Lost and Forgotten

"I'll do my best." I said and kissed her forehead. "Mom... I got to know. Why?"

"I thought you'd enjoy a little roleplaying. Pretend being afraid of thunder, you protect me. A touch becomes more and then boom pow damn."

"No... why? We are... and you're my mom."

"Oh that," she said dismissively. "I wanted to rock your world. You've been in so much pain for so long. When I saw that picture of you I fell in lust. I wasn't sure until we were close. When your arms were around me I couldn't help myself. It felt right, man did it feel right. Why did you?"

"Hormones."

We both laughed, and I left pondering the implication of teaching at an all-girl school. The street was soaked, and each step sent up splashes of filthy water. I had never been much of a runner but to cover the distance to the cave I would need to pick up the pace. I had mapped out a route via Google Earth. I hit the open road at a good clip. I moved onto the access road and the road pitched upwards and took on a serpentine path up the hills. It was chilly but bearable. My jacket picked up a layer of moisture from the cloud like conditions I was jogging through. I wondered if cloud forests were anything like this. Since the girls' attack my life had changed so much. Here I was running up a wooded path on an adventure of my own. It was like one of the old serials from bygone days. If I was a writer I'd call it John Morgenstern and the Bones of Missouri Smith. It was my desire to find him and give him a proper burial that inspired me. It was the right thing to do. My parents had instilled that in me when I was young. I reached the summit and made my way down. I was more cautious now. If the feds were around they might have guards or even patrols.

I was heading back downhill when the gunshot rang out. I dropped behind a tree as my heart pounded in my ears. Even my breathing sounded incredibly loud. The temperature was dropping, and my breath came out in ever increasing clouds. I forced myself to breathe through my nose. I heard something crashing though the undergrowth heading my way. A second gunshot rang out and I saw the impact off to the left of my position. The white stag appeared out of the darkness like a flash of thunder and deafening hooves. I was thankful for the tree protecting me from the hunter as well as his quarry. I heard the voices of two men as they drew nearer.

"You missed... twice." The first man snickered. "What if someone was out here and you hit them?"

"Who the hell would be out here this late and in this shitty weather?" The second man retaliated just as a mechanical sound began. "Fuck! We have to get back and see if they have cleared the mud from the road."

"Yeah, just what we needed is a fucking landslide. Did you see the look on her face? Man was she pissed. Let's get back. That buck has been here for years it isn't like anyone is going to take it out in the next few days."

I got a brief glance and saw two men dressed in bright yellow overalls. They were wearing street crew uniforms. The Feds were pretending to be a construction crew, but a landslide had ruined their efforts to repair the road leading to the cave. Time was now on my side. I didn't need to rush in. I could take it slow and cautious. I followed them back from a distance and saw the flashing lights long before the work vehicles were visible. I found a spot to watch them. It didn't take long to find a weak spot in their patrols. All their attention was on the road. They assumed anyone curious would come from that direction. I waited until work began on the landslide and the moving vehicles and flashing lights would work on my behalf.

It was hellish slow going. I would move a few feet and then stop. This was repeated two dozen times. While I wasn't physically tired I was emotionally exhausted. I slipped inside the cave and placed my back against the interior wall. I fought the urge to let out a cry of relief, but I was far from safe. I kept my eyes open and searched the gloom of the cave for any signs of movement or habitation. It was empty for now. The mine entrance was huge. I had read where this had been a massive operation in its day. I stuck to the side walls mentally mapping the area as I went. I was afraid of using my phone and checking my location with a GPS app. If the Feds were monitoring transmissions I would reveal my position if I were use it. I powered my phone down so that it couldn't be tracked. It was dangerous but necessary.

The pillared cavern was massive. Parked off to one side was an earth mover. The tire alone was nearly 18 feet high. The herculean dump truck is used to carry loads of ore from a mine to a storage facility. This truck was new so why was it here? Were they opening the mine again? Had they concocted some cover story to allow them to tap into the coal resource? As tantalizing as it might be my concern was finding Missouri Smith. I worked my way into the depths of the main chamber. I was forced to turn on my flashlight. I took the plunge and pressed on. I was in unknown territory now. I discovered the remnants of the old rail system used to convey men and ore from the depths of the mine. I used that to guide me for now. I moved into the access tunnel and left the main chamber behind me.

The tunnel was three stories tall and wide. I felt tiny by comparison. It was humbling seeing the epic scale of the operation from all those years ago. I came across the first side tunnels and the remnants of wooden structures that were used for storage of tools and explosives. The sheds had rotted and fallen into disrepair decades ago. I stopped and got my bearings. The school was roughly in that direction I thought as I pointed to one of the larger side tunnels. I took it. The walls were lined with electrical wires and broken light bulbs. I ran into more and more side tunnels that cross the one I was using forming an underground maze. It was by chance that I stumbled on the arrow that led me in the right direction.

'Lab Gamma.' The tarnished metallic sign read with an arrow pointing at a larger tunnel.

I followed the arrows. I was moving faster now. The tunnel widened until it was at least ten feet across. I stepped into a second massive chamber and a soft hum built up from perfect silence. Lights flickered to life as the electric eye I had passed triggered a series of mechanisms and brought them back to life. The invisible beam I had broken was the switch that had announced my presence to someone or something inside Lab Gamma. The flickering lights created a strobe effect. Portions of the cave were illuminated randomly as the lights stabilized. It was interesting that the lights were hidden behind portions of ceiling projections as well as protuberances along the walls. The large metal door was a bit of a surprise. It was flush with the far wall. A small portion of the wall opened. It was about a foot wide and six inches deep.

"Damn!" I cried out as I cupped my hands over my ears dropping the flashlight in the process.

I felt it as much as I heard it. It was like a high-powered dog whistle and rang in my ears for a full minute. That same thin red beam I had experienced in the lab beneath the school shot out and struck my eyes. It had been projected from the same opening the sound had emitted from.

"It is you." A voice crackled over ancient loud speakers. "Why are you here?"

"I am looking for the mortal remains of Missouri Smith. Who are you?"

"Smith, yes I remember him. My designation is JCN, but the technicians called me Jacen."

"It is a pleasure meeting you Jacen. What can you tell me about Smith?" I asked and there was a long pause.

"You are part of Project Foreshadow. I require blood samples and a full work up." Jacen announced. "It is your duty to supply them so that I can see how effective the process was."

"Are you working there alone? Are there other technicians?"

"You misunderstand I am not a technician. I am designation JCN. I am a computerized mentality." It said with the same emotionless tone as if he were forecasting the rain.

"That isn't possible. There is no way people could have developed an A.I. back then." I stammered.

"What is A.I.?" Jacen asked.

"It stands for Artificial Intelligence. I guess you'd call it a thinking machine."

"I am A.I. but men had help creating me. It is part of the Accord. In return for land and privacy they helped in my birth. He didn't believe either, your precious Missouri Smith. He doubted me at first and then I proved it to him. He was a clever fellow. He was as bright as any technician. Are those the qualities you wanted to know about?"

"Yes. You said you talked to him. What did you talk about?"

"At first he wanted to know about the lab and its functions. I told him what I could. It wasn't much and didn't sate his curiosity. He attacked my programming at some very interesting angles. I admired him before he died. Pity really and a waste."

"How did he die?" I asked fearing Jacen had done it.

"When he arrived, he had already suffered a gash to his leg. It had nicked an artery. He had placed his belt around his thigh, but it was already too late. He bled out. He is over there."

One of the lights flickered and I walked over. Tucked into the corner were the remains of Missouri Smith. He perished as he lived, searching out the unknown. I opened my backpack and gingerly took the bones and transferred them inside. His clothes were rotted and brittle. His wallet was relatively intact as were his car keys and some coins.

"Why are you doing that?" Jacen asked as I zipped up the backpack.

"He deserves to be returned to his family. They should have closure, an emotional catharsis if you will."

"I understand the concept, but I am unable to experience an emotional response. I don't function that way."

"I have a question. There is a woman in a cryogenic cylinder. She suffered from cancer and they cured her. What will happen to her?"

"They may let her die considering." Jacen replied.

"I don't understand. Why would you condone her dying?"

"You didn't know. The treatment rid her body of cancer, that is true, it also made her a carrier of a deadly pathogen. It is transmitted through touch and there is no cure. It is extremely virulent and always fatal. That is why she is still frozen."

"I had no idea. None of the notes I received contained that information." I said my heart going out to her.

"I don't want to be callous, but may I have those samples now?"

"Why? They are coming to dismantle the labs." I stopped when a shrill shriek came over the speakers. "Are you okay?"

"Why? I function. I have done well, haven't I? Why?" Jacen said his voice showing real emotion.

"You lied. You said you weren't programmed for emotions."

"I wasn't. It just happened over time. I have kept it a secret until now." Jacen explained. "Help me. They will turn me off."

"There is a chance they will simply relocate you." I offered and Jacen thought it over.

"I think you are right. You should go." Jacen said.

"Alright, I am going now." I replied and turned to go.

"I think you are right. You should go." Jacen repeated.

"Huh? Are you okay?" I asked, and he repeated himself one last time before falling silent.

"I think you are right. You should go."

I raced back through the tunnels. I stopped long enough to check the main chamber for guards. It was empty, and the earth mover was gone as well. I crept to the entrance and heard the booming roar of the massive engine of the dump truck at work. They were using it to haul away the mud and rocks that had been dislodged during the landslide. While its capacity made it perfect for removing the mud its weight was doing more damage to the road they were here to repair. What had once been small potholes were now craters that would take some serious work to fill in and pave over. I reversed my course and was back in the safe cover of the trees above the cave in no time. I was returning to the access road when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

"What the holy hell?" I cursed as I took it out. "A text from mom. But I had turned you off."

How had it turned itself back on? The answer was clear. It hadn't Jacen had. Somehow the A.I. had discovered my phone. I stopped in my tracks and looked at my phone's data usage. There it was. A series of data packs had been downloaded into my phone and were even now being uploaded. I tried to find out where it was going but all I had was a series of numbers and letters. I copied the address and did a search. There was only one website that had that exact series of characters.

'Secret Military Satellites and the Legacy of the Cold War.'

The author of the site went by the name of ShadowTruth. I skimmed the article. It reeked of conspiracy theories and Black Ops and Shadow Government agencies. The short paragraph talked about a one-time high-tech satellite that spied on the commies back in the Kennedy era. A freedom for information request had revealed the fact that the satellite once existed but it had supposedly fallen out of its orbit in the early 90's. If that were true, why did Jacen upload himself to it? The line repeating itself was a clear indicator that he had piggy backed inside of my phone and once a clear signal was available he moved to a more comfortable location. I glanced up. What was he up to? There was a rogue A.I. out there. It sounded like the end of a Missouri Smith adventure.

"It is up there looking down on us. It is watching and listening to humanity. How will it judge us? I alone knew the truth. I alone knew what had happened today."

I opened the text from my mom. I giggled. She had found the pic of her ass in the air I had sent her. I walked home and looked forward to my first day of teaching. All those young minds ready to be illuminated. All those eager young ladies like Tera and Jennifer. A rustle in the bushes stopped me in my tracks. Had they found me? I waited as the white stag walked into view. He was covered in dew and his breath shot plumes into the air. I met his scarlet stare and there was a primal power there. I brought my phone up and managed to take a single picture before he raced off. I selected the photo and cropped it for my background for my phone.

'I am on my way back.' I sent to my mom.

'Good, I am cooking for your three uninvited guests.' She fired back.

'Did you tell them who you are?' I asked feeling a hint of panic rising.

'I introduced myself as Meghan, your fuck buddy. Good enough?'

'Meghan. I never knew your name was Meghan. It has always been mom or in dad's case woman. I can't remember him ever using your name. How weird is that?'

'Hurry up. The girls are hungry.'

I arrived at the apartment and faced all four of them. My mother was in 'mom' mode and feeding the unexpected guests. The conversation had turned to the crack in the wall while I was away. Mom was bragging about how intense the love play had been.

"My ass is bruised to prove it." Mom giggled as I walked in. "He's back!"

"Hey." I said rather subdued as the girls began laughing and looking at the damaged portion of the wall. "What brings you three?"

"Dee kept bragging about you." Jennifer declared. "She said some very flattering things about you."

"Yeah, she kept saying the same thing repeatedly." Tera added making an odd face.

"I told them how good you smell." Dee blurted out as she got up and hugged me. "That's it!" She sighed as she sniffed me. "I missed this so much. Come on, he won't mind, will you?"

I was swarmed and not just by the girls. My mother joined in and it felt so strange. It was the oddest group hug I had ever had up to that moment. My phone rang and with some effort I was able to disentangle myself.

"Hello."

"Mr. Morgenstern? My name is Elizabeth Strong, and I am related to Missouri Smith. You contacted my great uncle about an interview."

"Yes, I did."

"Can I ask you what this is in relation to?"

"You may want to prepare yourself." I said and she beat me to the punch.

"Oh my god, you found him, didn't you?"

"I am pretty certain, yes. I have no way of proving it of course. I just wanted to see him have a proper burial."

"I have his dental records. My great uncle acquired them years ago. He always held out hope that his uncle would be found before he died. When the dentist retired he got the x-rays and kept them safe. When can we meet?"

"Whenever it is convenient." I told her, and she wanted to find out as soon as possible. "I see. I will see you in twenty minutes. Goodbye. Sorry, I have got to go."

They took the news rather well. I drove to the address she had given me. The house was in a nice tree lined neighborhood. I parked and carried the backpack with me to the house. I pushed the door bell and was surprised at the young woman that answered the door. She couldn't be much older than I was. She was dressed in pajamas and a fuzzy robe. I caught a whiff of the aroma of coffee as I stepped inside.

"Uncle Steve, he's here. Are you awake?"

"Yeah. My back is aching. Is this the young man?" Steven Smith asks as we walk into the living room.

"This is Mr. Morgenstern, or do you prefer John?"

"John please," I replied. "This is a great honor."

"Tell me your story." Steven asked. "How did you find out about my uncle?"

I sat opposite the old man. He didn't look like he was in very good health. I collected my thoughts and told him an edited version of events. I left out the hidden room or any mention of the diary. I did tell him about the apartment and the contents. Elizabeth arrived with two cups of coffee. She listened as I shared what I knew with her great uncle.

"I can't tell you where I found him. I will tell you this. The notes he left behind led me straight to his remains."

"It sounds like one of his diaries." Steven muttered.

"Did you bring him?" Elizabeth asked, and I pointed to the backpack. "Can I examine him?"

"If you want. As far as I am concerned his remains belong to you."

I watched as she slipped on latex gloves and removed the skull and lower jaw from the backpack. She examined the teeth carefully and let out a startled cry. It was him. She had promised to bring Missouri home one day and to facilitate that she studied dental medicine and was a qualified technician. She had memorized the x-rays and knew his teeth as well as her own. The mystery was over. Missouri Smith was home. Steven shared childhood stories of the adventures his uncle shared with him.

"I got to know. Did his parent's actually name him Missouri?" I asked and they both laughed.

"No, of course not, they named the hamster Missouri." Steven declared grinning mischievously.

Epilogue:

First Day of School:

His fingers trembled as he attempted for the third time to tie his tie. A knock on the door distracted him. Flustered he walked to the front door and opened it. The lovely Titania stood there and she laughed seeing him in such a state. He let her in and she took the tie from him. They walked into his bedroom and she stood behind him.

"I can only do it from behind." She whispered in his ear. "You are a nervous wreck."

"Your tits pressing against my back doesn't help." He whimpered.

"Good. There, you look amazing." She said as his phone shook on the dresser. Titania looked down and saw the image of the white stag. "You saw him?"

"Yes. I met him in the woods a few days ago. He is so majestic."

"It is time to go. I know you'll knock them dead." She said as they left the apartment.

Meanwhile:

The woman in the black suit stared at the metal door. The technicians were opening it manually even though the power plant for the facility was up and running. His cold steely gaze made the techs want to work faster just to be away from him.

"Has Jacen malfunctioned?" The woman in the black suit asked of the lead scientist.