Step on the Sun

by Doug Plamping

  Hardisty’s face and voice were grim, “I said what I said. These decisions are for the military, not for scientists, politicians and bureaucrats.”

  “Mr. Chair, a private word,” said Carl Davis, standing up and moving to the corner of the room.

  Senator Abrams’s shoulders slumped; without the retraction he knew that this could be the end of Hardisty’s career. He didn’t like Hardisty, mainly because of the way he treated his subordinates, and his obvious dislike of civilian oversight of the military, but Senator Abrams had no doubt about the command capabilities of Hardisty as a military leader, as they had been amply demonstrated in numerous conflicts during his career. “The Committee will take a short break.” He stood up and moved over next to Davis. No one else in the room moved; this would be all over Washington and the Pentagon within hours, and none of them was going to miss it.

  “Senator, we have to make the call,” said Davis quietly.

  “Carl, he’s made a stupid statement, but his military record is good. There’s no chance?” asked Senator Abrams. Senator Abrams knew that these meetings were recorded, so there was no way that Hardisty could talk his way out of this. General Hardisty stood impatiently at the far end of the table, too far away to hear them.

  Carl Davis answered firmly, “No. You gave him the only chance he gets. There are too many red flags on Hardisty’s file for us to ignore this. There have been similar statements in less public situations.”

  Senator Abrams picked up the telephone on the desk, punched an extension number, and asked to speak directly to the Chief of Staff, U.S. Army. Once connected he quickly laid out what had been said, and then passed the phone to Carl who confirmed it all, repeating General Hardisty’s statements.

  The phone was passed back; the Senator listened for a moment and then turned around, “General Hardisty, there is a call for you,” he announced. “Please take it on this telephone.”

  General Hardisty walked up the length of the room, frowning at this imposition. He took the phone. “General Hardisty here,” he listened, and surprise showed on his face briefly. “Yes Sir. How can I help you, Sir?” From the General’s posture everyone could tell he was talking to someone of higher rank. “No Sir, I don’t think what I said was out of line based on the situation.” Now the General looked anxious. “Yes Sir, oh seven hundred hours, Sir.” General Hardisty put the phone down, gave Senator Abrams, Carl Davis, and Colonel Richards angry stares, picked up his binder, and walked quickly out of the room.

  “What’ll happen to the General?” the Senator asked Carl.

  “This is not the first incident with General Hardisty making unacceptable comments about civilian authority. So, he’ll keep his rank, but he’ll be transferred somewhere uninviting as punishment. Personally, I hope he finishes up in Greenland.” Carl Davis was shaking his head. “We have too much invested in training senior officers to waste it all; so he’ll get a chance to learn from his mistake, but you’ll never see him on the Hill or at the Pentagon again.”

  Senator Abrams turned back to the committee table, addressing everyone. “Sorry for the interruption. In the circumstances, I suggest we adjourn the meeting and deal with the remaining items next week. Colonel Richards, thank you for coming, and it will not be necessary for you to come to the next meeting. I think we have all the information we need. We’re adjourned.”

  * * *

  General Hardisty stopped to use his cellphone in a quiet area of the corridor. “Sergeant, this is General Hardisty.”

  “Yes Sir, how can I help you?”

  “Sergeant, this is a direct order. You will send copies of any information or reports on these Mexico pulses to my personal attention, wherever I am, without informing Colonel Richards or anyone else. Understood?”

  “Yes Sir, copies of all reports.”

  “Good. Make sure you do it!” He hung up, grimaced, and walked over to the entrance where his driver was waiting. They’d tricked him, prodding at him until he said what they wanted, but he would get even with Senator Abrams and Colonel Richards no matter what it cost him.

  * * *

  Back in the meeting room, Dan was taking the aerial photo off the whiteboard, and packing everything into a large envelope with a security sticker on it. Senator Abrams came over to talk to him.

  “I hate to admit it,” said Senator Abrams quietly, “but the General was partly right. We do need to know what this is, even if it’s not terrorists. So, keep monitoring for any future pulses and set up those portable detectors. This incident wasn’t your fault; this time bomb has been ticking for a while. Hardisty is known for his outbursts but he has never, in public, gone this far before. If you have any problems with Hardisty let me know.”

  “Thank you, Sir,” said Dan, the relief at having the Senator’s support was evident in his voice, “I appreciate that.”

  “Hardisty is the type that will want to get even, and he can cause us both a lot of trouble. Better to be prepared. Keep your ears open, and send me anything you hear.”

  Chapter 11 – Final Year, First Week

  Amy smiled. Sally was back. Sally Mercury Samuel had been her roommate for two years, and they both felt like they’d found the sister they’d never had. From her dorm room window Amy watched Sally walking in from the parking lot. As always, Sally walked as if she had to get somewhere quickly, hips swinging, purse bouncing back and forth. Guys were always watching her, which was no surprise, as she dressed to show as much of her flawless brown skin as possible. Amy saw that it was no different this time; heads turned to watch her.

  The room door was open and Sally, pausing only to drop her purse on the desk, grabbed Amy and hugged her. Sally was a hugger, which the guys didn’t mind at all. Sally held her, looked at her, “Nice tan. Got pictures of the friends you told me about? What’s with the stick?” Sally was an electric dynamo in human form.

  “Stick?” Amy wondered. “Oh, you mean the staff.” Sally never missed a change in the room. She was a neat freak, and her stuff was already precisely placed onto shelves and into the closet. Sally had even made her bed, military style – all tucked in; she was certain that Paul would be impressed. Like the opposite end of a magnet, her stuff was in chaos, piled on the bed and floor, and the staff was leaning against the wall. “That’s a long story.”

  Sally’s eyes lit up, “Good, and I imagine there’s two guys involved?” she prompted.

  “Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking!” Amy responded as she closed the door. Amy pushed over a pile of clothes on the bed and sat down; her chair had a pile of books and binders on it. Sally, grinning, pulled over her chair, which, unlike hers, didn’t have anything on it, and was probably even wiped clean.

  “The three of us were walking on the beach when we saw a bunch of Mexican kids throwing stones at an old man…” Over the next 15 minutes, Amy gave her the edited story; Simon’s heart attack, the hospital, Simon being a priest, the campsite, and their oaths to return Simon’s journals and staff to his school.

  “Where’s this school?”

  “It’s a seven day journey, on foot, from the nearest road,” but Amy knew that wouldn’t satisfy Sally, “and we’re going to scout the route during our breaks.”

  “’We’ means you, Paul, and Frank?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where is this school? What country? Tibet, Africa, where?”

  “We gave our oaths to keep that secret.”

  “An oath?”

  “My sworn word to keep a secret.”

  Sally commented, “You and your oaths! I know better than to try to get you to break your word!”

  Amy went over and brought the staff to Sally, partially to stop the questions she couldn’t answer. Sally looked at the carvings carefully, “It’s beautiful. What does this symbol mean?”

  “It translates in English as Master Wayfarer.”

  “And what does that mean?”

  “I can’t tell you that either.”

  “You’re frustrati
ng, you know that!” Sally said, went back to examining the staff, carefully looking at both ends of the staff. “Amy, you said Simon used this as a walking staff, and you used it on the last day?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “There’s not a scratch on either end of the staff. What kind of wood is this?”

  “I don’t know.” Before Amy could object, Sally pressed a ring on her hand on the bottom of the staff, and tried to scratch it. “Hey! Don’t. It’s a sacred object, you can’t start scratching it!”

  Examining her ring and the end of the staff, Sally announced, “Don’t worry. The diamond on my ring didn’t leave a mark. It looks and feels like wood, but it’s not wood. You’d better ask this Simon what it’s made of.”

  “That would be difficult.”

  “Why?”

  “We didn’t tell our families this, so don’t tell anyone.” Sally nodded. “On the last day when we went to visit Simon at his campsite, we found that he had died in his sleep. We buried him there, as bringing him back would have raised too many questions.”

  Sally blurted, “You can’t just bury someone! There’s laws against that.”

  “True, but in the circumstances we didn’t break any Mexican law, and I can’t tell you why. The point is that we can’t ask Simon anything, and we have no choice but to return his journals and staff ourselves.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yes, that’s all I can tell you. Later I’ll be free to tell you the whole story.”

  “Later?” Sally asked.

  “After we graduate.”

  Sally was quiet for a moment, “OK. But you’d better tell me everything!”

  “I will.”

  Sally nodded. “I don’t like waiting! I want to see the photos now.”

  Amy unearthed her laptop from under a pile of clothes, and showed Sally pictures of Paul, Frank, and Simon at his campsite.

  Sally had comments, “Well Paul’s a hunk, and Frank’s not bad either. You could have had fun with either one! Simon dressed like a monk, and old. Where did you take this, there’s no ferns like this where you were in Mexico, it’s almost desert there.”

  Sally was going to be a scientist, and Amy thought, a good one. Sally was keenly observant, and Amy told herself she’d better not show anyone else pictures with the ferns in the background. “I can’t tell you that either.”

  “Grrrrr! You’re so frustrating! I hate half a story!”

  * * *

  Amy was attending a Comparative Politics seminar at the Franklin Center. The building was off campus, but it was an easy 10 minute hike from the Perkins building, going through the Duke Hospital grounds. Amy enjoyed the change; while the style of the older Duke University building was attractive, it was sometimes a relief to come to a modern building with all the electronic gadgets. Amy had noted that some of the Profs enjoyed the opportunity to use the electronic facilities, while other profs just ignored them. Amy particularly liked the opportunity for video conferencing where the group could interact with politicians and political staff from around the world. The seminar was delayed as the Professor had been given an envelope with some forms in it at the beginning of the seminar. After checking at the contents he announced, “Ladies and Gentlemen this is David Higgins; he is late joining us because his paperwork seems to have been misplaced. He needs to catch up, so, I would appreciate someone sharing their notes from any sessions this morning.”

  Amy waited while the new student took a seat behind her. She was relieved; he wouldn’t be asking for her notes.

  * * *

  Sally got out of bed for her post-party 5 am toilet trip. The Monday night parties on campus had been a blast. As she liked to drink beer, the extra trip to the toilet was the normal result. Sally walked quietly to keep from waking Amy. She sensed something under her foot. It rolled! She stumbled into the corner of the desk. That was going to leave a bruise. It was Amy’s staff! She was tempted to wake Amy to give her what for, but she needed to get back to sleep.

  * * *

  Sally was headed for the toilet, trying not to wake up too much. The Tuesday night parties had been even better, but she couldn’t keep this up and study too. After last night’s bruising she was sliding her feet across the carpet, making sure she didn’t trip on anything. Then she saw it! Amy’s staff appearing above Amy’s bed, and then floating down onto the bed. She blinked her eyes a few times but it was still happening. She moved to Amy’s bed and there was the staff in her hand.

  “This is too weird!” Sally said as she punched Amy on the shoulder, “Wake up!”

  “Why?” Amy responded sleepily.

  “Because I just saw your staff float down onto your bed.”

  Amy rolled over to check the alarm clock, and hit her forehead on Simon’s staff, “Ow!”

  “You deserved that!” stated Sally.

  Amy propped herself up in bed, “Sorry, but I don’t remember getting up to get the staff. I went right to sleep.”

  “But you have it now,” Sally pointed at the staff, “and I saw it float down onto your bed.”

  “Floating in the air?”

  “I saw it!”

  Amy looked at her, answering through a yawn, “Don’t be ridiculous. Staffs don’t float in the air. You had a lot to drink last night.”

  “If you don’t believe me, then I’ll prove it!”

  Amy yawned again, “Can I go back to sleep now?”

  * * *

  Frank had started a week earlier than Amy, returning to Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, so he was now settling into his routine. As he was in graduate studies he was able to get a single room with lots of space for a work table. He was combining Physics and Data Mining courses in his Masters, but only had a few courses to complete, as most of his credits were coming from approved research projects. He watched two new female students coming in and passing in their papers. As the prof had been away for part of last week, this was only the second lecture for this sub-atomic physics course. They were lucky, he thought, they weren’t far behind.

  One of them caught his eye, attractive, brunette, long hair, tall, slender, and smart too if she was registered in this course, just the type of girl he liked to date. He made a mental note to find out her name. The lecture started, and Frank forgot about dating for a while.

  * * *

  Paul had driven from his parent’s house to Torino, or Turin as Amy would know it, and he had his snowboard and cross-country skis on the roof rack, ready for the winter snows in the Alps, only 90 minutes west of the city. There were no changes to make in his course schedule as the credits for his Strategic Sciences degree at the School of Applied Studies and Army Military Studies Institute were already focused on the army command track. Paul was proud of the history of the School, founded more than 125 years before West Point in the US. The School was part of the University of Torino, but he had minimal contact with other university students. Paul had volunteered with the security office last year, and volunteered again this year. His security clearance was low, and as the School also provided for training of NATO officers this limited what he could deal with, but he could assist with catching up on their paperwork and entering it into the computer terminal. Most items were just routine complaints, the interesting stuff went to someone else, but the file now on his desk got his attention.

  A car had been observed sitting on the public street near the main entrance over a number of days, but the people in the car changed about every 12 hours. Four people had been photographed, and occasionally they changed the car they were using. Criminal and vehicle checks had been run, but they found nothing out of the ordinary. He briefly wondered what they were watching for. As the car was legally parked, security was instructed to do nothing, but to continue to observe and report any changes. Paul created a new data file in the computer system, input the photos and reports, and added the orders to observe and report to the standing orders for the security officers.

  * * *

  When
Amy came back to the dorm room, Sally was setting up a large camera on a tripod.

  “What’s with the camera?” asked Amy.

  “It’s a wildlife camera. We strap it to a trunk of a tree to record wildlife moving by. It’s motion sensitive, and will take a minute of video each time, even in the dark. I saw that staff float, and I’m going to prove it.” Sally set the tripod on the floor facing the closet. “This way we won’t set it off every time we turn over. Just don’t trip over it.”

  * * *

  Someone was shaking her.

  “Amy wake up!” it was Sally, again.

  Amy felt the staff in her hand, “I didn’t get up!”

  Sally smiled, “The camera never lies! Get up, and we’ll watch some video!”

  “All right! All right! Give me five minutes.”

  When Amy was ready, Sally had her computer ready to go, “There’s 11 video clips on the camera card, so that’s 10 as the last one is me switching off the camera.”

  The first one was nothing, the closet door didn’t move. Sally suggested, “The motion camera probably caught blankets moving, or something.” The second through fifth were the same, nothing. The sixth one was of Sally going to and from the toilet. The seventh one was nothing, again, although Amy though she saw some movement in the top corner of the frame. The eighth, ninth, and tenth, showed nothing and the closet door was never opened. The eleventh showed Sally bending down to switch off the camera, giving a great shot of her healthy cleavage.

  Amy said, “I told you! I never got up.”

  Sally agreed, “OK. So how did your staff get from the closet to your bed?”

  “Good question. Go back to the seventh video.”

  Sally played it again.

  Amy pointed to the top corner of the screen, “What’s that?”

  They both watched the video a couple of times. It was hard to tell, but it looked like Simon’s staff up was floating against the wall.

  Sally suggested, “That’s your staff and it is hovering in midair just like I saw before.”

  Amy rubbed her forehead trying to think this through, “Can you keep this camera for another night?”

  “Sure. Why?”

  “Set it up tonight so it records the staff in the closet with the door open, and above my bed.”