Joshua interrupts them and demands in a frightened tone, “Where the hell am I?”
He almost loses his balance as he feels himself becoming extremely disoriented. When Joshua takes another look at Indrid, his eyes widen as she becomes consumed by a dark mist. The mysterious mist becomes taller and sprouts moth-like wings. He tries to scream as two, large red eyes stare back at him, but nothing comes out of his mouth. He then falls down and loses consciousness.
Dr. Frankenstein feels his cell phone vibrating in his jacket pocket. He takes it out and looks at the screen. The caller ID is hidden but he knows exactly who is calling him. He answers the phone and asks, “Indrid?”
“We have a problem, Ludwig.”
The doctor grunts with frustration and says, “Fine. Get us out of here in two minutes.”
He then looks at David waiting for a response to his request. David slams his fist on his desk and tells him, “Damn it! Okay. You need to restrain me when there's a full moon. Got it?”
Dr. Frankenstein grins as he speaks into the phone. “All of us, Indrid.”
“Understood.”
He hangs up and Barbara asks, “What happened?”
The doctor looks up at the ceiling and replies, “I don't know, Barbara. I do have a feeling that Alexandria has something to do with it.”
Barbara also looks up at the ceiling and suddenly feels the familiar sensation of static electricity. The entire office becomes consumed with a brilliant white light and everyone disappears in an instant.
On the ship, Dr. Frankenstein is contemplating on what exactly should be done with the unconscious young man on the sofa.
Indrid says bluntly, “The boy has seen too much, Ludwig.”
“How did this happen?”
“I did not deactivate the beam in time.”
The doctor gives a stare at his daughter and asks in a loud tone, “And why was it activated again?”
Alexandria lowers her head in shame and replies, “I wanted to explore the city, dad. Don't blame her.”
He shakes his head in disbelief and places both of his hands on his hips. Dr. Frankenstein places his hand on Indrid's shoulder and tells her, “You know what has to be done.”
Alexandria's mouth drops open as she opens Joshua's wallet. She remembers watching the news on her father's tablet back in Atlantis. His last name is what captures her attention...Garrison. Is this person related to the new CEO of that company?
Without looking at her father, she calls him. “Dad?”
He looks down at her and becomes worried with how pale her face has become. Alexandria shows him his identification and he immediately recognizes the name. The doctor whispers to himself, “My God.”
Barbara looks over Dr. Frankenstein's shoulder and reads the name aloud. “Joshua Garrison. As in Diana Garrison's son?”
The doctor turns around and says to Indrid, “Make it quick. Who knows when this boy should have been home?”
Indrid kneels down next to Joshua and gently touches his forehead. She closes her eyes and, in her mind, rewinds the events until she arrives at his first sighting of Fluffy. Indrid pauses for a moment and, afterwards, slowly stands up. She then nods at Dr. Frankenstein to confirm the completion of her task. He says to her, “Let's get him to where he lives, Indrid.”
As Indrid makes her way toward the cockpit, Alexandria can't help but stare at Joshua. For some strange reason, she feels a sort of kinship with him. Almost as if they share something special in common.
Alexandria puts his wallet back into his back pocket and whispers, “Sorry about erasing your memories, Josh. It's for the best...I guess.”
It is peaceful and tranquil in the suburban area of New York. All of a sudden, a hum is heard followed by a gentle breeze. A bright light shines down on the lawn followed by Joshua's body drifting down. His body finally touches the ground and the light instantly shuts off. He gradually regains consciousness and recognizes the front lawn of his home. Joshua stands up and asks himself, “What the fuck? How did I get here?”
Diana's voice is heard. “Joshua?”
He turns around and sees his mother standing at the doorway. “Where were you? I've been trying to call.”
Joshua scratches his head as he gazes up at the starry sky. Diana wonders to herself why her son has a sudden obsession with the sky when her thoughts are interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. She answers it and walks back inside her home while talking to that Gary person again. Joshua shakes his head and says to himself, “Home sweet home.” He walks inside and closes the front door.
Barbara stands next to Dr. Frankenstein in the cockpit and enjoys the view of the ocean below. She turns her head to look at an oddly quiet and still Alexandria. She is stroking Fluffy while her mind seems preoccupied. Barbara grins slightly and whispers to the doctor, “Looks like Alexandria has something...or someone...on her mind.”
He takes a quick glance at his daughter and replies, “Well. She needs to get her mind back to reality.”
He then raises his wrist to look at his watch and adds, “I think it's time to pay a visit to Joseph Jaeger. Perhaps he can shed some light into his son's current position in StarSun.”
Indrid advises, “I do not believe he will provide any useful information to us.”
“Maybe. Gary is, of course, his son. Perhaps if I give him the impression that I'm not a participant in any kind of investigation, he may be a bit more forthcoming.”
An extremely woozy Henry stands up and responds, “Wait. You're not thinking of going there alone...are you?”
“Yes. I don't want him to feel threatened, Henry.”
Barbara gives Dr. Frankenstein a concerned look and says, “Henry should go with you. With his power, maybe he can find something.”
The doctor is pleasantly surprised at Barbara's sound recommendation and replies, “That...is actually not a bad idea, Barbara. Thank you.”
He then places his hand on Indrid's shoulder and tells her, “Whenever you're ready, Indrid.” The ship glows like a giant star and disappears into the clouds above.
The elderly Joseph Jaeger is sitting on a chair next to his large swimming pool while reading a newspaper. He has grown accustom to spending some time outside before retreating to the comfort of his bed. His maid arrives with a tray carrying a pot of tea and one cup. As she pours into the cup, she says, “You have a visitor, Mr. Jaeger. His name is Ludwig Frankenstein.”
Joseph takes the cup and sips. He replies, “Ah...Victor's son. It has been quite some time. Please, Mary. Tell him to come and see me.”
The maid gives a slight bow and walks back inside the mansion. After several minutes, Dr. Frankenstein steps outside to greet his father's former colleague. Out of the shadows, a mysterious six foot and five inch man steps in between them.
“I need to frisk you, doctor.”
While the man frisks Dr. Frankenstein, Joseph says apologetically, “I am sorry, Ludwig. I was the victim of an assassination attempt not too long ago. This is merely a precaution.”
Dr. Frankenstein does not reply and looks down at the ground. To his amazement, the tall man's feet...are positioned backwards. He remembers this deformity from when his father was a member of Project Paperclip. He then looks up at the man and asks, “You're from Pakistan...aren't you?”
The tall man finishes frisking Ludwig and tells Joseph, “He's clean.”
Joseph motions to Dr. Frankenstein to sit down and answers his question by saying, “You are correct, Ludwig. This is Sajjad...an Abarimon. I am very fortunate to have acquired his services.”
As he raises his cup to take a sip of the herbal tea, he asks, “So, Ludwig. How have you been? How is Victor?”
Dr. Frankenstein sits down and replies, “All is well, Mr. Jaeger. Father is currently stationed on Mars working as a consultant.”
Joseph chuckles and responds, “Ah, Victor. Always moving about.”
Sajjad hears a sound emanating from inside of the mansion. It almost sounds like
footsteps...but not coming from the maid. He is aware of the rhythmic pattern of the footsteps that are unique to the residents. He tries to listen carefully for the unfamiliar footsteps again before making his move. Sajjad hears the sound and tells Joseph, “I need to investigate something, sir.”
Dr. Frankenstein looks at Sajjad walk away and asks him, “What's wrong?”
Sajjad briefly stops walking and replies, “No need for alarm, doctor. It may be nothing.”
Dr. Frankenstein did not count on the presence of an Abarimon. Humanoids that are located in the Himalayan Mountains of Pakistan. They possess remarkable heightened senses, formidable strength and, despite of their handicap, can run extremely fast. It would seem that they have managed to become accustomed to the air outside of their homeland. Either they managed...or someone assisted them? He gives Joseph a puzzled look.
Joseph gives him a sly grin and says, “I know what you're thinking, Ludwig. How is he able to breathe here? Well...that is precisely how I acquired his services. In exchange for protection, I provided them with the means to roam the world without the danger of suffocation.”
Joseph reaches into his pocket and shows Dr. Frankenstein an object that resembles an inhaler used by asthma sufferers.
“In this inhaler contains my formula. It allows the Abarimon to travel anywhere they please and fulfill their dreams.”
Ludwig takes the inhaler and studies it closely. “It would seem that my father is not the only person moving about.”
Henry is proceeding down the hallway while making the least amount of noise as possible. Invisibility does have its advantages but works best with the absence of sound. He enters one of the bedrooms and searches for any kind of information about Gary Jaeger. On a bedside table, he notices a piece of paper with a date scribbled on it.
“7/12/14”
Can this be when the Bohemian Grove gathering will take place? Henry gets a feeling like he is being watched and turns around. He sees, at the doorway, a very tall man with a neatly trimmed beard. Sajjad begins to wheeze and reaches into his pocket. He places an inhaler into his mouth and presses the button. He then makes his way toward Henry!
Henry thinks to himself, “Does he know where I am?”
Sajjad stops just in front of him and extends his hand. Henry quickly dodges and begins to sweat nervously. Without meaning to, he lets out a little air from his mouth. Sajjad hears this and moves his hand toward the source of the noise. Henry proceeds to contort his body in ways he never thought was possible and succeeds in avoiding coming into contact with the large hand. Sajjad taps his chin with his finger and wonders if he has been imagining all that he has heard. His cell phone rings and he answers it. “Yes, Mr. Jaeger. No, everything is in order. I will be there shortly.”
He hangs up and puts the phone back into his pocket. Sajjad turns his head from left to right and sniffs in one last attempt to find something out of the ordinary. After several minutes, he turns around and walks out of the room. Henry pulls himself from the edge of the window and enters the bedroom. He whispers, “Jesus Christ.”
Ludwig takes a sip of his tea and clears his throat. He asks Joseph, “Is your son working at StarSun now, Mr. Jaeger?”
Joseph pauses for a moment and then replies, “Yes. Gary apparently is on the verge of a breakthrough. Beyond that, I really haven't the slightest idea, Ludwig. Companies, such as StarSun, usually have strict guidelines regarding research and development.”
Dr. Frankenstein raises his eyebrow and thinks to himself. Could his theory of intentionally releasing a deadly virus to the public be correct? He focuses on Mr. Jaeger again and says, “Yes, quite true.”
He is tempted to continue probing but Sajjad arrives and decides to refrain from further questioning. Joseph curiously looks at Sajjat and asks, “Did you hear something?”
“I heard footsteps in one of the bedrooms, sir. It was not Mary's.”
Ludwig strokes his goatee and asks, “Really?” The doctor turns his head and looks up at the windows. He then calls out, “Henry? Did you follow me?”
After a few minutes of silence, Henry materializes while walking toward them. This startles Sajjad and he reaches for his gun. Henry raises his arms and says, “Whoa, big guy! I heard what happened and I was worried for the Doc. Sorry, Mr. Jaeger.”
Joseph motions to Sajjad to keep his gun in the holster and replies, “It is understandable, Henry.”
Henry lowers his arms and Dr. Frankenstein asks Joseph, “Did you ever find the person that tried to kill you?”
Joseph takes a deep breath. “He was a member of one of those radical activist groups. Some people only seem to remember my participation with the Schutzstaffel as a Nazi scientist and not my later accomplishments after the war.”
Dr. Frankenstein says, “Those are kids that are just confused and misled, Mr. Jaeger. They believe everything they read on those conspiracy web sites.”
Joseph laughs at Ludwig's comment and says, “Yes. Utter nonsense.” He then gazes at his watch and says, “Oh, my. It's getting rather late. I do not wish to be rude, Ludwig, but I really need to get some sleep.”
Dr. Frankenstein stands up and shakes Joseph's hand. “It is quite all right, Mr. Jaeger. Thank you for being a gracious host.”
Sajjad bows slightly and says, “Good night, gentlemen.”
Dr. Frankenstein and Henry bow in return and make their way back inside the mansion. Mary escorts them to the entrance and opens the front door. As they exit, she says, “It's been a pleasure. Good night.”
She closes the door and the sound of numerous locks are heard. They are both now walking briskly along the sidewalk of the affluent neighborhood of Carnegie Hill. Henry tells him, “That was not what I had in mind, Doc.”
“I know, Henry. I did not expect to meet an Abarimon tonight. Did you find anything useful?”
“I found a date. July 12 of 2014.”
“Good work, Henry. That would be make this coming Saturday the next meeting of the Bohemian Grove.”
They are suddenly surrounded by a bright light. A jogger witnesses this and immediately stops. He observes in horror as the two men get pulled into the star above them. The star shines like a huge sun and disappears into the night sky. The jogger looks all around him in an attempt to find anyone else that observed the bizarre event. He realizes that there is no one else and says to himself, “You did not just see two guys get abducted.”
Joseph Jaeger is still sitting on his chair next to the pool while trying to think of a reason for Ludwig's visit. He is aware of Indrid Cold and her accurate visions of future disasters. He looks at Sajjad and says, “Ludwig's unexpected visit worries me, Sajjad. I need to find out what exactly my son is up to.”
Sajjad does not reply and uses his inhaler to calm his wheezing. Joseph prepares to stand up when he suddenly winces in reaction to a sharp pain on the back of his neck. He then feels as though his heart is about to burst out from his chest. Sajjad rushes to hold his arm and sits him back down on the chair. He calls his name while touching his chest. “Mr. Jaeger?”
Because he saw Joseph react to a pain behind his neck, Sajjad takes a quick glance and sees a tiny red dot. He watches helplessly as Joseph clenches his chest and lets out a loud groan...then he becomes limp and his eyes roll back. At this point, Sajjad comes to the conclusion that Mr. Jaeger has just been assassinated.
On the roof of a nearby building, a woman dressed in black military attire hides and begins disassembling her custom SVD Dragunov sniper rifle and shoving the pieces into a gym bag.
Mary is inside peeking through a thin slit of the curtains while holding a cell phone. She whispers, “Direct hit, sir. He's dead.”
A man, around fifty years old, is at his home sitting in his office chair next to a laptop while holding a cell phone next to his ear.
“Thank you, Mary.”
He disconnects the call and whispers, “Good job, Rikki.” A woman's voice is heard shouting from the kitchen.
“
Gary! Would you like some coffee?”
In the meantime, Indrid's ship arrives at The Capitol at Chelsea in New York. David frigidly looks at Dr. Frankenstein and says, “When I accepted to help you, I didn't have babysitting in mind.”
“Yes. I do apologize, David. This is, however, the best option for her.”
Alexandria says to her father disappointedly, “I was so looking forward to the owl worshiping, dad.”
She grabs Fluffy and prepares herself for her first visit to the upper world. David raises his eyebrow at the puppy and mumbles in a way as to show discontent. Alexandria tells him, “You won't even know he's there. I can put him on mute or even make him take an eternal nap.”
David pauses for a moment and asks her, “Does it poop?”
“He can...if I send the command.”
Dr. Frankenstein warns loudly, “Konfect! Don't make me regret this.”
Alexandria giggles mischievously and places Fluffy to sleep by pinching his ear. Afterwards, she puts him inside of her purse. Her father points his finger at her with a serious expression on his face.
“Do not give David a hard time, konfect. Understood?”
She stands up straight and salutes him just as a soldier would salute his, or her, superior. This makes him grin and he then gives her a long hug and a kiss on her forehead. Indrid takes a look at them and smiles while asking, “Are we ready?”
Dr. Frankenstein nods in acknowledgement and Alexandria stands very close to David. This makes him feel unbearably uncomfortable and he moves an inch away from her. He doesn't have children of his own for the simple reason that they demand an extraordinary amount of patience...which he lacks. She finds his aversion to be interesting and decides to hug his arm and place her head on it while giving him her puppy-dog eyes. David rolls his eyes and whispers while looking up, “God. Make this night end quickly.”
Rise of the Fallen: Ascensionis Page 6