“There’s lots of different kinds of energy particles up there and we have no idea what they do,” Willie mutters without looking up from the microscope.
“I’m sure that’s true,” Gramps agrees.
“I don’t see that much resemblance,” Willie comments. “It would be easier if we could look at them side by side.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Gramps agrees again.
“Easy enough,” I comment. I remove the morning’s slide from the microscope and put Willie’s cage back on the stage. “Willie, look through the eyepiece and tell me if the bit moves when I start pulling the half slide out.”
Willie looks and gets the gray bit into focus again. “Okay. Go ahead. Slowly,” he softly suggests. I carefully pull the half slide out to open the cage. “You’re good so far,” Willie whispers.
“Done!” I let him know a second later. “Now let me move the magnifying glass closer so I can see what I’m doing.”
I get everything in place, move the slide under the glass, and remove the cover from over the black bit. I can see it okay and it doesn’t appear to want to roll away. I carefully move the slide up to the cage. Using the toothpick, I nudge the bit towards the mouth of the cage, then through its narrow opening. I can see it resting just inside the edge, but the toothpick is too thick to move it any further in. “Where’s my sliver kit?” I should have thought of it sooner. I open a drawer, take out an old, tin Band-Aid box and open the lid. Inside are a pair of tweezers and a thin needle.
“You’re emergency kit?” Willie asks, looking up for a moment to see what is going on.
“You never know,” I tell him. “I’m going to try pushing this bit in next to the other one. You let me know when you see it coming into view.”
“Okay,” he confirms, and returns to peer through the eyepiece.
I begin to push, first one way, then the other, moving the bit closer to the lit circle where the shiff bit is in view. It seems to take a long time. The black bit won’t just roll straight in.
“I see it now,” Willie says. “Boy, that pin looks big!” I continue pushing. “Not too much further,” he cautions. “Whoa!” He unexpectedly backs away from the eyepiece, blinking and rubbing his eye alternately.
“What?” I ask, but without waiting for an answer, I peer into the eyepiece. At first nothing seems unusual as I look at the bits for the first time. They have a hollow middle through which the faint, blue haze seems to flow. I watch for the pulse. There! It seems to run down the outside, then rebound slightly up through the middle. Unimaginable! If somebody were to describe to me what I was looking at, I wouldn’t believe them. I pull away thinking Gramps would like to take a look.
“Where’s the bit I just moved in?” I ask Willie. And then, “how’s your eye doing?”
“Man! That was like a real bright camera flash,” Willie says. “I’m still seeing spots.” He blinks at me a few more times before he says, “that is the bit you just moved in.”
“It transferred its properties?” Gramps asks, still looking at the slide. “That’s amazing!” He looks up at us. “We should do it again to confirm it.”
I nod slowly, not wanting to believe the conclusion we are coming to. “How can that be?” I reach for the paper containing the remaining bits I had taken from the plate this morning.
“You’ve seen me magnetize a screwdriver before,” Gramps says to me. “Maybe it’s like that. Just like you can transfer the properties of a magnet to any iron object, these bits are capable of passing on their properties.”
I absorb his explanation thinking once more about all of those bits on all of those plates downstairs, trying not to get too excited while I transfer a second black bit to the slide I had used earlier, and then to the cage. Completing that, I turn around to ask Willie for help, but he is still alternately blinking and rubbing. I hold out the needle towards my grandfather. “Gramps? A little help,” I ask.
He takes the needle. Then he reaches into his shirt pocket and hands me a pair of sunglasses. “These might help with the flash,” he suggests. I put them on. “Okay. Let’s see what happens.”
I look into the eyepiece. The two bits are actively pulsing away, but unlike before, they have synchronized. “They’re pulsing together now!” I exclaim to the others.
“You should start seeing me about now,” Gramps says, focusing on the third bit.
“Yep. You’re almost there.” I can see the newest addition slowly edging up to the others.
The sunglasses make the view a little dark and the event occurs quickly. When the black bit gets within two of its own widths from the others, it is drawn the rest of the way, like two magnets hanging on strings might pull together. BANG! The flash occurs and the new bit begins to take on the blue haze. I watch, mesmerized as the new bit comes to life with a weak pulse. Then a second, stronger but not yet in time with the other two. I think I count eight or nine pulses, each stronger than the one before. By the tenth, the three bits are fully synchronized.
I move away from the microscope and head over to the couch against the wall, removing the sunglasses. Willie has regained his normal vision. I look at him, and then at Gramps who has just taken a quick look.
“You know what this means?” Gramps asks.
“You know we got a ton of these things downstairs?” I ask back.
“You know we could be in big trouble if the wrong people find out about this?” Willie interjects.
We all sit in thought for quite a while pondering our individual concerns.
“Willie,” Gramps begins cautiously, “nobody else can find out about this because you’re right. This could bring bigger trouble than we already have.”
“What trouble is that?” Willie asks.
Gramps quickly tells the story about the previous night, though he leaves out the part about the Taser and having to wheel the guy out to his car. The way he put it, we had simply caught him in the act of breaking in.
“Do you think he’ll try again?” Willie asks.
“I’m sure one of them will,” Gramps say confidently. “Other than that, I know there are big companies that would literally kill for this kind of knowledge and product. We all have to be extremely careful about who and where and what we say about this. And we have to let the others know both the danger and potential as soon as possible, but indirectly.”
“Who all knows at this point?” Willie asks.
“There’s just six of us, I hope,” I say. “You, me, and Gramps; Jared, Kylie, and Jennifer. That’s all.”
“And that’s enough,” Gramps declares. “Maybe we should have another barbeque tomorrow. That’s something we do quite a bit and wouldn’t seem suspicious to anyone.”
“A ‘school’s out’ barbeque,” I add. “But what about Mom and Dad?”
“They said earlier they were going to visit Earl tomorrow to see how he’s recovering from last weekend’s trip to the slammer. They thought it might help if they let him in on the good news,” Gramps replies.
“Good news?” Willie looks at us quizzically.
“I’m going to have a baby brother or sister sometime early next year,” I tell him with a big grin.
“That’s cool,” he responds.
“I guess we’d better clean up a little,” Gramps suggests. “Willie, why don’t you close the door to the cage. We should probably keep it intact so we can show the others tomorrow. Tyler, put the scope back in the case and figure out where we can hide everything.”
We are done in no time and soon venture outside into the late afternoon sun. Willie takes off. Gramps and I head into the house. Mom and Dad are sitting around the kitchen table having a discussion about names for the baby.
“So, what are you boys up to this afternoon?” Dad asks happily.
“Not much. Just talking about motorcycles and summer plans,” Gramps replies, giving me a wink.
Unusual Summer Jobs
Mom and Dad had left to go see Uncle Earl around 11:00 this mornin
g. They asked Gramps to go along to offer his son support but Gramps said he thought it would be better for him to go some time later in the week, that Earl would benefit more from a second visit. Mom wasn’t too pleased with her father’s decision.
Not too long ago, I had overheard them talking about Earl late one evening. They were sitting on the porch when I came home from The Hill. I thought I’d sneak up and surprise them. But as I got closer, I heard a serious tone in their voices and decided against it. I guess it was part of their getting familiar with each other after many years of separation and silence.
Gramps was confessing to his daughter that he had always had low expectations of Earl and how that may have indirectly sabotaged their relationship. I remember Mom began to protest but he had halted her in mid-sentence so he could explain. He said his disappointment wasn’t so much in Earl as it was in himself, and that he had not been there enough to encourage Earl with his academics. His pain was that maybe Earl could have been near the head of his class and, with a little more encouragement, gone on to finish college. “He’s certainly smart enough,” Gramps lamented.
Gramps then said, if he could do it over again, he’d do it all differently; that the sacrifices he had made had not been worth the end results. He told her, in very general terms, that he felt he had been used by those he was working for, and that they had misled him in some very serious ways. She asked him some specific questions but he wouldn’t answer saying only that they should remain secret for a while longer. I guessed my mother didn’t know the exact nature of Gramps’ profession any more than I did.
Today I’m feeling that maybe Gramps just wants time alone with his son, to try and get to know him, probably to have a few conversations like those he has with Mom from time to time. Gramps was trying to make things right, and I was starting to understand that being a parent is not easy. I feel a little sad for them as I sit on the porch waiting for everybody to arrive.
Jennifer is the first to show up. She pulls up next to Gramps who has rolled his bike out onto the apron of the shed to clean it up a bit. She revs the little engine a few times yelling, “Hey! Ya wanna drag?” then she shuts it off. It’s good for a laugh. Jen is almost always good for a laugh and fun to have around.
Gramps had suggested I not reveal anything about the previous day until everybody has arrived. “That way,” he had said, “everybody gets the same story and can ask their questions. Makes it easier to keep things straight.”
Jen is helping me fire up the grill when Jared and Kylie come riding their bicycles around the side of the house on the trail from The Hill. It actually takes less time than driving on the roads if you don’t stop to look at anything. Jared comes in first, which doesn’t seem to matter to Kylie today. She looks happy, as we all are, now that school is out.
Jen and Jared get a can of soda out of the cooler and find a seat on the porch. Kylie has asked for a lemonade so I head into the kitchen. She follows me in and thanks me when I hand the glass to her. “So did you turn in your gyroscope program?” I ask while she takes a sip.
“Mm hmm,” she answers, lowering the glass from her lips. “And I got a B+ on it, too,” she continues after swallowing.
“So what exactly does the program do?”
“It’s a simulation actually. Something a helicopter pilot might use for training.” She looks at me and takes another sip before going on. “Okay,” she starts explaining, “it’s as if you are sitting in a cage and you have a joystick to control the actions of the cage. The gyroscope is below you and can be tilted on two different axes. The objective is to keep the cage steady.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard. I’ve played games like that. You just let the game controller come to rest in the center and everything should balance out.”
“Yeah, so I programmed in some variations for gusting winds too.”
“Still doesn’t sound too complicated,” I say, toying with the package of buns Mom had left out for the BBQ.
“Well, the objective wasn’t to create a game,” she says defensively. “The objective was to control the degree of bank and pitch using the joystick. It was more of a programming exercise. Geez!”
“So what does your dad think?” I ask, directing the conversation elsewhere.
“About what?”
“You said he might consider making it into an exhibit at the launch facility.”
“Oh yeah. He’s not sure yet. We have to see if the materials can be scrounged up. Gyroscopes just aren’t there for the taking you know.”
“Hey! Willie’s here!” Jared calls through the screen door.
“We’re coming,” I respond.
Willie is stepping out of his Beast when Kylie and I get out on the porch. He waves. We wave back as he makes his way over. “Hey big brother,” he greets to me. Nobody says anything for a minute. I can see Gramps grinning over by the grill.
“What’s with that?” Jennifer asks.
“Mom’s pregnant,” I reply. “She found out earlier that it’s a girl.”
Congratulations come first. “Poor guy,” Jared then comments. “You’re life is going to be hell now. Little sisters are nothing but a pain.” Kylie shoots him her look but before she can retaliate he adds, “But they’re a lot of fun, too.”
“Sorry Tyler,” Willie says. “I thought you would have told them already.”
“That’s okay. I guess I haven’t gotten used to the idea myself.”
“When did this all start?” Jennifer wants to know.
“I don’t know. You have to ask my folks for those specifics,” I jokingly answer. “I just found out about it yesterday.”
“When’s she due?” Kylie asks.
“I don’t know.”
“What’s her name going to be?” Jared grills me.
“I don’t think they’ve decided.”
There’s a pause in the questioning so Gramps cuts in. “Lunch is ready.” He’s carrying a platter of burgers and Italian sausage. “Tyler’s mom has everything else in the kitchen so follow me to fix your plates.”
We follow but are soon back at the table on the porch eating lunch and talking about the last days of school and our plans for the summer.
“Working at Jimbo’s?” I ask Jen to confirm.
“Yeah, I know,” she says, “it’s not much, but it’s close so I can ride the scooter to work. Dad’s good friends with Jimmy and he arranged it so I really couldn’t say no.”
“So you’re going to be waiting tables,” Jared comments thoughtfully. “Can we get free fries?” he adds with a grin.
“You don’t get anything for free!” she jabs back. “And I don’t see that working for your father is going to be much different?”
“Elf City can be a lot different.”
“Yeah. I guess working outside and sweating it up is more your style anyway,” says Jen to close that subject. Kylie looks towards Willie and me, rolling her eyes while shaking her head in mock disapproval of the verbal jousting between the two.
Gramps comes out through the screen door just then. He stops at the end of the table with his can of soda held up. “Here’s to the graduates,” he toasts. “At least I’m assuming all of you have moved on to the next grade.” We all smile and join the toast, congratulating each other once again. His demeanor then turns serious. We all get quiet. The meeting is about to begin.
“You all find yourselves in an interesting situation as this summer vacation begins. The purpose of this meeting is to determine what to do next.” He stops for a moment, quickly scanning the group. “Have any of you mentioned anything to anybody about what has occurred in the last ten days?”
We look at each other, shaking our heads to the negative. “Even if there were somebody around to tell, who would believe us anyway?” Jennifer injects with a chuckle. There is no reaction to her comment.
“There are always people listening,” Gramps warns. “Especially if the talk is about something which has the potential to change the way life is conduct
ed down here, and maybe up there too,” he points towards the sky.
“Is this for real or are you just trying to scare us by adding a little espionage to the story?” Jennifer asks with agitated disbelief.
“Jen, calm down,” Jared suggests. “Don’t you remember Tyler’s grandfather found those bugs in Tyler’s lab last week?”
“And then the other night we caught a guy trying to sneak into the loft,” I add.
“Tyler!” Gramps scolds me. After taking in the surprised looks from the others, he briefly tells that story leaving out the method of capture like before. “And that’s why we’re here today,” he summarizes, “to make sure everybody knows everything that has been happening.”
“I didn’t know about the break in,” Jen comments quietly.
“And I hadn’t heard about the bugs,” adds Willie. “Can we see ’em?”
“I’m afraid they were crushed and scattered Willie,” Gramps apologizes. “The point being made here is that you all have to be very careful about what you say, how you say it, and to whom you say it. These people play for keeps, and I don’t know to what lengths they will go to meet their goals.”
“Do you have any idea who they are?” Kylie asks quietly.
“Well, we know about Stiles, but who’s pulling his strings remains a mystery.”
“Probably that guy in the black car. He seems to keep to the shadows,” I suggest. “Remember him from The Hill on that first night, Kylie?”
“Yeah, a little, but I didn’t see him at all.”
“And that’s the way they’ll try to keep it,” Gramps continues. “Anybody ready for another soda?” he asks lightheartedly to give us a minute to think about that event. We chat between ourselves while Gramps gets another drink for Jared. “So the first thing we have to decide today is, do you all want to continue with this project or should we return the material to Stiles, anonymously, and then get on with our lives?”
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