Yesterday's Gone: Season One

fucking physical?” Ed asked, agitation growing. “I told you my name. Said I’ll cop to whatever you want. Toss me in lockup; throw away the key. I don’t give a shit anymore. Let’s get on with it already.”
    “Why would we want to lock you up?” Williams asked.
    Ed stared, confused. His head felt like it was going to crack from the growing pressure. His vision blurred and for a moment, Williams had become two rather than one. Ed squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head, then opened them back to minor blurring.
    “Are you serious?” Ed said. “You don’t have any idea who I am or what I’ve done?”
    “No. Why don’t you tell us.”
    “Everything, from the beginning,” Sullivan added.
    “My name is Edward Keenan, I work for The Agency. Well, I did, until something happened.”
    “The Agency?” Sullivan asked, “You mean the C.I.A.?”
    “Yes. Well, a division within it, which you probably never heard of. If you want to know more than that, you’ll need to speak to my superiors. Assuming any are left out there. By the way, while we’re in the Q & A section of this game, mind telling me what the hell happened out there to everyone?”
    The two men stared at each other for an uncomfortably long moment.
    “What do you think happened?” Williams asked.
    “Jesus Christ, can’t you people answer anything?” Ed sighed, rolling his head back.
    “I was on a plane,” he said, trying to remember exact details, but his thoughts grew fuzzier as the pain in his head intensified. It sounded like bees were buzzing behind his ears.
    “When?” asked Williams.
    “When what?” Ed asked, confused.
    “When were you on the plane?”
    “I don’t know, a few nights ago. Late Friday, early Saturday morning.”
    Williams flipped some papers on his clipboard, then said, “On the 15th?”
    “Yeah, I guess.” Ed said, thoughts slurred like he was drunk or something.
    The two men exchanged another glance. Though his head was pounding and the men who grabbed him were with the government in some capacity, Ed no longer thought they were Agency. At least not his division. Their confusion seemed suddenly sincere. Knowing that made it easier to comply and answer their annoying questions.
    “I fell asleep. When I woke, the plane had crashed and I somehow survived. When I went to see if anyone else had made it, there was no one. No bodies, no survivors. It was like I was the only one on the plane when it crashed.”
    “Then what?” Sullivan said.
    “The world was a ghost town, no matter where I went. I grabbed a truck and started to drive. That’s when I ran into the girl, Teagan. She said she was in the back seat while her parents were driving home from vacation. Something happened, she said, this black cloud or something in the car, and the next thing she knew, her mom and dad vanished.”
    “Vanished? Can you elaborate?” Williams asked.
    For a moment, Ed was drawing a blank, as if someone had deleted the memory from his head. And then, the next moment, it was back, in full clarity.
    Ed continued, “One second there, and when the cloud disappeared, so did they. Anything more, you’ve got to ask her. Like I said, I wasn’t there. And I didn’t see anyone on the plane vanish, though I assume they did, because I was sleeping.”
    “What else can you tell us about yourself, Mr. Keenan? Are you married?”
    “Yes.”
    “And your wife’s name?”
    Ed paused for a moment, not sure why it was important. But the intel wasn’t classified, and their split was public record in the Agency. “Julie. We split a few years ago.”
    “And Jade is your daughter?”
    “Yes.”
    The two men looked at each other again, and finally Ed ran out of patience.
    “Okay, I told you everything you’ve asked me. Now, it’s your turn to answer some questions.”
    “Fair enough, Mr. Keenan,” Williams said, “But we’re not at liberty to say much more than we have.”
    “Fuck that,” Ed said, “Then find me someone who can answer questions.”
    “We’ve arranged that,” Williams said, “Someone will be in to speak with you shortly, and they’ll answer all your questions. In the meantime, I’d like to thank you for your cooperation.”
    “Can you at least tell me where the hell we are?” Ed asked.
    Williams looked at Sullivan, who nodded.  
    Williams said, “You’re at Black Island Research Facility.”

    * * * *

BRENT FOSTER

    Brent had never been happier to see a ferry.
    They raced to the docks, duffels