Where There’s Smoke

Raphaella slept fitfully through the night, tossing and turning in her bed, concerned for her son. Young and strong, surely he would survive as his grandfather had. Yet, there was no solace. He could die.

The alarm on her phone sounded announcing the time to arise. Pushing herself upright, a weariness settled over her, almost worse than as if she had not slept at all. As tired as she was, she knew it must surely be nothing compared to her son, her bright shining boy.

Getting up, she prepared herself quickly, wanting to spend some time with Tom before the upcoming test. Heading to his room, though there was light shining through the window, she entered silently in case he was sleeping. A small black puck shaped disk on the floor near the bed caught her attention. Frowning, she bent at the waist and picked it up. Although black in color, she could tell squat little cylinder was made of a light metal, probably aluminum, non-descript save for three holes on the top of it. There also appeared to be a whitish colored residue around each of the holes. Bringing it to her nose, she gave it a sniff and instantly felt light headed, her eyes going out of focus.

“What?” she mumbled, taking a shambling step toward the bed and sitting down, extending her hand to support herself as she tried to dispel the feeling of nausea from her stomach and the slightly acerbic smell stuck in her nostrils.

Lina appeared in the doorway, smile on her face, “Are we ready?” she inquired.

Ella shook her head, the motion enhancing her woozy feeling.

Frowning, Lina entered the room, “Are you alright?” she asked, walking to the bed and placing a hand on the dark haired woman’s shoulder.

Lifting her hand with the small circular puck, “I found this on the floor,” she said, queasiness beginning to abate.

“What?” Lina asked, picking it up of Ella’s hand.

“Don’t inhale any of it,” Tom’s mother cautioned.

“What is it?” Lina asked.

Letting out a long breath, Raphaella’s vision started to clear, “I don’t know what it is.”

“You found it on the floor?” she asked, flipping the little thing over in her hand, before looking at the little plastic habitat. “Where’s Tom?” she inquired.

Ella’s eyes grew round as she turned to look into the container on the bed, “Tom?” she queried, reaching her hand down and moving the fabric aside. Unable to find him, “TOM?” she repeated, tone becoming more frantic. Lina moved around to the side and onto her knees helping to search.

“What’s the delay?” Dona asked from the door.

Not bothering to look up, “We can’t find Tom,” Ella replied

Dona turned her head and glanced down the hallway toward the doors at the end, eyes scanning the place she had found him only the day before. “Did he maybe journey out?” she asked, not spotting him.

“She found this on the floor,” Lina said, walking over and extending her hand.

“What is it?” Dona inquired, shrugging her shoulders.

“I’m not sure,” Lina replied, “but your sister says don’t smell it.”

Scoffing, Dona plucked the disc out of Lina’s hand, “Why not?” she asked, bringing it to her face cautiously, catching a faint whiff and immediately lowering it while making a sour face. “Ugh, that’s nasty,” she declared.

“He’s not here,” said Ella, voice raised, putting the habitat on the nightstand and stripping back the blankets carefully.

“He has to be here somewhere,” Lina offered, trying to reassure a panicking Ella.

Walking down the corridor, “Tom?” Dona said, crouching low. Finding neither the boy, nor a trace of his passage, she stood back up, marching back down the hall toward where Tom Sr. was still recuperating.

Pushing through the door, she walked to the side of his bed, shaking him enough to rouse him. “What is this thing?” she asked, presenting him with the little black puck.

“Good morning dear, I’m doing well, thanks for asking” he remarked, pulling himself into a seated position and retrieving his spectacles from the table beside his bed. Picking up the disc, he examined, touching his finger to the powder then to his tongue. Before making a sour face and spitting.

“Well?” she demanded, standing defiantly, hands on her hips.

“If I had to guess, I’d say it’s some kind of counterterrorism smoke type bomb with a means to deliver an aerosol incapacitating agent, probably a remifentanil concoction,” Tom Sr. said before licking the back of his hand, trying to dispel the bitter taste lingering on his taste buds.

“Some kind of gas grenade?” she asked.

Face still puckered, he nodded and held the puck back to her. “Where the hell did you get it?” he asked.

Swiping the device out of his hand, she didn’t reply, turning and storming out of the room to join her sister and Lina in Tom’s bedroom. There she shared Tom Sr.’s evaluation of the device.

Ella shook her head, “That doesn’t make any sense,” she scoffed, denial in her voice. After a moment, she lowered her head.

Considering the implications, namely if Tom Sr.’s assessment was correct, Lina knew it meant someone breached security and broke into the institute, taking Tom. This was her country, her place, and she had vouched for the safety and security of Tom, she was taking this affront personally.

Dona sat down beside her sister, draping an arm over the older sibling’s shoulders, “We’ll find him,” she avowed, voice resolved.

Green eyes beginning to well with tears, “I don’t understand why someone would do this, I, how? No one knew we were here,” she said voice on the verge of breaking.

A storm cloud appeared behind Lina’s normal serene blue eyes. Whomever had penetrated the institute’s security system also strategically disabled the camera systems, the alarms, and slipped in and got back out without detection before vanishing like a shadow into the night. Pulling out her cell phone, she called up a contact and put the phone to her ear, “Get me Serena Hall, NOW!” she ordered.