Phrases flew through my mind, the children, experiment, but I couldn't concentrate on any one thing. Thoughts were sluggish, and all I could do was stare at Robert's face. 

"Robert..." I whispered. I didn't understand. Couldn't understand. He just looked at me with his sweet gentle face. He looked compassionate and caring. I shook my head slowly, as if waking up from a dream. I tried to speak, gulped, tried again and finally managed another whisper. "Where have you been?"

He sighed, reached for me and pulled me into his arms. He gently pushed my head against his shoulder. I was unable to respond and my arms just hung at my sides. "It's ok. Everything's going to be ok Maribel." He rubbed my back lightly, like he used to. I shuddered and found my voice along with my wits.

"Where have you been all these years? They...You...They said you were dead!" I screamed, sobbing now. "Why didn't you find me?"

"Shh." He replied quietly and held me tighter. "Questions are for later. Now, we have eachother. After so long we can hold eachother. Fate's brought us together again." He squeezed and I couldn't help myself as I put my arms around him. I held tight, felt something, held on for a couple more seconds and then let go, breaking the hug off. I glanced at Lockley, then back.

"Robert...The kids. I don't understand." He motioned to another car a short ways down the road. It was a silver Audi, and shining new. He hadn't noticed I'd felt what was in the back of his jeans.

"Get in. I'll drive." He said. "Put the gun away Hiram. It's no longer needed. You can follow behind us." No longer needed. 

I walked over to the passenger seat and got in, drying my eyes as I went. To Robert and Hiram, it might've appeared I was still in shock, but my brain was up to speed and working overtime. Not that it was helping much. Robert took my hand and smiled at me, in a its-all-going-to-be-alright kind of way. I managed a teary smile back, though in my mind, I still was unsure whether I was happy or not.

Robert was alive. Had been alive all these years and yet never contacted me. Why?

We started moving, and I looked at Robert. He'd aged slightly but was still quite handsome, and something stirred within me, something that'd been stirring since getting out of the car and seeing him alive. The memories, the love we'd shared, our kids. I had loved him, but where had he been all these years? If he'd been alive why hadn't he tried to find me? And why had I been told he was dead? I couldn't accept him, not as the way I'd remembered him, not until I found some answers.

"I know you have questions Maribel, you always were a curious one." He sighed. "I've been a part of something Maribel. A part of something for a long time." He bit his lip. "I lied to you Maribel. About my work. It was above top-secret, but still..." He shook his head. "I knew I could've trusted you but my damn sense of duty stopped me." He sounded disgusted with himself, but the words were coming out smooth, almost as if planned.

Well, was it a surprise he may have been planning a speech in his head once he knew he was going to see his long lost wife? He continued.

"I'm sorry. Though, I knew you had a secret of your own." I looked at him sharply. He nodded. "Yes, I knew you were FBI. It was good for the company. I was able to keep tabs on you and them." He smiled sadly. I looked out the side window, trying to sort through all this new information. It was crazy. It was ridiculous. Could it be true? "When the plane hit, I actually managed to get out alive, but the company manipulated the news. They thought it'd be a good cover if I'd died. I'd be able to focus all my efforts on the research." He reached across to grab my hand and I let him, but it made my skin crawl. 

This man had once made my skin sing to his touch, but now I had to force myself not to pull away. What had changed? Was this the same man? My Robert? Was this all a dream?

"I was going to tell you, but then you were off, moving from place to place, never staying long enough for me to find you. Luckily, as I should've known, fate brought you to this town and brought us back together." He gave me a shining smile and carressed my hand.  "I'm glad your here."

I didn't look at him. "What did you say about the kids Robert? What's this experiment?"

"You'll see soon." We turned off onto another dirt road. Wherever we were going, it was out in the middle of nowhere. We followed the road through a heavily wooded area and came to a gate. It was hard to see in the dark, but I could just make out the ten foot tall fence on both sides leading off into the dark. There was a small post that Robert drove up to. He placed his thumb upon a small lcd screen and after a moment or two, the gate slid open. Past the gate, the rough dirt road became smooth black pavement, until they came upon an immense white building, full of windows that seemed to show small rooms. It looked like a hospital.

A large sign out front proclaimed the place "Clear Changes" in large white block letters. The road split, the left leading to a what looked like the entrance, with glass sliding doors. We took the right, going past a parking garage and around to the back. Small white complexes were arranged together, each with a couple marked parking spaces. All I could wonder was where the hell we were. We came to one of the complexes and parked in an empty space, meanwhile Hiram parked beside us. 

"Welcome to our home." Robert said with a grand smile, getting out of the car. I got out too, though slowly, hesitantly. I truly was Alice, tumbling down the rabbithole. He went over and spoke to Hiram quietly. I wanted to listen, but I was too distracted by the complex in front of me. Our home. What did that mean? "C'mon." Robert said brightly, taking my hand and leading me to the front door. Two large windows in front revealed a kitchen/dining room. "I want you to meet someone." Meet someone?

Before I could ask, we were up to the door and he opened it. I heard a girlish shriek, "Daddy!" and then the padding of soft feet running.

"Oh my god." I muttered underneath my breath. I couldn't take this, not this. Our kids? But no, I was wrong. It was a young girl, about eight or nine years old, with beautiful shining blond hair and sparkling light blue eyes.

"Hey Natalie!" Robert said, moving forward and giving the young girl a big hug. She giggled as he pulled her up into the air and swung her around. 

Natalie?

He set her down, and his jolly face turned to me. "Natalie, meet Maribel." The young girl took a couple steps forward and held out her hand for a handshake.

"Hello Maribel, how do you do?" She asked, perfectly polite. I tentatively shook her hand and stuttered,

"Hi Natalie...I'm fine." I managed. "Thank you." 

"Hey Natalie," Robert said with a mischievious grin. "Why don't you tell Maribel what you're studying right now?"

"Oh!" Natalie gasped and looked very proud, yet at the same time, had that shy look that little kids sometimes get. I couldn't help but admit it was adorable. "I'm studying chemistry and algebra! Dad says I'm doing very well in both!" She grinned, sweet and innocent as can be.

My mouth gaped. Chemistry and algebra? This wasn't making any sense. "Honey," Robert said to the child. "How old are you?"

"I'll be nine years old in a month!" She sounded excited. I closed my mouth and stared at Robert. I shook my head.

"I don't understand." I said helplessly. Robert gestured to Natalie.

"Natalie, why don't you go finish up your homework, ok?" She nodded and skipped off. Robert walked up to me and took my hands in his. "Isn't it amazing Bell?" Bell, his petname for me. I had to admit I loved hearing him say it again. "It worked, it actually worked!" Robert sounded excited and pleased with himself, but I had no idea what he was talking about.

"What worked?"

We did it, Maribel. The company. We've stumbled onto something big. We're going to change the world. We've been able to alter the human brain. As kids grow, their brain develops faster. Natalie is the first success. The kids at town were the first real experiment. There were others before, and there will be more. Soon, we will be able to allow rapid development of the brain when our kids our born. Instead of one genius in a hundred kids, we'll have one normal kid in a hundred geniuses! Think of the possibilities!" Robert's face was so alive, so energetic about what he was saying. He really believed all this. I had to take a moment to absorb all that he was saying. First success...Others...Altering... 

A question came to me, but before I could ask it, a car horn blurted outside. Robert's brow furrowed. He raised a hand. "I forgot something to give Hiram. Give me a moment." He walked to the fridge, took out a plastic bag and quickly walked outside. I only got a glance at the bag. It seemed to contain prescription bottles of some type of pills. Perhaps the Mayor had a strange illness?

As Robert was gone, I tried to take in all I had heard. The kids. Robert. Natalie. Others before and there will be more. I bit my lip. Why did that phrase trouble me so? The door opened and Robert was back. He grabbed my shoulders enthusiastically, and looked at me waiting for what I thought of everything.

"What happens to the others?" I asked hesitantly. Robert looked confused. "The ones who aren't successes. The 'normal' ones."

He sighed. "Nothing of course. What do you think, we're animals?" He sounded almost hurt, though there was something else. He didn't quite believe in what he was saying as much as he had before. His hands dropped from my shoulders. I thought of those pills he'd given to Hiram. "We're doing high quality research here. Research that will change the world, and save millions of lives." That last bit sounded almost defensive. Saving millions of lives at the cost of what?

"What are those pills you gave Hiram?" He sighed again and looked disappointed.  

"Nothing. Just something for the kids in town."

"And them, were they successes?" I asked coldly.

"No, of course not. Did you notice any of them acting spectacular? They're all normal."

"They're all spectacular!" I replied with venom in my voice. 

"Well of course but they're nothing like Natalie. Don't you see that at least?" He sounded condescending, something I'd never heard in Robert's voice before, and I didn't like it. 

I sighed and nodded. I smiled. "Of course I see that." I replied gently and moved forward, letting him hold me to him.

"I'm glad you understand." He said softly, his winning smile back, holding me tight. I put my arms around him and held him to me, remembering all the times we'd done this before.

Then I pulled his shirt up with one hand and reached for what I'd felt when I'd hugged him earlier. A pistol stuck in the back of his pants. Before he knew what was happening I shoved him away and leveled the pistol at his chest. He looked at me, shocked. "Maribel..."

"Shut up." I replied. His eyes looked hurt, betrayed even. I forced myself to remember he'd lied to me, had been gone for over a decade, and the kids. I had to remember the kids. "What really happens Robert? To the failures?"

He bit his lower lip, looking nervous now. "It doesn't matter Maribel. Just put down-"

"Tell me Robert!" I yelled. "They're my kids." I sounded shaky and on the edge, almost as if the kids came from my own womb.

"Listen!" He replied angrily. "It's for their own good!" He stopped suddenly, realizing what he'd said. I nodded for him to continue. He continued, but instead of looking at me, he looked at the floor. "The ones we experiment on...The failures...They tend to have...problems later on in life. Abnormalities. Handicaps, sometimes things stranger or worse then normal people. We stop them before that happens, so they never have to experience what thats like." 

"You kill them." I spat. He didn't respond and didn't look at me. I was horrified. I wanted to scream. I wanted to shoot Robert again and again. I wanted everyone in the company to pay. But revenge didn't matter right now. I struggled to keep my voice under control, and spoke slowly, emphasizing every word. "How many in town are failures?"

Roberts voice was hollow when he replied. "All of them. Zero percent success rate."

I gasped. They were all going to die. Hiram. The drugs. I had to stop it. "Where are they going to do it?" 

Robert shook his head. "You can't stop it, Maribel. It's for the children. It's for the future."

"Shut up and tell me where." Apparently I could be a cold-hearted bitch when I needed to be, even to my husband back from the dead.

"The school." His eyes were tearing up. Maybe he wasn't so sure about the morals of his company. Well I was damn sure. Clear Changes was pure evil. Good intentions didn't mean ****. 

"Keys." I demanded. He tossed them over. 

I backed out of the complex slowly, keeping my gun leveled at Robert. He just stood there, looking at the ground. He seemed about to cry. Maybe he wouldn't call security. Who knew? I didn't have the time to worry about it. Something came to my mind all of a sudden, and I couldn't believe what I'd thought of. Others before...

"Robert", I called getting his attention. "Our kids?!" I asked incredulously. Had the whole plane crash been a cover-up for the murder of my two babies and the supposed death of my husband? Robert didn't answer but he didn't need to. At my question he fell to his knees, head in his hands, bawling. "You bastard. You **** bastards!" I yelled, sprinting out of the complex and to the car before I could blow the man's head off.

I slammed into the car and turned it on. I put my hands to my face. I couldn't cry. I couldn't get emotional. Not now. They needed me. My kids. I couldn't think about my babies, about the others before. I had to think about the others now. Hiram had a headstart. I'd strategize on the way.

 I put the car in gear and drove.