A Stone's Throw Away, Fifteen

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Fifteen

At the office, Brian spent his time skimming through the information on the laptop. He used the search function to speed the process. Even at that, it was going to take time to digest all seven. Intrigued, the morning flew by.

Brian pondered over the mystery of who had been in the hall at the Space Center. He didn’t know what to make of it. As of yet, Ivan hadn’t shown up to dismiss him. Either they hadn’t reported him; he couldn’t imagine why not, or they hadn’t recognize him, which was possible. Either way, Brian was thankful.

Brian was concerned that he might not have gotten what he needed on the laptops, which meant a return trip to the Space Center. He didn’t want to do that. His luck wouldn’t hold up forever. He would end up facing Ivan, who was like a cunning predator. Brian resolved, if need be, he would face a thousand Ivans. He would get the information he needed.

In the early afternoon, Brian went to the cafeteria. He checked the receptors there to ensure one of them would accept his memory unit. He found one so didn’t foresee a problem.

Sitting at one of the tables, Brian tried to remember the last time he had ate a meal without performing another task at the same time. It had been a long time.

Brian devoured his dish of succulent broiled shrimp, which were glazed with an exquisite garlic sauce and thought of Ivan. Something had alerted him and he came without taking the time to dress. Brian wondered if it really was the squeaky door.

Still hungry, he got up and selected another dish of shrimp. When he was done, he went home. He had been starved, but afterward wished he hadn’t eaten the second plate. He felt sluggish, overfull and sleep deprived. He needed to be sharp when he tested his digitalization. He decided to catch a nap.

***

Brian woke the next morning. Realizing he had slept through the night, he rolled over onto his stomach and went back to sleep. Later, when he crawled out of bed, he put it off to burning the candle on both ends. He had done it for too long and it had caught up with him.

Now, fully rested, he was ready to test. He would wait until tonight when there would be total privacy. He took a leisurely shower, and went to the Dupe. He knew if he hadn’t slept through the night, he would already know if it worked. This excited him, and he wished he hadn’t let the opportunity slip through his fingers.

Antsy, he decided to kick the routine. He had been working too hard.

After he ate, he searched the directories for a new headboard. He wanted a place where he could hide his stuff.

He found one that he liked and duped two of them.

At home, he took the old headboard off. While assembling the new, he used the encasement pieces from the second headboard to conceal an area between the base and drawers. It gave him a large, well-hidden space.

He then went to the other house and grabbed his stuff. He kept two of the laptops out, and hid the rest in the dead space. He loaded the cart with the old headboard and leftover pieces and took them to the Dupe.

When he finished, he headed for the plane. The pods, though empty, were still attached. He disconnected them wishing that job was already done. He cleaned the inside of the can thoroughly by getting under the grating and washing the solar panels. This was something he was sure hadn’t been done since the can was installed.

Doing the manual labor, his mind was free, and he tried to think of any last minute preparation that he needed to make.

When done, everything went to the Dupe. While there, he finalized plans to leave the Installation and duped some things to take with him.

He stopped at the office long enough to confirm there wasn’t any scuttlebutt on the Space Center and checked emails. Nothing….

A little over an hour later, Brian buzzed the old runway. The place looked the same, except the grass and weeds had grown tall where he had weed whacked. A job never completed, one side of the runway still needed the limbs trimmed. “Some day…,” Brian said, under his breath. But it wasn’t why he had come.

Standing behind the plane, Brian strapped on a holster. He removed a pistol from the case it came in, loaded it and chambered a round. It fit neatly into the holster and slid in and out smoothly. He put on a backpack and loaded a clip into the automatic weapon. Extra clips went into a belt made to carry them.

The weapons would provide long-range protection, and Brian wondered why Henry had never carried them on the plane. For close encounters, the pepper spray would work best.

The warning system stayed in its compartment. Brian left the plane and walked to the end of the runway where it curved. Henry had said it lead to a terminal. He stepped into the foliage and the plane disappeared from sight. Easy to follow, the runway was wider than the road at the beach so the trees hadn’t canopied the whole thing.

Brian exercised extreme caution, ready for anything. He knew there were predators in the area and this effectively took his mind away from work.

He ran across another path where planes had once traveled, but kept following the one he was on.

Brian hadn’t gone far when he spotted what looked like an expansive building. He couldn’t see it clearly; but caught bits and pieces through the thick foliage. Cautiously, he approached. At an entrance, after checking through the glass of the second set of doors, Brian looked behind him and ducked under what remained of the glass in the first set.

Still intact, the second set of doors wouldn’t open. With one foot up against the other door for leverage, Brian applied a tremendous amount of force. He got it to move, but barely. It groaned in protest the whole time he pulled. A whiff of air made him turn his head and stop. The door stayed where he had pulled it.

When he stepped inside, birds took flight overhead. Brian crouched while they flew back and forth before roosting again. He had disturbed their peaceful existence. He was sure it was a first for them.

While still crouching, Brian took measure. The place was dilapidated. Large chunks of stuff lay all around and everything was covered in bird dung. It smelled strongly. He stood and headed down a wide corridor. This created a whole new commotion above him. He had to walk on the bird droppings; something he couldn’t avoid. The stuff covered everything and was piled high in some areas. It crunched under his feet. The recent stuff stuck to the bottom of his shoes and oozed up around the edges. The older stuff stuck to that.

Farther down the corridor, a large tree had taken up residence inside. When he got closer, he could see that long ago, the roots had been pulled up on one side. It had crashed through the side of the building, taking out the glass and part of the metal framework that held each piece.

The tree, still alive, had turned back on itself toward the sun. The vast majority had successfully reached back outside where it now grew. As Brian approached, glass added itself to the mix on the bottom of his shoes.

Brian noted that the limbs had grown thick and now encapsulated part of the framework where glass had been. There was still a good portion that grew inside and filled the aisle all the way to the ceiling. Brian made his way through it.

On the other side, as far as the corridor led, there were bird droppings. He had seen enough and decided to exit where the tree had come through.

Once outside, Brian scrapped the bottom of his shoes against the trunk and then twisted in place.

Staying close to the building, he scuffed his feet as he went, turning them from side to side and dragging the tips of his toes to finish the job. Brian stopped at different windows to see if the floor was still fouled. He wasn’t going back in unless he found an area the birds didn’t have access.

In spots the vegetation was thick and he couldn’t stay next to the building. Massive trees had grown up under the overhang in spots and had broken it. He knew that trees grew from the top so he attributed this to the diameter growth where the tops bent and curled. Wind provided the energy to do the job.

When Brian rounded another corner, he found a set of double doors. Surprised, when he looked through, he didn’t see any bird droppings. He tried to get in, but neither door would budge. Even using his foot didn’t work.

Brian took off the backpack and searched through it. He found a tool, which he used to shimmy between the doors. When he got it stuck, he kicked it and the door snapped free. Even though it was ajar, it still wouldn’t move. He found a hefty branch and used it to persuade the door open enough so that he could squeeze through.

Albeit, very stiffly, the second set opened for him.

This section of the building had faired better over the years.

He investigated all the nooks and crannies, opening doors as he went. Surprisingly, most of the doors worked and behind them he found mostly office space or storage rooms.

Later, he stopped in one of the offices on an outside wall with windows. He took a seat in a plastic chair and snacked out of the backpack. He enjoyed the candy and refreshment.

By mid-afternoon he had gone all the way around the building. Realizing his stamina wasn’t what it should be, he vowed to start exercising on a regular basis. He felt wonderful out in the fresh air; it cleared his head. He was on verge of making history and this was a much needed break from that work.

Back at the plane, Brian set up the warning system, and brought out the cooler and both laptops. He sat under the plane and ate while he refined the search to glean the information he was looking for. Still afraid of missing something, he spent much of his time going over each directory.

He worked with both laptops until early evening. He enjoyed having his office outside for a change. It was no wonder Henry had done it all the time. It was very relaxing.

Long before daylight ended, Brian packed everything and flew back to the Installation. He continued working on the laptops while flying until it was time to set his approach.

After landing, Brian knew he needed to kill several hours. He wouldn’t go to the Dupe until there was no chance of anyone showing up. He loaded his cart, drove to the Dupe, threw the empty cooler into a storage hopper, and went home. Brian hid everything within the new headboard.

He thought about catching a nap, but headed out for a walk, going to the fence. Napping was out of the question. He was too wound up. Walking would burn off his nervous energy. He knew he would soon know whether his digitalization worked. Once at the fence, he stayed along side it. In the calm of the evening, he knew he was about to make history. He didn’t return home until well after dark.

With the lights off, Brian drove to the Dupe. After he parked, he went inside without the memory unit. He went upstairs and made use of Ivan’s trick, calling out to see if anyone answered. There was no one there. He went back to the cart.

He signed onto the terminal and inserted the memory unit. He clicked the proper drive and then selected his file.

The decisive moment had arrived…. He was a simple click away from knowing whether it would work. It seemed too easy.

A chill ran down his spine.

Brian then hit cancel, pulled the memory unit, signed off, and went home.

***

Over an hour and a half later, Brian was back at the Dupe.

While his hands shook, he got everything ready, and prepared to try again.

With his digitalization in the slot, he selected it and took a deep breath.

When Brian was just one click away, he hesitated, but only for a moment. He wanted to get closer to the platform when he heard the elevator start its descent, but couldn’t bring himself to move. He took another deep breath, which he was still expelling when the elevator stopped. As the doors opened, an odd sensation ran over him. There he was, on the platform wearing the clothes he had on the night of the digitalization.

He watched as his chest moved, eyes blinked.

A moan came from the table…. This scared the living crap out of Brian. He backed away. Then the left arm lifted and went to the chest. He turned his head and saw Brian. “No, you removed the defibrillator. Why?” One leg pulled up, pointing a knee into the air. “Brian, don’t let me die! Please, don’t do this to me.” The words a struggle, but they cut powerfully through every part of his being.

Brian hit himself hard in the chest while lying on the platform. The other leg came up at the same time. He began to rock back and forth, moaning…. While on his back, he turned on the platform, and swung his legs out over the edge. He sat up, but bent too far forward. The IV bag , which was lying on his stomach, fell to the floor. Brian fell too. Then, in a desperate struggle, he got to his feet, surprisingly quick.

“Brian, it’s me! It worked. Get the defibrillator.” The words streamed together, franticly. He tried to walk, stumbled, kept his balance, stopped and swayed.

“I’ll get it.” Brian ran down the hall in a flash, looking back at the pain and despair on his own face as he exited the cafeteria.

“Hurry!” at almost a whisper as he left. “Please, Brian, hurry!” which pursued him down the hall, next, almost a scream.

Quickly, Brian pulled open the door of the box housing the defibrillator. He rushed back opening the package.

He never imagined this. Near panic, he went as fast as he could. In a moment of doubt, after he canceled the first try, he had gone home and deactivated the defibrillator on the digitalization. If it hadn’t worked….

When Brian entered the cafeteria, he found himself lying on the floor where he had been standing moments before.

Brian initiated the charge on the defibrillator. When ready, he placed the pads onto the now bared chest and released the charge.

Both Brians jumped….

The charge made one body jerk; the other, compelled to respond.

He put his head to his chest and listened. Only moments before, he breathed, begged for life. It didn’t work.

He tried again. Same result.

Even though he knew it was coming, he jumped every time he released the charge.

When the defibrillator crackled and burnt flesh assaulted his nostrils, Brian tried to get up. He fell back to the floor, visibly shaken. He began to cry out in sobs. It wasn’t out of anguish or despair, but frustration for not knowing what to do. The sound he made became a howl, trying to relieve the stress. He could no longer tell if this was victory, or sacrifice. He wished he had used the vaporizer, like the good doctor.

A part of Brian was ready to give up. He just wanted to leave and go home. He didn’t want to deal with this. The other part, detached, drug the body to the recycler. He threw it in and started the equipment so it would pull his body out of sight and into the enclosed conveyor.

He didn’t understand how he could have been so blind. He knew he had tried to avoid the pressure Stan brought upon himself to succeed by letting everyone know. There were no expectations, Brian hadn’t let anyone know. At the same time, some help could have provided a different solution for testing. Stan saw a transporter. Brian saw a memory dupe. Brian now understood that he and Stan were both blind beyond those goals.

He needed to get out of there.

Feeling like a monster, he retrieved the memory unit.

He went home and began pacing the floor. For a long time he could do nothing else. He wondered what it was like waking up on the platform. He couldn’t imagine. The stress was tremendous.

He had killed himself. He felt trapped. He had to get away.

Before daybreak, Brian sat in the plane, waiting at the end of the runway.

With the first hint of light, he took off. He left without a plan, or food, or water.

When he was seventy-five miles away, he put the plane in the same holding pattern he had used before, flying around the Installation.

He had all seven laptops with him. Why he had brought them, he didn’t know.

After the first day, he came to the realization that because he didn’t want anyone to find out until he was sure that it worked, it put him in the same situation as Stan, but for different reasons. Stan jumped the gun to show everyone that it did work. Brian jumped the gun, to prove to himself that it worked.

Brian would avoid mistakes of this nature in the future. He would update his digitalization so it would include what he had just gone through. Explaining what happened would never take the place of the experience. This made it necessary to return to the Space Center. This made him wonder if Henry kept an updated digitalization. If he did, Brian could dupe him. He would have to find out.

The laptop with the chunk missing out of it didn’t work. He fixed it by removing the hard drive and putting it into a different laptop. It was the only one that he hadn’t seen any of its content. After flying in circles for three days, he made a discovery on the repaired laptop, and immediately returned to the Installation.

***

It was late morning.

Brian realized someone was knocking at his door. He leapt off the bed, coming fully awake. He had fallen asleep among laptops that were still on. He ran to the door and opened it with an annoyed pull. Alarmed, it was Ivan. What now? He had stopped expecting him weeks ago. Several laptops sat out in plain view. They contained evidence that he had been to the Space Center.

Unprepared, the moment became awkward.

“You don’t have to stand there in your underwear with the door wide open,” Ivan told him. “Invite me in.” It was the last thing Brian wanted to do and it was why Ivan was still standing outside.

“Sure,” Brian said, stepping aside. Feeling vulnerable, he wished he had put on some clothes. He needed his pepper spray too. “I’ll get dressed.”

Upon entering, Ivan immediately began to survey inside.

Brian didn’t want Ivan to follow him into the bedroom, there were more laptops on his bed. Luckily, both memory units with his digitalization were in the headboard.

“Wait there,” Brian held up a hand as if he could keep Ivan by the door. “I’ll be right back.” Brian didn’t want Ivan to think he had an opportunity to take liberties. He was sure Ivan would feel free to do so. He didn’t bother dressing in the bedroom, instead, he rapidly chose clothes from a pile on the floor, and ran back in front of Ivan. He had the pants with the pepper spray.

“What’s with all the laptops?” Ivan asked.

“My luck, you know,” Brian improvised. He kept his distances and began dressing. He was very uncomfortable doing so in front of Ivan. “I keep breaking them.”

“That’s unusual; I’ve found them to be quite reliable. I believe I still have the first one I ever duped.”

Brian found and picked up the broken laptop to show Ivan. “That’s not the problem,” Brian explained, wondering why Ivan was here. He couldn’t begin to guess. “They keep falling out of the cart. I haven’t come up with a good means of securing them.”

“Are all these broken?”

“Sort of, I’ve been taking them apart and replacing pieces.”

“That’s wasteful. It would be a better use of your time if you recycled them and duped another.”

“I’ve been trying to save the information I have on them.”

“No back up, that’s a shame. You still need to recycle them.”

“I plan too.”

“Good, now the reason I’m here, I wanted to let you know I have an apprentice lined up for you.”

“Really…” this was the last thing Brian expected.

“Ed told me he has a candidate. His name is Gary. He’ll be available in a couple of weeks.”

“That’s excellent, it’s what we need.” The whole time Brian’s mind raced trying to figure out what this meant. Did Ivan expect him to train his replacement?

“Yes, well, as head of security, I thought you’d expect nothing less, especially after requesting it.”

“And here I thought you’d forgotten,” Brian could tell Ivan was toying with him.

Neither of them said anything for a bit…Ivan was still surveying the room.

“One thing before I go.” Brian thought, oh great, here it comes…Ivan was going to ask why he was at the Space Center. “I want you to understand this is nothing against Henry, but he didn’t set a very good example. His strong point wasn’t having an apprentice. He didn’t know how to deal with it. I’d like to see you put together an apprenticeship program for Gary.”

“No problem, sir.”

“Good,” smiling, opening the door to leave. “I want to review it when your finished.”

“Sure.”

“Have a good day then.”

“You too.” Brian stood in the door and watched Ivan walk away.

If Gary was going to be his replacement, then Brian wasn’t going to take time to show him anything. Ivan would have to find somebody else.

Brian added one more thing to his list of to dos. The next time he was at the Space Center, he would use Ivan’s terminal and give himself a new sign on and password. He was too close to be put out of business.

Bad timing, the apprenticeship program would have to wait. Of more concern, what was he going to do with Gary. He would have to hurry. He also had to get to the collection point to see how his garden was doing.

He didn’t have time for this.

© C. Lee

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