Realization Read online

  CHAPTER TEN

  Complications

  IT WAS AN hour before sunset when JB returned to Marvin's shack. He let himself in after he knocked on the door and got no answer. Jansky greeted him with a lolling tongue and a wagging tail as he quietly made his way into the house. He assumed the old man was still napping and quietly closed the door to Marvin's bedroom again after a quick look verified that he remained fast asleep.

  JB didn't want to wake him and decided to wait until Marvin got up before he said his goodbyes and left. He had already removed the devices he had stashed in Marvin's mailbox and secured them in his toolbox. He was about to take a seat on the couch when Jansky nosed open the kitchen cupboard that contained the bag of dog food.

  "Hungry, huh boy?" he said quietly, as he accommodated Jansky's wish, pouring the kibble into his bowl. "Now that y'all mention it, me too."

  He took a look in the refrigerator and the pantry before deciding that he had all the necessary ingredients to whip up a hot-dog casserole, a one-dish meal that was a good fit for his limited culinary abilities. No reason not to fix some supper for both Marvin and himself before hitting the road.

  About ten minutes later, just after he had placed the baking dish in the oven, he heard Marvin cry out. He rushed into the bedroom and found the old man sitting on the floor, mumbling to himself incoherently.

  JB effortlessly hoisted the old man back into his bed. Marvin’s eyes were open, but they were focused on something only he could see.

  "Jeffrey! Jeffrey!" he wailed. "Please forgive me! Please…” Then, his eyes snapped shut, and he whispered something that JB couldn't understand. Seconds later he was back asleep. JB put his fingers on Marvin's neck. He found the old man's pulse, and though it was faint, it was regular. The exertion of the recent events had pushed him to his limit. JB was unsure whether Marvin needed medical attention and knew the old man would be even more upset if he brought up the subject again, let alone called the paramedics.

  A half hour later, he took the casserole out of the oven, dished some into a bowl, and took a seat on the table waiting for it to cool down. He felt the familiar bulk of the phone in one back pocket as he sat, and the forgotten book Marvin had handed him in the other. He wasn't sure when he'd get the chance to look at it, as he was preoccupied with what was going on at the moment. Also reading was a challenge. He had never read much, and as a result of his homeschooling, his skills were severely lacking. However, he resolved to go through the handwritten diary when things settled down a little bit more. At the moment his thoughts were thoroughly occupied with Marvin’s health and his own prospects of surviving whatever future challenges might lie ahead.

  He realized that going forward, he had only two options. Forget his deal with Har-Skela and live the rest of his life on the run, or he could hunt down the aliens from Har-Kankar who were on earth and eliminate them once and for all. None of these options were very appealing. But, if he chose to chase down his alien enemies, questions remained that needed answers. Where would he look for them and more importantly, what would he do once he found them? Lost in his thoughts, he wasn’t keeping track of the time, but it wasn't long after he finished eating, that Marvin emerged from his room, shaky and still pale, but lucid.

  “Damn!” he said. “I had the craziest dream. I thought I saw…” he hesitated as if he was afraid to say the name. “My son, Jeffrey… I thought I saw him standing right in front of me!”

  JB didn’t comment on Marvin’s latest episode. Instead, he got up from the table and pulled the casserole out of the oven. He said, “I already ate, but I was keeping it hot for y’all. Already fed Jansky.”

  Marvin mumbled his thanks and sat down at the dinette to pick at the bits of sliced hot dogs and beans JB had spooned onto his plate. While he ate, JB told him about his latest alien encounter.

  He said, “There was one more alien. It was disguised as a human, something I’ve seen a couple of times before." At this statement, Marvin looked up from his food with a surprised expression as JB continued. "I’m pretty sure that it was sent to find me after I stopped my Sawbonites from signaling. I'm also figuring it was the one that was dingin' 'em.”

  “It’s pinged, not dinged… “ corrected Marvin. “You know, if you continue to transmit a null signal, they’re going to have to rely on that method from now on. So you better prepare for that.”

  “Yeah, I figured,” JB replied.

  Marvin ate a few more bites and then got up from the table.

  What’cha doin’?” JB asked, since Marvin had left most of his food uneaten in the bowl. “Don’t y’all like my dinner?”

  “I’m not a big fan of hot dogs. You never know what’s in ‘em, but I need to get back to working on that gadget I’m building for you.” Marvin's expression grew pensive as he added, "Before I run out of time."

  “About that," JB said. "I was thinkin' that maybe y’all should go an’ see the doctor.”

  “Bullshit,” the old man swore. I don’t need some idiot to tell me what I already know.”

  JB knew better than to argue, so he didn’t. Instead, he said, “I should be out of here tonight. It’s too dangerous for y’all if I stay.”

  Marvin shook his head and replied, “I’m the one on borrowed time here. You can wait until tomorrow. By then I’ll have your gizmo ready. Besides, if the aliens still knew where to find you they’d already be here.”

  “I guess that's true,” JB replied. “But what'cha talkin' 'bout, borrowed time?”

  Marvin didn't answer, ignoring JB’s puzzled look as he shuffled across to his workbench where he sat and began working. JB cleaned up the dishes and let Jansky outside for a bit. Afterwards, he sat down on the couch, watching as the old man tinkered away and considered the events of the past few days.

  Agent Fenneman was paramount among his thoughts, and the lusty situations he imagined her in were far removed from her professional duties. He was strongly attracted to her, but beside the fact that she would never have anything to do with the likes of him, any relationship was out of the question. He had no idea what would happen if he were to exchange bodily fluids with anyone. As far as he knew, even a wet kiss could prove deadly. But, try as he might, he couldn't quite manage to push her out of his increasingly lurid musings.

  She hadn't really given him any hint that would suggest that he was anything other than just another suspect aside from the single moment that she had almost sweetly advised him to get his truck back. But none of that had any bearing on his fantasies. With these thoughts running rampant through his mind, he somehow still managed to fall asleep on the couch long before the old man turned off his soldering iron and went to bed.

  Early the next morning, JB was roused from a deep sleep by Jansky’s long, wet tongue licking his face.

  “What is it, boy?” JB said, brushing the dog’s face away. Jansky whined softly. “Marvin?” He got off the couch and went to Marvin’s bedroom hoping the old man hadn’t fallen out of bed again.

  The bedroom door was open, and Marvin was lying on top of the bed covers, still wearing what he had on the night before. He was awake, and his eyes were open. He grunted a weak greeting as JB poked his head into the room.

  “Are you feelin' alright?” JB asked.

  Marvin replied, “I'll be fine. Just not used to burning the midnight oil." He swallowed and took a few shallow breaths. “If you don’t mind, go on over to my workbench and bring me the thing I was working on last night."

  "Y'all don't worry 'bout that right now,” JB protested gently. The old man looked worse than he had ever seen him.

  "No, no time. There are things I need to tell you while I still can. I have to face the facts that my blackouts are getting worse." He stopped to cough a couple of times before he continued. "I managed them at first, but lately… Hell, the next time I slip away, I might never be coming back.” He focused his eyes directly on JB, and in as firm a voice as he could muster, demanded, "Damn it, don't just stand there! Do as I say. Go
bring it."

  Reluctantly, JB did as Marvin ordered. The device was lying on the workbench under the large magnifying glass beside the soldering station. Before Marvin’s modifications, it had once been an older android phone, probably discarded due to the dented case, and the scratched and scuffed display. It was twice as thick as it originally was, as another phone case was held on to the back of it by a ribbon of duct-tape. The device was connected by a detachable USB cord to a small charger that was plugged into a power strip. He disconnected it from the charger and held the unit in his hand, curious to see if it would even work. He found the power button and pushed it, not knowing what to expect. The screen remained dark for several seconds, and then the display illuminated, showing a straight line, just as the larger television screen had.

  He returned to the room and showed it to Marvin. He said, “Y’all did an incredible job. It works, just like you said it would. Now I think y'all should get some rest."

  Marvin waved him off. “Not now. There's more I need to tell you about it. On the battery case, the one taped on the back; there's a button on the side. Push it three times in a row.”

  JB did so, and the display showed an empty circle with a small white dot in the center. He turned it around so Marvin could see, and the old man responded with a satisfied chuckle that quickly became a series of dry coughs. Finally, in a raspy, wheezy voice he explained. "That circle is a three-mile radius. Best I could do with that piece of junk. Anything that's got nano-bots in 'em will show up as a blue dot. Naturally, you don't show up, but any aliens will. I also rigged it so that a ringtone will sound if any of them come into range. Press the button three times again to turn it back into a personal monitor." He paused to catch his breath and added, "If I were you though, I’d leave it in the alarm mode."

  "This here's amazin’,” JB said, sincerely impressed. "I don't know how I can repay y'all."

  "Hell, seeing I almost killed you when we first met, I think we're about even, except I have a couple of requests."

  "Name it."

  "These spells… “ he paused to wave off JB’s polite attempt at denial, “Don’t be condescending… I know there’s been times where I don't know where I've been, or what I've been doing. It's a damn miracle I've gotten along this far”

  "I don't…"

  "Shut up and listen… Please," Marvin insisted. “The blackouts are more frequent than ever. I don't know how long I'll be able to function, at least in my right mind." He paused to catch his breath before he went on and looked at his gnarled hands lying on top of the covers for a while before he spoke. Finally, he said, “So, JB Tucker, what I need you to do is take Jansky along with you when you leave. You know how smart he is, and he can probably sniff out aliens better than that gizmo I've rigged. Besides, I think he's taken a shine to you."

  JB started to stammer a response, but Marvin cut him off with a wave of his hand. “I don't want him neglected, and it's getting so I can't do right by him anymore. And, I need to warn you about one more thing… Those Sawbonites of yours are smart, and they’re getting smarter with every passing moment. Right now, you’re in control, but one day, that might all change.”

  “What do y’all mean?”

  “That’s what artificial intelligence does… It learns as it goes. But, the big question is, as far as you're concerned, is what does it plan to do with that knowledge? Pay close attention; alien programming aside, there is a possibility that sometime in the future they will start making all of your decisions for you.”

  “I never thought about that,” JB admitted. “Now y’all have given me somethin’ else to worry about!”

  “Forewarned is forearmed… Another thing, I want you to deactivate all of the traps, no need anymore, especially after I'm gone." Marvin paused to raise his hand to stop JB from interrupting him. "And, finally, I want you to call the number on this paper.” He turned over onto his side and reached into the nightstand drawer. He handed the crumpled paper to JB.

  “That’s my daughter’s number. We haven’t spoken in years, but I want you to call her… She's my only living relative. Tell her that I don't think there's much time left… ” He hesitated, then added, "I'd like to make peace with her, while I still know who I am."

  JB looked at the paper in his hand and asked softly, “Why don’t ya call her yourself? I’m sure she’d rather hear from y’all instead of a stranger.” He handed it back to him along with his cell phone.

  “I don’t know if she’ll even talk to me,” Marvin said. “We’ve never been on the best of terms.”

  “Y’all won’t know unless you try,” JB replied. "Nothin' to lose, is there?"

  Marvin nodded, but made no move to dial the numbers. Before JB turned to leave he said, “I’ll go and take care of them traps while you talk.”

  "Maybe in a little bit," Marvin said, putting the phone down on the bed beside him. "I think I need to rest, right now."

  For the next two hours, JB worked on disabling all of Marvin's traps. With his Sawbonite enhanced vision, he was able to complete all of his tasks despite the gathering darkness. He dismantled the electric grids and tossed them into the pit before filling it up with nearly all the gravel from the path. When that was done, he lowered the sharpened log to the ground rolling it off into the bushes, out of sight after he had removed the electric winch and chain from the tree.

  When he returned to the house and entered the bedroom, Marvin was stretched sideways across the bed, twitching uncontrollably and gasping for breath. JB’s cell phone was on the floor, and a woman's voice on the other end was calling out, panic-stricken. “Dad! Dad! Are you all right? What's happening? Dad!”

  JB picked up the phone and said, “I just got here. What happened?"

  The woman’s voice on the other end was filled with alarm. “I don't know!This is his daughter, Rachel. He called me just a few minutes ago, then he stopped talking and I heard a thump! Is he all right? Who's this?"

  "This is JB; I'm gonna call 911!"

  "I’m coming down there. Call me back as soon as you know how he is. I’m on my way!”

  Without waiting for her to hang up, JB immediately terminated the call and dialed 911. Once he gave the operator the address and told them to hurry, he turned his attention to Marvin. The old man's eyes were rolled up into his head, and his muscles were spasming at random intervals. JB did his best to keep Marvin from hitting his head on the headboard, but there was little else he could do.

  The ambulance arrived ten minutes later. By that time Marvin had stopped twitching, but he remained unconscious even as the paramedics placed him on the gurney and rushed him into the ambulance. JB was going to follow the ambulance in his truck, but the paramedic told him there was no point. They would stabilize Marvin, and take him to the heliport to transport him to Greenville Memorial Hospital in South Carolina by air.

  JB called Marvin’s daughter back and told her what the paramedic had told him. He said he would meet her at the Greenville hospital as soon as he could catch the ferry and drive back to the mainland.

  “JB Tucker? Who are you to my dad?” Rachel asked him.

  “Jus’ a friend. Your dad said that he hadn’t spoken to y’all in a long while. He wasn’t feelin’ good, and I urged him t’ make the call.”

  “Such a stubborn old fool,” Rachel said. She was crying now. “Do you know I’ve written him letters, for years… And he never answered them, never called!”

  “Don’ know what to say. He didn't talk 'bout that to me.”

  Rachel was choking back sobs as she said, “I’m getting in the car now, I’m up in Lexington. I’ll be at Greenville in four hours.”

  “I’ll meet y’all there,” he said before he hung up.

  JB left the bedroom door open and went into the kitchen to grab the bag of dog food out of the cupboard. He thought maybe he should fetch some underwear and a few other items for Marvin at the hospital. He found a toothbrush and a razor and few other toiletries in his bathroom and returned to the
bedroom to look through Marvin’s dresser drawers for the other items.

  He found the things he was looking for in the middle drawer, but what he discovered in the bottom drawer was very telling. It was stuffed with unopened envelopes and postcards, most of them bearing his daughter’s name and her Lexington, Kentucky address. None of this was any of his business, he told himself. Whatever issues Marvin might have with his family were his alone to settle. Even so, he owed a debt to the old man to be sure, and JB intended to be at Marvin's side until everything got sorted out.

  He packed up the items into a shopping bag and walked out of the house, down the path to his truck, Jansky at his heels.

  “Maybe he’s got more time than he thinks he has,” JB said to no one in particular as he opened the door of his truck. Jansky bounded into the front seat and gave him his signature doleful look before he settled down with his head out the passenger side window. JB got out the device that Marvin had cobbled together for him and powered it up. The screen displayed an unbroken straight line, assuring him his Sawbonites were still silent. He pressed the side button three times and saw that the parabola sweep showed nothing. He switched it off for the time being and set it on the seat beside him as he started the pickup. With one last look back, he put the truck in gear and headed down to the main road and over to the dock, hoping to catch the 10:35 ferry to Hatteras.

  A mile or so behind him Cole and Fenneman were concentrating on the color GPS display mounted on the dashboard of their sedan. The slowly moving red dot was traveling down the highway towards the ferry landing.

  “Looks like he's going to Hatteras. I think we should hang back and take the midnight ferry over,” Cole said. “There’s no way we can lose him.”