Carpathian by David Lynn Golemon

enclosure.
    As Everett released Alice into the more familiar arms of Alice’s closest friends at the complex, he glanced at the contents of a vault he had never been in before. He saw what looked like a display of bones laid out inside a hermetically sealed Plexiglas enclosure. His eyes went from the bones to the lance corporal as he handed the captain the large file.
    “She was carrying this file like she had nuclear launch codes stashed in here,” the Marine said quietly.
    “Thank you, Corporal, you can return to your duties.”
    “Aye, aye, sir.”
    Everett looked over at Alice, who was being helped into one of the many seats lining the interior of the vault. She was shaking and insisting to her two friends that she was fine, repeating that she had just been startled by the sudden appearance of the corporal. Carl then glanced at the file he held in his hands. He opened it, not really wanting to see anything of a private nature but he considered Alice the mother he had never had and his worry drove propriety out of his thoughts. His brow furrowed when he saw the first few pages. After reading it he shot Alice another look. Everett shook his head and then walked over to where Alice was sitting and knelt down in front of her.
    “How are you doing?” Carl asked, slapping her knee lightly with the thick file.
    Alice started to answer and then saw the file in Carl’s hand. She reached out but Everett simply moved the file a few inches away.
    “Alice, I need to know what you’re doing here,” he said pointedly with a glance toward the open vault door—it was empty.
    “I … I need to make a presentation to Niles and the other department heads … I…” Alice’s words trailed off and she looked confused and then just as quickly snapped out of it. “This is important,” she finished, looking first into Carl’s eyes and then Sarah’s and Virginia’s in turn. The sadness and determination were set deep in Alice Hamilton’s face. “Can I talk to Niles?”
    “Well, of course you can, why in the hell would you think he wouldn’t see you?” Virginia asked, angry at the thought that Niles Compton’s oldest friend in Alice would ever think that.
    “Of course she can see me anytime she likes.”
    Everett squeezed his eyes closed. Even though it was on his orders that Niles be notified about Alice’s presence in the vault area when she wasn’t scheduled to come in at all for the next three weeks, he realized now it had been a huge mistake. Now there would be no way to keep the contents, or at least the pages he quickly scanned over, out of the chain of command. Niles Compton stood in the doorway. His white shirt and black tie were freshly cleaned and pressed and everyone could see that he was getting ready for the start of the day at the Event Group complex. Beneath his glasses all could see that his eyes were focused on Alice. As they looked up, Jack Collins stepped into the vault right behind Niles. He looked at Alice, Carl, Virginia, and then Sarah in that order. She could see his jaw muscles clenching and she knew something wasn’t right.
    Everett stood and faced Collins. He held up the file and everyone saw Alice flinch and almost start to reach for it once more.
    “Colonel, I think you need to see what’s—”
    “Carl, we’ll be placing Alice into protective custody. For the time being she will be restricted to the complex. Her house will be secured by our personnel.”
    “What?” Everett asked, incredulous at what he had just heard. Carl was so highly trained it was a shock for everyone watching how fast his reaction to Jack’s order was. Never had he questioned a command from Collins in front of anyone.
    “This is a joke, right?” Sarah asked as she stood to face Jack.
    “No, Lieutenant, it’s no joke. The action is on my orders.” Niles Compton walked into the vault and most noticed him give the specimen enclosure a look; then his eyes moved quickly away and he walked over to Alice. He