by Dave Hazel
“Mykal, I don’t think that’s a good idea to threaten the President of the United States.”
“I’m not threatening him. I’m giving him some good advice.”
“What advice is that?”
“Not to screw with me,” Mykal yelled and slammed his hand on the steering wheel. “I can be your best friend or I could be your worst enemy. Now, let me calm down, I’m repeating myself here. We got the bad feelings out of the way. You killed Boris and I got my revenge. Okay, we’re even. I did complete my mission. I do have the Package, the one they call Football 2. I want Towbar’s people to win this war that they have no chance of winning right now. In return, though I shouldn’t do this,” he angrily pointed his index finger upward. “I’ll teach a couple of specially selected people my secrets,” he lied to draw Percy in.
“What?” Jill nearly jumped forward in his seat with excitement. “Do you mean the ability to turn yourself invisible?”
“If I get what I want for Towbar. The reason why I’ll be willing to do this,” he paused and sighed. “I know you guys will want to keep me on hand as a spy, an assassin or whatever. I don’t want that job. After this war is all over I want to be left alone with my family. I’ll also teach some people how to use the green fog,” he lied again. “You saw how I used the green fog to bring you here to dispose of Ronny. Tell me that wouldn’t come in handy down the road?” He said and started to laugh. “Cuz I know the President and whoever would love to have access to all the potential resources here in Towbar’s world, but if we allow Towbar’s people to get wiped out, I’m not gonna allow access to Towbar’s world.”
“That would be amazing, especially learning how to turn invisible. The possibilities are endless. What qualifications would one have to have?”
“We’re a long ways from that,” Mykal answered with a different tone that leaned toward anger. “The first thing that is gonna have to happen is you lying sacks of shit need to earn my trust cuz you broke that when I trusted you guys with my life. As time goes on I’ll let you know, but the people who would be qualified would have to spend some time here in Towbar’s world,” he lied to keep Percy thinking down the wrong path.
“Percy, what’s important right now is that you straighten things out with the President. If I wanted to harm him, I could have gotten on that plane with you and gone straight to him and I could done to him what I did to the Untouchables and nobody would have known. Honestly Percy, I love my country,” he repeated. “I’d rather fight for her than against her. I just wanna know I’m on the team and not the enemy.”
“Oh, you don’t know how much we appreciate that,” Percy said and shook his head fearfully at what could have happened. “When we get back to normal conditions Myk, there will be a great deal you could do for your country. We could use someone like you in so many different ways.”
“See, you’re not listening to me. I don’t want that! That’s why I said I would train others. I don’t want to be forced into doing anything.”
“You’re right, you’re right. I promise you Myk, that’s not going to happen. How about this, and obviously this is after the war for Towbar’s people is over. Since you professed and confirmed your love for your country, we’ll present you with secret and top secret facts about things that are taking place and if you feel you could step in and deal with the situation in ways we couldn’t, and then you would provide your services on a strictly volunteer basis. And you will be well compensated for anything you choose to do. But you will never be pressured.”
Mykal saw that Jill took his bait. They wanted something from him and that should put an end their attempts on his life for the time being. “That sounds better. Being offered the opportunity to help rather than just being told what I have to do. I’ll think that over,” he lied again to hook Percy. “I just don’t want to be used to go after political enemies. Don’t take me wrong, there are people on both sides of the aisle that piss me off with their nonsense, but I don’t want to stick my nose in that stuff. I could see…”
5.
Mykal didn’t feel confident Jill or Percy ‘or whoever the hell he is,’ would be able to cement a deal with President John J. Edmonds to have his name taken off the “hit list.” ‘I need to do some things for my own protection. If they happen to kill me I wanna do everything I can to expose those backstabbing bastards,’ Mykal thought while driving the streets of Minot. Jill told him to give him two days to get back to Washington DC and set up a meeting with the President and “other advisors” so Jill could lay out a plan, explain Mykal’s capabilities and express a “very great need” for Them to have Mykal on their team and not an opponent.
Mykal made it clear that he wasn’t going to stay at his home only because he didn’t want to take the risk of something happening to his family while he waited. Mykal lied, and he feared Jill or Percy knew he was lying, but Percy knew the risks if something was to happen and they didn’t succeed in taking him out. Mykal made it clear he would go on a wild rampage that would make what happened to the Untouchables look like child’s play. Jill swore nothing would happen. Jill wanted access to the ability to turn invisible and the government truly would like access to Towbar’s world in the near future. Mykal agreed to allow them access to Towbar’s world. ‘But there is no friggin way I’m gonna let those slimy bastards rape my friend’s world.’
Mykal was adamant about not making any phone calls from his home. He didn’t want his phone calls to be listened to or recorded. Mykal killed time and drove around waiting for darkness to cover him and he was sure Percy gave the nod for his phone to be monitored. He had a plan in mind and eventually made his way to Piggly Wiggly where he made his long distance phone call to Jill when he first returned from Towbar’s world. Mykal would make his important phone call from the manager’s office and the bill wouldn’t be found for a month or so. ‘I know the phone call will be detected, cuz that manager is a cheap bastard who watches every penny. But if it does go by unnoticed, all the better,’ Mykal thought as he turned himself invisible.
‘Early evening on a Sunday night with the temperature about minus twenty degrees there will be hardly any people out,’ Mykal considered and smiled at the thought of being invisible. ‘There shouldn’t be anyone near the office. This is great,’ he thought and smiled happily like a drug addict getting a fix. He needed to be invisible.
Mykal rushed by the few customers and the couple of personnel working. They didn’t notice his presence as if he never existed. Mykal’s heart nearly stopped when he started up the stairs to the manager’s office. The door looked closed. He feared it would be locked, but as he neared the top of the stairs he clearly saw the door wasn’t closed all the way. What a relief, he didn’t want to call from his house and he didn’t want to call from his in-laws home. He believed their phone would be tapped as well. Now hopefully the person he wanted to call would be home.
Mykal took out a piece of paper William had given him a few weeks ago. Author of Street Shock: Dave Hazel, phone: 716-283-xxxx “Man, that area code and prefix brings back so many memories from back home,” Mykal whispered and could tell he was becoming overly emotional. “It’s gotta be this damn ring,” he sighed quietly and looked at the gold band around his finger. “I’m so glad William didn’t keep this guy from me. William was angry that I had him come over to the house that day when he was here in town trying to meet me. I think this will make his day.”
Mykal dialed the number and waited.
“Hello,” a male voice answered the phone after the third ring.
“Is Dave there?” Mykal asked nervously. He was afraid of coming across like a nut case.
“This is Dave.”
“Hi Dave, this is Mykal Graves, the guy from Towbar’s world, you know, the giant?”
“Yeah, yeah, I know who you are,” Dave answered and sounded shocked, but excited.
“I’m sorry to be calling so late,” Mykal said and worried it was a bad time. Mykal remembered Dave was two hours ahead o
f him.
“No, no, that’s alright. What can I do for you?” Dave asked and still sounded stunned.
“Well first, with your book Street Shock, I thought you did a great job on telling my cousin’s story,” Mykal said.
“Well cool, thanks I really appreciate that. I’m not a big name writer and because of that I haven’t sold a great deal of them. But I knew your cousin and I thought it was an interesting and compelling story to share. Besides, I actually knew him so it made it easier,” Dave said. “Some people gave me grief over the violence and some criticized me for putting humor in the story.”
“I liked it and I’m thinking that I wanna have someone write my story and what I’ve gone through. And since I liked what you did with my cousin’s story I think I’d like to see what you could possibly do with what happened to us.”
“Uh, well, um, yeah, that would be great,” Dave gasped. “When I met you, your manager person, Captain Roberts said you shouldn’t have a ‘no name’ author like me do your book.”
“Don’t worry about him,” Mykal said. “He doesn’t have a say in what I’m going to do with my book when I decide to have it written. But what I really like about the story you wrote on my cousin in Street Shock is when I read it, I felt like I was listening to an old friend.”
“Cool, that’s great to hear. That is really one of my goals when I write.”
“To my main point,” Mykal paused. “How soon can you get here to Minot?”
“When would you like me to get there?” Dave asked and moved to a calendar on his wall. “I’ll have to see if I can take a couple of days off from work.”
“I need you to come right now.”
“Now?”
“Yes, and don’t worry about work, don’t worry about the cost, I will cover it all.”
“Wait a minute,” Dave said suspiciously. “Is this really Mykal Graves? Virgil, is this you and Paulie jerking with me?”
“No seriously,” Mykal laughed and understood pulling pranks and being fearful of pranks being pulled. “Dave I honestly don’t have much time. I’m gonna hang up and I want you to call and schedule a flight right now if you can cuz I’m gonna be gone in a couple of days.”
“Oh wait a minute,” Dave said suspiciously. “Mykal and Towbar and that army, Towbar One went back to Towbar’s world just a few weeks ago. Seriously, Virgil, are you guys yanking my chain cuz I don’t have--”
“Dave, listen to me,” Mykal whispered harshly. “I’m not jerking you around. I don’t have much time. I came back by myself and no one knows I’m here and I can’t let anyone know that I’m here. I promise you, I’ll give you ten thousand dollars in cash if you get here before I have to go back. I’m not even calling from my home right now. So I want you to call the airline and see how much a flight would cost, as soon as possible, and then I’ll call you back to make sure you can make it before I have to go back. What I’m willing to do, whether I have you do my book or not, I’ll give you ten thousand dollars which will be far more than what a flight and a room will be. You’ll just have to pay for it until you get here, cuz I can’t let anyone know that I’m back.”
“So if I put the flight on my credit card and you’re jerking me around then I’m gonna be out several hundred dollars, and then I’ll get in trouble for missing work,” Dave scoffed. He obviously felt like he was being set up for a costly prank.
“Here, I’ll tell you what I will do,” Mykal said in an attempt to ease his mind and convince him. “Do you still have my phone number from when we met at my house and we exchanged numbers?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Okay, cool, don’t say what it is, but I want you to get off the phone right now, call the airlines and find out how much and I’ll call back to see when the nearest flight is to make sure I’ll be here. Then what I’ll do so you know it’s me, I’ll run to my house, you call my number and ask for , use your friend’s name Virgil and Paulie and I will say there has never been anyone by that name at this number. See, I’m not supposed to be here and I’m afraid my home phone is bugged. And if people are tapping my phone I don’t want them to know I’m going to talk about doing my book on my stay in Towbar’s world, cuz if I’m happy with what I think you’ll do with my story, I’m going to give you my daily journal that I kept, that no one, not even my wife knows that I have. But when we get face to face there are some things I need to share with you and I don’t want others to know that I am here,” Mykal said and feared he would scare Dave Hazel away because of the mystery and secrecy. “I don’t want to put you at risk.”
“Am I gonna be in danger for writing your book?” Dave asked and his voice sounded like he was having second thoughts.
“No, not at all,” Mykal lied. “I’m the one who is facing danger. If you’re not interested I’ll find someone else to write my story, but I really like what you did with Street Shock.”
“Wait a minute, if you’re Mykal, that day that I met you, Towbar the giant came into the room and it startled me. You had just handed me a glass of Pepsi and when Towbar startled me what part of the floor did I spill my drink on?” Dave asked to test Mykal.
“You didn’t spill it on my floor,” Mykal laughed. “You knock the glass over on the table and it spilled Pepsi and ice cubes onto my lap and made it look like I pissed my pants,” Mykal continued to laugh.
“That’s right,” Dave cackled out loud. “I was so embarrassed by that, that I haven’t told that to anyone. I know you’re Mykal.”
“Good, call the airlines and I’ll call you in about thirty minutes or so. If you can charge it or if you have the money to pay for it, I’ll give you ten thousand dollars when you get here, whether you do my book or not and I’ll explain why when you get here. That should easily cover your flight, your room and a couple of days of missing work.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN 12/19/1983
1. Monday, December 19th 1983
1143 hours, Home, Minot North Dakota
Mykal rushed to the front door and opened it just as Pam inserted her key. “Hurry up, hurry up,” he said and rushed her in and stared down the street to catch anyone who may be watching them. ‘I don’t think he’ll try anything cuz I’ll go ballistic on their asses,’ he thought while hugging his wife, the love of his life.
“What’s the matter Myk?” Pam asked and pulled back from his grip to look into his eyes.
“Nothing,” he lied. “I just love you and I don’t have much time home with you. I just want you to get in out of the cold. It’s friggin freezing out there,” he said and pulled the curtain from the window to point to the frost on the glass.
“Well that it is,” she said with a smile. “I guess the low is supposed to get down to minus twenty-seven degrees. And that isn’t taking into account what it would be with the wind chill factor.”
“Oh, that’s friggin ridiculous,” he chuckled and shook his head. “And I’m the one who likes the cold.”
“But the high should get all the way up to minus seventeen degrees today,” she giggled.
“Oh yeah, get out the sun tan lotion,” Mykal said playfully.
“Now will you please tell me what is going on Myk?” She asked but it came across as a demand.
He placed his finger to his lips and rushed to the television and turned the volume up. He believed his home to be bugged since he had his dealings with Jill prior to going to Towbar’s world. “Man, I love these videos. MTV is the greatest thing ever put on TV,” he said and pulled her close. “Do you know that I love you?” Mykal asked and rubbed her arms though she still wore her heavy coat. “Talk quietly just in case,” he whispered.
“Yes, I just want to know what is happening,” Pam said and looked worried. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “You demanded that I rush over to Norwest Bank and put something in our safety deposit box. You insisted that I open a safety deposit box with my parents and place something in that box as well. And yes I did stipulate that my parents could not get into that safety deposit box without m
y presence. I don’t understand what is so important in that big envelope that you taped so tightly that it will take a team of surgeons to open,” she giggled playfully. “My parents think I’ve lost my mind, but they agreed and they didn’t press me too hard. They asked if you were here and I told them you are not, but I don’t know if they believe me. I am so grateful that they love you honey and you guys get along so well.”
“Honey, I don’t wanna tell you what it’s all about,” he whispered into her ear. “And honestly hon, you know I would never keep anything from you but this is for your own protection. So just trust me okay?”
“Are we in any danger? I’m worried about the boys,” she whispered but looked directly into his eyes.
“No, you’re not in any danger,” Mykal said to take her fear away. “But if you don’t know anything then you will never worry about answering any questions.”
“I’m so confused Myk,” Pam said with a frown. “And it was so odd, because while we were at the bank setting up the safety deposit box, a couple of the bankers and tellers were talking about something strange that happened at the Ramada Inn,” Pam said while removing her coat.
Mykal tried not to show any emotion but he noticed he swallowed hard. “What happened there?”
“I don’t know. That’s what makes it so confusing because people were saying that there were all these strange happenings, but no one saw anything.”
“What? That doesn’t make any sense,” Mykal said and played dumb.
“I know. But I have a couple of friends who work there so I was planning to call them this afternoon to see if they know anything about the odd rumors that are being spread.”