Jimmy's Dreams: Some Dreams Are Nightmares

by Saxon Andrew

  The male agent looked closely at her bag and turned it over. “What is this?”

  Rachel’s fear was immediate but she kept her smile going, “Let me show you.” Rachel pulled a clip on the bottom of the bag and slid the two tubes apart. The bag grew a foot in length, “This allows me to change the size of the bag to carry more items.” She turned the bag up right and slid the tubes in and out changing the bag’s length.”

  The Woman Agent finally smiled, “Now that is something useful.” She looked at the man and he said, “Have a nice day and thank you for your patience and the candy.”

  Rachel laughed, “I’d give you some more but I might run out on the flight.”

  The woman said, “Save him from himself. He’s over-weight enough as it is.” The man turned red and Rachel packed her bag and joined Suzette. They walked in silence to the Starbucks line and Rachel said, “The pucker factor was at ten.”

  “Tell me about it,” Suzette whispered before saying, “A large hot Latte with skim milk and two Splenda.” Rachel ordered a hot chocolate and a slice of pumpkin bread. They would have to go through this again when they arrived in New York but at least they had the opportunity to practice here. Putting the barrels to the Ball-guns on the bottom of the luggage was a risk but putting them in the checked baggage was an even bigger risk. Jimmy cast the deciding vote. “You need to keep all the parts to your weapons close by. You just don’t know what is going to happen.”

  The eight-magnetic mini-batteries were inside a large battery case in their laptop computers. They raised no issues but the exotic metal of the barrel was a concern. Hiding them out in the open disguised as rails on a bag was sheer genius. Summer was brilliant once again.

  • • •

  The trip to the United States went smoothly and no issues arose until they arrived at their last stop in Washington D.C. They were forced to park two blocks away from the Project Manager’s house and as they were walking toward the car, Rachel said, “We’ve got trouble. We can’t do anything this close to the Manager’s house. Go with them and I’ll be close.” Rachel disappeared and Suzette looked ahead at their car. Three men were sitting on the steps of a brownstone next to it and as she arrived and pressed the key fob, they walked up and surrounded her, “Why you in such a hurry?”

  Suzette looked at them with wide eyes and said, “Please don’t hurt me!”

  “We won’t hurt you, we’ll make you feel good!” Two of the men grabbed her by the arms as an extended-cab pickup roared up and stopped beside her car. Suzette dropped the car’s key fob into the gutter next to it as she was pulled away. The two men opened the rear door and pushed Suzette in. The three moved in with her and the truck roared off. They began telling Suzette what they were going to do to her and laughed at her apparent terror. They arrived in a seedy neighborhood and the truck moved behind a deserted building. They pulled Suzette out and one of the men said, “I guess she left the girl behind.”

  The tallest of the four shook his head, “I was taking that one for myself. We’ll just have to make do with this one.”

  One of the men stood behind Suzette holding her arms while the other three started taking off their shirts. The one holding Suzette sneered, “You gonna like this!”

  Suddenly, a red dotted line appeared across his forehead and his eyes glazed over before he dropped behind Suzette. She pulled her Ball-gun out of her blouse and held it out in front of her as the three men turned to her. They saw the man that was holding her lying on the ground and saw at the same moment she was holding something in her hand. “What you done to, Jake?”

  Suzette smiled, “I can see that you’ve done this before. You have your act together at kidnapping your victims. Suzette raised the Ball-gun as two of the men collapsed to the pavement. The third tried to run but he was stitched by a string of ball bearings from his forehead to his stomach. He dropped instantly.

  Rachel appeared and said, “We need to get out of here.”

  “There’s no way we can get a taxi to get back to our car and we can’t leave it parked that close to Simmon’s home.”

  Rachel picked up one of the men’s shirts they had taken off and handed it to Suzette, “Put it over the steering wheel and make sure you don’t leave any prints. Open my door from the inside.”

  Suzette used the shirt to open the driver’s door and slid in. Rachel took a shirt and tied it around her head. She handed one to Suzette and said, “You don’t want to leave any hair behind for DNA evidence.” Suzette shook her head and wrapped the shirt around her head. They drove back to within three miles of their car and parked the truck in a parking space away from any buildings. “Why didn’t we just park in in a garage or in that drugstore’s lot?”

  “Those have cameras,’ Rachel answered. Suzette rolled her eyes shook her head as they started walking; Rachel saw things she was missing. An hour later they arrived at the rental car. Suzette looked next to the curb where she dropped the key fob and it was still there. They pulled out and went to their hotel.

  The news the next morning was full headlines about the four murders of gang members but everyone was writing it off to a dispute over territory. By the time Suzette and Rachel boarded their flight and lifted off for Zurich, the FBI had been brought in. They in turn brought in the CIA and Homeland Security. Those four gang members had been killed by a weapon that fired ball bearings at extreme velocity. And when they were taken out of the victims, they were all powerfully magnetized. A new weapon never seen before existed and it wasn’t long before Military Intelligence joined in the investigation. The connection to magnetic fields in satellites was simply a matter of time.

  • • •

  Special Agent Derik Carter looked at the physicist and shook his head, “I’m not understanding what you’re saying Doctor. Try to explain it in simple terms that someone as dumb as I am can understand.”

  “Agent Carter, you are far from dumb.”

  “Even so, I’m not getting what you’re saying.”

  Dr. Sweeny sighed, “The only way these ball bearings could have this powerful of a magnetic field is for them to have been pushed through a field with at least an amplitude…”

  “Stop it right there, Doc. This is where you lose me. What do you mean by pushed?”

  Sweeny sighed, “The ball bearings are made of metal, you understand that, right?” Carter nodded. “One way to make a metal magnetic is to scrape it against a magnet.”

  Carter nodded, “I remember doing that in my high school science class.”

  “Good. Another way of magnetizing metal is to pass it through a powerful magnetic field.” Carter stared at him and Sweeny said, “You wouldn’t have to scrape the metal on a magnet if it were powerful enough. You’d just have to move it close to it several times.’

  Carter nodded, “Ok, I can see that.”

  “Well, what I’m trying to tell you is that in order for these ball bearings to have this powerful of a magnetic charge, the magnet that caused it would have to be the size of those used in a hydro-electric generator in Hoover Dam.”

  “Doc, I’m pretty certain that no one was carrying around a magnet that large when those four men were killed.”

  “That’s a pretty safe bet, Agent Carter. However, someone had the capability of creating a magnetic field larger than those magnets in Hoover to accelerate these ball bearings to the velocity that killed those four men.”

  Carter stared at Sweeny and said, “Those four men have been implicated in several kidnappings and rapes. Some of their victims recognized their pictures in the newspapers and on line articles and called in. We’re checking the DNA as we speak.”

  Sweeny shook his head, “Well, it appears they must have picked up the wrong woman if she did this.”

  “Do you really think a woman can hold a weapon capable of doing this?”

  “I don’t know if Godzilla could hold a weapon that could do this. If this was done with a small hand weapon, then someone has technology far beyond anything I know ab
out.”

  “Would a weapon like this make it through airport security?”

  Sweeny blew out a breath, “The pieces would not have to be made of metal. The barrel might have to be metal but the other parts could be made of high-strength plastics.”

  “How long would the barrel have to be?”

  “How would I know? I’m strictly guessing here,” Sweeny exclaimed.

  Carter picked up one of the ball bearings and it took a lot of effort to remove it from the metal table. He could feel it being pulled back toward the metal table’s top. Sweeny saw his eyes and smiled, “Now you see what has me scared. That magnetic field is impossible.”

  Carter looked at him and released the ball bearing. It hit the metal table top and put a dent in it. Sweeny shook his head, “If you intend to take them with you, you better put them in a metal box.”

  “Why, Doc?”

  “Because they could be pulled through your clothes and hit the first large metal object you pass. If it happens to be on the side away from the pocket you have them in, they could go into you.”

  Carter looked at the balls on the metal table and felt a cold wind blow across his heart.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The Director of the FBI looked at Carter, “What have you got?”

  “It’s taken six-months to track this information down. We looked at every female that flew into the country from overseas a month prior to the event and limited our search to women between the ages of eighteen to thirty-five.”

  “Why did you do that?”

  “Because all of the victims of those four thugs were between those ages. They appeared to go after attractive young women.”

  “Go on.”

  “We started with women that arrived at Dulles and worked our way out to the other international airports. All of the women that arrived at Dulles from overseas checked out as not being around when the men were killed.” The Director nodded. “So, we decided to look at those that arrived earlier and flew into Dulles from a location inside the country. The numbers we had to work through were more than a hundred thousand but we’ve narrowed it down to a woman from Ireland.”

  “How did you arrive at that conclusion?”

  “We looked at the car rental logs the week of the event and narrowed it down to foreign women who rented a car. A Suzette Callahan rented a car from Avis and turned it in the day after the killings. She flew out to Zurich and we have no further trace on her. We’ve contacted the Swiss and they pretty much told us to shove it.”

  “Why?”

  “We’ve been pressuring them through the United Nations to open their bank accounts and they are not really happy with us now.”

  “Are you pretty confident she is the one you’re looking for?”

  “Everything about this case makes no sense. Ms. Callahan received a Doctorate from Cal-Poly and that makes her suspicious just because no one understands the technology of the weapon used in the murders.”

  “It could have been self-defense, Carter.”

  “I know but clinging to the ruse that they were murders allows us to pursue the case.”

  The Director shrugged, “Go on.”

  “None of our sources in Europe have turned up anything on her. So far, it’s a blind alley.” Carter picked up his papers and smiled. The Director said, “Where are you going?”

  “Sir, I’ve done all I can. Our people in Europe will have to take it from here.”

  “Pack your bags.”

  “Sir?”

  “Go to Europe and find her. Don’t come back until you do!”

  “But…”

  “I’m not accustomed to repeating myself, Carter.”

  Carter stared at the Director and exhaled softly before saying, “Yes, Sir.” He left the Director’s office and went to his apartment and contacted Genny, “Hon, I’m sorry but I’ve been assigned to Europe.”

  “How long this time?”

  “I…really don’t have any idea. But I’ll stay in touch.”

  “That’s the problem, Derik. We never get to touch. I’m done with this relationship!”

  Derik took the phone away from his ear as Genny slammed it down. He stared at it, closed his eyes, and shook his head. This was just great. Do a good job and what does it get you? More work. Less loving, less personal time, less of everything. He packed a bag and looked around the apartment. If this Suzette was as intelligent as he figured, she would not be easily found. He could be stuck in Europe indefinitely. The Director meant it when he said don’t come back without her. He shook his head and pulled out his large suitcase. He stopped down stairs and told the manager that he was not renewing his lease.

  “Good, there are twenty looking to take it!” the manager said gruffly. Carter took the agency’s car to the airport and called in to have it picked up. His life was not what he ever intended it to be.

  • • •

  He arrived in Dublin, Ireland and one of his sources picked him up at the airport. He loaded his bags in the car and Rick said, “You’re wasting your time here.”

  Derek sighed and said, “Let’s go get some good food. I’m tired of airline cuisine.”

  “Then you better go to another place. Our food is nothing like you are accustomed to in America, Lad.”

  “Try me.”

  They drove to an Irish Pub and Rick filled him in, “Suzette completed her doctorate and was hired by someone upon graduation. She came here about four years ago to bury her father, who had passed away from sclerosis of the liver.”

  “Drank too much?” Derik asked.’

  “Laddy, we all drink too much here. His wife had died several years before Suzette left for school and he pretty much gave up on everything.”

  “How did you learn that?”

  “His neighbors. They said it was a real tragedy. Anyway, the daughter has not come back since the funeral.” Derik stared at him and Rick shrugged, “We are keeping an eye out for her so all you’d be doing here is maybe manning one of the stakeouts.”

  “Where are you staking out?”

  “No real rhyme or reason to them but we’re charging your government for the time. It’s a way to make a quid.”

  After they ate, Derik decided Rick was right about the food. He called and booked a flight to Zurich. This was already turning into a real cluster…” His cellphone vibrated and he took it out, “Carter here.”

  “We’ve found out that one Suzette Callahan applied for and was granted Swiss Citizenship two years ago. I thought you might want to know.”

  “Thanks, Gracie.”

  “I’m sorry, Derek.”

  “Goes with the job. Do you know why the Director chose me to go?”

  “You’re too good at your job. His boss has noticed and the Director sees you as a possible competitor. Getting you out of the country is a political decision. Good luck and don’t hesitate to use the expense account. I wouldn’t.”

  Derek ended the call and knew Gracie had given him grief in the past about penny-pinching on his expense reports. He thought about it and decided that wasn’t happening from this moment forward. Being gung-ho had gotten him shipped overseas. He’d ride this out and look at another job when he went home. He shook his head; that was exactly what the Director hoped he’s do.

  • • •

  He arrived in Switzerland and reported in to his counterpart in Geneva. “You will keep me informed of your whereabouts and anything you intend to do that involves our citizens, is that clear, Special Agent Carter!?!”

  The Swiss intelligence officer said each word emphatically and emphasized his name. “It’s clear. Should I call you directly?”

  “No, send me an Email.”

  “Will do.” Derek hung up and knew the Swiss were not going to be helpful. But he had a picture of the woman when she was in college and she had flown into Zurich. She must go out to local restaurants or hang outs of people her age. He’d just have to go and look around. He hoped the night life was at least bearable.

/>   He discovered it was more than he hoped for and he settled in and made the best of a bad situation. He knew part of the Director’s decision was based on him knowing French and German fluently. The Swiss spoke a form of German and he picked up the language quickly.

  • • •

  After seven months, Carter decided it was maybe time to go home. The woman had not shown up and no one knew who she was when he showed her picture. The Swiss were not very happy with the United States at the moment and he was not being received very well by the locals after they learned he was American. It was early November and he sat at on a bar stool listening to the band play a ragged form of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Relax and making his mind up on what to do. A woman came up and sat down on the stool next to him, “Do your mind if I sit here?”

  Carter was surprised; she spoke English and was gorgeous, “No, go right ahead. Are you American?”

  “I am. Where are you from?”

  “Kentucky originally. I’ve been working in DC for a few years.” Carter stared at her and began sizing her up. She was without doubt beautiful but the way she was looking around the room and her arms gave her away, “Special Forces?”

  The woman’s head went back, “How can you tell?”

  “Your arms and the way you look around the room as you’re talking to me. You’re trying to decide if you should take me out here or lead me to another place to do it.”

  The woman’s eyes narrowed, “Has anyone ever told you that you see too much?”

  “Get in line. That’s my middle name. Do you think it will be my epitaph?”

  The woman ordered a drink and looked at him, “I understand you’ve been looking for Suzette.” Carter’s eyes flew wide open and the woman smiled, “You’ve made quite a name for yourself, Mr. FBI. I must say that I thought you’d be easy. I’d just bat my eyes and touch you on the arm and let you convince me to follow you out of here. But that’s not going to happen, is it?”

  Carter stared at her and saw she had her hand in her purse. He was trained in martial arts but he no delusions that he was anywhere near as good as a soldier trained by Special Forces instructors. “You’re not working for my government.” The woman’s eyes widened slightly and she nodded. “Your telling me you don’t pretty much confirms you intend me harm. Why is this Suzette so important?”