Storm Portal (Quantum Touch Book 1)

by Michael R. Stern

  “Andersonville was the Georgia prison camp for Union soldiers,” I explained. “Over 12,000 died in brutal conditions. Good we didn’t go there.” She gave me her I-told-you-so stare.

  “Here it is, Fritz,” said Linda, holding up another open book. “Appomattox. Lee surrenders.”

  I took the book. A paperclip marked four pages about Grant meeting Lee. I flipped to the last page connected by the paperclip and read about the aftermath of the surrender, including Union soldiers providing food to Lee’s men. I checked the title, then looked at the bookcase. “Lin, where was this book?”

  “Right here, bottom of the pile,” she said, pointing to the corner of my desk.

  I looked at another book from the desk. Triangle: The Fire that Changed America. Another paperclip. I turned to those pages. “I clipped these because Frances Perkins, FDR’s Labor secretary, the first woman in the cabinet, was an eyewitness.” I wanted to discuss the impact of the fire on public policy and the law with the kids. “Did you know that she was the force behind the creation of Social Security?”

  Lois said, “Always teaching!” She smiled at me, and I appreciated her comment, especially in front of George. I smiled back.

  “Well what have we accomplished?” said George.

  “Nothing yet,” I said. I examined everything on the desk, one piece at a time, until I reached the bottom of the pile. “Here it is.”

  “What?” Linda asked.

  I held out a travel brochure for the White House tour. A photo of the Oval Office had a paperclip on it. “So it really does look like my paperclips have something to do with it.” I went to the stack of books on the windowsill. “None of these,” I said. I looked at the desk again. It wasn’t messy, but books and papers covered the perimeter. “I need to take all the paperclips off everything on the desk.” I took out my desk key to unlock the desk, but it was already open. I had forgotten to lock it again when we were there earlier.

  “Do you want us to help?” asked Ash.

  “Yes. And stick in scraps of paper as placeholders.” My tone of voice registered. I was barking like George. Looking at them, I said, “Sorry. Thanks.” They took books and papers, and the paperclips piled up. I opened the drawers and looked for more clipped items, but there were none. “Interesting,” I said.

  “What is?” asked George.

  “I’m not sure, George, but it seems that the only paperclips are ON the desk.”

  “There are paperclips in books on the shelf, Fritz,” said Linda.

  I glanced at the bookcase. “But not involving places we went. I think that means the connection includes the desktop somehow.” I tapped it a couple of times.

  “But there are at least fifty clips in the stuff on the desk,” said Ash.

  “It doesn’t seem random,” said Linda.

  “Maybe, maybe not.” Linda told me my forehead looked like a ploughed field. I stared at the top of the desk, wondering how the connections were made. I walked to the door and then looked from the door to the desk.

  “What are you looking at?” said George.

  “I’m not sure, George. Just looking.”

  “Do you think the desk has something to do with the door?” asked Lois.

  “You’re ahead of me again, Lois. Yes, but I don’t know what or how.” I continued looking back and forth. Then I said, “Lin, where exactly was that Civil War book?”

  “Right here,” she replied, pointing to the left side of my desk.

  “And the Triangle book was in the middle, I’d just looked at it before class. The brochure was in a pile near the book with Lee’s surrender. “The UAW book was under the homework papers on the right.Left, right, center.”

  “So?” said George.

  “So?” I said. “Sew buttons.” My arms folded, I looked from the desk to the door and back, like a slow motion tennis volley.

  “Buttons? What buttons?” George asked, sounding confused.

  “I don’t know, George. Maybe there is a pattern. There’s no electrical connection between the door and the desk. I just don’t know.” I looked at the floor. “George, do you know if there is wiring under the floor?”

  “I don’t think so. This wing was built on a slab; there’s no basement here. I think the wiring’s all above ground. I’ve never seen them, but I’m sure the administration must have the original plans somewhere.”

  “If there’s no basement, there are no wires from the door to the desk that we won’t see. Just a thought.”

  “Do you want me to check about the plans?”

  “No. No reason to. Thanks anyway, George. It must be something else.”

  “Let’s get some coffee,” said Ashley, watching me grind my teeth.

  “Good idea,” said Linda.

  Lois told George that it was time to go. They still had work to finish for the meeting. George wasn’t paying attention. When we started to leave, he just followed. At our cars, I told George that everything would work out and not to worry. “I have some things to think about. But I think I have a way to avoid getting the kids involved again. Thanks for coming, and thanks for coming, too, Lois.” She waved.

  ••••

  WHILE HE WAS CONCENTRATING on Tom’s report, the president’s phone rang. He flinched and refocused. Secretary Stevens told him they had a solution but needed new data.

  “Good. Can you go back tonight? Our friends went back to the school this afternoon, looking for clues.”

  “Mr. President, we’re good.”

  “Good luck, and I’ll speak with you tomorrow.” The president hung up. “You’ll get everything arranged, Tom?”

  “Yes sir. I’ll take care of it.”

  ••••

  STRAIGHT HOME, no stop for coffee. “Fritz, what were you looking at?” asked Linda.

  “There has to be a connection between opening the portal and the desk. After I saw the books on the desk, I just knew.”

  “Knew what?” asked Ash.

  “I think there’s a two-way connection between the door,” I pointed with my left hand, “and the desk,” I pointed with my right. “Something about the desk is causing the portal to open. Then, when the connection is made, the door connects back to something on the desk, like the paperclips. Or maybe vice versa. But what? Why?”

  “You said, ‘left, right, center’” said Linda.

  “The order of events. The books were on the left, then the right, and then the center. The brochure was on the left again. The order of the trips.”

  “Then you don’t think it was random.”

  “It could be random, Lin, or maybe there is an order. I don’t know. Not enough information.”

  “Stop right now,” Linda was edgy “You are not, I repeat, not, going to test this theory, if it’s even a theory. I know you too well. Forget it.” She turned to Ashley. “And don’t you go helping him.”

  “Lin, the only way to find out, to be sure it’s not random, is to be deliberate.” I was trying to sound reasonable and calm, in spite of my anticipation. And her discomfort. “But if my guess is right, I still need the static from the doorknob to open the portal. Now I’m sure that happened each time. But does it depend on the weather?”

  “You promised me,” she said. She walked out of the kitchen.

  I called her, but the stairs squeaked from climbing footsteps. I said, “You know, Ash, if we hadn’t gone to the White House, this would just be a field trip. A weird one, but that’s all. What bothers me is not having the time to figure out what happened. The White House has so many resources to use against us. I don’t think they’re bad guys. Hell, I voted for him twice. But I think they’re trying to find the portal.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “Nothing makes sense, but I could be in trouble with them.” I realized I was chewing my bottom lip. The events of the past day ran through my head again, and I recounted them to Ashley.

  “Are you getting paranoid?” asked Ashley

  “Remember, even paranoids ha
ve enemies. Maybe I’m making too much of this, but I’d like to be sure. I can trust the president will act on this. He’s more important than me.”

  “Not to me,” Linda said from the doorway.

  ••••

  TOM WAS WAITING near the gate, his jacket zipped half way to conceal the bulge, when James arrived at Andrews. The guard raised the gate, no questions asked, and Tom followed them in. At the guard booth, he rolled down his window and said that they would be returning around 4:30. “We’ll park by the plane. If there are any problems, call the agent on duty at the White House.”

  “Yes, sir,” said the guard. When they boarded, the secretary asked the scientists if everything was ready.

  “Yes. Actually, we have a couple of options,” said Tony, now wearing jeans and a leather jacket. The secretary smiled at that answer. Tony pushed the seat cushion. “Nice ride.”

  As the plane rose, the Energy Secretary said, “So. Tell me.”

  Kim looked over her glasses. “Madam Secretary, we worked on this until about an hour ago. We needed to find something to maximize conductivity as well as being sure we could adjust the computer image to highest resolution.” Stevens listened, thinking she had the best geeks in Washington.

  Tony swiveled side to side. “I wish I had one of these at home.” Secretary Stevens tapped the seat arm, waiting. “Sorry. So TV antennas are made of aluminum and pick up high frequency transmissions. I tried one to see if they could handle the lower frequencies we’re using. Nope.” He shook his head. “To pick up lower frequencies, I made a ferrite wand. One of copper wire, too. I needed to make them pretty long. I also made one using sand in a glass cylinder. Silica. And one from peroxide, a little more unstable than water. Just guessing.”

  “Good thought,” said the secretary. “So you’re going to run through the sequence a couple of times?”

  “At least four times, maybe more,” Kim said. “Using different combinations.”

  The short flight ended quickly. They stowed the equipment and climbed into the Suburban they had left there. No one seemed to be around. “We’re a little early,” said Tom. “Let’s go anyway and see. James, you’re going to have to drive around. Madam Secretary, you’ll stay with James. We can’t park at the school. Someone might notice. See if you can find a quiet spot and park nearby.”

  “Got it,” said James. They reached the school in about fifteen minutes. James drove around back, invisible to the street. The team took their tools and went to the side door. As they approached, a small light turned on. Tom made a mental note to visit the office. He picked the lock, and they were in. Ample light from the street allowed Tony and Kim to set up easily.

  “Kim, hold the antennas,” said Tony, breaking the silence. “We’ll just do what we did this afternoon,” and he started at the door. After the first pass, less than ten minutes, Kim picked up the second wand and Tony repeated the scan. They did a third pass and then another, using two wands.

  “One more and we’ll be done.”

  “That’s fine, Tony,” said Kim. “Let’s finish and get out of here.”

  Tom said, “When you’re packed up, go outside, away from the cameras, and head back to the car. Tell James to leave the parking lot and turn right, go about 100 yards, and I’ll catch up with you.” He went to the office, looking for the closest exit as he walked. Job completed, he checked for cars and pedestrians and then slipped into the cool, starry night. When he reached the Suburban, he climbed in and said, “Let’s go home.”

  Kim said, “Madam Secretary, I think we may have a better picture than the earlier ones, but of what, I don’t know.”

  “We’ll need the computer at the lab,” said Tony. “We had flashes and sparkles, so I’m optimistic.”

  “The president will want to know as soon as possible, so can you two keep going?”

  Kim looked at Tony, who shrugged and said, “Sure, but I could use a bite to eat. We haven’t been near food since yesterday’s dinner.”

  James said, “We can hit the Airlift when we get home.”

  “Not there,” said Tom. “A place closer to the District. Too many eyes and ears. Especially at this time of day.”

  They settled back for the rest of the short trip. Tony had a little time to sink into the cushions.

  ••••

  WHILE THE RUSSELLS and Ashley were spending a tense Saturday night and the Energy Department people were repeating their trip to New Jersey, the president and First Lady attended an official function at the Kennedy Center. Part politics, part social responsibility, he ate the chicken, cold and overcooked, shook hands, and made small talk. During a short break, he leaned over to his wife and said, “I really appreciated that lasagna.”

  She looked at him and frowned. “Remember, you may be the good guy, but so are they,” she said.

  He was in his office by 7:30 Sunday morning, with a pitcher of coffee, his first cup half gone. His gray jacket was folded over the arm of a chair, no tie. He was scanning the Washington Post Sports section, when the phone rang. “Good morning, Brenda. How was the trip?”

  “Good morning, Mr. President. It went well.” said the secretary. “The kids have been working all night to capture the images. They loaded the different scans on a CD, and we’re ready to show them to you, if you’d like. But they’re not dressed, sir.”

  “Me neither. Come on over.” He told the agent outside his office that Secretary Stevens was on her way with two assistants and asked him to show them right in.

  “Yes, sir. I’ll let them know at the door.”

  The president was facing the Rose Garden, tulips and daffodils now in full bloom. His feet were on the window sill, his folded Post now open to the business news when the First Lady walked in. “Did you eat?” she asked. His chair creaked as he spun to answer.

  “Not yet,” pointing to his coffee cup. He told her Secretary Stevens was on the way, complete with the new scans. “I bet they haven’t eaten either.” He picked up his phone, pushed a button and said, “Good morning. Would you arrange to bring a couple of pitchers of coffee and maybe some coffee cake or Danish for seven people to my office. In about 15 minutes,” he said. “Thank you.” He turned back to the First Lady. “They got back about 4:30 with the new scans. Want to see them?”

  “Absolutely. And if there’s anything there, I think you should tell the Russells. He’s clearly the catalyst. Let him help decide the best way to stop it.” A knock on the door, and the national security advisor entered.

  “Good morning. May I come in?”

  “Sure. We were just talking about the Russells. Secretary Stevens is on the way. They just got back from rescanning the school.”

  “Mr. President, I think you should keep all new information away from the teachers. Any assistance we give them can backfire on you. That information could be sold, used against you.”

  The president saw the instant ripple on his wife’s jaw but said, “From what we saw, I think he’ll try to use the portal again, to figure out how it works. That worries me. He could be a target if the wrong people find out.”

  “So could you, Mr. President,” said Koppler. “He’s a teacher. How responsible can you expect him to be with this? He won’t understand the implications.”

  “He won’t be irresponsible. Especially because he is a teacher. Nor is he stupid,” said the First Lady.

  Koppler looked at her, but said, “Mr. President, I have a meeting now, but I’ll be here most of the day. If you’ll excuse me.”

  The president nodded, and when the door shut, he started to speak. A knock on the door interrupted him. Tom came in with the secretary, Tony, and Kim, a breakfast cart from the kitchen, and then James. Kim and Tony set up a portable screen, the computer and a projector.

  “Go ahead,” said the president.

  “We took five readings, Mr. President,” Kim said, now wearing khaki slacks. “We used different types of antennas in case one worked better. What you’ll see is the same scenes, using the d
ifferent antennas.” Tony, still in his tee shirt, started the DVD.

  “Will this continue on its own?” asked the president.

  “Yes, sir,” said Kim.

  “Then get yourselves some coffee and something to eat. I’ll guess you guys are hungry.”

  As the images played, Tony narrated the scenes, the same they had seen on the first try, again with split screen images. “Stop there!”

  Kim halted the images and backed up, frame by frame. “Is that me? There.” The president rose from his seat and walked to the screen. In the hazy background, there were images.

  “We think so, Mr. President,” said the secretary.

  “This looks like when they first came through into my office.” The recording started again. As new images appeared, the president asked, “Is that . . . Robert E. Lee?” pointing to the left side of the screen, “and is that a building on fire?”

  “Mr. President, we think we have the images, but we didn’t want to say anything and possibly affect your perception,” Stevens answered. “One has us baffled. Here, Mr. President.” She pointed to the feet extending through the door way. “It looks too antiseptic to be an amputation or an accident. We have no idea what it could be.”

  “Nothing like this has ever been done before, has it?” asked the First Lady.

  “There’s never been an event like this before, ever,” said Secretary Stevens.

  “It’s almost like ghost hunting,” said Tony, his eye on the platter of pastries.

  “Is there more?” asked the president.

  “We picked up these images only once, Mr. President, and there were other spikes in the recordings, registering energy levels out of the ordinary,” said the secretary. “But no other images. Kim, keep running the program. We’ll show you, sir.” There were various bright lights on each scan from different places in the classroom, and each scan showed a brief energy spike around the desk.

  The president said, “The desk. I wonder if it controls the portal.”

  “Mr. President, as sensitive as this instrument is, there could be some kind of power source inside the desk,” said Secretary Stevens. “We tested the scanner on things like batteries, cell phones, laptops, and they all emitted similar patterns. It’s not clear that the desk has any involvement.”