The Secret Page

by Al Turner

  “I am Dr. Erich Dasinger, and this is my assistant, and brother, Dr. Albert Dasinger. We are excited to be working with our partners to bring about this proof of concept. While this wasn’t the original intention of our experiments, other benefits seem of interest to certain parties. Let me state that Project Echo represents a smaller piece of a much bigger picture, something we like to call Dream Stream. Along with the exciting trans-dimensional discovery my brother and I made a few years ago, we are taking a side step, if you will, to explore a security mechanism that was but a small part of the aforementioned larger project . . .”

  While he spoke, various images and video clips appeared of what they were referring to. The format looked like that of an amateur documentary, without the CGI enhancements of modern-day efforts.

  One frame showed a cavern with strange equipment all around, along with wires and hoses hanging almost haphazardly. While the large computer towers and CRT monitors were witness to a time past, other equipment looked like something from a retro sci-fi movie.

  A silent video then showed a platform set within a chamber in a cavern. Several bland-colored objects sat on the platform, including a boxy armchair, a stack of blocks, and other geometric objects. Gradually, a warm glow from an unseen source saturated the area. The light was multicolored but bled into a sea foam-green haze.

  Daniel and Carson watched as things became even stranger. The haze moved not just over and around the objects but through them. The simple objects morphed into things more complex and abstract. The chair, for example, went from dull with well defined edges to something colorful with smoother corners. A male in a gray bodysuit, wearing some type of face shield, entered the frame. He sat in the chair, and soon the bland bodysuit began to take on the chair’s colors. As he leaned back, the armchair contorted around him until it no longer looked anything like a chair. Then, as the man suddenly stood up, he just vanished. Afterward, the room returned to reality.

  Carson and Daniel exchanged confused glances and kept recording. Footsteps came up behind them, and Carson assumed Tripp had finally decided to catch up.

  “You’ve got to see this, bro. You’re missing out,” she said.

  “Oh, I think I got here just in time,” came Sanchez’s voice.

  They jumped and scrambled to regain their composure.

  Daniel turned to face Sanchez but kept his phone camera pointed at the video. “Oh hi, Detective Sanchez.”

  “You kids really shouldn’t be messing with this,” Sanchez said sternly.

  “It’s part of our family history,” said Carson.

  “No, Carson, it’s part of your family’s curse,” Sanchez said, looking beside himself. He must have been wondering how they even knew of the briefcase, much less found it. “I don’t even know what’s on that thing.”

  “Then you need to come watch it with us.”

  Sanchez stepped closer. “I don’t want to know, Carson. People have disappeared for knowing less than what you’ll learn from that disc.”

  Carson moved away a bit from Daniel, so as not to disturb his efforts to record the material. She stood in front of Sanchez. “But we knew nothing and people still came for us. I don’t know about you, but since I’m a target, I’d like to know why.”

  Sanchez looked as if he wanted to argue the point, but maybe he realized she was making sense. “This stuff is going to get me killed,” he said as they made room for him.

  They watched as images of strange experiments filled the small screen. Then, it switched to a ship being loaded. The name on the bow was Dream Stream. One of the scientists, the taller one introduced as Albert Dasinger, shook hands with his brother Erich and walked up the ramp of the ship. Erich stayed behind, waving as the ship left dock. It was obviously staged, a form of low-budget narrative. A map showed the ship’s path from Galveston, Texas, to New Orleans, Louisiana, and then to some location south, at sea.

  This transitioned to a black screen with white words: “Project Echo.” A split screen showed two different rooms. Both had platforms. The right side was empty, while the left showed a volleyball sitting. The left frame filled with that strange glow as before. However, something new happened. With a flash, the ball disappeared and suddenly reappeared in the right side of the screen, a few inches above the floor. It bounced a bit before rolling to one side.

  “Whoa,” said Daniel, looking at the others. “Tripp is gonna love this stuff.”

  Carson was unimpressed. “Looks like cheap special effects to me.”

  “Do you kids really need to record this?” asked Sanchez. “It’s probably a bad idea.”

  “It’s for posterity, Mr. Sanchez,” Carson said.

  After he watched a moment longer, Sanchez seemed to lose interest. He positioned his hands in front of Daniel’s camera. “Let’s get this thing to Pops and get out of here. It’s not safe.”

  As he said it, footsteps came up from behind them. They turned and saw Tripp emerge from the shadows. But they froze as he entered the light of the streetlamp. His hands were raised in the air. Someone was holding a gun at his back.

  “Hands where I can see them,” Mark said and shoved Tripp toward the others. “You . . . cop . . . nothing funny or I’ll find you a permanent resting spot in a tomb back there,” he said, gesturing toward the cemetery.

  “This doesn’t have to go down like this, man,” said Sanchez as he raised his hands slowly.

  “You can thank the lil’ bitch and her pals for bringing me here.” Mark drew closer and a bandage wrapped around his head became visible. “I wouldn’t have found you or this place if I hadn’t been following this group.” He stared straight at Carson. “Miss me, sweetheart?”

  “Leave her alone, Mark,” Tripp said as he faced the man, hands still in the air. “You’ve done quite enough today, including injuring the security guard I found on the far side. He’ll need medical attention.” He turned to the others. “That was one of the things I went back to check for. I couldn’t quite grasp why a place that held valuable secrets didn’t have someone guarding it. I discovered the unconscious guard a moment before Mark found me.”

  Mark raised the pistol, seemingly more for effect than to get a better aim. “I’ll be sure to finish him off after I’m done with all of you.”

  Carson felt herself going back into a panic mode. She struggled with it briefly but then resolved not to be petrified again. “You can go straight to hell.”

  Mark looked surprised that she had found such courage, but his expression soon turned to anger. He started toward her but then noticed the briefcase open in the back of her Jeep. “What’s that?”

  “We were watching a movie,” Daniel said and tried to move in front of it.

  “Step aside, Chink,” Mark said.

  Daniel complied. Carson, to everyone’s surprise, including her own, moved into his former spot and stared defiantly at Mark.

  He trained his pistol on her, but she didn’t flinch. “Crazy bitch.”

  “Go ahead, Mark. I’m done being afraid of you,” she said, trying to sound calmer than she felt. “If you’re going to shoot me, just get it over with.”

  Mark simply laughed. “I’m not going to shoot you, sweet thing. I need you.” He casually waved the gun around at the others. “I don’t need any of them, though. Maybe you can watch me shoot them, one by one. You know, like I shot down that stupid Derrick.”

  “I’ve got a better idea,” Carson said as she took a step toward Mark. “How about another concussion?”

  Mark snorted. “You wanna take another shot at me, bitch?”

  She smirked as she looked beyond the man to a figure in the shadows. “No, but he will.”

  Mark barely had time to turn his head before the wooden bat caught him solidly. The gun went off right before he hit the ground with a thud. Time slowed down when the pistol discharged. Carson and Sanchez hit the ground. Tripp and Daniel staggered backward. Joe Page stood over Mark for a moment, ready to strike again if he tried to get back up. Joe g
lanced around to check on the others. “You guys okay?”

  Carson and Sanchez checked themselves for bullet holes, while Tripp and Daniel confirmed they were fine.

  Joe kicked the crumpled Mark where he lay. The man didn’t move. “Who’s the bitch now?”

  “Uncle Joe!” Carson exclaimed as she jumped up and hugged him. “That was a home run!”

  “I guess you changed your mind about coming,” Sanchez said as he patted Joe on the shoulder.

  “Well”—Joe tried to breathe while Carson squeezed him—“Wanda wouldn’t shut up about wanting to follow you. She still thought the briefcase was full of money.”

  “Greed can be good,” Carson said, smiling.

  “Well, is it money?” came Wanda’s voice from behind Joe. She scurried as fast as her stilettos would allow.

  “I told you to stay in the car, Wanda,” Joe said.

  “Yeah, and I told you where I’d stick that bat if you gave me orders again,” Wanda said. “So, where’s this briefcase everyone’s so eager to find?” She stepped over Mark’s body, unconcerned by the fate he had met.

  “Over here,” said Daniel. “It’s an old video player, not money.”

  Wanda’s face dropped. “Shit.”

  “Actually, it’s no longer even that,” said Tripp as he handed it to Sanchez. Everyone eyed the dark, shattered screen the bullet had struck. Sanchez cursed as he took it, while Daniel peered around him to inspect it.

  “Can you fix it, Daniel?” Tripp asked.

  “No. But it’s just the screen that was hit. Pops can take the inner media and play it on another device. I doubt it’s been damaged.”

  “Well, I’m taking what’s left of it, along with this guy, to Pops,” Sanchez said. He cuffed Mark’s hands behind his back and checked his vital signs to ensure it wasn’t a wasted effort. “Afterward, I’ll turn him over to the authorities for the murder of Derrick. Someone help me carry him to my truck.”

  “I’ll help you, Mr. Sanchez,” said Tripp, and they both dragged the man across the street. Daniel followed them as he dug into his pouch for something.

  Carson had released the grip on her uncle, to his relief. He patted her on the shoulder. “You’re one tough gal,” he said.

  “Thanks,” she replied with a confident smile. “I was just tired of being afraid of that prick.”

  Wanda laughed. “Hell, girlfriend, maybe we’ll get along after all.” She turned to Joe and smacked her gum. “So is there a reward for this?”

  MISS DIRECTION

  Sanchez, unable to persuade Carson and Tripp to join him, drove off into the night, taking Mark with him.

  Soon afterward, the ambulance arrived. The security guard, a retired police officer, had awakened just before it came and was greeted by a concerned Carson. “Are you an angel sent to take me to heaven?” he said.

  As Carson looked on, the man was treated by paramedics, while the police questioned Joe and Tripp. Daniel had gone off by himself to fidget with a phone of Mark’s he had gained access to. After the police had taken statements, the group converged again.

  Joe warned Tripp he’d better not give Wanda any reward money. Tripp put his wallet away and Wanda turned aggressively toward Joe, mouthing something that would have burned Tripp’s sensitive ears.

  Carson found Daniel, who sat in a spot lit up by an old streetlamp. “Uncle Joe can sure pick ’em,” Carson said and chuckled at the sight of her uncle arguing with his girlfriend. “What are you doing?”

  “Going through Mark’s cell phones, compliments of his providing me, while he was unconscious, with his fingerprint to open it,” Daniel replied with a grin.

  “He had two?”

  “Yep, the one he left on the boat, which I couldn’t get into. The other one’s a new replacement, which I was also happy to liberate from his person.”

  “Good man,” Carson said, giving him a hearty pat on his back. “Let’s find those breadcrumbs.”

  “You got it, boss lady.”

  Tripp approached them, silently watching Daniel work. He placed a hand on Carson’s shoulder to get her attention. “We should keep moving.”

  “Soon,” Carson said. “We’ll just let Daniel find those breadcrumbs and we’ll be off.”

  “Now would be better,” said Tripp sternly. His voice didn’t leave much room for negotiation. “Daniel can work on his hacking skills as we travel north.”

  Carson was impressed with Tripp’s sudden attempt to assume a leadership role, but she wasn’t ready to hand him the reins just yet. “Where do you suggest we head next?”

  “Denton.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Why there? Do we know what we’re looking for?”

  “Not yet,” Tripp replied. “But we have a good place to start. Uncle Joe was telling me he has a place across from the old Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square. It was his mom’s apartment before she died. I got the impression he held on to it for sentimental value. Our dad seems to have found a use for it.”

  “Dad? What does he use it for?” Carson asked.

  “Uncle Joe seems to neither know nor care, since Pops is the one who’s always paid for it,” Tripp replied. “If you want me to continue on this quest of yours, we need to keep moving.”

  As Tripp headed toward their vehicle, Joe stepped away from the angry Wanda to intercept him. “Where ya going, kid? You guys had enough adventure for one day?”

  “I have,” said Tripp. He gestured at Carson and Daniel. “But I have a feeling those two wish to continue. I’ll concede to the will of the majority.”

  Carson glanced up at them, pulled herself away from Daniel, and joined her brother and uncle.

  “There’s safety in numbers,” Joe said. “But I suggest we update your dad on what’s happened, and then you guys can come stay with me for a bit.”

  “Good luck with getting ahold of Dad. Why don’t you come with us?” Carson asked.

  This brought a guffaw from Wanda. “Sure, let’s all get our asses shot off so we can learn a little Page family history.”

  “We’ve done just fine so far,” Carson shot back.

  “You’ve been lucky so far, girlfriend,” Wanda said, then turned to Joe. She folded her arms and smacked her gum. “So, you want to bring ’em to your place and make targets of us all?”

  “You didn’t seem to mind so much when you thought there was money involved.”

  “At least money’s worth sticking your neck out for.”

  “No, family is worth sticking your neck out for,” Joe said.

  “You don’t have one of those,” Wanda retorted with a laugh.

  Joe threw up his arms in frustration and started to retreat but turned back to her. “You’ll never understand the importance of family, Wanda. Though it’s no surprise when your father was never around and your mother was a drug addict. Furthermore, sex with you is great, but hardly worth the frustrations that come with it.”

  While Joe and Wanda had their next standoff, Tripp took the others aside to discuss their next move. Once they came to a decision, he cleared his throat loudly, apparently to get Wanda’s attention. “We agree we should all stick together, but taking multiple paths to the same destination may make tracking us harder for our pursuers.“

  Joe and Wanda seemed confused at what he was suggesting. “Are you saying we should split up or stay together?” Joe finally asked.

  “Both, obviously,” said Tripp. “We take two different routes and then all meet in Denton. If either group finds they’re being tailed, they alert the others and make adjustments as needed.”

  “We’re going to chase this thing either way, Uncle Joe,” Carson said. “You might as well join the party.”

  “Aha!” Daniel said, doing a little victory dance. After a few corny moves, he realized all eyes were upon him and ceased his gyrations. “I went through the numbers on Mark’s phone. I’ve traced one to a landline in Atlanta. After cross-checking that—not easy since the number’s unlisted—I think it’s some priv
ate security outfit.”

  “Are they the ones trying to kill us?” Carson asked.

  “Probably,” Daniel said. “There’s another number I found more interesting. It appears to be from a payphone near San Antonio.”

  “Why is that interesting?”

  “Because it is near one of the marked points on our map.”

  “That could be a coincidence,” Tripp said. “We should investigate Denton but also consider what might be in San Antonio that’s of interest.”

  “How about a cavern?” Carson said. “The video Daniel and I watched had cavern chambers in it. There are caverns in that part of Texas.”

  “That’s not a bad theory,” Tripp admitted.

  Wanda and Joe listened to the discussion but looked lost since they hadn’t been privy to the details around the map or video. Wanda obviously didn’t like what she heard. “You fools keep forgetting that these pricks have guns.”

  “Relax, Wanda. You weren’t even invited,” Joe said and was met by her glare.

  “There may be something you can do, Wanda,” Daniel said. “It wouldn’t require you to travel far and involves money.”

  “Really?” said Wanda with sudden interest. “Continue then.”

  After some discussion and a bit of debate, the group decided to split into three. Carson and Tripp would head to Denton via a route through Shreveport. Daniel and Joe would take a different route west through Houston, then cut north to Denton. Wanda, much to her chagrin, would serve as a decoy by driving around in Mark’s car before ditching it somewhere in New Orleans.

  She resisted until Daniel handed her five one-hundred-dollar bills as a down payment for her services. Her acceptance confirmed everyone’s opinion that money was the most effective means of negotiating with her.

  Daniel wanted to find the server that hosted the information Jack’s secret room tapped into. The Denton apartment seemed the logical place to start, but Joe lacked a key to it. Possibly Jack had the only one. They would figure out how to get in later.