Return of the Clonsayee

by Elaine Bassett

  “I’ve been dealing with an awful mess since you’ve been out on the town. I received a report that our latest weapon has gone awry. We’ve been developing this weapon for poison warfare. It shrinks its target then sucks it up. We have been using the syphon-blaster to draw in rawkqwuis and other venomous creatures in the universe so we can gather their poison for our research. The experiment backfired. The weapon has now sucked up a man! Not just any man. No, the idiot holding the weapon sucked up one of our most influential scientists! We have no idea how on earth to get him out.” Donovan threw himself into his chair. “What an idiot! If this man dies, I don’t know what will happen to the experimental program. If he lives, I don’t even know if it is possible to return him to his normal size… Oh geez.”

  Joseph sat stunned and somewhat sickened by the information his father had yelled at him. Then, at the same time he and Non looked at each other. Joseph smiled wickedly and thought: That idiot might be on to something here. They are creating a new type of weapon to use in warfare. A weapon so powerful it can shrink, and then suck up an individual intended for capture.

  Donovan kept on his tirade, ignoring Joseph. “All the research our premier scientist has completed will be down the drain if we cannot rectify this situation and figure out a solution. This genius has been doing research on sea lamprey. He is using his research to develop a torturing device. Now all of that work will be wasted.” Donovan glanced up at the ceiling. He pounded both hands on his desk. “I know what you two nitwits are thinking, but this is the matter at hand. You can consider other options later! No other scientist can do the research and development this one has accomplished.

  “Non, you have a scientific mind. Get yourself over to the lab immediately. Help with the brainstorming that is taking place. Keep them focused and hold them accountable, now!” Non turned and left.

  Donovan leaned over his desk, looked Joseph in the eye with rage and said, “This is your last warning. I hope you are listening to me when I say that if you don’t get your mind in the game and quit worrying about that, that crazy woman then you’re done, finished!” He sat back in his chair with his elbows on the armrests and put his fingertips together. “Let me inform you, there’s not a thing on this planet or Earth your mother can do to stop me.” His eyes narrowed. “Do I make myself clear?”

  Joseph simply said, “Very.” They stared at each other for a moment before Donovan stood and left the room. Joseph followed.

  Donovan walked in front of Joseph down the hall. He continued the conversation from earlier. “We are heading to the lab. I want you to see for yourself what has happened. I want you to remember that the whole blasted last ten years of research and development is right before you. This isn’t just anyone you will be observing. This scientific genius is an intricate and vital part of what we’ve been able to accomplish. Now it’s all gone, up in flames.” He made a motion of throwing up his hands into the air before he continued. “If we can’t save this scientist, our weapons program will be stymied. No one else in the entire universe will be able to dream up the kind of inventions we’ve been working on. It’s about time you witness for yourself what this creator has invented and what will possibly be lost forever.”

  Donovan didn’t stop until he was in the experimental room. This was one room Joseph really didn’t care to visit. He hated to admit it, but this section of the laboratory was ghoulish. When the two men walked into the room, the head scientist’s assistant stopped to talk to Donovan.

  The assistant said, “Mr. Grey, I was just on my way to the meeting Non called to order. I needed to wrap up my notes on the theory I was working on as quickly as possible. I must present my findings to my colleagues. I’ve been working on trying to solve this perplexing and unfortunate dilemma.

  “May I be of assistance to you?”

  Donovan said, “No, I don’t want to detain you from the meeting. I’m sure Non is waiting for you since you were one of the developers of the equipment. You know it better than anyone else at this point. Your insight and contribution to the meeting is pertinent.”

  The man called over another scientist to help Donovan and Joseph then excused himself by saying, “If you need any assistance, I assure you, he can help. If he doesn’t know the answer, he will ask me. I will forthwith get back to you.” The assistant hurriedly left the room.

  Donovan dismissed the scientist who stood waiting for instructions. Donovan then walked over to a wall safe and entered his code on the keypad. He withdrew a device that had a changing code scrolling across the top. He punched another code into the device then placed it in his jacket pocket. A sliding door opened. As father and son stepped inside the room, the door closed behind them. All of the sudden the entire floor began to slowly drop, as if it were an elevator, moving to the floor below.

  When they reached the floor below, Joseph looked up at the wall shelving which seemed to be suspended in midair. Donovan left him and walked through a set of sliding double doors into a separate room. Joseph followed, not wanting to be left behind in this particular area. Donovan began mumbling to himself as he walked into the room where their scientific community performed their top-secret work. When Joseph entered the room, he saw a group of three scientists (two men and one woman) huddled around an object on a metal table. They didn’t pay any attention to the two men who had just walked into the room. Instead they were busy scribbling equations on a huge board that consisted of several sliding white boards combined.

  Donovan was quiet so he wouldn’t disturb them. Joseph followed his father into another section of the room where a dim light hung over the large syphon-blaster weapon. Donovan closed the door and went over to the gun-like piece of equipment. He motioned for Joseph to follow. Joseph sauntered over to scrutinize the intimidating piece of equipment. He actually felt an urge to pick up the device and try to use it.

  His father’s voice quickly brought him back to reality. Donovan pointed and whispered information about the different parts of the weapon. Next he pointed to a tiny chamber and said, “That is where he is.”

  The information blew Joseph’s mind. “There?”

  Donovan nodded. “There.”

  Joseph swallowed. “How do we know he’s alive?”

  Donovan retorted, “The same way we know everything else has survived the same transformation. That’s a stupid question.” He turned pointing to all the specimens the scientists had collected and kept in the aquariums.

  “Why don’t they just take him out so he can be in one of those and move around?”

  Donovan barked, “Because stupid, we might never have a chance to reverse the process.”

  “Well, how was I supposed to know that?”

  Donovan mumbled, “If you’d been at the meeting, instead of across the border fluff chasing, you would have known it.”

  Joseph confirmed to himself: So all the fuss comes down to saving this one man.

  Donovan went over to stand behind a large piece of equipment and turned it on. Joseph followed and watched as his father pointed out the scientist’s vital signs. Next Donovan turned on the screen connected to the equipment. The screen showed an image of the premier scientist who didn’t seem to be awake. Joseph recognized the man even though his body looked shriveled.

  Donovan whispered, “Now do you see what I’m talking about?” Joseph looked at his father without expression. Donovan continued, “The best mind in the universe is in that tube. There is no telling what reversing the effects will do to him. It might kill him anyway. He’s only been conscious for a short time since he was transported there; which is probably a good thing for him.”

  Joseph looked at the scientist and thought: Disgusting. He glanced at Donovan and said, “Why are you going through all this trouble? He may be irreparably damaged. Why not just put him out of his misery?”

  “Because if he dies, all of our projects die with him. No one else knows his entire work because he’s always refused to collaborate with others. It’s his insurance
so we won’t do what you just suggested.”

  Joseph nodded. “I wouldn’t tell either if I were him.” Donovan didn’t respond. He just switched the equipment off.

  Then the two men left the room and walked back to join the scientists who were conferring with one another in a separate area resembling a small theater. As they entered the room, Donovan motioned for Joseph to sit down in a chair. Once he did, Donovan also sat. He pressed a button on the armrest and a screen came on. Projected on the screen was the meeting that Non had called to order with all their top “T” scientists.

  Donovan and Joseph listened and learned more about the syphon-blaster. Several scientists were offering suggestions in Non’s meeting. The scientists in the next room were working out mathematical equations on the boards, just as the scientists in the first room were doing. However, the scientists in the next room had a simulator that interested Joseph. They were experimenting on creatures that he didn’t recognize, trying to get them back to their normal size. So far their previous attempts had all failed. The subjects now resembled messy globs of goo.

  Joseph thought: The odds aren’t looking good. As he watched, the scientists placed yet another creature in the simulator. Joseph made a disgusted face already knowing the outcome.

  As one failed attempt followed another failed attempt, Joseph could see that the scientists were clearly frustrated. It appeared they were just hopelessly grasping at straws. Finally Non suggested that they bring the scientists together in order to attempt devising a way to communicate with the scientist trapped in the gun. Non believed it was possible the trapped man could help develop a theory for extracting himself from the chamber in the weapon. There was mumbling around the room as the scientists considered the idea and began brainstorming a way to communicate with the trapped scientist, if in fact he could be heard. The scientist’s assistant left the room.

  When the assistant returned, the three scientists Donovan and Joseph met earlier followed him through the door. This small group was accompanied with a team of their finest doctors and surgeons. The table with the syphon-blaster was wheeled into the theater. The equipment Donovan had used earlier to check the scientist’s vital signs was also brought into the room. Sitting on another table was an unusual device that looked like a glass cylinder with a metal rod running halfway through its middle. On one end was a black metal cap with wires extending from it and a keypad near the front of the device. The doctors and surgeons stood to the side of the room out of the way.

  There was now a moment-of-truth kind of silence where everyone remained still. The group of three scientists finished setting up the equipment, connecting it to the large screen in the room. They plugged the wires from the cylinder into the equipment. As the scientists and doctors waited, a presence entered the room. Everyone turned to see a man in a contamination uniform move into the shadows.

  The scientist’s assistant refocused his eyes on the screen as he turned on the equipment. He observed the screen to see if they could read his mentor’s vital signs and see an image of the man. Some of the scientists turned away briefly at the sight of their once healthy colleague in such a state. When they regained their composure, the assistant walked over to the container and looked in at the encapsulated man. The trapped scientist’s eyes were open now. He gave a feeble grin at the sight of a familiar face. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that he recognized someone.

  Joseph hoped the man hadn’t lost his mind from this experience.

  Then the assistant said, “Can you hear me?”

  The man nodded and said, “Yes, I can hear you. It is good to hear your voice.”

  The scientist’s assistant was momentarily speechless but then regained his composure. “Do you know where you are?”

  “Yes. Have you discovered how to get me out of here?” The assistant slowly shook his head that they hadn’t. The man closed his eyes. When he opened them, he said, “Well, we have work to do then, don’t we? Shall we begin?”

  The assistant agreed. “We shall.”

  “Then let’s begin. While I was meditating, I worked through some ideas that came to me.”

  The man began a scientific explanation of what he had considered as possibilities for the extraction process. His theories made everyone in the room squirm and shudder. His assistant didn’t flinch as he went over to the board and immediately began writing down what his mentor said.

  The trapped man asked to see the work on the board that the scientists had been working on. He looked it over and asked the assistant to tell him the portions of the equations he could not read. His assistant read the body of work to him, one plan at a time.

  After the assistant read the first plan, the man’s face scrunched up and he said, “I’m glad you did not do that to me. Please read the next plan.”

  On and on they went through the theories until they came to one that the trapped man said, “Ah ha! That is your plan. Correct?” The assistant acknowledged that it was. The scientist tried to smile and said, “You are so close. That is brilliant my prodigy, just brilliant. However we are missing something. Let’s think about a combination of our two theories. Shall we?”

  Everyone in the room began to contribute ideas, brainstorming until they came up with a plan that they all agreed was worth trying. They began executing their plan by pointing the similar syphon-blaster weapon at a tiny creature and pulling the trigger. The syphon-blaster II sucked the animal into the same type of chamber. The colleague then pointed the glass tube device at the opening of the syphon-blaster II. This time everyone watched as the scientists tried out their theory. The assistant entered a code on the screen and made adjustments to the equipment. The instant another code was entered into the device’s pad, a ray of light beamed through the glass tube device into the syphon-blaster II transforming the creature back to its original size, breaking the chamber. The room erupted in cheers as one of the gloved scientists swooped in to care for the creature that had been hurt by the process. The creature was seeping fluid from its wounds. The scientist removed it from the room.

  Donovan leapt to his feet in victory. Joseph applauded.

  Next was the trapped scientist’s turn. Everyone waited anxiously, as the scientists prepared to test their theory again. The encapsulated man closed his eyes. The assistant once again entered a code on the screen and checked the equipment. When another code was entered into the device’s pad, a ray of light flashed through the container into the syphon-blaster. The chamber burst open and the once encapsulated man appeared. The scientist was returned to his original size, right before their eyes. The man moaned then screamed from the pain, as he tried to move his deformed limbs. Blood came from his opened wounds and smeared the table as he squirmed. The doctors immediately rushed over to give the scientist a sedative and took him from the room. After the shock wore off, the scientists all realized they had done their job. They congratulated the scientist’s assistant and applauded their work.

  Donovan applauded from his seat and hugged Joseph who was astounded their theory actually worked. Donovan turned on the intercom and announced that the scientists who helped with the extraction were all to have the next two days off work. They were very excited and applauded once again as the room emptied.

  Donovan turned to Joseph. “Now we can use it as a weapon.”

  Chapter 51

  Later in the evening after the guests left, Carson was listening to Charles tell about the events at the license bureau. When Charles told what happened with the Sojourners’ invitation, Carson didn’t look surprised. Carson prompted Charles as he tried to remember which group had invited him.

  Charles suddenly remembered. “The Finders Sojourners.” Carson and Bev gave each other a look.

  Carson said, “I think we need to discuss this with Dimitrios.”

  Charles agreed and added, “The invitation requested that I respond by midnight.”

  Everyone was silent.

  Charles asked, “What do they find?”
<
br />   Carson looked at Bev trying to receive a clue as to how to answer the question.

  Bev fidgeted with her hands. “Well, maybe Dimitrios will have some answers.” She sighed.

  Charles thought that was a strange answer considering it seemed as if they might know something and were holding back. He looked at Airabelle. She was talking quietly with Airasten.

  Charles continued with the rest of the details. “The invitation went something like this, ‘There are many who want to be Finders in this lifetime; they desire to be trackers of the Keepers. Many ordinary people are the losers; we feel we are the best of the old Seekers.’”

  Carson laughed. “They are a proud bunch. They are an old clan that has tried hard to rejuvenate the core of who they are. I’m curious what Dimitrios’ take will be, as to if you should have a Sojourner’s affiliation or not.”

  Carson sat down at his desk. “Let’s inquire of Dimitrios about this invitation.” He pulled from his desk, pen and paper and handed them to Charles.

  As Charles was walking to his desk to write the letter, he mentioned, “I am picking up Caroline tomorrow before noon to take her to lunch.”

  Carson grinned. “That’s my boy.”

  When Charles finished the letter explaining the events surrounding the invitation, Carson asked him how much studying he had to do for Dimitrios. Charles thought for a moment and said he had quite a bit to do.

  Carson responded, “We should send this urgent mail.” He motioned to Charles to follow him through the Passageway.

  They went through and emerged on the other side. Carson walked to the end of the hallway then up two flights of stairs. On the landing was a small, enclosed nook. Carson and Charles walked through the door. Carson dropped the letter in a slot labeled urgent and pressed a button that made a whooshing sound. He turned to Charles. “That is all there is to it. Let’s go back to the office.”