HADRON Dark Matter

by Stephen Arseneault

  Chapter 10

  _______________________

  Vanessa ran past Jane, yelling, “There's a cop car at the gate!”

  Johnny replied, “Mace, come with me. Don, Tres, move everything in that room to the trailer. Pack it all the way in the back as tight as you can.”

  Mace followed Johnny out to the drive. He approached the cop with an AR-15 slung over his shoulder and his hands raised.

  The officer drew his weapon. “Hold it right there.”

  Johnny replied, “I'm the homeowner. Johnny Tretcher.”

  The cop gestured toward the wrecked police cruiser. “What happened here?”

  Johnny said, “That's Dontell Williams’ car. He came to help us Saturday night when a gang was trying to overrun us.”

  The cop scowled. “Where is he now?”

  Johnny sighed as he began to lower his arms. “He—“

  The cop stood firm. “Keep those hands up!”

  Johnny complied. “He came after we called for assistance. The gang roaming this street shot him up pretty good.”

  The officer said, “What gang?”

  Mace pointed at the pile of bodies stacked behind a large shrub just outside the gate.

  Johnny said, ”We managed to get Dontell over to Mercy by helicopter three nights ago. He died shortly after because they ran out of his blood type.”

  The cop looked on in disbelief. “The lieutenant is dead?”

  Johnny lowered his arms, to the cop's protest. “Look, we're on your side. That pile of bodies you're looking at is the crew that assaulted us. They shot Dontell. If you're looking for corroboration, go next door to the Simpsons. They were here when it happened. You'll find more bodies over there.”

  The cop lowered his weapon as Johnny walked toward him. “Dontell was my friend. We went to school together at Sister Mary.”

  Mace said, “You went to a high school named Sister Mary.”

  Johnny looked back and shook his head. “Save it.”

  “Anyway, Officer, you have any word of what's going on?”

  The young cop laid his pistol on the roof of his cruiser, easily within his grasp. “It's chaos. Looters, rioters. Neighbors shooting each other. It's like the world went insane overnight. It's calmed down a bit this morning, but if last night is any indication, the calm won't last. Gets worse every time the sun sets.”

  The cop gestured at Johnny's rifle. “That an AR?”

  Johnny nodded. “Yep.”

  The cop sighed as Johnny leaned on the hood of his car. “Does everyone have one of those? That's the third one I've seen this morning. Thank goodness it was the good people who had them.”

  “You want one?”

  “What?”

  “You want an AR-15? I can give you one, along with three or four mags.”

  The cop grew nervous. “Why would you do that? What do you want?”

  Johnny pursed his lips. “I want nothing. I have a spare if you want it. If all this clears up, which I don't think it will anytime soon, you can bring it back to me. If not, use it to protect yourself and your family. What's your name?”

  The cop glanced down at his name-tag. “Danforth. Harry Danforth.”

  “Well, Mr. Danforth. If you want an AR-15, I'd be happy to give you one.”

  Johnny gestured toward the dead bodies. “You run up against a gang like that tonight and you'll be wishing you had one.”

  Harry Danforth shrugged. “Sure, I guess. I mean, I'll take one if you're genuinely offering. Not supposed to, but rules are kind of out the window right now.”

  Johnny looked back at Mace. “Go get the man one of the ARs, and four—no five, full mags.”

  Mace nodded.

  After a short run, and an explanation to Jane. Mace returned with an AR and a box with ten full magazines.

  Johnny looked at the cache of readied ammo. “Ten?”

  Mace replied, “Jane insisted.”

  Johnny handed the rifle to the young officer. “You ever fired one?”

  “About a half dozen times with friends. I'm familiar.”

  Johnny carried the box of magazines around to the trunk. “No, you know what? I would keep these on your passenger floorboard.”

  “Sounds good to me. I can't believe you’re doing this.”

  “There's a war coming, son. Nobody realizes it yet, but things are spiraling out of control a lot quicker than anyone wants. Our government is holding back the military from assisting, for whatever reason. Get yourself a stash of food while you’re at it. And if things get too bad, I would make a run for one of the military bases around here and try to join up. You got a family?”

  “Two brothers and my parents. They live halfway to Richmond.”

  Mace said, “If you get a chance to contact them, take it.”

  Harry looked at them both. “The two of you are scaring the crap out of me about now, you know that?”

  “That fear will serve to keep you alive. Be suspicious, and only fully trust those who you already know.”

  Harry glanced over at the bodies. “You already call those in?”

  Johnny nodded. “We did. I don't think they believed us, or else they were otherwise too busy.”

  “Busy is right. Everything is being done by word of mouth now. A patrol goes out with a second car no more than a block or two away. We do a check on whatever the captain orders and then return to the station. It's a complete mess.

  “Meanwhile, the thugs rule the streets. Especially after dark. A quarter of our officers didn't come in last night. Stayed home to care for their families. Tonight will probably be worse. Bad thing is, we don't even know to go out to somewhere unless someone comes to tell us. If you're more that five or six blocks from the station, like out here, good luck.”

  The officer again looked over at the dead. “What should we do with them?”

  Johnny laughed as he spat in the direction of the pile. “Let 'em rot. Them and the other stack of 'em next door. If things settle, send out the meat-wagon.”

  Harry looked at his watch. “Hey, guys, I have to report in. You going to be here if I come back by later?”

  Johnny shook his head. “Hopefully not. Want to get out of town as soon as possible. How the roads looking?”

  “Highways are clogged, mostly abandoned cars, but we're trying to clear them. If things go the way you think, everybody will be looking to leave.”

  Mace said, “We should get back to work.”

  Johnny reached out to shake the officer's hand. “Take care of yourself, Harry. And let the guys at the station know about Dontell. Tell them he went out with a fight.”

  The officer's radio crackled to life. “All units report your status. Repeat, all units report your status.”

  Harry smiled. “Best sound I've heard today. This is Danforth in 419. Position is quiet, but I have about twenty bodies stacked up along the roadway from the first night's home invasions. Perpetrators are all dead or gone. And I have news about Lieutenant Williams. He passed away at Mercy Point from gunshot wounds during this fight. His cruiser was used to crash the gate of a home out here.”

  The dispatcher replied, “Copy that. We have had confirmation on the lieutenant. Will be sending another car your way.”

  Harry replied, “Negative, dispatch. This location is secure. Better to send out the coroner and tell him to bring lots of bags.”

  The dispatcher was silent for a moment. Another voice came on the channel. “This is Sergeant Digsby. How many did you say?”

  Harry took a deep breath. “At least twenty, sir. From their dress and markings, looks like the gang activity we've been briefed on. Only problem for them is they picked the wrong homeowners. There's no longer a threat here, Sergeant, but we do need someone out to clean up.”

  Digsby replied, “Stay put, get statements, Coroner is on the way. And I'm sending out Detective Michaels. Gonna be a busy week.”

  Jane walked down the drive. “Power is on, as well as at least a half dozen TV stations.” />
  Johnny smiled. “Finally we have some good news.”

  Harry Danforth picked up the AR-15, box of magazines, and a clipboard, handing the first two off to Johnny. “Guess I won't be needing that, but I truly do appreciate the gesture. I was getting pretty worked up with what you were saying about the government.”

  Johnny replied, “If things go south and you find yourself back this way, the offer still stands.”

  “Thanks. You have somewhere we can sit? I'm sure this is going to take a while. And when the detective gets here, you'll have to run through it again.”

  Johnny laughed. “Come on, we'll get you something to drink while we're at it. Coffee, soda, water, a beer? You name it.”

  “Water will be fine.”

  Johnny and Jane sat across the table from Officer Harry Danforth. Mace sat at the table's end. They told the story of coming home, of hearing the gunshots at the Simpson home, of the rescuing of the Simpsons, and then the grand battle at the Tretcher estate. Johnny had to take a moment to collect himself when he talked of his friend Dontell. They finished up the tale with Lieutenant Williams being flown to the hospital and Dirk being driven by boat.

  Johnny added, “Oh yeah, someone stole my boat this morning.”

  Harry pulled a form from his clipboard. “Start filling this out.”

  The detective knocked on the door. Tres brought him inside.

  “I'm detective Brad Michaels. Quite the mess out there on the roadside.”

  Danforth replied, “I have an outline of the happenings, Detective. We can compare notes when we get back to the station. I'll be going next door to talk to the neighbors.”

  Brad Michaels nodded. “Thank you. You do good work, Danforth. Might make a good detective someday if you choose that path.”

  Danforth offered a panged smile.

  The detective sat at the table. “So, let's start at the beginning and go from there.”

  The story was repeated in detail, the second time just as the first. When the detective got up to leave, the coroner was just arriving outside. They followed the detective to the end of the drive.

  The coroner raised his hands. “What am I supposed to do with this? I can't put down that they all died in this pile!”

  The detective laughed. “Just take your photos and load 'em up, Bobby. These people check out so far. Given the circumstances of the last few nights, I'd say they did our job for us.”

  The coroner looked at the wrecked cruiser. “That the lieutenant's car?”

  The detective replied, “Yeah. He put up a fight here, and these people got him over to Mercy. He passed Saturday morning.”

  The coroner frowned. “I just came from collecting him for his wife. I liked the lieutenant. Good man. Terrible loss.”

  The detective patted the coroner on the back. “Follow me down to the next drive. We have another pile for you down there.”

  The coroner stopped to look at them. “What in the blazes went on here?”

  Brad Michaels urged him to follow. “Come on, I'll fill you in.”

  The detective looked back. “And the lot of you aren't planning on going anywhere, are you?”

  Johnny said, “Power’s on. We'll be here.”

  Johnny frowned as they walked back toward the house. “Was almost hoping the power would stay off. Detectives will be questioning us for months. And if the media gets a hold of this... they'll be following us around for a year talking about those poor innocent gang members.”

  Mace glanced over his shoulder at the bullet-ridden, wrecked police cruiser. “Can't say I like the sound of that. Although, might make business at the bar pick up.”

  Johnny stopped just before reaching the house. “I've been wanting to ask you again since that first night at the Simpsons. How is it you stay so calm through all this?”

  “You still seem to be taking it all pretty good.”

  Johnny took a deep breath as he looked back at the street. “Maybe on the outside, but inside my guts have been in a constant knot. Please tell me again that's something you get over?”

  Mace laughed as he patted Johnny on the shoulder. “Unfortunately, you will, with the more it happens. I was a wreck inside my first week. After that, I was always at this elevated level. You spend less time thinking about what happened and more about what you would do come tomorrow.”

  “I guessing that sounds easier than it actually is.”

  Mace nodded. “Bad thing is, it all kind of builds up inside you and you let it out when you come back here. I've talked to a few old vets from prior wars. Every one of them to a man, said the same thing. When you get back, you just have to put it out of your mind and get on with your life. The longer you’re here, the easier that gets.”

  Johnny continued toward the house. “So all this has you twisted up inside?”

  “Strangely, no. I actually feel calm right now, like I was fully justified in all that and not just following someone's orders.”

  “I can see where that might make a difference.”

  “What do you say we plop ourselves in front of the TV for a couple hours, pop a couple brews, and then get some sleep before it gets dark again?”

  Johnny took one final glance back at the gate. “If I pop a beer right now I'm liable to fall right to sleep. We need to get back out there and fix up that gate. At least do something to block off that entranceway.”

  Seconds later, they were seated in front of his mammoth TV.

  Jane joined them. “Detective leave?”

  Johnny replied, “Next door at the Simpsons, along with the officer and the coroner. I'm hoping they load up those bodies before that smell gets worse. Coroner said stuffing them under that bush and the cooler weather the last couple days has kept the smell down.”

  Jane winced.

  They turned their attention to the reporter on-screen. “...communications remain spotty, as do power outages. This word just in: the electromagnetic storms that are sweeping across the planet are not a near term health hazard. Here for further word on why is our science reporter, Dr. Jeffrey Moskowitz. Dr. Jeff?”

  Jeff Moskowitz nodded. “Hi, folks. I'm coming to you from Pittsburgh today. I've been receiving a lot of personal questions about this in the past few weeks since these outages began. These electromagnetic waves, even though intense, are not a health threat. Yes, there are some possible questions about long term exposure, but we are talking years, not hours. It is safe to go outside. However, given the current situation, please remain in your homes so emergency, fire, and police vehicles can get to where they need to be.”

  The doctor then turned toward the other reporter. “Toby, we do have some other big science news today.”

  Toby replied, “Go ahead, Doc. Please tell us.”

  “As expected, a spokesperson for the Large Hadron Collider has released their findings, and those findings indeed verify the discovery of dark matter. This will fundamentally change the way we look at the universe from now on. Of course it won't affect you in your daily lives, but it may lead to new discoveries that could influence everything from how we travel, to how we communicate and interact with each other.”

  Toby cut in. “So you’re saying we might all be getting flying cars next year. Is that what you're saying?”

  Jeff Moskowitz shook his head. “I know you've had your heart set on one, Toby, but they are not quite here yet.”

  Toby's smile turned to an expression of sincerity. “Doc, I've heard others mention that this interference may somehow be because of the collider experiments. Any possible truth to that?”

  Jeff again shook his head. “That is highly doubtful, Toby. These experiments are happening on a very small scale. We are talking smashing one stream of atomic particles into another. Without the extremely sensitive, and consequently highly expensive, instrumentation they use to monitor these events, you would never know they ever happened.”

  Toby jokingly replied as he waved around his hands: “So no rift was opened into deep dark space, cau
sing all this interference?”

  “No rift, Toby. Sorry. That's something more for a science fiction movie.”

  Toby Hannock began to read from a newly handed piece of paper. “Ah, this is what we've been waiting for. The Governor will be holding a press conference in a half hour, at 5PM. And all schools will remain closed this week, giving our officials time to get things opened and back on a regular schedule. Looks like an extended vacation for the kids.”

  Mace glanced over at his three hundred pound friend as his eyes struggled to stay open. Jane stood behind him with a smile on her face and a finger vertically crossing her lips. Mace nodded in response.

  Jane whispered, “If you want to take the second room down the hall for some shuteye, I'll keep an eye on things out here. Everyone else has gone off to their rooms.”

  “What about Don and Cam?”

  The engine of the helicopter could be heard as it spun to life.

  “Heading home.”

  “The power may go back out at any moment. They coming back if it does?”

  Jane quietly replied, “Yes.”

  Johnny began to lightly snore.

  Mace shook his head. “He do that every night?”

  “Sometimes like a diesel engine. I shove him, he rolls on his side and stops.”

  “Why don't you take him to your room for some sleep? I'll keep an eye out here for any news.”

  Jane tilted her head slightly to one side. “You sure?”

  “You've already done so much. You need sleep too.”

  Jane let out a long sigh. “OK, but don't hesitate to wake us if it's important. If we have to get up and go, I want to be on top of it. Can you give me a hand getting him up? Once he goes down he usually stays down.”

  “Absolutely.”

  The Army Ranger helped Jane wake a groggy Johnny. After muscling him to his feet, Jane shuffled him off in the direction of their room. Mace walked to the fridge, popping the top on a soda before settling back in front of the TV. Ten minutes into his mission of keeping watch, his eyes closed and he drifted off. It was a deep, dreamless sleep.