You Are The Reflection - Part II
A scientist sees into another world, and runs into some unwanted consequences.
The next day, the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Hello. Dr. Emmit Gilkus?”
“Yes, this is Dr. Gilkus. How can I help you?”
“Dr. Gilkus. One of our agents will be arriving at the door of your laboratory at 7:55 PM tonight. Make sure you are the only one in the laboratory. You are to give our agent the design plans in a sealed envelope and he will give you your compensation. Do you understand?”
Dr. Gilkus understood. It was about the weapon he’d invented years before. He also understood that he didn’t have a choice in the matter.
“I do, but I don’t want to be compensated.”
“That’s not our call, sir.”
“Fine,” the doctor sighed, “Lets get this over with.”
The caller hung up.
Later in the day, after his students and colleagues has left, Dr. Gilkus sat in his office moping about the weapon plans and the g-man that would be arriving less than an hour from then, when the phone rang again.
This had better not be important. I can’t deal with anything right now.
He considered not answering and stared at the phone. Just as he decided that he would answer it, he was too late. It stopped ringing while his hand was on its way to pick it up.
If they don’t call back, it wasn’t important.
He stayed staring at the phone, nervously, red forehead glistening, with the weapon plans in an envelope in front of him. The phone rang again and startled him.
Great!
He picked up the phone.
“What is it?” He grunted into the receiver.
“Doctor!” It was Thomas, panicked. “Can you come quickly? It’s Arlene, she’s… Can you just come to our house?”
“Thomas, I…” The doctor began to protest. He glanced up at the clock. He had about half and hour. “Is she okay?”
“I… I can’t say, just come.”
“Okay, I’ll be there soon.”
“Thank you Dr. Gilkus, please hurry.”
Gilkus hung up the phone, grabbed his coat and ran out the door.
…
Thomas and Arlene Martin lived in a brown brick two-story with vines crawling up the south facing wall. Dr. Gilkus vaulted up the porch steps, three at a time on his spidery legs. He twisted the door knob and forced himself into Thomas and Arlene’s living room.
Thomas sat, gagged and gripping the arms of a chair. A bald, muscular man, whom Gilkus had never seen before, held a revolver to Thomas’ head and squinted at Dr. Gilkus. Across the room, lay Arlene with a bloody gash on her head and gag in her mouth. Dr. Gilkus’ own beloved student, Maryanne, knelt next to Arlene, tying her wrists together with a frayed piece of twine.
The doctor ended the forceful manner that he had come in with. Maryanne finished tying Arlene’s wrists and looked up. Dr. Gilkus hadn’t noticed a gun in Maryanne’s hand until she was pointing it directly at his chest.
“Doctor, you’re going to take us back to the lab or we’ll kill Arlene.”
Thomas mumbled through his gag. He looked up at Dr. Gilkus with his wet, red eyes.
“Maryanne, why are you doing this? This isn’t like you.”
“Don’t talk. Don’t say another word until we get back to the lab.”
Her gruff statements were in no way fitting of her blond haired, soft face. The doctor had hardly ever seen her stop smiling, but she was scowling now, brows furrowed and eyes intense.
The group walked out of the house, the young couple with concealed guns jammed in their backs. Dr. Gilkus wished for daylight. He hoped a neighbor would look out a window and see, but by that time it was nearly 8:00 PM and the early autumn day wasn’t providing any sunlight at that hour.
He led the group down the steps to his car. They all got in, and with Maryanne’s silent friend holding a pistol to Gilkus’ side, imploring him to drive carefully, they left for the lab.
…
“He’s already here. The government agent,” said Maryanne from the backseat, now holding her pistol to Arlene’s ribcage. “Everyone except for the doctor get down.”
A short man in a suit and grey hat stood by the front door of the laboratory. He glanced at his watch and pounded at the door. Gilkus and the others drove by and parked in an empty space down the street.
“Get out, doctor. Stall the man. Whatever you do, don’t give him the envelope,” said Maryanne.
Envelope? Does she know about the weapon project?
Gilkus started to say something but the thug stabbed the revolver into his ribs. He bore his teeth and thrust his chin toward Gilkus, clearly motioning for him to exit the car. Gilkus opened the door and stepped out, attempting to look calm.
“Sorry, sorry. I apologize,” said the doctor, waving his arms at the government man. “Here, let me unlock the door.”
Dr. Gilkus fumbled with his keys for a moment and then unlocked the door and opened it into the lab. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be waiting for, so he tried making small-talk with the impatient, frowning man.
“Frightening clouds tonight. Nice hat you have there, wouldn’t want it to get wet.”
“Uh huh.”
The doctor faked a genial laugh. The man blinked at him.
“Okay, coffee?”
“No, thank you.”
“Tea?”
“No sir.”
“Well, do you mind if I make some? I’m terribly stressed. Long day.”
“I’m not here to meet with you Dr. Gilkus. Do you have the documents that were requested?”
“Ah, yes. I do. Come over here, to my office.”
Gilkus thought he saw a shadow pass by one of the lab’s frosted windows high on the wall. He turned his head and looked at the window. The little agent looked too and wrinkled the bridge of his nose.
“Just… thought I saw someone.” Gilkus said with a worried smile.
The doctor led the man over to the door of his office where the envelope would be locked away in the safe. Opening the safe would give him some time to think of another way to stall the man.
He opened his office door. There were the weapon plans, sealed in a yellow envelope right in the middle of his desk.
No.
“Oh. Okay, here they are.” He picked up the envelope.
“A little cavalier with government secrets, aren’t you?”
Dr. Gilkus tried to laugh- strange thing to be laughing at Emmit -but was cut off by a tightening of the man’s dead-forward glare and quick snatching of the envelope. The man had been carrying a briefcase in his left hand, which he then laid on the doctor’s desk. He snapped open the locks and swung open the lid.
Three pristine stacks of cash sat nestled in the case.
“I suggest you put these in your safe, if you even have one,” said the man as he removed the stacks and placed them on Gilkus’ desk
Dr. Gilkus looked down as man then placed the envelope in the case. He was wondering what he should do, when out of the top of his eye he detected the butt of a gun crack into the man’s temple. The man collapsed on the floor.
Maryanne’s large friend stood there and let his revolver wielding arm come to rest at his side.
The first thing Dr. Gilkus thought to ask was “Did you kill him?”
The thug shrugged and spoke for the first time in a voice as deep as a crater. “Why should I care?”
“You almost let him have it!” Maryanne walked in the room behind the thug. She grabbed the envelop from the case. “Take care of him Peter.”
Maryanne turned and left the room. The thug walked around the desk. With wide eyes, Dr. Gilkus watched the fiend raise his hefty arm and bring the butt of the gun down over his head.
He blacked out.
…
He awoke to find that someone had placed him on the sofa in his office. A cold towel was molded to his forehead.
“Dr. Gilkus?”
It was Thomas.
“Emmit?” said Arlene. “How do you feel?” Arlene wore a dressing on her head wound.
“Doctor, you took quite a blow to the head,” said Thomas.
“The medic assured us there wouldn’t be any damage to that wonderful brain of yours though.” Arlene smiled.
Dr. Gilkus moaned and put a hand to his forehead.
“Where’s Maryanne, and that… Peter, I think? Did… are they caught?” The doctor’s mouth contorted into horrific anguish. “They stole something from me! We have to get it back!” He sprang up.
“Whoa!” Thomas and his wife gently placed their hand’s on the doctor’s chest, pushing him back down.
“They were gone long before the police arrived,” said Thomas.
The doctor was still panicking, trying to get up. “I need to make a phone call! Can you give me a moment alone?”
“Wait, first listen to what happened,” said Thomas.
Gilkus struggled for a moment longer, then gave up.
“Hmmm… alright. Tell me.”
“Well, Arlene and I were tied to each other on the floor over there in the main room when Maryanne and her… uh, friend walked out of your office. They either weren’t aware that I was watching them, or they just didn’t care because they walked right past Arlene and I and broke into the storage room where you’ve been keeping the mirror. After a few moments, I saw a flash in the room, and then, it seemed as if they were gone.” Thomas took a deep breath from his retelling. “Thankfully, I got loose from the ties and found that little man bleeding from his head, and you lying on the floor behind your desk. I thought you were dead, Dr. Gilkus!”
“What about the government man?”
“He didn’t make it.”
“Damn!” The doctor slammed his fist on his thigh. “How am I going to explain that?”
The trio sat in silence for several minutes, deep thoughts clear on their face.
Several police officers were milling around the lab. One of them knocked gently on the door to Dr. Gilkus’ office.
“Mr. Martin?”
The other three turned their eyes toward the officer.
“Yes?” said Thomas.
“We think we found the woman, Maryanne Smith?”
“You did?
“Yes. I’m sorry to inform you of this, but we found her dead in her apartment.”
Dr. Gilkus, Thomas, and Arlene opened their eyes wide and lets their jaws fall open. Arlene held her hand to her mouth and let out a small cry.
“Do you know how she died?” asked Dr. Gilkus.
“Seems strangulation is likely. Mr. Martin, are you completely sure Maryanne Smith is the one who was here today?”
“Yes, of course. Dr. Gilkus and my wife saw her as well.”
“Yes. She was definitely here, we all saw her,” Gilkus assured.
The police officer looked genuinely perplexed. He held his bony chin in his left hand and pursed his lips, his gazed cast to the floor.
“Very strange. Very, very strange.”
“Hmm, what is?” asked Thomas.
“Well, the coroner told me that Ms. Smith has been dead for at least two weeks. I don’t know how…”
“Two weeks? That’s impossible!” said Dr. Gilkus.
“By the way she looked, I’d say longer than that.”
“But how? She was here?” said Gilkus.
“I don’t know sir. I don’t know. I was hoping you’d be able to tell me.”
And with that the officer nodded at the trio and left the room. The three of them stayed quiet for a long moment.
Dr. Gilkus spoke up.
“This is incredibly odd, but I have a theory. You say they went into the storage room, Thomas? And didn’t come back out?”
“Yes, and I saw a flash of bright white light. That was the last I saw of them.”
“There’s only one way out of the room, except… did the police check any of the ducts in there?”
“I’m sure they have, doctor. We’d know by now if someone was hiding in one of those tiny vents.”
“Hmm, you don’t think? No, impossible.”
“What is it doctor?” asked Arlene.
“You don’t think it had something to do with the mirror do you?” asked Thomas.
“Actually, with everything that I’ve seen in the last two weeks, even the last two hours, I might believe it,” said the doctor.
Dr. Gilkus, Thomas, and Arlene looked in to the mirror. A normal mirror. It didn’t look special at all. It reflected the trio’s forms right back at them, exactly as they would expect it to.
“So strange,” whispered Thomas.
“Indeed, strange.”
“So, I guess your experiment didn’t work like you thought it did?” asked Arlene.
“I think you’re right. I’ve been playing with a force beyond my understanding.”
Whoever that other Dr. Gilkus is, he has the weapon plans now. A part of Dr. Gilkus was relieved at the thought. At least those plans are not in our universe anymore.
“I think that the other Gilkus, over there, played us. He wanted to rob us. He played us all. To him, we were nothing but a reflection.”
It was then that Dr. Emmit Gilkus noticed a gold pen lying on the floor in front of the mirror. He tilted his head to the side and bent down to pick it up. Standing and twisting it gingerly between his fingers, he imagined laughter, from a man a lot like him, but a man also very different, from someplace in the other universe. Laughter inaccessible and daunting, as he read the name that was engraved in the pen.
It read: Dr. Tim Suklig.
