The Way Things Seem

by Mackey Chandler

  “Yeah, you’re not going to put Carrier out of business,” Jack agreed. “The old cop also said the judge was inarticulate after the courthouse fiasco. He said the old boy appeared to have dementia, but it appeared all at once. The doctors said that a stressful event just doesn’t do that, that’s not how it works. You have any thoughts on that?”

  “Yeah, but I was hoping not to talk about that for awhile,” David said. “Compared to all this other stuff, that side of it isn’t very easy to believe at all.”

  “Oh, joyyy… ” Jack said.

  * * *

  “Lieutenant Morris, I’m John Hathaway,” the man in the black uniform said. “I am a Commander and lawyer in the legal arm of the Space Command. This is James Moore, who is a senior supervisor for the General Accounting Office of the Federal government and Fredrick Johnson, who is here to observe that our actions are proper and effective. Since he won’t interact directly with you, his agency affiliation will be of no concern to you. They took his two chairs without invitation and Johnson stood behind them. He didn’t feel like he was on home territory in his own office.

  “We have a report from a Mrs. Joan Sweeny that you visited a facility that is a Federal security zone and damaged the facility searching for what you plainly declared you thought to be ‘secret security systems’ that were in violation of state law. Is that correct?”

  “Basically, yes, but there were extenuating circumstances. A unit of our detectives had already visited the facility to arrest the owner of the company on an extradition warrant to New Jersey. They met with resistance to the arrest and were actually injured. I believe government systems may have actually been misused to that purpose, so you should have an interest. Anyway, I thought the FBI handled security clearance issues?”

  “Not under certain special circumstances,” Hathaway said, glancing at Johnson. “In any event, you did not notify us of such a problem. Indeed, if such systems existed and you seized them you would have knowingly committed a felony by their possession.”

  “I’d have to consult with legal on that,” Morris admitted.

  “It would be the course of wisdom to consult with your legal advisors before this sort of action,” Hathaway suggested. Morris didn’t have any reply to that.

  “We reviewed the video of the initial contact and attempted arrest of David Carpenter, supplied to your department by Mrs. Sweeny and saw zero evidence Mr. Carpenter came in contact with your officers or indeed, even made any threatening gestures towards them. Upon what basis do you claim an assault of your officers by secret systems or David Carpenter?”

  “What else set the man’s hair on fire? You think a veteran officer threw his weapon through the window?” Morris demanded.

  “I see. The officers are faultless, therefore, by elimination the other person present must be the agency of their harm. However, you forgot Mrs. Sweeny. She was not only present, but if the video is to be believed your people physically assaulted her and shoved her to the floor. Certainly she had more motive to act against them than he, yet you didn’t charge her with anything or arrest her.”

  “But, she wasn’t the perp… ” Morris started and then clammed up.

  “Indeed. Perhaps on reflecting upon the matter now that you are not in mindless hot pursuit mode, you can see a certain bias in your thinking. As to what caused those events, it is not within our duty or assignment to help you formulate theories to support your investigation.”

  Morris looked at them in horror, because he knew with a sudden deep dread that they did know exactly what injured their officers and weren’t about to share it.

  “Ah, I saw the flash of enlightenment,” Hathaway said, with a smile. “Not to beat the issue to death, but for the sake of clarity, we do have jurisdiction over you in Federal security zones. Because we saw a lack of restraint and communication, we have instructed Aerosense security not to admit the local police or fire department to the facility until they have a Federal escort. We’re making a request for better armed military gate officers to be assigned to their facility based on demonstrated need and expect that to be approved shortly.

  “Mrs. Sweeny has declined the offer of legal representation for her assault. She’s a far kinder and more pragmatic person than I, but I wouldn’t take that for any license to harass her. She has my card and I’d take it most badly if she needs to call me and report an unfounded interest in her by your department.

  Mr. Carpenter, we are told, is recuperating from the whole ordeal and we intend to visit him next. If you still insist he is somehow complicit in any criminal acts we strongly suggest you consult Federal authorities before filing charges or serving warrants of any jurisdiction. Mr. Carpenter and his company are critical assets of national security in Federal jurisdiction, not to be tampered with lightly. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Completely,” Morris said, aware he was outgunned.

  “Good day to you then,” Hathaway said, and left, the others trailing him.

  * * *

  Jack and David were having coffee at his kitchen table, all talked out for awhile.

  “Do you have some colored pencils or markers?” David asked.

  “Yes, but they are kids pencils with basic colors, not fancy art pencils with a dozen graduated shades of each color,” Jack said.

  “That’s fine. Also some art board of white faced cardboard from which I can cut a circle.”

  Jack thought about it a moment and took the cap off a large jug filled with paper wrapped candies, popped the liner out with a kitchen knife and tossed it in front of David. “Will that do?”

  “That’s perfect,” David agreed.

  Jack dug around in a drawer under his toaster and coffee maker and found the pencils.

  David set to work making a copy of his sign from Mrs. Ayers, He missed it and didn’t see why he couldn’t have two. Jack watched him with interest. It wasn’t a bad copy for freehand. When he was done he held it and said Mrs. Ayers words over it. It showed vivid action right away.

  “Does it look any different to you now?” David asked.

  “Since when?” Jack asked, looking at him funny and smiled a little.

  “Since I spoke to it,” David said, dead serious.

  “Not a bit, was it supposed to?”

  “It will to some people. I met a shop keeper in Pennsylvania who wouldn’t want to touch it now.”

  Jack picked it up, flipped it over, back, and returned it to the table, unimpressed. “I can’t see how speaking to it could have any influence on reality.”

  “That’s bothering me too,” David admitted, “and yet I’ve seen it work. It occurs to me that reciting a formula phrase feels very similar to something else I do.”

  “Oh really?” Jack asked, skeptical.

  “Indeed, it feels very much like when I enter a password, or enter command line in an operating system. To someone who doesn’t have a very deep understanding entering $ sudo dpkg -i app_openoffice.deb to install software must seem like an incantation.”

  “What is listening for your command and how does it access your location?” Jack asked. “What does it do after you have said it?”

  “It’s a protection,” David explained. “How it works I don’t know yet, but I’m going to find out. It actually buzzed in my pocket to distract me and make me bend over. I didn’t imagine that. Maybe there is something that projects to the other side that makes those who take the weed or carry a symbol like this easy to find.

  “If you were from 1950 would you believe my phone could watch for signals from satellites whizzing by overhead and tell you where you the exact time and where you are anywhere in the world? Could such a person understand how I could see movies and news on my phone without a cable? On top of everything else WiFi and cellular would seem like magic too. Just like our tech there may be layers and layers of things working all together to make it work, any one of which will be hard for us to figure out.”

  “Sometimes things this are a protection because they ar
e a reminder,” Jack said. “You see a risky situation and remember you have this amulet. It’s like a string tied around your finger to be careful instead of just bulling your way ahead.”

  “That effect may be there too, but it’s more. You may think I just imagined it buzzed, but the timing was far too precise for coincidence. I got lesser feelings other times to avoid certain places you could attribute to the reminder factor but not a buzz.

  “If I can propagate the plant I’ll offer you some. If you want to try it I’d be interested if it works with your blood line. I’m pretty sure it would work with Mrs. Ayers who taught me this design.”

  “I’ll think on that after you’ve taken it a while longer. It may have an unfortunate delayed action. Your ears might fall off suddenly or something down the road,” Jack warned.

  The doorbell rang.

  “I’m not expecting anyone, are you?” Jack asked.

  “No, I’d have told you.”

  “Do you want to go out the back or hide in the other room while I see who it is?”

  “If it’s the police they’ll be watching the back and they will search if they have a warrant. If it’s any of the sort who gave me trouble in New York I want to be right behind you at the door. They’re lethally bad news. I won’t hesitate to protect you from them.”

  “Right, well the feeling is mutual,” Jack said. He got in another drawer and shoved a huge black revolver in the back of his jeans.

  The door bell rang again, longer, insistently.

  “Coming!” Jack yelled down the hall. He sounded angry which wasn’t a good start. Jack opened the front door wide but stepped forward and blocked the way.

  It was Hathaway, Moore and Johnson in a semicircle on the wide porch.

  “Mr. Delocca, Mr. Carpenter,” Hathaway said with a friendly nod. May we come in and speak with Mr. Carpenter, please?”

  “Possibly, may we see a warrant, please?”

  “We have no warrant because we have no intention of arresting anyone. Indeed, we were just speaking with the local PD about the inadvisability of them doing that again.”

  “Lovely, some names and some ID then, before you cross my threshold,” Jack said.

  “The one on the left is a wizard,” David warned Jack.

  “That… is a derogatory term,” the man objected.

  “It’s the only one I know,” David said, “and Jack will understand what I mean by it. In English magician has too much baggage from stage magicians to mean what I want clearly.”

  “The uniform should be enough, but I do have ID,” Hathaway said and reached behind him.

  Jack reached behind too, but so fast it made David jump. He had no idea the old man could move like that. Hathaway’s hand was still behind him but Jack’s revolver was pointed at his nose from a hand’s breadth’s away, hammer back, and rock steady. Everybody froze.

  “Move much slower than that,” Jack said softly. “People want to hurt my friend here. I’m very nervous and this has a four ounce trigger.” Jack’s finger was inside the guard and nobody said anything snarky about his trigger discipline.

  Hathaway moved his ID case well to the side, slowly, before bringing it around to the front.

  “I’m not looking down to read it,” Jack informed him. “Hold it high and let David, Mr. Carpenter that is, read it.”

  “Hathaway, John. Rank of Commander and that matches his insignia. Four nines probability the others are legit too,” David said. “I’d like to talk to them, but if you don’t want them in your house we can pow-wow out in their car.”

  Johnson twitched a little at pow-wow, but that was all.

  Jack dropped the hammer on the pistol and slid it back in his jeans one handed.

  “I remember vaguely reading something cautionary about inviting things with powers across your step,” Jack said. “Do I want him inside?”

  “I’m pretty sure a lot of that is superstition,” David said. “Make it conditional. It doesn’t matter while I’m here, because I can kill him so fast he won’t even know he died,” David said.

  Hathaway looked over at Johnson. “Do you want to go in after such a threat?”

  “It wasn’t a threat,” Johnson admitted, “just fact, to reassure his host, because he absolutely believes in his ability to do that. Fortunately, he doesn’t want to kill me and I won’t test his belief. He may be right for all I know.

  “May I visit your home this once, and never again without your invitation, for the sole purpose of speaking to David Carpenter?” Johnson asked Jack very formally.

  “Yeah, come on in and we’ll talk a bit. I’ll make some more coffee or whatever you drink.”

  “A question for you if you would answer it, Mr. Delocca,” Hathaway asked. “Are you an augmented person? I have never seen a person so fast except treated pilots.”

  “Yeah, I’ve got the viral nerve edits, gift of the military. I flew low-attack fan platforms.”

  David never knew that.

  Hathaway introduced the others, by name only.

  Jack got out smaller cups so one pot would serve five.

  Johnson looked uncomfortable and it took David a bit to figure out why. He flipped the disk he’d just made over and Johnson looked relieved.

  “We have reason to conduct an early requalification of your security clearance due to your recent trip and special circumstances,” Hathaway said.

  “Isn’t it rather irregular to do so away from your facilities and without a full polygraph?” Jack asked. “Even I had the experience of yearly audits for the stuff I flew.”

  “Nothing we do is regular,” Hathaway said. “We do what works and worry about results.”

  “Jack, Johnson is their polygraph,” David explained.

  “Oh, that makes better sense,” Jack allowed.

  “Go ahead then,” David said, “I have nothing to hide.”

  Hathaway looked at Jack meaningfully.

  “He knows the whole thing,” David said. “You already said it doesn’t have to be regular.”

  “My house, my rules,” Jack said, “whatever David wants in this case.”

  “I’m tempted to accept your statement of not having anything to hide,” Hathaway said, “but one can be in error about what is thought innocent. I feel obligated to ask a few specific questions.”

  David nodded acceptance.

  “In your trip to Djibouti, did you meet anyone who was an agent of their government?”

  “I never met any government agent in Djibouti or elsewhere except customs agents at the borders.

  “Did you meet anyone of a different government?”

  “No, I was in Ethiopia, but again, we just saw the border guards.”

  “Your passport was not stamped for Ethiopia,”

  “I was dressed as a local menial laborer on a work truck. They just waved us through.”

  “What was the purpose of your trip?”

  “My father died recently. In his will he charged me with travelling to his homeland and taking a walking pilgrimage with a local Sahar. He found his own experience there the basis of much of his success and would only entrust me with the bulk of his estate if I did this.”

  “The estate was significant enough to warrant such an extraordinary effort?” Hathaway asked.

  “Yes,” David answered and volunteered nothing more.

  “Do you know what a Sahar is?” Hathaway asked Johnson.

  “No idea, but obviously another local talent. It seems like there are endless traditions.”

  “Did you meet any religious extremists?” Hathaway said, getting back to David.

  “I didn’t inquire about the religion of anyone I met, nor can I recall anyone volunteering it. Most of the people I met seemed to follow Muslim customs in how they sequestered their women and their dietary rules, but I suspect most of them would be viewed as non-practicing. The man that instructed me and his nephew never went to prayers or prayed at home while I was there.”

  “Did you meet with anyone ant
agonistic to the United States or its policies?”

  David screwed up his face in thought.

  “Not someone, but something, that is a danger to the United States. In fact I’d consider it a serious hazard to all of humanity, irrespective of their nationality or government.”

  “Why haven’t you reported such a thing?” Moore said, speaking for the first time.

  “Well, mostly because I’ve been busy trying to keep them from killing me,” David said. “Also some of them seem to have subverted government officials, so it becomes difficult to decide who to trust to take such a report and who is with the enemy.

  “An attempt was made on my life in New York and another when I was arrested here. I was told these people with ‘talent’, as Johnson puts it, owned the local police.”

  “Is that the incident in which the entire corner of a public structure was vaporized and presumably the gunman who shot an assistant DA along with it? And yet you say you have nothing to hide?” Hathaway asked.

  “The damn fool shot at me and missed. I’m supposed to apologize for not giving him a second chance to finish me off?” David asked.

  It was Johnson who answered. “No, despite the accusing tone, we are at risk from the same… forces. But I am frankly at a loss given our experience with them to understand why you are alive. Are you sure the Assistant DA was not the intended target?”

  “Are you really that stupid? She was one of them,” David said, irritated.

  That obviously jolted Johnson, enough he didn’t take offense at the cutting remark.

  “Again, not trying to seem adversarial, but how could you possibly escape? We’ve found even highly trained professional law enforcement… of talent, find them dangerous.”

  “I had one of these in my shirt pocket, actually one that had more power and it made me duck,” David said, flipping his recently drawn sign back over. Johnson squinted at it like it was too bright to look at and regarded it like a coiled snake.