The Search for FTL

by Ted Iverson

  Through the small view port he could see that he was crossing the ocean and, with a quick check of the now active panel, he saw that it was the Pacific—also as planned. He was checking the radar when he noticed he was being followed by something as small as his own pod. He rechecked the instruments. It really was there. His equipment was very basic so he had to rely on logic. He surmised that, since he’d not been fired upon, it was just a large boulder on the same trajectory as he was. Upon reaching one thousand feet above the surface, he fired the retros as planned, knowing what a challenge it would be to slow the pod and still maintain the same trajectory.

  The flight was going well. A look outside told Orion he was passing over the capital. In an instant, he was on the outskirts of the city. He hit a button and the wings sprouted as the retros continued to slow the pod.

  It was time for another of Zach’s wonderful inventions. While flying at treetop level over a wooded area, Orion deployed a small orb the size of a basketball. Seconds later, he heard a loud blast. This little device would leave a nice little crater in the ground. Any investigation would discover a slight, non-harmful radiation signature and tiny particles of a real meteorite that had been collected from the moon. A nice end to a well-constructed diversion.

  Orion had forgotten about the other object. It had veered about two miles off from his course and, unknown to Orion, was now cruising to a stop, just as he was.

  Orion had done extensive research and now settled down on a small abandoned airstrip he had found. After landing, he exited the pod and took a few minutes to survey his surroundings. He found an old barn on the site and decided it would be a good place to store the pod. He unlatched the old, rickety doors, pushed them open, then remotely maneuvered the pod in and covered it.

  All of sudden, he heard an enormous explosion. He ran out and looked to the east where the sound had come from. He saw a large plume of dust and smoke rising into the air. Suddenly he remembered the other object and figured it had just exploded when it hit the ground. He was a little concerned, because he thought any stragglers would have burned up in the atmosphere before reaching Earth. He was also worried that someone might possibly have gotten seriously hurt. He could only hope not. He was watching the plume disappear when he noticed something very small moving at treetop level. There was a small contrail following it.

  Orion moved behind the large doors and pulled out a weapon. He was determined not to go down without a good fight. He moved into the barn and took up a hiding spot in the loft, above a pile of hay. He could hear the hiss of a jet pack setting a person down. Listening carefully, he could hear the man walking into the barn. Because of the darkness he couldn’t make out the face. He didn’t need to. The shadow had a weapon out.

  Without hesitation, Orion leapt from the loft and landed on the man. Orion had caught the man by surprise and, after a short struggle, was able to quickly disarm him. He rolled him over, placed his weapon to the man’s head, and demanded, “Who are you?”

  The man laughed. “Hey, bro. Hi. How are you?”

  “Zach?” Orion was confused. “Zach?” he repeated. “Why, you...” He dropped the weapon and helped his brother up.

  Zach brushed himself off and looked up into Orion’s angry face.

  Orion didn’t wait for an explanation. He made a fist and gave Zach a roundhouse punch to the face, sending the younger brother back to the ground in a heap.

  Zach sat up, stunned, rubbing his aching jaw. “What was that for?” he snapped.

  “Don’t you ever listen?” Orion was angered beyond belief. “You’re supposed to be up there!” He pointed emphatically to the sky. “You’ve jeopardized this mission! You’re reckless and insubordinate! You have no common sense!”

  Orion reined in his anger and gave a sigh. “Nevertheless, you’re here now and you can’t go back. I take it that was your pod you destroyed?”

  Rising to his feet, Zach answered, “Yes, absolutely. Didn’t want to leave any evidence that I was here.”

  Orion laughed and shook his head in disbelief. “No evidence. Well, as good as your intentions were, you only announced to them that we are here.” Another sigh and he continued. “Only thing we can do now is gather some basic supplies and head out. You were close enough to this place that they’ll find this pod within a couple of hours. Now we’ll have to set some charges for about forty-five minutes and destroy this pod too. That will give us some lead time. I think we’ll be getting some practice evading Axion’s men. Only one place I know around here to get help.”

  “Orion, I’m sorry. I just wanted to help.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I’ll ready the charges. Put your flight suit and jetpack in the pod. Too much to carry. Get the supplies while you’re in there.”

  “Okay, will do.” Zach went outside, gathered the flight suit, and returned to the pod.

  “Hey,” Orion said.

  Zach turned to Orion, eyebrows raised in question.

  “I’m glad you’re here.”

  Rubbing his jaw once more, Zach answered, “Yeah, I can tell.” With a wink he disappeared into the pod.

  Orion began the process of coming up with alternate sites to land the droids now. They had time, but not a lot. Plus, they were on the run. It would be difficult to secretly land several hundred androids. They’d need to contact Paul Spencer at the AxMet.

  Orion finished placing the charges and called into the pod: “Times a-wasting. Let’s get a move on!” A pack flew out at him. Orion caught it in mid-flight and strapped it on.

  Zach hopped out, then shut and secured the hatch. He headed out of the barn. As he reached the entrance, he stopped and turned back. “Well? Come on!”

  Orion found himself shaking his head once again, which appeared to be happening more and more when he was around Zach. He glanced back for the last time at the pod, and then headed out to catch up with his brother. As he exited the barn and closed the doors behind him, he had one thought: This is some homecoming.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “It has been ten days since the arrest of Ty and Alec Bindl, and the world is still in shock. The holonet is filled with speculation of how this could have happened. But tonight on this site, the truth will be revealed, so join us at 7:00 Eastern Time for this in-depth look at ‘The Bindl Brothers: The Fall of an Empire.’”

  The image flickered away as Axion reclined in his chair. What a ten days it had been. Space Tech was finally within his grasp. The stage had been set and the final performance was near. In a matter of days Meteoric would assume control of his old company and he would resign this nauseating position and assume his rightful role as CEO of the new company. The thought made him smile and relax. One thing that had held him back from completing the plan was that Zach and Orion still hadn’t been located. But he was confident that would come about soon. Besides, the prototype hadn’t been located yet. With Alec, Ed, and Ty out of the way and the other two at the OBL, there was absolutely no concern of them finding it. He did, after all, have his best men on that task.

  The com light flickered. “Yes, this is Axion.”

  Appearing in front of him was one of Meteoric’s guards.

  “Sir, we have had a report that some of the meteors from the Orbital Lab incident have hit on the outskirts of town. However, initial flybys and scans show one to be a meteor and the other, well, we’re just not sure yet what it was.”

  “Not sure? I suggest you find out what it is and then report back to me. You may also want to research the satellite images of the Lab before and after the strike. See if there could possibly be any abnormalities in those. Get on it, now!”

  “Yes, sir. Right away, sir.”

  The senator rose from his seat and strode to his window. Squinting up at the sky, he asked aloud, “Just what are you two up to?” Maybe, just maybe, they were not going to give up so easily. He raised an eyebrow. What if they could lead him to the prototype? He smiled fiendishly. Oh, how this was getting to be entertaining. These boys had gi
ven him more fun than he’d had in years. He should remember to thank them, before he killed them that is. Still staring at the sky, he chuckled.

  It was about 6:30 that evening and, somehow, Orion and Zach had made their way into the city undetected. As far as they could tell, they hadn’t even been followed. They wound their way down every slimy back alley and side street they could and, finally, they reached the AxMet.

  “Orion, do you think he’ll meet with us?”

  “Why wouldn’t he? We’re not the enemies here and if he truly was helping us as Ty said he is, then he’ll welcome us with open arms. But, if he isn’t, well, the visit will be really short.” With that Orion made his way through a back door they’d found unlocked. Zach followed.

  They found themselves in a large, dingy area. It smelled musty and damp. The only light that could be seen was cast by a small light above the elevator on the other side of the room. They approached the elevator with caution. Just as they reached it, they heard behind them the distinct clicking of the hammers of several guns. They stopped dead in their tracks. Just then, the doors to the elevator slid open and three men in gray suits stood before them, all holding weapons, all pointed straight at them.

  “Hands up! Now, place them slowly behind your heads. State your business.”

  “Nice décor you have here: well-lit and the fragrance, well, it couldn’t smell any better.” Zach smiled. He received a strong kick in the shin from his brother. It almost buckled him, but he kept his balance. He shot a glare toward Orion.

  The men exited the elevator and approached them. The look on their faces showed no sign of humor, only business. “We’re here to speak to Paul Spencer,” Orion pronounced.

  “And you are?”

  “I’m Orion Bindl and this,” he nodded at his brother, “is my brother Zach. We don’t have an appointment, and Mr. Spencer had no clue we were coming. It’s very important that we speak with him.”

  The one who’d been doing the talking glanced at the other two with wide eyes and then made a hand gesture. The boys could hear the weapon hammers behind them unclick. The man waved his hand again and the three holstered their weapons.

  “This way.” He motioned for them to enter the elevator. The three guards entered behind them. The main guard pushed the first button and Orion determined that they’d come in on a lower level. The street in front of the building must be on higher ground. The door closed.

  Soon they were walking out of the small elevator and into a beautiful lobby. Its small size, though, showed that it couldn’t be the main entrance. They were then led down a small corridor, through a set of double doors, and into the galley. It was large and bustling with activity. “I hope the smell here is more appealing to you,” a guard said to Zach.

  “Oh, yeah. Sorry ‘bout that.” Zach’s face was red.

  As they crossed the room, they came to another set of double doors. The doors swung open quickly and a perky waitress came rushing through with a tray of dirty dishes, narrowly missing them. They exited the room.

  She emptied her tray and quickly made her way back to see the men leading the two boys into her boss’s private serving room. The perkiness disappeared and was replaced with shock. She couldn’t believe it. Ty’s brothers had just appeared from nowhere. Weren’t they supposed to be on the Orbital Lab? This was news she’d have to get to Axion. But first she must learn why they were here.

  “Uh...” A waiter was standing there waiting to get by.

  She turned and retorted, “What?” Then she backed away from the doors, and he went about his work.

  “Sam! Sam, your order for table 23 is up!”

  “On my way,” she hollered. She couldn’t wait until this was all over and she could start her real job with Meteoric. Axion had been right about everything. She’d just have to be patient a little while longer.

  She grabbed the food-laden tray and went back to work.

  “You’ll be comfortable here,” a guard said. “Mr. Spencer has been notified of your arrival and will be with you shortly.”

  “Thanks so much for the hospitality.” Zach couldn’t help himself.

  The guard just looked at Zach and grunted. He then turned and walked out of the room and shut the door. They heard a whirr and a click as a lock slid into place.

  Zach moved to the exit and felt around, then turned to his brother and said, “No handle. They locked us in. I’m no expert, but I’m sure this isn’t a good thing.”

  “Really? I’d have never guessed! Just come over here and sit. There isn’t anything you can do. Just because we told them who we are doesn’t mean squat to them. We could be anyone. After all, we did sneak in from the alley, did we not? Just relax. There’s some water. Want some?” Zach shook his head.

  “I’m parched.” Orion took the pitcher of ice water and poured himself a glass. Taking a deep drink he held his glass up toward his brother. “You sure?”

  “How can you be so calm?” Zach was still feeling the wall, looking for some way out.

  “How can you be so worked up? We’re not getting out unless they let us out. You can clearly see that. Besides, didn’t we come here for help? They’ve got cameras watching you. You’re looking pretty foolish right now, you know. Spencer will be here shortly so, as I said, sit down and relax.”

  Resigning himself to the truth, Zach sat down across from his brother and took in the room. He noticed flower pots holding plants of a sort he’d never seen before. The chandelier over the table was made of a beautiful crystal. Two portraits on the wall across from him caught Zach’s eye: one of Spencer and Axion, and the other of Spencer and a shorter woman in a flowered dress.

  Orion was quietly sipping on his drink as he watched Zach. He lifted his hand and pointed his finger. Zach turned and saw what Orion was pointing at: a spectacular portrait of their parents with Paul Spencer. He locked his eyes on it for a short while and then looked back to his brother, who was still gazing at the portrait. His stare was broken by the noise of the door unlocking.

  Paul Spencer entered the room. “I am sorry for the delay, always something coming up that is more important than what I would like to do.” He smiled and that put the two young men at ease. They stood as he entered. Spencer walked over to Orion and firmly grasped his shoulders. “Orion, it has been years.” Looking over at Zach he continued, “Zach, the last time I laid eyes on you, you were no bigger than…” He held his hand about three feet off the ground. “Well, it’s been a very long time. I can’t believe you are both here. I mean, I wish you both weren’t here. It is a very dangerous thing, you both appearing here in the capital. I thought you were both in Axion’s hands. It gives me great relief to know otherwise. Are you both all right?”

  Stunned, Orion spoke first. “In Axion’s hands? Not that we’re aware of.”

  “He has made several statements that suggested he had all four of you in custody. Strong statements. I’m sure that he has every available man looking for you. That is, if he knows you’re on Earth, and I am hoping he does not. Would I be correct in presuming he doesn’t know?” One look at Zach’s face told him otherwise. Spencer could only shake his head. “Oh, this is not a good thing. Have you been followed here?”

  “No, I’m sure of that. We, well, it was supposed to be just me, but little brother here had other thoughts. But we’ve resolved that.”

  “I have a special room that only a few people know of. It’s quite comfortable. You two must use it as long as you’re here at the capital.” Motioning for them all to sit down, Spencer went on. “I’m sorry about your brothers. This is all so unforgivable. The senator and his committee have gone way too far. That grant should have been yours. I’ve been trying to find out what is really going on here and I get one road block after another. Never in all my years of helping your family have I been so baffled. With Ed imprisoned, we’ve lost him as well as his contacts. That is a major blow.”

  “Can you tell us what you do know?”

  “Of course. Meteoric is
the company running the FTL project now. After the arrests, Axion shut down Space Tech for a short while. He has allowed Meteoric to take over all operations. They’ve kept on all the employees so far, but are questioning everyone. I believe it’s only a matter of time before they install their own people. I know they were prepping shuttles to make the trip up to your Lab, but if they know you’re here, you might just have saved them the time and effort. I, for one, feel that they and Axion must be stopped. I’m certain he has ties to that company. Rumors have it that once you are all sentenced or disposed of he will take over the company and resign from the Senate. Axion? Running Space Tech? That thought makes me shiver.”

  “Then we can’t let him,” Zach said.

  “Zach, I do not think you grasp this situation. He has more than five hundred men trained, armed, and ready to do his bidding. They have a slight advantage over you two. I’m afraid that is an area in which I cannot be of assistance.”

  “Then we must forego any type of formal protocol.” Zach stared angrily at his brother. “Right now, you and I are in charge and I say we get that droid army here right now.”

  “I prefer not to call it an army,” Orion calmly answered. “I would like to think of it as a peace task force. Yeah, PTF. But, no matter what we call them, you’re correct. We need to make our first official order as acting officers. I’ll contact Lyet and have him deploy them ASAP. I only want to use them if there’s no other alternative, even though we all know that there won’t be one. After, if we are victorious, we stand them down and move them to a safe place for future use, if needed.”

  “Gentlemen, I’m confused. You’re talking about actually having access to men who will fight. I understand that part. But the part where you said that you will stand them down and put them in storage? That is where you lost me.”