by Dave Renol
“I think you need to sit down and relax,” she interrupted. “He’s got you worked up, and I can see that you’re tired from the day’s excursion. I can handle dinner by myself, so don’t worry. I only asked you to join me in order to stop y’all from fighting. So just chill for a while and let me take care of things.”
Not wanting to start an argument with Sara as well, I complied and sat down on the stool at the end of the kitchen island. She opened a bottle of wine and filled me a glass, taking a smaller one for herself in the process. Sipping gratefully, I tried to relax my tense muscles.
“Do you think he’s going to blab?” I asked after a while.
“Not a chance. He may yell and scream for a while, but he takes his oaths very seriously. Don’t worry about it. By tomorrow, things will have sorted themselves out. Just remember, I’ll always be on your side.” With a note of finality, she turned away and got busy with making dinner.
***
Dinner was a tense affair. The brusque glances exchanged between Sid and Carl was a silent testament to the argument that had continued in my absence. I was grateful for the fact that Sid had stopped yelling threats and accusations for now. Sara tried to make small talk, but gave up after getting only monosyllable responses from the boys. Sara had made spaghetti with marinara meat sauce. It could have been cardboard for all that I tasted. I ate as much as I could stomach and then silently went to curl up on the living room sofa.
When finished eating, Sara left the boys to do the cleanup and joined me on the sofa. “I put together a plate for Mark. All he has to do is nuke it if he wakes up hungry.”
“Thanks,” I nodded.
“I’m sorry, but Sid is still going on about it,” she said sympathetically.
I just shrugged, knowing that confronting him would just get the argument going full tilt again. “If I knew how it worked, I would have shown you by now. Honest.”
“I believe you,” she soothed. “What’s the worst that he could do? I already guaranteed you that he won’t go shooting his mouth off to anyone.”
“I know. His belligerence was just one more thing to wear me down after a long and stressful day.”
Carl, finished with his rudimentary cleaning efforts, brought us our wine glasses and the remainder of the bottle. “Have a drink. You deserve it.”
I gave him a nod of thanks and a weak little smile. I took a sip.
“Mind if I use your office for a bit? Sid’s being a jerk, and I want some peace and quiet before going to bed.”
“Go ahead,” I waved him on.
Nodding me his thanks, he disappeared around the corner into the office. Sara topped off our glasses and shifted closer to me on the sofa.
Looking speculatively toward where Carl had gone, she said “Between Carl and Mark, they have a lot of experience figuring complex stuff out. I think we’re doing right, and Sid just has no patience. If the geeks here can’t figure it out, nobody can.”
She went on in that vein for a while, and it helped to boost my flagging spirit. Feeling a bit better, I decided that it was a good time to go to bed. I also wanted to make sure that Mark was ok. Standing, I was about to say goodnight to Sara when I was interrupted by the sound of a car starting outside. I shuffled over to the window and got there in time to see the taillights of a truck heading down my driveway. “What the …” I began. Despite Sara’s reassurances, Sid was gone.
“Was that Sid?” Sara asked, rushing to the patio to check if her husband was there.
“I think so.”
“The stubborn old idiot,” she replied when she came back. “He should have waited for morning. Nothing good ever comes from running off halfcocked.”
“What do you think he is going to do?” I asked nervously.
“Nothing,” she replied after a moment. “He’ll go off and stew somewhere, but he’ll be back.”
I hoped she was right. If not, things were about to become ugly.
Chapter 14
Sid: First Interlude
“Idiots,” I muttered to myself as I turned off the county road and onto the highway. “They’re all idiots. They all think I’m an idiot.” Gunning the engine, I swerved to the right and waved my fist at the car driving slow in the left lane. “Idiot,” I shouted out the window as I passed him.
Stupid eggheads actually expect me to believe them. They think I’m too dumb to take a piss without trajectory instructions from them. Hatter will know what to do. I can get enough advice from him without telling him the specifics. They make a good show out of their little tricks, but I can see through them now. There’s no way they could have done some of those things on the fly.
That’s where they slipped up. It’s obvious that they know more than they’re willing to ever share, but they were good. They had me fooled for quite a while. They still have Sara fooled. The way she was sucking up to Linda on the couch was enough to make me sick.
Let’s see now. It’s too late tonight to visit Hatter, so maybe I’ll drive until Charlotte and then head out to Fort Bragg in the morning. I should have just spent the night at Linda’s house, but by tomorrow they might have brainwashed me into believing them again. Maybe they really can brainwash me, I thought with chilling fear. I’m glad I got out when I did. There’s no telling what those freaks are capable of.
I drove in silence for a while, letting my truck eat up the miles on the road to Charlotte. Finally arriving, I turned into the parking lot of the first hotel that I saw with a vacancy sign. I grabbed my bag out of the back of the truck and made sure that it was securely locked. I didn’t want some two bit thief getting hold of my toys from back there.
I sat in my mostly dark hotel room thinking. I would have to be very careful with what I told Matt, and how I said it. Why did I give those bastards my word of silence, I cursed myself. Grimly, I thought that if I hadn’t given my word, they might have killed me before I got away. Deciding that it might be a good idea to have an insurance policy, I turned on the light above the room desk and grabbed pen and paper.
Taking a few minutes, I composed my thoughts before writing my letter. Finished, I reread it carefully and decided that it was good enough. I got my gun from my bag, stuck it into the waistband of my pants, and headed down to the front desk. I got an envelope from them and headed back up after making sure my truck was safe. Folding my letter, I stuck it in the envelope, sealed it, and then wrote on it:
To: Major Matt Hatter, Ft. Bragg, N.C.
To be opened only upon the event of my death or disappearance
Feeling better that I would be avenged if they got to me; I put my gun under the pillow and settled in to sleep.
***
First thing in the morning I was up and checking out, eager to get moving. I gassed up the truck and picked up a bag of munchies, figuring it would be safer to eat on the road. Traffic was light this early, and I made good time down the highway.
Once I was close to the base, I phoned up my friend and arranged to meet him at a diner nearby. I should have called first thing in the morning, but didn’t think of it until now. I arrived a little early and picked a corner booth. Matt would have already eaten, so I had no qualms about ordering up a large breakfast for myself.
I had just finished eating when I saw him pull up. I waved him over to my booth, and got up to shake his hand in welcome. Sitting, he declined the waitress’s offer of a menu, but took a cup of coffee.
“I’m surprised to see you out this way,” he began. “How are things going these days, and what brings you around?”
Not quite knowing how to begin, I stalled with the inane small talk that is typical of friends reunited. It was annoying at first, but I eventually started to enjoy catching up with him. Feeling marginally better now, I wanted to get to the point but had a different problem. Every time I was about to start the real topic, someone would walk by or the waitress would come check on us and I had to stop.
Always observant, Matt eventually took pity on me and asked if I wanted to go
back to his place to talk in private. Relieved, I gave the waitress a twenty and waved him on to the door. I followed his jeep down the highway for about thirty minutes, rehearsing my speech in my head. Arriving, he led me into his office where he poured us each a drink before waving me toward a chair.
“It’s a bit early for scotch, but you look like you could use a belt. I can’t remember ever seeing you this jumpy before,” he said bluntly.
Taking a swig I began. “Well, it’s a rather unique situation that I’ve found myself in. Not only that, but since I was sworn to secrecy before I found out, I can’t go into all the details.”
Understanding, he nodded for me to continue.
“Theoretically speaking, what would you do if you discovered that someone had a great weapon, but refused to share it with us?”
“Do you mean us as the two of us, or us as a country?”
“Both. They refuse to disclose it to anyone, and I only know some of the capabilities, with zero of the workings.”
“How dangerous are we talking here?”
“Unknown. They have command of significant power, both offensive and defensive.”
“And this is right here on our home soil?”
“Yes. I tried to learn the inner workings, but they claim that they couldn’t teach me how it works. I believed them for a while, but not anymore. I left last night and came to see you, hoping to get some advice.”
“Do you believe yourself to be in danger?”
In response, I handed him the envelope that I prepared last night. He looked startled to see what I had written on it, and then turned grim.
“Ok, you now have my full attention. What can I do to help?”
I raised my glass to him as a salute before knocking back the scotch. It was a relief to know that he would have my back.
Matt had to leave to attend a staff meeting but told me to make myself at home. He promised that we would talk in more detail tonight and come up with a plan. Left to my own devices, I poured myself another drink and wandered around his house for a while. Sparse, clean, orderly … it was about what I expected.
After doing a few laps through the house to no real purpose, I decided to go through my stuff and make sure that everything was in good order. I pulled my truck into his garage and closed the door for privacy before spreading out my gear. As I absently cleaned my weapons, I wondered how far Matt would go to help me.
It seemed like Matt was gone for about a million years, but it was really only six or seven hours. I kept peeking through the window blinds, watching for anyone coming down the driveway. Maybe I was getting a bit paranoid, but I didn’t even turn on the house lights as dusk approached. I tensed for a moment as I saw a car approach, but breathed a quick sigh of relief as I saw that it was Matt’s jeep and he was alone. He pulled into the empty stall of his garage and I went to meet him, thankful that he had finally returned.
“Sorry I took so long,” he said as he stepped out of the vehicle. “Damn useless meetings always take way too long.” Holding up a box he continued, “I brought a pizza. Let’s eat and finish our discussion.”
We sat down in his kitchen with pizza and beer, picking up the conversation where we had left off earlier. “How much help are you willing to offer me?” I asked in between bites.
“Probably more than you might think. I take domestic terrorism fairly seriously, and nobody wants to see another nine-eleven. Not to mention the fact that I owe you for saving my life.”
“Amen to that. I’m not sure that we’re in that kind of situation though.”
“But you’re not sure, right? You as much as admitted that these people might be looking to make you disappear.”
“That might just be paranoia on my part, but I’m determined to do something about them, and I have no way of knowing in advance what they might do.”
“Then tell me what you want. If it’s in my power, then you already have it. I can probably even arrange armed backup for you if needed.”
“I doubt that they’re allied with any foreign power, and if possible, I would prefer that they ally with us. The benefits we would gain by having them on our side are almost beyond belief, and I would prefer to try intimidation and negotiation first. One thing that I haven’t mentioned yet is that my wife is with them.”
“Your wife is part of an enemy splinter cell?” he sputtered in disbelief.
“She’s not quite part of the inner circle, that’s only two people, but she’s friendly with them and wants more.”
“Only two people?” he inquired. “How big of an organization are we talking about here?”
“As far as I know, there’s only four people total.”
Still unwilling to discuss the fact that we were talking about mental powers, I decided to couch it in more believable terms. “The group is small, but the technology is amazing. What would you say if I told you that they could generate fields that are able to stop small arms fire? Or contain a gas grenade inside a remote generated sphere? How about even stopping a plastique explosion big enough to gut your house?”
“I would say that you should give up the crack pipe.” He laughed, but quickly turned serious again when he realized that I wasn’t joking. “You’re serious?” he asked after a moment.
“Deadly serious,” I grimly replied. “The inner circle even has superior communication.”
“It sounds like they’ve developed some pretty significant technology, but that’s all passive or defensive stuff. What do they have for offensive capabilities?”
“Well, how about the ability to accelerate steel shot to almost the same velocity as a bullet?” I asked. “They can do that without any telltale muzzle fire or smoke. I fired a shot from my 9mm into the target they used for practice, and my bullet didn’t go in much deeper. They can also do things like contain gas grenades, move over any terrain fast and silent … heck, they could rip you limb from limb without even getting in sight of you.”
“Any theories on how they’re doing all this stuff? I must admit this all sounds kind of far-fetched to me.”
“I have plenty of theories, but nothing concrete. Electro-magnetic or something along those lines is how I’m thinking of it.”
“What about the controls?” he asked. “How big are they and what about the power source?”
“The controls are easily portable,” I replied, thinking quickly. “I’m unsure about the power source.”
“Ok, if you’re telling me the truth then that’s starting to sound bad. What else can they do?”
“I don’t know. As I mentioned, they’re keeping this thing close to their chests.”
“You’ve given me plenty to think about. I want you to tell me every detail from the second you were contacted, until the time you showed up on my doorstep. Leave nothing out, except what is needed to protect your oath.”
Grateful that he recognized my need to protect certain details, I suggested that we retire to his office where we would be more comfortable. We settled down into his overstuffed leather armchairs with a scotch in hand and I began my tale. It took all night to get through my full story. It would have gone faster, but he kept interrupting with queries and asking for clarification of details. He was silent for a long time after I finally wound down.
Finally he said, “I need some time to process all of this. Give me the night to think on things and we’ll discuss this more in the morning. You can bunk down in the spare bedroom.”
He saw me settled into the guest room, then left me to my own devices. It took me forever to get to sleep.
***
The next morning I woke up to find that Matt was already gone. I took a shower and ate some leftover pizza for breakfast. It was about all that I could do until I heard from my friend. Shortly after noon, I heard a truck approaching the house. Sneaking a peek out the window, I saw a familiar olive green military truck in the driveway behind Matt’s jeep.
He opened his garage door, but parked off to the side. Jumping out, he helped gui
de the truck back up against the opening. Curious, I went through the side door into the garage and saw a half squad of troops unloading supplies onto the garage floor.
“All personnel and equipment ready and at your disposal, sir,” the staff sergeant shouted, snapping to attention.
“At ease,” Matt replied. “Stay with the ordinance, we’ll return shortly with instructions.” He guided me back inside the house.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“I thought long into the night about what you told me, and came to a decision. I would trust you with my life, so I completely believe that you have uncovered a significant threat. As such, I have decided to give you as much support as I can, without going through channels. By my thinking, you Rangers follow a close enough code to real soldiers like us Green Berets that I will trust you with operational command.”
I flipped him a quick finger at his dig at the rangers.
“There’s no way that I can get leave on short notice to join you, but I can arrange for the loan of up to two squads of troops who are personally loyal to me. You’ll have both significant talent, as well as significant firepower.”
Stunned at the scope of what he was laying out before me, I could only nod for him to continue.
“Before we continue, I must ask you one last time if this is some kind of stupid joke. If you lead me on by my dick past this point for no good reason, I’ll execute you myself.”
Nodding for him to continue I said, “This is no joke, but I’m not sure if this much force will be needed.”
“Better to have backup that you don’t need rather than need it and not have it,” he admonished. “Now, if you’re ready to continue, let’s figure out what the hell we can do about this situation.”
“I must say that I’m surprised at all of the support you’re offering to me without any evidence,” I admitted.
“You’ve seen enough combat to not be easily spooked. I’ve seen enough that I’ve learned to trust the gut feelings of seasoned soldiers. Making my decision wasn’t easy, but now that I’ve made it, you can count on my full support.”