Ed Sutter's 3-Book Box Set, page 43
Zack said, “Isn’t that a bit odd?”
Murdoch shook his head. “Not for Nicola Tesla. He rarely documented any of his theories or experiments at all. He just worked things out in his head or got his experimental results, and then moved on. For years that’s frustrated other physicists who were interested in his work.”
I was curious. “But if he didn’t document anything, what’s this notebook from?”
Murdoch smiled. “Well, therein lies a story. My great grandfather worked for and with Tesla for a number of years. They remained great friends, and when Tesla died, my great grandfather cleared all his papers out of his lab at Tesla’s very own request. Apparently, Tesla didn’t want anyone stealing his research and claiming it for his own.”
Megan asked, “That kind of thing happened?”
Murdoch nodded. “Absolutely. In fact, Nicola Tesla is the one who actually invented radio, but somehow Thomas Edison got a hold of some of his research and gave it to Guglielmo Marconi, who then proclaimed to the world that he was the inventor. Edison really hated Tesla and lost no opportunity to do him dirty.”
I asked, “But didn’t this Tesla dude protest?”
Murdoch said, “Yes, and he was ultimately recognized as the actual inventor of the radio, but not until about thirty years later. Still, today, when you ask who invented radio, everybody thinks it was Marconi.”
Murdoch turned to Megan and said, “So, would it be all right if I use this staff in an experiment?”
Megan looked doubtful. “I don’t know, John. If you damage it, I’ll be toast. This is a literally priceless artifact. For God’s sake, it’s almost five thousand years old!”
“And of course, it’s gold,” said Zack in a dry tone.
“Well, technically, it’s electrum,” replied Megan.
Zack waggled his hand. “Gold, electrum, it’s all the same thing to me.”
I said quietly, “You know, there are some gold artifacts from Ancient Egypt that are still being used for stuff.”
Megan looked at me, opened her mouth, shut it again, and then smiled.
Zack laughed.
Murdoch looked a little puzzled, but forged ahead. “So what do you say, Megan?”
She gave him a serious look for a moment. I could tell her brain was working furiously. “Okay. But if you damage it, I’m going to damage you.”
Zack laughed. “And she’d do it, too.”
The physicist beamed. He turned to the rest of his crew, who were working on the banks of equipment that had been damaged by the gunfire several days previously. I gathered that they’d gotten it just about all repaired.
“Mike, Jim, I need you to set up a clamp on one corner of the stage. It’ll have to hold a five-foot metal rod in place during the next experiment.”
“Sure thing, Boss!” said Wheeler. He went over to an engineering bench and began rummaging through bins of metal parts and hardware.
“And hook up some telemetry for the rod,” Murdoch called. “I’ve a feeling we’re going to see some interesting power changes in the field.”
Wheeler just gave him a thumbs-up and set to drilling holes in the side of the stage holding the metal block. It didn’t look like it had even been dented when it hit the ninja guys. It had sure as heck dented them, though.
About an hour later, the experiment was set up. The staff was clamped upright on a corner of the stage, and all personnel were either busy at equipment or standing off to one side with us civilians to watch the show.
* * * *
As he came off the set for his TV show, Ezekiel Mather lost his professional smile and assumed an expression that had boded ill for his subordinates in the past. Station personnel evaporated in front of the enraged preacher, and he got to his dressing room cum office unattended. No one wanted to be in his immediate vicinity when he was in such a foul mood.
Mather was subliminally aware of this, and in a way, it pleased him. For one thing, he thought it was a good thing that his employees held him in fear. He felt that was the most effective way to manage others. He didn’t believe in any of these modern-day management styles that gave employees a say in how a business was run. This business was owned and operated by Ezekiel Mather, the anointed of God, and what he said went. Those who criticized the organization or Mather himself were terminated immediately. Of course, this policy was occasionally applied to anybody who crossed his path if he hadn’t gotten laid over the weekend too.
The person who was the focus of Mather’s current rage was his nephew, Moab. Once in his office, the TV preacher immediately dialed the number of the hotel where Moab was staying.
“What the hell is going on down there, Moe? I sent you to Phoenix to do one simple thing, get a staff from some namby-pamby archaeologist, and what do I get? Nothing but excuses!” Ezekiel’s voice rose with each word, until he was shouting into the phone.
Moab yelled right back. Ezekiel was his uncle, not his father, and he didn’t hold him in the reverence his followers did. “Fuck off, Zeke! I’ve got two men in the hospital, and Jed and I are both covered in bandages.”
Ezekiel replied, in a somewhat calmer tone, “What happened? Did you run into the museum guards?”
Moe shook his head, although he knew that Mather couldn’t see him. “Nope. This ‘namby-pamby’ archaeologist had friends who attacked us. I still don’t know how they did it, but they threw a whole bunch of wooden splinters at us. Bubba may lose an eye. Jody has a broke arm where this one guy hit him with a sword.”
“A sword?” exclaimed Ezekiel. “Where did they get a sword?”
Moab said, “It must have been one of the exhibits. However they got it, I had three men down, and all of us wounded. I got us out of there while the getting was good.”
“And the staff?”
“We never even saw it.” Before Mather could go wacko again, Moab continued, “But I think I know where it went. I came back after I got my guys seen to, and I saw them loading some crates into the back of an SUV. I followed them, and they went to someplace called The Magic Shop in Chandler, just a little outside of Phoenix. I figure they took this staff and some other valuable crap and locked it up there.”
Mather said, “Well, don’t move a muscle until I get there.”
“Get here?”
“Yes. I’m flying out in the morning, and I’m bringing some reinforcements. Gun reinforcements. We’ll teach these science geeks to screw with the Lord’s work!”
* * * *
“The man I sent you to retrieve is a scientist, not a soldier!” expostulated the Margrave.
“But, sir…”
Von Neumann shouted, “Shut up! You’ve failed. I will come myself and bring a team that will not be put off by one scientist. I am bringing Gregor Visnevetsky and his men. They will not be put off as you have been. Await me there. If you are even capable of it, make sure that you know where the American physicist is at all times. Await my further orders!”
The industrialist slammed the phone down in Ettel’s ear. Wolf took the phone away from his head and looked at it for a moment before he returned it to its cradle.
His chief NCO, Heinz Gruber asked, “I take it the Margrave was not pleased?”
Ettel gave a grim smile and replied, “You could say that. He’s coming here himself and bringing Vishnevetsky and Geissler.”
Gruber was incredulous. “Geissler? But the man’s a killer! Does von Neumann think he’s the Gestapo? This is the United States! He could get us all arrested!”
Ettel said, “I’m not sure that the Margrave is totally right in the head these days. One thing I know—Geissler is as likely to kill you and me as he is any Americans. I believe we need to prepare for such an eventuality.”
“Jawohl, mein Herr!”
The Staff
Professor Murdoch’s experiment with the staff and the Tesla coils was about ready to go. I was dying of curiosity to see just what would happen, if anything. Personally, I didn’t see how a metal pole could possibly make any difference. But then, I’m not a physicist. From what I’ve heard, I probably couldn’t hack the math anyway, so I was just along for the show.
The computers were all up, and the towers topped by large Tesla coils began to crackle with energy. Suddenly, bolts of what looked like lightning shot toward the platform from all three towers, seeming to converge on the staff. The rise in energy must have keyed off something inside of me because suddenly my Sight kicked in, and I could see the energies playing around the platform and the rest of the room. I guess you can’t generate that much free energy without it affecting its surroundings, and to my eyes, all of the objects in the room began to glow in various colors.
The brightest by far was the staff of Imhotep. It looked like a huge flare, even brighter than the electronic discharges from the towers. The staff glowed brighter and brighter, in colors predominantly purple and gold. I had a feeling that kept getting stronger, that I should run over to the platform and take up the staff. Considering the weird stuff that had happened the last time I got near that platform, I held myself back. Then there was a flash, so bright I had to cover my eyes, and the metal block launched up from the stage and surged upwards until it hit the ceiling.
“Holy shit!” I heard the tech, Mike Wheeler, mutter fervently.
“Holy shit!” echoed John Murdoch.
Something amazing had just happened.
When the equipment had shut off, and the block had banged back down to the platform—that darned block was getting a lot of action—Murdoch turned to us and said, “Did you see that?”
Before any of us could answer, he went on, barely able to catch his breath; he was so stoked. “That was totally amazing! Megan, that staff is the key to this whole thing! Can I keep it?”
Megan smiled at his enthusiasm. “No, John. As I explained, the staff is a priceless artifact that was given into my protective custody. It’s not going to become part of your permanent experimental setup. Sorry.”
“But Megan—”
She shook her head. “Sorry, John. You’re going to have to make your own staff.”
He was totally downcast now. “I don’t think I can afford it now. I sank all my investment into this equipment. I couldn’t afford a bar of electrum or plain old gold for that matter.”
“What about copper, silver, or even steel?” asked Zack. “They’re all pretty good conductors.”
The physicist got a faraway look on his face. “Maybe. I guess it’s worth a try. But Tesla’s notes specifically mentioned electrum, and we could all see that works great.”
Marina, who’d been able to accompany us this time, spoke up. “Look at it this way. If you’re ever going to mass-produce this thing, you’re not going to be able to use electrum. You’d have to find some cheaper, alternate material at some point. Now would seem to be a good time.”
“Well, yeah, but we’re still in the experimental stage, and we know that the electrum staff does something.”
Megan said, “Well, try some alternate materials, and let me know how things turn out.”
He said, “If they don’t work, can we use the staff again?”
She shook her head. “Try the alternates first. Then we’ll see.”
As we left, I said, “That guy’s nuts.”
“No,” said Zack, “just very, very focused.”
* * * *
“I want that staff!” said Ezekiel Mather. “And I’m going to get it!”
Moab replied, “But Zeke, my guys are all laid up. Well, except for Jethro here, and he just got lucky.”
Jethro looked up at the sound of his name. He had several Band-Aids on his face.
“What the heck happened to him?” asked the preacher.
Moab said, “He got hit by a bunch of wood slivers. If I didn’t know better, I’d say we were dealing with a bunch of witches!”
Mather looked around at the five new men he’d brought with him. He didn’t want to alarm their superstitious sides, but maybe he could use this.
He rubbed his chin. “Maybe they are witches. That would explain why they want the staff—to carry on the work of Satan!” The preacher was in full form now. He exclaimed, “We must wrest this diabolical tool from the hands of the witches before they can use it to work great evil!”
The five new men looked impressed. Moab looked a bit skeptical. But Mather knew they’d all do his bidding. He would have that staff.
* * * *
Helmut von Neumann stood in the middle of the living room of his suite at the Mesa Hilton. Wolf Ettel and Heinz Gruber stood at a more-or-less position of attention in front of him as the old man blew off steam in their direction.
“Since you dummkopfs can’t handle retrieving one weakling scientist, I have decided to bring my own team. They will clean up the mess you two have left.”
Six large men came in from an adjoining room. Ettel’s eyes narrowed as he recognized them. The first hulking brute wasn’t even German. He was Gregor Vishnevetsky, an ex-Spetsnaz commando who handled the Margrave’s wet work. To bring him in, the industrialist must be prepared to kill to get what he wanted, for killing was what Vishnevetsky did best. He and his team of ex-Stasi agents had killed and tortured their way across the Eastern Bloc. When East Germany dissolved, the Stasi thugs looked for other work and found Helmut von Neumann. Or he found them. Whichever way it worked, they were vicious attack dogs. Wolf and Gregor hated and despised each other since the day they met.
Second to the Russian was Hermann Geissler. Small and lean, his pale blue eyes were expressionless behind steel rim spectacles. He was a vicious, cold-blooded killer and would do whatever Vishnevetsky or von Neumann told him to do. That could include the torture and murder of whole families, which had been his specialty when he was a member of the Stasi, the old East German secret police.
This didn’t bode well. Ettel and Heinz would have to watch not only their target, but their allies as well. If indeed the Russian and his cohorts could truly be called allies.
Privately, Wolf thought they’d be more dangerous than they were worth.
Rock And A Hard Place
Megan dropped Zack and me off at the Magic Shop later that afternoon.
As he unlocked the door and flipped the sign next to the door to “OPEN,” Zack said, “You know, all adventures aside, I’ve got a business to run here. Alec, I’m pretty sure we have some deliveries that you’ll need to put into stock. Marina, do you have to get back to the library?”
She replied, not looking at me, “Yes, Uncle Zack, I do need to get back. See you later.” She proceeded to kiss him on the cheek and made her exit, all the while carefully not looking at me.
Marina wasn’t speaking to me for some reason. Since we weren’t speaking, of course I didn’t know why. While I’m used to being in the dark about stuff, this wasn’t making me very happy. Throw in a psychotic redhead, killer cowboys, and Nazi Ninjas, and life just wasn’t all that swell right then.
But things can always get worse.
I called Marina later, but she didn’t answer, so I left a message. Five times and no pickup. Still not having gotten any reply, I headed home once we’d closed up the shop. I kept a wary eye out for any behemoths that might be shadowing me, but didn’t see any, which was a relief. I mean, having adventures and foiling the plans of nefarious villains sounds cool, but it can kind of screw up your blood pressure after a while. I looked forward to a nice, boring evening at home.
Good luck.
As I walked in the door, I could hear Mom and Colleen going at it about something.
“But, Mom, all the kids are taking the bus up to Laughlin this weekend!”
My mother replied, “But not you. You’re only sixteen.”
Colleen looked exasperated. “Mom, we’re all adults. We don’t need nannies to watch over us!”
I choked a laugh, and my sister looked daggers at me.
Mom said, “You are not going. That’s final.”
“Ooohhh!” Colleen exclaimed, throwing up her hands. She stomped off to her room and slammed the door.
I looked at Mom. “We’re all adults?”
Mom shook her head. “You know, there are times I wish she were.”
Brightly, I said, “So what’s for dinner?”
Mom gave a tired chuckle and hugged me for a minute. She said, “Alec, you’re always predictable.”
I wish my life were as predictable to me as it seemed to be to my Mom.
After dinner, I drove my Mustang over to Marina’s house. I parked by the curb and walked across the lawn to knock on the carport door. In houses with carports, hardly anybody ever uses the front door except for salesmen.
Marina’s Mom opened the door, and I said, “Hi, Miz Torres. Is Marina home?”
She shook her head. “No. Actually, I thought she was with you.”
“Huh? Weird. Well, thanks anyway, and ask her to give me a call when she gets home, will you?”
“Sure, Alec.”
I headed back to the car and drove over toward the library.
Pulling around the back where the parking lot is, I figured on going in and talking to Marina at work, which should keep things civilized. Hopefully. I really wanted to find out what was up.
As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw her standing there with that idiot, Rock Hard, talking and laughing. Ooohhh. This wasn’t going to be easy.
Just then, an unfamiliar Lexus SUV pulled up, and Lavell’s two goons, Kelley and Gargantua, jumped out. They went over to talk to Marina. The big guy grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her toward their Lexus.
It looked like Rocco said something, and Kelley punched him in the nose. Rock yelled and held his face, blood streaming through his fingers. At that point, I parked and started running toward the scene. I was pretty sure the two muscle types didn’t see me, since I was coming in from the rear of the vehicle. Whether they saw me or not, they slammed the doors and roared off.
