Chapter 12 – Rudolph Von Kalt
Thursday, June 25, 2308
Director Stanwood’s office was large, with a low ceiling, on the twenty-forth floor of the federal building. The furniture was government special, but tastefully selected.
Von Kalt paced back and forth across the room.
“Do you mind, I’m waiting for a call,” Stanwood said.
Von Kalt continued pacing. “You’ve let everyone else take a shot at him, and you’ve got me sitting on the sidelines.”
Stanwood answered without looking up, “That’s not a very compelling argument for anything you might want.”
“You employ me because I have a specific skill set, and yet, I’m not being utilized for those skills. Either get me in the game or trade me to a team that needs me.”
“Feel free to speak plainly,” Stanwood said.
“You pay me too much to bullshit you.”
“Very well, first, this is not a game. Second, you are not on a team. You work for the Republic, you do not get to play, or participate. No one cares if you feel useful or utilized and I could give a damn about your personal growth. You are here because I want you here, and if you have an opinion I’m interested in, it will be because I gave it to you.” Stanwood smiled.
Von Kalt scowled. “I am a field commander, not a bodyguard. All I do is stand around and watch you make mistakes all day. Whatever this is about, it’s not going to end the way you want it to.”
“From my perspective, things are a bit more complex. The actions I take have far reaching consequences.”
“Bullshit. You just like to think that when you stomp your foot the entire jungle trembles. I see you, running all over town, trying to keep all your dominoes facing the right direction. You’re asking for permission from people who can’t afford original thought. Talk about herding cats.”
“Please, enlighten me…” Stanwood continued ignoring Von Kalt.
“You’ve let this get personal. You’re not doing what’s best for the country, or the people. You want this Fox character to know it was you, and you want him to know it was sanctioned. No one wants to crawl out on that limb with you. They won’t sign a warrant.”
“No, maybe not. But without a warrant, no one raises a hand against him. Do you understand?” Stanwood didn’t look up.
Von Kalt turned away.
“There will be a warrant,” Stanwood asserted. “But until then, under no circumstances are you, or any member of this government, to interfere with Doctor Fox or his property. Not unless he sees a signed warrant first. Am I making myself clear, Deputy?”
“As a Bell, sir. I didn’t mean to suggest anything inappropriate. I’m just saying, you would be within your rights, and no one would question you. We’ve still got the beachhead at his back door.”
“Him most of all. Do not activate the Dunkirk until I give the order.”
“What was this fumbled bit with Wash Sec? No one was supposed to die, or better yet, if you’re going to kill six people, get something for it.”
“The appropriate message was sent,” Stanwood replied.
Von Kalt rubbed his damaged ribs.
“Malvinas was an idiot and he deserved what he got. He had no idea what he was caught up in. Those mercs he hired were third rate at best. He couldn’t have possibly expected one of Fox’s guardians to break ranks over that.”
“You’re sure they exist?”
Stanwood looked his deputy in the eye. “Oh they exist, Rudolph, they exist.” Stanwood gave the soldier his full attention. “Let me ask you something? If you had the power, the resources and expertise, to craft terillium small enough, and pure enough, to give an individual the power of flight, would you give that up? If you could make yourself invisible, is that something you would abandon because a licensing date on your federal guidelines expired? Would you disband the team that manipulated that technology, just because of some arbitrary ruling, by a bunch of disconnected bureaucrats?”
“Hell, no,” Von Kalt answered.
“Even though it would be an act of treason?” Stanwood asked.
“It wouldn’t, because I’m a patriot,” Von Kalt replied.
“That’s what Fox thinks too. And once I have the warrant, I’ll show him just how wrong he is.”
“Aren’t you afraid he’ll send some invisible assassins after you?”
“I’ve got you here to protect me.”
Von Kalt laughed.
“Let’s see if we can’t stop him, before it comes to that.”
“You really think he can do all that?” Von Kalt asked. “Detonate an entire city like that?”
“You saw the footage. Do you think he can’t?” Stanwood countered.
“Yeah, well… It may not be something he can repeat.”
“Even if he can’t do it right now, do we just wait around for him to figure it out?” Stanwood asked. “If you want to get really cynical, if this is a psychic ability, then theoretically, if this man has a migrane, or a fit of violence, Angel City might cease to exist. That is not a threat I’m willing to tolerate.”
Geoffrey couldn’t keep up with the rambunctious puppy. Jack raced down the hillside, only to return to the children at full speed.
Upon confirmation that Ashley and her younger brother were following, Jack would again explode down the path. Geoff thought the puppy was hysterical.
A dog barked in the distance and Jack replied, accelerating out of sight. Ash looked at the leash in her brother's hand. "That's not doing us much good, is it?"
"The leash is for when he's tired," Geoff explained, between great gulps of air.
"Is that how it works?" she replied.
"Yeah, when it's time to go home, that's when we use the leash. Remember?"
Ashley did remember, despite her younger brother's constant reminders. Last week, he'd talked of nothing but the puppy and their forested adventures. Jack also seemed to appreciate the space to run without breaking things.
During summer vacation the canyon’s natural abundance of hollow glens and hidden corners grew crowded with bored students. Hoverboards could be raced at top speed, while forts were assembled and defended. The canyon was both a place to hang out and get lost.
The forest ahead was spotted with neighborhood kids. Ash knew most of them. She recognized some of the kids closer to Geoff's age near an old tree, hunting lizards and bugs.
Geoffrey chased Jack down the trails, laughing in response to barks of excitement and breathless endurance. Ashley watched as the dog ran circles around her younger brother. Geoff had long since given up the leash. Ash had looped it over her shoulders.
A group of fourth graders were engaged in a reconnaissance mission. Decked out in makeshift army uniforms, they crept across the overgrown canyon floor, camouflaged and determined to remain unseen. As none of the older kids were looking for them, success was a matter of opinion. If the bigger, meaner kids caught on to a stealth mission in progress, steps would be taken to foil it. Big kids enjoyed nothing more than ruining a little kid's day. Capturing and torturing would-be commandos ranked right up there at the top of the list.
A couple of kids Ashley's age, Doug and Jamie, hid along the path that Ash and Geoff came down. Jack dashed past them earlier, but he hadn't noticed them, and they stayed put. Ash and Geoff followed soon after Jack, who'd run back and forth past the camouflaged pair twice now.
Geoff also marched right past the hidden commandos. Ashley had noticed them some time before, and as she passed, she winked to them, her ocean blue eyes dazzling, reflecting shards of glittering sunshine.
Doug and Jamie were both intoxicated with Ashley. She was the prettiest girl in the neighborhood, and the coolest too. When she smiled, she meant it; they couldn’t help but be in-love with her.
Ashley caught sight of older kids overhead, doing tricks on their kite boards. A kite board was just a more powerful hoverboard with a sail mounted to it, making the device that much more maneuverable. Ground-bound, hover
boards required a hard surface to push off from, and couldn't maintain more than a few feet of air, but kite boards, with their powerful gravity disks, could ascend to higher elevations.
During the summers, the open sky of Angel City was teeming with kite boarders. They raced through the clouds, doing loops, barrel rolls and corkscrews. When she watched, Ashley desperately wanted one. Yet somehow, outside the canyon, she always found herself focused on ballet.