“But tonight, I’ll wear something so you won’t be bothered.” She worked her arms up under her shirt and somehow disconnected herself from her bra, pulling it out from underneath through her sleeve.
“Tease,” he said, finally, still standing there holding his underwear.
“I’ll just assume you’re going to wear those for me.”
He looked down at his hands and then back up at her, his face feeling flushed. “No problem.”
The t-shirt was one of those extra large ones that came to her knees and on the front had a picture of some cartoonish dog with the caption, “My balls are bigger.” The dog was juggling.
“Cute,” he said, indicating her shirt.
“Thanks. I know.” She undid her jeans and then slid them down where she kicked them off and picked them up. Her legs were just as great as he imagined and he swallowed thinking this was going to be a long night. Probably a long trip.
“I’ll just change in the bathroom,” he said.
“Watch out for the bugs,” she yelled after him and he thought he heard her giggle.
Chapter 21
Orange Park, Florida
Elise Boudreau was back. Jake wasn’t sure what to make of this since he was not expecting her. Winslow stood there with a questioning look on her face, so he told her to let her in. Bodey looked up from what he was doing to ANDEE and stared. Jake knew what was going through his mind as he watched the very attractive woman saunter into his lab. Bodey never missed a chance to stare.
She seemed somehow different today.
“Elise, how are you? I wasn’t expecting anyone today. What can I do for you?”
“I’m fine, Dr. Townsend. Actually, better than fine.”
“Where’s Dr. Powers?”
“He won’t be needed today,” she said, glancing around the lab with a small smile on her face. She carried a large duffel bag, but no purse. She set it in a chair and then nodded to Bodey. “Who’s he?”
“An associate working on a computer issue we are having. Elise, I’m sorry, but we are having a few problems today and I need to concentrate on the work we are doing. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Yes,” she said and unzipped the duffel bag. She reached in and pulled out something Jake would never in his life have guessed. She pointed the sub-machine gun at him and said, “I need you to turn the machine on and hook me up.” She suddenly became very serious and positioned herself so she could cover all three of them. “You two, come stand over here with the good doctor.”
Jake nodded, and Bodey and Winslow joined Jake at the center of the lab.
“We’ve been here before, buddy,” Bodey whispered. “Why do you attract this kind of thing?”
“Silence,” Elise said.
“What’s this about, Elise,” Jake said. “I don’t understand.”
“You will in a moment, but I need you to behave, so I’m going to borrow these two for a few minutes. You can run the machine by yourself, correct?”
“It’s better with an assistant, but yes.”
“All right, you two, in the bathroom, but first give me your cell phones and keys. Put them in the duffel bag.”
Winslow and Bodey did what they were told and she ushered them to the bathroom and locked them in. She tossed Winslow’s keys back into the duffel bag and turned back to Jake.
“Hook me up.” She pointed the gun at the chamber and Jake walked into it in front of her and started to get things ready as she lay in the chair with the gun pointed at him.
“ANDEE may not be fully functional,” Jake said. “My associate was working on her.”
“I’m sure it will be fine. As long as it can play something back, we’ll be perfect. Do your job and no one will get hurt.”
Jake nodded and started hooking leads up to her as she pulled a cell phone out of her pocket and dialed a number. “We’re just about ready here,” she said into it. “Are you?”
He watched her listen to someone on the other end but couldn’t understand what was being said.
“I figured you’d have to knock him out to get him back in there. It will still work. You didn’t touch him, did you? I’ll text you when to press play.” And she hung up.
“What is going on here, Elise? What do you want?”
“We’re going to conduct a little experiment, Doctor.”
“What kind of experiment?”
“It has to do with a certain doorway opening and your fascination with Near Death Experiences.”
Jake stepped back and shook his head. “No.”
“Oh yes, Doctor. If you don’t do what I ask, I will shoot those two love birds in the bathroom, shoot you in the leg, and then drive to your cute little suburban home and shoot that lovely wife of yours as your two little children watch. Do you understand me?”
Jake felt like the world was crumbling beneath him. What the hell could this woman want? He remembered all too well this feeling of hopelessness as he had to bend to the will of yet another apparent psychopath who wanted something he could not yet imagine from his machine.
“Don’t hurt them, Please. I’ll do whatever you want.”
“I know you will.”
Elise had a smirk on her face he wanted to wipe clean and the sudden jolt of anger surprised him under the circumstances. In fact, he realized he was not afraid, only a little apprehensive.
“How do you know all about the dimensional rip?”
“We study very closely, Doctor.”
“You’re the one who has been monitoring the system.” A statement.
She nodded.
“Then you should know that what happens is very dangerous. I can’t control the effects.”
“I’ll take the risk. It has to be done and it has to be done my way.”
He was finished hooking the leads up and he lowered the body mold over her as she kept the gun trained on him. “What now?”
She handed him a USB thumb drive. “Load this playback into the machine and hit play. Very simple.”
He took the drive and held it in his hands as if it were diseased.
She chuckled. “It won’t bite, Doctor. Just do it.”
He turned to go and she stopped him. “Oh…and one more thing. Do not stop the process no matter what happens. If you do, I’ll follow through on my threat to your friends and family. Nothing must interrupt this—experiment. Got it?”
Jake nodded, but did not like it. He sealed her into the chamber and went to the console. He booted ANDEE up and inserted the thumb drive into the port and transferred whatever was on there to the system. He hoped he hadn’t just corrupted ANDEE.
Through the intercom system he heard her say, “Whenever you are ready,” and she did something with her phone. He assumed it was the text message she had talked about.
He hit play.
~ ~ ~
For Lucky, the night had been long. He could see her silhouette in the bed next to his and the vision of her great legs and bra-less t-shirt kept surfacing in his mind. He tossed and turned while she softly snored. He finally dozed off after an hour.
They woke early and grabbed breakfast at a pancake house, ignoring the locals as they stared at the strangers. Small town mentality. They usually didn’t get that many visitors this time of year. Too much snow and too cold. At least up in the resort areas of the Tetons.
They did try to ask a few of the locals if they had had any interruption of TV service or cell phone coverage in the last couple of days and they said, yes. One old Indian said his car stalled in the middle of the road, dead, with his cell phone showing no service. He had to get a new starter solenoid before it would run again.
“Where were you when that happened?” Lucky asked and the old man told them. Back in the car, they pulled out the map and saw the spot where the Indian’s car had died was almost smack dab in the middle of the search grid. They would start there and work outward.
They checked in with General Smith but he had nothing new to report so they starte
d searching the area in the car utilizing the new equipment. Nothing was registering and Lucky wondered if they would have to wait for another pulse to get any kind of reading. There should be some residual matter associated with any fusion reaction, unless they were dealing with something completely new. The thought of that scenario did not play well in his mind. The possibilities were there, as the world was rapidly changing, but nonetheless, it was not a pleasant outcome to imagine.
The town was mostly clean and well kept considering it was the dead of winter and even in the freezing temperatures there was a lot of foot traffic. Maybe everyone’s cars were incapacitated and no one attributed it to anything other than frigid temps and winter breakdowns. As soon as the locals started talking to each other, somebody would start asking questions and that may make their job a little harder.
“Should we interview any more residents?” Lucky asked.
“The General said to keep things low profile, but it sure would help. Let’s try a few and gauge if they’re picking up anything weird from us. I’ll pull up here and we’ll walk around a bit.”
She pulled to the curb and they stepped out into the grey day that felt and smelled like snow. The cold grabbed Lucky in the throat and he had to take shallow breaths until his larynx stopped its spasms.
“Shit! It must be twenty below. It sure feels like it.”
“You’re a wimp,” Ginny said. “The news said it was going to be a high of ten below.” But she grinned at him and he smiled.
“Your voice is shivering and you’ve only been standing out of the car for like thirty seconds. Who’s the wimp?”
“I’m not the one complaining,” and she stepped to the curb.
A woman wrapped in a huge purple and grey parka walked quickly their way and Ginny stepped in front of her and asked, “Excuse me ma’am. Do you happen to know a good mechanic? My car seems to be acting up a bit and we’re not from around here.”
“My husband is the expert on that, Miss, but he’s out of town. I can still reach him on the cell if you want to hold on. My car’s on the fritz too. Damn cold wreaks havoc every winter. We get used to walking places.”
“In this cold?” Lucky asked.
The woman smiled and said, “Yes, even in this cold.” She winked at him “It’s good for you. Builds character. You southerners need to get out more often.”
“We’re from Colorado Springs, ma’am.”
“See, too far south for my tastes,” but her eyes twinkled and Lucky smiled at her sheepishly. He knew he was whining a lot today, and not only to Ginny.
“Does everyone in town have car trouble?” Ginny asked. “I haven’t seen a single car on the road this morning.”
The woman looked puzzled and then glanced around the street as if seeing it for the first time. “Well, a lot of us have our car woes in the winter, but not everyone.” She turned to look down the street and then back to them. “That is weird. I guess I wasn’t paying attention, but you may be right. I don’t see a single car besides yours. Huh.”
“Would you be able to check with your husband for us? It’s kind of important,” Ginny said.
“Sure.” The woman reached into her purse trying to locate the phone, the strange lack of automobiles forgotten now. She found the cell and started to punch in some numbers, but stopped. “I don’t have a signal,” she said and turned in a kind of circle with her arm extended trying to mimic an antenna. “That’s strange. I always get a good signal here. The cell tower’s just right there,” and she pointed behind them. Sure enough a tower stood just behind the stores as they lined the street. “Service must be down.” She shrugged. “I know of one mechanic, but I can’t vouch for his integrity. If you feel like you just have to have the best, then check in at the Black Bear Bar and Grill and I know someone would be able to steer you in the right direction. If not, then go see David Johansen just up the block there, at the Texaco. He owns the place and is my cousin.”
“And you don’t take your car there?” Lucky asked.
“He’s usually drunk,” she whispered to them and then stood up straight. “He’s been known to misplace a few nuts and bolts.”
“Okay,” he said. “Thanks for the tip.”
Ginny’s cell phone rang and she glanced at the woman, quickly.
“Well, yours seems to be working,” the woman said. “That’s a good sign,” but she pulled hers out of her purse again and scowled at her screen.
Ginny looked at the screen and said, “Excuse me. I have to take this.” She stepped away and left Lucky with the woman. She was still talking about her cousin’s drinking problem but he was trying his best to hear the conversation Ginny was having. Suddenly another ringing noise could be heard and at first it didn’t register what it was. Then he realized one of the sensors was alarming in the car. Ginny reacted too and pointed to the car as she hung up the phone.
“We have to go,” Lucky said quickly, as the woman gave them a strange look. “Thanks for all your help!” He opened the car door and the ringing grew louder.
“Everything all right?” the woman asked over the alarm. She was bending over trying to get a look inside the car.
“Everything’s fine, ma’am. Thanks again!” Lucky shut the door as Ginny started the car. The woman watched them drive off, following them with her eyes all the way around the corner.
“So much for subtlety,” she said.
Lucky had the device in his lap and was watching the gauges. “Who was on the phone?”
“Who do you think?”
“Let me guess. They were getting another pulse.”
“Yes. Then he wanted to know why we weren’t monitoring the equipment when I seemed surprised. I told him we were interviewing residents. He sounded pissed.”
“It’s what he told us to do.”
“I reminded him of that, but he dismissed it and told us to get on the equipment.”
“We’re on it,” he said, and watched the readouts. “Turn left up here. Damn! It’s fading quick.”
She made a left at the stop sign and it took them back into a kind of upscale neighborhood. Weird that it went from downtown shops to instant high-end real estate.
Lucky threw up his hands as the beeping stopped. “It’s gone. Shit! How can it dissipate so fast? It’s like a switch.”
She slowed the car as they watched the houses slip by with the gloom of the day. She handed her cell to him and asked, “Do you want to call him?”
“Thanks.”
She grinned at him. He took the phone anyway.
Chapter 22
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Benjamin had not wanted to go back into the machine. At least not alone or awake. Bart tried reasoning with him but the man was inconsolable. It was like dealing with a child.
“I won’t go back in there!”
“Benjamin, don’t be like that. It’s important. Very important.”
“You don’t know what it’s like in there. You can’t make me!”
“You’re right on one count, Benjamin. I don’t know what it’s like in there, but I will soon. However, you’re dead wrong on the other.” Bart took a step toward him. “I can make you do a lot of things.”
“Please!” he pleaded. “At least not alone. I can’t stand being alone in there.”
“You’ll have to suck it up.”
“No! No! No!” and he started throwing things around the room like a child having a tantrum.
Bart was not impressed and was worried he may not be able to get him under control.
“Benjamin,” he said softly. “Oh Benjamin.” The man could not hear him for all the commotion he was creating. “Benjamin!” he shouted.
He stopped in mid-conniption and froze with a pillow raised in his right hand. He whimpered. “I don’t want to go back.”
“What if I knock you out? We’ll sedate you so you don’t know what’s happening.”
He seemed to consider this, but then shook his head. “It won’t work,” he said, panic i
n his voice. “I’ll wake up in there and there’ll be no one around. No one!”
“Fine,” Bart said. He pulled out the tranquilizer gun he had in his back pocket and shot Benjamin in the thigh with it. He screamed like a woman.
“You prick! You fucking bastard! I’m going to kill you next! I’ll smash your head in with my hammer and watch your brain leak out from the cracks!” His words started to slur and his demeanor changed from outright fury to whimpering baby as he leaned against the wall and sank slowly to the floor. “Please don’t do this…please...” and he was out.
Careful not to touch any part of his skin with his own as Elise had instructed, he donned latex gloves and picked him up, carrying him to the chamber. He connected all the leads and then Elise called to ask if all was ready. Apparently, things had gone well on her end. He hoped it would be the same here. A few more minutes passed and he got the text message. Time to hit play.
~ ~ ~
Jake wasn’t sure what to expect but he was not surprised when the dimensional portal opened and the world began to vibrate with it. He heard a huge crash over the noise of the lab as the door to the bathroom was broken down, and found Bodey and Winslow standing next to him.
“What the hell, man!” Bodey yelled. “What are you doing?” He reached for the abort button, but Jake stopped him.
“No! She’ll kill us all if we don’t see it through. Let it be.”
Bodey watched, helpless to do anything while Winslow clung to his arm, a frightened look on her face. She had never seen the opening and really hadn’t even heard that much about it. It was supposed to be top secret.
“What is happening?” she shouted over the noise. Even with the chamber closed, it was almost deafening.
“I’ll explain later,” Jake yelled and watched as the temperature gauges climbed to maximum. He hoped the system would not overheat. It was usually catastrophic if it did.
The ground began to shake and more of the ectoplasmic light they had seen so many years ago, shot from the opening and struck the chamber wall where it smoked briefly and dissipated. It was almost like solid lightning. The music was horrible and Jake wasn’t even sure he could call it musical. Noise was the best his ears could surmise. Winslow put her hands to her ears and she tried to see everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Bodey just watched as he held her and didn’t seem to enjoy the fact that Winslow was in his arms. Jake couldn’t blame him. It was pretty intense and frightening.
Near Sighted (A Jake Townsend Science Fiction, Action and Adventure, Thriller Series Book 2) Page 11