G-Force (Book 1): G-Force

by Nye, Laine

  He found a place on the narrow road where he could pull most of the way off the road, threw his transmission into park, and set the emergency brake. Stepping out of his car with his camera and pointing the zoom lens, he quickly focused on the three seemingly floating individuals to snap a shot while keeping one hand cupped over the top of the lens to protect it from rain.

  By that time, they had touched down and were now running down to the jeep trail at the bottom. He didn't get a shot like he had hoped. Then he saw more movement on the mountainside and focused on three other people who were running down the mountain as fast as they could. They were further down the canyon from the first group he had spotted. They had rifles in their hands.

  Several minutes later, he saw the first set of three run under the area where the second set were still running down the mountain. But when the second set reached the bottom, he saw them aiming at the first set of people with their rifles. Then, the strangest thing of all happened. He saw the three in the front suddenly lift off the ground, and they were traveling up into the air.

  He threw his camera up to snap a shot of this phenomenon, clicked once and then heard a gunshot. Then another. He looked back at the other three through his camera and saw one of them lining up for a third shot. The rifle bucked. He heard the loud popping sound a second later. Looking back at the first group, he saw that one of them was holding his arm, spinning in the air; another seemed to have lolled his head forward at an angle that suggested unconsciousness or death he was tumbling more slowly.

  The three started to float back to the ground, the one had stayed upright the whole time and was now turned around. Before they touched down, he looked back at the ones with the rifles. They were all lying flat on the ground in awkward positions with their rifles lying out of their reach. Tim tried to understand what was going on. He saw that a boulder had dislodged from the mountain right above the three gunmen and the boulder had tumbled down, and landed right on top of one of the three gunmen. He could see the rough trail the boulder had made on its way down. He snapped more shots as he had been trying to do throughout this whole bizarre confrontation. The two remaining riflemen were now slowly getting back up. They looked back at the still form of their companion and started running forward towards the strange trio ahead of them. He could see they were getting ready to shoot again. Two of the three in the front had definitely been shot. One of them was lying prone since they had landed; another was holding his arm which had blood all over it. The third was standing there looking bewildered.

  Then he could finally see that the three in the front were merely teenagers. The ones in the back were in their forties. The one teen still standing began to slowly back away from his companions not sure what to do. That was when Tim knew he had to intervene.

  He had a license to carry a concealed weapon and had the weapon in his ankle holster right now. It was only a snub nosed .38 Smith and Wesson and could not shoot accurately from this distance, but at least he could warn the two remaining gunmen that he was there, that he was a witness to what was happening, so the teens would not be killed. He bent down, jerked up his pant leg and grabbed the pistol after he unsnapped the holster strap. He stood up, aimed at a rock face not far from the two gunmen and shot three times quickly. Then he put his camera up to his eyes so that when they looked up at him they would see he had a camera and was taking pictures. He was trying to discourage them from their murderous intent.

  When a bullet is fired, it travels faster than the speed of sound does. So, when fired from a distance, the gunshot is heard after the bullet has already arrived. Simon and Sherman both heard the sound of bullets thudding into a rock face near them, then heard gunshots. Two of the bullets ricocheted when they hit the rock. Ricochets make a loud whining noise because the bullets are spinning so fast end over end that they whistle as their energy is slowly spent. One of the ricocheting bullets hit Simon in the hip tearing his flesh away mercilessly. He grunted and fell to the ground.

  Sherman looked up at the shooter on the divide and saw that the man had a camera up to his face. Greene felt a shot of intense anxiety go through him. He knew that this photographer might be getting pictures of him standing there in his uniform. He should have gone home and changed after getting off the night shift, but he had been rushed by Mack Rowley who was now lying dead by the boulder. He looked at the three kids with murderous intent on his face.

  He was hesitant to finish Brad Shaw and friends off with a perfect witness up there. He thought briefly about grabbing Simon's rifle and shooting the photographer, but then a second and a third car stopped on the Divide. The occupants of the cars were getting out and running to the cliff to look down just like the guy with the camera and pistol.

  Sherman started running towards Brad again, leaving behind him an injured man and a dead man. He may as well finish the job he started out to do! “Wait!” Simon yelled. “Don't leave me here like this!” Greene ignored Simon’s plea as he charged forward.

  Brad looked at Allen whose skull wound was bleeding heavily. He looked at Brent on the ground holding his arm. He saw the stranger up on the Divide who had started shooting at Greene and the other guy. Brent spoke through a pained voice. “Brad, you've got to get out of here. Here comes that cop! He's still got his shotgun!”

  “He'll kill you Brent. I can't leave!”

  “Can you carry us out with your gravity stuff?”

  “No!” Brad said in anguish. “My energy is all used up. I can't...”

  “Then run Brad!” If you make it out of here, you can call 911.

  “Brent...” Brad pleaded.

  “He's almost in range to use that shotgun on you Brad. If you run now, maybe he'll just chase you and leave us alone. Then you can get us help! You can beat him Brad!”

  “Okay. I'll go. Just don't do anything to tick him off when he reaches you.”

  “Don't worry. I won't.”

  “Are you sure Brent?”

  Brent's face was pale. He was going into shock. He smiled at Brad and said, “Get going soldier!”

  Brad nodded. “I'll see you later buddy.”

  Brad trotted off staying close to the trees, at the edge of the mountain so he would remain a difficult target. “Hey Brad,” Brent called out. Brad looked back. “You are sort of like a superhero. You know that?”

  Brad smiled. “See you later Spiderman.”

  “Goodbye Iron Man.”

  Brad did not see his old friends for a very long time.

  He stayed close to the mountainside and tree line as he evaded his adversary. He hoped that Brent had been right. Then deep down inside he felt that his friends would be safe from further attack. Sherman Greene was after him exclusively! It was Mack and the other guy who had been shooting at all three of them. The mountain jutted in and out affording Brad cover as he continued to hurry to his car splashing through the mud and water. He could feel the energy that he would utilize to alter gravity beginning to build back up inside him. Only this time it was happening at a much faster pace than in the past. He did not understand how that could be.

  At the end of the jeep trail, Brad turned back towards the canyon they had hiked into where his and the predator’s cars were parked. He was painfully aware that he would have to drive back by the jeep trail on the muddy path that would eventually get him to the paved road which would bring him very close to Greene.

  Sherman took careful aim at Brad just as Brad disappeared behind an outcropping of rock. He came upon Brent and Allen and hesitated there. Then he seemed to change his mind, and said, “I'll be back for you two.” On he went. Brent breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that the witnesses on the Divide would be calling the police by now. He thought he and Allen had a good chance of making it. He looked over at Allen who was breathing okay but had not yet moved or opened his eyes.

  Brad ran breathlessly all the way to his car. He jumped in, started the car, flipped a U-turn on the muddy road, and sped out fishtailing all the way as he went. He drove
passed the jeep trail. There was Sherman at the end of the trail! In the distance, he could see Brent still sitting, so he knew he had not been finished off as he feared.

  Greene raised his shotgun up pointing it at Brad's car. Brad lifted Greene off the ground about ten feet, which was all he could muster right now. The shotgun went off. The side of Brad's car took the full brunt of the blast. But he was not hit. After he sped safely by Greene, Brad let him fall back to the ground, landing hard in the ever-increasing mud. Brad sped onward. He wanted to use his cell phone to call his dad or 911. But he needed both hands on the wheel to control his nearly out of control car on the mud slickened road.

  Just up ahead a little way the dirt road took a hairpin turn which meant it doubled back towards the location where Greene was again but lower down. Greene did not run for his car to chase Brad. Instead he ran towards the lower portion of the road where it doubled back intent on reaching Brad's speeding car before he went past.

  It was close. Brad almost made it past Sherman but not quite. Sherman had dropped his shotgun and pulled out his service weapon. Aiming the nine-millimeter Browning at Brad's car he began rapid firing. Bullets struck Brad's car in the rear door. the rear window shattered. Another bullet hit the window just in from of Brad's face. The window shattered and rained glass all over Brad, hitting him in the side of the face. He winced and jerked his car away from Greene in a reactionary but poor choice.

  The car was parallel to a deep ditch. More of a canal really. The canal carried heavy rainwater down the far slopes away from the mountains and canyons detouring it away from the homes that weren't very far away until the ditch eventually connected into the irrigation ditches that fingered out in several directions. Brad's car swerved too close to the steep edge of the canal. Brad slammed on his brakes sliding to a stop. If he had kept going, he would have lost complete control of the car and it would have plummeted all the way into the canal likely rolling upside down.

  Brad threw the car into park as he looked out the broken window at Greene who was still running toward him, still firing. His aim was not good while running over bumpy, wet, and slippery surfaces.

  Brad concentrated, tried to lift Greene off the ground again. Greene lifted about a foot up then fell down rolling and sliding. That was all the gravity control Brad had left in him for the moment. Though he had stopped his car, it was starting to slide sideways toward the ditch while Greene was getting back up, muddy from head to foot. Brad didn't notice his car was sliding as he was busily scooting across to the passenger seat to bail out of his damaged car. His movements helped encourage the car to slide faster.

  Brad popped the door open, jumped out of his car and ducked behind it as the corrupt officer ejected his gun clip and shoved another one in. It wasn't safe out in the open where Greene could shoot him. It wasn't safe where he had retreated to on the opposite side from Greene. He saw that his car was sliding toward him, gradually picking up speed. He could not stop his car from its inexorable slide because of his weakened condition. It was now pushing him, forcing him to retreat towards the rushing water at the bottom.

  At that moment, Brad knew he was going to lose his new car. If he did not do something very soon, the car was going to push him into the water and land on him pinning him to the bottom where he could drown.

  Greene was firing his gun again. Bullets flew through the windshield and the side of the car. Brad ducked down and tried to carefully climb down the canal side looking for an escape. Greene ran around Brad's car. He was only ten feet from his target when Brad, with a yelp of protest and fear, jumped into the canal before his car completed its inexorable fall into the water. Before Greene could shoot him, Brad was in the canal. The water was raging. The canal was filling up very quickly and at first Brad was carried along on the surface with absolutely no control whatsoever. His car tumbled over the side flipping upside down. Greene was lining up a shot at Brad when the currents pulled Brad under with immense force. Bullets passed over him harmlessly because water will nullify the inertia of a bullet very quickly.

  He was pulled to the very bottom of the canal as it pulled him rapidly away from Greene. Safe from Sherman's wild firing did not mean he was safe. If gravity control was available to him right now, he did not know how he could use it. First, he was head first in the water, then he was tumbled over in a somersault and was now feet first. He came to the surface briefly where he sucked in a deep breath of air just as he was pulled under again.

  Officer Sherman Greene ran along the side of the canal glancing at the ground for sure footing then looking intently at the muddy roiling water wanting another shot at Brad. He did not know if he had hit Brad or not. Maybe he had shot him. Killed him. Or maybe he had wounded him severely enough that Brad had no ability to fight the water and was right now drowning. But he wanted to make sure. He continued to run along the canal. He did not know that Brad had been carried away from him at a much faster pace than he could possibly run. But still he ran, watching, hoping for Brad to surface so he could finish him off.

  There! He saw Brad surface about 40 feet in front of him. He whipped his gun into position. Brad disappeared as he lined up his shot. He fired two or three times anyway in frustration. Cursing under his breath and becoming increasingly weary after the very long chase, he began to slow down. He refused to stop. Sooner or later Brad had to surface somewhere along the deep ditch. Sherman would be there to finish him when he did if Brad had not drowned.

  Brent sat in the mud next to Allen who was still prone on the ground. Brent looked down at his arm. It would have been blood soaked if the hard rain was not washing the blood away. Around him were several rivulets of water tainted with his blood as they trickled in all directions. He was feverishly hot one minute even though the rain was cold upon him. The next minute he was shivering uncontrollably. He was in shock and he knew it. He had learned about it in school.

  “Come on Allen. Wake up buddy. I need you.” He said in a desperate voice. He did not want to be alone.

  Allen felt so comfortable in the deep sleep he had been in but someone said his name which brought him back to the surface of consciousness. He blinked his eyes awake and felt rain pelting his face. He looked up blearily at Brent and said “Dad. I'm cold. Can't we go inside now?”

  Brent looked over at Allen. Heard his words. Oh, how he hoped Allen was just goofing around with him.

  “Sure son,” he said. “Just as soon as I get this elephant off of us.”

  Allen looked deeply into Brent's eyes.

  “I'm serious Dad. I don't feel good and Mom wants me to put all my socks away before I can take a shower.”

  Brent looked at him a little closer. Now he could see it. Allen was out of it mentally. He was delirious.

  “Please Allen. Snap out of it.”

  He reached across his body with his left arm trying to get into his right-hand pocket. His right arm was useless. He thought a bone must be broken where he was shot. He finally got his left-hand part way into his pocket and wormed his fingers in deeper until he made contact with his cell phone. With shivering fingers, he tried to dial 911. He kept getting it wrong. Then finally he heard “911 emergency. Is this a medical, fire, or police emergency?” He began to weep softly as he tried to explain.

  Tim Brady and the other people who had gathered at the side of the cliff up on the divide were speaking to each other in frantic tones as they witnessed everything that was going on across the canyon from them. Several of them were standing there in the rain. Several of them had pulled out cell phones to call 911 and explain what they had witnessed. Tim decided it was time to get in his car and drive down the rest of the way to the bottom of the divide so he could help the hapless teenagers. He did not see that the kid that was being chased by the police officer had fallen into the water. But he did watch as the kid's car slowly slid until it finally toppled over into the dirt sided canal. That was when he knew he had to get down there and help if he could.

  Speeding down the very f
amiliar but narrow road, he did not worry about losing control. Like all the residents in this area, he knew the divide's every twist and turn and narrowest parts. It would not take him long to reach the canal. He just hoped it would be soon enough.

  Several of the other drivers decided to follow him. Two of them decided to go for the kids and the men that were still on the jeep trail as they needed help as well.

  Albert Belasco was bewildered. What was going on with Brad? He could sense that for several hours now, Brad had been in a lot of danger. He had been in danger last night as well. Belasco had felt Brad using up his gravity control energy last night and then again today. Albert was driving his car though Ogden Canyon on his way home but he had to pull off the road to help Brad. Again. He stopped his car in one of the few very small neighborhoods that dotted the canyon road over its eight-mile length of twisting turning roads. He sat in his car and stopped trying to understand what was happening to Brad and instead help him some more.

  It was getting harder for Albert to continue to rebuild Brad's energy level for him. Every time today and last night that he had felt Brad bottoming out he had sent a great portion of his energy over to Brad to strengthen him, give him back enough g-force energy so that Brad could use it again if needed.

  Albert knew that he was going to have to go to the hole tonight and “ride” it again to replenish his own energy. He didn't have a lot left to continue giving it all to Brad. He stopped worrying for a few minutes about exactly what was happening to Brad and concentrated to send him the energy. He would have to see if he could unwrap the mystery of Brad's endangerment later. He knew he could do this with all the abilities he had gained from the hole. But Brad's safety was paramount.

  After all, if Albert had not taken Brad to the hole a few years back, Brad likely would not be in the circumstances that he was today. Since Albert had been over that hole several times he knew that he had more than enough energy to share with Brad to bolster him up. But there were limitations to how far he could go.