by Dave Hazel
He quickly returned all the items to the trunk. He locked it and double locked it with the second padlock. He placed a blanket over the trunk, all the while trying to make himself believe he was just going through “a phase”. The reality is he could never allow himself to go back to Towbar’s world. It would be too hard for Pam to deal with. The boys were too young to understand so they would get over it, but it would break Pam’s heart.
When he left the room and closed the door he felt as if he had committed a shameful sin. Being secretive about his thoughts and true feelings brought on guilt. He felt as if he had just had an affair and committed adultery. He didn’t understand why he struggled with his thoughts over this.
He rushed down to the basement to find Towbar. The basement was very large and Towbar spent most of his time down there. When Mykal entered the main room he found the giant on his knees doubled over holding his head as if he was in tremendous pain. The odd looking two-headed Quecktarbs were playfully licking him and jumping on Towbar as if they were playing. Towbar obviously ignored the playful attention of the Quecktarbs.
“What’s wrong?” Mykal yelled out when he saw his friend in serious pain. “Are you okay?” As soon as the three Quecktarbs heard their master’s voice they came running to him with all six heads looking happy to see him.
“I did it my friend,” Towbar gasped without looking up at him. “I did it.”
“Did what?”
“I made contact with Nidious through Mind Talk,” he replied in a weakened state. He continued to sit and held his head.
So many thoughts flooded Mykal’s mind. Happy thoughts, sad thoughts, fearful thoughts, anxious thoughts. “Are you leaving?”
“No, my friend. Not yet. I can not.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I spoke to Nidious. To make contact was torment. I had to strain and I used all my strength. He fought me and that made it a difficult struggle. When he understood it was I who communicated with him I had very little time,” he shook his head as if starting to regain his strength.
“What happened?”
Towbar remained on the floor and sat back against the sofa. He stretched back to lay his head on the furniture. He sighed heavily. “I must try at a later time. He will be expecting me.”
“What did you find out?”
“Much, my friend. I will try in a couple of days when I regain my strength. This was more difficult than when I helped you Mind Talk with Pam. I know not why it was so difficult. Unless it was because Nidious resisted and fought my attempt to enter his thoughts.”
“Well, what else?”
“The final battle did not take place,” the giant said and rubbed his large head with his massive hands. “The Sosos are still waiting. When I contact Nidious he will have ready the plans I need to create the green fog.”
“Oh, wow,” Mykal replied and a new wave of emotions washed over him. He wasn’t sure if he felt happy or sad. Towbar going home would be the end of their friendship since he would never see the giant again. Thus his chances of ever going back to Towbar’s world would end forever too. If this became a reality he would have to honor is word and try to make it so Boris could leave with Towbar. That would mean he would have to break his personal agreement of allowing the government to have knowledge of Towbar’s return. He feared the government, or others connected to the government, would try in turn to rape Towbar’s world. He would have to face that dilemma when it is presented.
“It is good to know the Sosos have delayed their attack. That can only mean they are awaiting more forces. That is thanks to what your small number of people did to them.”
“Did Nidious say anything about my friends who got left behind?” Mykal asked and felt fear to hear the answer.
“No, my friend. I did not have the time to speak of such things. My communication with him was brief when he realized it was I and allowed to complete my Mind Talk.”
The doorbell rang upstairs. “I’ll be right back. That should be William. Don’t say anything about this, if it’s him,” Mykal said as he darted up the stairs. He peeked out the window and hoped it wasn’t any fans who may have found his private house. He was somewhat relieved to see Captain Roberts standing at his door with a briefcase and paper filled folders under his arm. “Come on in Will, and let me give you a hand with all that stuff.” Mykal acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
“I see you’re in a much better mood than the last time we spoke,” William said while walking into the house. He had to rub his eyes from the blinding sun. “No hard feelings here.”
“Thanks Will. And I’m sorry for blowing up at you like I did. I’m sorry if I caused you any embarrassment, but that turned out to be a bad day all the way around.”
“This is true, but let’s put that day behind us. The people are making you out to be a hero.”
“Come on, let’s go sit down,” Mykal said and motioned to the dining room table. “We need to talk about this hero stuff. Hero nonsense rather,” he said sarcastically, and took William’s coat. Inside his head he wanted to start yelling again.
“What is there to talk about? This is a great angle. We can take this devastating nightmare of a situation and turn it into something good for you.” William smiled excitedly. They both knew this wasn’t going to be just for Mykal. “I can’t believe how lucky you are. You risked your life by walking into that place against the On-Scene Commander’s orders and you brought out all the hostages.”
“Lucky? Whadda ya mean lucky?”
“You’re like a music group who no one ever heard who hits it big with a number one single. Then out of nowhere the next single zooms straight to number one.”
“I love music, but what the hell are you talking about?”
“This is great stuff. On top of all the attention you’ve received, this is great publicity. It adds to your longevity.”
Mykal paused as he looked at Captain Roberts trying to decide what he really didn’t like. ‘He’s so friggin military,’ he thought as he eyed William’s perfectly pressed uniform. ‘He never has a wrinkle and never has anything out of place. He sits up so perfectly straight, he loves all the rules and regulations junk. He’s such a friggin jerk,’ Mykal thought. ‘So damn selfish about his career,’ he believed. ‘And it’s gonna affect me!’
“Trust me, this will be great for you, Mykal Graves,” William continued when Mykal didn’t respond. “Great for you, great for your family and great for the Air Force too. Mykal, you have it made for the rest of your life,” he said with mock jealousy.
“I’m not a hero,” he shook his head and sat down. “This isn’t me and I can’t pretend to be something that I’m not.”
“Oh, but you are a hero Myk,” William’s face brightened. “The people say you’re a hero. The people you saved say you’re a hero.”
“I just wanna know when all this is gonna end and I can go back to being a normal Joe on the street? When am I gonna go back to having a normal job with normal duty hours? I wanna get back to a normal life with my wife and kids.”
“When is it going to end? When is it going to end?” William repeated and laughed enthusiastically. “Mykal, you kill me. This is just the beginning. You’re a hero for the second time and in this situation you saved the lives of many people. The public is going to eat this up.”
“Well the truth is,” he paused for a moment. “I don’t wanna answer any questions about Boris or what he did. I know the world hates him, but he’s still my friend. I can’t even turn on the news cuz that’s all they wanna talk about. I know people are gonna dislike me if I claim he’s still my friend, but I’m not gonna turn my back on the guy. He saved my life a couple of times. The poor guy is locked up and there is no one who will ever go visit him except me. And I understand that. What he did was horrible, but the guy is messed up. No one really liked him before this and now everyone hates him. He needs help. I really feel bad for the guy.”
“We can talk about all this after,” Wi
lliam said to change the subject. “I have some important questions for you and I need straight answers from you,” William said with a steely coldness that was different than anything he ever portrayed.
The seriousness of William’s attitude change pounced on Mykal like a hungry cougar. Suddenly he feared some hidden truths from Towbar’s world may have been discovered. “About what?” He asked and he knew he came across as defensive.
“Is there any truth to Towbar working on a device or a plan to go back to his world?” William asked. He looked to be eyeing everything about Mykal’s body language and reaction to the question to detect any deceit.
“No, not at all,” Mykal replied and feared he may have answered too quickly. “Why?”
“There has been talk that he is going back soon and that you’re going back with him and the two of you are planning to break Traginsky out of prison to take Boris with you.”
“What?” Mykal laughed out loud. “That’s a crock of shit. Are you kidding me? Who the hell have you been talking to?”
“It is just some of the many pieces of information that I have been picking up over the past week or so.”
“Where have you been getting your information, the National Enquirer? That’s all garbage. Towbar wants to go home. The key word there is ‘wants’. There is no way for him to get there unless the green fog appears again and he happens to be near it. And just for the sake of argument, if Towbar was to come up with a way to go back to his world, what makes you think I’d ever go back to that hard, brutal place? I have a family here. I almost died there. I’ve told you that. That’s just crazy,” he scoffed.
“You could take your family with you,” William suggested.
“You’re outta your friggin mind. I would never entertain a thought of that even for just a moment. Have you been listening to any of the stuff we said about that place? You don’t have a clue how dangerous it is there. I would never take my family there cuz those Sosos are some crazy, heartless, mean-assed, bastards. Besides that, I wouldn’t go there and risk never seeing my family again. For the umpteenth time I’ve said it, I almost died the last time I was there. I’m not gonna put myself through that again. And as far as breaking Boris outta prison, that’s just out right stupid.”
“What if I told you someone heard you say that you would take Boris back to--”
“Stop!” Mykal held his hand up interrupting William. “No, no, no. Let’s get the facts straight. When Boris told me he was going to kill all his hostages and go down in a hail of gunfire, I told him all that stuff about Towbar working on a green fog to get him to give himself up and to release the hostages. I told him that if he laid down his weapons and allowed the hostages to go free, I would make a deal to have him taken back to Towbar’s world, and never to come back here. I just said what he wanted to hear. I hate myself for doing that, but I’m glad I did cuz the hostages are alive and Boris is alive.” He wondered which of the ungrateful bastards repeated what they heard when he conned Boris in order to give up the hostages. “Look, I know Boris should never be allowed out on the streets again, and I’m sure the military is probably going to execute him over this, but I had to say what I thought would work to get him to give up. End of story!”
“Is it true that you have strong desires to go back to Towbar’s world?”
“No! No, that’s a lie too. I told him that because that was how Boris felt and I wanted him to know that I could relate. Those damn hostages are starting to get on my nerves.”
“That statement came from Doc Cannon,” William said.
Mykal looked as if William reached over and slapped him in the face. “Huh? I, I, um, I never said that to him.”
“Not in those words,” William agreed. “Doc Cannon said through all the evaluations there is a deep desire to return to--”
“Bullshit! That’s not true,” Mykal cut him off in anger.
“Why are you so touchy about this?”
“What the hell does it matter to you for?” Mykal raised his voice and he couldn’t keep his expression from giving away that William pinched a nerve. “Why do ya gotta keep sticking your nose where it don’t belong? I’m not leaving my family!” It seemed clear his rage was defensive.
“I need to know because I’m responsible for your actions.”
“I’m not answering any more questions from you. I feel like I’m being interrogated all over again.”
“I’m just asking some simple questions Myk, you don’t have to get all twisted out of shape.”
“I just want all this celebrity garbage to end and I wanna go back to my old job. I wanna live with my wife and kids.”
“Myk, that’s never going to happen, as far as going back to your old job, never. Number one, the Crowns don’t want you to have a routine job because you’re far more valuable to the military, and to the country, doing what you’re doing now, rather than having a mundane job. Or any job for that matter. Number two, you’ll never be able to carry a weapon while you’re in the military because of all that you have been through. And even more so now since Boris had his melt down.”
“Gimme a break. The reason Boris went off his rocker is because he was being pushed and no one stepped in to stop it. He finally pushed back. Don’t gimme that look, I’m not justifying what he did, but no one stopped the abuse thrown at him. And if I woulda had contact with him like I shoulda had, this woulda never happened,” he snarled as a direct attack on William.
“Be careful what you say there Myk. I understand what you’re trying to say, but others will take it that you agree with him. Right now you’re a media darling, don’t ruin that.”
“Maybe I should just go out there and just say the truth so then no one will want to hear from me anymore,” he suggested flippantly. “Then maybe I’ll be able to get on with my life.”
“Please Myk, don’t be foolish,” William sighed and looked down. “I don’t want to come across as making threats, but you must understand,” he paused trying to speak with enough force and yet not to push Mykal over the edge. “The Crowns will not stand for that. They will ruin your life. Not just your career in the Air Force, but your very life. They have the power to make it so you will never see your family again. Hold it, hold it Myk, let me explain,” William quickly stopped him he saw the eruption about to occur. “This is your choice. So think this through carefully. I hate to say this, but you are their meal ticket, if you will. Please understand I say this as a friend, you can’t win fighting against them. In the heat of the moment don’t say or do anything you may regret later. They truly understand the one thing that means the most to you is your family. Trust me Myk, for right now, to use your words, ‘just play the game’. You’ll be rewarded handsomely when it’s all over. And then you’ll have the rest of your life to be with Pam and your boys. I know it’s hard right now, but just trust me on this.”
Mykal looked intently at William. He fumed underneath the mask he donned. He didn’t want to say anything he would regret, and jeopardize his future, but the idea that the Crowns, or anyone, controlled his life in such a way tormented him to no end. He wondered how deep William was involved. When he first met William someone told him William was actually from OSI (Office of Special Investigation), or maybe William was CIA or FBI. ‘But what would be the point if he was?’ he wondered. ‘Why would they have someone from one of those organizations so close all the time?’
“I’ll play the game,” he humbly submitted only for the sake of his family. If he didn’t have his family to keep him grounded everything would be different. “But basically you’re telling me the Crowns, the Generals, or the government is the mob.”
“Excuse me?” William looked totally confused.
“The Mafia. You’re telling me I have a loan with the mob. When you have a loan with the mob, you never get it paid off.”
“I’ll ignore that. Okay, let me tell you what I have lined up for you,” William said as if Mykal didn’t say anything negative.
“I don’t
wanna hear it right now, cuz I’m not even gonna think about it until after Thanksgiving, so save your breath. But what I wanna know, and since I’m agreeing to play the game, I want you to be honest with me. When am I gonna be free?”
“Free? What do you mean?”
“Don’t friggin play games with me. When am I gonna have my life back? You know I’m doing all this against my will. I don’t wanna do this stuff anymore.”
“But why, Myk?” William looked at him as if Mykal had ripped up a lottery ticket with the winning numbers. “You have it made. Do you know how many people would jump to be in your shoes and would love to have all the attention you’re trying to avoid? Anyone would--”
“Well good, call one of those friggin morons,” he pointed to the phone on the wall. “I’m just asking you to tell me when this shit is gonna end? I wanna know when I’ll be free,” Mykal raised his voice and jammed his fingers into his own chest. “I said I’ll play the friggin game, but gimme a damn answer. When?”
William shuffled his feet and finally looked defeated. “I can’t answer that. I will have to find out and get back to you at a later time.”
“Okay, find out for me.” Mykal tried to stay calm. “I know the worst case scenario is when my time in the Air Force is completed. They can’t force me to re-enlist.”
“Let me just fill you in on one big event coming up after the holiday,” William said to change the subject. “This is important. You and Towbar are going to meet the President and some other VIPs.”
“Whoa. The President of the United States?”
“Yes, thee President. President John J. Edmonds wants to meet you personally.” William snickered. “He will award you with a medal for your bravery and heroic actions that saved the lives of the hostages. You should be proud. Many people are going to spend the holidays with their families because of you.”
“And a bunch more aren’t,” he countered.