The Gravity of Anti-Gravity

by Tim Blagge

  “It’s late so there shouldn’t be much traffic out.” Agent King said. “I’ll get the CHP involved and my guys will be heading out that way too. Call me if the signal gets off the highway.”

  “Ten-four,” I said, hung up, looked at Stella and commented. “Sorry but I always wanted to say that.”

  About five minutes later the signal exited the Freeway at Lansing Blvd. I immediately called King and let him know. “That confirms it.” King said. “The CHP has been following a white van and it just pulled off the freeway at Lansing so that’s our guy. As soon as we get more back-up in place we’ll pull the van over and see what they’re carrying. I’ll call you when it’s over.”

  We heard nothing for almost an hour; then it came on the news.

  “Just in, breaking news from Victorville! About a half hour ago there was a shootout between police and two armed gunman about a mile off Highway 15 on Lansing Blvd. Police and CHP officers said they pulled over a white van and when it stopped two men jumped out and started shooting. One officer was slightly wounded. The two gunmen are now dead. The identities of the gunmen are unknown at this time. The Police found a man tied up in the van. Reports indicate that he had been badly beaten but is alive. He was rushed to Victorville General where he will undergo surgery. We will get you more information on this bizarre story as facts become available.”

  The phone rang again and it was Special Agent King. I put the phone on speaker. “In case you haven’t seen it on the news, we found Dr. Brooks in the white van. He is seriously injured but the hospital people say he’ll pull though. He’s in surgery now. I just informed his wife and I’m sure she’s on her way to the hospital. It’s a good thing we got to him when we did. They tell me he would have been dead in an hour.”

  “What about the guys in the van?” I asked; “the ones who are dead now. Who are they?”

  “They had no identification on them. We will run facial recognition on these guys but if they’re not in our system, it won’t lead anywhere. We did get some evidence from the van and we are following those leads now. The guys were white, possibly Russian or eastern European, but my people weren’t sure. We normally don’t divulge this much information but you folks are key and the more you know the more you might be able to help us piece this case together and figure out who’s giving the orders. I’ll call if we get any more information and you do the same.” Then King hung up.

  I sat down in shock. “Dr. Brooks is one of the good guys. That damn Flying Wallenda has caused nothing but mayhem and it’s not over yet. Maybe we should turn over everything to the Feds and put ourselves in the witness protection program. This whole mess isn’t worth getting anybody else hurt!”

  “Bill, it’s not like the Feds have acted with any kind of honesty or integrity,” warned Stella. “What makes you think that will change in the future?”

  “Good point; maybe Buckholder’s group is the way to go,” I said.

  “Maybe it is Bill,” Stella said, “but I think we should follow our game plan and go see the President. Something tells me he’s not involved in this conspiracy, but based on how he answers our questions, we should be able to figure it out. All of the people close to you have protection and unless the enemy brings in a small army, we should be safe for a while. We’ll give Dr. Brooks a day to recover and go visit him on Sunday. If he’s able to talk he should be a gold mine of information.”

  “OK,” I said, “I’m going home now and I hope I can sleep.”

  “Before you leave Bill,” Rolf said, “I want to give you something.” He opened the end table drawer and took out a small hand gun.

  “Oh no,” I said, “I’m kind of anti-gun. They scare me.”

  “Let me show you how to operate it.” Rolf proceeded to give me a lesson in gun basics. He showed me how to load it and the operation of the safety. When he was done I had at least a little confidence that I wouldn’t accidentally shoot myself so I took the loaded gun, with the safety on, slipped it in my pocket, and went home.

  -25-

  I slept in until noon on Saturday. I called Brenda to confirm our date but I couldn’t muster the courage to tell her that she had FBI protection. I hoped I would be able to tell her that evening.

  “Bill, I’d like to go to Lacy Park in San Marino. They are having an outdoor concert with folk music. I know it sounds a bit retro but it will be fun. My parents want you to come over for dinner too, you know, before we go to the concert. They really haven’t had much time to talk to you since I’ve been back and they said they’d like to get reacquainted.”

  “Sure Brenda, I’ll look forward to it. I’ll be there about six. Bye,” I said and hung up.

  This is just great I thought. The first chance I have to say anything more than hello to my girlfriend’s parents and I have to inform them that, because of me, they are in danger and I’ve arranged for the FBI to protect them. That’s a real ice breaker!

  Then I reminded myself that I still had to tell Pops and Grandma the same thing. I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. Maybe when I wake up this time, I’ll find out all this crap in my life is just a dream.

  I forced myself to get up and go into the living room. I asked the two people I loved very much to turn off the TV and said. “We need to talk.”

  With that I had their undivided attention so I began speaking at a much faster pace than normal. “You are both aware of the hot water we are all in because of my little science project. Well, unfortunately the water just got hotter. Last night two members of some criminal organization kidnapped Dr. Brooks, beat him to get information and were eventually killed by the police in a shootout. I have arranged FBI protection for you and me because of the danger we are in. If you have no further questions I’m going out.”

  Pops and Grandma sat there in stunned silence. I grabbed my phone and quickly walked toward the door when Pops, at the top of his lungs yelled, “stop right there young man!”

  I stopped, came back and sat in the chair across from them. “You can’t blame a guy for trying to escape,” I paused, “the wrath of Pops,” I said meekly.

  “You’d better tell us the whole story right now Bill,” Pops said sternly.

  Since Pops and Grandma already knew the background of our predicament I only had to elaborate on the current developments. After I was done Pops had some questions.

  “So you are telling me that there are two FBI agents sitting in a car outside somewhere watching the house?’

  “Yes,” I answered, “or at least there is supposed to be. Why don’t we go out and find them and introduce ourselves?”

  Pops and I did just that and found two men sitting in a car, two houses down and across the street. We approached the car with our hands in plain site. We made contact through a partially open window. They showed us their badges and Pops invited them in. They introduced themselves as Agent Davis and Agent Brown

  “Agents Davis and Brown, we wanted to meet you and have you meet us so that there will be no confusion if something actually happens,” I explained. “My Grandparents and I want to understand your instructions so that we can stay out of your way.”

  “Honestly,” said Brown, “The only instructions we were given is to watch your residence and look out for anything that looks unusual.”

  “Have you been told about one of Bill’s associates, Dr. Brooks? Last night he was kidnapped and almost beaten to death for what he knows,” Pops asked.

  “Yes, we are aware of that situation,” answered Davis.

  “The fact that Bill knows more than Dr. Brooks puts him in even greater danger so please don’t take your assignment lightly,” said Pops. “And gentleman, my property backs up to public land. If I were a crook and wanted to get close to my family, I’d come in from there.”

  “And speaking of my family, Bill’s younger sister lives here too. She’s at work now but I want you to know she could be a target too.”

  “Thank you Mr. Burton, don’t worry, we are good at what we do,” said Da
vis.

  After the FBI Agents left I turned to Pops and asked. “Joanna has a job?”

  “Yes she does Bill,” Pops answered. “She applied at the In-N-Out Burger last week. When they found out she was your sister, they hired her on the spot.”

  -26-

  On my way to Brenda’s for our date I took the coward’s way out and decided not to tell her parents about the whole FBI protection issue. I did stop and talk to the FBI Agents watching the house. I cautiously walked up to the car, introduced myself and informed them that I was here to take Brenda out on a date. They told me that their assignment was to keep Brenda safe so they decided that they would follow us to the concert and watch for anything unusual.

  My dinner with Brenda’s folks went very smoothly.

  “Bill, I want to commend you on your graduation from Cal Tech.” Betty said. “And to get a full time job at JPL, this quickly, says they see a lot of potential in you. I’m quite impressed.”

  “Thanks Betty, but I’m just another nerd in a sea of nerds at JPL,” I commented.

  Then near the end of dinner, Brenda chimed in, “If you’ve finished your dessert Bill, I think we should go.”

  I said OK, thanked her folks for a fine meal and we left in Brenda’s car. I saw the FBI car start to follow us but I never saw them again. Brenda and I got to the concert and found our seats. At intermission, with most people standing up to stretch their legs, I saw two men working their way over toward us. They had a scruffy look and were wearing heavy jackets that were inappropriate for the warm Southern California evening. They certainly didn’t fit in with the rest of the affluent crowd. I didn’t think too much of it until they got right up to us.

  “Senor, I have a gun pointed at you and my partner has a gun pointed at your girlfriend. Keep quiet and follow us now if you want to live!” he said in broken English. Brenda heard the conversation and I thought for a moment she was going to faint. With wide eyes and fear on her face she started to side step down the narrow aisle toward the exit with me right behind.

  I looked ahead and thank God, the two FBI agents, trying to look uninterested, were standing near the end of the aisle. When I exited the aisle, I nodded to the FBI men. I shoved Brenda into a crowd of people in the rows behind us and yelled “GUN.” A scream went up, and the gunman panicked and started to run. The FBI guys jumped on the assailants and had them subdued, disarmed and handcuffed in a matter of seconds. Soon two other FBI agents arrived.

  I went over to help Brenda up.

  “Are you OK?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Brenda answered. “I banged my knee and that won’t kill me but whatever you are mixed up in might! Bill, give it to me straight, what the hell is going on?”

  Before I could answer, one of the FBI Agents asked to talk to me and Brenda. We were moved to an area away from the audience and he introduced himself as Agent McElroy.

  “Are you kids OK?” he said.

  “We believe so,” I answered and Brenda agreed.

  “Mr. Burton that was a smart move. If those guys had maneuvered you two out in the open, it might have been impossible for us to approach. Crowds can create danger but they can also create cover. Mr. Burton, do you have any idea who they are or why they tried to abduct you?” McElroy asked.

  “I have an idea but my situation should be on file somewhere in your office.” I commented.

  “It’s on the top of the stack so I am aware of your general predicament. What I’m really asking is, did you recognized these guys?”

  “Not at all,” I answered.

  Brenda jumped into the conversation and she was beyond furious. “Are you asking if we hang out with scum like that?” Agent McElroy. “Those assholes threatened to kill us. I want to know who they are and who they work for. I want them prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Do you understand me?”

  “I do,” said McElroy. “If you are leaving, please make sure you check in with your security detail. They will accompany you to your next destination. We will be in touch Mr. Burton.”

  “Security detail?” Brenda asked. “Have we been tailed tonight?”

  “Yes and thank God we were. They may have saved our lives.”

  The conversation between Brenda and I became very subdued on our trip back to her house. She was still steaming.

  Then I commented, “Brenda I’ve never heard you use words like hell and asshole before. I think it’s kind of sexy.”

  “Bill I’m sorry but I was totally pissed!” She answered.

  “Now pissed? What have they taught you at BYU? I am shocked, Brenda, just shocked,” I teased. “I may have to wash your mouth out with soap when we get home.”

  -27-

  Sunday morning I drove over to Stella’s. We had agreed to meet at 10 AM and drive to Victorville to visit Dr. Brooks. It was a little over an hour’s drive away. We were to meet an FBI inspector there and he was supposed to bring us up to date on their investigation. When I got in Stella’s car she asked me how my date with Brenda went last night.

  “Eventful,” I said, “very eventful.”

  “What did you do, get engaged?” Stella questioned.

  I proceeded to tell Stella everything that happened and that Brenda and I were lucky we weren’t the next people to ride in the back of a van driven by two Hispanic men.

  “So you know they were Hispanic.” Stella questioned

  “They were. The one guy called me senor when he stuck his gun in my ribs,” I answered.

  “Interesting, the man who accosted me was Hispanic and so were your attackers.” Stella began to think out loud. “That may point to a Mexican drug cartel but somehow that doesn’t fit. They don’t have the expertise to develop your device or even to determine whether any information they capture would have any value. Maybe they were hired to simply execute the kidnapping and hand you over to someone else. But then why did they beat up Dr. Brooks instead of just turning him over? Let’s hope that the FBI gets some useable information from your attackers and let’s hope that Dr. Brooks can enlighten us about the cadavers involved in his nightmare.”

  It seemed to take forever but we finally got to Victorville and the Hospital. FBI Agent Tim Mathews met us just outside Dr. Brooks’ room. There was another agent standing nearby who was providing security.

  “It’s nice to meet you Dr. Morton and Mr. Burton,” Mathews said. “You two have certainly stirred up a shit storm in the last few days. And Mr. Burton, I was briefed on your little encounter last night and I have some information about that. Has anything else happened since then?”

  “No, thank God, but the day is still young,” I commented. “So what about those guys last night?”

  “We found out they are not Hispanic at all. They are Indian nationals and they just arrived in the States two days ago on a student visa,” said Mathews. “They had no identification on them but we were able to find them in our alien database. So far they haven’t admitted anything but we have our best interrogator on them now. He should have something by tonight.”

  “They had me when they said senor and gun in the same sentence.” I said. “Didn’t they look Hispanic or was I dreaming that too?”

  “They definitely looked Hispanic and I’m sure they used an accent to try to throw you or anybody else who may have overheard them off the track.”

  “Agent Matthews, has Dr. Brooks been able to communicate anything yet?” I asked.

  “Not much,” he answered. “Maybe seeing his colleagues again will raise his spirits and he’ll feel more like talking.”

  “I doubt it,” I said. “If I were him, I’d want to stay as far away from us as possible. Without our project, none of this would have happened.”

  Mathews turned and looked through the window into the room. “Oh, Dr. Brooks is awake. Let me ask the nurse if it’s alright for us to talk to him.” He went into the room and whispered to the nurse. When he returned he told us the nurse said we can go in but only for ten minutes or so.

  “Dr. Brooks,�
�� Stella said, “how are you feeling?”

  “Actually I feel fine” Dr. Brooks responded. “These drugs are quite nice. I’ve never felt quite this mellow before.”

  “Do you remember what happened to you?” Agent Mathews asked.

  “I do,” Dr. Brooks said. “It is a little fuzzy, but I’ll tell you what I remember.

  “I was driving home. I hadn’t gone very far when a white van ran me off the road. I thought it was a drunk driver but when I got out of my car to check the damage, two men with masks over their heads grabbed me and threw me into the back of the van. They had clown masks on which made it even more surreal.”

  “What happened next,” Mathews asked.

  “They tied me up in the back of the van and blindfolded me. They started asking me questions about Bill’s device. One clown drove and one clown asked me the questions. I told them I didn’t know much because I was only the administrator on the project. I could tell they didn’t know much about the device either, because it sounded like they were asking me questions off a script. I am sure they were recording my answers because I kept hearing clicks before and after my answers.”

  “When I said I didn’t know anything about your invention, they slapped me. Then they started punching me. After a long ride they dragged me out of the van and inside somewhere where the questions and torture continued.” Dr. Brooks added.

  “When that didn’t work they threatened to kill my family. Bill, I’m sorry but I told them everything I know about the project. I was trying to protect my family and save myself. I must have passed out because the next thing I remember I woke up in this hospital bed. I guess I’m a coward, but I was just trying to protect my family.”

  “Dr. Brooks you are a hero,” Stella said. “You protected your family. The only thing you did for the clowns was to confirm that the device actually exists and that it works. No one can fault you for that.”

  “And I don’t know if you were told Dr. Brooks,” Stella added, “but your kidnappers were killed in a shootout with the local authorities and the FBI on Friday night. So unless they called and informed someone else, it doesn’t really matter what you told them.”