Reichenbach Ch. 03

At the correct time, I drove out to BOW Enterprises, which was in the Industrial District and on the west side of Town, near the River. As it was Sunday, the plants were only half-staffed and not much was going on. I was escorted to Barry's office by the security guard.

"Commander, good to see you!" said Barry enthusiastically. I looked around his office as I greeted him. I saw two doors to the right. One was a bathroom, I was sure.

"Ah, that door must be an archery range." I said, pointing at the nearly concealed door to the side.

"Todd is right, not much gets by you." Barry said. He opened the door and I looked down the 2-story tall but narrow passageway, at least 75 yards long, concrete walls on both sides, with archery targets at various distances. Three compound bows hung on the wall near the door, and quivers of arrows were on the floor below the bows. "That's my only perk as an executive of this place. I don't have a lot of time to shoot, though."

"So I hear." I said. "You guys have been doing a lot and in a short time."

"True." said Barry. "Todd is getting us business left and right, and our R&D Department is very busy. Exciting times for us. But what can I do for you, Commander?"

I explained what I needed. "I saw something on 'Mythbusters' about a Tesla device that vibrated things."

"Yes." said Barry. "Tesla had a concept that putting vibrational energy into anything attuned to its vibrational frequency could literally destroy it. The Mythbusters had a whole bridge vibrating, and they stopped the experiment because they feared it might really damage the bridge."

"I don't need anything so grandiose." I said. "But do you have anything like that which could induce a vibration in glass, like a bulletproof window?"

"We sure do." Barry said, getting a device out of his desk drawer and handing it to me, having been prepared by my phone call earlier. "We call this the 'Tesla Tuning Fork', though it's not a fork." He set about showed me how to use the device...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Back in the 1970s, TV shows had this cute little thing where, as the driver opened the door and got in the car, someone would simultaneously open the passenger side door and get in. That happened to me as I got into my Police SUV after leaving BOW Enterprises. I am sure the doors were locked, but as I got in I suddenly found P. Harvey Eckhart sitting in the passenger seat, having gotten in right as I did.

"I always wanted to do that, young Donald." he said brightly in his gravelly voice, his face beaming. "Thank you for indulging me."

"My pleasure, Harvey." I said, maybe a little shakily. "You can cross that one off your bucket list. Need a ride back to your Headquarters?"

"If you would be so kind." said Harvey. "And while we're driving in this very comfortable vehicle, you can tell me why my young friend Tarleton gave me that very worrisome message from you."

"Yes," I said as we pulled out onto the highway. "Worrisome is right. It's happening. And if what I'm thinking is right, it's happening tonight. You'll need to protect your people..."

Part 13 - Hunted Down

It was about 10:00pm that Sunday night, June 21st. I was at the Mountain Nest, rubbing Bowser's belly as I talked with Laura and my mother Phyllis. The kids had been put to bed, and I looked forward to getting some sleep myself after a long day which had including fucking the delicious Lilly Wargrave.

"Yes," said my mother, mostly to Laura, "I am not sure what Todd is going to do. He's going to have custody of little Douglass while Jeanine will have little Jack and the baby that's due soon--"

Just then my cellphone alarm went off. I got up and went over to the table where I'd left it. It was the unique sound that meant the Cabin's sensor alarms had gone off again.

"Darling, call the Duty Desk and ask them to check it out." said Laura. "You stay here. You're tired."

"It's probably nothing." I said. "I'll just go up and check it out quickly. Y'all set the alarm, and I'll leave Bowser here to guard you."

"No, son, I don't believe that is going to be an option." said my mother. I saw what she was observing.

Upon hearing that particular alarm, Bowser had walked down the hallway to the coat closet and was sitting beside its door. He was a smart dog, and had by now figured out what the alarm meant. He was waiting by the closet for me to put his harness and leash on to go check things out at the Cabin.

"Well, I think you're right, Mom. As always." I said. I walked to the closet door. "Hey Bowser, ready to go check out the Cabin?" Bowser stood up expectantly. I opened the door and got out his harness, letting him step into it, then I got my own 'harness', my bulletproof vest, which I put on and followed with my police belt that had my gun and police radio attached.

I checked the police radio on the belt: "Commander Troy to Duty Desk. Commander Troy to Duty Desk. Radio check. Over."

"Duty Desk to Commander." came the reply through the device. "Loud and clear, sir."

I kissed my mom and my wife and headed out the door, led by Bowser. I had the leash in my hand but it was not yet needed. Bowser went right to the SUV, and when I opened the door he jumped right in and settled into the 'shotgun' seat.

We drove down the hill to a side road that paralleled University Avenue, then went north before turning right onto the road that climbed up towards the Cabin. I used the remote to open the gate to my driveway, then closed it after going in.

Pulling up to the Cabin, lit only by the streetlight on its pole that illuminated the driveway, I looked around, not seeing anything. I took Bowser and set him on the ground, ready to attach the leash to his harness--

*WHAM!*

Almost before I realized it, I'd been shoved violently against the side of the SUV, the weight of my assailant then driving me to the ground and lying on top of me. The ground rushed up to meet me, stopping just inches from my eyes as I felt something pressed to the back of my neck, then an injection of a drug into my system. I saw and heard Bowser growling at whoever was on top of me, then my dog snapped at my attacker. A figure in black kicked at Bowser, who avoided it and quickly dived under the SUV.

"Run, Bowser!" I screamed, but it was only in my mind as my mouth wasn't working to utter a sound. I could see my dog watching me as everything began to fade. "Run, Bowser..."

"What the hell are you doing?" asked one of the masked men in black, seeing the other looking beneath the SUV.

"I'm going to kill that god-damned dog." said the other. "He tried to bite me." He was looking under the car, trying to get at Bowser.

"Leave that damn dog alone!" said the other as he removed Don's police belt, throwing it, the radio and the gun into the SUV. "We don't have time for that. "We've got to get Troy out of here. We don't have any time at all!"

"Shit." said the other man, who'd really wanted to kill the dog. But he came along. There were four black-clad, masked men, and they worked together, laboring to get over 200 pounds of limp, unconscious Iron Crowbar down the driveway to the road, where a black van was backed up to the closed gate.

Bowser watched as his master was carried off by the men, his instincts knowing that something was very wrong. Safe from immediate attack, he ran to the gap in the fence and down a path on the slope, the path he normally took to the area to do his business.

Going under the fence, he crossed the road and continued through the woods on a path toward the Mountain Nest. Coyotes, owls, and other existential dangers loomed, but Bowser was on a mission, and he ran fast and unerringly towards his goal...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Good night, Laura." said Phyllis as she left by the back door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight." said Laura. She watched Phyllis go down the stairs to the patio, then to the door of her MIL apartment below. Laura looked up the mountain at the Cabin, not seeing any lights except the streetlight. She went back inside.

As she put away toys before going upstairs, she heard scratching at the back door, along with the whimpers of a dog. She went to the door and looked out, seeing Bowser on the landing outside. She opened the door.

"Bowser, what are you doing here?" she asked. The dog whimpered and began going down the stairs, looking back at her as if insisting she follow him. "Where's..."

She looked up the mountainside, seeing the Cabin, and understanding crept in.

"Don?" she gasped...

To be continued.