Effected Intent

by Alan Ross

  Chapter 15

  The Ties That Bind

  Steve double checked all the material he’d packed from the lab, even though he’d already been through it ten times to make sure it was placed safely in the trunk of the car, the polymer spheres suspended in the saline solution. His clothes were packed and he’d even put together a couple of extra boxes in case in needed to stay and perform some experiments. Claire looked out the window and saw him talking to himself, checking on his equipment and making sure he had everything, like he was going to the moon instead of the Nation’s capital.

  Double checking her bag, Claire made sure she had what she needed to deal with the last work week before summer. The kids were gone for the year but there were still grades to get out and reports for summer school teachers so they knew how to deal with the kids and which subjects each student needed help with. The last week of school was a lot of fun for the teachers, who let their hair down and had some fun, blowing off the steam from the year.

  Claire loved the surprise dinner the other night and had decided to one up Steve. She waited for him to come in the house to spring it on him, rocking back and forth in anticipation. Steve was lost in thought and walked right by her into the kitchen, calling for her. “Have you seen my raincoat? I need to pack it, weather channel said there might be rain in D.C.”

  Claire had to laugh. “Take a few steps back, you just walked right by me and the raincoat.”

  Steve rubbed his furrowed brow, wondering how that had happened and took the coat from her, starting back to the car.

  “Not so fast mister. We’ve both been working hard so I booked us a little trip for the weekend after next.”

  “I’m not sure I can get away from the project for too long, how long is the trip?”

  “Settle down, it’s just a long weekend. The project will live without you for a few days while we vacation at one of our old favorites.”

  Steve knew right away. “The Shaw Festival? That sounds wonderful, how did you get tickets for mid-summer?”

  “After the other night’s surprise I wanted to one up you. There was a package deal with the Prince of Wales Hotel.”

  “That’s going to be great, we’ve always wanted to stay there. That’s going to be a great weekend Claire. I guess the project will survive without me for a few days. The bar has definitely been raised, going to be fun figuring out how to top this one.”

  “I’m not done yet Mister. We’ll be driving around in our convertible for the trip too, wanted to put a little cherry on top of the surprise.”

  Steve’s mood improved a few notches as he thought about the upcoming getaway, melting away some of the stress that had been building around this trip to D.C. “I’d better hit the road, going to be a long day. I’ll call you from the road.” Robert had given Steve a cell phone, the first one he’d ever owned. It took some figuring out the past couple of days to understand the different functions but it seemed to be a good thing to have, especially when driving four hundred or so miles from home. He gave Claire a long hug and a kiss that lingered for a few seconds. “Love you.”

  “Love you too, drive safely and I’ll talk to you later. I should be home around the normal time but if I miss your call I’ll call you back.”

  “Don’t panic if you don’t reach me, I’m driving through and over mountains on the way, no guarantee of cell service the whole trip.”

  “It’s better than having to find a payphone along the way.” Claire stole another kiss while he was still close and he was off, checking the contents of the trunk and carefully placing his raincoat in the backseat, along with an umbrella. She had to shake her head at her absent minded professor.

  Robert sat in the safe house, knowing that his play time was over for the time being. It had been a rough night and he was sore in places he’d never been sore. The girl went off in a cab, saying that she needed some sleep but otherwise not much worse for wear. Robert had seen some tough girls in his life but this Chandi took the cake in terms of her ability to take abuse. “Must have been a fun childhood” he said to the empty, silent house before picking up loose ends and making his way back to the city. Steve was coming today sometime and Robert needed to rehearse the potentially unpleasant conversation they were going to have tonight or tomorrow morning.

  Steve was making decent time but slowed a lot as he traversed the mountains in Western Pennsylvania, slowing in the smaller towns because the highway patrol and local sheriff’s loved to write tickets to Ohio drivers and probably every other state as well. He stopped off in a greater Pittsburg area restaurant for an early lunch, knowing that the population dwindled along highway 76 after the famous “three rivers” city. The scenery was really nice this time of year but nothing compared to fall, when the leaves and the rivers provided a backdrop that was hard to beat. He stopped at a couple of the vista points along the road, taking a few minutes to soak in the view and stretch his legs. When he was younger it was possible for him to do a few hundred mile stretch of driving without stopping for anything but gas but that was no longer possible or necessary.

  The little diner was fairly empty and the food was average. Steve thought about calling Robert to tell him where he was at and decided there wasn’t really anything to gain from that. He thought about the testing and seeing how the polymer method was going to behave in their bodies. This was way better than the journey Foundation was embarking on with the Food and Drug Administration but if there were adverse side effects it would be he and Robert that would feel the impact.

  Steve had a book on tape for the ride that he hadn’t remembered to play until after lunch. It was a non-fiction book about habits of highly effective people that Claire had bought a couple of years ago to help Steve deal with Rob and his co-workers at Foundation. The reader had a pleasant voice and British accent and Steve got swept away in the content, thinking about how so many of the examples of how not to behave reminded him of himself. Before long he had listened to two tapes and was in Maryland and knew that he needed to stretch. He found a rest stop that had a gas station and filled up the tank, emptied his bladder and grabbed a snack and a drink. The landscape was rather non-descript on the other side of the Appalachian trail though he was not far from the Cumberland gap, at least according to the signs on the highway and the literature and maps in the rest stop.

  Back on the road and onto the next tape, Steve found himself coming out of his shell, which he rarely did. The words that came out of the car speakers were encouraging and Steve felt his insides begin to open up in some strange way. The traffic was picking up on its way out of the beltway back to the Maryland suburbs, many two hours away for some government workers. Steve was thankful that he didn’t have to drive anything like this on a regular basis. He ditched highway seventy for two seventy in Frederick, the last major highway change of the trip. Should only be another hour or so depending on the traffic, Steve thought as the next habit was introduced by the reader of the audio book.

  Once he got close to the city it was a rat’s nest of people coming and going mixed with a lot of tourists who didn’t know where they were. The last five miles of the journey took over an hour and the sun was going down though it was still at least an hour from being dark. He saw the sign for Arlington National Cemetery and wanted to go there during this trip, had seen so many pictures and videos over the years. The truth was that he had only been to D.C. once as a child and that was on a longer trip so there weren’t many memories other than seeing the White House, Capital and Lincoln Memorial. He and Claire had talked about visiting but had never done so, probably because she was aware that being so close to the government could cause Steve to have some kind of breakdown. They had conveniently avoided such discussion prior to this trip, especially after the way Steve had reacted on their date.

  The Hotel Monaco was as majestic as it looked on the web, Steve thought as he pulled up to the valet area. “Can I park the car myself? Do you have a self park area?”

  “Yes sir,
if that’s what you prefer, please take the car around the block and you’ll see the entrance to our garage. You can leave your vehicle parked where it is while you check in.” Steve thought about parking but knew it would be easier if he already had a room key so he checked in and got his room key, parking pass and information about the hotel and some of the local attractions, hoping that he and Robert wouldn’t be working the whole time he was here.

  The room was huge and he had a view down Seventh Street and could see the top of the Washington monument and the light from the Capital. It sent chills down his spine but he was still feeling mellow from the book he’d listened to on the drive down. He thought about Claire and realized he hadn’t called her. Claire figured he had driven straight through and wasn’t worried about him. He told her about listening to the book on tape and how he’d actually felt himself thinking differently than he ever had. “Thanks for getting that for me, sorry it’s taken so long for me to get around to listening to it.”

  “Not a problem, glad that you tried it and that you like it so far.”

  “How was your day at school? Get all the grade work done?”

  “Made good progress but won’t wrap up until Wednesday or so. What time do you start work in the morning?”

  “I’m not sure, need to call the project manager and see where and when we’re meeting. For tonight this hotel is very nice but the surrounding neighborhood isn’t so great, probably best if I just try the hotel restaurant and then call it a night.”

  “My plan is to do a little bit of work, some reading and then bed. Going to miss you next to me tonight.”

  “Same here. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know how things are going. I’m hoping that I can do a little bit of sightseeing while I’m here.”

  “The Smithsonian should be remarkable. I’ll bet you’d also like the Library of Congress. Seems like there’s enough there to occupy you for a long time. Sleep well.”

  Steve hung up and unpacked his clothes. He really wasn’t hungry, really wanted to know what Robert had in mind. The bird man’s phone number was programmed into Steve’s cell phone, just had to go to contacts and make the call. Robert answered on the first ring, as though he knew Steve was in town and about to call him.”

  “You in town?”

  “Yes, just checked in to the hotel.”

  “Tired?”

  “Not really, did you want to meet up for some dinner?”

  “I’m not hungry, was thinking that we could take a little walk.”

  “Is it safe for me to walk in this neighborhood? It doesn’t seem like the safest place in the world.”

  “As long as you don’t end up in some alley you’ll be fine. The reputation is worse than reality in D.C. these days. If you come straight down seventh you’ll run straight into the reflection pool. Turn left and head toward Lincoln, we’ll meet at his feet.”

  Steve thought this was a bit strange but didn’t mind a chance to see the Lincoln Memorial and if he remembered anything from his visit forty five years ago. He remembered that Kennedy was dead and Johnson was the president when they came. The White House seemed sad because JFK was no longer in it for the young Steve. It’s funny how much the assassination of Kennedy had shaped his generation, in terms of believing in America and themselves. It’s why they went to war and also why it hurt so much when they were abandoned by the government and the country. The world was dark but the street was well lit and Steve felt safe as he ambled toward the hub of the city. The street dead ended into a park and he could see the Capital to the left and Washington monument to the right. This was an immense area and there were still lots of people walking around and enjoying the warm evening weather.

  Starting for the Washington monument, Steve saw the Smithsonian buildings and realized what a journey he had in front of him. This was going to take at least a half hour, hopefully Robert wouldn’t mind waiting. He thought about calling him again but decided to enjoy the walk instead, picking up his pace toward the giant obelisk, which was lit by some huge spotlights at night. It seemed close but Steve was winded by the time he reached the base. Lincoln was off in the distance, the view obstructed by the new World War Two memorial park.

  Robert was already at the Lincoln memorial, checking his phone every few minutes to see where Steve was. The phones were paired and Steve’s GPS location was transmitted to Robert when he wanted it, simply by pressing a few buttons. Robert paced back and forth, looking to the world like he was seeking something he’d dropped on the ground. Anyone who made eye contact got the cold stare and immediately looked away, which suited him just fine. The chemist was moving again but it was going to be a while, there was still the new park to deal with, that could keep him busy for a half hour. Robert had to admit that while he took this whole area for granted, there were some very impressive things to see here in the Nation’s capital.

  Steve walked with purpose toward the new memorial park, admiring it more the closer he got. It was really a thing of beauty, especially at night with the backdrop of the trees and the reflecting pool in front of it. As he got closer, the scale of it hit him like the Washington monument had. There was room for hundreds of people, or maybe even thousands, to be inside at a time. It was open, intricate and the water that flowed through it provided a sense of both power and tranquility. The intricate metal work combined with the sturdy concrete and stone reminded Steve of the feeling of ancient Greek architecture, though he’d never experienced that firsthand. He made his way slowly around, admiring the carvings in the stone, the openness of each of the four archways. There was an intricate brass inclusion near a waterfall that was very tranquil and he sat on the edge of the stone and gazed into the water for a few minutes, feeling peace even though there were dozens of others milling around and taking photographs to capture the memory of a trip.

  Knowing the Robert was waiting was eating at the back of his mind and started to intrude on the moment. Steve knew he could come back again during this trip but also thought that this first visit, this night, was going to be a special one so he pushed the bird man out of his brain and took another stroll around the monument. He stopped to look up at one of the gates and through the symmetrical stonework saw the crescent moon. Now he wished he had a camera to capture the moment. The Lincoln memorial beckoned in the distance, Steve not fooled by the fact that it looked small in the distance. The spot lit tribute to another agent of change for American reflected into the pool of water, a beacon to Steve. He walked along the reflecting pool, which had been used in so many movies and such a frequent gathering place that he felt he knew it already.

  Robert peeked at his phone again and saw the movement of the chemist, now beyond the war memorial. It would only be a few minutes now. He thought hard about what he was going to say, steely eyes staring into the distance. Robert pocketed his phone, his quarry nearly in sight, and waited.

  Steve’s mind was churning as he made the last quarter mile of the journey. Maybe he would ask Robert for a ride back to the hotel, this walk had taken a lot out of him after the long drive today. He was running on adrenaline as he purposely marched toward the now much bigger seated Lincoln. Steve was glad that Robert wanted to meet tonight instead of the morning, the only thing he’d have seen otherwise was the hotel’s restaurant and his room. He saw Robert ahead, casually standing near the foot of Lincoln’s chair, now seeming as big as his own house.

  “You made it. Thought you got lost or something.”

  “That’s a much longer walk than I thought it was going to be and there were quite a few things to see along the way. I was only in the city once and it was a long time ago. You are lucky to be so close to all of this history and beauty.”

  “I figured that you’d be doing some sightseeing along the way and can’t say that I blame you, it is quite amazing, especially if this is the first time you’re taking it in as an adult. Let’s walk.” Steve followed Robert, looking over his shoulder to see more detail of the Lincoln memorial as they walked
toward the trees that ran adjacent to the reflecting pool. Robert walked with purpose and said nothing, Steve having to struggle to match the man’s gait. The path was wide and well lit and the little man had a destination in mind. They turned a corner in the path and Steve saw it. His heart stopped and so did his feet, falling behind the bird man as his head became light. Consciously he knew where this was and he’d seen so many photographs and videos but it just wasn’t the same. The low slung black wall was gently lit in the night and there were flowers and candles resting along the wall. It was eerie, haunting and Steve wanted to turn and run.

  Robert looked over his shoulder and noticed that the chemist was stuck in his tracks. This might be easier than he thought it was going to be. He slowly walked back toward Steve and readied his speech. “This is why I wanted you to come out tonight Steve. You needed to see this and experience this moment at night. It’s one place where I spend a lot of time in this town.”

  Steve was speechless for a minute, walking along the path toward the wall, not sure if he was going to make it. His left hand absently reached out and felt the names, his eyes looking ahead at how long the wall continued.

  Robert let him have his moment, each time he’d done this over the past few years the reaction had been different but profound for the veterans. It was amazing how many people had never seen the wall but given so much in the war. The chemist was now scanning the wall with his eyes, looking for names. Some went straight to the book and others did exactly what Steve was doing, just looking. He was calmer about it than some, who frantically searched until they found someone they lost.

  Steve was scanning slowly, trying to remember the names of everyone in platoon that had been killed in action and at the same time looking for some who didn’t make it out of the prison camp, either losing the will to live or having it drilled out of them by the Viet Cong. His mind went back in time as he saw the name. James, poor James. Beaten so badly that he just gave up. Steve couldn’t even utter his last name, but would never put the look in that young soldier’s eyes out of his mind, remembering how they’d tried to get him to come back but he went somewhere else inside and never came back, dead the next day. The VC had laughed and pointed at him repeatedly as if to say “this is going to happen to all of you.” Steve didn’t know how he’d gotten through that time, where he’d found the inner strength to continue until he heard the mortar fire and the bullets flying, when the U.S. had pushed far enough to take back the land, the VC retreating, but not before executing another dozen prisoners.

  Robert watched the man crumble before his eyes, falling to his knees, both hands sliding down the wall with a squeaky, screeching sound that was matched by the howl coming from his mouth. He choked up for a second, knowing that he had caused this but also knowing that this was an essential step in the plan. He slowly walked over to Steve, placing his right hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry this is so painful, the first time you touch the wall it’s like everything from Vietnam comes storming back into your psyche. I remember the camp like it was yesterday.”

  Steve turned back to the man and his opinion of him changed in that instant. If Robert had also been a prisoner of war then he had more in common with him than could ever be discussed.

  “I’ve known you for some time Steve. I’m ‘quietstorm’ on the boards, we’ve had so many conversations over the past couple of years. It’s not an accident that I found you at Foundation. Your work is interesting and we share so many common bonds. We’re here to see if you want to join me on a mission. It’s been a hell of a long time and for so long I wondered if I would just get eaten away by it all. The explosion of the web brought me back together with others who had been through the same things that I had and let us vent to keep us sane.”

  “I’m not sure what you’re asking of me” Steve said through his tears, which had been so many years in coming and now showed no sign of stopping. He stared at the wall, others around them stopping their conversations to watch and also out of respect to someone who was opening doors on feelings that the observers couldn’t comprehend.

  “You and I, along with many others, were used and abandoned by the country we believed in. We have moved on in life and become productive members of society but there is a score we can settle. I have been putting together the pieces for a number of years, looking to even the score with the government and create a different sort of legacy for those of us who gave so much and lost it all.”

  Steve considered the words, the tears stopping as his brain moved from emotion to logic and tried to process what he was hearing. “I can’t believe you’re quietstorm, are there others on board?”

  “Everyone who’s been on the board for the past few years that could help us in the cause have been approached. I have worked long and hard to build a team and we are getting stronger by the minute. You’d be amazed how many people are willing to carry forward against a decade old grudge. As we get older we realize that there’s not that much more time, but we are strong. We also have support from a large number of Gulf war veterans, many of them realizing that through their PTSD they were also abandoned by a government and the people who claimed their war was ‘no big deal’.”

  Steve didn’t know what to say, there was a big difference in harboring resentment to the bone and taking action. He touched James’ name again and thought for some time, the bird man patiently waiting for some kind of response. “I’ll do it Robert, for James and all the others. We’re repeating past mistakes today and it’s going to cause another ripple as this generation matures and realizes how much they gave up for so little. If there’s something we can do to stop them or to save the sanity of a new generation I’m with you.”

  Robert bit back a grin, thinking that this had gone so much easier than he thought. It was always harder when his recruits had a family, there was a reluctance to let them down. Since Steve didn’t have kids there was probably less of that. He knew that it could still get dicey when they went over the plan and the potential damage was revealed. “The goal is to make such a statement that the government as we know it will crumble and no longer will our young men be subject to the whim of a few.” He held his hand out and helped the chemist rise to his feet.

  “What do you need from me Robert? How do we move forward?”

  “Save that for tomorrow, you’ve been through enough tonight my friend. Do you want to be alone? I can give you a ride back to the hotel.”

  “I think this is enough for one day, if I stay here any longer I may not have the strength to walk back to the hotel.” He stared at the wall again, taking in the scope and thinking about all the names that were etched into the black granite slabs. Nothing else was said on the way to the hotel and Steve cried himself to sleep that night, letting go of so much that had been stuck inside him.