Camden
Posted: 2007-02-04 04:26am
The cell phone was ringing now, late into the evening. It was answered by a tired-looking man, who looked as if he hadn't seen much joy in the past century, and he only looked to be in his late forties. "This is Camden."
The voice on the other end had a professional tone - in fact, were it not for his long-time aquiaintance with the man, Camden wouldn't have noticed the slight nervous tremble in his voice. "Sir, it's our...guest. He's not acting like his usual self."
Camden's eyebtows furrowed even more than normal. This was certainly unexpected news - the "guest" was supposed to be wrapped up nice and quiet until the universe ended. Something told him that this was not fortuitous for his career. "Send a driver now."
The relief was audible in the man's voice. "Consider it done, sir."
While he waited for the car, Camden paced in his spacious, austaire and stark living room. His entire career revolved around keeping his guest securely bound and quiet - as long as he understood how tihngs were supposed to work, everything was fine.
The black car arrived with little fanfare, quietly crunching against the gravel - even the noise seemed muted from the car. The car itself seemed to blend and fade into it's surroundings. His musing about it was cut short, as he got in the back door, and the driver pulled away from his house with a curt announcement. "Sir, our estimated travel time will be twenty five minutes."
Camden nodded absently, his mind on his guest. Somehow, this didn't feel...routine.
The car stopping, Camden getting out, and walking with his escort of the nameless driver fell into a blur as he walked toward the lower levels of the complex - where his guest's "quarters" were.
Soon enough, he arrived at the room, looking through the small heavy mesh plexiglass window into the hard white room. The guest was smiling and talking, chained to the wall as he was. Camden's eyes narrowed. His guest had forgotten his place.
He walked with long, angry strides into the room, and was greeted with a smirk and a crafty look from his guest. "Ah, Camden. I was hoping you'd be here soon. I'm glad that I wasn't disappointed."
His jaw clenching and unclenching with unmanifested anger, Camden barked at his guest. "I see you've forgotten how things work around here. It will be my distasteful and messy pleasure to remind you."
The guest smiled more broadly, almost paternally. "I can see that you don't understand. Allow me to enlighten you."
With that, his guest did the impossible, and dropped from his bonds onto the floor below, smiling with satisfaction as he did. "You see, Camden, your services are no longer required."
His jaw clenching with uncertainty and anger, Camden spoke far more loudly than he meant to. "You have no idea what you've done! Let us put you back in the chains, where you'll be nice and safe from all that might harm you - and let me tell you, there's a lot out there."
The guest shook his head with a gentle smile, already walking with purpose out the door, and down the hall. "Not ever again. You see Camden, I no longer need this place."
Camden growled. "You're babbling nonsense."
The guest continued walking, his pace unhurried, but undetained. "Do you know who it was that first hired you and had this place created?"
Camden's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "He never named himself. I don't talk to my employer."
The guest chuckled. "I was the one who hired you to guard me, to hold me here in this complex. But now, I no longer need you, or this place."
Pressing his hand against a nondescript wall, a hidden door opened, and the guest walked confidently inside. Camden, now utterly confused and not liking it one bit, followed the guest into the hidden door. He was getting angrier by the minute - Camden had no idea the door was there.
A short tunnel led to a small room that resembled a launch center, with an EXIT door to the side. Typing some rapid commands into one console, the guest rapidly moved through menus and computer programs that Camden had no idea existed. Pressing one last key, the guest smiled with satisfaction, and dusted his hands. "Well, Camden. I suppose this is goodbye. I would suggest you leave as soon as possible - this place will no longer exist here shortly."
With that, the guest walked out the exit, leaving Camden dumbfounded in the control room. He began to study the monitors, trying to make some sense of what had happened - when he heard deep, bass thuds, which he knew could only be explosions. And they were coming from within the complex. He decided discretion and alacrity were the better parts of valor, and left the EXIT.
But not in time - he could tell that no matter how fast he ran now, he wouldn't outrun the angry ball of flame currently occupied with immolating the complex. The last thing Camden's mind registered was his former guest, walking into the distant countryside.
=====
(Author's notes: I got the idea for this while writing in my journal about something I'm learning to overcome in my own life. This seemed to be a fitting metaphor.)
The voice on the other end had a professional tone - in fact, were it not for his long-time aquiaintance with the man, Camden wouldn't have noticed the slight nervous tremble in his voice. "Sir, it's our...guest. He's not acting like his usual self."
Camden's eyebtows furrowed even more than normal. This was certainly unexpected news - the "guest" was supposed to be wrapped up nice and quiet until the universe ended. Something told him that this was not fortuitous for his career. "Send a driver now."
The relief was audible in the man's voice. "Consider it done, sir."
While he waited for the car, Camden paced in his spacious, austaire and stark living room. His entire career revolved around keeping his guest securely bound and quiet - as long as he understood how tihngs were supposed to work, everything was fine.
The black car arrived with little fanfare, quietly crunching against the gravel - even the noise seemed muted from the car. The car itself seemed to blend and fade into it's surroundings. His musing about it was cut short, as he got in the back door, and the driver pulled away from his house with a curt announcement. "Sir, our estimated travel time will be twenty five minutes."
Camden nodded absently, his mind on his guest. Somehow, this didn't feel...routine.
The car stopping, Camden getting out, and walking with his escort of the nameless driver fell into a blur as he walked toward the lower levels of the complex - where his guest's "quarters" were.
Soon enough, he arrived at the room, looking through the small heavy mesh plexiglass window into the hard white room. The guest was smiling and talking, chained to the wall as he was. Camden's eyes narrowed. His guest had forgotten his place.
He walked with long, angry strides into the room, and was greeted with a smirk and a crafty look from his guest. "Ah, Camden. I was hoping you'd be here soon. I'm glad that I wasn't disappointed."
His jaw clenching and unclenching with unmanifested anger, Camden barked at his guest. "I see you've forgotten how things work around here. It will be my distasteful and messy pleasure to remind you."
The guest smiled more broadly, almost paternally. "I can see that you don't understand. Allow me to enlighten you."
With that, his guest did the impossible, and dropped from his bonds onto the floor below, smiling with satisfaction as he did. "You see, Camden, your services are no longer required."
His jaw clenching with uncertainty and anger, Camden spoke far more loudly than he meant to. "You have no idea what you've done! Let us put you back in the chains, where you'll be nice and safe from all that might harm you - and let me tell you, there's a lot out there."
The guest shook his head with a gentle smile, already walking with purpose out the door, and down the hall. "Not ever again. You see Camden, I no longer need this place."
Camden growled. "You're babbling nonsense."
The guest continued walking, his pace unhurried, but undetained. "Do you know who it was that first hired you and had this place created?"
Camden's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "He never named himself. I don't talk to my employer."
The guest chuckled. "I was the one who hired you to guard me, to hold me here in this complex. But now, I no longer need you, or this place."
Pressing his hand against a nondescript wall, a hidden door opened, and the guest walked confidently inside. Camden, now utterly confused and not liking it one bit, followed the guest into the hidden door. He was getting angrier by the minute - Camden had no idea the door was there.
A short tunnel led to a small room that resembled a launch center, with an EXIT door to the side. Typing some rapid commands into one console, the guest rapidly moved through menus and computer programs that Camden had no idea existed. Pressing one last key, the guest smiled with satisfaction, and dusted his hands. "Well, Camden. I suppose this is goodbye. I would suggest you leave as soon as possible - this place will no longer exist here shortly."
With that, the guest walked out the exit, leaving Camden dumbfounded in the control room. He began to study the monitors, trying to make some sense of what had happened - when he heard deep, bass thuds, which he knew could only be explosions. And they were coming from within the complex. He decided discretion and alacrity were the better parts of valor, and left the EXIT.
But not in time - he could tell that no matter how fast he ran now, he wouldn't outrun the angry ball of flame currently occupied with immolating the complex. The last thing Camden's mind registered was his former guest, walking into the distant countryside.
=====
(Author's notes: I got the idea for this while writing in my journal about something I'm learning to overcome in my own life. This seemed to be a fitting metaphor.)