Unleashed

by Patrick McLaughlin

Chapter 39

  Ben worked intently on the laser which crashed on its side during the final minutes of deluge that rocked his lab. Shawn had been helping him but stopped when Sally drove up.

  Sally was distraught. She shook as she explained her ordeal earlier that morning. “Shawn, I don’t know what they wanted, it was terrifying! And I can’t even speak of what they did to Frisco. The poor sweet thing,” and Sally burst again into tears.

  Ben had meanwhile brought the generators back online after changing out the circuit breakers and then checked the internet news to see if there were any developments on the attack on Salvation II. He then went into the house to check on Drake, who he found sleeping, and then brought back something to help Sally calm down.

  “Here, take this, it won’t knock you out but it will calm your nerves.” And he handed Sally a paste of sorts spread onto a cracker. “A special blend of the kava root and some natural herbs in a mixture some Indians use to relax.” Sally welcomed anything to stop her shaking and chased it with a small glass of water.

  “Thank you, I can’t seem to pull myself together. My whole world seems to be crumbling!” Sally said as she stretched out and laid her head on Shawn’s lap to rest.

  The entire time, Shawn and Ben had exchanged uneasy glances meaning, when should they introduce her to Drake? They both understood Sally was still in a state of shock and as crazy as it seemed, the fact they had brought Drake back must have slipped her mind. Not difficult to understand after all the violence and Frisco getting shot.

  “Sally, rest, it must have been horrible,” Shawn said, as the reality of Frisco’s death set in. “Do you think he suffered?”

  “Shawn, Frisco saved me, he stopped the guy from killing me first. Frisco bit down on his arm and never let go. I think he went quickly, oh God, they hit him so many times!” She sobbed again, “But Shawn, he died protecting me and I think he was, ah…happy is not the right word. I think he was content.”

  Now was a good a time as any, Shawn thought as he stroked Sally’s hair “Sally,” he started cautiously, “we may be able to do something, I mean, you know the hologram with Drake? Well, we did it. Drake is inside sleeping. We can do it again, but to bring Frisco back. You’re not going to believe it. Drake doesn’t even know he was dead, thinks he was knocked out. Ben and I have been working on further improvements with the process”

  Shawn braced for a response, but Sally was already asleep.

  Ben looked again at Shawn, once more singular in thought. If they could bring Drake back for Shawn, they could bring Frisco back for them all.

  The news anchor on TV suddenly broke it: “GNN Alert: Earlier today Reverend Daniel Gibbons announced he had uncovered secret research to bring people back from the dead using pictures! We now have the press conference as recorded earlier from Honolulu!” Daniel was introduced by a local Hawaiian reporter.

  “Shit!” Ben and Shawn said together.

  “Ben, turn it off before Sally wakes up and sees it again. Bad enough she got engaged to a shithead, but to actually learn the shithead is an asshole, that’s gotta hurt.” Shawn laughed; glad to have the phony out of Sally’s life, out of his life, once and for all.

  Sally raised her head for a moment and said, “And I thought I knew the man! He is totally into his religion, his fundraising and himself. I could never trust him again.” And Sally put her head back on his lap.

  Shawn waited a few moments, than asked Ben, “Can you turn this crap off? I think she went back to sleep, but if she wakes up, it’s just going to upset her more.”

  Ben obliged, and then excused himself to take care of a few things inside the house with a wink to Shawn. With Sally resting so comfortably, now would not be a good time to have Drake walk in the door.

  Shawn whispered to Sally, thinking she couldn’t hear him, “Sally, he wasn’t for you, kind of knew it the second I laid eyes on him.”

  Sally shifted and slowly turned to face Shawn. She had been awake after all. “I tried to convince myself he would be good for me. His faith, the respect he treated me with, both were so comforting. And with his kind of resources, we saw each other often. But Shawn...” Sally sat upright and looked deeply into Shawn’s eyes. “Shawn, all this time, even after all this time away from each other, every morning you were the first person I prayed for and every night, the last person I thought of. I spent hours every day coming up with little gifts to send you, notes to write to you, how I could help or reach you in some way. I love you because you ask nothing of me. I love your spirit and how you make me feel!”

  Shawn was floored; he had always felt the same way.

  “Sally, I know, it’s the same for me. I’ve never been able to tell you, I mean, the way I wanted to. It’s why I clown around so much, you know, joke with you. I never wanted to get in your way, you’re so smart and your career is so much a part of your life. I have always loved you, never stopped!”

  They came together, holding each other as if today was forever and no one would ever come between them.

  “Shawn look where my studies and research have taken me. I will go wherever you go. I want to spend each and every moment at your side.

  Ben chose that moment to come back into the lab. “Whoa, check it out. What the hell do you think this is, a free-love zone? C’mon, keep your clothes on. Thank goodness you both finally came to your senses. I’m not even the romantic type, and I’ve known all along you are meant to be together. Shawn, get your paws off my intern. Now Sally, how you feeling?”

  “I’m better thanks, actually much, better,” and she looked to Shawn.

  “Good, get up, need you both. Sally, do you think you can help us with a little surprise?”

  “Sure, what can I do, what is it?” Sally said as she stood.

  “Well, Shawn and I have found we work pretty well together. His gift of light is his ying to my yang. It is terrible about Frisco, but we may be able to do something.”

  Shawn came over to them both. “Sally, I’ve taken hundreds if not thousands of images of Frisco, and Ben and I strongly believe we can bring him back. And before you say no, even though Frisco acts like a human most of the times, he is still a dog. So we really aren’t breaking any ethical rules of science or faith, right? Sally, this is worth a shot, we love the little guy!”

  “Shawn, you mean you both think you can actually do this?”

  “Do it? We already did it with Drake. Each time we make substantial refinements, so Frisco should be a snap.” And Shawn once more looked quickly at Ben. “And as much as we love the tidy biscuit of a Frisco pup, it is certainly worth a try.”

  “Well, I have worked with cloning animals in the past, and the end result is similar even though the science is vastly different. Yes, I will assist — God, if only to see my little Frisco again!”

  “And with all this gloom hanging over all three of you because of a little dog,” Ben added, “we’re obligated to help the little guy make the leap from his other dimension. Okay, here’s what you need to do.” And Ben guided Sally through a few of the steps she could perform.

  Shawn and Ben had already discussed creating a duplicate Frisco so Shawn could have one too and Shawn had been busy building the composite file. After their success with Drake, every adjustment made the process simpler and less dangerous. Ben had suggested and Shawn agreed he should crop the images more closely around the subject, or Frisco in this instance, and that he should reduce the amount of superfluous matter — like the thousands of gallons of water which appeared with Drake when he cascaded into the lab, so Shawn tightened up the Frisco-specific images he needed to replicate (as they had come to call it) the beloved Aussie once again.

  Frisk was ready to be energized, as they said, and they all hoped Ben’s calculations (hundreds of them) based on past trial and error would eliminate the new Frisco’s violent entrance in to this world.

  “Shawn, Sally, are you both ready?” Ben double-checked.

  Ben aimed the re-rigged laser
at the almost-mature hologram of Frisco barking and moving from within. Sally was astounded by the reality of what has been created.

  All three lowered their protective eye wear. Ben nodded to Shawn, and raised his hand, saying, “Okay, Shawn, let’s go, hit it!” Shawn flipped up the circuit switches as Ben fired the laser directly into Frisco. Sally gasped.

  As before with Drake, the red beam penetrated the glass panel and traces of smoke rose from the near and far side of the platform. The air off the end of the laser beam and within the hologram began to ripple. Frisco shook like he just bathed and moved on his very own. Ben cut the laser at the precise moment Shawn cut down the power. As the air became more agitated, the hologram faded slightly into swirling light and noise then Frisco reformed again. They watched and waited; seconds were like minutes.

  Then the hologram — the transformation they worked so hard to achieve — released a small Pop instead of the violent impacts from before, and all electronic noise ceased.

  As difficult as it was to believe, standing in front of them as if he never left was Frisco, a bit puzzled but happy true to form. Frisco blinked a few times like he had awakened from a Frisco-power-nap, spotted Sally, and made a beeline into her arms. As he crossed the lab, little bits of green grass fell from his fur. Then, from out of the blue, a yellow tennis ball bounced off the platform and rolled under Ben’s desk.

  Ben and Shawn were still in awe and little did the world know that the future destiny of the human race and all living beings was evolving in Ben’s humble lab.

  Frisco looked side-to-side, and then he seemed to smile. Still a little confused and unsure of his footing, he staggered until Sally said, “C’mere Biscuit, let me give you another hug,” which sent him running, tail-wagging and whimpering with joy.

  “Frisco, you are such a good, good dog!” Sally exclaimed with joy, as he massacred her with his tongue.

  “Yeah, and I’m so happy to see you too my little Frisco buddy!” shouted Drake as he stepped into the lab, still rubbing his eyes. “Gee Doc, what the hell you give me? Feel like I slept my life away!”

  At the sound of his voice, Sally flipped around, Frisco still in her arms, and rested her eyes on Drake, standing before her as alive as he ever was.

  “God Lord in heaven save us! Shawn and Ben, what have you done?” and as her words poured out, gunfire erupted outside the lab.