by Ralph Rotten
“There’s nothing on GoogleEarth.” Jack pointed to the satellite imagery that revealed only barren desert where the facility should have been. Glancing at the watermark on the bottom of the page they could tell that this footage was relatively recent. Yet there was no sign of the complex. Clearly, whatever the place was, all traces of it had been removed from the public satellite image.
“Alexis, prepare to detach.” Ignoring his brother, Jamie watched intently through the pinhole camera installed in the base of the amber strobe light. As one gate guard checked the driver’s paperwork, another could be seen in the background with an automatic rifle in hand. Obviously, wherever they were, the place was at a high alert status.
Another few seconds of communication between the driver and gate guard before a cursory search was conducted. Using a mirror to examine the vehicle from top to bottom, the security officer actually looked directly at the amber strobe light before moving on.
“Oh.” Jack’s surprise was audible as he suddenly understood why he had been tasked with building such a bizarre device as a flying police strobe light. Indeed, the gate guard had thought nothing of yet another light on the roof of the vehicle. Although Jack had spent a lifetime of being surprised by his brother’s vision and foresight, he was stunned nonetheless.
After being waved through the gate, they could see even more officers patrolling the grounds. Among them, two even had fierce looking German Shepherds that seemed intent on sniffing out everything in their path.
“Fuck me.” Jack was staggered by the amount of security in place. “Is this the place where they keep Lex Luthor?”
Though he found the comment amusing, Jamie remained stoic as he watched for just the right moment.
“Alexis, detatch…now.” Seeing that they were clear of prying eyes, the savant gave the order. Immediately the amber strobe lifted up off the van, rising straight up into the darkness where it would be invisible to the human eye. Drawing parallel to the nearest rooftop, the device hesitated while they looked around. Seeing a pair of men at the far end of the building, the IR illuminator on the camera painted a clear picture in the darkness. Waiting until both of the rooftop sentries were looking in the opposite direction, Alexis was able to easily park the strobe on top of one of the large air conditioning units.
“Begin unpacking the contents.” Wasting no time, Jamie gave the next directive.
On the rooftop, the amber strobe made a tiny clicking sound as it released a door on the side. From within there was the barest of scurrying sound before the first drone scampered its way out into the night air. Peering about, it allowed its cameras to adjust before alighting. Silently finding its way to one of the nearby buildings, it was gone in moments.
Just as the first drone had done, more of the faux insects clambered their way out of the strobe light’s housing that had acted as not only a garage for the drones, but also as the main communications hub for the entire site. All data from the drones would be transmitted to the amber strobe light before being uploaded via a satellite broadband connection. With plenty of bandwidth, Alexis was able to manipulate the bugs remotely. Even with her old processor, the AI had no problem multi-tasking the half dozen simulated bugs as they each found their way to targets. It was only when the job seemed complete that the last drone slowly crawled out.
Bigger than the others, it was more than a surveillance unit. Sporting a variety of tools, the big bug was capable of such feats as cutting, stripping and shorting wires. While the smaller drones could provide a view of this distant place, they were strictly for surveillance. However, the final drone was capable of interacting with the world around it. Originally referred to as a Remote Manipulator, the device had come to be known simply as Remmi.
“Start Remmi’s diagnostics.” Jamie commanded Alexis in a flat voice.
“I already am.” She replied with the barest hint of irritation in her voice as she appeared on the far monitor, rolling her eyes at his request.
“Hey girl.” Jack gave her a nod as he checked out today’s outfit. He noticed right away that she wore a shirt nearly identical to the one he had seen Agent Jaramillo wearing earlier. No doubt she had made the selection based on his reaction to the woman who had entranced him. Though he saw through the ruse, he appreciated the effort. Besides, she looked good.
The night was inky black as Jack settled down onto the deck of the Queen Mary. Though they had made significant upgrades to the disaffinity man-pack, the inventor was still a little leery of the device after his close encounter in the neighbor’s pool. Add to that the fact that it was a moonless, starless night and the whole experience was a bit unsettling. As if flying the prototype without the comfort of a parachute were not enough, Jack had made the trip while dragging a large cache of equipment kept aloft by its own antigrav unit. While the idea of a floating cargo sled had seemed like a good idea at the time, it turned out to be less than desirable as the sled had constantly bumped into him every time he slowed down. Add to that the fact that the pitch blackness of a starless night over the ocean had been particularly disorienting. More than once he had not been entirely sure which way was up. Making a mental note, he decided that next time he would use the Mustang.
It had been a relief that the Queen was relatively easy to see from the air, even at night. With the big work lights installed around her for the workers, it was clear that the local facilities were being upgraded. A popular tourist attraction since 1967, the big ship had been permanently moored in Long Beach for more than a half century. Through the years many updates had been made to her, including removal of her boilers, engines, and all but one of the propellers. Converted to a luxury motel, and refurbished several times, the RMS Queen Mary would never again set sail on the high seas.
As luck would have it, the mighty ship was undergoing yet another refurb as the management company sought to increase profits. Currently closed to the public, the Queen Mary’s deck was littered with gantries for the painters and other workers that were refinishing her. Avoiding these as he landed, Jack took in the scent of the sea air.
Pulling the floating crates along behind him with a length of rope, the inventor quickly found his way below decks. Already quite familiar with her current layout, Jack had been studying the ship for weeks now. The drones had been able to reveal much about the current floor plan, especially with her laid bare for construction. Moving with purpose, Jack knew exactly where he needed to go.
Although the gravitational disaffinity device had been able to work well with a single point of contact on smaller objects, the math had indicated that the sheer mass of the ship would require not only a unit installed at each end of the ship, but a complete shutdown of the onboard electrical system. Arriving in the bow section, Jack’s first order of business was to pull a handheld device from his belt. Confirming that it was fully charged, he pressed the tip against the exposed metal hull until the lights around him winked out. Based on his EMP cannon, the design used the conductivity of the ship’s hull to shut down any devices being grounded by the metal frame, including generators, and externally supplied lighting.
Next, he pulled the first of the bulky disaffinity units from the floating cargo sled he had dragged with him from home. Affixing it directly to the metal bulkhead the device would use the hull’s conductivity to spread the antigrav effect. With a significant supply of the blue plasma to power the disaffinity unit, they had no intention of allowing the antigrav system to run out of fuel unexpectedly. It had taken more than a pound of silver to create enough blue plasma for each unit. Although it was well within their means, the material had to be sourced from multiple vendors via cash transactions. It had been Jamie’s insistence that they leave no hint of how they fabricate the plasma; it was their ace in the hole should their plans go awry. It was for this reason that Jamie had insisted that the two technologies never share the same platform.
Moving with purpose, Jack found his way to the stern where the engine rooms had once been. Repurposed fo
r tours, only a single boiler and propeller shaft remained. Ducking under the velvet ropes that kept the tourists at bay, he found his way to the far side of the remaining power-train where the disaffinity device would not be readily visible. Disguised as one of the existing equipment boxes, it was intended to blend in with the vintage interior. Only an engineer would spot the addition. Jack needed the devices to go unnoticed for just a few more days.
Satisfied that the installation was complete, Jack confirmed that Alexis had a digital connection before he made his way to the Sun Deck some floors above. Giving the ship one last look, he activated the portable man-pack and silently lifted off for home.
Seemingly anchored to his office chair, Jamie had spent days observing the black site. Although he had expected the worst from the place, what he had seen thus far had completely redefined his idea of bad. The secret prison was like nothing he had ever seen, in or out of fiction. Efficient and orderly, it was like a giant processing machine. Humans entered at one end, underwent extensive manipulation in the middle, and finally emerged at the far end as broken widgets that vaguely resembled homo sapiens. While he felt no remorse for the felons caught up in this nightmare, they were indeed bad people; nonetheless, it concerned the savant that he would be broken just as easily as the poor souls on his screens. The people who ran this facility were more than thugs and torturers. Professionals at information extraction, they were well trained and experienced. Preferring to refer to themselves as Researchers, they were the best of the best at what they did. This was a serious concern for the savant.
Thoroughly convinced that he could never withstand their efforts, Jamie knew that he would need to outsmart them. It was this ideal that made him turn his attention to the nearby barracks and housing situated on the north side of the compound. If he could not defeat them directly, then he would need to do an end-run. Knowledge is power, and he needed to know everything about the individuals themselves. It had been here that the savant hit pay dirt. Remembering the old phrase small town, big hell, he quickly realized that their personal interactions were their true Achilles’ heel.
With a bowl of heavily buttered popcorn Jamie watched the researchers as if they were an elaborate soap opera. There was so much to learn and so little time to do it. But nothing said that he couldn’t enjoy himself at the task.
Shock & Awe
The grainy footage of the surveillance cameras revealed the breadth of the RMS Queen Mary as she rested in her own private inlet. With the long boarding ramps extended, she sat awaiting the work crews that would return in the morning. Since the project was being handled by a union shop, there would be no after-hours work on the ship. With the luxury motel inside closed down for the duration of the refurbishment, the only person at the site was the security guard.
Although he was required to patrol the grounds hourly, Security Officer Nelson preferred the comfort of his guard shack. With a small electric heater fending off the cool ocean air, he had not actually left the structure for hours. Occasionally glancing at the camera monitors that lined his desk, he had been filling out the logs with bogus entries. More concerned with the nubile young centerfold in the magazine he was reading, Officer Nelson was busy playing with himself when he noticed the man that seemed to float down from the sky. Stunned at the sight of an intruder on the premises, Officer Nelson completely forgot about the penis in his hand.
Standing at the bow of the ship, the stranger kept his dark hoodie in place as he pulled something from the bag he wore over one shoulder. Tossing a silver disc upwards, the platter seemed to affix itself to the Queen’s hull.
Jumping up with a start, Nelson managed to spill coffee all over Miss January. Cursing, he knew he had to do something. In his haste he turned for the door before falling flat on his face. Remembering that his pants had been down around his ankles, he felt embarrassed to find himself squirming on the ground. By the time he had himself buttoned up he realized the man was gone. Anxiously scanning the monitors he finally located the stranger clear down at the stern of the mighty craft. Again there was a small ceremony before the trespasser attached one of the silver discs to the hull of the ship.
Angry now, Nelson charged out the door at a run. Flashlight in hand, he headed directly for the stern, only to find that the man was gone again. Frustrated, the security guard cursed as he looked about. It only took a few seconds to locate the trespasser, this time standing at the center of the platform. Pulling a handheld radio from his belt, Nelson made a panicked call to the guard captain who would be patrolling in a vehicle some miles away. Clicking the radio several times he was rewarded with nothing but static.
“What the hell?” It puzzled him; the radio had never made sounds like that. It was almost as if his comms were being intentionally jammed. Clipping the Motorola to his belt he gripped the heavy metal flashlight in his hand as he approached the subject.
Fully aware of the guard’s approach, Jack had stood perfectly still as if admiring the ship. With his hoodie in place to ward off the chill night air, he allowed the security officer to approach to within just a few feet.
Uttering a string of profanities, Nelson made it clear that he was trespassing, and that bodily harm would result in his non-compliance. Shaking the heavy flashlight at the stranger, the guard felt confident in the situation. Half turning to look at the man, Jack flashed a smile before extending his arms.
“I command you to rise!” In a deep voice the inventor shouted his order at the ship before him.
“Hey, I don’t want none of your bullshit.” Nelson’s anger was interrupted by the deep sounds of metal creaking. His first instinct was that the dark-skinned man had planted a terrorist device on the ship. But turning to look for himself he was rewarded by the sight of the mighty vessel as it slowly began to rise up out of the water.
The sound was deafening as millions of gallons of ocean water rushed in beneath the hull. It was disconcerting to see something that immense rising up. It was almost as if the horizon itself were climbing. Stunned, Security Officer Nelson stood with his mouth agape as the unbelievable became reality. With Jack still standing nearby, arms outstretched as if he were using mental powers to levitate the ship, the scene seemed surreal to the simpleminded guard.
Recoiling at the sound of the boarding ramps falling away and clanging noisily down the side of the ship, Nelson literally jumped in surprise. Slowly, steadily the ship climbed higher and higher until it finally hit the end of the anchor chain. With the keel fully out of the water now, he stared in disbelief at the barnacles and sea growth that grew on the underside of the floating museum. The vast amount of water still dripping off the Queen Mary was such that it made conversation impossible. As the waves surged in the wake of the craft, it was as if Moses had parted the waters before them.
“What the fuck…?” His brain still trying to catch up with what his eyes had just witnessed, Nelson was reduced to simple profanities.
Finally dropping his arms, Jack turned to flash the guard a broad smile.
“Your zipper is down.” Making the casual observation, Jack raised an eyebrow before lifting off silently into the night.
As if anchored to the ground, Nelson could only watch as the stranger disappeared into the night sky. With thousands of gallons of water still dripping off of the hull, the Queen Mary seemed to hover there above him like something from a dream. It was a full five minutes before he even thought to call it in.
Jenna was already dressed for her morning run when the call came in. It was the strain in her SAIC’s voice that worried her. She had known Bill Johnson since the academy, and he was not someone who became unhinged easily. Nonetheless, his tone had sounded as if he were rattled.
Dressing quickly, she made her way down the highway in the pre-dawn darkness. She was several miles from Long Beach when the sun, still concealed by the distant horizon, began to light the morning sky. Having made the trip many times during her tenure in Southern California, she detected the abnormal skyline right
away.
“What the…” Squinting her eyes she had a hard time believing what she saw. Sure that it must be a strange optical illusion, perhaps Fata Morgana or some such mirage. But as she got closer, it all became apparent that her eyes were not playing a trick on her; there really was an ocean liner floating in the sky.
Pulling into the parking lot Jenna was met by the sight of flashing lights. With more than a dozen patrol cars crammed into the area, she had a hard time spotting her partner there amongst the gawking police officers.
“Rangi!” She caught his attention.
Turning slowly, the big man’s jaw still hung open. Eyes wide, he was at a complete loss as to the source of the levitation. Nearby stood Officer Nelson, flashlight in hand.
“You are not gonna believe this…” Agent Lopamaua shook his head as he tried to convey his complete disbelief.
“What’d we got?” Trying to keep her composure, Jenna remained all business.
“According to the security guard, David Blaine came in here and levitated the thing.” Rangi’s tone seemed to simplify what he had been told originally.
“He actually said that? It was Blaine?” She seemed surprised that this could be just an illusion.
