Oddly, all of this was happening while I was on the floor trying to get my bearings. I tried to sit up but found that I was essentially too weak to do much more than lie there while a flurry of activity began to unfold all around me.
Lawther was on the phone evidently with one of his attorneys. He was adamant that whatever I had started had to be squelched and by whatever means possible. Despite feeling weak, I couldn’t help but smile. What I had envisioned was happening precisely to plan. And that was simply the first part. The second part had yet to be revealed.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
As if in some sort of suspense-laced movie, I was roughly taken from Lawther’s office and then dumped in another one. A couple of stout men in corporate dress essentially hauled me down the hall to a waiting couch. They stared at me disdainfully and acted as if I were the troublemaker that I was. I had stirred up a controversy. Shortly before I left Lawther’s office, he accused me of ruining him and the company. “Considering what you have done (meaning me), this will set back the space program for decades. You will pay for this.” His words echoed in my mind as I lay on the faux leather sofa wondering about my immediate fate. By the way, I had yet to have even a sip of water. I was dying of thirst. My stomach was growling. I was beyond hungry. And I was starting to hallucinate. My head was spinning. I thought all of this was nothing more than an exceptional dream. I even wondered if I was still stuck on the moon? That feeling lingered for what felt like hours.
When the slow drips of water finally hit my lips, I was both surprised but also started to choke. I tried to sit up but found that I couldn’t. I was either too weak or had been restrained. Whatever the case, once the water began to quench my parched lips, I relished the feeling. I savored how wondrously valuable something as simple as water can be when you have gone without it. It took more than a few moments to realize that the person administering this desperately needed replenishment was none other than the executive secretary. As I gained my senses, I peered up at her radiantly blue eyes. For a moment, I thought she looked like an angel. You know, the mercy sort that shows up at the most critical moment.
Considering the fact that I’d been surrounded by nothing but men for months, staring up at an exquisite face beautifully framed by radiant auburn hair was an exceptional vision. I asked her what her name was but she told me to not speak. I needed to focus on nothing more than replenishing my body. She said that once I had enough of this electrolyte replacement drink, I might be ready for some food. Oh, I thought, so that’s why there is that odd un-water-like flavor to it. Before she was done, I must have downed two liters. But that got me to thinking: what had changed? Wouldn’t it be better if I had died? Then Lawther could conjure up some sort of bogus excuse that I had died as a consequence of injuries sustained while in reentry. I would be out of the picture. I wouldn’t be there to validate my story or the one that Erik had brilliantly disseminated to the media. I wanted to ask this woman tending to me if what I was now suspecting were true? But she once again asked that I refrain from talking. I needed to focus all of my energy on my recovery.
After about an hour of more or less refilling my tank, I was able to sit up. And as I did, and the moisture from urine-soaked adult diapers was stinging my thighs, I had to ask, “You don’t happen to have a shower in the building, do you? I would love to take one. It’s been months.”
She smiled and then laughed. She said, “I’m afraid that was a bit more than obvious.”
I tried to apologize and to explain that such things were not available working on the moon. But she once again encouraged me to save my strength. “Let’s let things happen naturally, shall we?” she said.
I’m not sure what that meant. But it didn’t take long before I could hear the sound of a helicopter somewhere in the distance. She looked up and said, “It sounds as if they’re just about here.”
“Who are they?” I asked. She wouldn’t say. Okay, I thought, at least for the moment I’m in relatively safe hands. But considering the controversy I’d created, it seemed more than obvious that I was a problem demanding an immediate solution. From this point forward, my only hope was that once fed a compelling story the media would be all over it. They wouldn’t give up until they found me or at least had a reasonable assurance that I was okay and would be available for comment at an upcoming news conference. On top of that, Eric wouldn’t give up. After all, he had two more media releases ready in case the first one missed the mark. I anticipated that Lawther’s public relations team would do all it could to dispel my comments or to quash my story.
But with that, I knew my being at corporate headquarters was a serious problem. It would be far too obvious and easily accessible for media scrutiny. Lawther needed me gone and in the worst possible way. I had to be taken someplace where I would be inaccessible. But again, all of this was my now active imagination trying to sort out what was yet to come? Perhaps all of my conjecture was misplaced and entirely incorrect.
When I was finally escorted out of the building and then taken up to the heliport located on the third-story roof, the executive secretary seemed somewhat forlorn at my leaving. I don’t know if her having been assigned to treat me as a patient had brought out her nurturing side or not, but I could easily sense her displeasure when two of her male cohorts roughly forced me onto the waiting helicopter. Once onboard, I had to wonder what next? But most of all, what I wanted more than anything was to get out of this damned spacesuit, take a very long hot shower, and then deal with whatever needed to be addressed.
A woman was seated next to me in the back of the helicopter. She introduced herself and said her name was Julia McNeely. She was the lead attorney for both the corporation as well as the lunar project. She said that she and I had a lot to talk about. When I suggested that I wasn’t interested until I had legal representation, she scowled at me. She said she hoped this would be easy and that I would be open to reason. When I suggested that being reasonable wasn’t the problem, she asked what that meant? I shrugged. That was it; I wasn’t going to say another word. She could dangle me over the Pacific for all I cared. I would still demand that counsel be present before I said another word.
As you could imagine, that made for an uncomfortable helicopter ride. There I was, seated next to a woman that had one agenda in mind...and that was my full cooperation—something I was still unwilling to offer. I wanted to stir up even more sensation with the next press release to drop. I had made notes for Eric to follow. If for any reason I disappeared or didn’t contact him within hours, he was to release the next media barrage. My only hope was that Lawther’s team didn’t know Eric was the source of the information. The last thing I wanted was for Eric or Henry to be in any sort of legal jeopardy—let alone danger. In my notes, I encouraged him to keep moving and to not stay in any one location for long. If he did that, and perhaps made his way down to either Sacramento or San Francisco, he could easily blend into a larger city’s traffic. “Keep on the move” was the mantra. Or, it’s far harder to hit let alone identify a moving target.
From time to time, Julia would glance my way. By this point, I knew I stunk. I knew being that close to me couldn’t be all that pleasant. I also realized that by the time I finally got out of this damned outfit, there would be burns on my thighs from the acid in my urine. It hurt just sitting there. But at least I was no longer thirsty. If for no other reason, at least the view below was pleasant enough.
For a time, we skirted the coastline. But then, after what felt like half an hour or so, we headed inland. That only lasted for a few minutes before an expansive estate came into view. From what I could tell, the property went on for miles in all directions. From my vantage point, I couldn’t see another residence let alone a paved road leading to it. This was remote. But was it where the company founder lived or something else entirely? And was this where I would be for the foreseeable future or but one stop of many in the process of my disappearance?
Whatever the case, my thoughts kept going ba
ck to my crew and their ultimate rescue. If I played my cards right, that goal or objective should happen within days if not a week. They were my priority. They were the reason I had to prevail.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A few moments before we touched down, I took in a lay of the land. A sprawling, massive estate was off to one side. Situated some distance from it was a complex of what I assumed were guest quarters. They appeared to be standalone units clustered around a nicely landscaped roundabout. A sculpted fountain fit for the De Medici’s was in the center and the fountain water was flowing.
Julia glared at me the moment we stepped out of the helicopter and said, “I’m not sure you’re worthy of this.”
Was she suggesting that she had already made up her mind? Was she acting upon issues she had little actual knowledge about? If Ted was her only source, there was a lot he wasn’t saying. Given the opportunity and a moment to begin bargaining, I could fill her in on a lot of what was missing. But until that happened, I was stuck with being called a project destroyer or the cause of its imminent failure. I did say to her that if my men could be returned to earth immediately it would save all of us needless trouble. But she glared at me with her hands on her hips. She declared that what I was asking for was impossible; until the project was completed there was nothing I could do to change that.
Okay, I thought...if that is what will soon confront me then I will have to reconsider my alternatives. It was at that moment that I noticed the ground crew. They were laying down sod and planting an assortment of flowers and trees. A hasty glance indicated that the crew was from a private company and not resident to the property. That gave me an idea.
Julia was peering at me as if I were lagging behind—which, in truth, I was. She nodded at one of the guest suites. She said I would be staying there—or at least until things settled down—whenever that occurred. In other words, that was her fancy way of describing what would soon turn into a jail. I said that I couldn’t wait to take a hot shower. She motioned for me to go inside. Once inside, I cautiously peered out the side window. I watched and waited. Did she need a moment to freshen up? I hoped so.
I opened the front door. Conveniently, one of the work crew’s trucks was parked in the driveway next to my unit. One of the workers was there looking for something. I glanced toward Julia’s unit and then quietly asked the Hispanic man if he would do me a favor? Fortunately, I had learned Spanish years before and was fairly fluent. He nodded and asked what I needed? I first wanted to know where the closest town was located? He told me it was about fifteen miles away. But it was a small town with few shops and even fewer restaurants. I told him it sounded perfect. I then asked when he would be leaving? As it worked out, he was going to have to return to his company’s warehouse and bring back something the crew had forgotten. I asked if I could go with him? He didn’t see any reason why not and quickly agreed.
I got in the passenger’s seat and then slumped down. When he got in the truck, I asked if he didn’t mind if I took a nap while he drove? He acted as if that was a bit out of the ordinary but it was okay with him. When I asked him his name, he said it was Romero Hernandez. So the instant Romero backed up and then started driving around the roundabout and then on to the main service road, I edged down even lower. I know, it sounds crazy, but if you do the unexpected and sooner than expected, it just might work.
Once we were on our way, I sat up enough to peer in the passenger’s side mirror. No one was coming after us. Julia hadn’t rushed out of her unit with a frantic expression on her face. That was the hoped-for outcome: strike quick and move fast. But as we continued driving, I did notice the security cameras sporadically placed along the way. Here I was feeling somewhat confident and yet my deception might have already been seen by security. That meant that I would have to stay down or do something to mask my identity. I happened to notice one of the worker’s hats sitting on the console. I reached down and tried it on. It was sweat-stained and well used. When I put it on, I asked Romero what he thought? He laughed and said he wasn’t sure if its owner would be pleased I was wearing it. But for the sake of masking my appearance, I kept it on for the time being.
As we continued, the security cameras were spaced further apart. I pulled the bill of the hat over my eyes and pretended to be sleeping. But I wasn’t. No, instead, I had made note of the truck’s odometer and knew how many miles we would have to go before I sorted out the next step in my escape. We continued driving while Romero listened to Mexican music blaring on the radio. He quietly sang along as I attempted to appear undisturbed. But as we got closer to the fifteen miles Romero had suggested, I sat up. I needed to get an idea of what the front entrance looked like and if there was a guardhouse—which there was. I told Romero that if the guard asked, I was just a co-worker who was sleeping. For whatever reason, he found that funny and said he would do just that.
Romero slowed down and then got a nod from the guard as he motioned for Romero to continue on. He slowly drove forward once the front gate opened. I glanced at his expression to make certain he wasn’t second-guessing my request. I sincerely hoped he wasn’t starting to feel guilty for having helped me. Once we were on the county road, I sat up and took in the landscape. I also checked the side mirror to make certain we weren’t being followed. Fortunately, that seemed to be the case. But, as with anything that seems too easy, things got interesting. I first heard it and then saw it. The same helicopter that had brought me here was now hovering overhead. I tried my best to act as if that weren’t an issue. But as we approached an overpass, I asked that Romero pull over for a moment. I told him he could drive on and that I had to go to the bathroom in the worst way. When he suggested that he could wait, I told him that I didn’t want to intrude on his mission. Besides, I was up for a walk. I thanked him when he stopped and let me out. An instant later, he drove off and the helicopter continued to follow him. Now what? I had no idea how far the town was from there. And being out in the open wasn’t going to work for the time being—but especially once they discovered I wasn’t in the truck. I knew I had but a few moments to decide what to do.
I glanced down the road and then up toward the overpass. Something colorful was in the space just below the bridge. But before I go further, I have to stop at this point to make this clear: my energy was at an all-time low. Every step felt as if I had fifty-pound weights attached to each foot. That meant the idea of walking any distance was entirely out of the question. As it was, I wasn’t all that certain if I had the energy to climb the concrete embankment that led up to the object or objects in question. I took a deep breath to see if I could muster enough energy to start climbing. I hesitated as I tried to make out if what I had seen would prove of value or squander what little energy I still possessed. But if in any way what I was seeing was a piece of clothing or something I could use as a disguise, it had to be worth the effort.
I took one step after the other. But considering how it felt, I might as well have been on Mt. Everest nearing the summit. I had to take a breath with each demanding step. As I did, I could hear the helicopter nearby. In fact, if I wasn’t mistaken, it sounded as if it was headed back this direction. I kept edging my way ever closer to whatever I had seen. But when I was within feet of what appeared to be a bundle of colored fabric, I heard someone warn me: “That’s close enough.” My first thought was that it was a woman or else a man with a high voice. I wasn’t sure what to say but I said, “I don’t mean any harm. There isn’t room up there for another person, is there? I could sure use a rest.”
A moment later, a young woman with tasseled red hair appeared. Her face looked a bit grimy. She was holding what appeared to be a small-caliber pistol. It was aimed at me. I told her once again that I meant no harm and that I simply needed a place to stay until that pesky helicopter moved on. She then asked, “Are you running from the law?”
“I guess you might call it that.”
She replied, “If that’s the case, then I guess you’re okay.” She lowere
d the gun and nodded toward the space beside her. “Help yourself; there’s plenty of room.”
By that point, my energy was spent. I was exhausted. When she asked where was I from, I told her she wouldn’t believe me. But she pressed further, “Come on, try me. I’m sure it can’t be all that bad.” She then asked, “You’re not an escaped convict, are you?”
“No, fortunately, it’s nothing like that.”
“Then what is it?”
“As I said...even if I told you—and it’s the God’s honest truth—you would still say I was making it up or else was crazy.”
She squinted at me and slowly shook her head. “Are you nuts or something? You know...like from some psych ward or something?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
“Then what is it?”
I tugged on my spacesuit and then pointed at the corporate space logo on the lapel. “I literally just returned from the moon.”
Her eyes grew wide and she slowly backed up. “Hold on. Wait just a minute. You’re that guy that everybody’s been looking for, aren’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
She held up her iPhone and nodded at it. “I was just reading about it...or that is to say about you. You’re that guy that did something no one thought was possible. Right?”
I nodded while rubbed my eyes and felt as if I was once again about to faint. “You don’t happen to have an energy bar or something, do you? I haven’t eaten for what feels like days.”
She hastily rummaged in her things and pulled out a Snicker’s Bar—something that I soon discovered was nearly melted. She tossed it to me and said, “That’s the best I’ve got to offer. I hope it’s okay.”
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