Cloak of the Light: Wars of the Realm, Book 1

by Black, Chuck

  He would never chase her again.

  And it left a hole in his soul.

  8

  EVIDENCE OF A STRANGER

  Over the next few weeks, Drew focused on school and on setting up a plan for his future. He decided to shoot for a double major in math and financial management, with an emphasis in sales and trading. When he wasn’t studying or hanging out with Ben, he was lifting weights, swimming, and running at the Drayle wellness center, which was second to none. One week his eye caught a flier about triathlon training and competitions, and he decided to sign up.

  Drew got to know his suitemates in his dorm well enough that they invited him on some of their outings. One day a bunch of guys and girls came over for video games and pizza. Drew struck up a conversation with a pretty, dark-haired girl named Danielle. He asked her out, but after the first date, he knew there was nothing special between them … not like there was between him and Sydney. But surely there was someone else out there who would make him feel the way Sydney did. He hated to think the only girl he was drawn to was someone he could never be with …

  Drew and Ben made it a point to get together at least twice each week, sometimes more. It was an odd friendship, but they both appreciated how much they added to each other’s lives. Drew loved having a personal tutor whenever he encountered difficulties in his math and especially his physics classes, and Ben loved having a friend who understood him in a way that the rest of the world did not. Were it not for their connection during high school, they probably would have never crossed paths and become close friends. Ben inspired Drew to work hard in school, and Drew kept Ben grounded in the real world.

  The university environment for Ben was like giving caffeine to an already hyper chipmunk. He excelled in the physics program, and everyone in the department respected him, including the grad students. Drew was amazed at the level of genius in his friend. Even though it was only Ben’s second year, Dr. Daivya Waseem chose Ben to work as a research assistant on Waseem’s groundbreaking work on laser light acceleration technology. Much of the work was confidential, but even what Ben could share went right over Drew’s head.

  Every Friday at three o’clock, Drew and Ben met at the Mystic Blend for their weekly coffee to catch up. Today, Ben had called to meet earlier, at two o’ clock, and now he was late.

  Ben was never late.

  Drew checked his watch. Maybe he should shoot Ben a text to see if he had misunderstood. He reached for his phone, but then through the windows that lined Twelfth Street, he saw Ben approaching the coffee shop. Strange …

  Ben didn’t saunter through the doors in his usual carefree style. Instead, he looked up and down the street, then slipped inside. He scanned the interior of the shop, his gaze briefly stopping at each table and its occupants. He even looked straight at Drew, then continued his scan until he’d taken in every corner of the room. Drew smirked, cocked his head, and motioned for Ben to join him.

  Ben maneuvered through the tables, whose occupants seemed completely unaware of his passing, their sporadic conversations creating a comfortable floor of droning noise. Ben sat down in the chair across from Drew, and Drew just stared at him in silence. He’d learned long ago that pressing Ben to speak before he was ready was pointless, but this time it was hard to keep his tongue. Something was up. Ben’s eyes continued to dart throughout the shop.

  “Aren’t you going to get something to drink?”

  “Let’s move to that booth in the corner.” Ben spoke without looking at Drew.

  “Really? I thought you didn’t like cramped spaces.”

  Ben looked at Drew but didn’t smile. What was going on?

  “Okay, okay.” Drew grabbed his frappé and headed to one of the only two booths in the shop.

  They slid onto the seats, and Drew noticed that Ben moved all the way to the wall. Drew couldn’t take it anymore. “What is up with you?”

  Ben looked straight into Drew’s eyes and hesitated. “Dr. Waseem is missing.”

  Drew leaned forward. “What do you mean, missing?”

  “He hasn’t come to the lab for two days.”

  “Maybe he’s sick or had a family emergency.”

  Ben just shook his head. “No. I called his house today, and his wife has filed a missing persons report. Something is wrong … very wrong.”

  Drew wasn’t sure how to respond. Ben admired Dr. Waseem more than anyone else he had known. “There still could be a reasonable explanation, Ben.”

  Ben frowned, then resumed his nervous gaze about the coffee shop. “I don’t think so. Something strange happened two days ago at the lab. Do you remember how I told you that Dr. Waseem’s experiment worked?”

  Drew nodded.

  “Before he went public, he wanted to do some additional testing to see if there were any effects in the visible spectrum, and I think it worked.”

  “What do you mean, you think? Weren’t you there?”

  “Yes, but just when we were getting ready to record the results, Dr. Waseem started acting weird.”

  “Like you? Right now?”

  “Ah … yes, I guess, now that you mention it.”

  “What did he do?”

  “He immediately shut down the LASOK and told me I could leave. When I asked to stay and help finish up, he …”

  “He what?”

  “He grabbed my arm and said, ‘Leave!’ ”

  Drew sat back. That was strange. Ben had always said that Dr. Waseem was friendly and charming, even when they were conducting serious research. It was obvious that he especially enjoyed Ben’s company.

  “What are you trying to say? That Dr. Waseem was successful and didn’t want you or anybody else to know about it?”

  Ben looked as though he could hardly contain his agitation. He actually leaned out of the booth to get a complete view of the entire shop, then ducked back in. Drew realized that Ben was more than just anxious. He was fearful. Drew couldn’t help taking a quick glance around the room as well to see if he could spot whatever it was Ben was looking for.

  “No. I think the doctor succeeded”—Ben lowered his voice to a whisper—“and it scared him.”

  Drew squinted. “Scared him? Why?”

  Ben took a deep breath like he always did when he was going into explanation mode. “Dr. Waseem wasn’t just trying to accelerate light. He was trying to accelerate light so that he could view into a portal and see …”

  Drew frowned. “What? Another dimension?”

  Ben nodded, and Drew could hardly suppress a hearty laugh. The only thing that kept him in check was the news of Dr. Waseem’s disappearance. Ben had always been fascinated with the theory of alternate dimensions, which was why he was so taken with Dr. Waseem’s work. It gave his theories and beliefs some semblance of legitimacy.

  “Come on, Ben. Stay rational. If Waseem is truly missing, I could believe that it has something to do with corporate intellectual property thieves, not … whatever it is you are implying.” Drew took a drink of his nearly forgotten coffee and began plotting how to get Ben’s mind off his conspiracy theory and back into reality.

  “There’s more.” Ben was unfazed by Drew’s skepticism. He reached into his coat and slowly pulled out a manila envelope. He laid it on the table, then looked at the nearest table and back.

  “Yesterday morning, when I opened my desk drawer, this was waiting for me. I was late for class so I didn’t even open it. I put it in my computer case, but I forgot about it until this morning. When I figured out what it was, I called to meet you early.”

  He slid the envelope across the table toward Drew. Drew set his coffee down, caught up in the mystery of this new development. If Dr. Waseem had been successful in accelerating light, the ramifications throughout the scientific world would be nothing short of colossal. Drew reached for the envelope, hesitating before picking it up. He looked up at Ben, but his friend just stared at the paper enclosure that held the mystery within.

  Drew unlatched the clasp, opened the flap,
and eased two eight-by-ten-inch photos out of the envelope. He glanced at the photos. They looked identical. They were shots of the corner of Hawk Drive and Centennial, just across the street from the physics lab. The student union was off to the left, and one of the engineering buildings framed the right side of the photo. It had been taken during the afternoon, when people were scurrying between classes.

  “This is it?” Drew looked up at Ben. “No note or drawing or secret research documents?”

  Ben shook his head. “No, nothing. But look again at the photos. Look at the people near the student union doors.”

  Drew studied that area of one of the photos. All seemed in order. Two male students were just entering the door. Just to the left, three girls were talking. One had her hand in the air making some gesture. On a bench nearby, beneath a sprawling shade tree, a student had earbuds in. His feet were stretched out before him and his eyes were closed, apparently enjoying his music. A guy and a girl were just stepping up onto the sidewalk that led to the union. There were others farther away walking in various directions. When Ben was satisfied that Drew had studied the photo enough, he set the other photo beside it.

  “Now look at this one. The time frame is only three seconds later.” Ben pointed to the time signature in the upper-left corner of both photos. “However, this photo was taken through the LASOK lens.”

  Drew studied this one just as carefully. There were subtle differences because of the elapsed three seconds. The two students were now inside the union, as he could still see them through the glass doors. It looked like another student was just opening the door next to it to exit the union. The girls were still talking, but one girl’s arm was now in a different position. The guy and girl students were now passing just in front of the student sitting on the bench, who had not changed at all.

  “Okay, so it’s three seconds different—it’s nearly the same photo.” Drew looked up at Ben. “Am I looking for Waldo or what here?”

  “Look behind the guy on the bench, near the brick wall in the corner.” Ben’s voice almost shook.

  Drew looked again—and frowned. He’d missed something. At first he thought perhaps it was a shadow from the tree behind the bench, but the closer he looked, the more he realized it wasn’t just a shadow. There was a darkened area … in the shape of a man. It looked like ghosting that you might see on an old television set. But what was causing it?

  He scanned the photo—and straightened in his seat.

  Nothing. Absolutely nothing in the picture caused the shadowy form.

  The hair on the back of Drew’s neck stood up, and his arms filled with goose bumps. He transferred his gaze to the other photo and searched for the darkened shape, but it wasn’t there. He expanded his search, calculating the approximate distance that one could walk in three seconds based on what he saw with the approaching couple, but there simply was no sign of the shape. He then went back to the photo with the strange figure and stared hard at it once more. The shape was out of place in more ways than one.

  Drew went back and forth between the photos, trying to rationalize away what he knew Ben was implying. Finally he looked up at his friend.

  “So we have a shadow where it shouldn’t be. This doesn’t prove much.”

  “Yeah, right.” Ben smirked. “Dr. Waseem left these in my desk for a reason. I think he knew he was in danger, and he wanted someone to know it.”

  “Danger from what?” Drew was drawn once more to the image of the stranger.

  Ben looked at Drew. “From him … the alien!”

  “Alien? You can’t be serious!” Drew’s voice rose, but he squelched it for fear of sounding ludicrous in public. He shook his head. “Ben, you’ve wanted to believe in alien life since I first met you. Movies about aliens are one thing. Actually believing in them is over the edge. Don’t lose your head and your reputation on some random photo that was probably Photoshopped. There isn’t even enough clarity to determine what it might be.”

  “It’s not Photoshopped.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because when you enlarge the photo enough to see the individual pixels, there is absolutely no discontinuity or disparity between the pixels near the figure and the surrounding pixels. This is an authentic photo, and that figure is an alien, and the only way we can see him is through the LASOK. It’s as if he’s cloaked by the boundaries of light. Once you break that boundary, no more cloak.”

  “You enlarged the image?” Drew ignored the alien theory. The prospect of getting a closer look at the figure intrigued him. “Do you have it with you?”

  “Enlarged and enhanced.” Ben reached into his coat pocket and unfolded another photo for Drew. This one showed just the figure enlarged to fill the entire eight-by-ten photo. The picture had been brightened and the contrast increased to clear up the image. Drew involuntarily shuddered as he studied the strange figure. It seemed to look straight at him. There was no pretending that this wasn’t the shape of a man. Drew could even make out some features that looked like eyes, a mouth, and clothing.

  He frowned. “Why isn’t it clearer?”

  “Not sure. Perhaps this was as clear as the doctor could get it. I’m guessing it has to do with the amount of light acceleration he could generate with the LASOK. Perhaps it needs some acceleration focusing, so to speak.”

  “What is that behind his head?” Drew pointed to a dark protrusion just above the figure’s left shoulder.

  “I don’t know. A weapon of some sort is my guess.”

  Drew looked up to see if Ben was kidding—he wasn’t. Drew studied the photo for a long time, then gave all three back to Ben. The two friends sat in silence.

  “You have to admit that there is something strange about all of this.” Ben watched Drew, as though looking for some confirmation.

  Drew held up his hand. “I am not saying there are aliens, or intellectual property thieves, or any other conspiracy thing going on here. But just for argument’s sake, let’s assume there is”—Drew didn’t like thinking it, let alone saying it—“a being or something. You’re telling me they are invisible and could be standing right next to us … right now?”

  Ben pursed his lips. “Yeah.”

  Drew considered the possibility of invisible secret agents … or aliens … and cringed. The power they would have over humanity would be unfathomable. Cloaked enemies in our midst. Drew shook his head as if he were recovering his senses.

  “I just can’t buy it, Ben. I need way more evidence than some mysterious photo to even consider anything that strange. I think the other TAs are playing a joke on you. They know your take on alien life.”

  As Drew said it, it made perfect sense. Of course, this is all a big hoax.

  Ben held up a finger. “One, Dr. Waseem makes a scientific discovery that will shake the scientific world. Two, he mysteriously disappears. Three, he takes pictures of some matrix alien agent and leaves them for me to find. And you don’t think anything is going on?”

  “Look, you have to admit that your theory is, well, a bit bizarre. You would have to prove it to me somehow.”

  “What if I could?”

  Drew raised his eyebrows. “How?”

  “I have complete access to Dr. Waseem’s lab and equipment.”

  “Okay … and that does what for us?”

  “We could repeat the experiment.”

  “Ben, don’t you think the university would be a little upset with two undergrad students messing with a missing doctor’s high-dollar lab equipment?”

  “It’s Friday. By five o’clock, everybody will be gone for the weekend, and I help with Dr. Waseem’s research all the time. We could set up the LASOK and see for ourselves.”

  Drew considered the plan … and the consequences. It felt like another bad episode waiting to happen in his life. He’d had too many of those and perhaps he was gun-shy, but he’d rather play it safe than be sorry again.

  “I don’t think so, Ben. Why don’t you go to the dean and get approval t
o run the experiment?”

  “You know they wouldn’t give it to me.”

  “Then we shouldn’t do it.” Drew had never seen Ben so adamant about taking such a risk. His judgment was being affected by the bizarre notion that they’d discovered another dimension or aliens.

  “This could be our … mankind’s … one and only chance.” Ben held Drew’s gaze. “If something has happened to Dr. Waseem, the university will seal his research and our window of opportunity will vanish. What the dean doesn’t understand is that I have been working side by side with the doctor for months, and I know his work inside and out, far beyond the other TAs. No one is more qualified to do this than I am. And if I don’t, it is very possible that his work will be lost or destroyed or misunderstood forever.”

  Drew didn’t respond. What could he say? It was all … crazy.

  Ben sat back and huffed. “I have the proper clearance to enter that lab and conduct experiments, and I am going with or without you.”

  Drew shook his head. He could never let Ben do it alone, especially when he’d been there for Drew through the last two challenging years. The loyalty factor forced his hand.

  “I’ll meet you at the union at five, and we’ll go from there.”

  Drew downed his last gulp of coffee and moved to slide out of the booth while Ben shoved the photos back in the envelope. He reached out and grabbed Drew’s arm.

  “Be careful.”

  Drew looked at his friend and tried not to smirk. “Sure.”

  9

  CLOAK OF THE LIGHT

  Drew sat down to study for an exam he would take on Monday, but Friday afternoons made for lousy study time. Besides, his thoughts kept going back to the conversation with Ben … and that picture. He couldn’t shake the image of that man staring at him. He tried to push the image out of his mind, but it would not go away.

  That stare was always on him.

  He had the sense that the man had always been staring at him and was even now. Anxiety rose up in him, and he understood Ben’s strange behavior in the coffee shop. Even if it was all a hoax or some visual anomaly, it was impossible not to think about it, and the more he thought about it, the more real it seemed.