The Colonel ushered them into the rear of the office building and showed them the expected rows of desks and cubicles. There were even a few fake plants scattered about on top of different filing cabinets to add to the atmosphere of dullness for the people working in the office pool.
“This part of the power business is very exciting, no?” Colonel Zimmer winked. “But someone has to keep track of what comes in and what goes out. For all that we provide to the world we are actually very efficient. Enough of this…you youngsters always want to get to the fun part, right?” An assistant seemed to appear of out thin air with their coats. The Colonel led them to the doorway leading out into the plant and reactor area. As they passed through he told them, “This plant is 350 years old. Even at that age it is responsible for one twelfth of the power we produce and send around the world.” He stopped a moment. “Please allow me to correct myself. This plant will now be responsible for one tenth of the power we produce and send around the world. It is more than capable of handling the extra load now required by unfortunate events, and will even be able to keep up with the demand on recharging power cubes for smaller power umbrellas.”
After a moment he added, “The rewards are quite impressive.”
Tressa was momentarily off balance as she thought she saw another Colonel Zimmer in the plant area. The uniform and eye patch on the figure in the distance made it seem he had a clone running around. She knew she had promised Fergus to be on her best behavior but she couldn’t resist saying, “I’m sure they are very impressive, however I don’t think you can count on money from Top Peake any time soon.”
Colonel Zimmer was not fazed in the slightest. He simply smiled coldly and responded, “Ahh, the marvelous power umbrella of Top Peake. Never ending, never needing a recharge, never, never, never. Quite astounding. I must congratulate the town founders on selecting such impressive technology when they retreated into the hills.” Turning, he looked squarely at Fergus and said, “What would the wonderful story-loving people of Top Peake do if their precious umbrella ever needed a recharge. We would certainly want to help them in any way we could. Perpetual Power is always interested in providing assistance to mankind wherever there is need.”
Tressa picked up some sort of message passed between Fergus and Zimmer but couldn’t decipher what it was. Before she realized it the group had moved ahead toward a smaller building in the middle of a maze of pipes and conduits. She ran and caught up as they entered the building.
“Now we get to the best part. You will really be amazed by this.” Colonel Zimmer led them into the reactor control room. Through the viewing windows Tressa could see pipes and hoses running all around a gigantic room in front of her. Several large tanks were mounted on steel frames above the floor with pipes leading out the bottom of them and into smaller tanks. Everything was labeled and color coded. Vapor streams were being vented from pressure valves, and control panels with blinking green lights were mounted on machinery wherever she looked.
The center of the room had a raised dais with a glass enclosure around it and an open top. A simple, cylindrical metal container about the size of the washing machine in Tressa’s home sat inside the enclosure. Out of the top of the metal cylinder Tressa could see a vortex of disturbed air that spiraled up through the open top of the glass room. Right above the container the air was bright blue and as it rose it faded to sky blue with bright neon streaks in it. A little higher it was a translucent blue and further up it softened until the blue faded almost completely. It rose up and disappeared past all the machinery and out an opening in the roof of the building. It must have been the base of the power umbrella they had seen from outside. The air spun with the supercharged atoms that were trapped within the advanced physics of the reactor’s matrix.
“She is quite beautiful, wouldn’t you agree.” Colonel Zimmer asked in his softest voice. Tressa was entranced by the dancing spiral of blue and could only nod her head in agreement. “It’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen,” she said. Mason whispered, “Awesome.”
Zimmer leaned over and reverently told to the trio, “This is the heart of everything that matters in the whole world. Power runs everything…literally and figuratively. Whoever controls the Power controls the destiny of every man woman and child on the planet. Control that tornado and you control more of the world than Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and the British Empire combined. In Munich I sit and watch the reactor for hours. I find it most indescribable to those who have not seen it.”
The Colonel showed them the rest of the plant and how energy was stored and shipped from the world’s safest and most efficient nuclear reactor. “The type of nuclear technology that was developed centuries ago is so far ahead of any other power system and unless you were to re-engineer the entire solar power program it will remain the dominant power system for at least another three or four centuries.”
He described how the power cubes were recharged and gave them some examples of the different types of power umbrellas used around the world. “Because the power cube technology is a universal fit any system can use our cubes. They last for years before needing to be recharged. Most umbrellas work off several cubes and as one wears out the others handle the load until it is replaced. Unfortunately, some communities have decided to circumvent our system and use…lesser cubes that will eventually ruin the power umbrella equipment. Isn’t that right, Mentor Mumfree?”
Fergus cleared his throat and fought for an answer. “Yes, that’s, uh, what I’ve been told. Though, of course you’re the expert.”
“Quite. I forgot momentarily that the people of Top Peake somehow have never-ending power for their umbrella.”
As Fergus and Colonel Zimmer were walking ahead to the office area Tressa and Mason were lagging behind. They looked at all the painted piping running above, below and beside them. “Psst, Tressa. Mason!” A voice filtered out between the pipes trying to catch their attention. Tressa and Mason quickly turned at the next corner and let Fergus and Zimmer continue on. They turned again at the next junction and came face to face with Colonel Zimmer. Except this Colonel Zimmer was over seven feet tall. And his eye patch was in the middle of his face allowing both eyes to blink at the pair.
“Clyde! What are you doing here?” Tressa couldn’t believe he had shown up here and really couldn’t believe what he was wearing.
“I came to help. Like my disguise? I couldn’t remember which eye to cover so I just split the difference.”
Mason laughed, “I love it. Can you make me one?”
“I think so, but it might be a little big. I guess I could-”
Tressa poked Clyde in the chest to get his attention. As he leaned down toward her she grabbed a handful of uniform and aluminum foil ribbons. “Of all the blessed things in this world why would you wear that outfit?”
“I figured that if I looked like the boss I could go wherever I wanted. It got me in here, didn’t it?”
Tressa knew the uniform would not fool a blind security guard so she asked, “How did you get in here?”
“I knocked out the guard at the employee entrance. Let’s go get Eye Patch and turn him over to the police.”
“I really love this guy!” Mason looked at Clyde’s grey pants that had peeling red duct tape on them for stripes and started laughing again.
Tressa was far from ‘loving’ Clyde and wished she could put the duct tape over Mason’s mouth. Instead she said to Clyde, “We can’t turn him over to anybody until we find the explosives and some evidence about what he’s going to do with it.”
Clyde fiddled with his bottle cap on a shoestring ribbon and said, “I guess that makes sense. What do you want to do now?
“I want you to get out of here and meet us at SEW-AK. Our stuff is in the baggage check and we’ll be back later to plan the next step. And for goodness sake get rid of that outfit.” Tressa ordered.
Clyde blushed and managed to say, “Ok. I’ll wait for you there.”
Clyde managed to slip away through a stor
age area without knocking over more than 3 barrels. Hearing the clamor Tressa grabbed Mason by the arm and hurried to catch back up with the adults as they prepared to re-enter the administration building.
“There you are. We were beginning to think you’d decided to stay and work here,” joked Colonel Zimmer. “I was just telling Mentor Mumfree that we are having a celebration of sorts here tonight. The Reactor is turning 350 years old tomorrow and we are having a bit of a birthday party for it. I would be honored if you would consent to be my guests tonight.”
Fergus looked at Tressa and Mason and asked, “Well, shall we?”
Mason immediately nodded and Tressa felt a little pressured to agree. Instead of arguing though she thought of a possible way this might work out to her advantage. “Sure,” she said, “I’d love to look around a little more.”
Chapter 16
Back at SEW-AK Fergus signed them into a visitor’s lounge which had a few showers and changing rooms for passengers with short layovers. For longer stays there were several rooms with cots for men or women. They were not terribly plush, but at least it provided a warm, dry place to sleep. Fergus suggested they collect their baggage and each claim a cot for the night. Tressa went into the women’s dormitory room and found 12 cots lined up in neat rows of four by three. Five already seemed to have been claimed by temporary owners. Two were unmade with rumpled sheets and three others had a smattering of books, bags and clothing on them.
Tressa found one in the last row near a window that let in a little natural light. She figured at this time of year the light should be available for most of the 24 hour day even though her body was used to a much shorter daylight period. Deciding that she should set up some plans with Clyde to try and figure out what Zimmer was up to she quickly unpacked and prepared to leave.
Out in the hallway she considered knocking on the men’s dormitory door to see if Clyde was in there. As she was preparing to knock a janitor in a dark blue uniform and a pushcart with a trash can and broom on it walked by and whispered, “Miss, someone is waiting for you down the hall.” Tressa looked where he was pointing and saw a long arm frantically waving from a partially opened door. Sighing out loud she gathered her patience, squared her shoulders and marched over and through the door.
Once it closed Clyde gave her a big hug. “We are so going to get Eye Patch tonight.”
“His name is Colonel Zimmer.”
“I kinda like Eye Patch better. It sounds like a gang leader or somebody dangerous.”
“He is much more dangerous than a gang leader if he’s up to what I suspect. Tonight I’m going to see if I can find out what his plans are.” Tressa assured the giant man.
“Just tell me what to do.” Clyde rubbed his frying pan-sized hands together. “I’ve got a policeman’s uniform or a lab technician’s outfit and I bet I could probably whip up a pretty good imitation of an Eskimo’s polar bear coat.”
“They’re properly named Inuit’s not Eskimo’s and I don’t want you dressing up as a policeman, or technician, or Santa Claus, or the darn Colonel Zimmer himself! In fact, I don’t want you dressing up like any strange guys tonight.” Tressa insisted.
Signaling his surrender Clyde held up both hands. “Okay, Okay, no dressing up like any guys tonight. I get it. What should I do to help then?”
Finally, I’ve finally made some progress, Tressa thought to herself. Out loud she said, “Wait about thirty minutes after we leave. Then just quietly show up and tell someone at the party you need to speak to me about an emergency. That will let me slip out of the festivities and we can try to find something in the office that incriminates Eye Patch…I mean, Colonel Zimmer.
~
The “bit of a Birthday Party” Colonel Zimmer promised turned out to be a massive gala. Fergus, Mason and Tressa had been picked up at SEW-AK by a private power plant electric trolley and deposited on a red carpet in front of a temporary reception area set up in a side lot of the plant facility. A gigantic canopy was held up by three huge poles forming a long, wide area underneath where at least 50 tables were set for the evening’s expected guests. Poles with space heaters were placed throughout and turned side to side spraying warm air jets up into the tent and doing a remarkable job of keeping the cold air outside at bay. At the far end of the tent a quintet was playing lively music and accompanied by a gyrating singer. The dance floor in front of the bandstand was packed with happy, dancing partygoers.
Right in the middle of the tent under a set of spotlights was a larger than life-sized replica reactor cake. The power vortex was recreated with spun sugar and rose up off the cake about eighteen feet into the air. The trio moved about the tent taking in all the decorations and sampling the appetizers carried by circulating servers. Waiters with large trays were moving throughout the tent laden with drinks. Fergus lifted a champagne flute off a passing tray and looked delighted as he emptied the glass. “I’m sure we can find some juice or something for you two,” he added as an afterthought.
As they moved toward the music Colonel Zimmer detached himself from some local celebrities and motioned them to meet him by the cake.
“I am so happy you have arrived. Where would the evening have gone without the illustrious Mentor Mumfree? And your young wards seem to be none the worse for wear after our jaunt around the plant today, eh?” Colonel gave them all a warm smile. “We had some excitement here after you left. Apparently, a local no-good broke in and assaulted one of our security people. Given our recent past difficulties we take these things very seriously. My people are patrolling outside of the plant tonight on high alert so you have nothing to worry about.”
Fergus nodded to the Colonel. Mason said hello and Tressa said, “Thank you for inviting us, Colonel. I hope it is a very exciting party.”
“I assure you it will be as you young people say…a blast!” The Colonel told them to make themselves at home and enjoy the food and dance as long as they wished. He asked to excuse himself to attend to some of the other arriving guests. Clicking his heels together he lowered his head a bit in a shallow bow and strode away.
Watching the Colonel greet finely dressed guests Fergus pointed out a few notable people. “This is turning out to be quite a gathering. See the gentleman there in the black tuxedo with a red bowtie? His name is Jeffrey Chandler, he’s the chairman of the Perpetual Power Board. Just to his left, the woman in the pale yellow evening gown is the Chief Operating Officer of the company. And there coming through the entryway are three of the top vice-presidents.” Fergus hungrily spotted a long buffet table and expressed his desire to see if anything on it was edible. Mason said, “I’m hungry, too. Let’s see if they have any shrimp!” He made a face at Tressa and walked off with Fergus who looked like a castaway eyeing the last coconut.
Tressa was determined to break away and look through the office space before the Colonel unleashed whatever he had planned. She spied him moving toward the dance floor so she went the other way hoping to find a reason to leave the tent and enter the office building. As she neared the red carpet entryway she was shocked by the looming figure coming up the walk.
A woman in a wedding gown was attempting to join the festivities. Wobbling on heels that made her almost eight feet tall she weaved her way around guests that stopped and stared with mouths agape. Her veil was down and the train on her dress caught every velvet rope pole. She was dragging them behind her with the whole arrangement strung out like items at a Festival rummage sale. Tressa was furious and stormed over to the bride and forcefully said, “Come with me.” Taking the bride’s size 45 hand Tressa hauled her out into the semi-dark and behind the office building to a secluded spot near some trash bins. “I thought I told you no costumes,” She hissed.
“It’s not a costume. It’s a disguise. One is for fun and the other is for work.” Clyde said. He smiled broadly, his lipstick making him look like a demented circus clown. Leaning over he added, “Besides, you said no men’s disguises. This is a lady disguise.” He winced when Tressa
pinched him on the arm.
Shucking the bride’s gown Clyde looked depressed as Tressa made him put it in the trash bin. “That was one of my best dresses,” he sniffed.
Tressa was not in the mood to ask about the inventory in Clyde’s disguise closet – male or female. Instead she said, “At least we’re able to make some progress now that we’re out of the party. Getting into the building may be harder than I thought because of your little stunt today with that security guard.” She and Clyde moved around toward the rear doors of the office building. Seeing a caterer’s work trolley parked nearby she waited a moment and caught one of the waiters heading toward the tent. “Would you kindly ask the brown haired, young man in the blue jacket and tan pants to come this way to help me with something.”
The waiter replied, “I’ll look as I go through the party and if I see someone that matches that description I will certainly ask them to come this way.”
“Thank you,” said Tressa sweetly.
After the waiter entered the tent Tressa and Clyde went to the rear doors of the building and as she suspected they were locked. They checked all of the ground floor windows on the back and went to check the far side of the building, but everything was locked tight there as well. They had given up hope of breaking in when Mason turned the corner. Stuffing the last big bite of something yellow, blue and white into his mouth he said, “Yoo haf gomt do dry ths smohew kilthren.”
Tressa looked at him for a moment and said, “What?”
Swallowing hard and running his tongue around his mouth Mason said, “Never mind. The food is really good, though.”
“I’d like some smohew kilthren if there’s any left,” mumbled a dejected Clyde.
Still fuming about the wedding dress Tressa turned to him and said, “I’m going to smohew kilthren you in a minute. Now how are we going to get in?” Pausing to consider the situation she thought back over what she knew, wondering if she had missed something. After a few moments she snapped her fingers. “Duh! If they’re going to do anything it won’t be in here. It’ll be back at the reactor building. Zimmer said it’s the ‘heart of everything’. If anything is going to happen I bet it’ll be back there!”
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