6 - Planes, Helicopters, And Automobiles

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hi

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philip a mcleyman here

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just wanted to thank you for listening

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i am usually drinking coffee when i

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record the podcast so it kind of makes

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sense okay thanks again for listening on

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to the next episode and the next cup of

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coffee

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[Music]

0:48

human

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extinction level

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yes

0:59

anywhere but here

1:01

jenny harper was a pill head

1:05

she wasn't always as bad as she was now

1:08

she used to be a stripper over at a cd

1:11

bar called the beaver dam

1:14

the owner was tugger smalls

1:17

his real name was bartholomew

1:20

tugger was just what everybody called

1:22

him

1:23

one would think that running a strip

1:25

joint he could get all the action he

1:27

wanted

1:29

but he couldn't

1:30

because the girls he had danced for him

1:33

wouldn't

1:34

so he had to take care of his own needs

1:37

which were exacerbated by a steady

1:39

presence of nude girls

1:42

hence the name tugger

1:44

smalls wasn't small

1:46

he was a fat sweaty bulging man

1:50

he was real proud of the name of his bar

1:53

if he met someone who hadn't heard of

1:55

his place already

1:56

he would always explain it to them

1:59

you know the girls i got they go full

2:01

newt

2:03

walk into my place you'd be like look at

2:05

all that beaver damn

2:07

that's how good it is plus you know

2:09

beavers make damn so

2:13

along with her stripping

2:15

jenny would serve as customers out in

2:16

the back for side money

2:19

tugger didn't know about it and jenny

2:21

liked it that way for two reasons

2:23

she didn't want to have to service

2:25

tugger

2:26

and she didn't want to get fired

2:28

though by now she figured she probably

2:31

was

2:32

ever since hooking up with francis and

2:34

moving in with him she hadn't had to

2:36

work or service anybody

2:39

anybody but francis of course

2:42

for the application of her particular

2:44

set of skills

2:45

francis let her live in the trailer

2:48

gave her money

2:49

and didn't hassle her about how she was

2:52

all which left plenty of time for the

2:54

pills

2:56

she made francis score whatever he could

2:58

from the base pharmacy where he worked

3:01

and for that francis got laid on a

3:03

regular basis

3:05

jenny stared at three white tablets in

3:07

the palm of her hand

3:09

she had no idea what they were and

3:11

didn't much care

3:13

with a and a swig of stale beer

3:17

down they went

3:19

jenny pulled the blanket tighter around

3:21

her neck and drifted off to sleep on a

3:24

ratty threadbare sofa

3:26

she didn't hear france's car pull up

3:29

but the slamming front door made her

3:31

jump wide awake

3:33

god damn it francis i'm trying to get my

3:35

beauty rest here you piece of

3:38

she said

3:40

she was about to drift off again but

3:42

france's stomping through the trailer

3:44

wouldn't allow it

3:46

after several seconds she sat up inside

3:50

jenny looked over at a jumble of empty

3:52

pill bottles and threw off her blanket

3:54

the pills she had just taken were

3:56

beginning to have some effect on her and

3:58

made her slow and unsteady on her feet

4:01

she saw francis trump down the hall to

4:03

the bedroom

4:05

so she shuffled after him

4:07

she stood in the doorway and stared at

4:09

the back of france's head

4:11

i need some more pills

4:13

she said

4:14

she stood there waiting

4:16

francis did not turn around

4:18

he grunted and huffed as he rummaged

4:20

through his nightstand by the side of

4:22

the unmade bed

4:24

when she did not get the response she

4:26

was looking for

4:27

jenny walked up behind him

4:29

did you hear me man i need some more

4:31

pills

4:33

francis stood up straight but did not

4:35

turn around

4:36

the back of his uniform shirt was wet

4:38

with perspiration

4:40

jenny grabbed his arm and spun him

4:42

around

4:43

look you want to get laid every night i

4:45

need my pet

4:46

the words caught in her throat as

4:48

francis stared at her with feral eyes

4:52

jenny swallowed hard and took a step

4:54

back francis watched her movements

4:58

then began to advance on her

5:01

grabbing her by the shoulders he pushed

5:02

her hard and she fell

5:05

before she could get away he was on her

5:08

she tried to fight him off but he

5:10

slipped his hands around her throat and

5:12

began to squeeze

5:14

jenny coughed and gagged as francis

5:16

brought his mouth down close to hers

5:18

she could feel the hot breath pumping

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out of him

5:21

she tried to scream but did not have

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enough hair

5:24

jenny turned her head and this time the

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scream did come as francis clamped down

5:29

biting her heart on the lobe of her

5:31

right ear

5:32

the pain sent adrenaline coursing

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through her system and she pucked under

5:36

him

5:37

her knee came up and slammed into his

5:39

balls

5:41

the breath wheezed out of francis and

5:43

his strength failed him

5:45

feeling his hands go slack jenny shoved

5:47

him off her jumped up and ran down the

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hall

5:51

francis didn't own the trailer he just

5:53

rented it from a convicted sex offender

5:55

named leroy delacroix who thought the

5:57

fact his first and last name rhymed was

6:00

the coolest thing in the world

6:02

leroy ran the trailer park for his

6:04

mother he rented the trailer to francis

6:07

and told him on more than one occasion

6:09

i'll get you trying to pull twofer i run

6:11

your skinny government issue ass right

6:13

out of here

6:14

to keep his twofer a secret whenever

6:17

leroy would come by to collect the rent

6:19

or do one of his snap inspections

6:22

something sailor boys ought to be used

6:24

to

6:25

francis would make jenny climb through

6:26

an access panel in the kitchen floor

6:29

and hide under the trailer

6:31

it was hidden under a round throw rug

6:33

when francis moved in

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and he doubted leroy even knew it was

6:37

there

6:38

it was his mother's trailer park after

6:40

all

6:42

jenny stumbled into the kitchen and

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towards the front door

6:46

she grabbed the doorknob and flung it

6:47

open then turned

6:49

racing back into the kitchen she pulled

6:52

the rug away and opened the panel in the

6:53

floor

6:54

she climbed down underneath the trailer

6:56

and as she lowered the panel reached

6:58

around and tugged the rug over it

7:01

near total darkness descended on her the

7:04

only light streaming in from cracks and

7:06

holes in the trailer's underpinning

7:09

she pulled her knees to her chest and

7:11

listened for any sign that francis was

7:13

giving chase

7:15

above her

7:16

all was quiet

7:19

in the bedroom francis lay on his back

7:21

staring at the ceiling

7:23

he felt like he was awakening from a

7:25

dream

7:26

a dream in which his balls hurt very

7:28

badly he could not quite recollect what

7:31

had just happened

7:33

all he knew for sure was he had to get

7:35

away that something had happened that

7:37

had scared the out of him and that

7:39

they would probably come after him

7:42

he looked over and saw his wallet under

7:44

the bed

7:45

he grabbed it then sat straight up

7:49

catching his breath francis stood and

7:50

walked down the hall

7:52

through the kitchen

7:53

and out of the trailer

7:55

he got in his car and headed for the

7:57

small airport near the trailer park

7:59

francis delrony had a flight to catch to

8:02

anywhere but here

8:05

all in minus one

8:08

attack teams be advised target alpha has

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fled the domicile new location is

8:14

commuter airport adjacent

8:16

hotel you are in transit with dr krenner

8:19

colonel bennett's voice crackled over

8:21

the team leader's headset

8:24

affirmative command team leader hotel

8:27

called back

8:28

break off and reconnoiter the domicile

8:31

secure any and all tangents lay the

8:33

foundation and then head to the airport

8:35

for a cyst

8:36

colonel bennett said

8:38

roger command out

8:40

the team leader said

8:42

the updates squawked across the comm

8:44

links of the various attack teams

8:47

the helicopters swooped over the trailer

8:49

park and headed for the airport

8:52

in the distance coming like a single

8:54

black snake

8:55

the four 18-wheelers swerved onto an

8:57

access road

8:59

and headed for the small trailer park

9:02

jenny had watched francis through a

9:03

small hole in the trailer's vinyl

9:05

skirting

9:06

she had waited several minutes to be

9:08

sure he wasn't coming back

9:11

the quiet bolstered her confidence and

9:13

she was about to make her way back up

9:15

through the hatch in the floor when she

9:17

was startled by the rapid approach of a

9:19

long black 18-wheeler

9:22

she ducked down as it came to a skidding

9:24

dusty stop in the middle of the park

9:27

the back doors flew open and soldiers in

9:30

combat gear and wearing gas masks piled

9:32

out

9:34

no sooner had one truck disgorged its

9:36

militant cargo then three other

9:38

identical trucks did the same

9:41

half quickly formed a perimeter around

9:43

the park

9:44

the rest broke off into twos and began

9:46

kicking in the doors of the other

9:48

trailers

9:49

jenny watched in horror as the soldiers

9:51

dragged out whoever they found inside

9:54

them

9:54

pushing them unceremoniously toward the

9:57

eighteen wheelers

9:59

she almost screamed as she watched two

10:01

of the soldiers moved toward her

10:03

corporal baker make sure nobody is in

10:05

there i want it safe and sound for the

10:08

doc

10:09

gomez check under the trailer we don't

10:11

miss anybody

10:13

team leader said

10:15

the men moved quickly

10:16

baker kicked in the door and ducked

10:18

inside

10:20

jenny listened as the soldier called

10:21

gomez knelt down and began prying up a

10:24

piece of the skirting 20 feet down from

10:27

her

10:28

only once said leroy made the effort of

10:30

looking under the trailer after issuing

10:32

his warning to francis

10:34

jenny had fooled him by climbing up into

10:36

an empty space between the sagging

10:38

insulation and the floor of the trailer

10:40

above her

10:42

trying to be as quiet as she could she

10:44

squeezed herself into the space

10:46

she pulled her foot in just as gomez

10:49

shined his light under the trailer

10:51

several tenth seconds passed in which

10:54

she thought the soldier was never going

10:55

to stop looking

10:57

the light danced under her

10:59

casting shadows that seemed to toy with

11:01

her

11:02

finally she heard the vinyl skirting

11:04

snap back down

11:05

and the light was gone

11:07

only when she heard the soldier give the

11:09

all clear did she allow herself to

11:12

breathe

11:13

the plastic created an oppressive bubble

11:15

of heat and the fluffy insulation

11:17

threatened to send her into a coughing

11:19

spell

11:20

and made her want to scratch the skin

11:21

off her body

11:24

as quietly as she could she eased

11:26

herself back down to the ground

11:29

holding still she listened as footsteps

11:31

creaked above her

11:33

she almost yelped when she thought about

11:35

the rug over the hatch in the floor

11:37

was it covered enough

11:39

if someone were to open it they would

11:41

almost certainly see her

11:43

she held her breath again as she heard

11:45

the footsteps draw closer to the kitchen

11:49

corporal baker kept his m16 tight to his

11:52

shoulder his index finger pressed

11:54

against the trigger guard

11:56

where his head moved so moved the

11:58

rifle's barrel

12:00

from room to room he cleared the trailer

12:03

satisfied he lowered his rifle and

12:05

trumped back outside and gave the thumbs

12:07

up good to go baker you and gomez go

12:11

help secure the perimeter doc you're up

12:14

the team leader said

12:16

dr krenner dawned in a hazmat suit and

12:19

gas mask climbed down from the back of

12:21

the 18-wheeler and walked over to the

12:24

trailer

12:25

in his hand he carried an eye cam

12:28

the improved chemical agent monitor

12:30

could be set to sample air quality

12:32

as well as scan surfaces for droplets

12:35

dr krenner's monitor was set to scan for

12:38

just one substance

12:40

he activated the monitor and stepped

12:42

into the trailer

12:44

inside dr krenner looked around

12:46

he crinkled his nose in disgust at the

12:49

squalor of the place

12:51

he scanned the kitchen and the adjoining

12:52

den area for presence of the agent but

12:56

found nothing

12:57

he proceeded down the hall and entered

12:59

the bedroom

13:00

he scanned the ceiling

13:02

the walls

13:03

the bed

13:04

the eye cam was silent

13:06

no sooner had he begun to scan the floor

13:09

than an alarm sounded on the monitor

13:12

he walked over and saw three droplets of

13:14

blood on the floor

13:16

kneeling down he moved the scanner away

13:18

from the drops and the alarm silenced

13:22

a second pass over the blood triggered

13:24

the alarm once more

13:26

a further scan of the room yielded no

13:28

other presence of the agent

13:30

dr krenner rose and left the bedroom to

13:33

go report his findings

13:35

he took seriously the threats from his

13:37

military overseers that the project was

13:40

just one decision away from being

13:41

terminated

13:43

this debacle would be the death knell of

13:45

all he had tried to do

13:47

he shuffled to a stop in the kitchen

13:50

gazing about the squalid trailer he took

13:52

a slow step towards the door

13:55

when he noticed the blood

13:57

two drops on the floor

13:59

it was then that he noticed the rug in

14:01

the kitchen

14:02

which almost but not quite completely

14:05

covered an access panel

14:08

he knelt down and pulled the rug away

14:10

what he saw made him stumble backwards

14:13

taking several long seconds he leaned

14:16

forward and pulled up the hatch

14:19

there were two simultaneous gasps

14:22

his

14:22

and the haggard bone-thin wisp of a girl

14:25

staring up at him

14:27

the two studied each other

14:29

she begging with her eyes

14:31

he studying and analyzing with his

14:34

he did not fail to notice her ear and

14:37

the wound

14:38

and the blood

14:40

she moved to bolt from the trailer but

14:42

he stayed her with a gesture of his

14:44

hands

14:46

he removed his mask and smiled at her

14:48

trying to calm her

14:50

reassure her

14:52

dr krenner looked to the front door he

14:55

could see the team leader standing with

14:57

his back to the trailer

14:59

he was waiting for the doctor to do his

15:01

work

15:02

having no idea really what that was or

15:04

how long it would take

15:06

he was there to follow orders

15:09

dr krenner looked back to the girl here

15:12

was his life's work passed on

15:15

to say nothing meant it would be

15:17

unleashed

15:18

it wasn't perfect and it wasn't complete

15:21

but he knew that it would adapt

15:24

to report what he found would terminate

15:26

all of that

15:27

he would be given no chance to continue

15:29

his work in the lab after today

15:32

why should the work as imperfect and

15:35

incomplete as it was

15:37

not be allowed to try on its own in the

15:39

world

15:41

dr krenner made a decision

15:43

and sealed it with a whisper