Designed to Love Read Free Page A

to the training facility was precisely
thirty-three minutes, also just like Bernie said it would be.
Eighty-three miles northwest of Las Vegas sits Area 51, Nevada's
test and training military base and our home for the next three
days. Bernie warned us that we would be blindfolded before being
escorted by guards to our quarters, which was an eighteen-minute
walk from the main inspection station. Of course, Claire and I
witness the whole journey, remotely hovering just above the others.
We join them in a mental conference room and describe our
surroundings detail by detail. The descent by elevator, six
subterranean levels below has Elizabeth a little spooked but her
face remains neutral as she lets the guard guide her down a long
corridor and through several sets of gray metal doors. Claire and I
veer off course to explore every room along the way. We find two
large computer rooms, a cafeteria, lab, hospital infirmary,
exercise room, and several conference rooms, all full of military
personnel.
    Claire gives us a disappointing color
reading on the majority of people we pass in the hallway— nothing
but oranges and blues.
     
    We finally reach a dead end hallway with a
single elevator that takes us to the seventh subterranean floor.
Our blindfolds are removed and we are standing in a large foyer
that, if I didn't know any better, could be that of a five-star
hotel. The sitting area to the right is furnished with plush fine
leather furniture surrounding a mock rock fireplace, and the front
desk ahead is made of expensive mahogany wood. The guard tells us
to check in at the desk, and promptly turns around to leave. Alisha
kicks into take-charge mode and marches over to the front desk,
with the rest of us following.
    The attractive desk attendant greets us
professionally and asks for Alisha's name. "Ah, the Designers," she
mutters after a few key strokes on the computer. "Okay, how would
you like your room accommodations," she asks, eyeing us with modest
curiosity.
    Alisha naturally speaks on our behalf,
requesting one room for the ladies, and one for the gents.
    I correct her and tell the clerk that I
would prefer a room to myself, and ignore Alisha's dirty look.
    The desk clerk hands us our room keys and
says, "By the way, Ms. Stoddard will meet you in the restaurant
area at 6:00 p.m. sharp. The dining area is just around the corner
on your left, and your rooms are down the hall on the right. Have a
good night," she says, smiling, while looking directly at
Burke.
    ***
    Bernie Stoddard is seated in the far corner
of the restaurant with a stack of papers in front of her. She is
smartly dressed in a pair of designer jeans, with a silk blouse,
that has been coordinated by a bright red and yellow scarf tied
around her neck. The fine lines around her eyes and mouth, along
with the short gray hair, contradicts the age depicted by her
toned, athletic build. She greets us with a smile and briefly looks
each of us over in such a manner that you feel like you've just
been interrogated, then resumes thumbing through a file of
paperwork.
    "Still yellow," Claire mentally announces as
we approach the table, instantly making everyone feel at ease.
    We quietly take a seat at the large round
table, in an almost empty restaurant. Burke and Brandon immediately
reach for the menus and Alisha subtly angles her head in what I
know is an attempt to get a glimpse at the papers being reviewed by
Bernie.
    "Alisha, there is no need for you to sneak,
I am about to give you a copy," Bernie says without looking up.
    Alisha looks slightly embarrassed for being
caught, but doesn't say anything. Brandon chuckles.
    "All right, here is the agenda for the next
three days," Bernie finally says, passing us each a copy, including
Claire. "The purpose of the next three days is to test your
physical as well as psychic abilities. We will be running you
through a series of tests which will include pulmonary, cardiac,
neurological and musculoskeletal testing. Um, and I