| Echo Slave Camp Echo, Utah Friday, August 31, 2001 3:47 P.M. The alien-possessed man looked over our papers. � Hm . . . No discipline problems ever. Quite acceptable.� He looked up at me without the slightest hint of emotion. � E6-2361.� Then Emily. � E6-1833.� When we nodded, he glanced down at the papers again. � This camp, humans, is getting full. Another is being built far from here. I�m supposed to send my least resistant prisoners there to make room for the others coming in. In fifteen minutes a train will be here. You two are the last of the shipment that will depart for that new camp. I want you to leave and go to the second loading dock and then board the train. Once you reach your destination, new orders will be given.� � Yes sir,� we said together. � Good. Go.� We left and I tilted my head back slightly to hear anything as the door shut. It paid off. � I�m sending them. Do not harm them!� Then the door clicked shut. � Why not hurt us?� Emily asked as we stopped just inside the door that led to the outside. � Don�t know,� I answered. � But I know it has to do with whatever their plan for us is, as well as the transport.� We exited into the sun and remained silent as we were escorted to the second loading dock. The train arrived a few minutes later and we were put in a car that had surprisingly comfortable pads of straw. I thought they�d made a mistake at first, but when a short stomachache hit, I was glad for it. While we traveled, I decided that my name could no longer be Emily. I was determined to get Emily back to Mom if it was the last thing I did. So I�d need a new name in case I survived. A new name . . . � Sam?� � Yeah?� � Just checking.� � Emily.� � Uh-huh?� � I need a new name.� � What�s wrong with Sam?� � My younger self is Sam. I used to be Emily, but I can�t be that anymore.� � Samantha?� � It�s the name Mom uses when one of us is in trouble.� We pondered on it for a while, and then it hit me. � I got it.� � Hm?� � My name is now Echo.� Fort Lyon Laboratories Fort Lyon, Colorado Sunday, September 2, 2001 5:53 P.M. We were in adjoining cells, but were unable to see each other. We could only see out the front, where the door was. She was just sitting (I couldn�t hear any other movement from her). I was pacing restlessly--I hate cages. The door opened, but I didn�t look up. Usually it was just a scientist coming to get some information. The door to my cell was messed with and I looked up, leaping back into the corner in surprise. The woman held up the hand that wasn�t busy holding a clipboard. � No, it�s all right. Don�t be afraid.� � I�m not afraid,� I snapped. � I�m not afraid of the aliens and I sure as hell aren�t afraid of you!� She blinked at my vehemence and sat down on my �bed�. � Then why did you jump?� � I didn�t think you would come into my cell.� � Oh. Well, I was assigned to you and your friend so you�ll be seeing a lot of me until they transfer you.� She wrote a few things down, then began. � My name is Samantha. You can call me Sam if you like. Who are you?� I scrutinized the woman. We could almost be twins. � Samantha.� She looked up sharply to make sure I wasn�t making fun of her. � You can call me Echo.� � Could I have your full name?� � Why? The aliens only care about the numbers.� � For me. I like to keep personal records of the people I treat.� That was probably a big fat lie, but I told her anyway. What could it hurt in the long run? The aliens didn�t care about names. � Samantha Emily Mulder.� She jerked in astonishment and stared at me in shock. � . . . Mulder?� I nodded. � My dad.� � What�s his . . . name?� The testing moment. � Fox.� The clipboard clattered to the floor and she stood. � Fox William Mulder is your father?� I nodded. � Hi, Aunt Sam.� She fainted. � Oops.� � What�d you do now?� Emily called, coming over to the near corner of the cell and attempting to peek around the wall into my cell. � I just made our doctor pass out.� � Why?� � She�s dad�s sister. Samantha.� There was some silence. � Didn�t you tell me he�s been looking for her?� � Yeah. There were some events that convinced him she was dead, but once I read the reports I found little things that made me think she was still alive.� � But walk-ins don�t let people go, do they?� � No, but I think they took the child part of her to keep her from losing her mind because they couldn�t take all of her.� � Can that happen?� � Apparently.� � So how did you know?� � That she was still alive? Dad said he saw her in her nightgown, like she�d been the night she was taken. But if the walk-ins had taken all of her, she would�ve been older. She would�ve known that Dad would recognize her no matter how old she was. Because she appeared as an eight-year-old, I figured that part of her was still alive somewhere.� <--Division 2 Division 4--> |