by Nye, Laine
He fell for several feet before his instinct for survival finally kicked in again. Almost before he could think it he slammed a huge amount of gravity into the wall behind him. That pressure pulling against him was like having his legs braced as before but with more force than his legs could now produce. He was scraping to a stop. His shirt was pulled up on his back and he felt his bare back scraping against the wall. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain as much as
possible.
At last he was able to stop his slide as the large volume of dirt that had covered him filtered off. He was breathing heavily. His legs were aching. His hands hurt from repeated usage after the lacerations he had received. His hair was covered with dirt that he tried to shake off. The rock had glanced off the side of his head and the spot where he was struck was pounding mercilessly. His back was on fire and he was thoroughly exhausted.
Slowly he began climbing with his legs, arms and back and with the g-force assist. He did not dare try to pull upward from above with the gravity again. His muscles were burning. He was beginning to tremble from exertion. He thought for a second that he would just give up and let go but then he thought of his mom and dad and knew he could not do that. He had to keep trying until there was nothing left. He refused to admit defeat.
His progression was slower and slower and there was nothing he could do for it. Finally, he came to the second spot where he had pulled the earth out of the side of the tube with his gravity control. Just at the time that he thought his legs and forced gravity would utterly fail him he recognized his moment of salvation. He saw that enough of the dirt had been pulled out of the wall to make a small slanted shelf that dipped precariously toward the down-shaft.
He climbed into the shelf and curled up in a tight ball breathing heavily. Aching at every place in his body. He laid there trying to get some rest for a time. The shelf was small enough and slanted enough that he feared if he moved at all, he would fall over the edge. If he fell head first, he would not be able to right himself until he fell all the way back into the bell-shaped room just above the rock ledge he stood on earlier. And that was assuming that his gravity control would work sufficiently. It had failed twice tonight in giving him desired results. He just could not chance it that he could stop another fall.
He waited for his strength to be restored. As he laid there he thought about what could have undermined his gravity control capability. Soon the realization came to him that being here, at the very source of the energy that had given him his power was interfering with his normal g-force energy. He slowly began to realize that the suction that had forced him into the hole when he was expecting the exact opposite was the energy that normally made one hover while they 'percolated' as Belasco would say. But it pulled instead of pushing. Somehow that' breathing in' had undercut his use of gravity modification. It stole his gift from him temporarily until the reversal of energy took place. That was as much as he could surmise before he fell asleep.
“Where is Brad, Steve. He said he would be home by now,” Kate said to her husband Steve.
“I have been wondering that myself,” Steve answered. “I have tried calling his cell phone and I'm not getting an answer.”
“Well I'm worried about him,” Kate announced. “It's not like him to stay away without letting us know.”
“We'll give him another hour or so. Then we'll see if we can find him.”
The hour went by and still no word from Brad. “I'm tired of waiting Steve. I want to go find him right now.” Kate demanded.
Steve got off the couch as he responded, “Let's go look for him then.”
It was almost midnight. They got into Kate's car as Steve had let Brad borrow his car. They quickly drove over to North Ogden Divide which wasn't very far from their home. Steve knew the road like the back of his hand and he drove over it at a much faster speed than could those who were less familiar with its winding road on the cliff's edge with a rocky mountain on the other side. There was no room for mistakes on the divide but Steve was confident in his knowledge of the road and his driving skills. At this time of night there were few people, if any, that were still driving the divide.
They quickly dropped down into the small town of Liberty and hurried on toward Huntsville.
“Do you think Brad is getting over the accidental death of that Weathers boy?” Kate asked her husband on the way.
“I think he still has a long way to go. But I think that saving you on the beach that night helped him a lot. He feels more like a hero instead of a killer. I also think our support and the move has helped him as well. The problem is that he kept the incident bottled up inside himself for too long when he did not want us to know about his involvement in a death,” Steve told her.
“Assuming he is safe tonight and that all is well, we should plan on doing something with him or for him. Something, anything to help him get further removed from what happened in Florida. He needs to heal Steve. What happened to that boy was terrible but I know Brad would never have killed him on purpose.”
“He was not a boy Kate,” Steve responded. “He was eighteen years old and should have graduated before Brad ever met him.”
“I don't care about any of that. I just want our son to stop carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.”
“It will take time Kate. When a person mourns the loss of a loved one, it lasts for a full year at a fairly intense level. But after a year or so the person starts adjusting more easily to what has happened. But in this case the process of mourning is embedded in guilt.”
“I don't think he is mourning Milo's death,” Kate disagreed. “He didn't like him.”
“It is still a kind of mourning that Brad is suffering and it is coupled with guilt and even trauma. It is not easy to see what Brad saw that day when they tried to save Milo's life. When they shock a person's heart, the body or the arms will jump or fly around spasmodically and it is not a pretty sight. Our son endured a lot and he has not yet been able to put it behind him. I believe it will take him longer to get over this than it would for a normal kind of mourning.”
Kate asked him, “Then what can we do for him to help him?”
Their discussion turned to what might be good for their son and they discussed it until they came up with a solution. They decided to put their plan into action within just a few days. They arrived in Huntsville and began looking for Brad.
Brad woke up from a dreamless sleep. His head ached from the rock that hit him. Immediately he became aware of his surroundings so he did not stretch or roll over or any other move that would send him over the ledge.
He raised his head up carefully. Becoming alert. What had awakened him?
“Brad? Brad Shaw! Answer me boy! Brad?” It was Albert's voice calling from far above him. The voice sounded muffled through the long depths of the hole.
“I'm here Albert,” He said quietly. His voice did not carry far. He was weak. He became aware of a beam of light shining down the shaft. Albert was directing a two million candle power spotlight into the hole.
“Brad? I can't hear you. Are you down there?” Albert called again.
Brad took in a deep breath and as loud as he could he yelled “Yes. I'm here. I'm down in the hole. How did you know?”
“We can discuss peripherals after. Rescue now. Talk later. That's what is needed.”
“I do need help Albert. I'm in trouble.” He said. Tears of relief and emotional release came readily to his eyes.
“I have to leave you for a few minutes Brad. Need supplies to rescue you. Can't do it on my own. You sit tight. I'll be back shortly.” Albert called down to him.
Brad's head dropped down onto the cold earth it had been on when he was sleeping. He waited as patiently as he could for Albert's return. Not that there was much he could do but wait. He knew he needed help. Why did the energy in the hole neutralize his power? Why did he gain night vision even while his gravity control was limited? Wait. He wasn't seeing things dimly anymore. They were as b
right as noonday. His night vision had become more acute.
It meant that even while the energy was feeding him whatever it was that it had, he was still not able to fully utilize his abilities. Not the old one or the new one. So, his gravity control would be strengthened again just as his sight had improved. His father had recently referred to this thing he could do as a gift. Brad had never seen it as a gift. He saw it as an ability. It had caused him so much intense grief and difficulty that it was hard for him to see it as a gift. If he did not have it; If he had never been put over the hole by Albert, he would not be in this predicament tonight.
He thought about his mother and he at the beach and how he had saved them. He thought about the way he was torn from the clutches of a powerful tornado saving his life. There had been some good come from his ability. Still, he could not call it a gift. He began falling back to sleep when Albert's voice called down to him again.
“Brad? You still with me young'un?”
“I'm here. But I don't want to be. Get me out Albert.”
“I've got a rope that is 200 feet long. I have tied a loop for you on one end and tied it to me on the other. There is still about one hundred-eighty feet of rope to reach you. Here it comes. Now when it gets to you, put it around you and I will haul you up topside.”
“Okay. I'll watch for it.” Brad said.
After a time, Brad called out. “I don't see it yet Albert.”
“I dropped it down the hole. You can't see it?”
“No. Nothing,' Brad yelled back.
“Yer gonna have to climb up to it Brad. You gotta meet it.”
That scared Brad. After his harrowing experiences in the hole his confidence was shaken.
He remembered what he had just learned about the restoration of his gravity control. He should be able to make his way up the tube some more. At least he could get up to where the rope was at.
“All right Albert. Here I come,” He yelled. “Just give me a few minutes to find the rope and I will tie on.”
He began to stretch one muscle group at a time the best that he could trying to get the knots out without any overt dangerous movement. Finally, he edged himself a little closer to the danger point and tentatively reached up with his gravity control again and started pulling, hoping that he would not pull any more of the wall down on himself. At least if it happened this time he was tucked away into the small alcove and most of the dirt and rock would fall past him. He learned that the area he had affixed his gravity to was solid rock as it held very rigidly against the pressure. He slowly lifted himself out of the shelf and rose another seventy feet or so.
His strength had been so depleted a few hours before that he could not have done what he just did. He still did not trust trying to push himself upward from the bottom that was so far below for fear that he still might not have complete control.
Brad wedged himself against the side again as before. He probed higher up to pull himself some more, He grit his teeth bracing against the possibility that the earth would come crashing down on him again. He could see the bright light that Albert was shining down the hole. He began to lift himself up again. The earth held. Then the rope brushed against his face.
“I found it. I've got the rope,” He yelled up to Albert.
“Good. Tie it on boy.”
Brad climbed up a little higher so that he would have enough rope. There was already a loop in the rope that Albert had prepared for him. He slipped the rope around his neck then pulled it down under his arms after he pinned himself with his legs again. He pulled the knot up against his chest and yelled, “I'm ready Albert.”
Albert backed up about ten feet from the hole pulling Brad up. Then he began to use his great strength to pull the rope hand over hand. Brad was being lifted in a smooth, non-jerking style like riding up an elevator. Albert's strength was sufficient to smoothly continue pulling him hand over hand up from the depths.
Brad reached the top. “I'm here Albert. I made it,” he said with a loud sigh.
Albert took up the slack of the rope as he approached Brad. Brad was still partly in the hole holding on to the top with his hands. Albert reached him and Brad put his hand out. Albert Took his hand and effortlessly pulled him the rest of the way out.
Brad hugged Albert fiercely. His body was trembling from exhaustion and relief from his ordeal. “Thanks Albert,” he whispered in his fatigue.
“Come on son. Let's go home,” Albert said quietly with compassion in his voice. He took the rope off Brad, coiled it up then put his arm around his worn-out friend and nudged him forward toward Belasco's home.
Brad slumped on Albert's couch and closed his eyes to sleep some more. Belasco turned on all the lights in the room. Something he rarely did.
“Let me look at your eyes Brad,” Albert said.
Brad opened his eyes and looked at Albert.
“Yup. What I thought. You have a concussion. You can't sleep anymore for a while. It's bad for your concussion. My pop taught me that years ago. Sit up straight and stay awake while I get you some food.” Albert went into his kitchen while Brad struggled to stay awake.
Soon Albert returned with a bowl of chicken soup.
“Eat up boy. Gotta get some strength back,” Albert told him.
Brad found himself wolfing the food down and asking for seconds. Albert gladly complied.
“How did you find me Albert. How did you know where I was?” Brad asked.
“Ever since I set you over that hole I have been able to maintain a connection with you. I can sense things that are going on with you. It's how I figgered out that you have this gravity control thing. That was a new one on me I can tell you.”
“You knew I was down there just from thinking about me?”
“I felt some kinda distress coming from you while I was driving home from Idaho. I knew it was me that would have to help. I decided to step on it and get here quick. When I got close, I knew you were in that hole. So, I came for you.”
“That's amazing,” Brad said. “And thanks again. I was in a lot of trouble down there.”
“That you were,” Albert observed. Your g-force didn't work in there did it?” He stated.
“Part of the time it did not work at all. Part of the time it worked but not like it usually does.”
“Yep. That hole will strip you of your abilities just as quick as it will give them to you. It can neutralize your gift as long as you are near it at the wrong time. Why did you go in there?” You get sucked in by the downdraft?” Albert questioned.
“Yeah. You know about that?” Brad asked.
Albert nodded.
“You never told me.”
“Didn't think I needed to. Now I feel different. A little late. Brad, if that sucking you in experience had continued as long as it sometimes does, you would have lost your ability permanently.”
Brad considered that then asked, “Would I have caught some new ability after it stripped that one? Could it have given back the g-force control?”
“I suppose that is possible. Did you pick up something else down there?”
“I did. I can see in the dark now. I mean really well.”
Albert nodded his head again. Stayed silent.
“It was almost like the world was breathing through that hole. It breathed out briefly, then in, and back out again.”
“It was like that for me also Brad.”
“Did you get sucked in too?”
“Naw. If I had, I would be a bag of bones talking to you right now. I don't have your ability. I would have stayed stuck in that hole 'till I rotted. How far down did you go?” Albert asked.
“It was deep. I fell for a long, long time I think.”
“Did you hit bottom?”
“No. I was stopped by the energy and by a rock that was stuck in the side of the wall partly blocking the tunnel. It went a lot deeper than that. I could tell.”
“You got yourself up that shaft a mighty-long ways before I came along.”
“I guess so.” Brad said quietly. “I think it took me several hours.”
“Well, let’s see. If you went in at dusk and I got you out of there at three in the morning, yeah, you climbed for a long time.”
“Yeah but I slept in a little shelf for a while too. I don't know how long it was.”
Both grew quiet for a time. Albert got some first aid items and began to clean Brad's head where the rock had struck him. He had Brad take off his shirt when Brad told him about his back getting scraped up. Albert cleaned up his back and put bandages in a couple of spots on his lower back. Brad grit his teeth against the stinging pain and endured it patiently. Then Brad turned his hands over and showed them to Albert. First aid was applied to his hands as well. His left was bandaged and his right took a couple of Band-Aids.
“Looks like you had a war with that hole and lost.” Albert said dryly. Brad nodded.
“The hole can strip away abilities just as easily as it can give them.” Brad observed.
“It takes about forty-five minutes either way.” Albert stated.
They heard a car pull up outside and two doors slammed shut, then footsteps on the walkway. A knock at the door sounded. Albert opened his door. Steve and Kate burst in without waiting for an invitation. Their faces showed the deep worry and anxiety that had possessed them.
“Is Brad here?” Steve was asking but then he saw his son sitting on the couch.
“Brad!” They both said in unison. They hurried to him and Kate hugged him tight while his dad took his hand. “What happened to him Albert?”
