F U T U R E B A R R I E R
( The 3rd Novel )
Secret Technology, Unrequited Love, Absolute Vengeance
© June 2017 Written by David Wicker
Please do not reprint without permission
CHAPTER 17 - "Somewhere Under The Rainbow"
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* * *
This chapter is Rated: TEEN
Learby, the Director, was the first to speak.
"Oh my God." he said from his position under the table. "Is it over ?"
Murphy, eager to point out what he had for years yelled now in an angry and commanding voice, "THIS is what I mean by the GATES being dangerous, Director ! We should NEVER have tampered with such an unpredictable science !"
Learby was in no position to argue. The GATE was gone. Utterly destroyed. Left in it's place was a black and burned crater about 15 feet across along with a metered-radius jagged hole cut in the ceiling by the exiting lightning bolt from the turbulent implosion effect.
He nodded. The GATES were dangerous, he could clearly see that now, but he still had his team of soldiers to deal with.
All lights were off in the room except a few red lamps from the ceiling. "Get me emergency power." he said to one scientist who was just now getting back up.
The scientist nodded and reached in a cabinet to pull out what appeared to be an acrylic green cylinder with a silver metal bar down it's side vertically.
He took it and jammed it into a hole of the same size. The cylinder glowed brightly and the lights flickered in the room and finally returned.
"Call Central. Let them know what happened." Learby added touching his forehead with one hand to see he was definitely sweating heavily in fear from what he saw.
Then he went to a console that lit up with the new power to monitor the location of the three soldiers. He tapped a button to listen to what the soldiers were hearing and suddenly a weird unearthly howl was heard above what sounded like a bizarre and twisted guttural moan. He tapped it again to MUTE it.
"I think we've had enough ghosts for one day." he said in a bitter and tired voice but continued to monitor the progress of his soldiers.
The display showed a complex 3-dimensional grid with arcs and curves shooting off in all directions. The layout of the GATE as it were from the last people who gave up their lives mapping it.
Then he spoke with a bit more encouragement in his voice, "People. They will reach their destination by our morning. According to our readings here, they are safe and on their way !"
There were a few sighs of relief and someone interjected a half-hearted, "Alright."
"We're done here for now. I'll stay to monitor their progress. As for the rest of you, dismissed." and he saluted.
Murphy started to leave but Learby stopped him, "I would have a word with you, please."
NOW
Back at the party Buford was crawling on the ground. He was aware that his girlfriend Katrina had just been murdered by this horrible woman who arrived, Stefani, but he was also suffering a serious concussion from Dempsey's almighty clout to his head so he just curled up into a corner near the clothes hamper to cry silently for his loss.
Stefani looked at him for a second with a more than devious smile on her face. Dempsey stepped over to Buford awaiting Stefani's order of execution for him.
"No. That's fine." Stefani said shaking the water from her hand as Katrina's head maintained a terribly slumped position in the toilet bowl.
"We're done here. Leave him. Let's go get Dev." and she brought out the Ampotheoric device to see it now clearly pointed out the door.
Meanwhile back on the street I was losing a little steam racing towards the rainbow and stopped running but was still walking towards it quickly. I would get my wish - if only - I could reach it before it vanished.
Stefani, Dempsey, and Petrov were back in their van as one side of the party was locked in the entertainment room with the rubber triangle and knocked out from the Tangerine gas canister. The rest were unconscious from Stefani's needled injection.
They left the house and drove towards where the Ampotheoric device was showing them. As they turned a street corner they could see I was only a few blocks ahead of them walking as fast as my muscles would allow me from my earlier hard run.
"Stop here." Stefani said.
"What're you doing ?" Dempsey asked her. "He's right there !"
* * *
"We're doing this my way." she said and went to the back of the van to tie her hair up into a tight bun and then put on a dark-colored wig and sunglasses.
She folded up the table in the center to put against the side of the wall, then she pushed a switch and a small little pink 2-door 2-seated sports car was lowered from the ceiling on a squeaky conveyor from where the table originally was.
The back of the van opened up and she stepped into the smaller vehicle.
"I'll be back in a minute with the boy." she told her cohorts. And with that she jumped into the sports car, put it in neutral and coasted out backwards on a hard diagonal angle out of the van.
Returning it back into drive she veered away from the van in a 180 turn bouncing over the pavement and drove after me in her new disguise of a wig and sunglasses to hide her appearance.
She slowed as she approached. I was half walking on the sidewalk and in the road and it was clear I had been crying, miserable for my existence.
She came alongside me, "Hey, are you okay kiddo ?" she offered politely.
I sniffed and looked. "What do you care !?" I cried back with rage. I felt sick in my stomach. I had never felt so - miserable - before. Especially with what happened at the party, being tied up like an animal. It burned like a lit coal in my brain, and I couldn't blot out the terrible memory of it. Vengeance once again whispered its sweet offerings in my ears.
"Hey, hey. Easy there, " she said putting a hand up defensively seeing I was more than upset. She knew where I lived and saw I was going in the opposite direction so she added, "So where are you going ?"
I was silent for a moment, I was pretty sure she wouldn't understand. "I'm - after the rainbow. If I can catch it I can get my wish and end all this."
Stefani smiled up a corner of her mouth at my innocent and naive desire, "What a coincidence, so am I !" she said cheerfully.
"It's my rainbow, and I'm gonna get my wish first !" I said with clear jealousy and stopped to confront her.
"Hey !" she said with slight amusement, "There's plenty for everyone. Anyone who catches it gets their wish, right ? There's no limit to the number of miracles for today."
"Yeah ?" I said and wiped my eyes from the tears that continued to fall down my face.
"Sure." she said convincingly. "I know these things. But it's gonna get away from both of us if we don't hurry." she remarked and looked to the distance pointing her finger.
Sure enough it was starting to fade.
'What am I gonna do !?" I cried frantically and started to run after it again, but Stefani stopped me.
"Hold on speedy !" she said, "We'll catch it with my car ! It's faster than you. Hop in !"
I hesitated a moment, unsure if I should trust her. "The longer you wait, the better chance it is of getting away - and us not getting our wishes." she reminded me.
I nodded as more tears streamed down my face. I HAD to have this rainbow and wish everything right. I hopped in the side door she opened for me.
"Hang on !" she said and hit her car into high gear to chase after it.
We had only drove for less than a minute when I started coughing. I hadn't had anything to drink except - well ... and I wasn't feeling very good for it."
"You okay ?" she said with concern.
"I've been - well - drinking - " and I couldn't continue to tell her what I had been drinking for the past several hours. I hung my head in shame.
Stefani didn't know what I was talking about but thought that I meant I was drinking liquor. "Well, if you can't hold your beer." she grinned. "Here, this will make you feel better. Guaranteed cure for hangovers."
She reached behind her seat and pulled out a little bottle. There was a label on it of what appeared to be an orange, or maybe it was a tangerine ? And the words, "Yummy" written near the base of it.
I was so thirsty from my long run that I started to drink it at once and it was really fruity with a tangerine flavor. I hesitated for a moment, that was a familiar flavor from - somewhere - in my memory ?
As I drank, Stefani smiled wide at me, my own reflection appearing from her mirrored sunglasses. "Boy you are thirsty !" she commented and laughed. Then she gunned the car harder to chase after the elusive rainbow.
But now I felt all numb and sleepy inside at once and felt my balance slipping as it felt the floor was lifted out from under me and the bottle slipped from my grip to bongle on the floorboard.
"No !" I said, seeing what was happening, and started to cry again. My feet were now up on the dashboard and I was trying unsuccessfully to find my balance. "The rainbow will get away !" I whined and it felt like sand was pouring in my ears.
Stefani nodded at seeing me and slowed the car down to make a slow and lazy U-Turn back towards the van and took off her sunglasses to regard me.
She reached over with a free hand and put a finger on my lips to shush me, "No it won't sweetie. Because you ARE the rainbow."
END OF CHAPTER 17
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