DR O and the ECO-X

by Aaron T Knight

  the signal in the first place.” Joe objected. “Now you’re telling me it should have worked. I don’t get it O.” Dr. O realized he had only confused Joe.

  “What I meant to say was after testing many low frequency variations I discovered an ultra high oscillation that worked perfectly. However this has only been tried in the lab. Now we must try to find a swarm of ECO-X to field test my machine. Only then can I be sure it will work to retrieve the egg laying ECO-X. Now the problem is finding a swarm somewhere.”

  “ I can help there O.” Joe replied.“There’s a swarm in Hollywood being used in a monster movie. They were taken out of a warehouse holding captured ECO-X by Frank our chief manager on the CRAP project. It should be easy to have him give you the creatures for your test.” Joe was treated to a spectacular lop sided grin.

  Joe located Frank by speaking to his wife. She stayed in their home with their two children rather than disrupt school presently in progress. He immediately caught a flight to LA with Dr O and his new gadget. It was so easy. When they met with Frank at the movie location he tried to run away from them. He paniced thinking they were there to have him arrested for stealing the ECO-X. Joe was quicker than Frank and blocked his way out of the office.

  Dr. O persuaded him he wasn ’t going to go to the police. He explained to Frank about his new solution to capture the egg laying ECO-X. He was eager to be exonerated.They huddled in the office to lay out a plan since Frank explained that he had three fast buck guys for partners who had questionable backgrounds. He hadn’t been able to find out anything about them but greed had over ridden this aspect. He had needed them to bankroll the heist in Long Beach of the captured ECO-X. He doubted that his partners would acquiesce gracefully to releasing the animals which they believed belonged to them.

  Joe had been the one who had shouldered tbe major burden of the efforts to capture the creatures. This news about one more problem blocking them from acquiring the ECO-X blind sided him. He went berserk in front of his astonished friends who instinctively began to back pedal away from the madman.

  Soothing words didn ’t help to calm him down. All he did was stare at them as if they were aliens. Frank decided to slap Joe very hard to stop the rage. It worked. He stumble back a few feet with the red imprint of Frank’s blow etched into his cheek. Then he sat down on a chair and slowly regained his senses. Joe finally said.

  “ Anyone have any ideas about retrieving the creatures without ending up looking like swiss cheese and very dead?”

  Frank explained that the creatures were held in a large netting arrangement. “ It’s portable and designed to be hauled on a flatbed truck.” he told them. “There’s no problem about freeing the net and loading it on a truck. Shortly after midnight would be perfect. By then only one security guard is on duty at the stadium. He could be locked into one of the studios on the property and by the time he gets out we’ll be long gone.”

  Silence followed Frank ’s plan to steal the ECO-X. They realized freeing them was probably the easiest part. How they could elude the fast buck guys was the difficult and most dangerous part. They didn’t know if these men were part of a mob, if so it meant there was a comunications network to outsmart. What they planned had to be perfectly synchronized and nearly impossible to follow. It was decided to hold off a couple of days to allow time to figure out a foolproof escape. After all, their lives would probably be exposed to professional criminals with absolutely no sense of humor.

  Practice, practice, practice was the aim of the group for two days. The team now included the other manager working with Frank. He was also eager to please Dr. O out of guilt and maybe the threat of legal trouble. Each of them had a well planned role in the plot.

  Nervous but pretty sure they had a good chance of being gone before anyone would know about it. That is until someone looked up to see an empty blue sky above him instead of a cluttered maize of nets. That person was the night security guard who was so quickly tied up he never had a chance to say anything.

  Like a well oiled machine the plan was executed and the ECO-X were loaded onto the truck. It was a short trip. Five miles away from Simi Valley the truck stopped near the ocean. Frank and the other manager were shocked when Joe opened the net and freed the ECO-X. They quickly took flight twittering excitedly in a whirling pattern. There was a full moon that night and the creatures could be seen forming a dark mass over the ocean.

  Only Joe was happy to see them flying away. Frank stopped thinking about it as he realized Dr. O was in charge. After the ECO-X leveled off above the water they began to descend about three miles from the shore. It was a steady stream of the creatures heading precisely on the same course. Within minutes they had all disappeared somewhere.

  The somewhere was one of the boats used on the CRAP project designed to hold the animals in cages. Dr’ O was aboard that boat with his new machine which gave off the low frequency signal the ECO-X couldn’t resist. When they were all in the cages twittering loudly to one another the boat headed for the CRAP site. It had worked! Chapter Fourteen

  Pursuit for the missing ECO-X was swiftly organized and spread out over the entire west coast. Such fast action came from the trade production at Miracle unions when they found out

  Pictures was stopped. Union members were losing money because of the missing ECOX. Every union headquarters on the coast was alerted to spread the word about the missing creatures.

  Using a boat to steal the creatures appeared to be sucessful. No blips popped up on radar, no news on the radio. They were headed back to the university to hide the animals figuring no one knew much about Dr. O. The first phase in retrieving egg bearing ECO-X was completed. An exhausting job lay ahead to capture the rest of the animals scattered along the coast.

  Joe was only responding to Maggie ’s contacts now. A thousand things could go wrong while they combed the coast. When Maggie learned about their plan to cruise along the west coast hunting ECO-X she said.

  “ You must be a few bricks short of a full load if you think three men with no sailing experience can survive in a small boat on the California coast. The weather can become stormy quite quickly and you don’t have weather equipment to give you warnings. And then there is the commercial ships sailing along the coast 24/7. One wrong move could push you into those shipping lanes. Bad idea.”

  “ Okay what do you suggest”? Joe replied. “You’re the sailor and we have to catch the animals. There must be something on your mind.”

  Maggie looked at him coolly and in a steady voice said. “Your only chance is letting me do the sailing for you on my cruiser. I’m making this offer so I don’t have to attend your at-sea funeral. Get it?”

  Joe turned around and saw his managers nodding their heads. He was obviously outgunned.

  “We accept your offer Maggie.” he said trying to look enthusiastic about the idea. A route was set up to visit all of the cities on the coast to collect ECO-X held for further disposition. All of the city governments were eager to be rid of a big niusance. After a week of work they returned to Dr. O’s place with a full load of excited ECO-X who appeared to enjoy the trip. They estimated that about 70% of the animals were accounted for and optimistic Dr. O’s machine could net the rest. O had two more machines completed for the next cruise on the west coast. A week later rested and confident they resumed the search.

  Things never stay the same. This second cruise was fraught with difficulties from the first day out. Not one ECO-X was found in an area where there had been major problems with the animals. Local authorities couldn’t help them. The creatures had simply disappeared from the area several days before. They contacted other cities along their route and received the same reply, no ECO-X were around.

  The crew on Maggie ’s cruiser was uneasy. Frank was the most knowledgeable regarding the animals’ habits. He thought about and discarded possibilities. Then he offered his best guess..

  “There have been some incidents when ECO-X have

  instinctively swarmed tog
ether because of a major disturbance. It’s the only hunch I can come up with. Let’s make contacts all along the coast. If I’m right, some area is being invaded by them.”

  After dawn of the following day the police department at Pasadena was contacted. Their call was answered by an excited policeman trying to speak to them and shout orders to his squad at the same time.

  “ Yes, yes, can I help you? Marvin! Get those squad cars here right away! So, what can I do for you? Yes! We need the whole squad sent to the Rose Bowl Parade now!” Joe was startled by the garbled voices coming from the open phone circuit. He waited a bit then spoke again.

  “Sergeant? Can you hear me? What’s going on?” ”Call me later! Much much later. Damned little insects! Wait for me Marvin!” Joe knew the “insects” had to be the ECO-X. He needed to get to the parade and round them up with the new machine. He quickly explained the situation to the crew and Maggie put the pedal to the metal. She weaved her way to the Pasadena port leaving a large wake.

  Ashore they rushed up to the police station at the port for information about the uproar. The sergeant in charge thought the problem at the parade was a plague of locusts, or something. Joe settled him down and explained they were there to capture the creatures. A hurried radio call to the parade didn’t get any response.

  The sergeant radioed the fire department and explained the crisis. He requested a fire vehicle for Joe to reach the parade with his machines. Wanting to preserve their image as a fast responder the fire engine roared into the port. A line of firefighters formed and brought up the equipment from the cruiser in no time at all.

  The fire captain might have been a little over-optimistic about a swift response. Side streets along the parade route were jammed with people and cars. Sirens and blaring horns were ineffectual since it was impossible to move for the fire department. Stuck. A fireman had a discussion with the captain who nodded as the man talked..

  They turned around and roared back down the street. Six blocks later they were in a public park. At the softball field the fire engine halted out in left field. Shortly a police helicopter landed near the truck. A circle of men formed resembling a football huddle. Hands waved heads nodded then they broke up. The crew and the machines were loaded aboard the chopper quickly for a ride to the parade.

  What they saw when they were a few blocks away was a chaotic scene of flower floats and marching band members in a one block area. A huge swarm of ECO-X was methodically eating their way through the floats laden with beautiful flowers. Anything plastic was being devoured leaving the roses falling into the street as the plastic supports were eaten. They saw this spectacle through a rainy mist as the animals ate and rained on the crowd.

  Around some of the floats there appeared to be riots in progress. Fist were flying, men were grappling with each other as the police attempted to break them up. They caught bits of the words shouted at each other. The gist seemed to indicate the ECO-X had eaten some stems and plastic flowers interspersed with the real roses. These men were brawling over the cheating some float owners were doing in a desperate move to win the parade. To be considered a Parade of Roses float elligible to compete for first prize no artificial flowers were allowed.

  It was a fantastic sight transcending an explanation. You had to be there. The ECO-X were swarming over one block of the parade eating plastic from five floats. The street was now piled high with a colorful display of fresh flowers. It sort of resembled a tropical rainforest as the creatures chirped, chewed and rained on the flowers.

  Band members, spectators and the policemen were wading waist high in flora. They were soaking wet and trying to exit the incredibly soggy mess of floats now laid bare. Interspersed were abandoned shiny band instruments, and parts of uniforms stripped off to move faster. One high school band member stood transfixed holding the mouthpiece of his tuba.

  That’s all there was left since the tuba was made of plastic and the ECO-X had devoured the entire instrument.

  Joe regained his wits and set out to capture the ECO-X. Quickly he organized the crew to use the three machines at each end of the block and one in the middle. Maggie appeared to be concerned about his plan.

  “ Joe after we take control over the ECO-X how will we transport them to the cages on the cruiser?”

  Before he could answer her the police sergeant from the port spoke up.

  “ We could airlift the cages by helicopter if they aren’t too heavy. What do you think?”

  An answer! The crew enthusiastically agreed to the plan. Actually they would have embraced any suggestion. Joe went with the police to supervise the airlift of the needed cages to hold the creatures. Three police helicopters carried the cages to the parade route and set them down where the machines were set up.

  They wasted no time. At first the low frequency signal appeared to confuse them. Then they began to swarm over the street and the machines began to attract the animals. It was a signal they couldn’t resist for long and they began to swirl over the machines. Their dive into the cages resembled the action of vacuum cleaners. It was all over within twenty minutes. On lookers roared their approval as the nuisance disappeared.

  At the cruiser the crew worked to carry the cages to the boat. Police and fire fighters assisted them and within an hour the job was finished. By this time the dock area was crowded with on lookers, the media and some city officials. The city leaders were escorted down to the cruiser. There was a conference with the police squad. It was surprising to the crew when they noticed these men weren’t smiling. Instead of a hearty congratulations the chief of police had them arrested. Joe was shocked thinking they had averted a disaster in the making and saved the parade.

  “I don’t understand sir.” he protested. “We just solved a major problem for you. I guess no good deed ever goes unpunished.” he said sarcastically.

  The chief merely stared at Joe.

  “Are you in charge of this group?” he asked him.

  “Yes I am.” Joe replied firmly.“I am a manager for WAMI and an assistant to Dr. O Soozana the inventor of the ECO-X.”

  Just what the chief wanted to know. He ordered the police sergeant to handcuff Joe.

  Outraged he yelled at the chief.

  “We are on a mission to capture the ECO-X to prevent any further destruction of public property. You should be thanking us and let us take the creatures out of your city.” The chief was unruffled. He had been yelled at before and words merely bounced off his tough hide. He replied. “The only fortunate thing here is the capture of a public nuisance which is merely your duty. Your crew can leave with the pests but you sir are being arrested for failing to stop your insects from doing damage to our city. We call it ‘Reckless Endangerment’. Book him. We will be holding you in jail until your trial comes up. Hopefully many weeks from now.”

  Joe was sure it was a dream. He was quickly transported to the city slammer and placed in a cell by himself. It seemed like over kill when they posted a police officer to guard him. Where in hell can I go? he thought to himself. He decided it was a political display to assure the public they were working diligently to keep them safe. It was a correct guess when the media was allowed to photograph him in his cell guarded by a policeman. Joe was longing to be in Hawaai at his hideaway. He really didn’t need to use his right to a telephone call. The disaster at the Rose Bowl Parade involving the ECOX was national news so Maggie and the crew were right up to date on his whereabouts. Dr. O was horrified to learn about Joe’s problems created by his innocent efforts to capture the remaining egg laying creatures.

  O showed his character when he dropped everything to rescue his good friend and assistant from his predicament. He immediately used his celebrity to arrange a national TV appearance to speak to the people and set the record straight regarding the ECO-X. With the current sensational news focused on the creatures O was granted a five minute spot on a national TV network.

  Dr. O didn ’t shrink away from his mission to save Joe and end the mystery about the EC
O-X. O spoke to the public honestly about his mistakes and Joe’s efforts to capture the egg bearing ECO-X to end the crisis. Unexpectedley he was given immediate support from the US Coast Guard verifying the problem and O’s efforts to correct his mistake.There was a dramatic announcement at the end when O declared that the animals were now confined to cages at his lab.

  Joe ’s time in the clink was short lived. There was a fact finding meeting about the Rose Bowl Parade incident. The EPA attorneys pointed out that the ECO-X had been classified as a pest. Based on this fact Joe couldn’t be held liable for the actions of a public nuisance and should be released from jail. Joe’s arrest was only a part of the legal discussion. When the EPA classified the ECO-X to be a pest they became legally responsible to protect citizens from damages created by a public nuisance.

  Maggie collected Joe from the joint. She filled him in about Dr. O’s appearance on national TV to protect him. He was touched by O’s action for a trusted friend. She told them about her need to return to work in Hawaai.

  “ What do you men plan to do?”

  “This problem facing Dr. O isn’t over yet. In fact It may only be starting. We have the ECO-X under control but I’m worried about what action the EPA might take.”

  “Until the ECO-X dilemma is finally solved Joe, we don’t have a chance at having a relationship.” Maggie replied. “When your house is in order contact me then we’ll see where we go. Good luck.”

  Frank and the other manager returned to the CRAP site. Chapter Fifteen

  It was amazing how complex the situation became regarding the ECO-X problem. At this juncture a recap of the players with a problem or interest in the cute little guys will help to clarify who was doing what, where, why and to who.