by David Cline
Wood dove in headfirst and had the gas pedal to the floor before he could shut the door. The old rusty truck roared to life as its rear tires churned, spitting up dirt behind them.
Amara tumbled backwards against the front seat. She reached up and grasped the handles mounted on the roof to steady herself. She saw a shrinking figure running after them shouting into a radio. Wilkins fired one more time and then made his way through the broken rear window.
Wood had not let up at all and took the next turn so fast, Amara could have sworn they went up on two wheels. Adam almost fell out of the back.
“Will you slow down,” Wilkins yelled halfway inside the truck. “You’re driving like a Thai taxi driver!”
Wood looked at him through the rearview window and eased off the gas. It was just enough for Wilkins to crawl through the window and squeeze in between Fin and André.
After a few bumpy miles, they came up onto a paved highway. The tires squealed as Wood cranked the wheel hard. Everyone seemed to let out an audible gasp of relief. An overloaded truck transporting hundreds of orange bags of onions puttered ahead of them and Wood swerved to pass it.
“You guys really stirred up a hornet’s nest back there,” Wilkins said. He laughed and slapped both Fin and André on the knee. Fin gave him a nervous smile. André did not move. He was still slouching as low as possible in his seat, his chest heaving up and down.
“Where are we going?” Fin asked.
Wood turned around and gave him a sly grin. “Ciudad del Este.”
Chapter 4
Tokyo Japan
Rory Jensen jumped out of the way of a bicyclist as he made his way down a narrow street. He yelled his favorite English insults to let some of his frustration out. It had been a long day at the lab without much progress. The countless hours spent with the simulators and computer projections were worth it if he felt his small team’s objective neared. Today just had not been productive.
The crowds were thicker than normal as Rory fought his way through them, like a fish swimming upstream. He turned a corner and saw an older man with a black suit and no tie carrying a briefcase. He was accompanied by a young girl in pigtails and a short skirt. Rory rolled his eyes as they brushed shoulders and passed each other.
The leader of his team had selected this location for the lab because he liked being close to the best, and worse, Tokyo had to offer. Rory did not mind for the most part. The busy streets offered a great escape to the monotony of their small office. By walking a few short blocks, he found himself amongst the bright lights and hordes of tourists patronizing the countless shops and restaurants.
Rory side stepped between two dancing pandas both with advertisements attached to their backs and crossed the street. He was grateful to see his favorite food vendor was not busy and ordered yakisoba and tomorokoshi. He tried to say thank you in Japanese as the woman handed him a steaming plate. She just smiled and bowed. His Japanese was atrocious. Something to work on if he ever found the time.
Rory scanned the area and spotted a small table that had just been vacated by some tourists wearing shirts with the Canadian maple leaf. He dodged a large group wearing Hello Kitty t-shirts and sat down. His mouth watered as he rolled the chopsticks together and had just taken an enormous bite when a figure sat down across from him.
He looked up, surprised, and saw a stunning young blonde beaming at him. He hurried to chew what was in his mouth, spitting half of the long noodles back onto the plate.
“Kon'nichiwa,” he managed to say after an embarrassing silence. He grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth, hoping to conceal the redness in his face.
“Hello to you too,” she said. “How’s the food?”
Rory paused for a moment and looked around. Was this real? This kind of chance encounter only happened in movies and video games. He stared across the table at the woman. She seemed almost too perfect to be real. Her messy blonde hair was long, disappearing behind her shoulders. She wore a brown leather jacket and a light blue shirt that exposed just enough for him to break into a sweat. Around her neck hung a slender necklace with a small medallion. The shape looked like some sort of species of bird. He wanted to look closer but was scared she would think he was staring at something else.
“Most excellent,” he finally said. “Can I order you some? The yakisoba is the best in the city.”
She smiled and extended her slender hand across the table. “My name is Gisela. I would love to have a bite.”
Rory shook her hand and then pushed the plate across the table. “Please. Let me know what you think. Where are you from Gisela, and what brings you to Japan?”
Gisela took a bite and nodded approvingly. “I am from little Alemania.” She raised her slender arms and gestured to the mayhem that surrounded their table. A line of people dressed as cats danced nearby. She watched them pass with a wide grin. “This is why I am in Japan.” She winked at him.
Rory had never heard of little Alemania, but not wanting her to know that, he smiled knowingly and nodded. “It can get pretty wild here sometimes. Nothing like a night in downtown Tokyo. It would give Las Vegas a run for its money.”
She pushed the plate of food back to him and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “What brings you to Japan?” she asked. “And what is your name? I don’t think I caught it.”
“Sorry,” he said. “My name is Rory, and unfortunately it’s work that has brought me here. Our lab is only a few blocks that way.” He pointed behind him with a chopstick.
Gisela’s bright blue eyes widened. “A lab?” she said. “What kind of work do you do?”
“Believe me,” Rory said. “It’s way too boring to describe on a night as beautiful as this.” He could not keep his eyes off her. She was gorgeous. “But if you must know, I work for I.P.R. or the Institute of Polar Research. There are only five of us at the Tokyo location. We focus on upper atmospheric science, polar science, and geo science. Too much science if you ask me.”
Gisela giggled. “How does a business like that make any money?” she asked.
Rory laughed. “It’s not a business really. The only reason we are operational is because of the grant money that some governments have allocated for our research. I guess they think what we are doing is important.”
She smiled again. Her teeth were perfectly straight. “What is your team currently working on?” she asked.
Rory was sure that she was feigning interest and wanted to change the subject to more flirty topics but decided to go easy. He did not want to ruin this opportunity. “We are studying the weakening magnetic field, the effect of solar winds on our planet and the ever-moving poles.”
“Fascinating,” she said. “The magnetic poles move?”
“If you had a compass,” he began, “we could watch as the arrow swiveled to point north. Geographic north and magnetic north are different though. Every year, magnetic north moves. Sometimes up to 25 miles or so. If we were around long enough, we would witness a reversal of the magnetic field. So, your compass would actually point south.” He reached out and touched her forearm. “However, this is all textbook and extremely dull.”
Gisela pushed him lightly in the shoulder. “I don’t think it’s dull at all. What happens when a reversal happens?”
She had touched him and had not left the table yet. All good signs. He held his arms out like a college professor asking a theoretical problem to a class. “That is a good question. The answer is fiercely debated amongst my peers and scientists across the globe. Some believe that each pole reversal corresponds with an extinction event. I am not sure I believe that but what we do know is that during a reversal, the earth’s magnetic field which acts as a giant shield from solar radiation weakens drastically. The earth is a lot more exposed to particles from space.”
Gisela looked genuinely interested. “Does your team have equipment that measures all of that?” she asked.
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Rory said. “The curb appeal of our office isn’t very gla
morous, but the technology inside makes up for it. We are working with the most sophisticated software ever written for our specific field of study. Our models can predict weather conditions based on solar activity more accurately than the local news. I do not want to get into the technicalities, but it’s actually quite cool. If you are into that sort of thing,” he added with a sheepish grin.
Gisela leaned forward and brushed some fallen hair behind her ear. “Have you ever heard of star water?” she whispered.
Rory’s eyes grew wide and then a broad grin stretched across his face. “You know your science.”
Gisela laughed. “I have read some information about it. Is it true that water can form in space?”
A large group of teenagers skipped by their table twirling umbrellas. Rory waited for the last one to pass before elaborating. “Above the clouds, there are electric layers that make up the ionosphere. Large coronal mass ejections from the sun can cause oxygen to essentially be sucked into space from earth. The particles from the sun, which are composed mostly of Hydrogen, would meet the escaping oxygen. The environment would be perfect for electro-chemical combination. Together, they would first form hydroxyls and then eventually water, which would fall back to earth due to gravity.”
Gisela’s eyes glowed. “And your state-of-the-art software can accurately predict rainfall estimations based on the size of solar flares?” she asked.
“Yes, they can,” Rory answered. “Although, you are the first person I have ever met with such a keen interest.”
Gisela waved her hand dismissively. “I find it all very romantic, that’s all. Do you think we could go to your lab? I would very much like to see it.”
“You want to go now?” he asked. He was surprised by her candidness. A red flag went up deep in the recesses of his mind, but stronger forces suppressed any intuitive warning.
Gisela nodded with a mischievous grin.
Rory hesitated. Visitors were not allowed in the lab due to the fear of intellectual property espionage and general safety. But who would want to steal instruments that tracked solar activity all day? Nobody cared about the ionosphere. He thought about counter offering and inviting her to his apartment instead. She might misinterpret his intentions though, or more likely know exactly what his intentions were. The office was close and private. He would probably get a stern reprimand from the boss, especially for turning off the security cameras. He looked across the table at her slender figure. If she wanted the cameras off for the same reason he wanted to take her back to his apartment, any kind of rebuke would be worth it.
“Deal,” he said standing up. “I would love to give you a quick tour. Let’s go find you some star water.”
They made their way down the street together. The throngs of people thinned as the night progressed, but plenty of activity still surrounded them. When they drew close, Rory had Gisela wait on the sidewalk for a few minutes while he entered and killed the cameras. He spent an extra minute frantically trying to clean up some of the clutter that littered every empty space. He descended to the door and with a quick motion of his arm, Gisela entered and followed him up the stairs.
Gisela stopped in the doorway and did a quick once over of the small lab. Rory turned around and saw the disappointment in her eyes.
“When I said lab, you were probably expecting boiling flasks and glass tubes filled with dubious liquids. Most of our research takes place on computers. Sorry to disappoint.”
She hesitated for a moment and then her charm returned as quickly as it had left. “I must admit, I was expecting something else, but I love this place.” She picked up a carton off the floor with half eaten rice that was a few days old. “You guys definitely put your work first,” she said, wagging a finger at him like an elementary school teacher.
He led her towards his desk though the maze of monitors and whiteboards that were covered with complex mathematical equations, and the occasional inappropriate drawing, in different colors of dry erase marker. A Dennis Nedry bobble head doll began to wobble as he dragged over an extra chair and bumped the table. He opened his laptop and three screens lit up.
“Now,” he said, rubbing his hands together like a musical conductor about to begin a performance. “What questions can we answer about your star water?”
Gisela sat down next to him and looked from screen to screen. “This technology is amazing. Is this data about the magnetosphere in real time?” she asked.
Rory looked sideways at her. “I think you aren’t telling me everything about your background, missy.” He winked at her. “But yes. Our satellites can track the condition of the magnetosphere live.”
“And that is a live image of the sun?”
Rory put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. “Yes, ma’am. Governments and big business like to have some heads up if a large solar flare is coming our way. Global communications can sometimes be disrupted. If they are large enough, flares can cause entire grids to go dark. There is a fleet of helio physics spacecraft that are constantly monitoring everything about the sun and sending us a live stream.”
Gisela put her hand on his arm. “What’s the most powerful solar flare ever recorded?”
Rory brushed her hand with his. Butterflies were forming in his stomach. “In 2003, a solar flare erupted from the sun that was so powerful, it overloaded the sensors measuring it. Scientists after estimated that it measured as an X-28.”
Gisela scooted closer to him. “What would happen if a flare measuring X-1,000 occurred?”
Rory laughed. “I don’t think that would be physically possible.”
“Can your software have such large numbers plugged into it?” she asked.
“I’m not sure to be honest.” He typed on the keyboard and a flat map of the earth appeared with different shades of colors throughout. On the left side were variables which he began changing. After a second, he hit enter.
The map began to transform, and the colors changed. Rory whistled. “Not only would oxygen from the ionosphere enter space, but oxygen from the surface of the planet.” He pointed at a histogram on the lower right side of the screen. “Look at that. A world-wide thunderstorm unlike anything we have ever seen.”
Gisela watched the rapidly changing numbers as if committing them to memory. After a minute, she looked away from the monitor and into Rory’s eyes. “Well, it has happened once before.”
Before Rory could respond, she removed a bottle from her small backpack. The glass was dark and looked old. “Now,” she said, “let’s celebrate this night together the right way. You don’t happen to have two glasses around here, do you?”
Rory looked at her without knowing what to say. “What are we celebrating?” he finally asked. He stood and made his way across the room to the small kitchen they used mostly to microwave the Japanese’ version of ramen.
“Our new friendship,” she called after him. “And el cuarto imperio en el sol,” she said after a pause, her voice soft.
Rory returned with two plastic cups and sat back down. “Sorry we don’t have anything fancier,” he said. “What did you say we are celebrating besides our new friendship?”
Gisela unscrewed the cap and tossed it over her shoulder. “These will do just fine,” she said. She filled both glasses half full and handed one to Rory. “To star water,” she said with a tired grin.
“To star water,” Rory said, closing his eyes and draining the cup. The taste was sweet at first but became bitter the longer he drank. He coughed until tears swelled in his eyes. “That is strong,” he said wiping his eyes.
Gisela stood. “A special drink produced in my country.” She walked over to his computer and shut the top of his laptop. The three screens went dark.
Rory laughed. “What are you doing?” He was about to stand but found that his vision began to blur. “What is happening?” he asked, surprised.
Gisela unplugged the HDMI cables and placed the laptop into her backpack.
The room began to spin. “
What did you give me?” Rory mumbled. The wheels under his chair rolled away and he fell backwards. One at a time, his senses began to fail as a numbness spread throughout his body.
He looked up and saw Gisela making a lap around the lab, putting external hard drives and documents into her pack. Once satisfied, she bent low and, with surprising power, lifted Rory to his feet. She placed one of his arms around her shoulders and dragged him back down the stairs and out onto the street.
Rory tried to struggle free but had no power over his body. The messages his brain was sending to his limbs were getting lost somewhere along the way.
Two tourists with large dslr cameras around their necks walked over to them with concerned faces. “Is he okay? Can we help,” one of them asked, reaching an arm out to help steady him.
Rory tried to scream for help but only a drunken collection of sounds exited his mouth.
Gisela flashed her perfect smile and giggled. “I warned him to take it slow tonight, but he didn’t listen. We are almost home, thanks for the offer but I think we can manage.”
Both tourists laughed. “We have been there before,” one of them said. “A little too often if I’m completely honest. Have a great night.” They turned and walked away.
Gisela thanked them and then lead Rory around the corner and down the next street. The crowds had disappeared, and Gisela steered clear of any other potential encounters.
Rory could not believe how fast they were going. He must have been 200 pounds of dead weight she was supporting alongside her. She did not even seem to be breathing hard. He tried to look ahead but could not even manage that. He was completely at her mercy.
They turned another corner and stepped up onto a wooden boardwalk. Panic flooded his mind and he begged his body to thrash and kick, but to no avail.
Gisela stopped beside a large tree where the surrounding lights did not penetrate. She helped Rory sit down with his legs overhanging a cement wall.