Otto Schmidt interrupted.
“Psychics? You brought in spiritualists?”
“Yes. Because of the energy emitted from the crystals and the strange disappearances, we accepted the possibility of another dimension. Although not a mainstream science, it has a small degree of scientific validation. However, for the scientists to control this energy they needed to understand how the crystals were energized and what made them so powerful. Crystal energy by itself cannot tear a hole in a dimension wall. Something was greatly increasing their energy output. That was when we, or to say your scientists discovered a synergy in the cavern.”
Otto raised both hands in a ‘stop right there’ fashion. Warric knew he wanted an explanation of ‘synergy’ but thought it best to let him ask it. Sure enough, Otto cocker his head and asked,asked just that.
“Synergy?”
“It simply means a state in which two or more objects work together to produce a greater energy than the single item.”
Otto asked,
“And you discovered what made the crystals stronger?”
“Yes. The river running through the mountain picked up elements of copper from the copper ore and when it ran through the crystal formation in the cave, the copper smashed against the crystals and somehow created the needed synergy making the crystals much stronger. The force of the river acts like a, well I guess you could equate it to a river turning a waterwheel.”
Otto interjected,
“Sounds like a very serendipitous discovery.”
“Indeed it is a unique occurrence of nature, perhaps even a freak of nature.”
Otto Schmidt sat back in Warric’s comfortable chair and went into deep thought. All Warric could do was sit in his uncomfortable chair and stare at him. Finally Otto pointed to Warric and slowly said,
“So, you have chanced upon a way to open a dimensional portal and perhaps even an opportunity to control time dilations.”
“Well not yet, but we soon will. We are working on getting through to that dimension and controlling it.”
“When and if you do, what is the profit to the IIC?”
It was the question Warric had been waiting for, a chance to justify the budget and get more funding. He sat up and excitedly said,
“Think of the power to the IIC if you can control even just a small fraction of another dimension accessible only to you. Currently the evolution of computers has reached the point where no matter the complexity of codes and passwords, they can be easily decoded and hacked. A time is soon coming when nobody will be able to transmit a secure code through the earth’s electromagnetic field. But now you don’t need to transmit through the matrix of the electromagnetic field. You can transmit through a matrix controlled only by you, the frequencies of another dimension that only you have access to. The financial implications for profit are staggering.”
It was obvious that Otto was suddenly interested. Like a slot machine ready to pay off, Warric practically saw dollar signs rolling though his eyes. When Otto nodded his approval of the potential massive profit margins Warric continued to lay it on thick.
“There are also opportunities here for looking into the future. What would that advantage be to the stock market? You could control the financial world.”
Otto came down from his cloud of elation and said,
“We at IIC feel that we already control the financial world but yes, it sounds enticing.”
As Otto pounded the keys on his computer, Warric sat satisfied that he had seduced more funding for the project. When Otto finally looked across the desk at a smug CEO of the project, he asked a question that quickly erased that confidence.
“What is holding you back from controlling and opening a dimensional portal and doing all that right now?”
There might only be debit and credit numbers in Otto’s head but there was enough room left over for understanding body language. He knew he was not going to like the answer.
A very uncomfortable Warric mumbled,
“Well, you see, it’s a matter of controlling the frequency emitted by nature’s synergy, the coupling of the river, copper and crystals. The resulting natural energy is strong enough to play havoc with these tunnels, creating gravity chasms and such but there is no way to dial in and control it. That is what we are currently working on, a way to dial in and control the synergy.”
Although he did not fully understand it, Otto understood the need to dial in and control this so-called energy field. He asked,
“Remembering that I am not a scientist, how are you attempting to control this field?”
“Well Mister Schmidt, this is where it gets a little dicey. We need to integrate a specific human brain wave frequency into the synergy field so we can control it.”
Otto frowned and asked,
“And why does that get dicey? What are you doing to obtain this so-called human control frequency?”
It was clear to Otto that Warric did not want to go down that road. Both sat silent for a moment, one hoping the question would be forgotten and the other waiting for the answer. Finally conceding to the battle of silence, Warric said,
“Frequencies. It’s all a matter of finding the proper frequency to ride with the synergy. That’s the control we are looking for now.”
Recognizing that his question was circumvented, Otto simply said,
“If I suspect that secrets are kept from me, I keep something from you. Do we understand each other Mister Warric?”
Warric supposed that what they were doing would have to be revealed eventually. He took a deep breath and hoped he would not get fired.
“You see, those certain brainwave frequencies are only produced in special children, those susceptible to hearing voices or seeing things that are not perceivable to normal human senses.”
Otto thought he understood and contributed,
“So you need children with an over active imagination or those having invisible friends.”
“Yes, simplistic but good enough of an understanding of what we are doing.”
After a long thought, Otto finally understood what Warric was getting at. He said,
“You are attempting to use the brainwave frequencies of specific children to control the crystals.”
Warric nodded.
The staring contest was intense. This was the ‘make or break’ moment of the funding request. Would Otto accept the unethical experiment or would he be fired and jailed? Otto slowly said,
“I presume that the human code of ethics concerning torture and the use of children for scientific experimentation hasn’t interfered with your work.”
Sensing an acceptance of the method, at least not a warrant for his arrest, Warric tried to smile. He said,
“Yes if we obeyed those ethics it would greatly slow us down. We have reached the point where we might only need a few more special children to get it all under control.”
Otto alleviated some of the tension by saying,
“We at the International Investment Council feel such humanity concerns only get in the way of profit. If you need more such children then why don’t you just go and get them.”
“Yes, that on the surface seems easy enough. The natural frequency created by the crystals and copper in the river is strong enough to affect not only this side of the mountain but encompass most of Twin Rivers as well. It is a well-known fact that there are no animals on this side of the mountain. And in some cases, that same natural frequency also greatly affects some children here in Twin Rivers.”
Otto saw no complication and simply said,
“Then go and get those special children. What are you waiting for?”
“Yes, well we have hit a bit of a snag in that area. The Doctor we hired to locate and report those children to us has suspiciously disappeared. We know that she emptied her bank account and has more than likely fled the country.”
Suddenly Otto was not pleased and yelled,
“Are you telling me that you hired personnel outside of this
secure facility?”
“Yes, but we still obeyed protocol. She has never been inside this compound.”
Warric did not want to hear what Otto said next.
“This will not do Mister Warric. Not do at all. It will have to be corrected immediately. We cannot have a loose cannon running free outside this facility. She must be found and silenced.”
Warric understood the order and nodded.
When the conversation of security concerns was over, Otto brought it back to the need for more children. He asked,
“When I was escorted to your office I saw your guards ushering two children somewhere. Are they to be added to the frequency strengthening program of the others?”
If Warric had not been so elated about how the humane ethical concern did not bother Otto at all, he would have paid better attention to the question. He answered without thinking.
“No, they somehow broke into the facility and managed to get to the lower levels. I’ll interrogate them after this meeting and find out how that happened.”
An intense stare from Otto indicated that he should not have admitted to such a serious breach of security.
With a stern voice Otto made it very clear.
“The Doctor and now two kids? You seem to have a very lax security practice going on here. I will remind you that this is a multi-billion dollar project and security must be at a maximum. If you cannot use those two kids in the experiment, they are not to leave this facility. Do I make myself clear Mr. Warric?”
It was too late to back out now. He was earning two hundred thousand a month and not willing to give that up. The collateral damage of a few lives seemed like a small price to pay. Warric made it clear,
“No problem. I’ll see to it personally.”
Otto closed his lap top and Warric understood that the meeting was adjourned. On the way out of his office, Otto said to him,
“You have exercised a blatant disregard for security. First the Doctor and now two simple children made it from the fence to the lower most high security level of this facility. I feel that I cannot forward funding to a project with that many security breaches. It puts everything at high risk.”
As Warric’s shoulders slumped, Otto added,
“However, if those two breaches are sealed and you can assure me that the Doctor will be silenced as well as the two children then I will approve your funding request.”
Warric did everything except curtsy and salute. He had to stop himself from reaching up and straighten out Otto’s five comb over hairs. Otto added,
“Do not use an assassin from here to look after the Doctor. Hire somebody outside, somebody from town if you wish, but find her and get it done.”
“Not to worry, I have a reliable contact on the outside.”
While watching the helicopter lift off and disappear over the night lights of Twin Rivers, Warric turned to one of his security guards and said,
“Bring those two kids to my office.”
Chapter 25
Walter walked into the precinct, smiled at his wife in the manner that always turned her cheeks red with embarrassment. She understood his flirt and what it usually led to. Ignoring the inappropriate public display of fondness, she tried to retain an indifferent posture and greeting.
“Good morning Sheriff Cornwall.”
Knowing he had teased her, something he enjoyed doing, he responded in kind with a nod and a tip of his hat.
“Good morning Mrs. Cornwall.”
He had only gotten a few feet into the hall leading to the precinct when hearing an abrupt,
“Ahem!”
Like a runaway truck, he slammed on the brakes, snapped around and with frustration said,
“Jesus Christ woman.”
She indifferently responded,
“Not my name but thank you anyway.”
At the ‘report board’ he moved his pin over to ‘in’.
Grant Lloyd, another day shift Deputy was sitting at his desk. Like many on the force, he had been Walter’s Deputy for over twenty years. Twice a year Walter and Edith threw a backyard barbeque for all the Deputies and their families. Grant was always the first to show and the last to leave. Until Isaac was brought on, he was the only bachelor on the force. Approaching sixty, he looked every inch his age, old and haggard. Good health had never been on his ‘to do’ list.
This morning he was pounding on his computer as fast as two stabbing fingers would allow. Isaac Rutherford was sitting at his desk typing with the speed of a two hundred word a minute professional secretary. In envy, Grant looked to him and saw blurry fingers dancing over the keyboard. His printer was spewing out paper faster than pages caught in a high speed fan. Grant returned his attention to the report he was working on and tried to type a little faster but all that accomplished was more typos.
When Walter entered the precinct he stopped at Isaac’s desk and said,
“You owe me a report Deputy Rutherford. All deputies must file a daily report detailing yesterday’s activities and investigations.”
He then looked over to Grant and said to him,
“As for you, you can leave out things like the time you spent in the donut shop but the rest of your activities must be in the report.”
Grant, hearing what he thought was a secret, tried to type faster. Walter returned his attention to Isaac and said,
“What have you been up to?”
Thinking that the Sheriff wanted a written report, Isaac patted the reams of papers and said,
“I’m just finishing it up sir.”
However, that was not what Walter had in mind. He said,
“Why don’t we simplify yesterday’s report and just tell me what you’ve been up to?”
Grant looked at the long list of parking and speeding tickets he had left to process and it was clear by his expression he wanted the same opportunity. Walter, knowing what Grant was thinking, without turning around said to him,
“Never mind Grant, it can’t take long to pound the keys telling me about your nap in the car yesterday.”
Isaac looked at the pile of papers and explained,
“This is only part of the report. Most of it is just something I consider relevant to the report.”
He then gave an oral report of yesterday’s trip to Valley North and his conversation with Doctor Fran Jorden. Still standing and intently listening, Walter cut in with a question.
“What led you to suspect the Doctor’s participation in this?”
“Only a hunch at first. She was the only link to the three missing children. All three had appointments with her. What drew my attention was the way she quickly left town. When I located and interrogated her, she denied all knowledge of what happened to them but did divulge that one of the men from the government mentioned the Factory. She thought that might be where they are.”
Walter mulled it over for a moment and then said,
“You mean the Department of National Satellite Weather Research up on Copper Mountain, that Factory?”
“Yes sir but I suspect that is just a front. I really don’t think it’s any sort of weather research station at all.”
Walter tended to agree. He had his own suspicion about the Factory. He pointed to the computer on Isaac’s desk and said,
“Get me some intel on it, who owns it and what government agency is really operating up there. If you can, find out what they are up to.”
Again pointing to the stack of papers Isaac reported,
“I already have. That’s what some of that pile is about. After the copper gave out and the mine was closed down all records of what happened after, who bought it and why, is missing from the public record. With our department’s access to privacy and government information I tried to get more material. That in itself is a mystery. There is no data on it. It’s like the building doesn’t exist and never did.”
Walter cut in.
“So who owns the property?’
“According to my research, nobody.”
“That can’t be right. They must pay property taxes to us. Who pays the taxes?”
Again the answer was,
“Nobody. There are no records in our municipal files about receiving taxes of any kind from that property.”
Walter understood the term ‘ghost industry’ but also understood that even ghosts leave evidence of their existence. He asked,
“Is there a business in town that deals with them, grocery supplies for instance?”
“No sir. I already looked into that. They are completely autonomous. I suspect all that truck traffic coming and going might be the suppliers but not from here.”
Walter contributed,
“That’s a lot of secrecy for a mere weather research station.”
“Yes sir, and that’s not all. They are not hooked up to our power grid. If you have ever seen that place all lit up at night you know they use massive amounts of electricity.”
Walter asked,
“So where are they getting it?”
All Isaac could do was show his palms and shake his head. He said,
“Something strange is going on up there for sure.”
Walter said,
“Keep looking into it. From now on I expect detailed daily reports on your progress.”
The Factory Page 14