Code-5 (Adventures of a Baby Boomer Book 1)

by Thomas Shaw

  “How are we doing with 911?”

  “Not good. We’re out of range. I can’t get anything,” Julie said.

  Tom was taking one last scan of the desert when he suddenly stopped and with one quick motion threw the binoculars behind the seats and shouted to Julie.

  “GET IN THE CAR – NOW!”

  Julie barely hit the seat when Tom slammed the car in gear, spinning the tires as they headed straight for the roadblock.

  “What in the world are you doing?” Julie said, clearly showing fear in her voice.

  “One of those guys has been watching us while I was watching him. He just got into a car and I think he is headed our way and I don’t think it’s a social call.”

  “I don’t understand, why are we heading toward these guys and not the other direction?” Julie said, realizing something bad was about to happen.

  “I don’t have time to explain right now, but you’ve just got to trust me and make sure your seatbelt is tight.”

  The wind began to make a whistling noise around the windows as Tom accelerated to over 100 miles per hour, never taking his eyes off the light colored car heading toward them.

  Tom had closed the gap to the roadblock to within a half mile when the two cars passed each other at a very high rate of speed. The view in his rearview mirror brought the realization that they were in serious trouble. The white Ford hit its brakes and was doing everything it could to turn around and continue the chase.

  As they closed to less than a quarter of a mile from the group of cars blocking the highway, Julie started bracing herself by pushing her feet against the floor boards and grabbing the sides of her seat.

  They must have heard the roar of his engine because the people who had been standing in front of the cars were now running for cover.

  With the speedometer reading over 90 miles an hour, Tom suddenly angled off the highway at a 45-degree angle and headed directly into the desert. The Corvette made a couple of violent bounces as it changed from the hard surface to the sandy desert floor. To Tom it felt like he was driving on a snow covered street back in Oklahoma.

  The slightest movement of the steering wheel caused the car to fishtail. The only way he could maintain his direction was by making slight adjustments to the throttle. As he added power, the ‘Vette’ would start to fishtail to the right, if he let off the gas, the car would swing to the left. Tom was literally steering his car with the throttle.

  Bits and pieces of cactus and other debris went flying over the top of the car as they plowed through the desert’s sparse vegetation. To make matters worse, the car was beginning to lose the hydroplane effect created by the higher speed. They were slowly sinking into the sand.

  Tom was hoping beyond hope that what he had seen through the binoculars was there, and it better be there fast. The fishtailing was becoming more radical as his forward motion continued to drop and he plowed through yet another unsuspecting cactus.

  The speedometer still hovered around 90 miles per hour, but Tom’s forward speed was dropping below 30. The spinning tires were throwing a rooster tail of sand over 20 feet high. They must have looked like a speed boat skimming along the desert floor.

  Then it happened. The car lurched upward and swung 90 degrees sideways as it came to a stop with the crunching sound of gravel under the tires.

  “We did it!” Tom yelled. “We did it!” He leaned his head back on the headrest, taking his first real breath in what seemed like hours.

  “What are you talking about? Where are we?” Julie said, taking her first breath as well.

  “I saw an Omni radio tower out here when I was using your binoculars and figured there must be a service road leading to it,” Tom said. “Guess what... We’re on it.”

  [An Omni Radio tower is an antenna that guides aircraft with a radio signal. They are maintained by the FAA.]

  “Let’s get the Hell out of here,” Tom said, as he throttled up to the maximum speed he could maintain on the loose gravel. They had ended up about a ¼ mile on the other side of the roadblock.

  “It looks like we have a straight shot to the highway,” Tom said as he glanced off to the left to see what was happening with the car that had pursued them earlier.

  “Oh-shit!” he blurted out as he motioned with his finger for Julie to take a look.

  “Is that the same car that came after us?” Julie said, as she watched the Ford speeding down the highway in their direction.

  “That’s them,” Tom said, as he added a little more power, urging his ‘Vette’ to its limits on this gravel road. “He’s trying to head us off at the intersection.”

  “Hang on! It’s going to be close!” Tom yelled, as he braked hard so he wouldn’t over shoot the highway. With his adrenaline pumping, Tom slid wildly onto the highway less than 50 yards in front of the Ford.

  The added performance from the aviation gas caused Tom to over control his acceleration and the ‘Vette’ started fishtailing wildly on the highway. He quickly adjusted the throttle until he got control and then continuously added more power as the Ford closed the gap to a dangerous distance. It was clear that they were trying to ram him.

  A quick glance at the speedometer showed it was pegged at 100 miles an hour, but he knew he was going faster than that because the tachometer was still climbing.

  The Ford was slowly beginning to drop back but showed no sign of breaking it off. The adrenaline rush had blanked out everything except the task of getting away.

  The sound of the engine suddenly brought Tom back to reality. The tachometer was passing through 6,500 rpm when he realized they must be going over 140 miles an hour.

  A quick glance in the mirror brought the first sign of relief. The Ford was rapidly losing ground. But it wasn’t over yet. The engine temperature was dangerously high and climbing.

  Tom had no choice but to let up on the throttle. At the same time, he shifted the car into neutral, to keep the lower engine rpm from reducing his speed as much as possible.

  The tachometer showed 1,200 rpm while the speedometer was still pegged at 100 miles per hour. The aerodynamic design of the car allowed the speed to bleed off more slowly.

  The engine temperature was dropping below 220 degrees when Tom put the car back in gear and accelerated just enough to keep the speedometer at 90.

  The Ford had dropped way back and it was now clear that they had disengaged the chase.

  “Wow! What would you call that?” Tom said, breaking the silence. “An adventure or a living nightmare?”

  “I can’t believe it,” Julie said. “Why would anyone want to rob us in the middle of the highway? What is happening to our country?

  ***

  “With the economy collapsing I’m afraid it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets any better,” Tom said as he suddenly realized his feet were shaking with uncontrollable muscle spasms causing them to bang noisily against the sides of the firewall. His adrenaline system had been in over-drive so long it was causing this strange withdrawal reaction.

  In a few minutes Tom’s composure returned, but it was clear that the stresses of the trip’s events were beginning to take their toll.

  They rode in silence, watching the sun set in front of them as they drove deeper into Nevada.

  “We’ve got to find some place to stop,” Julie said. “I’m exhausted.”

  “We just passed a sign, saying Toiyabe National Forest. Maybe we can find a campground with some normal people,” Tom said. He was equally exhausted.

  Within minutes they found a campsite just off the highway. To their surprise it was filled with hundreds of people. It looked more like a refugee camp than a National Park.

  Tom found an empty camping spot at the extreme end of the park.

  Thirty minutes later, they had settled into their tent, both looking forward to some much needed sleep.

  4

  They both woke early to the smell of coffee drifting through the campground. It was clear that most of these people where not
travelers but were actually living here. With few words they set about putting their gear back in the car, as both were anxious to finish this trip. With the tent packed away and a quick brush of their teeth and hair, they were back on the road.

  If the trip had started out as an adventure, it was rapidly turning sour. Tom was consumed with listening to every sound the car was making and scanned the instrument panel constantly for any sign of engine trouble. Julie no longer read her book but kept a constant watch on the road and every building or person they passed.

  They had only been on the road for a few hours but the stress of the trip was taking its toll. Julie wasn’t unhappy when Tom said, “We’re coming into Fallon. Let’s stop, get some fuel and stretch our legs.”

  The sign on the Shell station was very convincing - ONLY GAS IN TOWN. Without hesitation, Tom turned in.

  Julie made a beeline for the restroom while Tom began fueling the car.

  While the station attendant processed Tom’s credit card, he spotted a newspaper lying on the counter.

  “Do you mind?” Tom asked, pointing to the paper.

  “Help yourself,” said the attendant.

  Tom was leaning on the ‘Vette’ reading the Reno Gazette when Julie joined him.

  “Look at this,” Tom said pointing to the headlines on the newspaper.

  Julie looked over his shoulder and read the headlines.

  “US Government Dismantles the Federal Exchange and Changes Currency back to the Gold Standard”

  “What’s that all about?” Julie asked.

  “It says that by going back to the gold standard, the dollar will be stable again so they will be able to control this runaway inflation.”

  “I thought the reason we went off the gold standard was that there wasn’t enough gold to back up the paper money. I guess they’ve changed their mind,” Tom added.

  “I read from many sources that our gold supplies had been depleted years ago when China and all those other countries we were borrowing money from gave up on our paper money and demanded gold as payment. If that’s right I don’t see how our government can go back on a gold standard without a massive quantity of the actual product.”

  “Well, whatever they do, I hope it works and I hope it works soon,” Julie said, “because I see a McDonald’s down the street, and I’m dying for an Egg McMuffin and orange juice. But I’m afraid to ask how much it costs.”

  “Let’s do it. I’m hungry too,” Tom said as he hopped into the car.

  The rest of the trip through the mountains was great. The weather was perfect and nothing jumped out from behind the trees to scare the hell out of them. Tom thought about taking the top off a couple of times but gave it up when he couldn’t figure out where to put it.

  Later that afternoon they entered the San Joaquin Valley in California; the vegetable basket for the United States.

  ***

  “We’re just a few miles out of Manteca which puts us less than an hour out of Tracy,” Tom said, as he stretched his legs as best he could inside the cramped cockpit. “We’re almost home.”

  Tracy had changed tremendously during the twenty-five years Tom had called it home. He had watched it grow from a small farm town to a major bedroom community that helped supply the working talent for Silicon Valley.

  Tom turned off Interstate 205 and maneuvered through Tracy’s new subdivisions toward the older part of town. He always knew when he was getting close to home by the size of trees. The streets he grew up on were lined with mature oaks, which back in those early days of the city had kept the houses cool on those warm summer nights.

  “Here we are,” Tom said, as they pulled into the single driveway of a small ranch style house.

  “This is beautiful,” Julie said as she inspected the large apricot tree in full bloom looming over the side of the house.

  Tom knocked on the door, just in case, but it was clear that there was no one home as he let himself in. The house was eerily silent but the electricity was on and so far everything looked normal. They quickly unpacked the car and piled everything in his old bedroom.

  “What do we do now?” Julie said, as she looked in the refrigerator to find it completely empty; not even a half stick of butter or a shriveled-up head of lettuce.

  “There’s a Safeway about two blocks from here. Why don’t we walk over and pick up some groceries? I’ve still got plenty of money left on my credit card.”

  As they walked out the front door, Tom thought he saw the curtains move in the Johnson’s house across the street.

  Forty-five minutes later they returned to the house, each carrying two large bags of groceries.

  Tom glanced again at the Johnson’s house as they crossed the front yard. “Julie, if anyone knows what’s going on around here its Mrs. Johnson. When we put these groceries away let’s go over and say hello. I think we’re making her nervous.”

  The sun was just setting when they headed out the door to say hello to the Johnsons. Before he could knock, Mrs. Johnson opened the door.

  “Is that you, Tommy?” She said, in her grandmotherly way. “My goodness, I haven’t seen you in years,” as she motioned for them to come in.

  “Mrs. Johnson, this is Julie. She’s my fiancée.”

  Mrs. Johnson gave Julie a big hug and within minutes they seemed to be good buddies and were off to the kitchen for some fresh baked cookies and iced tea.

  “Where’s Mr. Johnson?” Tom asked.

  “He’s not feeling well and went to bed early,” she explained. “Nothing serious, just tired.”

  After several minutes of chit chat, Tom was anxious to get down to business.

  “Mrs. Johnson, I haven’t heard from my Dad in several months and was wondering if you’ve seen him lately.”

  “He left several months ago and was gone for a long time but some truck came by once a week to mow the lawn and spend some time in your house,” she started. “Then out of the blue, your Dad came home.”

  “When was this?” Tom said, urging her on.

  “Well, as best I can remember it was about three weeks ago,” she said. “What’s really strange is that about three or four days after he was back, the same white truck that came to cut the grass pulled up, and four men in white overalls went into the house and were there for over two hours. They pulled things out of the trash can and two of them spent a lot of time in the tool shed out back.”

  She didn’t miss a thing, Tom thought to himself as he listened to her story.

  “You know, what’s really strange is they never came back to cut the grass,” she said with concern.

  Tom and Julie thanked her for the cookies and information about his Dad and assured her that nothing bad had happened to him and they would keep her posted.

  Tom’s thoughts were spinning around in his head as they walked the short distance back to their house. Why had four men spent so much time in his house? Something was amiss.

  “I’m not sure where I’m going with this, but when we get back to the house I want you and me to act normal. I mean with normal conversation, things like that,” Tom said. “But I want us both to look for some listening device that might be hidden in the house.”

  Julie gave him one of her, “What in the world are you talking about looks” as they entered the house with strained silence, finding it difficult to act “normal”.

  “I think I’ll take a bath and hit the sack early,” Tom said, into the empty house.

  “Sounds like a good idea. I’m pooped.” Julie said, also trying to sound “normal”.

  Tom went one way as Julie went the other, each looking behind the furniture and under the lamp shades, anywhere a bugging device might be hidden. Fifteen minutes of searching didn’t turn up anything. Tom sat down on the couch to take a break and think about the best place to hide a “bug”. Without thinking he reached over and turned on the lamp which triggered some little concern in the back of his brain. For some reason it didn’t feel right. Tom turned the switch again expectin
g the light to turn one step brighter but to his surprise the light went off. He tried it again… one turn on… one turn off. Something was wrong. He held his index finger up to his lips indicating for Julie to be quiet.

  Tom stood up and unscrewed the lampshade, then removed the light bulb. Things looked normal until he tipped the lamp over and a thick metallic disk fell on the floor.

  Tom picked up the disk to show Julie he had found at least one of the bugging devices.

  He carefully replaced the disk and put the lamp back together then set it on the table.

  After a quick dinner they were both ready for a shower and some well-deserved sleep. As tired as they were, sleep was slow to come. Tom tossed and turned until he finally entered the dream like state that separates us from reality.

  “I’ve got it!” Tom said, as he suddenly sat up in bed.

  “What are you doing? You’re scaring me to death,” Julie said as she jumped up out of her sleep.

  Tom quickly remembered the listening device and once again put his finger to his lips. He reached for Julie’s purse, searching for the notepad she always carried so he could write down what he had just dreamt about.

  Julie could barely make out the words in the moonlight as she silently read.

  [Years ago Dad and I used to play a game where we would leave messages for each other in our secret place. I dreamt that he had left a message for me.]

  Julie finished reading the note, looked up and shrugged her shoulder as if to say – so?

  Tom took the notepad and wrote.

  [We need to find a flashlight… follow me.]

  Tom pulled on a pair of boxer shorts and a tee shirt while Julie slipped into one of his bulky sweaters. They made their way to the kitchen and found a working flashlight in the second drawer they opened. Without saying a word, Tom led the way back down the hall, shining his light on the ceiling as they went. He found what he was looking for, and with a quick jump, he grabbed the handle that pulled the staircase out of the ceiling.