by Karl Morgan
A siren sounded for half a second and fell silent as the power failed throughout the compound. The guard fumbled through the drawers of the desk until he found a night-vision headset and put it on. Its battery pack was drained. He fumbled through more drawers until he found a flashlight. He left the station to check on his prisoner.
"Zeke," Bea whispered in his ear. "Wake up, I'm here."
Zeke's eyes opened but he could see nothing in the blackness. Then he felt her lips on his and kissed her. "There's no power, Bea. I can't see you." She slipped a pair of special glasses on his face so he could see.
"It couldn't be helped, Zeke," she continued. "You're the only prisoner and the guard will be here soon. I placed a few obstacles in the way to slow him down." Just then they heard the sound of someone tripping and falling to the floor.
A sharp pain rushed up Zeke's arm. "Ouch, what the hell was that?"
"Be quiet," she whispered. "Sit up and drink this." She handed him a small vial.
"What's going on?" he whispered.
"Just drink it. It's going to taste real bad."
He drank the noxious liquid and felt vomit rising in his throat. "Ugh, are you poisoning me now? I think I'm going to throw up."
"Ouch, shit!" shouted a voice down the hallway.
"Don't throw up, Zeke. You need that stuff inside you," she said. The shot and liquid should counteract any lethal injection they give you."
"Should? That doesn't sound very reassuring," he replied. She jabbed him with two more needles. "Would you stop doing that?"
She kissed him and wrapped her arms around him. "This is everything we have to help you, Zeke. We researched all lethal materials available at this time, and that stuff will counteract everything we found. It's the best we can do right now."
"Who is in there with you, Thompson?" the guard's voice said a few feet from the door.
Zeke whispered, "I trust you, Bea."
"I'll see you tomorrow," she replied and then stood up. She took the glasses from his face and stepped through the inky black portal. As it collapsed, a brilliant flash of light filled the room and Zeke had to close his eyes to avoid blindness.
"Freeze!" the guard shouted as he stepped inside with his revolver drawn. "Where is the other person, Thompson?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Zeke replied.
The siren wailed and the lights came on. The guard pressed a button on the radio on his shoulder and said, "Thompson is secure. What the hell happened here?"
"Power failure, as best as we can tell," a voice on the radio said.
"I thought we had a backup generator," the guard replied.
"It must have failed too," the voice said.
The guard put his gun into its holster and said, "Good night, Mr. Thompson. I expect you'll be interviewed tomorrow about this incident."
"I bet you're right."
§
Vice President Andrew Lake was pacing back and forth in the Oval Office. He had barely slept the previous night as he tried to formulate the last pieces of his plan. The disappearance of the Thompsons was the perfect linchpin, tying up all the loose ends. Not only did that prove they had something to hide, but vanishing while surrounded by federal officers was virtually impossible without prior espionage experience. There was a knock on the door and the secretary of defense walked in. "Thanks for coming, Frank. Are the warheads ready for launch?"
"We have a situation, Andy," the other replied. "Let me turn on the television." He picked up the remote and pressed the power button. "This is live on Fox News."
"We are here today with Abraham and Sarah Thompson, the heads of the family called out as Iranian agents yesterday by Vice President Lake," the reporter said. "Folks, why did you request this interview?"
"Bill, we are not agents of any government," Abe began. "I've been an accountant my entire career, most recently working for Reliant Industries. Sarah has raised our children and kept our home for the twenty-five years we've been married. There is no evidence that we are aligned with any spy ring. The vice president is making that up to convince our country to go to war."
"The vice president also said you two disappeared from your home in Hawaii while being in the custody of the US Government. What do you say to that accusation?"
"As far as we knew, those guards were protecting our family. Since we had not been arrested or anything, we just left," Sarah replied. "Our son, Zeke, has been kidnapped by drug lords twice while in federal custody. FBI agents also planned to sell him to North Korea."
"But how did you get out without them seeing you?" the reporter asked.
Abe chuckled and replied, "Bill, as Sarah said, we've encountered crooked agents before, so it's no big surprise that there are incompetent ones as well."
"Just a couple more questions from me," the reporter started. "First, why are these people so interested in getting your son?"
"We really think you should talk to Zeke about that," Abe said. "Unfortunately, he is being held without charges in a secret Defense Intelligence Agency compound in Washington, D.C. We believe the vice president will have him murdered in the next twenty-four hours."
The reporter sat stunned for several seconds. "Wow! That's quite a revelation. Let's just let that accusation stand as it is. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, what do you want to tell the vice president?"
"Obviously, first we want our children released. They have not done anything wrong and no charges have been filed. Second, we implore the vice president not to use nuclear weapons unless there is real evidence that a foreign state was involved and the escalation is approved by the Congress," Abe concluded.
"Well, there you have it, America. This brave couple is standing up and telling the Administration to stop the saber rattling and provide real evidence to back up the vice president's assertions. That seems fair to me," the reporter concluded as the secretary turned off the television.
"That was inconvenient," Andy said. "Are the warheads ready?"
"Andy, did you hear what they just said?"
"Frank, I'm not going to sit back and allow terrorists to take over. Those two will be old news once the first bomb detonates. We have to stand strong or we risk losing this great country," the vice president said.
"Please be reasonable, Andy. We can't launch nukes because you have a hunch the Iranians were behind the Air Force One crash. And once the Thompsons start testifying in front of Congress, you'll never be able to get a consensus to act."
"Do we know where those two are?"
"No, but we can have the FBI find them."
"I'll tell Carl to get on that right away," Andy replied. "Frank, in my position as acting president of the United States, I order you to arm ten nuclear missiles and set their guidance for the nine largest cities in Iran and one for their uranium mining area. After I take care of Zeke Thompson, you will meet me at Walter Reed where we'll give the launch authorization from Ben's room. That will be the perfect photo op with us showing the world what happens when you attack this country." Frank sighed, turned around and walked out of the room.
§
Zeke pushed the scrambled eggs around on his plate while his mind contemplated the future. There was still a chance that he would really wake up and find it had all been a dream. But something was different today and not in a good way. Rather than eating in his cell, he had been brought to the interrogation room for breakfast. His legs were chained to the chair, but his hands and arms were free. Also, rather than two eggs and a piece of toast, today he also had crispy bacon, hash browns, and a cup of steaming coffee. The notion of his final meal slipped across his consciousness and he fought to subdue it. The door opened and Agents Stephanie Marshall and Brian Lewis entered and closed the door behind them. They sat across from Zeke quietly.
"Is there something I can do for you?" Zeke sat after taking a sip of coffee.
"What happened here last night, Zeke?" Brian asked.
"Power failure," Zeke replied looking down and fiddling with his f
ood.
"Zeke, the night guard reported hearing two voices in your cell," Stephanie noted. "There were also obstacles placed in the hall to slow him down as he came to check on you. Who did that?"
"Stephanie, as you should know, I was locked in my cell and the only view outside I have is through the door panel, which was locked from the outside," Zeke complained. "I can't help it if your facility is poorly maintained and sloppy."
"Mr. Thompson, this is for your own good," Brian stated. "For all we know, North Koreans could have compromised our security and will come again to kill you."
"I suppose that could happen," Zeke said. "So far the FBI and CIA have proven themselves either incompetent or crooked. Why wouldn't they just pay one of you to shoot me?"
"Perhaps they are paying the vice president to give you a lethal injection," Brian suggested.
"I'm glad you said that instead of me!" Zeke laughed. He considered the two agents and continued, "I know you both are just trying to do your jobs. I'm sorry if I'm picking on you. It's just facing death in a couple hours is not a comfortable place to be."
"Zeke, we won't let anyone kill you," Stephanie replied.
Zeke touched her hand softly. "I know you don't want me to be killed, but that is out of our hands now." He removed his hand and said, "Brian, do you really want to know what happened last night?" The agent nodded. "Okay, I'll tell you everything so it is on tape for posterity. But don't interrupt me or question me. You don't have to give a shit for what I say, but let me say it. Grant a dying man his last wish."
"You're not dying, Mr. Thompson," Brian said.
Zeke smirked at the agents. "You can believe that if you like, Brian. Last night agents from the future, the year 3267 to be precise, traveled through a portal in time to this location. They cut off the power and disabled the backup generator. The woman I love, Bea Watson, was one of them. She came to my cell and gave me some injections and a tonic that are supposed to keep me alive if I'm given a lethal injection. She or the others set up the obstacles to keep your agent from catching us. Then they slipped back through time and restored power."
"So, that's it," Brian smirked. "You expect us to believe that?"
"No I don't, but that is what happened," Zeke replied.
The door opened again and Vice President Andrew Lake walked in. "You two cuff Thompson's hands and then take his food and get out."
Stephanie flashed a look of panic at Zeke and he smiled back, mouthing the words, "Don't worry." The agents walked out of the room and locked the door behind them.
"Zeke, I guess you know I was in the room next door while you were talking to those agents," Andy said.
"No, I didn't know that, but I'm not surprised, Mr. Vice President. Did you hear what you wanted to hear, sir?"
"Frankly, no, I did not. Why do you keep up with the silly story about time travel? None of that is possible. It contradicts physical reality, son. Tell me the truth if you want to save your life."
Zeke could barely hide his contempt for the man across the table. Images of other harbingers of doom flashed through his mind, including Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Adolf Hitler. There were several other faces he did not recognize, but his mind told him those people were from his own future, the war. "Mr. Vice President, please let me go. You have no proof I am involved in anything. This country is a land of laws. Please respect the laws of the nation you currently lead, sir."
"You don't have a clue about what's really important, do you, Zeke?" Andy asked. "I am going to end the war on terror with one forceful strike! All of your speculation is meaningless crap. If you were in my position, you'd do the same thing!"
"No sir, I don't think I would," Zeke replied. "For starters, I would have followed Doctor Hampton's recommendation and ended the president's induced coma." Lake's face was contorted in anger. "I think you forgot to press the mute button, Mr. Vice President."
"How dare you question me?" Andy growled. "You know nothing of Ben's case, and using that against me is not helping your chances for survival, you sick bastard."
"I don't care, Andy," Zeke replied.
"What? You think you're my friend and can disrespect my position?"
"Frankly, Mr. Vice President, I think you've done enough already to degrade your position all by yourself," Zeke replied. "Please sir, for the love of God, do not launch nuclear missiles for this. The world will end if you start this. Wake the president and let him decide. The people elected him to lead, not you."
Lake jumped to his feet and brought his arm back as though ready to strike Zeke dead on the spot. His face was twisted and red with anger. Soon, his arm fell limp by his side and his grimace turned into a smile. "It was your choice, Zeke," he said and then turned to the mirror. "Director Marshall! Get in here now!"
Seconds later, the door opened and Tony Marshall walked in. "Yes, sir."
Andy reached into a pocket in his jacket and withdrew two syringes, handing one to Tony. "Director, I order you to administer this injection to the prisoner."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Vice President, but what exactly is this?"
"Mr. Thompson is going to pay the ultimate price for his crimes, Tony. Now do it!"
"I can't do that sir," Tony said. "Federal regulations prohibit all domestic CIA facilities from handling punishment of American citizens." He handed the syringe back to the vice president.
"This man is a terrorist, Tony."
"Mr. Vice President, I have sworn to uphold the laws. There's nothing we can do," Tony said.
"No, you're right, Tony. I was wrong to have suggested it. Please have some men take Zeke to Walter Reed. Put him in a secure room in the basement, preferably near the morgue. Then call Doctor Forsyth and have him meet me there in twenty minutes."
"Sir, are you certain you want to go through with this?" Tony asked. "You're breaking the law by taking this into your hands."
"Are you going to arrest me, Tony?" Andy laughed.
"No, but I wish you would reconsider."
"Just do it and do it now!" Lake exclaimed and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Tony motioned toward the mirror for others to come and help. He walked over to Zeke and said, "I'm sorry, Zeke. I don't know what to do."
"It's okay, Tony. It will be okay, I promise," Zeke smiled back at him. "But if something goes wrong, you have to give the recordings to the press. If I can't stop the vice president from starting Armageddon, you have to do it." The door opened and Brian and Stephanie reentered the room.
"Take Mr. Thompson to Walter Reed," Tony said. "Turn him over to a Doctor Forsyth. I believe he's the one currently in charge of President Nelson."
"With all due respect, sir, this is wrong!" Stephanie exclaimed.
"I know, but we have our orders," Tony replied.
"I don't know about you two, but I could give a damn about any orders," Brian complained.
"It's okay," Zeke replied. "This is what was meant to happen. Please pray that the medication Bea gave me works."
"Is there another way?" Stephanie begged with tears in her eyes.
"Wake up the president," Zeke smiled.
Chapter 19
Alice Nelson stood by her husband's bed, holding his hand in hers. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Doctor Allen Forsyth was checking the president's vitals on a tablet. The secretary of defense was sitting on a couch looking through e-mails on his phone. "Mrs. Nelson, your husband is improving nicely now," the doctor said. "We may be able to wake him in a week or so." Frank Albright heard the comment and looked up at them.
"Thank you, Allen," she said. "So, I guess it was better to keep the coma for a week or so longer."
"Every case is different, and any number of physicians will have any number of different diagnoses, but in my opinion, we did the right thing."
"How are his broken bones?" she asked.
"That is a bit of a problem," the doctor reported. "Until the president is awake, we cannot really judge the progress. We will need him t
o move about and even try to walk before we can know for certain. You know that both arms and legs were broken and his spine was cracked in several places. That level of injury can take many months to improve. But he does not need to walk and shake hands to fulfill his duties. We will check his mental state when he awakens, and I will be ready to let him resume his duties, God willing."
"God willing indeed," Frank said as he walked over and stood next to the First Lady. "Alice, you know that Julie and I have you both in our prayers every day."
"I know, Frank, and thank you both for that," Alice said.
"May I ask a question, Doctor?" Frank asked. The doctor nodded. "Does a person in a coma hear what everyone is saying around them?"
"I would have to say yes," Forsyth said. "Many coma patients respond to the physical presence of loved ones. In some cases, they recall each person who visited and what they said, although that is quite rare."
"That's an odd question, Frank," Alice noted.
Frank put his hands around the First Couple's hands and squeezed. "Ben, this is Frank, I want you to know that Julie and I are praying for you every day." Then he released them.
"I'm sorry, Frank," Alice said. "Now, I know what you meant, and I know that you come here often to be with him. You and Andy are great friends."
"You two will always have places in my heart," Frank replied.
The door opened and the vice president walked in. He was smiling and waved to the group. "What a wonderful day!" he exclaimed. "How is our patient?"
"Improving quickly, sir," Forsyth replied. "Perhaps the coma can end sooner than I predicted."
Andy's face had turned hard and tight. "What wonderful news," he replied. "If I may, I need to speak with Doctor Forsyth about another issue. It won't take too long." The two men left the room.
"What do you think that's about, Frank?" Alice asked.
