The Time Portal 4: The Inquisition

by Joe Corso

  The following day, the entire group drove to Alice Springs to do some shopping. Anastasia took Mrs. Grossman to Katie’s, one of many of the famed chain of stores. It was hard to find an upscale store in these parts, Anastasia explained, but a trip to Sydney would cure that. Mrs. Grossman didn’t mind. She gazed around and filled her arms with dresses, lace underwear and a few nice jackets. What the heck – she had an unlimited budget, a private plane and personal escorts everywhere. She could start here and move on to ‘very nice’ later.

  “Here,” Anastasia said as she handed her a walkie-talkie. Use these. Lucky left these at the ranch to use. Just call when you’re ready. I’ll be nearby. I’ll then call for Bobby who will come pay for everything. Do not be shy now. In the meantime, I will take your sons to a place they will like, not far from here.”

  The boys, ages eleven and twelve, enjoyed themselves in an arcade type of store. It had electronic games and sold computers, iPads, phones. The boys were in no hurry to leave. Dr. Grossman had no intention of buying anything. He felt a bit guilty about all of this and decided that while it was fine to indulge the rest of his family, that he would forfeit Lucky’s generosity until . . . with Bobby Boots by his side, he decided to walk around a bit while his wife finished her shopping. It was a jewelry store named Plumbtec at 75 Elder Street. Inside the window display was a watch that caught his eye. It was a Patek Philippe – an exclusive brand way above what he could normally afford. It was simply stunning. He walked inside where a saleswoman immediately asked if he needed any help. Grossman took a deep breath.

  “Yes, I’d like to see that Perpetual Calendar Patek Philippe in yellow gold please,” he said pointing back toward the window.

  “Follow me, sir,” the woman said. They walked a few feet to a middle area that housed top brand names. The saleswoman reached down into the display case and picked up a watch identical to the one in the window. She handed it to Grossman. He examined it for a moment and then placed it on his wrist. The saleswoman was quick to assist with the fastening of the watch. It was exquisite and this one had a gold face and gold band whereas the others in the case mostly had leather straps.

  “How much?” Grossman asked.

  “This one costs one hundred five thousand dollars. The same style platinum watch with the platinum band costs one hundred thirty five thousand.”

  “Show me the platinum watch please,” Grossman said.

  The saleswoman walked toward the back of the room and disappeared. Moments later, she reappeared, holding the platinum version of the same watch. Grossman looked at Bobby Boots as if to get some sort of confirmation.

  “I like the gold watch,” Bobby said before the question was asked, “but I think it’s a little too much. The platinum watch has a sportier look. I really like this watch. Funny thing – while everyone clamors for a Rolex, I’ve always felt that Patek has the most exquisite watches of all.”

  Bobby nodded at the saleswoman. “Miss, please size this to the gentleman’s wrist. We’ll take it,” he said as he reached into his wallet. He pulled out the credit card that Lucky had given him and handed it to the clerk.

  The woman seemed a bit stunned. Rarely, if ever, had this store sold a watch of this caliber to anyone. This was a watch for Kings and Queens and billionaires. She stood looking at Bobby as if to ask if this was some sort of joke. If she dared say that, she would surely risk insulting the man and losing what might be the largest sale of its kind, in this store, in many years.

  Meanwhile, Grossman could hardly digest it as well. The watch was worth all the effort he had put into helping the hundreds of peasants with their ailments. As Grossman was daydreaming about the events leading up to the present moment, Bobby’s walkie-talkie beeped. It was Mrs. Grossman asking if Bobby could meet her back at the store.

  The saleswoman took the credit card from Bobby and simply said, “Certainly. I will return in a moment to size and wrap the watch for you.” In just a few short seconds, she would learn if this indeed was about to be a true transaction. She tried to remain calm but found her feet getting ahead of her mind as she almost ran, not walked, to the back area that housed the register and the credit card machines. Seconds seemed like minutes as the card slowly made its way through the machine until she saw the word, “approved.” No amount of words could accurately describe the look on her face as she walked back toward Bobby and the good doctor.

  “Here you go,” she said, trying to remain calm. Bobby took the slip, signed it and headed out the door. For Katie’s. Once there, he paid the tab for the items Mrs. Grossman had purchased. His walkie-talkie beeped yet again. This time, it was Anastasia asking that he meet her at the electronic toy store/arcade. There, he paid for ten different video games and a host of other electronics, including iPads and iPad holders.

  Back at Charlie’s ranch, David Grossman showed his wife his new watch. She glanced at it and said, “Nice.” She clearly had no idea what the watch cost.

  The Grossmans spent an enjoyable ten days on the ranch with Charlie and Anastasia, with each day bringing a different adventure, but Geri Grossman wanted to travel a little more before they headed home. She and her husband chatted about where they would like to go next and it was decided that Italy was it. Rome, followed by a trip to Capri, and a visit to the Blue Grotto. Bobby simply remarked, “Anytime you’re ready, just let me know and me and Tommy will get the plane ready.”

  The family spent the remainder of the tenth day packing their bags. The following morning, they placed the bags into Charlie’s SUV, and after one of Charlie’s famous breakfasts, headed out to the airstrip where the large jet awaited them. Charlie and Anastasia hated to see them leave. They had brought such life and laughter to the ranch. They waved nonstop as the jet rolled down the airstrip, gaining speed until it lifted off the runway, shot upward at a sharp angle, leveled out, and disappeared from view.

  Bobby Boots landed at Leonardo DeVinci airport in Rome. The Grossmans wanted to visit the Coliseum and Saint Peter’s Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s magnificent ceiling that reportedly took five years to paint. Bobby watched every move they made as he lagged behind them when they walked., making sure that no predators approached them. It was at the Coliseum, where the crowds were thick, that he spotted a suspicious pair of men. One, the smaller one, seemed to be the lookout for a taller, bigger man, the one Bobby spotted picking the pocket of Dr. Grossman. The little guy did the ole ‘bump into him by accident’ thing and quick as lightning, lifted his wallet. The pick pocketer then passed off the wallet to the other, larger guy. Once the handoff was completed, the little guy turned and was now heading in Bobby’s direction, face-to-face. He didn’t realize that he was now walking directly towards Bobby, who was several feet behind Grossman. As the man was about to pass Bobby, he launched a hard right punch deep into the man’s gut. The man grabbed his stomach and bent down. Bobby then grabbed the guy by his shirt and pulled him by the scuff of his neck as they walked toward the bigger man. Bobby called out to the Grossmans to stop. When they turned, they saw Bobby holding a man by the neck, dragging him towards them.

  “This guy just picked your pocket and he handed the wallet to that big guy over there. Stay here,” he said as he started walking, still dragging the little guy toward his partner in crime.

  His partner, the larger guy, spotting trouble, started walking toward Bobby. The guy was a bruiser, much bigger than Bobby. The Grossmans looked at Bobby, then at the big man walking quickly toward him, all the while knowing that something bad was just about to happen, most likely to Bobby. But Bobby didn’t seem the least bit bothered by the fact that that was a distinct possibility. He kept his eyes locked on the huge guy walking towards him and when he got within range, Bobby spun kicked him in a move similar to that of Chuck Norris. Boom! His kick landed right to the head of the big guy, stopping him dead in his tracks. The kick pissed him off so much that now the guy came at Bobby with a vengeance. Bobby ducked the punch and hit him in the gut with a hard right hand karate
chop, which stopped the man for another moment, long enough for Bobby to hit him again, this time with a left to his face followed by a series of quick lefts and rights, ending with a spinning kick to the man’s jaw where he finally fell to the ground. By this time, a sizable crowd had gathered around the two combatants. In the distance, there was the sound of a police whistle, getting closer by the minute. Bobby walked over to the big man. The big guy stood up and was summoning his last drop of strength to land one good, final punch to take Bobby out, but Bobby, being a two time world Karate champ, wasn’t about to let that happen. When the big right hand came Bobby’s way, he stepped aside, let the punch whiz close by him and then clocked the guy with a hard right hand to his chin. That did it. He went down like a sack of potatoes. Bobby reached down and took Grossman’s wallet from his jacket pocket and handed it to the surprised man. The crowd cheered and clapped. When the police came, Bobby told them what happened, took them aside and showed his CIA credentials. Told them he was here with the Grossman family on company business acting as a bodyguard for Doctor David Grossman also of the CIA. It took the police no more than a half hour to confirm that the Rome police were looking for the two thieves. That was it for the Grossman family. They had had enough and wanted to go home, back stateside to the United States. Bobby Boots was only too happy to oblige them.

  “So,” Grossman said as they walked back toward the plane on the tarmac, “you’re trained in martial arts. Tell me, what other secrets are there that you’d like to share Boots? And thank you, by the way.”

  “No other secrets. Thank Lucky. He’s the one that insisted that I never let you out of my sight. He was afraid something like this would happen.”

  “Well I’ll tell you. I’ve never seen anyone fight like that.”

  “Okay,” Boots said, “there is one last secret – two time world champion. It was my passion at one time. But Lucky is better than me.” Grossman fell silent.

  Chapter Twenty–Seven

  12th Century England

  Lucky could only take one large box full of medicine at a time. Each box was five feet long and three feet wide so he had to make six trips in order for it all to fit into the portal. Funny thing, those portals – he could make a portal to go anywhere, anywhere in the world at any time period, but they were constant – meaning that the size of the portal was non-modifiable.

  The woman in charge of the medications at the castle was a portly woman, about forty years of age. She opened each box and examined it. She and Lucky had a little routine going now where she would open it, take off the top layer, let Lucky see it, then remove the second layer, let Lucky see it until he nodded yes. This continued with five of the six boxes. The sixth box was the one with a big “X” on it. They saved that one for last. This one contained soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, disposable diapers and feminine products. Lucky started to separate the various items, but when he got to the feminine products, he felt a little uncomfortable. He wished that Samantha was here to explain this to the women as he just couldn’t fathom Grossman having done this before he left, because they didn’t have any of these products available for them at the time. Lucky held out a tampon, trying his best to explain what it was. The words just weren’t coming out. Krystina noticed his dilemma and started to laugh while he quickly turned a deep crimson.

  Ah, the history of the tampon. During the First World War, a bandage pack was used on a soldier’s wound to absorb the blood. Nurses, seeing how effective it was, felt it would be the perfect answer when that time of the month rolled by. Lucky knew that once they understood it, that once this got around, he would have to bring hundreds of crates with just feminine products to them. And that’s just what he did. He went home and over at least twenty trips, brought back boxes and boxes of feminine hygiene products.

  The Princess was feeling better, each day gaining her strength, all the while nursing the baby and taking small naps throughout the day. Each day, she waited patiently for her Lucky to make an appearance and each time was like the first. She would put her arms around him and kiss him tenderly. With each embrace, she could feel his body heat pressing against her, radiating his desire and Lucky, too, was aching to have her again. He felt he should wait for her complete recovery, but her clinging to him didn’t making it any easier. On this particular day, she took his hand and placed it onto her breast.

  “Do I still feel good to you Lucky?” she asked.

  He opened her robe and took her milk-swollen breast in his hand as she moaned in approval.

  “Please Krystina, don’t do this to me,” Lucky said. “Not until you are well enough to follow through on your seduction of poor old me.”

  But she held him close and he responded. Softly, he caressed her breasts. He could feel them, alive in his hands, dancing with sensuality, responding to his touch. Lucky gently pressed her back against the wall where they locked in an embrace, kissing each other passionately, lost in each other, until suddenly milk began to sprout from her breasts, gushing in streams like a fountain. Lucky stood there watching mesmorized at what was taking place before him. He had never experienced anything like it. She backed away and pulled her robe to cover her breasts, not because of modesty, but because she wanted to contain the milk.

  “Well, there’s plenty for the child,” she said warmly. “I must give him milk soon.”

  Lucky smiled back. “Krystina,” he said, “it causes me sorrow, but I must depart for a while again. I vow to you my return the moment time permits.”

  Her face fell. She seemed deflated. Her feminine wiles to keep him by her side had almost worked.

  “I adore you my princess,” he said as he kissed her one last time.

  Lucky left her room and created a portal to take him to the Astoria safe house.

  Once in Astoria, Lucky assembled his gang around the dining room table, where they listened in detail as he divulged his plan.

  “Mickey, get the professor and tell him we need him to prepare the spacecraft for departure as soon as possible, with the invisibility suits, of course. When we’re near Shan’s office, I’ll create another portal that will take me to wherever Shan is in the building. Only this time, I don’t want to be pigeonholed into making a mistake. That’s why I want you guys there. I’m taking you with me when I confront Shan.”

  Chapter Twenty–Eight

  The professor hovered invisibly over the parking lot under the Triborough Bridge. It abutted the Astoria pool. Behind the pool, there was a large field for dog walking or playing ball. It was a relaxing place to spend time, only this time of the morning, the lot was empty. The professor’s voice came through the C4OPS headset. It was was practically invisible, especially when used with a beard.

  “Okay, Lucky, I’m in position.”

  Lucky responded by pressing the PTT button mounted on his black lambskin glove. “We’re leaving now. Be there in two minutes.”

  The lot by the bridge was so close you could throw a stone and hit it. If you walked there, it would take you under five minutes, but Lucky wanted to use two cars. Neighbors and passersby might get suspicious if they saw six men men walking together, ambling toward nowhere in particular. The professor watched as two cars pulled into the parking lot and parked directly under the bridge. The back doors of the dark sleek seven series BMW opened and two men got out. They walked casually in the direction of the saucer which was now at rest on the ground. The professor talked to them through their headsets. He guided them each step and when they were just about to bang their heads into the invisible craft, he lowered the door where they walked up the ramp and into the craft. The professor, vulnerable to a car hitting the cloaked saucer, was in a hurry to load the men onto the craft. The front doors to the BMW now opened and two more men got out. After locking the door, they went through the same routine as the first two. Next, the black Escalade’s front doors opened and two men got out and walked up the ramp to the ship. The professor, still concerned about being rammed by a car and causing a serious accident, q
uickly closed the ramp and immediately lifted the saucer.

  Chapter Twenty–Nine

  The boys slipped into their invisibility suits leaving Lucky and the professor as the only ones who could be seen. Lucky focused his thoughts on Shan and a portal materialized before him. The boys had their full complement of weapons, particularly the knockout spray that the doctors at The Compound had created for them.

  “Okay, fellas, listen up.” The men looked at Lucky, giving him their undivided attention.

  “The professor will monitor the energy that’s required to keep you invisible. It shouldn’t be a problem because we’re real close to the building. Mickey, Nicky and Casey, you guys get on my left and the rest of you will be on my right. I’ve created the portal that will do the job for us. This may be tight squeeze. We’ve never had this many in a portal before. Just stay really close together. In a minute, we’ll enter it. Once we’re in Shan’s office, I want you guys to be ready to use your spray. If anyone is in the room with Shan, use it. I have plans for him so I’ll take care of him first. Then, I’ll come back for you. It’ll take me a minute, so don’t worry about anything. Remain invisible and you’ll have no problems. If you find that I don’t return in fifteen minutes, then get out of the room and make your way to the roof. The professor will pick you up. I’m telling you this because where I’m taking Shan there are some scary creatures. Now listen. Make sure that you remain tethered to the guy next to you. You know the drill, whatever you do don’t let go. Now Mickey, I want you to take a step to your left. The portal is waiting there for you. When you enter keep moving to your left so the rest of us can get in it with you. Any questions? Anyone? No? Okay, then let’s do it.”