The Search for FTL

by Ted Iverson

  Orion leafed through the papers. Shaking his head, he muttered, “Amazing!” He leafed through the papers a moment longer, then closed the binder and looked up. “Sorry, gentlemen. I guess we should discuss preparations for Sunday.” With that, the three began an intense discussion.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Alec got up early, even after arriving in Rapid City late the night before. He could hardly contain his excitement. The unraveling of the mystery of the prototype’s hidden location was almost at hand. He and his brothers were now sure that it was here in South Dakota.

  He wondered now if he should’ve had one or more men come with him. The decision had already been made though. He was alone. He knew he’d be in real danger, even with all his skills.

  He sat out on the balcony of his hotel room, looking over the city which hadn’t quite awakened yet. Its lights were still flickering in the predawn sky. The sun, about to peek over the horizon, produced a pale orange glow. Back to the west, the sky was covered with clouds. He could tell there a front was moving in slowly. The wind was cool, and it was starting to drizzle.

  Suddenly, he heard a muffled explosion! Looking around, he saw the door to his room, blown off its hinges. Two men in all too familiar uniforms came storming after him. Alec immediately hopped the rail of his second-floor room.

  Thank goodness for the small drop.

  The hotel was built on a hill. The front, which faced the city, was close to the ground. He landed on the stone landscaping and made his way down the steep slope toward the next section of the hotel. The two men had followed and were gaining.

  Alec had foreseen trouble. Instead of parking the hover in the back, he’d parked where he could easily get to it from the front. He took Simon out of its holster, stopped, and turned.

  It took only one shot to take one of the men out. The other dove to the side and whipped out his weapon. He fired blindly at Alec and missed, but Alec knew that with so many bolts coming his way, one would eventually find its mark.

  He opened and started the hover using the remote, hopping into it while still being fired upon. Zipping backward, he nearly ran over the second man, but once again the man reacted by diving and rolling away to the side. Alec could see he’d remotely summoned his own vehicle. The chase was on!

  Full throttle, he weaved his way down the steep and curved drive and onto I-16, heading west. The other vehicle was in close pursuit. There was little traffic, so losing his pursuer among other vehicles wasn’t an option. Evasion would depend on driving skills and luck. Alec had those skills, though maneuvering a hover at high speeds on a bed of air was not as easy as it might sound. Fortunately, Alec’s hover, like all of Space Tech’s hovers, had been built to do things an everyday hover couldn’t.

  As bolts blasted past him, Alec decided it was time to become the pursuer. Bracing himself, he hit the forward flaps and went into full reverse. He stopped instantly. The other hover pulled up on his stick and just missed Alec’s canopy.

  Alec smiled, but that changed quickly. He pushed his stick forward and began to speed up the road again. The other pilot, after missing Alec, hadn’t continued forward as expected. Instead, he’d immediately gone into an inverted loop and come up behind Alec again.

  “Crap,” Alec mumbled to himself. “This guy can fly.”

  Disgusted, Alec pushed the hover faster. More bolts buzzed past him. He put his craft into a sharp left turn and glanced behind: no follower. Then, something caught his eye. He was side by side with the other hover, headed back east. The other craft had made a right turn at the same time Alec had turned left.

  Alec pulled back on his stick and shot up, did a loop, and inverted, heading west once again. The other matched him. Alec knew I-16 was a hilly road, filled with curves and side roads. If he could choose the right one, he might have a chance at losing the other vehicle.

  By now there were a few more hovers on the road. That had at least curtailed some of the other man’s firing as they weaved in and out. They began passing signs that read “Mount Rushmore Ahead” and “Visit Keystone.”

  Great, he thought, family attractions.

  He had to get off the main road—quickly. Then he saw a sign. Even flying down the road at 120 mph plus, he could read it: “Cosmos Mystery Area ahead.” He tried to remember what Zach had told him. The picture had given them a general idea of the area, but there had to be more. He’d soon find out, but first he needed to stay alive.

  He was jolted back to reality as a blast rocked his hover. His shield held, but more of the same and he’d be toast. He was quickly approaching the turn off to the Cosmos. He realized he’d not be able to outrun his adversary in the hover. Continuing on foot would give him a better chance.

  The turn was in a mile and a half. His opponent had anticipated his every move so far, but not the next. Alec simply slowed down to the speed limit. Confused, the pursuer pulled up even with Alec and drove next to him. Alec saw him peer into Alec’s cockpit and watch as Alec gave him a goodbye wave. Alec could see the confused look on the man’s face. At that moment, having timed it perfectly to the turn off, Alec blew his canopy and ejected. The other man watched in shock as Alec streaked skyward in his ejection chair. Then, buying the time Alec needed, his hover blew into a million tiny pieces.

  The other craft was too close. Its shields failed, damaging it beyond repair. It skidded out of control, landing several hundred feet away from the explosion. Stunned, the driver reacted on instinct only. He jumped out of the smoking ship and began the chase on foot.

  Alec hadn’t stayed to see what happened. He ran up the gravel road toward the Cosmos Mystery Area. He found it difficult to keep his footing. Gravel, he thought. After so many years and they’ve left it gravel.

  Alec was breathing hard, but he had to keep moving. He still had several hundred yards to go. His assailant wasn’t to be seen, but Alec could feel him there.

  Finally Alec neared the main building. Once there he stopped briefly, surveying the area. The entrance to the attraction was up a set of stairs to the left. Two cabins sat on the hill: one to the left, the other a little higher up on the right. The cabins leaned to the left at an odd angle. The stairs were covered in old shingles, for better footing Alec surmised. To the right, Alec saw a clump of trees in a circle, all leaning toward the center. The other trees in the area seemed unaffected, growing naturally.

  Strange, Alec thought.

  Hearing footsteps on the gravel, he shot a look backward to see a weapon pointing his direction. This man is merciless. He ran up the main stairs, hopped a rope, and landed on a wooden platform then sprinted toward the old cabins before a shot could be fired. Before he reached the cabin on the left, Alec felt a hand grab his ankle. He hit the ground hard.

  The two men struggled to get up, hindered by the strangely-built stairs. When they’d managed to get to their feet, they began trading blows. Alec somehow managed to work his way up the steps while the slugfest intensified. He kicked the other man in the chest, sending him down a few steps and giving himself the chance to make his way into the cabin.

  Once inside, he promptly lost his balance, hitting the floor with a thud. He’d felt his equilibrium go awry the moment he’d entered. He tried to stand, but once more fell toward the left corner of the room. He crawled to the opposite side of the tilted cabin, grabbed a handrail, and pulled himself upright.

  Now Mr. Merciless entered the cabin, coming in at a dead run. One step in and he fell, rolling toward the spot where Alec had been. He tried to rise again, but failed. On his hands and knees, he glanced in a panic at Alec.

  The two looked at each other, trying to figure out why they’d experienced the sudden dizziness and instability. Then, the man gathered his wits and began crawling on hands and knees across the room. He reached a hand out to Alec, and Alec grabbed the man’s forearm to help him up. The man unexpectedly grabbed Alec’s outstretched arm and pulled him awkwardly forward. With no balance or handhold, Alec hit the floor with a resoundi
ng thud. As he grabbed the railing and tried to pull himself up, the attacker reached into his uniform. Alec rolled over just in time to see this. Somehow he managed to get up and leap toward the man as he turned around.

  Alec had thought he was heading straight for the man, but ended up to the left, catching the hand that held the weapon. The weapon fell to the floor and lay there. Then, as if some sort of magnet was pulling it, the weapon shot toward the corner they’d both fallen toward, landing barrel up in the corner.

  The two adversaries glanced at each other in amazement then turned back to the weapon. Both scrambled for it on their hands and knees. Alec’s pursuer almost had the weapon in hand when Alec grabbed his leg and pulled him back. He held and they rolled to the back of the structure. Thrashing and struggling, the assailant broke free and grabbed the rail by an opening leading to the second room of the cabin.

  Alec righted himself then came across the room half walking, half running. He was able to maintain enough balance to grab the assailant’s coat sleeve and pull him free from his death grip on the railing. They crashed through the opening and into the other room. Once again they floundered on the floor. Over and over they attempted to right themselves. Exhaustion and the crazy effects this place had on them made it nearly impossible.

  Somehow, they summoned the strength to right themselves. Alec pressed Merciless further into the second room. Off balance, they traded blows that had no effect. The assailant grabbed Alec and tossed him toward the back of the cabin. Then he backed into the northwest corner of the room and stood there with his hands on the rail behind him, steadying himself. He closed his eyes and shook his head to clear himself of the unbalanced sensation. Opening his eyes, he saw, hanging by a rope in front of him, a one-foot by one-foot square piece of two-inch thick solid steel.

  Alec was standing now and approached the man gingerly. He was still dizzy, but couldn’t tell if it was from the blasted cabin or the repeated blows he’d taken.

  Alec was within two feet of the chunk of steel when the assailant made his move. He grabbed the metal slab and pushed it towards Alec’s face. It moved only a few inches and then swung back into place. Amazed, the man immediately tried again, this time lunging with both hands. The steel might have moved slightly more, but he couldn’t be sure.

  Then it was Alec’s turn. He’d anticipated putting his entire body into the push, but what he had failed to take into consideration was that this was the Cosmos Mystery Area and nothing was as it appeared. Alec lunged, leading with his shoulder. He felt a thud as his shoulder struck against the square, followed by pain. Then he felt it hit, not the wall, but the other man’s face. Neither had expected it to move. But move it did, with ease.

  Alec stumbled back a few steps, watching as the attacker’s back hit the wall and the man fell to the floor, rolling in obvious pain. Curious, Alec approached the plate from the other side. He tried moving it outward. It wouldn’t budge. Then, trying with one hand from the opposite side, he was shocked to see it move freely.

  Alec, looked at his assailant, who was still down and holding his face in obvious pain, with blood seeping between his fingers.

  Alec just shook his head in disbelief. He now understood why his father might have chosen this amazing place—if the prototype was hidden here. He decided that now was the time to go, and fast. He stumbled out of the building through the back exit. Once outside, Alec felt his equilibrium return almost immediately. He ran deep into the wooded area, then rested a moment, listening. It had been about ten minutes since he’d left the cabin. He figured Merciless must’ve given up the chase. After all, it’s not every day a two-inch thick piece of steel gets smashed in your face.

  Alec quickly surveilled the area. He must be close to the prototype. He could feel it. He’d have a tougher time finding it now though, since he’d blown all his equipment to smithereens in the hover. He started walking, stopping occasionally to look for any signs of the ship’s whereabouts. He couldn’t imagine hiding a ship like that here, in a place like this. Alec took a few more steps, heard a cracking noise, looked down, and found himself falling! Panicking, he reached out in all directions looking for a handhold. Feeling something, he grabbed at it with one hand to break his fall. It was a vine of some sort. He grabbed onto it with his other hand as well, swung, and hit the wall hard.

  Alec wasn’t sure how he’d managed to hang on. But he couldn’t hang there forever. He moved his feet along the rock wall, but found nothing. He looked up. He could see the small hole he’d fallen through and he figured he must be forty or fifty feet down. Climbing the vine slowly hand over hand, he found a small ledge about six feet up. He was trying to steady himself on it when he loosened a large rock and it fell. He listened, trying to decide how far he might fall if the vine gave way. Several moments later he heard the rock hit. Not ground, but something else. He hung still. Now, looping the vine around his wrist and balancing on his feet, he felt around and found another good-sized rock. He grabbed it, held his hand out over the opening, and let go. Again, after several long moments, it hit something that wasn’t ground. It gave more of a hollow, nonmetallic thud.

  Alec didn’t know how long the vine was, but he was willing to take a chance on it. Using his free hand, he dug out a pocketknife. He spotted another vine hanging there, cut it, and looped it around his waist. He did this with four more long vines then decided to descend. As he slowly lowered himself down, he stopped occasionally to pull up the excess vine and feel where the end was. When he was able to feel the end, he loosened one of the vines around his waist and tied it to the end. Each time he did this, he took another rock and dropped it. He continued to do so. Finding another ledge, he rested a moment. This might be it. He took another rock and again let go. This time the sound was returned almost instantly. He grabbed the vine one last time, pushed himself away from the ledge, and hung there. He took a deep cleansing breath, said a short prayer, and let go.

  He hit hard and with a loud thump. He felt the skin of the object. While sliding, he struggled to find a handhold or some sort of footing. There was none. Still sliding, he found another vine that had grown around the thing. He grabbed it and his slide stopped almost immediately, though it felt as though his arm had been torn from its socket. He hung there for a long moment, trying to catch his breath. Then, as he moved his feet around, he was able to find a small indentation on the object. It was enough to use as a foothold to steady himself.

  Alec’s pursuer stood at the top of the now-exposed hole Alec had fallen through. He was pleasantly surprised to find that Alec had made himself so accessible. He’d expected a long day and night looking for Alec and had gone back to his damaged shuttle and loaded a backpack with necessary supplies. He now stood at the top of the hole and peered into the darkness. He heard the loud thud that was Alec and pulled a powerful lamp out of his backpack. Shining the lamp down through the dust and darkness and seeing nothing, he yelled, “Bindl, I know you’re there. You’re the type that just won’t go away. You also know that I’ll have to bring back others and come down for you.”

  He continued to shine the light around. The hole was too deep for him to see anything, but the light was enough for Alec. He’d been brushing dirt and moss off of the large object while continuing to hang from the vine. As the dim light passed over one area, Alec caught a glimpse of something. It was Space Tech’s logo! His heart skipped a beat. He’d found it. Maybe by total accident, but he’d found it!

  Axion left the capital before dawn to join Meteoric’s men at Space Tech. They were waiting for him before leaving for South Dakota. He’d contacted Thoma before he left and had reminded him of the special session. “Senator, we are close to our goal. Don’t forget that. Your time to become Senior Senator is at hand and mine is winding down. My taking over Meteoric and disbanding Space Tech will benefit us all. I expect that you shall perform your duties well.” Knowing that Thoma would most likely move against him as soon as he left didn’t faze him. That issue had been addressed. �
��Goodbye, my friend.”

  It was 9:00 a.m. Senator Thoma entered the chambers and made his way up the aisle as everyone rose to their feet. After taking the podium and bringing the session to order, he announced, “As you know from your agenda, this session has been called to form an OEC security force. This is a direct result of Space Tech’s behavior, their direct violation of a law that we here created, right in this very chamber. Why it was created is the more important question. I ask you, my fellow senators and dignitaries, why was this law created? Was it wrong for the young men to want to finish what their deceased parents had begun? I think it was a natural progression. Instead of creating a security force, shouldn’t we be discussing a way of repealing laws that may have been voted for in haste, due to pressure?” He was becoming very animated.

  The chamber was abuzz as the members realized what Thoma was trying to do. There were whispers of treason, interspersed with the murmurs of those who agreed with him.

  Thoma’s voice became more powerful, rising over the confusion. “Senator Axion has become powerful. Too powerful! I have spoken to these so-called outlaws that we have created in our minds, minds that have been filled with—” He stopped in mid-sentence and grabbed his shoulder. Turning his back to the chamber, he leaned heavily on the podium. He pulled his hand away from his shoulder. Blood covered his palm. Turning to face his colleagues again, he raised his blood-stained hand. Gasps filled the room.

  A moment later, Thoma was flung around and his back rested on the podium again. This time he just slid slowly down until he was in a heap on the ground. Senator Fillmore was the first to his aid. He could see the blood seeping through Thoma’s robes at the shoulder, then saw the single shot to the forehead. Thoma was dead. Amidst the confusion, the man in the balcony slipped away, unnoticed.