See No More

by W B Dineen

  Theo catches my eye and greets, “Hi, Katie. Sorry we didn’t make lunch. Something came up.”

  “I see. Who’s that?”

  “Dale Ramos from Caltech.”

  I direct my next question to my mom, “Isn’t he one of the professors who used to visit us after Dad left?”

  She nods her head. “Yeah. He always wanted to know if I’d heard from your dad. After about a year, I guess he decided I was telling the truth when I said I hadn’t. That’s when he stopped coming by.”

  “Who is he, Dad?”

  “Dale worked on the project with us,” he explained. “He wasn’t one of the three main scientists, but he helped us out here and there.”

  “Why is he here now?”

  My mom answers, “Your father and I walked through campus this morning to see if we could discover what happened to Einstein’s Cave. We had on baseball hats and sunglasses, but if you can believe it, Dale still recognized Theo.”

  My dad recounts, “He called out my name and came running over to us. I wasn’t sure what to do, so we asked him to join us for lunch. We spent about two hours with him, which is why we didn’t meet you. Then he drove us back here.”

  “Why would you risk our safe house like that?”

  “It has more to do with securing ourselves than risking anything.” Theo explains, “If we left Dale on campus, he would have told someone I was back in town. By bringing him here, we’re assured he’s the only one to find out.”

  I point to the body on the couch. “So, you killed him?”

  Dad laughs. “Nothing quite so dramatic, honey. We injected him with an anticholinergic drug that will cause confusion and memory loss.”

  “You did what?” I demand.

  My mom answers, “Relax, Kate. We mixed it with a strong sedative. We’re going to return him to Caltech tonight. He’ll never remember seeing us or being here, and if anything leaks through, he’ll think it was a dream.”

  I look at my mom like she’s sprouted wings. “Who are you?”

  Theo takes over. “Jake and I are going to drop him on a bench on campus and then call the police, so they can pick him up before any harm comes to him. He’ll never know what hit him.”

  “Wow,” I finally manage. “Okay, what next?”

  Dad answers, “Next we wait for your friend to deliver the messages and see who takes the bait.”

  “What’s the bait again?”

  “All three of the people receiving notes were aware of the project we were working on without having the specifics. I think one of them was in cahoots with the scientist who took off with our weapon.”

  I ask, “Who else was working on the weapon with you?”

  “There was me, Nikolay, and Fareed Patel.”

  I gulp, “Nikolay was working with you at Caltech? I thought he was at Berkeley.”

  My dad nods his head. “He was. I brought him on board when we I got the assignment. Theoretical weaponry has always been his thing. I knew he’d give this project a thousand percent.”

  “Holy crap.” I connect the dots. “So, you know Fareed was the guy who took off with the weapon, and you think he was working with one of the people Brit’s taking a message to?”

  “That about sums it up,” he replies.

  “What did you write in the notes to those people?”

  “I wrote them as though they were from Fareed. In addition to some information I can’t share, I said Fareed wants to meet. Then each one has a different location and time. We have to wait to see which one shows up to find out who our enemy is.”

  “You think whoever shows up will be the same person chasing us around blowing things up?”

  “No, honey. But that person will likely know who the others are. He or she will be the one who can finally get us on target to finding who’s after us.” Either that or they’ll try to kill us.

  CHAPTER 38

  As Jake and my dad get ready to take Professor Ramos back to campus, I ask, “Who in the world do we tell if we find out who was behind 9/11?”

  Theo answers, “It depends on the answer. For instance, if it’s some faction of the US government, we’ll contact the director of the CIA.”

  “And say what?”

  “I’ll set up a plan to share our proof and then we’ll give them a list of our demands.”

  Bethanie interjects, “They’d kill us for sure!”

  “Maybe,” Theo responds, “but maybe not.”

  Jake asks, “Why wouldn’t they? If you’ll remember, I used to work for them and killing isn’t exactly something they’re morally opposed to.”

  My dad nods his head solemnly. “Because they’ll want to make sure I haven’t already sold the design to another government. I’m the only one of the three scientists who has the exact blueprint to our weapon.” After a beat, he adds, “We developed fail safes, so none of us had all the information. It made it less likely someone would go rogue.”

  I plop down on the sofa across from Professor Ramos and put my head in my hands. “Yet, one of you still turned.” Then I ask, “How did you get all the information?”

  My dad exhales. “I was the project lead, so I worked it out that I would have full access to all the findings, even though my partners didn’t know that at the time. No one turned until there was a physical weapon to sell. That’s where one of these other people comes into play. None of us ever had access to the weapon when we were alone. That would have been simply too much power for one person. One of the people your assistant is giving notes to not only knew where the technology was being stored and how to access it, but had to have been working with Fareed in order for him to abscond with it.”

  “Why would the university give them that kind of power?”

  Theo explains, “They didn’t, really. The safeguards never knew what project they were protecting. It’s common practice in black-op funded experiments to separate the control. The person with the key or combination to the storage facility couldn’t use that information by itself. It had to be used in conjunction with a retinal scan from one of the scientists working on the experiment, which is how we know one of us turned.” He adds, “That, and the fact that Fareed went missing at the same time the weapon did.”

  I ask “Maybe Patel was a casualty and not complicit. Can’t you do a retinal scan with an unconscious body?”

  Dad shakes his head. “Not easily. If you knock someone out with anesthesia there’s usually a paralytic built into the drug. A body under this influence wouldn’t move at all. The same holds true if you use a dead body. Also, their temperature lowers, which might cause the machine to malfunction and shut down.” He concludes, “Retinal scans are designed to image the eye of a conscious person and to pick up the natural fluctuations of the eyeball, no matter how minute. In the case of an unnaturally still retina or decreased heat register, an alarm would have sounded, setting off a chain of new security protocol.”

  What he’s saying is interesting, but I want to bring him back on topic. “What if we find out the weapon didn’t go to the US government?”

  Theo answers, “We’ll still contact our government with our findings, but we’ll go to the NSA instead of the CIA. There’s a much better chance of surviving if this is the case, but we might very well be treated with some memory-erasing drugs afterwards.”

  “You mean like the drugs you gave to Professor Ramos?”

  “No, the government won’t fool around removing a small amount of time. They’ll bring out the big guns and wipe out a larger chunk.”

  “Like I won’t remember the last month or something?”

  “More like we won’t remember the last several years. In some instances, people forget who they are entirely.”

  “Dad,” I utter, “neither of these possibilities seems like a good one.”

  He agrees, “Correct. Which is why we’ll be hoping it’s the third option.”

  “Which is?”

  “That Fareed went rogue, along with one of the people getting my let
ter. That he alone stole the weapon and sold it to another party who used it on the WTC.”

  Jake asks, “What are the chances of that?”

  My dad shrugs. “Pretty slim. Most scientists are more interested in research than intrigue, but that’s not to say Fareed wasn’t tempted by a huge sum of money and decided to sell out.”

  I start to wonder who Fareed could have possibly been working with and if he’s the one who’s been after us all along. The idea of a government having this weapon is terrifying, but I realize it’s just as frightening to think of some unaffiliated maniac controlling it. If not a government, who in the world has the kind of power and money to acquire such dangerous technology, and what in the hell are they going to use it on next?

  CHAPTER 39

  My dad and Jake leave to deposit Professor Ramos back on campus. Thoughts are spinning through my head like feathers in a tornado. I can’t see any conclusion to our current situation that would allow me to go back to my life, which really pisses me off. I’ve worked hard to get where I am.

  My mom joins me on the couch and gently takes my hand. After several moments she whispers, “I’m sorry, Kate.”

  “Why are you sorry? You didn’t do this.”

  “I couldn’t stay away from your dad. If I could have broken things off cleanly, he would have never tried to get in touch with you.”

  “That’s absurd, Mom. Dad was your husband, the father of your kids. How in the world were you supposed to turn your back on him?”

  She shrugs. “I’m sure some people could have done it. But, truthfully, Theo and you girls have always been my world. I could never turn away from any of you.”

  “Poor Jenny and Chuck.” I sigh.

  My mom tears up. “The worst part for me is Jenny. I could live without Chuck. I’d hate to be the cause of his pain, but Jenny’s my baby. The two of you are my greatest joys, and I couldn’t survive without you.”

  I ask, “What do you think about what Dad said regarding our chances with the government?”

  After a couple of minutes, she sighs. “I think they’re pretty accurate. However, I’m throwing a new idea into the ring.”

  “What’s that?”

  “That we somehow figure out how to let Chuck and Jenny know we’re okay and then disappear like Theo did. Maybe in a few years, I can do what your dad did and visit Jen, set up a rendezvous with her. It seems cruel, but at least they’d be safe.”

  My throat begins to constrict. “Do you really think those are our only options?”

  She nods her head. “I do. Think about it: your dad has been gone for twenty-five years and somebody is still after him. Not only him anymore, they’re after all of us now.”

  I wonder, “Do you think they’ll go after Jen and Chuck, too?”

  Mom shrugs. “I don’t know. I just know that I need to find a way to talk to your sister and ask her to come with us.”

  “Will Dad be willing to disappear again?”

  She stands up and nervously begins to pace. “I think so. All he’s ever wanted was to be with me and you girls. I don’t think he’d ever ask us to run off with him, but if we offered, I’m pretty certain he’d jump at the chance.”

  I lie down on the couch and ask, “Where would we go? What would we do?”

  My mom’s brow furrows in thought. “Wherever we go, our lives would have to be so different from our current ones, there could be no resemblance.” She turns to me and stares intently before continuing, “I mean it, Kate. We might weave baskets on some tiny Caribbean island or farm a small plot of land in rural Peru. Wherever it is, it’ll have to be with the thought of falling entirely off the radar.”

  I know at this moment I’m never going back to my life and wonderful Doris Day house. How did this happen to me? I dig through my recent memories and realize that when Jake said I could leave and walk away from my dad’s life, I should have jumped on it; although had I done so, I would have never seen either of my parents again.

  My biggest sadness in this whole situation is my relationship with my sister. I have to find a way to see her again, but I can’t risk putting her in any additional danger. I fall asleep on the couch with those thoughts swarming in my head.

  My brain sets off on its own path, and I finally conclude circumstances might not really be that horrible. Every day on our planet, natural disasters, war, and famine claim thousands of lives. Mothers watch as their babies die from lack of medicines that first world citizens take for granted. Children grow up as orphans when their parents are slain in wars, and natural disasters wipe out entire towns.

  I’ve lived high on the hog compared to most people in the world. I have a college education, I purchased my own home at thirty, and I’ve never wondered where my next meal was coming from. I’ve had it easy. Maybe that ride is over, but at least I’m still young enough to redefine myself. The question is, who will I be next?

  CHAPTER 40

  Brittany should be delivering Dad’s messages to Caltech this morning, so we have another day before the first potential meeting. I could probably use a month of rest, but at the same time, I want to keep going until this thing we’re immersed in is finally over. I remember my mom lecturing me throughout my childhood, “Don’t wish away time, Kate. It’s the most precious commodity we have.”

  I finally understand why she said that so often. One day, her life was going according to plan and the next, her husband was gone and her family crumbling. I have no idea how she lived for three years thinking Theo had abandoned us. I have no idea how she kept the truth to herself once she found out differently.

  When I was growing up, I was so full of anger and drive, I ruled my choices with an iron fist. Everything was a planned action. Like most kids would have, I blamed myself for my dad’s desertion. I never once entertained the thought that the reason he left was bigger than me. As a result, I never wanted to think someone else would abandon me because of carelessness on my part. So, I made sure everything I did or said was well thought out. It’s why I didn’t allow myself to get close to too many people.

  Now that I find out my assumptions about Theo’s leaving were all wrong, it’s like I’m starting from scratch. Even if we weren’t on the run, I’d still have to rebuild my foundation of belief and start over.

  I remind myself, don’t wish away time, Kate. I want to make the most of this day because in truth, it might be my last. I roll out of bed, grab a cup of coffee, and sit outside on the screened-in porch to think.

  My dad joins me after a few minutes and scooches next to me on the love seat. We silently watch a mother squirrel and her babies scamper around the yard near a small water feature on the side of the house. The mother allows her offspring free reign until they get about five feet from her, then she starts herding them back in.

  I finally ask, “Did everything turn out okay with Professor Ramos?”

  He nods his head. “Like clockwork.” Then he offers, “I’m sorry, Katie. I never thought it would come to this. I wanted you to learn why I’d left and hopefully get some peace about the whole situation. I never expected my plan to blow up so spectacularly.”

  I don’t know what to say. Yes, I’m in this situation because of Theo, but I can’t really blame him. He was just doing his job. “Why did you run when the weapon went missing?”

  “Nikolay and I arrived at the lab that last morning and waited for Fareed. When he didn’t show, we went ahead and got started. Eileen Feldman—she’s one of the people receiving a note—opened the storage safe with us, and the weapon wasn’t there. I asked if she could tell me when the unit was last opened, and she said not without contacting NASA first. Remember NASA was the cover for who we were really being funded by.”

  “What did you do?”

  “We told her to get the ball rolling and call our contact at JPL and get them down here.”

  JPL is the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. It’s a NASA research facility managed by Caltech. “But why did you run?”

  “
Because by noon, Fareed still hadn’t shown up to work, and we still hadn’t been contacted by our control. Then Nikolay and I were walking by the laboratory and noticed two men in dark suits following us. They looked more ominous than anyone we’d ever seen on campus before.”

  “What did you do?” I demand.

  “We decided the best course of action was to pay a visit to the man who brought us into the project.”

  “What did he do?”

  “He told us to go back to the lab, that our control would be meeting us at five that afternoon.”

  “He didn’t call the cops or anything?”

  Theo shakes his head. “No. He said JPL contacted him and we should follow orders and wait.”

  I wonder, “Do you think he was in on it?”

  My dad shrugs his shoulders. “In so far as he knew NASA wanted answers about the theft and if they had to scare us into getting them, then so be it.”

  “No,” I clarify, “do you think he was in on the disappearance of the weapon?”

  “We had our suspicions, but we’ll never know for sure.”

  “Why is that?” I ask.

  “Because right after we left his office he dropped dead from a heart attack. That’s when we realized we were probably next, and running was our only option. We didn’t go back to our lab, we went straight to my house, took what we needed, and disappeared.”

  “Where did you go, Dad?”

  “At first we went to the Midwest. We had a professor friend at the University of Chicago who we knew back at Berkeley. He helped set us up with new identification and even managed to hide us for a few months, but then he noticed he was being followed around campus. We left the next day.”

  “How did you survive?”

  “Nikolay. He made a chunk of money on a couple of patents he sold in the nineties. Being Russian, he’s never trusted his money to traditional banks. He had a numbered Swiss account.” He adds, “Plus, remember this was well before 9/11. Airport security was nothing compared to what it became after the attacks. It made anonymous travel possible for us.”