Quagmire's Gate

by Allan E Petersen

  “And I presume you have her under your control?”

  He did not want to get into that right now. No, not completely under his control yet but soon. With all confidence, he was able to reply,

  “That will not be a problem Senator. I have also convinced my Security Officer that there is a top scientist that can help her solve the anomaly. To stall her while the gate gets big enough for a sacrifice, I have sent her on a useless mission to retrieve a certain scientist.”

  More silence as calculations burn through the Senator’s mind and alcohol burns the General’s throat.

  “Very well General, it seems like you have it under control.”

  “Thank you Senator.”

  “Who is this top scientist you are recruiting for the investigation, somebody under our control I hope.”

  “Well, not exactly Senator.”

  A stern question blurted back at him.

  “Who is this man?”

  “I have sent the Doctor to bring back Professor Quagmire from the Government facility at Roads End.”

  The Senator’s laughter was contagious, sparking the General to uncontrolled laughter as well.

  Chapter 13

  Linda was frantic. She tore through her apartment not knowing what to do next. For no discernable reason she attacked the dishwasher first. Frustrated, she swore aloud,

  “What a bugger! Come on plates don’t muck with me now.”

  It was a formidable task to cram all the dirty dishes into what she perceived was such a small space. Regardless, she managed to close the door making prisoners of a week’s worth of dirty dishes. It had never come to her to clean them daily. Thinking that at least the dishes were out of sight, she turned around to come face to face with a stove filled with dirty pots and pans.

  “Double bugger!”

  It was then that an inspiration hit. The fridge! Pulling the door open, the dirty pots and pans were stacked and introduced to the freezer section.

  Good, the kitchen was now presentable. There was now only the herculean task of the living room to go. Because her housecoat was untied, when she ran into the living room it did a good job of impersonating Superman’s cape as he flew through the air. It was just as well that she lived alone for this Superman was not wearing his uniform. As she darted about throwing magazines under the cushions, she saw one dirty plate on the coffee table. It was hurriedly shoved under the sofa cushion. A quick reconnoiter confirmed that both kitchen and living room were now at least near the boundaries of presentable.

  The bathroom was another story. Nylons and panties draped over the shower rod presented the airs of a laid back spinster. Everything was presentable to her but not to who was coming. Panic set in as there are only a few minutes left. She darted to the bathtub and reached through the cold water to pull out the plug. The hell with the wet towels on the floor. She had to give up. To her reckoning, the best way to escape having to clean this mess up was to close the door and lock it. If her guest needed to use the bathroom, she will just claim that she does not have one.

  Back in her bedroom, she looked around at the gigantic mess and applied the same reasoning. Unfortunately, he is not going to ask to see the bedroom anyway. Turning to the full-length mirror behind the door, she did not see the beautiful woman she was looking for. Her hair was a mess, no make-up and naked. Although recognizing that this was not the proper way to answer the door, a spirited thought prevailed. ‘Maybe I should open it this way.’ However, good sense prevailed. There must be a better way to get his attention.

  The hair was attended to first. A quick comb tried its best to tame wild hair. She decided against applying make-up. She did not want to seem too forward. She found a relatively clean blouse and did her best to button it as quickly as possible. A skirt struggled over her hips and managed to be zipped at the back. A dash back to the mirror confirmed that this was as good as it gets on such short notice. It was a damn inconvenience anyway. You’d think he’d have been a little more considerate and given her the time she needed to clean up and get ready, say, a couple of days.

  When the doorbell rang, she dashed out of the bedroom and slammed the door behind her. A quick scurry through the living room and it was there she slammed on the brakes. Casually she took the time to open a magazine and lay it nicely on the coffee table. By the time the doorbell rang again, she caught her breath and was ready to accept company.

  Security Officer Whelan Christianson was standing there with both arms at his side waiting to be asked in. Yet, for some strange reason she was just looking at him. He wondered what the delay could be. He had phoned a few minutes ago, giving her lots of warning that he was coming. Finally, she said,

  “Would you like to come in?”

  “Yea. That was the idea when I phoned. I don’t really want to stand here and talk to you.”

  She slowly stepped aside and he entered her apartment.

  As he looked around, he said,

  “Nice place, it sure is a hell of a lot neater than mine.”

  As she clandestinely kicked a wayward bra on the floor under the couch, she said,

  “Well, maybe that’s because you’re a bachelor. Men are such slobs when they live alone.”

  “Yea, I guess. I hope it’s not an inconvenience for me to come over like this.”

  “Oh, no. I was just sitting around reading when you phoned.”

  In a shy manner, he faced her and dug into his pocket. She saw his attempt at bravery fade faster than a snowman holding a blowtorch. In his hand was a tomato. She saw it as an apology for almost running her over. She let a small giggle escape and sincerely said,

  “Thank you Whelan. This is very considerate of you.”

  As she carried the peace offering into the kitchen, he said to her,

  “You sounded surprised.”

  “I was.”

  While she was gone, he gravitated to the bookcase and looked at the pictures. When she came back and stood beside him, he asked,

  This must be Terri and her father then is it?”

  For a reason she was not sure of, it made her feel awkward that another man was looking at her personal life. She felt she was not ready for such an intrusion just yet. Politeness forced her to say,

  “Yes, that’s Terri when she was younger. Her father left us shortly after the picture was taken.”

  He thought it was a strange thing for her to say, ‘left us.’ But then again he was not about to bring something up that once drove her to a mental breakdown. If by his death she meant ‘left us’, that’s fine. He turned away from the picture and laid it on rather heavily.

  “I see the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Obviously she gets her good looks from her mom.”

  It suddenly got hot in the room. She blurted out,

  “Can I get you a cup of tea?”

  “A coffee might be nice.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I only have tea.”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  Without being invited to sit, he wandered over to the sofa and flopped his burly frame deep into the cushions. He thought he heard a ‘snap’ like a plate breaking or something like that. Fighting the desire to sit next to him, she opted for the chair on the other side of the coffee table. Nervously she fumbled for the open magazine and closed it. She asked,

  “Are you eventually going to tell me why you have come to see me on such short notice?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry I didn’t say much over the phone. I thought it was better to do this in person. I hope you don’t mind my coming here to discuss business, do you?”

  It was a disappointing question,

  “Business? Is that why you asked to come over?”

  “Yes. I am not quite sure how to go about this so if you do not mind I will just be direct. For a reason that I just can’t fathom, the Director of this project, General Irsthill has suggested that you get more involved with this little mystery we have in the lab.”

  She was quick to cut in.

  “Little myste
ry? That little mystery has cost two men their lives.”

  “Yes, of course. I certainly do not mean to belittle what has happened. I’ll get you to excuse me, I’m just a little nervous that’s all.”

  Strangely, she liked to hear that he was nervous as it somewhat minimized her anxiety.

  He continued,

  “You were right to suggest that not only the lab but the whole Base should be quarantined and indeed it has been. The General agreed that there might be some kind of bio-contaminants in the lab. Because you are qualified and already within the parameters of the quarantine, that naturally leaves you as the most qualified person to search for such things.”

  “I’m flattered.”

  What he said next popped that balloon.

  “Well, don’t be. He could just as easily have picked Doctor Nelson. By the way, that was nice work to find that hole in the floor.”

  “Thank you.”

  “For another reason I am not sure of, the General wants to treat this as a biological contaminant. I suppose his reasoning might be that he must show the Astrophysical Securities Council he is actually doing something about it, as ridiculous as that sounds.”

  He then looked hard at her and added,

  “You were right about it getting bigger as well. You can almost jump into it now.”

  Although surprised, she felt that she still had to repeat her original assessment.

  “It’s concrete. There is no way a bio-contaminate is responsible for the hole getting bigger.”

  “I know, but the General still wants you leading the investigation.”

  Although she was pleased to be in charge of the team, she was not naive enough to believe that she was the right person for it. She knew there was something wrong with the General’s recommendation. Carefully she said,

  “I see. So the General is stupid enough to believe that a biological contamination can eat through solid concrete, is that about right?”

  He was slow to respond. That was his thought exactly. He knew it was impossible and yet he had orders to bring her into the investigation. He said,

  “Yes, I think he is stupid enough to think that a micro-organism can chew on concrete. Be that as it may, you are now part of this investigation my dear.”

  She jolted just a bit when hearing, ‘my dear.’

  Two men have died but it was not the first time she had been involved with death. In her profession as an Air Force Medic, it happened. After hours of boredom in the medical room and countless books bleeding their forlorn love life into hers, she now had a chance to do something constructive, something exciting. She wondered if she was not looking too anxious. She got the feeling that she should tone her excitement down just a bit. Laced with caution she softly said,

  “I see.”

  He reached into his jacket and brought out a brown envelope. A casual hand placed it on the table and she merely glanced at it. He said,

  “It’s five hundred dollars in cash plus papers giving you permission to use one of the Company’s fleet cars. It is waiting for you outside. It is just a matter of following the GPS instructions telling you where to go.”

  Not believing there was that much money in it, she opened the envelope. Wide eyes quickly confirmed the amount. She asked,

  “Who do I have to kill for this?”

  He could not help but chuckle and she had to suppress a smile when seeing his mustache twitch up and down. He said,

  “It’s easy to see that you have no classified training. Let me give you some advice. Never play poker.”

  With a tinge of teasing attached, she cast a quizzical glance that made him feel uncomfortable. Trying his best to project an air of poise and coolness he took a deep breath and held it. She asked,

  “Will you tell me again why I’m now part of this investigative team?”

  He let out a gasp and tried his best to remember the official explanation, the one that the General insisted on using.

  “In all honesty, I’m not sure. The General’s official report stated that the contamination in the lab deals with temporal energy on a quantum level. However, because two men have succumbed to it, he insists that there still might be a biological attachment to the mystery. By your very presence in an already quarantined complex, you are the chosen one for that part of the investigation.”

  “What’s all this got to do with temporal energy on a quantum level?”

  The ability to lie with a straight face was one of his best features as a Security Officer. He shrugged and easily said,

  “I don’t know. I just know that the General wanted you on the investigative team. I guess he is just covering all the bases. We do not want anybody to leave the compound until everything has been figured out. It is not a secret in my department that there are leaks in here. Somebody is secretly reporting sensitive information to the Astrophysical Securities Council, reporting that we have come to a dead end in the investigation. We are officially on blackout now. No unauthorized communications including telephone calls can go over this fence.”

  That was a shock and she quickly objected,

  “But I communicate constantly with my daughter. What will she think if she can’t reach me?”

  “Very well, because you are now part of the team I’ll authorize such communication but anything you send out must be run through my department first. And that’s another thing, when you leave this compound I’m going to have to ask you not to contact your daughter.”

  She struck a defiant pose and asked,

  “Are you asking me or telling me?”

  He quickly weighed the pros and cons of an uncooperative if not obstinate woman’s hatred of authority. Finally and with some bravery, he announced,

  “I’m asking you. In the event you decide to ignore that order then at least say nothing to her about what is happening in here.”

  She accepted her victory and said,

  “That’s better.”

  Again looking in the envelope, she saw the name of the person she was supposed to go and get. ‘Professor Quagmire’. It was a natural question.

  “Why send me for him?”

  Again he lied and said,

  “Because he is the strangest and craziest man you will ever want to meet. He has complete disregard for authority and rank, a real odd ball. Just like somebody else that I know.”

  She scowled at his implication and he reveled in the tease, adding,

  “I thought it might be appropriate to send one after the other.”

  “So, you are saying I’m batty is that it?”

  “I mean, like him, you also do not care much for authority. Of his many eccentricities, he will not talk to fellow scientists or authority figures. He shuts right up and it becomes like talking to a wall. The General sees you as kindred, the perfect liaison.”

  Although he fully understood the term ‘controllable risk,’ he did not wish to burden her with that threat. To him, he understood that the General had some knowledge to keep her in line. He was glad she did not question it. She asked,

  “And just what do I do with this strange little man once I get to this facility?”

  “It’ll be your job to ask the questions written down on the paper in the envelope. I understand that he loves puzzles concerning quantum anomalies. Just tell him this mystery is right up his alley. He will be interested enough. What scientist can refuse quantum physics mysteries?”

  “Why am I going alone, why don’t you come with me?”

  “That’s not possible, I’ve been ordered to a security meeting of the Astrophysical Securities Council over at Fort Lincoln.”

  Chapter 14

  Congressman Tait

  Just off the coast of Porto Rico, the sun was shining on a sixty-five foot yacht lulling on the calm blue waters of a secluded cove. The water was warm and clear, giving the impression that the ship was suspended in midair. Small colorful fish swam under the yacht like birds in flight. Off in the distance, the shore was lined with palm trees gently swa
ying to the rhythm of a soft ocean breeze.