The Day Gravity Became Irrelevant

by Ralph Rotten

Taken aback, Jenna had only just realized where she had seen the man when he sprayed her in the face with some type of aerosol. Stumbling backwards two steps, she was immediately on the defensive. Hand on her weapon, she managed to unsnap the thumb-break on her holster when the world went black. Her knees buckling, she began to fall forward, only to have the state trooper catch her mid-plunge. Dragging her limp body backwards, he had her hoisted up and into the trunk within seconds. Taking a moment to gag her, he applied restraints to her hands as feet expertly. Clearly no stranger to abductions, the state trooper knew exactly what he was doing.

  Slamming the trunk, he turned to give the garage one last look before grunting. Having used a can of spray paint to disable the sole camera covering the area, he was confident that there would be no record of the event. By the time anyone even realized that Jenna Jaramillo was missing, she would already be dead.

  With red hair that flowed like fire from her head, the green-eyed woman captivated Jack’s attention. Wearing a skin-tight dress covered in blue sequins, she seemed to sparkle as he reached out for her. Feeling his blood beginning to boil, the inventor wanted nothing more than to get his hands on her curvy form. Ooooh the things he would do to her…

  “Jack!” She seemed defiant.

  “Ooooh baby…” Every fiber in his body wanted to possess her.

  “JACK!” Louder this time, the woman’s green eyes flashed sharply before she began to fade away.

  “JACK! WAKE UP!” Alexis’ voice shattered the dream as well as the darkness.

  Sitting up, he realized he was in his bedroom. Disappointed that the green-eyed woman was gone, he cursed openly at the intrusion.

  “JACK!” Alexis’ voice came again.

  Looking around for the source, the inventor realized it was coming from his smart-watch. Although he had removed all of her cameras and snooping devices, he had forgotten her ability to penetrate network devices. Frowning, he picked up the watch before shouting back at it.

  “WHAT! I’m SLEEPING HERE!” Irked that she would wake him after a long day of work, Jack’s sense of humor was sharply impaired at that moment.

  “Get in here, right now. It’s important.” A sense of urgency to her voice, it was obvious that something was wrong.

  Scant minutes later, a bleary-eyed Jack had watched the video captured from Jenna’s cell phone. Even in his groggy condition he quickly came to the realization that someone had kidnapped the attractive agent that had visited them earlier that day. With Alexis explaining how she had identified the man as a foreign operative based on his recent travel and contacts, the brothers were fully briefed on the situation. This would change everything; if they were captured by spies from another country the entire plan would fall apart.

  “How long ago?” Jack asked. “And do we know where she is now?”

  “I woke you both as soon as it happened. The kidnapper disabled her phone already so I cannot track her that way.” Breathless, Alexis’ concern seemed to be stressing her CPU. “However, I was able to track them via traffic cameras and security systems around the city. As you may have guessed, the man is not really a police officer, though his car appears to be legit, so likely he stole it from a real state trooper. He dumped the car here at this abandoned warehouse, and left three minutes later in an unmarked van that I was able to track to a residence a few miles from the border. It is possible that he plans on taking her into Mexico for interrogation or just escaping there himself after he is done…with whatever he has planned.”

  On the screen, a section of the map showed them the address along with a satellite view of the neighborhood. More images of the non-descript van and the home flashed across the screen. Using Google’s street view, they were able to virtually drive past the dilapidated home.

  “Damned Ruskies!” A Jersey accent to his voice, Jamie growled as he scanned the material. “We gotta put a stop to these bums.”

  Jack gave his brother a sideways glance. He knew from Jamie’s accent that he was angry; he always switched to Jersey truck driver when he was mad.

  “I got an idea.” Smiling, Jack spun his car keys around an index finger. “Alex, I need you to call your boyfriend.”

  “My boyfriend?” Her voice unsure, she failed to grasp the reference.

  “Yeah, I likes that idear.” Smiling foolishly, Jamie understood what his brother had in mind right away.

  Jumping into some clothes, Jack decided it would be a good idea to brush his teeth. Almost out of the bathroom he hesitated as he pictured Agent Jaramillo in his mind’s eye. Pausing briefly, he splashed on a tiny bit of cologne, just in case.

  Firing up the battered little Mustang, the inventor was out the door as fast as the garage door would open. The one benefit about it being the middle of the night was that he could immediately engage the antigrav. Soaring to cruise altitude, he leveraged the disaffinity against the planet’s gravitational field to increase his velocity. Zipping along at a fair pace, Jack tracked his progress with the little GPS unit mounted on the dashboard. Making a rough calculation in his head, he estimated that he was less than twenty minutes out from his destination.

  In his own workshop, Jamie was busy. Although his brother had completed the submarine project, it needed to be stocked. Carrying armloads of gear from the house, he filled the cargo area with all manner of supplies that included a space suit, tools, and junk food.

  In the house Alexis was equally busy. With one floor of her processor dedicated to masking the phone call she was about to make, the rest of her system resources were dedicated to guiding Jack on his mission, and encrypting portions of her local memory. With full understanding of Jamie’s plan B, she had an idea what data needed to be secured before she fell into the wrong hands.

  The phone rang twice before a groggy voice answered.

  “Asanté.” The man’s voice answered.

  “Agent Asanté. I think it’s time we meet in person.” Her voice pleasant, Alexis did not even bother to introduce herself.

  Sitting up in bed with a start, Marco knew exactly who he was talking to. “Where?”

  “I am texting you the address.” Stern, Alexis knew to give very specific instructions. “You will come alone, is that clear?”

  “Oh yeah, alone. Sure.” Lying came easily to Marco Asanté. Nodding sincerely, he had no intention of keeping the promise.

  Waking in a groggy stupor, Jenna’s neck hurt from the way her head had hung to one side without support. Looking up as she tried to straighten the kink in her neck, she had a metallic taste in her mouth. Struggling to clear her mind, none of it made any sense; where was she? Finding her hands bound behind her, the FBI agent slowly began to realize she was tied to a metal chair.

  Scanning about the room, the place seemed empty until her eyes settled on the lone figure seated in the corner. Watching her intently, the man seemed pleased that she had woken. In a flash it all came back to her as she recognized the face of the highway patrolman.

  No longer in uniform, the stranger had changed while she was unconscious. Without being able to look at her phone, she had no idea how long she had been out of it, but based on the pain in her neck it had likely been an hour or more. Looking down she noticed right away that her weapon was missing. Craning her head around, she finally located her keys, phone, badge, and pistol on a table in the corner. Struggling against her bindings Jenna could tell right away that this man knew how to properly restrain his victims. Even her feet were roped to the metal chair, preventing her from kicking or resisting.

  For the first time in years, she felt true fear. Not since her first deployment to a combat zone had she felt this scared. Completely helpless and at the mercy of a stranger, Jenna had no idea what he wanted. Realizing that she was still fully clothed, she could rule out rape as a motive for her kidnapping. Seeing her credentials lying open on the table meant that the man was fully aware of her status as a federal agent; no doubt something he knew when he snatched her from the basement of the FBI building. Working her
way through the possibilities, it finally occurred to her that he was searching for the same thing she had been.

  “Good morning, Agent Jaramillo.” His English flawless, it surprised Jenna that he did not have an accent. Rising up from his seat in the corner, the man stepped into the light where he could look her over better. As if admiring her figure, he seemed disappointed that he could not do more with her.

  “Let me explain how this is going to work. I need some information, and you are going to provide that knowledge. Once I have what I need you will be released to continue your career as if nothing happened. This doesn’t have to be messy.” Clasping his gloved hands in front, the man seemed pleasant enough.

  Still silent, Jenna knew he was lying. Had his offer been genuine she would never have been allowed to see his face. It was a foregone conclusion that he would use whatever means necessary to extract the information, then most likely dispose of her body in a vat of acid. Clenching her jaw, she concealed the terror she felt inside.

  “So how do you wanna do this? The easy way, or the hard way?” As if he were a waiter taking her order, the man gave a pleasant smile.

  “When I get out of this chair I’m going to kill you with my bare hands.” Adding some gravel to her voice, Jenna did a good job of concealing her fear. That had always been her power; to be able to maintain a brave front no matter what she faced. It was this ability that had earned the respect of so many of her brothers at arms. As she looked the gangly man up and down, Jenna knew that she would probably never leave this room alive. The only logical path was to stay strong and fight the enemy with her last fiber.

  The man seemed to accept her threat with a raised eyebrow.

  “The hard way it is.” Giving a laugh, his expression changed dramatically. “Fortunately for you, I prefer the hard way. I’ve read your dossier, and I would have been greatly disappointed if you had chosen the easy path.” Speaking as he walked around behind her, there was an odd sound before he reappeared with a rolling tray like one found in a dentists’ office.

  Still maintaining a hard face, Jenna eyed the implements laid out on the tray. Having studied counter terrorism for a number of years she knew this part was for show. Many people began to crumble at the mere sight of the blades and blunt instruments. Revealing the tray was but another step in the process to wear down her resolve. Although she disdained the idea of torture, she knew from her studies how it worked.

  “Now I’m thinking I won’t kill you.” Her gaze softening momentarily, she allowed the man to think he had won a small victory before her expression returned to one of absolute hatred. “Now I think I’ll just break your back and leave you a cripple so you can spend the rest of your miserable fucking life in a wheel chair, shitting into a colostomy bag.”

  Taken aback, he was surprised at how she had turned the moment on him. Pausing briefly, the gangly man revealed his state of mind before again concealing it with a grim smile.

  “Jenna, Jenna, Jenna. This is not going to work out the way you expect. The only way you get out of that chair alive is if you work with me. Now, I need to know everything you know about the antigravity device.”

  “I think I’ll mark up your face, too.” Ignoring his threats, Jenna promised him even more violence. “Not only will you be a fucking cripple in a chair, but you’ll eat through a straw because I knocked out all your teeth.”

  Considering this, the kidnapper stood with his arms folded as he eyed her. “You have real moxie, Agent Jaramillo. I can see that I will save a lot of time by skipping the preliminaries.”

  Turning away, the man moved out of her gaze. Jenna could hear him talking to someone in the next room. There was the sound of a refrigerator opening and more indistinct words. Straining to listen, she could only catch a word here and there; and none were English.

  Struggling against her bindings, Jenna knew there was no chance of breaking the handcuffs they had used to secure her. Worse yet, they were most likely her own cuffs. But her feet had been tied with zip ties, and she knew from experience that those were not unbreakable. So long as you were willing to take the pain, it was possible to snap the plastic strips. After struggling for a few seconds she realized that she simply did not have the leverage. Her kidnapper had known how to strap her legs in multiple places, robbing her of any slack.

  It was the knock on the door that caused a commotion from within the kitchen.

  Standing on the front porch, Marco felt smug as he considered his plan. Minutes ahead of the tactical team, he had intended to secure the suspect before his backup arrived. Intent on taking full credit for the bust, the agent had no desire to share. Most of all he looked forward to the expression on Alexis’ face when he slapped the cuffs on her. After the heat he had taken for arresting the mayor, Marco Asanté needed to vindicate himself.

  The door opened just a crack as an eye examined him briefly. Opening wider, the door swung back to reveal a 45 caliber Glock aimed at his chest. Beckoning him silently with one finger, the form in the doorway gestured for Marco to enter. Glancing down at the pistol, he realized it was not an optional invitation.

  Stepping through the doorway, the DHS agent found himself facing a pair of masked men. With only their eyes visible, the knit masks concealed their identity well. Immediately he felt their hands on him as he was flipped around, shoved into the wall, and searched. Trying to hide his concern, he maintained a neutral expression as they plucked his weapon out of its holster. A few more seconds and they had his credentials in hand.

  Flipping him around again, Marco found one of the men examining his badge while the second man held a gun on him. He could tell that they were shocked to see him there. Keeping a poker face he took it all in calmly as he tried to understand why they would be surprised to see him. Hadn’t they called him?

  More rough hands as they shoved him into the next room. Stopping in the doorway he was surprised to see Jenna sitting there under the single light fixture. Noticing that she was restrained, the agent began to feel a sinking sensation in his stomach. Right away he knew things were going terribly wrong.

  “How did you find us?” It was the third man who asked the question. Wearing no mask of his own, he seemed unconcerned with being identified. Deftly he plucked the battery out of Asanté’s cell phone before tossing the pieces into the corner.

  “Release her right now and we can talk.” Keeping up a brave front, Marco had no intention of revealing his disadvantage.

  Something struck him in the back of the head, sending bright flashes of light throughout his brain as he stumbled forward. It took a moment to realize he had been struck with a pistol by one of the masked goons.

  “You are in no position to negotiate. Answer the question.” His voice terse, the gangly man had no interest in bargaining with his prisoners.

  “You’re only making things worse for yourself. I have a tactical response team outside just waiting for the chance to practice their stuff on a buncha rat-bastards who kidnap federal agents. They’re more than happy to make quick work outta you and your people.” Standing upright, Marco flashed a confident smile.

  Nodding to the others, the kidnapper gestured for them to check and see if his claims were true. A few seconds passed before one of them returned shaking his head. Saying something indistinct, the masked man indicated that there was no one out front.

  “Agent Asanté, you must be a poker player, trying to bluff us like that.” Showing a crocodile smile, the gangly man nodded his head to the nearest goon. Immediately something impacted the back of Asanté’s head as he was knocked to the ground again. “But as you may have guessed, I, too, am fond of poker, and I can spot a bullshitter from a mile away. You, sir, have no backup.”

  His brain still spinning from being hit in the head with a pistol, Marco felt his hands being secured behind him with his own handcuffs. Another pair of hands gripped him by the neck, keeping him from rising up off of his knees.

  Turning back to Jenna, the man continued to show his pleased
smile as he addressed her.

  “Agent Jaramillo, I had planned on using chemicals to make you more amiable to persuasion, but now I have slightly more significant leverage.” Pausing, he pointed his pistol at Marco’s head. “Now you are going to tell me how to find the device, or I am going to shoot your fellow agent right in the brain pan. Do you understand me?”

  It was entirely unexpected when Jenna laughed openly at the threat. Not a nervous giggle, but an outright belly laugh.

  “Please do, shoot that sumbitch right in the head. No, wait…” She seemed to change her mind briefly. “Do me a favor and shoot him in the thigh, then mebbe in the groin a few times, then kill him.”

  The surprise was evident from the three captors. Turning to the nearest of the masked men, the lead kidnapper muttered “Vos ist los?”

  “Go ahead, shoot that asshole.” Reinforcing her previous assertion, Jenna nodded her head towards Asanté.

  Glancing back and forth between them, the kidnapper seemed perplexed. He could tell that she was not bluffing, or if she was, it was the best job he had ever seen, in or out of a poker game. Truly, her eyes said that she would not mind at all if they killed the man kneeling on the floor.

  “Is this some kind of negotiating tactic?” Finally speaking, the man could not help but show surprise.

  “No, she’s serious.” Marco confirmed with a grimace. “She’s my ex-wife.”

  There was a laugh from the three captors as they finally understood the situation. From her chair, Jenna shook her head as she spoke.

  “So is it too late for you to shoot him, mebbe just injure him. C’mon, shoot him in the leg at least.”

  Anxiously, the three men exchanged looks as they tried to figure what to do next. Finally remembering their original purpose, the gangly man set his pistol on the dental table next to the bone saw. Plucking up the syringe on the far end of the tray, he turned to Jenna.

  “Well, this has been a most interesting scenario, but I am on a schedule to deliver the device. So we will need to move this along.” Leaning in, he had the needle just inches away from Jenna’s arm when his own cell phone rang. Pausing, he plucked the little flip phone from a pocket. No more than a cheap track-phone, it was most likely a disposable burner phone purchased at a local convenience store.