As the group laughs, Alexandria becomes annoyed and replies, “I haven’t finished him yet! I’d like to see you do better, Miss Two Tone!”

Queen Thessalonike becomes offended by her daughter’s behavior and yells, “Enough, Alexandria! This behavior is unbecoming of a princess and I will not tolerate your blatant disrespect of our guests.”

Alexandria turns around to look at her mother and attempts to defend herself by replying, “But, mom!”

The queen raises her hand to silence her and gives her a piercing stare while shouting, “You are to escort our guests to their rooms.”

Alexandria sighs in frustration and mutters, “Fine.”

As the group follows the princess, Dr. Frankenstein stays behind to speak privately to the queen.

“Thessa. She is just a child.”

Thessalonike does not reply right away and slowly makes her way to her chambers. She gives him one last look and asks, “Have you decided to be her parent now?”

Dr. Frankenstein lowers his head in shame and remains silent.

The queen continues in a stern manner, “She becomes so happy when you arrive, Ludwig. As do I. The truth remains that you do not witness her sadness when you leave.”

The guilt-ridden doctor is speechless as he watches Queen Thessalonike walk away with Derceto and Indrid. After a few minutes of pondering his past decisions, he turns around and exits the throne room. The doors gradually close behind him.

A door slides open and Barbara is completely enamored by the way her room is decorated. In the center lies an oval shaped pool similar to the one found in the throne room but on a much smaller scale. She curiously looks at a huge cushion which resembles an over-sized bean bag. Princess Alexandria giggles as she runs past Barbara and jumps onto the cushion while holding Fluffy in her arms. The puppy barks as the princess contorts her body into different positions. While doing this, the cushion magically comes to life and begins moving on its own. She stops moving and looks at a stunned Barbara.

“You’re going to absolutely fall in love with this bed, Two Tone! It positions itself depending on how you are sleeping. Only giving the best night’s sleep ever!”

Barbara laughs at the girl’s refreshing silliness. It feels so good to be in the company of someone with such a vibrant personality. She notices a large mirror on the wall and decides to walk toward it to glimpse at the reflection of her new body. Barbara gently caresses her face with her hand and is taken aback by her blue iris. She whispers, “I’m a monster.”

Alexandria appears next to her and gazes upon the reflection of her guest. She rests her head on Barbara’s shoulder and replies, “Well, I think you look unique. In a good way. I’d rather be like you than having my legs turn into a fish tail when I touch the water.”

Barbara is touched by the sweet girl’s attempt to cheer her up. “Do you know anything about what Indrid saw, princess?”

Alexandria gazes at the floor and replies, “No. Dad never tells me anything. All I heard is that Indrid appears when the shit hits the fan.”

Barbara is shocked by the foul language and gently shoves her. She then says, “Hey! That behavior is unbecoming and disrespectful, young lady!”

Alexandria laughs, punches her shoulder and shouts loudly, “Shut up!”

She picks up Fluffy and makes her way toward the door. As the door slides open, the princess looks at Barbara and says, “See you at dinner. Barbara.”

“I’ll see you there.”

Barbara then raises her hand slightly and waves at her. The door slides until it closes and she gazes at an empty bed that looks strange. Not strange in that it’s like something out of a James Bond movie. Strange as in not having Jonathan there calling for her.

Dr. Frankenstein is sitting at the dinner table and watching the news on his tablet. Alexandria appears and blocks the doctor’s view with her head. While observing the screen, she asks him, “What you lookin’ at, dad?”

The anchorwoman is seen explaining the details of current events.

“In business news. CEO of StarSun, a major pharmaceutical company, Theodore F. Reubens has officially announced his retirement.”

As Dr. Frankenstein gently pushes Alexandria’s head aside, she moans with boredom and says, “Eewwww. News. What’s that have to do with us, dad?”

“Any business decisions that are made by these multinational corporations affect everyone. Whether it is to a large or small extent, konfect.” He kisses her forehead and then pays attention to the anchorwoman.

“Thirty-eight year-old COO Diana Garrison will be taking over as Chief Executive Officer of one of largest corporations in the world. She will be addressing the media tomorrow and CNN will be there to provide coverage of the press conference.”

Henry lights a cigarette and inhales deeply. As he exhales, he tells the doctor, “All this time I’ve been away and nothing’s changed, Doc. The poor stay poor while the rich get richer.”

Dr. Frankenstein’s eyes focus on Henry and he replies, “That is a sad fact of life, Henry. This may be a game that the average person loses every single time, but one must be informed. Otherwise, you run the risk of...”

At this point, Dr. Frankenstein notices Alexandria sticking her finger in her mouth pretending to induce vomiting. She quickly stops and smiles innocently at him. He looks at Henry and mutters, “The never-ending joys of parenthood.”

Barbara enters the dining room and is instantly greeted by Alexandria. The princess hugs her and Barbara is pleasantly surprised by her gesture of affection. Similar to Alexandria, she was also an only child. Perhaps the young girl has come to consider her as an older sister? She looks at the concerned expression on Dr. Frankenstein’s face and immediately knows what he’s thinking. When the time comes to go back up, she will be heart-broken once again. Alexandria takes her by the hand and walks her to the table. Barbara sits down and asks Dr. Frankenstein, “Doctor? May I ask what exactly Indrid saw?”

He puts away the tablet and replies in a low voice, “That is what all of us are going to discuss, my dear.”

Alexandria sits next to Barbara and adds, “Finally.”

He points his finger at her and commands, “You will be going to your room. This is not for your ears.”

Alexandria moans in frustration and folds her arms. She feels a sharp pain on her toe and yells, “Ow!”

The princess angrily looks under the table and realizes that it is Fluffy playing with her feet. After a brief pause, a mischievous grin appears on her face and she whispers to herself, “You’ll be my ears.”

Queen Thessalonike enters the room and everyone stands to welcome her. A minute later, Alexandria stands up as well. Before the queen even says a word to her, the princess waves goodbye and runs out of the room. Thessalonike quickly looks at Dr. Frankenstein with a concerned expression. They both know their daughter all too well and wonder why she didn’t throw her typical tantrum. The queen puts the thought out of her mind and orders the royal guards to shut the door. Alexandria is outside watching the doors gradually close with eager anticipation.

Alexandria’s bedroom door slides open and she excitedly runs inside. She jumps onto her bed and opens up her laptop. The sound of numerous keystrokes are heard as she accesses her school project’s main program. The Linux terminal pauses...suddenly, another window pops up showing Fluffy’s point of view of Barbara’s feet. She plugs in her headphones and begins listening to the conversation with a sense of accomplishment.

Queen Thessalonike is sitting at the head of the long, majestic table with Indrid Cold standing next to her. She begins by saying in an authoritative tone, “We are gathered here to discuss a danger that may very well destroy us all. Indrid Cold has predicted a catastrophe which will cause a massive loss of life. On a global scale.”

She looks at Dr. Frankenstein and nods. The doctor stands up and continues by adding, “Unfortunately, Indrid cannot determine the exact date of this tragedy. I will need to conduct further investigation by using my connections with Project Paperclip.”

Henry leans forward and asks, “So you think this might be another genetic experiment, Doc?”

Dr. Frankenstein shakes his head and replies, “I highly doubt it, Henry. This may be an opportunity to capitalize on an outbreak. I need to speak with my contact as soon as possible before I arrive at any kind of conclusion.”

Commander Derceto is paying the utmost attention as she sits alongside the queen. Her concentration is interrupted by the strange sensation of something warm and wet on her foot. Fearful of her legs transforming, she quickly looks under the table and notices Fluffy rapidly wagging his tail. Queen Thessalonike also takes a peek and asks, “What is wrong, Derceto?”

“It would seem that someone has been listening, my queen.”

The queen remains silent and stares angrily at the barking puppy knowing full well who is behind this act of espionage. Princess Alexandria closes her laptop and whispers, “Shit.”

As she removes her headphones, the room’s A.I., named Anne Gee, gradually appears in the form of a hologram. Anne Gee tilts her head slightly and informs, “Your father has come to visit you.”

The princess, ashamed with herself, buries her head in her hands and moans. Anne takes one step forward and asks, “Shall I open...?”

Alexandria replies in an annoyed manner, “Yes!”

The door slides open and a serious Dr. Frankenstein is staring coldly at his daughter. She looks up at him innocently and folds her hands behind her back.

“Your actions have disappointed and embarrassed the both of us.”

Alexandria lowers her head in shame and replies, “I’m so sorry, dad. I messed up.”

Dr. Frankenstein walks until he is directly in front of her and hands her Fluffy. He places his palm gently on her head and says in a low tone, “It was brilliant.”

She gazes into her father’s loving eyes and grins. He then points his finger at her and adds emphatically, “But still wrong.”

The young mermaid takes her father’s hand and asks, “You’re leaving again...aren’t you?”

Dr. Frankenstein nods his head in acknowledgment and replies softly, “Yes, my konfect. I will be departing tomorrow morning to speak with David.”

After a brief pause, she asks, “Can I go with?”

At this point, the doctor reflects on the conversation he had previously with the queen. He has been so consumed with his work that he has failed to provide his own daughter with the attention that she rightly deserves. Dr. Frankenstein sighs and replies, “I will be away for quite some time. Your mother will not allow it.”

He makes his way toward the door. He takes one final look at Alexandria and sadly says, “I would love for you to come with me.”

She watches him exit and tries to think of a way to convince her stubborn mother to let her go after the little stunt that she just pulled.

The dining room doors open and Dr. Frankenstein enters. He sits down and nods at Queen Thessalonike. She slowly glances at everyone and says, “My apologies. Ludwig and his team will be departing tomorrow morning. I wish you all the best of luck and may we find the solution to this terrible crisis. For now, let us enjoy this magnificent feast. I wish to thank my beautiful creatures of the ocean for providing us sustenance.”

Barbara curiously studies the succulent fillets of fish finely decorated with parsley on her plate. She taps Dr. Frankenstein’s shoulder and, in a low tone, asks, “Can I eat this?”

The doctor swallows his food, wipes his lips with a napkin and replies, “Of course, you can. We leave bright and early tomorrow morning, Barbara.” He takes a sip of his white wine. “If you think Atlantis is breath-taking, wait until you see our transportation.”

He then winks at Indrid and continues eating his fish. Indrid nods at Barbara and gives her that creepy smile again. It is almost as if she is trying to be warm and friendly but failing quite miserably.

Barbara tastes her seafood and is amazed by how it just melts in her mouth with a buttery aftertaste. She sips on her wine and then asks Dr. Frankenstein, “What’s up with Indrid? How did you meet her?”

He wipes his lips again and replies, “I’m sure you’ve heard about the Roswell incident from 1947. At that time, a classified program called Mogul was in fact responsible for that UFO crash. Among the ship’s inhabitants was a female alien life form on the brink of dying. Military doctors, my father included, were able to save the unborn child. My father noticed that the baby had a sort of strange mixture of human and alien. It had ten fingers and ten toes...even human hair. The skin, however, was a pale white and its eyes a shiny black. The facial features resembled what people nowadays refer to as the grays. The dying mother named her Indrid and one of the doctors gave her the last name, Cold...because of her emotionless stare. The name stuck with her.”

While Barbara is listening to this fascinating revelation, she can’t help but think about all of those debates of the paranormal she had with her fellow police officers. She always fashioned herself as a skeptic and always looked for scientific explanations behind strange events. The doctor clears his throat and continues, “My father accepted to raise her as his own with the agreement that he keep her completely isolated from the public. I was born two months after that. When I was about five years old, I remember my father demanding that everyone stay away from the basement. At ten years old, the strangest thing happened one night. I felt my body starting to rise and hover above my bed. As my body floated out of my bedroom and began to drift down the stairs, I took a quick peek and saw that no one was carrying me. I closed my eyes tightly and wished that this was all just a nightmare. Soon afterwards, I felt the familiar carpeted floor and opened my eyes. To my surprise, I found myself in front of the wide open door of the basement. Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to walk down the steps. I then quietly walked toward my father’s laboratory until I saw what looked like a futuristic bubble. Just as I thought that nothing was inside, Indrid’s face suddenly appeared and I almost screamed. As I was running away, she said, “Do not be afraid. My name is Indrid...Cold.” We both sat there on the floor just staring at each other for the next thirty minutes.”

Indrid Cold appears next to Dr. Frankenstein and places her hand on his shoulder. He looks up at her and asks, “Do you want to continue the story, Indrid?”

She replies stoically, “Why ask a question that you already know the answer to, Ludwig?”

He laughs and says to Barbara, “You see what I have to deal with? Anyway, when she became 18 years old, we had a visit from a UFO one night. We all witnessed a blinding bright light which lasted for just a few minutes. My father ran down the basement steps and saw that Indrid was gone. A year later, came reports from Point Pleasant, West Virginia of a giant moth-like creature with bright red eyes. My father was sent there and discovered that many people had also come in contact with something calling itself Indrid Cold.”

Barbara interrupts by saying, “And later on, the Silver Bridge collapsed in 1967.”

Dr. Frankenstein looks at Barbara surprised that she knows this information. After sipping her wine, she laughingly adds, “Most of my friends were really into conspiracy theories. They were huge fans of that Brian Gunn guy.”

Dr. Frankenstein smiles and raises his wine glass. As he takes a sip and begins to rise to his feet, Barbara grabs him by the arm says insistently, “Oh, no you don’t! You’re not off the hook that easy, Doc. You are going to tell me how you two were as little kids.”

After a moment of silence, Indrid tells the doctor, “Go on, Ludwig. Tell her.”

Dr. Frankenstein hesitates, sits down and takes a deep breath. He looks at Barbara and says, “Fine. You need to understand that when I was at that age, it was a rather difficult time for my family. My older brother, Wolf, was autistic. As a result, the majority of my parents’ time was devoted to his well-being. I did not mind this because he was, of course, my older brother whom I loved very much. My mother would spend most her time with him, while my father spent all of his time with his work attempting to cure him. This did leave me feeling lonely at times. I was extremely shy and much of my time at school was spent alone...reading books.”

Barbara interrupts by saying, “You were a nerd?”

Dr. Frankenstein gives her a cold stare and asks, “Do you want to hear this or not?”

She lowers her head and softly replies, “Sorry.”

“When I met Indrid, it was such a great feeling to have someone to share my feelings with. I would follow the same routine every night. As soon as everyone was asleep, I would go downstairs and Indrid would have the basement door open for me. We would sit there reading science fiction novels all night. I remember that Indrid was especially fond of Philip K. Dick’s short story called Impostor.” Indrid looks at Dr. Frankenstein and smiles fondly at his emotional retelling of their past. He continues by adding, “Then, in 1962...something captured my attention. It was a comic book called The Incredible Hulk. The story was fascinating and tragic at the same time. It was about a physicist named Dr. Bruce Banner who was bombarded with Gamma radiation in an accident. This resulted in the creation of his alter ego....the Hulk. I found myself relating to the socially withdrawn and emotionally reserved Dr. Banner. That night, I showed Indrid the comic book with the excitement of a child on Christmas. Unfortunately, my father was awoken to the loud noise and discovered my little secret routine. He clenched my comic book in his hand and ordered me upstairs.”

Barbara notices Dr. Frankenstein’s sudden expression of resentment. She reaches out to touch his hand and squeezes it. The doctor nods to assure her that he is capable of finishing the story and continues by saying, “He looked at the cover and I saw his eyebrow rise. After flipping through several pages, he just crumpled it up into a ball.”

He takes a sip of wine and pauses for a moment to collect himself. Indrid gently pats his shoulder and adds, “It was never the same after that.” Dr. Frankenstein chuckles and says, “Needless to say, my parents never did have a good night’s sleep after that night. If it wasn’t the strange phone calls, it was glassware mysteriously breaking.”

Barbara feels moved by the touching story and cannot resist the temptation of asking Indrid, “You sensed what was going to happen in Point Pleasant. Did you get close to someone there?”

Dr. Frankenstein touches her hand and before he even has a chance to say something, tells him, “It is fine, Ludwig.”

Although she finds sitting next to a stranger a bit uncomfortable, Indrid finds that speaking with Barbara is surprisingly comforting and sits down on the chair beside her. Indrid folds her hands on the table and attempts to tell her story. “The year was 1966. I did not have, at that time, a complete understanding of my attraction to Point Pleasant.”

She then says admittedly, “I am not as skilled a storyteller as Ludwig.” Indrid extends her pale skinned hand. “Let me show you.”

Barbara hesitates for moment. Then, she takes her hand and feels her thin fingers wrap around. Her mind is immediately bombarded with a plethora of Indrid’s memories. The imagery reminds her of the first time she looked into a kaleidoscope.

It is the 15th of November, 1966. Indrid is in her moth-like form and flying just above a munitions plant somewhere in West Virginia. She notices something approaching from a distance that she knew existed because of the stories read to her by Ludwig. A car. Curiosity gets the better of her and she decides to get a closer look. Indrid flies just above the car and follows it for a few minutes. She sees that the car begins to move faster and faster so she flaps her ten-foot wings several times to keep up with it. Indrid suddenly has a vision of the car spiraling out of control and crashing...killing the passengers inside. She whispers to herself, “No. They must have seen me and are afraid. I need to stop them.”

The car’s tires screech loudly and it stops inches away from Indrid. The headlights make her huge, oval shaped red eyes glow brightly like bicycle reflectors. As she hovers in midair flapping her wings, she hears the sound of a girl screaming with tremendous fear. Indrid takes that as a cue to flap her wings faster and she disappears into the night sky shortly afterwards. Indrid descends slowly until finally landing in front of the abandoned munitions plant. As she walks toward the entrance, her body gets surrounded by a dense, black mist and she reverts to her original alien form. Indrid pulls on the rusty handle of the thick door and it makes a horrifying abrasive sound as it opens...almost as if she had twisted the arm of bear. She walks inside and pulls on the door until it closes.

The following morning, Indrid gazes through a thin crack of the plant’s decrepit wall. There are several police officers, as well as men holding cameras, scouting the nearby road. She steps back and comes to a possible conclusion. They may very well decide to investigate this place in hours, if not minutes, later. Indrid sits down and folds her arms around her knees in an attempt to come up with some sort of escape plan. What would Philip K. Dick do in this situation? A gust of wind blows a dirty, old magazine towards her right leg. She opens it and glances at every picture on each worn out page. This gives her an idea.

The police officers open the entrance of the munitions plant and the first one to enter says, “I’m tellin’ ya, Bill. It’s gotta be a shitepoke.”

Bill coughs as a result of the dust inside and replies in a raspy voice, “You mean a heron, don’t you, Steve?”

“Yeah, man. They got long legs which pretty much fits the description those kids gave us last night.”

They both become startled by a rather disheveled looking young girl with dirty blond hair and blue eyes standing several feet away from them. She is just standing there motionless with her hands on her sides...as still as a statue. Bill says softly, “It’s okay, honey. I’m officer McClain and this is officer Callahan.”

Indrid does not reply and continues to stare at them.

“Are you homeless?”

She replies with a thick British accent, “No.”

“Do you live...here?”

“Yes.”

“Have you seen anything strange last night?”

After a long pause, Indrid replies, “No.”

Steve pulls him aside and tells him, “She’s not gonna be of any help. Look at her.”

Bill studies her creepy unblinking stare and says, “Yeah. Goddamn hippies. Let’s get out of here.”

Indrid remains frozen stiff and watches the police officers exit the facility. She waits until the cars drive away before finally making her way outside. The sunlight makes the surrounding area look so different when compared to the darkness of night. Indrid walks until she arrives at some kind of path. Above her, she sees a sign...”Main St.”

After an hour of walking west on WV-73, a Volkswagen Bus passes Indrid. It suddenly stops and the side door slides open. She sees a man with long brown hair and a beard poke his head out and shout, “Hey! Need a lift?”

She looks behind her and then back at him. The hairy young man starts laughing and shouts, “Yeah, you! Come on...we’ll give you a ride!”

Indrid takes a moment to think about his offer. She really has no idea where she’s going. Maybe they can take her to a city or town. The driver blows the horn which makes her run toward the vehicle. The young man takes Indrid’s hand and pulls her aboard. Soon afterwards, he slides the door until it closes. She hears something quite fascinating and asks, “What is that?”

The young man replies, “The Beatles, man. Yellow Submarine. What’s your name?”

Indrid can’t use her real name. She decided to use a model, for her human appearance, named Jean Shrimpton from that magazine called Vogue but changed her hair style and eyes as to not attract a lot of unwanted attention. After a minute of silence, she replies, “Shirley Jane Dixon.”

Sort of a mixture of the model’s name with Philip K. Dick. It seems to have convinced them because the bearded man shakes her hand and says, “Nice to meet you, Shirley. My name’s Chad McDonald. The driver’s name is Juan Melendez and that’s his girlfriend Betty Harper.”

Betty merrily waves at her from the passenger seat and says, “Hi, Shirley! We’re going to Point Pleasant. How about you?”

The name of that location strikes a nerve within Indrid which makes her shutter slightly.

“I’m also going to Point Pleasant, Betty.”

Juan takes a quick glance and tells her, “That’s good! It’ll be like another forty minutes.”

Chad takes a big puff of his joint and exhales. He glances at Indrid and finds her sitting position to be kind of weird. She is sitting stiffly upright with her hands on her knees and staring straight ahead...almost as if she were hypnotized. Chad leans forward and calls her name. “Shirley?”

Indrid’s head quickly turns to look at him and she responds, “Yes?”

He offers her the joint and says, “Take some of this. It’ll help you loosen up a bit.”

Juan chuckles and says, “Leave her alone, you fucking drug pusher. Maybe Shirley’s not a prole like you.”

Betty begins laughing hysterically followed by Indrid. Chad kicks the driver’s seat and shouts while giggling, “Fuck you, man!”

He then looks at Indrid and says, “What are you laughing at? You know what a prole is?”

She stops laughing and clears her throat. While grinning, she replies, “The full word is proletarian. It appears in 1984...a book written by George Orwell which was published in the year of 1949.”

Chad stares at her briefly and asks, “Will you marry me?”

Betty turns completely around and tells Indrid, “Ignore him, sweetie. Wow...you look like that model...what’s her name? I just can’t remember.”

Juan answers the question by saying, “Jean Shrimpton.”

Betty snaps her fingers and shouts, “Yeah! Jean Shrimpton!”

Indrid smiles at her and says, “I am familiar with her. Thank you.”

Minutes later, Juan is driving the Volkswagen along Viand Street. Indrid sees the Mason County Library and says, “You can leave me here.”

Betty becomes puzzled by this and asks, “What? Here?”

Juan parks the bus next to the library and turns off the engine. Everyone inside steps out and gathers around to say their goodbyes. Indrid says stoically, “Thank you for your generosity.”

Juan grins and tells her, “De nada, Shirley.”

Chad seems a bit gloomy and says, “Take care of yourself.”

Betty lunges at Indrid and gives her a big hug. This gesture of affection takes her by surprise. Betty steps back and asks her, “Are you sure about this?”

Indrid nods and replies, “Yes. I need some information about Point Pleasant.”

She turns around and walks toward the entrance of the library while the three young hippies remain standing there with worried expressions on each of their faces.

A librarian is busily organizing the books that have been returned on a cart beside her. She suddenly feels that someone is watching her and looks up to find Indrid standing there. She asks her, “Hello. Can I help you, young lady?”

Indrid gives her a warm grin and replies, “I just arrived to Point Pleasant and I’m interested in learning about its history.”

The librarian smiles and says while rising to her feet, “In that case, welcome to Point Pleasant! Follow me, dear. I’ll show you where to find what you’re looking for.”

They both arrive at the historical section and the librarian says, “It’s all here. Feel free to read as much as you want.”

“Thank you. You’re very kind.”

Mrs. Roberts smiles at her and walks away. Indrid proceeds to browse every book on the shelves and pulls out the ones that interest her. With her arms full, she sits down at the nearby table and prepares to commence with her research. After reading for about fifteen minutes, she comes across the name “Silver Bridge”. For some unknown reason, the name sends a frightening chill up her spine and she whispers it to herself. “Silver Bridge.”

The deafening sound of a book getting slammed on the table startles her and she lets out a small gasp. Indrid turns her head to see Chad sitting next to her smiling like a mischievous child. She then looks ahead to see Juan and Betty sitting across from her. Chad says in a low voice, “You didn’t think you’d get rid of us that easily, did you?”

Indrid asks them in a low tone, “Are you all waiting for me? You don’t have to do that.”

Betty giddily explains to her, “I was outside thinking about what you said earlier. Then I got this idea...We live here, Shirley! We can help you!”

The sudden sound of people uttering, “Shhhhhhh!” can be heard throughout the library. Betty lowers her head while saying, “Oops!”

“Shhhhhhh!”

She then covers her mouth with her hands and starts giggling uncontrollably due to the effects of smoking marijuana with Chad earlier. Juan stands up and whispers, “You’re hopeless, Betty. Let’s get out of here, guys.”

Indrid grabs Chad’s wrist and whispers, “I don’t have money.”

He winks at her and whispers, “No worries.”

As the foursome exit the library, Betty holds Indrid’s arm and places her head on her shoulder. This makes Indrid look at Juan in a confused manner. He chuckles and says, “Better get used to that.”

Chad pulls on the side door of the Volkswagen to open it and allows Indrid to step inside first. He follows her and closes the door behind him. He then tells Indrid, “Before we go anywhere, how about we get something to eat?”

She nods and replies, “I’m just grateful for your kindness.”

Betty turns completely around in her seat and says excitedly, “I couldn’t leave you here by yourself. Can you imagine if you ran into the Zodiac Killer?”

Juan starts the engine and says to her in response, “Will you stop it? He kills people in California.”

Chad jokingly tells him, “Yeah, but what if he decides to have a vacation here?”

Juan laughs while driving the vehicle and says, “Shit, man. We need some excitement here so I wouldn’t mind.”

Indrid finds herself really tempted to explain her uneasiness with Silver Bridge. But since she does not have the slightest idea why she feels this way, she remains silent.

Meanwhile, at the Mason County Library, a pale skinned, thin man wearing a black trench coat and a black suit walks through the entrance. He has long, silky black hair and is wearing sunglasses. Mrs. Roberts notices the man approaching and prepares to greet him. As soon as he stops just in front of her, she senses an overwhelming foreboding...as if she were facing the personification of death. Another strange aspect of this man is that his clothes, and sunglasses, look as if they have bonded with his skin. The man begins speaking in an accent that Mrs. Roberts has never heard before.

“I just arrived to Point Pleasant.”

This makes her gasp. Her mouth opens but she is not able to speak.

“How can I get to Welch, West Virginia?”

Mrs. Roberts composes herself and asks him, “Can you give me a moment, sir?”

The man does not reply and instead stares at her pen in amazement. Suddenly, he grabs the pen out of her hand and runs out of the library while laughing hysterically like a crazed madman. She rubs her arm with her quivering hand while attempting to understand what has just happened.

Juan and Betty enter a diner immediately followed by Chad and Indrid. They all sit down at a table and Betty asks Indrid, “Are you a writer or something? Is that why you want to know more about this place?”

Indrid does not know how to reply to her question and feels everyone staring at her waiting for an answer. It is not in her nature to lie but she cannot reveal what she really is. A true dilemma. She finally says, “Well...I honestly...”

A familiar voice interrupts her. “Hey, it’s you!”

Indrid looks up and, to her dismay, recognizes the person as the police officer that she met at the munitions plant.

“Remember me? Officer Callahan?”

She does not respond and just lowers her head in embarrassment.

“I just wanted a cup of coffee here and...what are the chances, huh?”

Chad notices Indrid’s behavior and asks the officer, “You know each other?”

“I met her this morning up at the munitions plant near Main Street. She was really spaced out.”

Juan says in a serious manner, “We partied just a bit too much, sir.”

“Let me ask you this. Since you all were there last night, did you see anything out of the ordinary?”

Chad shrugs his shoulders and replies while giggling, “Not really, sir. We were all kinda in a different dimension of time and space.”

Betty attempts to act serious while asking officer Callahan, “So what happened last night?”

Officer Callahan grins and tells them, “It’s all over the news. Thanks...I’ll be leaving now. You kids be careful.”

The waitress arrives soon after he leaves and asks, “You guys didn’t hear what happened? Some people were driving around the old munitions plant and saw a monster. They’re calling it the Mothman.”

Indrid raises her head to look at the waitress and ponders for a moment how upset Victor Frankenstein would be with her. But it was not her intention to expose herself to the public. There seems to be a tragedy of some sort that will happen on Silver Bridge. All she wants to do is help but she now fears that she may not be able to prevent the future from taking place. Betty looks at Juan and says, “Looks like you got what you wanted.”

An hour later, they step outside of the diner. Indrid turns around to look at her new friends. “Again. I apologize for what happened earlier.”

Juan replies, “No big deal. Let’s go to Silver Bridge.”

While riding inside of the Volkswagen, Indrid gets the sensation that someone is staring at her. She turns her head and her eyes meets with Chad’s brown eyes. He gives her a friendly smile. She returns the smile and blushes.

Hours later, Juan parks the vehicle a few feet away from Silver Bridge. Everyone steps out and then close the doors. Indrid decides to walk closer and closes her eyes to concentrate. Upon setting foot on the bridge, she immediately gets a clearer vision of what is going to happen. On December 15, 1967, this bridge is going to collapse and kill forty-six people. The terrifying flashes of the frightened victims cause a tear to roll down her cheek.

The flashback ends and Barbara finds herself sobbing. She covers her mouth with both hands and whispers, “Oh, my God.”

Indrid lowers her head and says, “I was not able to save them.”

Dr. Frankenstein glances at his watch and realizes that he has lost track of the time. He stands up and places his hand on Barbara’s shoulder.

“Indrid does have a gift, Barbara. At times, however, it can also be a curse. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. Get some rest.”

As Barbara watches Dr. Frankenstein and Indrid exit the dining room, she can’t help but feel a certain amount of pity. She knows that not everyone can have the perfect childhood and reminisces on her own loving parents. Barbara stands up and whispers, “I miss the both of you so much.”

Henry is in his room lying down comfortably on his old-fashioned bed. He has never gotten used to those high tech beds and requested that this one be placed here instead. Henry reaches into his pocket and takes out a very old photograph of a young girl. His girlfriend Eleanor. He grins as he begins to reminisce on those good old days when he was a sailor in the Navy. At this point, he closes his eyes and falls asleep.

Meanwhile, Dr. Frankenstein is laughing loudly as he views the movie clips of Alexandria when she was five years old. She looked adorable swimming around the pool with that tiny fishtail of hers. The next clip reveals her a year older and playing with his white German Shepherd that he had as a pet at that time. The late Winston. He stops viewing the clip for a moment and begins stroking his goatee.

Princess Alexandria is sitting on her bed using Google Earth on her tablet and fantasizing about visiting the gorgeous cities of the world with her father. Anne Gee appears in front of her and happily informs, “Your father’s here again!”

Alexandria nods in approval and the door slides open to reveal a saddened Dr. Frankenstein. She becomes worried and asks, “Dad? What’s wrong?”

He takes one step forward and says, “Get your things packed. You’re coming with me tomorrow.”

Alexandria opens her mouth and gasps in excitement. She then hops off of her bed and runs toward her father. They embrace each other tightly and the doctor kisses his daughter on the head. He whispers to her, “The cycle ends with me, konfect.”