Heiser-The-Facade - Sparkling Eyes

"I don't know about you two," Melissa said lightheartedly, "but I can hardly waitto get back to my cell at the dreaded Facility and get to work on my research. It's just soexciting being part of something like this! I mean, I know this project will change humanbelief systems forever, and may cause terrible upheaval, but—""You don't have to explain," Deidre said, cutting her sandwich in half. "I feel thesame way. What about you, Neil?""I'd have to say that my own conflicts have been resolved," he answered in areflective, almost somber tone."You've undergone a bit of a change on your own then," Deidre reminded him."You didn't look so upbeat after Brian's second idea about these beings.""Things are much clearer now," he replied, sipping his coffee. "I'm curious . . . Doeither of you care to share your own experience with Adam?""He didn't really say anything to me," Melissa jumped in. "I hate to sound drippy,but I just felt this overflowing sense of love .. . like there was some sort of fondness forme . . . I can't really describe it any other way. What about you Deidre?""Well . . . it was pretty personal," she confided. "This is going to sound crazy, buttake it in the context of my research ... I've always had this fear that I'd been abductedmyself, and that someday it would happen again, and that my daughter would be taken.I've coped with it by telling myself that my subconscious has absorbed too much of mysubjects' testimonies.""Why didn't that take care of it?" asked Neil. "Sounds plausible to me.""My Mom once told me it had happened to her—and abductions tend to run infamily groups. Her testimony was another factor that compelled me to go into the subject.I knew my Mom—she was an avid churchgoer, almost a saint in my eyes. She was noone to lie or make up something like that.""Wow," Melissa voiced her surprise."Anyway, Adam caught all that.""And . . . ?""He admitted that he knew of my mother that was the hard part, but at least hetold me the truth. He promised me that neither my daughter nor I would ever be touched.His words, if the term applies, were, `does this help you?"' Deidre paused to gain hercomposure, the emotion of the moment still vivid in her heart. "That's when I started tocry," she sniffed. "I've just had this overwhelming sense of dread, that I'd stepped intosomething in my research that would someday cost me dearly. It was just what I neededto hear.""Remarkable," Neil said reflectively. "That was just as special to you as Brian'shealing was to him.""Where is Brian, anyway?" Deidre asked, looking at Melissa."What makes you think I'd know?""Just a guess," she said slyly."He went right to the hospital and had the cast removed. He was so excited, heand Malcolm went to lift weights to try out the hand. I'm so thrilled for him!""I'm even happier to hear that," Neil commented. "I'm sure you're quite relieved."Melissa looked down at her tray, trying to contain herself, but to no avail. "Whymust everyone keep saying things like that!" she burst forth. "It seems Brian's the onlyone around here willing to really forgive me!" She stood up to leave, but Deidre stopped260