Chapter 56 - Christopher
I don’t know how. Christopher knew exactly who and what I was - three things happened very fast his voice went up to a squeak, he dropped his papers and he tried to turn to the right and ran into the refrigerator. Alex laughed surprised. “Chris?”
Chuck shook his head tugging the brim of his ball cap with a smile at the craziness of Chris’ reaction, but didn’t move to help the struggling producer.
“I need to ... And then I’ll... My papers... Can we... You can’t... I don’t...” Chris couldn’t finish a sentence, and was obviously freaking out. He banged a fist on the refrigerator so loud that everyone jumped. He gave up on his papers and stood on them. He began talking fast in a yelling whisper with his eyes closed. “You can’t do this. You can’t. I haven’t checked out to see if she’s for real. We don’t know for certain. We don’t know. If this is some sort of trick we’ll be ruined. Can’t you see that. It’s just a trick. And we’re going to lose all credibility. No one is going to believe us. You can’t. You just can’t. I won’t allow it.”
Alex looked at Christopher. “What the hell are you talking about Christopher? What exactly do you think we are doing here?”
Chris stepped forward on his papers to the edge of the light. “We are the voice of the people. We tell the stories that the government is afraid to tell. We tell the politically incorrect truths. We are the biggest force in alternative media. We expose the evils of politicians, we don’t put dogs on TV. It’s just a trick. She’s a fraud. Please, I can’t allow this. Please. Please just let me vet her, make sure she’s for real.”
I noticed that the red light had come on the cameras, the green background behind Alex was replaced by a high tech looking graphic on the TV screen facing us from the desk.
Alex spoke quietly, but his voice seemed to fill the RV. “You know up until a minute ago I wasn’t completely convinced that she was telling the truth. And I never even told you it was a she. I believed that somehow this mangy dog sitting next to me was a trick and not a victim of a horrible government conspiracy created in some mad scientists lab. They took a young woman in the prime of her life and turned her into this, this dog like creature. But somehow my producer, my trusted friend for 15 years, the man who has helped me build this little alternative media outlet, he somehow knows who, or rather what she is... and you’re terrified Christopher. I’ve never seen you this scared before. You, the guy I trust more than anybody to check my facts so I’m not saying something stupid.”
Alex waited impatiently, “Well, Christopher - what do you have to say? How do you know who she is?” Chuck eyed Chris narrowly.
Christopher looked around, and suddenly realized that they were already broadcasting. “I’m sorry Alex,” he said as he reached into the back of his waistband and pulled out a square black pistol. Just then the door banged open. Surprised, Christopher swung the gun to the door and fired twice out the door. By the time he’d swung back he was staring down the barrel of two pistols. Chuck had a revolver pointed at Christopher’s head. And Alex had a large silver pistol leveled at him.
“Fucking second amendment,” was all Christopher said. Quick as a flash, Christopher put his own gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. I think I saw it. I tried to close my eyes. But I couldn’t close my ears to the sound of brains and blood dripping off the ceiling. When I opened my eyes Christopher or what was left of him had fallen part way out the door.
“Whoa in the RV,” Red called.
Alex turned and looked into the camera. “Well folks, I didn’t believe this young lady’s story until just a this very minute. And now one of my trusted inner circle has just killed himself, blew his own head off, to prevent me learning anything more about this, I’d say that is proof that this particular conspiracy goes pretty far up the ladder.” Alex was actually tearing up, but ever the showman he wasn’t willing to waste a moment of this broadcast. “I knew this was important that’s why I was willing to beam this out to you live. From our secret location in the heartland. I want you to copy this and rebroadcast, retweet, re-link, save and re-post all over the web. We can’t let them shut us down. Well, you are probably wondering exactly what it was that Christopher was willing to kill to keep secret. This young lady on my left here. And you’re probably thinking Alex, you’ve just lost your mind... that’s a dog. No ladies and gentlemen, this is not just a dog. In fact this used to be a very human woman, and the fact that they are doing DNA modification and genetic research shouldn’t be surprising. The more they deny wrongdoing the closer we should all examine them. Their tyranny is turning this country into a giant Treblinka, or Dachau. They are using us as human guinea pigs in their evil experiments. Where does it all end I ask you? ”
Alex turned to me and written on a white board was yes, no, don’t know. And an alphabet. “Am I right that you are a product of genetic mutation?”