"Who are you? Mr. Foxley?" "Yes. I am SR Foxley" "Well, Mr. Foxley, my refusal still stands. I'd like to go home now." There was a lengthy pause from the speaker on the table. "Mr. Weaver, I apologize for the manner in which you have been treated today. I assure you that if there had been any other way, it would have been done. If you'd like to go, ask one more time and we'll accommodate your request. However, if you would like to know more about the position and this organization, we are willing to answer your questions now." Nathan sighed. This had been what he was objecting about, hadn't it? If they were really willing to share some genuine answers with him, maybe it would be worth it to at least hear them out. And the thought of returning to his job search at school was hardly appealing, especially when these people seemed so eager to keep him. "Ok. I'm listening." "What would you like to know?" "For starters, what exactly is this 'position?'" "We're looking for the right person to lead one of the research projects we're conducting here at the Preserve." Nathan leaned back in his chair. "Well, thank you! Why on earth couldn't you have told me that over the phone?" "I'm afraid the nature of this project requires that we maintain the utmost secrecy about it." "What do you mean?" "Mr. Weaver, everything you have seen and heard today is classified." Nathan nodded. "Well... I suppose that partially explains why you've been treating me like this. But what sort of secrets could a wildlife preserve possibly be hiding? Or is that just a front? Just what do you people do here in your underground building?" Mr. Flowers responded, "The building in which we are sitting used to be a remote nuclear missile silo, built during the early 1980's and abandoned afterward during the disarmament of the 1990's. Its location and low profile make it an ideal location for the headquarters for the work we do." Ms. Faulkner continued, "As far as the work goes, we're mainly involved in wildlife re-stocking projects." Nathan peered at the two at the table, then looked at the mirror. "So you're saying that you work in an underground building in the middle of nowhere so that no one will find out that you're trying to replenish dwindling animal populations? I'm sorry, but that just doesn't make sense." The intercom crackled a few times, and it took Nathan a moment to realize that Mr. Foxley was laughing. "No, I suppose that doesn't." The man behind the mirror sighed. "The reason our work is classified is not so much because of the results we're trying to achieve as much as the motivation behind our efforts and the methods we employ." Nathan did not like the direction this was going. "What exactly do you do here?" The two sitting at the table made no action to answer Nathan's question. After a few moments' pause, the intercom again sprang to life. "Mr. Weaver, how much do you know about wildlife population balances and evolution?" "A fair amount-- I did major in Wildlife Resources." "Ok, then. Let's consider a system involving grass, crickets, rabbits and wolves: The wolves eat the rabbits, who in turn eat the grass to survive. As the wolves and rabbits die and give off waste, they fertilize the grass. The crickets compete with the rabbits for food." "...and so we have a small cycle of life." Nathan interrupted. Mr. Foxley paused. "What happens if one year our system sees an unusually fertile season for grass." "The rabbit and cricket population that year or the next will increase accordingly." "And the wolf population?" "After the rabbit population increases, the wolf population will also increase because of the greater abundance of prey. And then, the next year, the rabbit population will decrease below the point where we started because there are more predators than the available prey can support. Then after that, many of the wolves will starve. And as the wolves starve, the rabbit population will again increase, once again causing the wolf population to increase. After a long time, assuming no other huge fluxuations in environment, both populations will settle back to their equilibrium." Nathan crossed his arms across his chest. "It's a self-regulating system. Pretty basic material, as far as wildlife management goes. Where are you going with this example?" Again, the intercom was silent and Nathan's visible hosts sat emotionless in their chairs. Mr. Foxley cleared his throat, then began again, "Please bear with me, Mr. Weaver..." "Call me Nathan." "Ok, Nathan. I do have a point to this line of thought, one you probably haven't thought of." Nathan rolled his eyes and nodded. "Ok, then. Taking our system, suppose it is hit with a severe drought, so bad that an extraordinary number of rabbits perish. What would happen then?" "The following year, the wolf population would drop off sharply-- there wouldn't be many of either animal in our grasslands. Given enough time, both populations would reach equilibrium again, but it would take a while." "No-- I mean if the proportions were horribly skewed..." "To the point of hitting a threshold? That's hard to believe, with rabbits." "Humor me." "Well, ok-- if the rabbit population drops below a certain number, the rabbits won't ever be able to replenish their population. Rabbits, in our system, will become extinct." "And the wolves?" "Unless they find an alternate food source, they'll also all die out." "And then the crickets rule supreme in the grasslands." Nathan smirked. "I guess so. What does that have to do with anything?" "The crickets, who've had relatively little involvement in this whole situation suddenly become the highest form of life in the system." "So?" "So speaking in terms of evolution, the rabbits and wolves didn't measure up, and we've taken a giant step backward." Nathan shook his head. "I don't think I follow you." Mr. Foxley paused. "In the history of this world, we can find evidence of many such occasions where evolution has, so to speak, gone back to the drawing board to start again fresh with something new. The most famous example of this can be found in the case of the dinosaurs, who became extinct over the course of a very short time around sixty million years ago. They could not cope with a rapidly changing environment." "I still don't see..." "Nathan, in the history of humankind, have you ever heard of a time when the face of our planet has seen greater change than the last hundred and fifty years?" Nathan shook his head, trying to follow the line of thought... "Let's consider a bigger system: This one involving all of the plant life on earth as well as the animal life, including humans." Nathan peered at the glass, trying to see the man on the other side. "What are you saying? The humans are like the crickets in our grasslands? That all the animal life is going to die, and there will be nothing left except us and the plants?" A pause, then, "No, Mr. Nathan Weaver, unfortunately no. If that were the case, then humankind could easily turn all the wilderness of earth into its garden without much thought about its own extinction. Unfortunately, the data indicate that humans more closely resemble the wolves in our system than the crickets. The rabbits are almost all other land and water-bound animals larger than your average gopher. The crickets are anything smaller." "But we don't eat..." "Of course we don't-- unfortunately that's where this analogy fails. The animals are bonded to us in much more subtle ways than simply as a food source. Even if all people in the world were to adopt a strictly vegan lifestyle, it would not be enough. If we want to ensure our own survival, we must also ensure that most of the animal life around us also survives." Nathan rubbed his eyes, digesting the words Mr. Foxley had said. "So what you're saying is that by not making sure the wildlife on the earth doesn't die, we're killing ourselves?" "Possibly. None of us has ever witnessed the extinction of an intelligent species before, so we may be misinterpreting the data. In any case, there's a good chance that we're right, which has made a large portion of the governments of the Earth nervous enough to take action." "Which is where you come in." "Precisely. We, along with other organizations founded with the same purpose, are trying to circumvent what could be the biggest tragedy this planet ever sees." "And you don't want anyone to know because?" "We don't want to risk the reaction the population at large may have if they discover-- and truly believe-- their destruction could be as little as fifty years away. And convenience-- when the survival of the species is the issue at hand, governments are much more willing to bend their moral regulations and obligations. Our work is much easier done if we don't have scads of protesters picketing our front walk." Nathan nodded, leaning back in his chair. "That all sounds great-- if you've got the evidence to back it up. In the mean time, though, I do believe you've completely avoided answering my question. What exactly do you do here?" At this, there was no mistaking Mr. Foxley's laughter crackling over the intercom. "Didn't I tell you, Ms. Faulkner? There's no fooling this one..." Nathan clenched his jaw. "You're not impressing me, Mr. Foxley." The laughter died down after a moment. "All right, then." He cleared his throat. "Several of the floors in this facility are under the direction of Mr. Flowers. His primary concern is falsifying reports -- like the ones you probably studied during your schooling -- dealing with the ebb and tide of wildlife populations around the world. Ms. Faulkner supervises the work with the animals themselves, especially those in our breeding program. Among other things, I am responsible for overseeing the entire operation, and for recruiting candidates who might be able to contribute to our efforts." "Wait, what kind of other things?" Mr. Foxley sighed. "As wildlife populations have been rapidly declining around the globe, there have been occasions when we've been too late to revive a species through natural methods." "Go on." "A colleague of mine-- one by the name of Derksen, who oversees a similar operation in western Canada-- has developed a method based roughly on cloning techniques invented in the mid 1990's." Nathan paused. "You're cloning animals?" "In a manner of speaking, yes." Nathan exhaled deeply. No wonder they were so secretive about what they did! In the United States, the government had been vehemently opposed to any experiments in this shady realm of science ever since Dolly's twin ewe made her way to the headlines. That is, at least publicly... "But you're a government funded organization, right?" The intercom was silent for a moment. "Yes. Does this surprise you?" "I... I suppose not. I guess it's not the first time it's had a double standard." Mr. Flowers smirked. Nathan sat up. "Ok, then. What was this position you had for me, again?" Ms. Faulkner, who along with Mr. Flowers had been silently witnessing this exchange, said, "The position, should we choose to offer it to you, is to lead a cloning project like Mr. Foxley described. This one involves wolves." "Wolves?" Mr. Flowers spoke, "Timber wolves. They used to roam the local mountains and forest lands in large packs. Now they are nearly gone." Nathan shook his head. "But I don't know a thing about genetics, or even that much about biology. How..." Mr. Flowers interrupted, "Your role in this would not be to oversee the cloning itself, but to ensure the local pack we've been working with survives and prospers. Your knowledge regarding Wildlife Resources will be most beneficial to you as you carry out this task." Nathan continued to shake his head. "No, but I mean... I certainly don't mind that you think so highly of me, but aren't there a lot more people a lot more qualified than me to do this job?" There was a moment's pause before Mr. Foxley's intercom broke the silence. "Your skills and knowledge are actually only a secondary reason I chose to interview you, Nathan. What we really need is someone who not only thinks independently, but is bold and brave enough to act on these thoughts. I'll not lie to you: If we offer the job to you, and you accept, it will be the most difficult thing you have ever done in your life. We know you can learn the skills you lack. I brought you here today to find out if you can exercise them." Nathan slowly began to nod. "Anything else?" "Just this: By now I think you are beginning to understand the sensitive nature of our work. Because of this and other factors, if you accept a position at the Preserve, you will be required to sever all contact with your former acquaintances. Since you have no surviving family, we hoped this would be a relatively painless transition." Nathan straightened up. His parents may have been killed in a car wreck three years before, but he still had a life, and he would prefer not to lose it! "And if I don't accept?" "Then you will wake up sometime tomorrow afternoon remembering having taken a difficult Water Resources Management test the day before, followed by a long afternoon and night of studying somewhere far from your acquaintances. Mr. Flowers, what grade did Nathan receive on that test?" "An 'A'." Nathan blinked. This was a turn of events he hadn't expected. "You mean?..." Ms. Faulkner interjected, "The work we do here is far too sensitive to trust your word, that you won't talk. Believe me: If we offer you the position, and you don't want to participate, then you won't remember a thing about this interview or this Preserve..." "Understand though," interrupted the intercom, "we won't put you through any discomfort if this happens. We don't torture people here. You simply won't remember." Nathan leaned back in his chair, allowing all the information he'd received today to soak in. He had never been one to seriously consider any of the wild and crazy conspiracy theories that one could always hear regarding the government. But this one-- how could he deny it? Unless his hosts were liars. But then, why should he not believe them? The story was far-fetched, but possible. And they obviously wanted his cooperation, otherwise, here in their underground building in the middle-of-nowhere, they could have forced him to do anything, without feeding him that story. Besides, what else could they possibly want from a freshly-graduated college student?... "Mr. Weaver," Mr. Foxley politely interrupted, "I'm afraid the time we have left to talk today is growing short. Thank you for hearing me out on this issue. But there is one thing we must know before we conclude here: If we offer you the position, are you willing to sever your former ties so that you can fulfill it?" Nathan did not look up from his thoughts. It was the oddest day in his life: If someone would have told him a day ago that he would now be sitting in a secret underground facility, being told stories about the end of the human race by two rather unfriendly people and a voice out of an intercom... Speaking of which, he certainly seemed nice enough, and obviously wasn't trying to hide his presence there-- why didn't this Mr. Foxley... "Mr. Foxley," Nathan began, "why don't you come out here and ask me that face-to-face?" Nathan was startled to see both Ms. Faulkner's and Mr. Flower's eyes visibly widen at that question. There was nearly a thirty-second pause from the intercom, then: "Nathan, as much as I don't want there to be any secrets between us today, that is something I simply cannot do right now, even within this building. If you get the position, then rest assured, we will meet face-to-face. But for now-- and I can't say why-- I cannot allow you to see me." "I... see," said Nathan, even though he did not. In all honesty, though, he didn't expect the man show himself. People who concealed themselves generally had good reasons for doing so. But the reactions of the two at the table were certainly puzzling... "Mr. Weaver?" interrupted Mr. Flowers. Nathan looked up-- it was obvious they were on a tight schedule. Still, this wasn't the sort of decision one had to make every day. He wondered why they needed someone to fill the position so soon... "When you first mentioned the position, you sounded as if it had recently been vacated...." Ms. Faulkner said, "It was: Our previous project leader was killed in an unexpected and unfortunate accident." Nathan looked her in the eyes. "Just what kind of dangers will I be facing in this position?" "Mr. Weaver," huffed Mr. Flowers, "You would be working with wolves, not domesticated dogs. I would think the dangers would be obvious!" Nathan looked down again and nodded. "How many are there?" "There are currently twelve wolves in our target group, including four pups." Another nod. "And what will happen to them if I don't take the position?" A pause, then Mr. Foxley spoke, "If the position is not filled within the next four days, it is very likely that most, if not all of the wolves will die." So that was it then. Saving the world aside, Nathan was faced with an ultimatum: Either he refuse and go back to school, forgetting about this place completely and returning to his job search and a normal life. In the mean time, the wolves, if there really were any, would die. Or, he could agree to sever his connections with his former life-- without even saying goodbye-- in the hopes that he might be able to save the lives of those wild animals. Nathan was now beginning to understand why, out of the hundreds of thousands of people who could do this job, they had chosen to interview him. He looked up at the mirror, trying to even get a hint of who was on the other side of that glass. Whoever that was, he had certainly done his homework to be able to know enough about Nathan to put him up to that choice. To know exactly how Nathan felt about that particular species of animal. To know, in the end, the choice Nathan would make. "All right," began Nathan, with trembling voice, "All right. If you can prove to me that the need is that great, then I'll... I'll do it." This elicited a moment of silence from the three interviewers. When at last somebody did speak, it was Mr. Foxley: "Then I've seen enough. Mr. Flowers?" "As have I." "Ms. Faulkner?" She looked Nathan over speculatively for a moment, then, "Ok. That's enough." "Then it's decided," stated the intercom. "Take him to the lake." Nathan was about to ask him what they were talking about when both Mr. Flowers and Ms. Faulkner got up from the table. Obviously, the interview was over. Nathan began to stand up when he caught something out of the corner of his eye: In his peripheral vision, he saw a light behind the mirror. Specifically, he saw a door open and a silhouette pass through. He looked, but by the time he turned his head the light was gone. But for a moment, he could have sworn... "Mr. Weaver?" Ms. Faulkner interrupted his thoughts. "Oh.. uh.. yes?" "Could you please follow me and Mr. Flowers? There is one more part to your interview." "This wouldn't happen to involve you and Mr. Flowers wearing sunglasses while you flash a bright light in my eyes, would it?" Mr. Flowers laughed at that. "No, I'm afraid that only works in the movies. Right this way, please." They led him back to the elevator and out of the building. The two 4x4's were gone, but had been replaced with two other off-road vehicles. After all three had gotten into one of these, they drove down one of the unkempt roads in the area. This one did not lead out of the wilderness, but rather deeper into it. Nathan didn't try to start a conversation this time-- it was clear by their silence that the two interviewers weren't interested in talking. And Nathan certainly had more than enough to think about now. He wondered whether he had made the right choice: The more he thought about it, the safer it sounded, just going back to school and looking for another job. But then he knew that he simply couldn't let a pack of wolves die if there was a chance that he could help them. A herd of deer or mountain lions or wild goats, maybe, but there was something about wolves-- something that wrenched his gut to think about-- that made it so he couldn't just leave them stranded. As he watched the sun begin to descend below the rocky ridges that were indigenous to the area, he contemplated what he thought he saw in the darkened room just before they had left. It had obviously been Mr. Foxley's silhouette, but what he saw... The man was obviously a dwarf, standing perhaps three and a half feet tall. The head was definitely misshapen-- certainly not the right proportions for a man, with what looked like two pointed dog's ears on the top. And then, just before the door closed... Was that a tail? "Mr. Flowers?" ventured Nathan, "Just before we left that interviewing room, I thought I saw... something behind the mirror." Mr. Flowers turned around in the front seat to face Nathan as best he could. "Yes?" "I thought... Well, I thought I saw a sort of wolf-man thing." Mr. Flowers turned back around. "Your eyes must have been fooling you. You didn't see a wolf-man." Abruptly, or at least sooner than Nathan expected, the Jeep rounded a corner and Ms. Faulkner brought it to a stop a few yards away from a small lake. She shut off the engine and all three disembarked. Both Mr. Flowers and Ms. Faulkner shook Nathan's hand, said it had been nice to get to know him, then turned back to the car. Nathan was baffled. "Wait!" he called to them. Mr. Flowers turned as Ms. Faulkner got into the vehicle and started the engine. "Yes?" "What am I supposed to do here?" He half-smiled, then, "I'm sure you'll figure it out. We'll be back in the morning." He got into the passenger's seat. "But... wait!" Mr. Flowers stopped closing the door. "Yes?" "What did I see behind the mirror?" Mr. Flowers sighed. "As I said, your eyes were fooling you-- you didn't see a wolf-man. What you saw could better be described as a fox-man." And with that he slammed the door and the Jeep drove away into the woods. Nathan was left standing with only the clothes on his body as he watched the dust-cloud from the departing vehicle dissipate into the twilight air. Copyright © 2000 by SR Foxley. All rights reserved. Please contact the author if you have questions regarding the publication of this document.
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