The Eve of Abounding Wickedness

by Mark Spaid

  “Where’d you get a school bus?” Andy asked.

  “John bought it at an auction about twenty years ago. He converted it into an RV of sorts. We used to take off across the country and stop where we wanted. We’d fish, hunt or maybe frequent antique stores.”

  “I bet I know who liked to do what,” Andy posed.

  “Then I imagine you’d be wrong. John liked antiques and I liked to hunt.”

  “You hunted?” Andy asked.

  “I’ll give you a hundred yards head start then I’ll come after you with a buckshot gun…how about that?”

  “Edna, your word’s good enough for me,” Andy said.

  “Well, there it is…the keys are in it. John painted it pink and blue. It’s licensed and legal to drive on any road.”

  “Did those guys see it last night?” Julieta asked

  “No, they just searched the barn. I could’ve had fifty people in here and they’d have never known.”

  “That’s strange,” Justin said. Were they just careless or in a hurry?” Dave asked.

  “I don’t know but it leads me to believe they might come back,” Edna said.

  “That’s why I need to erase any evidence that you were here.”

  “I heard the girls doing the dishes,” Justin said.

  “For which I thank them. When you’re gone I’ll use a broom to brush away your footprints in the lot.”

  “Don’t resist them when they come back,” Jozette said and Edna nodded and they went back inside the house.

  “I have something else for you,” Edna said as she used a key to open a drawer on a bureau. “Here, you may need these.” She handed Justin and Andy four guns; three .38’s and a luger. “They’re loaded and here’s two boxes of shells.”

  “I’m not much of a gun person,” Justin said.

  “I wish Tatiana was here,” Dave said.

  “I can handle a gun,” Andy said.

  “So, can I,” Sol added. “I’ll take the luger.”

  “I’ll use a .38,” Andy said. “Anyone else?”

  “Me,” Julieta said.

  “I have one left,” Andy said.

  “I can use a gun,” a voice said and they turned to see Ariel.

  “You can?” Andy asked. “I didn’t think Warren liked guns.”

  “I said I could use a gun, not Warren. I’m not some delicate flower that hides under the shadow of her husband, Andy.”

  “I guess I spoke out of turn.”

  “That’s okay but know that I can use a gun, I’ve been talking lessons and I go to the range three times a week.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Jozette said.

  “I don’t tell you everything, Jo.”

  “No, I suppose not.”

  “I’ll take the remaining .38. That’s what I own and use for practice.”

  “Okay, everyone, if you’re ready, I’ll see you off. You know I’m not trying to get rid of you but I think you’ll be safer away from here.”

  “We understand, Edna,” Lexi said.

  “We can’t thank you enough,” Justin said.

  “I’m not sure we could ever repay you,” Dave said.

  “If you can do what you said and can change things back, that’ll be payment enough for me.”

  “Sounds like a deal,” Andy said and they walked out to the bus.

  “You drive, Andy,” Justin said and they got on after Andy had pulled it into the lot.

  “Where’re we going?” Jozette asked as they pulled away and Edna stood waving at everyone.

  “I have no idea,” Justin said and neither did anyone else.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “Good morning, Dr. Peabody,” Kleinschmidt said as he walked in followed by four uniformed officers and ten men with machine guns. Warren counted two generals and two colonels, so he thought the visit was way past routine. The soldiers were looking everywhere in the lab then five of them went outside and checked around the fence and the weapon site.

  “Hello, Mr. Kleinschmidt; what’s happening?”

  “They’re clearing the grounds and the building for a visitor.”

  “What’re they visiting?”

  “They want to see the weapon and you of course. You’ve made quite a reputation for yourself.”

  “I have?”

  “Oh, yes, your name’s all over the news and a hot topic at conferences and parties.”

  “I see,” Warren said. This is fame he never wanted, of course. Killing those hostages was eating away at him. The only thing that kept him going and prevented him from charging one of these soldiers with a machine gun and getting himself killed was the chance for a Time Frame reversal.

  “He’s here, one of the colonels said and everyone came to attention….even Kleinschmidt. A moment later two men in suits walked in followed by a man in a black SS uniform.

  “Greetings, Deputy Fuehrer,” Kleinschmidt said with a salute and the man saluted back.

  “Where is he?” The man asked.

  “He’s here sir. This is Dr. Warren Peabody,” Kleinschmidt said.

  “How do you do, Doctor,” the Deputy Fuehrer said as he shook Warren’s hand with a broad smile.

  “How do you do, sir.”

  “I am Deputy Fuehrer Donald Wright. I’m second in command behind the Fuehrer Thomas Rutherford. I’m a direct descendant of Reichsfuehrer-SS Heinrich Himmler. I understand you’re the one that solved The UFT and created a teleportation device, a time portal and a particle beam weapon.”

  “Yes, Reichsfuehrer.”

  “Well done…well done indeed. You’ve made everyone in The Greater Reich proud and you’re a true hero.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Warren was sick about what he’d done. He gave the Nazis the ability to move through time and change anything they wanted and he also created a horrible weapon. He wanted to crawl in a hole somewhere but for the sake of appearances and his own well-being he played along.

  “Deputy Fuehrer Wright is here to see a demonstration of the weapon,” Kleinschmidt said.

  “Okay but what and where?” Warren asked.

  “Dr. Peabody, Colonel Langley is a computer whiz…not as good as you but he’s good. He created a software program with a grid system for locating any place on the planet. You’ll be able to pinpoint a spot ten feet square and hit it.”

  “Wow,” Warren said. It was a lame response but he was stifled in front of these men, scared to death of them plus, he was shocked that they had a grid system that refined. It meant they had a killing system that was unmatched.

  “It’s been loaded on your computer.”

  “It has?”

  “Yes, while you were at home sleeping Colonel Langley and his assistants were here installing it. It’s been checked over and is in working order.

  “How does it operate?” Warren asked.

  “There’s a template upon which you add the degrees minutes and seconds of your desired location. A picture appears; a simulation of course…an animation to be exact. Then you can zero in on the exact location,” Colonel Langley explained.

  “And the beam can be aimed at the grid location,” Warren said.

  “Precisely,” Colonel Langley said.

  “And you no doubt have a location in mind,” Warren posed.

  “There’s a rebel camp in the Philippines about fifty miles from Manila deep in the jungle. We’ve sent in two teams but none of them came back. There are about two hundred fighters and they’re well-armed. What we need is a clear shot to wipe out the camp; men and arms,” Colonel Langley stated.

  “I understand.”

  “Can this thing hit something that far away?”

  “Yes, sir, it can,” Warren said.

  “How far have you tested?”

  “It hit an island three thousand miles away in the Pacific two days ago,” Warren said.

  “How?”

  “I had coordinates and they were accurate.”

  “Good but now with this system you can hit your worst enemy on
the way to his mailbox,” Colonel Langley remarked.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Here, I’ll show you how to use the system.” Warren sat down next to the colonel.

  “Laser guided I assume.”

  “Yes, of course. Now, I’ve programmed in the general coordinates but the key to this system is that after you’re in the vicinity it can be fine-tuned like a microscope. You can continue to zoom in to within a few feet of where you need to hit.”

  “I’ll warm up the device,” Warren said without enthusiasm as he programmed the voltage and fired up the laser. It took about five minutes. Warren watched the numbers carefully. He didn’t want to do this of course but if he hesitated, he could be dead in a blink. He didn’t want that. Who does?

  “What’s the spread, Dr. Peabody?” Colonel Langley asked.

  “Two to three hundred yards.”

  “Can you widen it?”

  “At this distance no; we’re talking eight thousand miles. If it’s close, say less than a hundred miles I can expand or contact the kill diameter.”

  “I see and how long will it take to travel to Manila from here?”

  “It can go anywhere on the globe in less than ten seconds.

  “What if something is in the way?”

  “It won’t slow it down.”

  “No, I mean what happens to the object?”

  “It’ll disintegrate like anything the beam hits.”

  “Tell me, what exactly happens to an object?”

  “The so-called particle beam is actually a neutron weapon. Billions of high-speed neutrons are carried via laser beam. Any object is broken into tiny pieces too small to see even with an electron microscope.”

  “Thus, your use of the term disintegrate as a generic explanation.”

  “Yes, it’s more complicated than that as things break down into many kinds of subatomic particles but disintegrate is as accurate a description as any.

  “Agreed. Now, I have the target locked in…are you ready?”

  “Yes, sir,” Warren said as his knees were shaking.

  “We have spotters and drones to check for the level of damage. Whenever you’re ready.” Warren checked the voltage level and the numbers on the laser.

  “I’m ready…three, two, one engaged.” There was a humming sound then it stopped. The beam was invisible so it’s impossible to tell what damage it may’ve done until someone or something checks it on site.

  “It worked,” Colonel Langley said as he was on the phone with people in the Philippines. The drones are moving in now. There are fires…big fires. There’s nothing left to see. They’d seen caches of weapons, trucks, supplies. All gone now.”

  “Congratulations, Colonel,” Warren said and though he didn’t mean it, he had to say something.

  “You deserve the congratulations. Well done, Dr. Peabody…well done indeed,” Donald Wright said.

  “Dr. Peabody, why the fires if this thing obliterates everything?” Kleinschmidt asked.

  “It does that at the nuclear level when the strong force is broken but air is unaffected just as it is unchanged when you fire a bullet through it. The air moves aside for the bullet but isn’t damaged Whatever is at the other end of the bullet is the thing that’s affected.”

  “Are you saying the air catches on fire?” Kleinschmidt asked.

  “Particles in the air ignite then the heat starts flash fires on the ground. The surrounding air is so hot from the speed of the atomic particles that the kindling point is reached on just about everything that’s left.”

  “Okay, thanks, major,” Colonel Langley said on the phone as he put it down. “Well, the Manila resistance is no more.”

  “You’ve all done very well here today,” the Deputy Fuehrer said as he stood applauding and was joined by the other officers.

  “What’s our next target?” Kleinschmidt asked.

  “That’s for us to know, not you, Kleinschmidt,” Colonel Langley said sharply and Kleinschmidt had a humbled look on his face.

  “I will report the results here to the Fuehrer,” Donald Wright said. “And you, Dr. Peabody will be given a medal of recognition and no doubt receive a personal letter from the Fuehrer.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Warren said as he moved the device to a static phase preparing to shut it off. It pleased him that he was done because he knew he’d killed between two and three hundred people today and he really didn’t want to kill anymore today or ever for that matter, though that decision was out of his hands

  * * *

  “Let’s get moving,” Tatiana said as the rest were stirring around sunrise. They packed up what they had and left the building. There was little foot traffic at six am. A half dozen people were asleep on the sidewalk and leaning against buildings. Tatiana and her gang walked past them unaffected and made their way to the train station. They were on a mission and superfluous people meant nothing to them including the would-be killers who lay dead on the second floor of their makeshift hotel from the previous night.

  “This is different than France,” Tom said.

  “Yeah, there’re guards everywhere,” Little Wolf added.

  “Look there are guys with guns inspecting the box cars,” Captain Shellhause said.

  “I doubt if we can hitch a ride this time,” Tatiana said.

  “So, what about a passenger train?” Belinda asked.

  “That would be fine in any other country but we’re in Nazi Germany and they’d want to see our papers,” Little Wolf said.

  “And, we don’t have any papers,” Belinda said nodding. “I see.”

  “You’re catching on, Miss Belinda.” She smiled at Little Wolf and he grinned.

  “So, what do we do?” Captain Shellhause asked.

  “I say we go overland,” Tatiana answered.

  “You mean walk?” Belinda asked.

  “Our options are limited right now,” Tatiana said. As she put her arm around Belinda and pulled her close. “Let’s see just how well those short little legs of yours work.” Belinda chuckled and they started walking. They moved as briskly as they could to get out of the city. A large urban area now, in 1939 or anytime can be filled with dangers and unscrupulous people after money or worse and they didn’t have time for any delays. They had four days to go a hundred miles which was easily doable but they had no idea how long it’d take to find the four who came back before them so, they needed to get where they were going as rapidly as possible. That way they had a cushion of time. They hit the outskirts of Munich and Tatiana breathed a sigh of relief. Little Wolf as always ran point way ahead of them and would come back to report any dangers ahead. He saw a pack of dogs and they changed course to avoid them. There was a hobo who seemed innocuous but they didn’t want to take a chance so they skirted past him on his left and he never knew it. An hour past Munich he came back suddenly.

  “Get into the weeds fast.” When Little Wolf told you to do something you didn’t ask why or argue…you just did it.

  “What is it?” Tom asked.

  “A patrol is coming this way…Gestapo.” They looked at one another and kept quiet as they lay down in the weeds alongside the road. A car and a truck carrying armed men went by but never saw the travelers hiding.

  “They’re gone,” Tatiana said and they got up.

  “We need to be vigilant even out here in the sticks,” Captain Shellhause said.

  “What’s the Gestapo?” Belinda asked.

  “It’s a group that’s kind of like our FBI,” Little Wolf said. He was hoping for a quick fix to Belinda’s question but his instincts told him he was in for a long explanation that’d likely spawn more questions. He never complained about her constant requests for knowledge; he’d explain things this time and every time in the future. He was very fond of Belinda and he wouldn’t hurt her feelings.

  “Are they good?” Belinda asked.

  “No, none of the Nazis were good.”

  “What’s the difference between the Gestapo and the SS?”

>   “Well, like I said, the Gestapo is similar to our FBI They track down people who break the laws. The SS is similar to our secret service.”

  “What do they do?”

  “The Secret Service protects the President.”

  “Who does the SS protect?”

  “Hitler,”

  “He’s really bad, isn’t he?” Belinda asked. Tom looked at Captain Shellhause and grinned.

  “Yes, he is.”

  “But you said the SS was bad. How can protecting the leader be bad?”

  “Well, first of all Hitler is bad but to go even farther they not only protect him from assassins, they go find the people he dislikes, round them up by the thousands and kill them or put them in work camps.”

  “Who would that be?”

  “In Nazi Germany it’d be the Jews.”

  “Why did Hitler hate the Jews?”

  “It’s complicated, Miss Belinda.”

  “Is it complicated because it’s complicated or are you saying that because I’m so dense and can’t understand things like everyone else can?”

  “No, it’s complex and runs deep in European History. The Nazis are the worst as far as people who mistreated the Jews but they weren’t the first.”

  “Who started it.?” Little Wolf looked at Tatiana and she grinned and shook her head.

  “Are you familiar with the Bible?”

  “I’m Catholic, I know about the Bible.”

  “The Old Testament?”

  “You mean…in the beginning God created Heaven and Earth?”

  “Yes, and have you heard of Abraham?”

  “I remember the name.”

  “Well, Abraham led a group of people called Hebrews who lived in a place called Ur of the Chaldees. The King of the Chaldeans was called Nimrod and he didn’t like the Hebrews. He wanted them gone or dead. God spoke to Abraham and told him to take his people and get out or Nimrod was going to kill them all. They left and went to what is modern day Israel. This was the first time the Hebrews were on the run and in many ways, they’re still running. Throughout history countries have persecuted the Jews. Not just Germany though as I said the Nazis are the worst.”