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SATURDAY. COBRA:
When Chris hears a truck approaching through the woods, he climbs out of the golf cart, ready to meet his new passenger. He knows it’s a woman, but is not told the reason for her visit. When the truck stops, he wonders why a forklift is attached to the rear. He waits while the driver and passenger climb out before walking over to introduce himself. He didn’t expect her to be so attractive and holds out his hand. “I’m Chris Jenkins, your security guard.”
Rita studies the hefty man before accepting his handshake. “Rita Harrow. Are you the only help I get?”
Chris didn’t realize he would be helping her. “As far as I know. I’ll do what I can to help, but I’m just a security guard.”
“All right, Chris. Give us a hand unloading this thing.”
After the driver lowers the forklift to the ground, Chris opens the rear door of the truck and looks inside. His first impression is some type of experimental torpedo, but why would they bring it here?
When he hears a beep from the forklift, he steps out of the way, as the driver sets the torpedo onto a trailer behind the golf cart. He helps Rita load several metal covered cases into the back of the cart, and when the truck heads down the road through the woods, he drives them into the facility.
They use a powerful electric chain hoist to unload the torpedo, position it upright, and secure it to a fiberglass support frame. Once the device is positioned upright in the stand, Rita tells Chris to start unpacking her equipment and set it up on a console. She drives the golf cart out of the mountain and enters Preston’s number on her phone. “I’m ready to start testing the device. How soon can you get here?”
“Tomorrow afternoon, so just hold off until I arrive.”
Damn! “All right. I guess I can wait.”
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When she enters the main chamber, all her equipment is ready and Chris is dragging a power cord across the floor to the console. She studies the configurations for a moment, then looks at Chris. “I’m impressed. Are you really just a guard and not a technician?”
Chris grins at the complement. “I’ve hooked up enough computers and stereos to figure out what connects up to what.”
“Well, plug us in and let’s see if this thing still works.”
Chris feels a little uneasy not knowing what is going on. “If you don’t mind my asking. What is this thing? Is it a bomb? Can it blow up?”
Rita takes a moment trying to figure out what to tell him. “It’s difficult to describe, but it’s not explosive. Are you ready?”
“Uh, what should I expect?”
“We should see a small tornado form directly above the point. Two, one, go.”
Chris stares at the top of the torpedo, but nothing happens. In a way, he’s relieved. He doesn’t care what she says, the damn thing looks like a bomb, and bombs explode. He looks over at Rita. “I guess it’s a dud.”
“I told you, it’s not a bomb. I just have to try another set of frequencies tomorrow.”
Suddenly all the lights flicker, but a second later, they are steady again. Rita looks at Chris. “What the hell was that all about? I thought this place ran on geothermal energy.”
Chris looks around the room. “It’s never done that before.” He looks over at the device. “It must have something to do with your non-bomb.”
“That’s ridiculous. It has nothing to do with it.”
Chris sighs. “If you say so.” He turns and strolls across the room to the lounge.
Rita stares after him as she considers his suggestion. She doesn’t completely understand how the devices function, but she remembers Alex saying that once they are out of the water they behave differently. This one is above ground, so it cannot possibly affect anything around it. Something else has to have caused the lights to flicker. I had better figure out what went wrong before Steve arrives.
***
OKANA RANCH:
Earlier that morning, while he and Okana were setting up the folding tables for the reception after the funeral, Alex learned more about Okana’s heritage, and the service has given him a much deeper appreciation for the Native Americans and their philosophies. Now, sitting under a large oak tree with Fala, Alex cannot remember the last time he felt so relaxed. He enjoys Halona’s dancing around, and it feels as if they are a family. He is already dreading having to go home tomorrow. At least he has one more night in their company.