Legacy of a Mad Scientist (38 page)

Geoff was gasping for breath and looked panicked.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm ok," Geoff replied. "What happened?" he
asked.

"I just set it down," Ash answered.

"Wow. It did not like that," Geoff said. "Where is
it?" he asked.

Ash led her brother back to the device.

He picked it up and handed it to her.

"You can hold onto it," she said.

"No, It's yours. I can use it, but you have to carry
it," Geoff said.

"Whatever." Ash returned the amplifier to her
pocket.

Geoff staggered and rubbed his head. "Man!" Geoff
shook his head.

"What's wrong?" Ashley asked.

"Nothing! It's …" Geoff paused to catch his breath.
"Hold on."

"When you're holding it, damn! It's strong. The
signal is so strong. But..." Geoff moved across the room. "Only if
I'm right next to you.”

"Then why don't you carry it?" Ashley asked.

"Are you kidding? No way! This is tons better!" he
said, smiling.

Ash got nothing more out of him that afternoon. She
flipped though bad video streams while Geoff lay on the couch next
to her, eyes closed, but never asleep.

Sunday Evening, July 27, 2308

As Von Kalt fell through the night sky, he took
advantage of the opportunity to smile.

Boxes of meaningless records streamed past like
shooting stars burning up in orbit.

Everything about the past twenty-four hours had kept
him on his toes. He was honestly glad Stanwood had left him alone
most of the time.

Using the Metachron, he was never at a loss for
intellectually stimulating activity.

When they boarded the Midway, Von Kalt had kept their
personal transport nearby and idling, ignoring the staff’s
invitation to take advantage of the nearby docking branches. Now he
was thankful for his obsessively paranoid and suspicious
nature.

Using the Metachron, Von Kalt piloted the car while
simultaneously plunging toward the earth at a hundred, twenty miles
an hour.

He activated the side hatch and swung the vehicle
under the director. Von Kalt caught his supervisor with the
anti-gravity car and then set about to rescuing himself.

The Metachron was in his hand as he entered the car
and set his feet on the deck. He took a deep breath as the hatch
closed. He felt his gravity return as the vehicle pulled out of its
dive-bomb maneuver and set a course for the west coast.

Stanwood was sprawled across the back seat, his legs
and arms extended, clutching the seat and floor as if it could in
some way help him.

Von Kalt leaned into the turn, smiling wryly.

Stanwood noticed the amplifier in Von Kalt’s right
hand.

Von Kalt looked Stanwood in the eye and asked, “You
still want to chase down Henry Charles Porter and Johnny
Wyndham?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

Stanwood paused.

“So you did take it from him?” he asked.

“Of course, I did,” Von Kalt replied.

“I’m glad.”

“You are?”

“It’s all a part of the plan,” Stanwood said.

Von Kalt laughed hard and long. “The plan, huh?”

“I still have one more ace up my sleeve, one more
card to play. We’re not done yet,” Stanwood answered.

“What makes me laugh is how a dead guy still has you
chasing your tail.” Von Kalt took the pilot’s chair and leaned
back, chuckling as he closed his eyes.

Ashley’s Journal, Monday July 27, 2308

When I woke up this morning, I checked the security
feeds, like Ross said. Then I spent like an hour in the shower and
bathroom. Still haven't seen any life signs from Free Bird.

A couple of years ago, Geoff wanted to go on a
camping trip with his class and when it came time to go, mom was
crying. Geoff was only like five and this was his first night away
from home.

He said, “Don’t cry Mom, I need to be a Free
Bird.”

I laughed my ass off.

Mom and Dad laughed too, but for a whole year, I
don’t think I called him Geoff once. Mom had to outlaw it, or I’d
probably still be calling him Free Bird today.

Ashley found Ross in the kitchen, preparing a
generous breakfast.

"I let you guys sleep in today. Tomorrow that stops."
Ross set a cup of juice and a few slices of fruit before her. "I
have to run a bunch of errands, so today is the last day of the
rest of your... of your old life.”

"And that means what exactly?” Ashley asked.

"I don't know, eat cereal, watch cartoons, keep the
shotgun in the brace and keep the line tied to the knob till I call
you.”

"Till you call me? Why don't you just knock?”

"I had a buddy who knocked once. It was just enough
to knock the line off the knob, cut him in half. Don't ever knock.
If you do have to knock… Whenever you knock on a door, stand off to
the side. That way he would have maybe just lost his hand. They can
get you a new hand.”

Ross gave Ashley a phone. "There's one number
programmed into this; emergency use only. Don't even open it unless
it rings. You got me?”

Ashley nodded, picked up the phone and looked at
it.

Ross finished with the pancakes and set a short stack
in front of Ash. "Where's your brother," he asked.

"Sleeping. Guess yesterday was a lot for him.”

"You're probably right." Ross rinsed a few dishes and
piled a few others. "I have to go. Lots to do. Make sure he eats,
yeah?" Ross said.

Ashley nodded.

Ross came around from the back of the small kitchen
counter and patted Ashley's shoulder. "It's going to be okay.”

Ashley smiled, but something dangerous in her eyes
made Ross pause. "What?" he asked.

"It is going to be okay," Ashley said. "I can just
feel it." She took a bite of her pancakes, grinning.

Ross laughed.

Monday Morning, July 27, 2308

Von Kalt sat in the chair reserved for bodyguards and
flunkies while Stanwood took the seat in front of Senator Miller’s
desk.

On the far left of the room, a sheet of plywood
filled the space where one of the floor-to-ceiling windows had been
knocked out.

Stanwood noticed but said nothing.

“What can I do for you, Joe?” the Senator asked.
Miller didn’t even bother to look away from his monitor. He held a
stylus before the screen, occasionally tapping or dragging one
section or another.

“I presume you’ve kept abreast of events?” Stanwood
asked.

“Somewhat.” Miller tapped the screen with the stylus,
like some kind of digitally interested bird. “If there’s something
specific you’d like to address, please cut to the chase, I don’t
have a lot of time.”

“The warrants on Fox’s properties were served,”
Stanwood stated.

“Ah, yes. The committee is greatly looking forward to
putting several of his technologies on the fast track. I can’t wait
to hear all about it.”

“Well, Sir, that’s why I’m here.”

“This doesn’t sound good at all.” Miller put the
stylus down and clicked off the display. He held up his hand. “Let
me stop you before you begin, Director. You wouldn’t believe what
happened while I was out at lunch the other day. The window, that
one,” Miller pointed at the sheet of plywood, “It just blew out,
all of a sudden. And then, the security team says, all my files, my
personal belongings, everything, just started flying around the
room. Sounds kind of crazy, doesn’t it?”

“It is a problem sir.”

“Obviously. Otherwise, you would not be here, would
you?”

Stanwood cleared his throat. “We severed over seventy
warrants for properties belonging to or even associated with Doctor
Andrew Fox. Not one of the addresses yielded anything worth
noting.”

“NOT ONE?” Miller was on his feet. “Are You Frigging
Kidding ME!” He was screaming; his face had grown beet red.

“We spent years accumulating that data! There was not
one FALSE LEAD in the Bunch!” He was leaning all the way across his
desk, his index finger in Stanwood’s face.

“What Kind of incompetent morons did you put on this
job? Do you REALIZE YOUR LIFE IS ON THE LINE? You let these idiots
smash up my office! You let them make fools of the both of us! Do I
have to tell you how much hot water you are in right now?” Miller
paused to catch his breath. “WE ARE TALKING TREASON!”

The Senator withdrew to his plush leather chair and
took a moment to adjust himself. “This is treason, Joseph. You
killed one of the countries leading scientists, and I will see that
you are prosecuted for murder in the first degree.”

Von Kalt suspected that, years ago, while Stanwood
was still new to government, this sort of outburst might have
unsettled, or even frightened Director Stanwood. Von Kalt certainly
wasn’t impressed. These sort of idiots get people killed. He
wondered how Stanwood had tolerated the buffoon for so long. That
must have been eight long years.

“I have a plan, sir.” Stanwood sounded as cool as
could be.

Von Kalt had heard that kind of cool before.

“I’d be more than happy to share it with you. But I
understand that you are a busy man.”

Von Kalt placed the vocal pattern, the tonal nuances
and implications. He smiled; Stanwood was biting Fox, biting Fox’s
personal speaking style.

Miller blinked.

Stanwood read this as an invitation to continue. “We
know that Fox had conspirators, inside the highest levels of the
Republic.”

“So?”

“So, now Fox is dead. We are in control.

“You don’t seem very…”

It was Stanwood’s turn to get loud.

“We Are In Control.” The man was hypnotic.

Miller calmed down.

Von Kalt was impressed.

“We will put the word out that we are in possession
of Fox’s research and that it is being put under lock and key, for
further consideration. In this, we show our humility and our
ambition Not To Become Tyrants.”

Stanwood paused.

Miller waited.

“We will let our enemies come to us, curious to see
what we do or do not know. Their own curiosity will undo them.
Instead of walking into their traps, we will make some of our
own.”

“So we turn it around on them. Okay, I like that,”
Miller said.

“Good. Because this is where you come in, Sir.”

“How’s that?”

“We have two options. The first one is rather direct,
but requires a significant sacrifice on your part.”

“Let’s hear it?” Miller sounded intrigued.

“Well, as we can see,” it was Stanwood’s turn to
gesture to the plywood sheet. “Our enemy clearly has you in their
cross hairs. We can exploit that.”

Miller cocked his head to the side.

“If you were to be heard bragging about the Fox
operations. I think that might accelerate some sort of traceable
reaction.”

“You’re talking about using me as bait.”

“If you want to be crass about it, I suppose that’s
accurate.”

Miller snorted.

“”
I do have one other idea, it
requires significantly less of a contribution on the part of your
office.”

“That already sounds better. Usually I’m the one
asking for contributions.”

“I need the Wolf Pack.”

“I’m afraid that’s completely out of the question!
Why would you ask me that? Why would you even suggest that? What is
wrong with you? You must really be desperate.”

“Sir, I was just violently depressurized from thirty
thousand feet.

“Earlier this week I activated the full forces of
Scotland Yard to subdue a ninety-two year old curmudgeon, who
thoroughly enjoyed it and later lectured ME on the evils of the
Republic. After shooting my childhood friend in the forehead, I
played golf with his Ghost of Christmas Future and shared war
stories about our childhood. There’s not a lot you can do or say
that would surprise me, short of giving me what I ask for and
sharing a drink from that bottle in your lower drawer.”

“Do you really think this will work, Joe?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t, Sir.”

“It would be a lot easier to garner support if you
had some kind of evidence.”

“I completely agree, Senator, but how long have you
known me?”

“You’re whole career, of course.”

“Have I ever steered you wrong, Sir?”

“Of course not. What’s your point?”

“My point is; don’t I have something in the bank with
you? Was all that time worth nothing? Don’t you trust me at
all?”

“That is a one time ploy, my friend.”

Stanwood said nothing.

Miller smiled. “You’re usually so resourceful with
this kind of thing.”

“A one time ploy, huh? The Wolf Pack would not exist
without the work I did, for You! Illegal work, I might add. The
list of illegal things I have done while working for This Office
could choke a team of Clydesdales. This is not a one-time ploy,
Sir.

“I only came here as a courtesy. I can get to
Bergstrom on my own; I simply thought you might appreciate the
opportunity to give your blessing to this endeavor.

“Our enemy, in this case, is smart and cunning. He
knows how to cover his tracks and we’re not going to get what we
want without some leverage.”

“What did you have in mind?“

“Something simple, something direct.”

“It seems if you went after one of these other
fellows, Porter or Wyndham, they might be rather valuable,
considering. Don’t you think?”

“That certainly is an option we can keep on the back
burner, sir. But not the sort of immediate target I had in
mind.”

“All right, Joe. I’m thinking maybe it’s time to
bring Dr. Bergstrom and his Wolf Pack into the loop. What do you
say?”

“Thank you, Mister Senator.”

Miller activated his communications terminal and
called up Cedric in his contacts, placing the call.

Dr. Bergstrom’s system answered and asked if the
Senator would like to leave a message. “Cedric, this is Senator
Miller. I’m going to be sending Joseph to see you. He’s got a
project I think you could really help out with. Thanks.”