Chapter 5
You cannot teach a man anything;
you can only help him discover it in himself.
-Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
The diesel generator surged then cut out. The room took on a new dimension as 6 watts replaced the 60 watt bulb. Jake emerged from the en-suite, where he’d hidden to change into his pyjamas. He glanced at Zac, who was kicked back on his bed, lying face up with his hands under his head. To Zac’s surprise Jake bounced down on the bed next to him.
“So what are we going to do tomorrow?”
“I thought you were going home tomorrow?”
“Nah. Someone’s gotta watch your back, so you don’t cop another bullet.”
Silence.
“That is how you got that scar on your back isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you gonna tell me how you got shot?”
“You’re not gonna let me get any sleep until I do are you?”
Laughter from Jake.
Eureka. That’s the first time I’ve heard him laugh.
“Well... about ten years ago, when I was an undergraduate... I gate-crashed this conference meant for graduate geophysicists working in Alaska. At the conference, the two guest speakers made some alarming allegations about the High-Frequency Active Aurora-Ionospheric Research Programme or HAARP in our country.”
Zac cleared his throat softly.
“The key speaker gave us all a copy of Bernard Eastland’s energy transmission system patents which were sealed under a U.S secrecy order. He said the system had the potential to be misused for warfare purposes. Then the other speaker related evidence that suggested the HAARP facility at Gokona was just a decoy for the public, and the real HAARP was 300 miles further north between Fox and Fairbanks. Two ex-military informants had witnessed experiments where HF and EHF waves of over a billion watts were beamed directly up in the sky and later a whole herd of antelope were discovered fried, near the Chatinaka River.”
Zac paused.
“My parents had a B & B in the Chatinaka River region, so I was upset by the allegations. I glanced out of the window momentarily to compose myself. As I did, I saw a man in a balaclava with a gun aimed right at the guest speakers. I was in the front row and they were standing about three metres from me...”
Jake listened breathlessly.
“It was one of those cases where you react without thinking. I flung myself at them both to knock them down. As I did, I heard breaking glass and felt this sharp sting below my shoulder blade. I landed flat on top of the man and kinda dragged the woman down with me. Gordon realized that I’d been shot and stayed down. But the woman fired me a look - like I was her assailant - and started getting to her feet. Before we had a chance to yank her back down, there was this whistling sound... and her head jolted back. Then she crumpled down near us... and looked straight at me.”
Zac whispered shakily.
“It was like looking into her soul. Her eyes apologized to me. Like she realized I’d been trying to protect her. Then she looked at Gordon and said something like “watch over” to him. And died in our arms.”
“Watch over?”
“Yeah. I think she was trying to say her watch was over. You know - her time on earth was up.”
“And you were my age. Boy... Heavy trip.”
“Yeah. It was a heavy trip for Gordon too. A colleague he’d known for years died in his arms. And an undergrad student who wasn’t even supposed to be there was bleeding like a pig all over him.”
“What happened after that?”
“They took the bullet out of course!”
“No... I mean... What did Gordon do about the real HAARP?”
“It’s interesting you should ask that. Gordon kept his teaching position at the University of California... He became a member of the President’s Science Advisory Committee and the President’s Council on Environmental Quality. But he also started a research-based surveillance organisation. Monitoring the worldwide use and misuse of E/M weaponry...”
“And you head Gordon’s surveillance team?”
“One arm of it.”
“And Brendan, Dale and Pete?”
“They’ve joined me in Australian investigations for a few years now.”
“So the whole YGD student programme’s just a facade?”
Jake sounded disappointed.
“No way. The workshops and field trips are genuine. Post-grads like yourself benefit from interacting at a social and academic level with other students from their country. Often close friendships are formed. Pete, Brendan and Dale all live in different states, but they all originally met each other at YGD workshops. Students also genuinely assist our team with the practical tasks of research and data collection. And on the side, I’m quietly on the lookout for other post-grads to work for Gordon’s team on a permanent basis.”
“So Pete and the others are paid to attend workshops?”
“Yes. But that’s so there’s a high ratio of staff to students. To minimize the chances of any of the real students getting injured.”
“So how come I’m the only genuine student at this workshop this time round?”
“I can’t explain that in depth until I speak to Gordon. He’s prearranged to contact me tomorrow night. After our initial survey of the area tomorrow.”
Zac glanced at Jake in the dim light.
“You know I’m going to have to tell him that you hacked into his computer when he calls tomorrow...”
“That’s okay. I want you to tell him.”
“You want me to?”
“Yes. He’s your mentor. And I don’t want to spoil your friendship.”
Zac drew a deep breath.
“That’s quite an old head you have on your young shoulders Jake.”
Silence.
“Hey Zac. You know how Gordon asked you to mentor me? Can we keep in touch when I leave? You know - via email and maybe Skype now and then?”
“Sure thing.”
“You’re smiling. What are you thinking about?”
“I was just reflecting on the day... Actually I was thinking how wrong I was about something...”
“What?”
“On the trip up here I thought I was going to have a hard time getting more than one word answers out of you during the entire workshop. But here you are, chatting away like you’ve known me for years, and talking about keeping in contact with me after we go our separate ways. It just shows how off-beam first impressions can be sometimes.”
“Actually your first impressions were correct. I don’t usually talk to people until I know them really well. Sometimes I don’t talk to people until I’ve listened to them for months. But for some reason I can talk to you. I’ve even told you stuff I’m saving to tell my Dad one day.”
“Your Dad’s not on the scene?”
“I don’t even know if he’s alive.”
“Have you asked your Mum where he is?”
“She died when I was eight. Nan’s brought me up.”
“Have you ever asked your Nan about him?”
“I tried to a few years ago, but it made her upset so I haven’t asked her since. I write letters to him instead... you know... telling him about what’s going on inside my head.”
“Do you know anything at all about him?”
“He came to Nan’s house after mum’s funeral. He wanted to take care of me, but Nan was crying and saying she’d already lost her daughter and all she had left was her grandson now. So he agreed to let me live with Nan, until she was ready to let me go.”
“Tragic,” murmured Zac sympathetically.
“I’ve got a photo of him... A while back I found some of Mum’s old research notebooks in Nan’s attic. They were pretty interesting reading actually. Anyway, Mum had this photo of Dad and her - it was tucked between the pages of one of her notebooks. It was the only notebook with blank pages in it, so I think it must have been her most recent research notebook before she died. I’ve got a copy of the photo on my
laptop. I’ll show you next time I fire it up.”
“Yeah, I’d be interested. What was your Mum’s field of research anyway?”
“The same as ours... She’d been working on the Lewis constant before she died. I built on her incomplete groundwork calculations... thought things through a bit further than she had and named the constant in her honour when I cracked it.”
“Are you saying you derived the value of the Tess Lewis constant?”
Zac was fully awake now and had pushed himself into sitting position.
“Yeah. Except everyone spells it differently to the way I published it in my original paper. It’s actually the T.S. Lewis constant. T.S. stands for Theresa Sue. That was mum’s name...”
“The Lewis constant?” repeated Zac. “That’s floored me! I feel overshadowed academically by you Jake.”
“Actually sometimes I wonder if Dad felt the same way about mum. You know - who was smarter.”
“What makes you say that?”
“My birth certificate says Dad was a scientist. I don’t think Mum and Dad were married though.”
“Why?”
“My birth certificate says his name was Jacob Don Macca. Not Jacob Don Lewis.”
“Don Macca?” echoed Zac softly.
“Yeah. That’s how the whole thing of hacking into Gordon Macca’s computer started. I ran Dad’s name through a dozen search engines looking for scientists with that name. Jacob Macca drew a blank, but Don Macca yielded heaps of interesting research papers written by Gordon Macca. First of all I read his paper How to wreck the environment. Then I read some other papers he’d written on geophysical warfare, and I spent a number of weeks reading everything I could find written by him. Then after that, I tapped into his personal computer out of curiosity to see what else he’d written. Gordon’s a bit like me. He’s written hundreds of articles but only published a fraction of what he’s written. He’s a fascinating bloke Zac. You’re really lucky to have him as your mentor.”
“I know I am... And in one sense you’ve got him as your mentor too... because the things he’s passed onto me, I’m passing onto you and others.”
“What things?”
“Well... take the massage strokes I was teaching everyone tonight. Gordon was the one who originally taught them to me.”
“Gordon’s into massage?”
“Big time. He was at uni during the era when students were hippies and activists.”
“Did he wear flowers in his hair?”
“That sounds a little radical even for Gordon, but he might’ve done. From what he’s told me, he hung out with a remnant of the make-love-not-war crowd in his student years...”
Zac propped his chin on his palm.
“Then late 1985, the whole direction of his life changed. He’d just finished his thesis investigating the Soviet Woodpecker signals and was planning an extended stay on some hippie commune and this U.S Airforce bloke rocked up at his Mum’s place with a couple of military police, handed him a letter from the President and more or less conscripted him.”
“I thought conscription ended with the Vietnam War in the U.S?”
“It did officially. But Gordon was told he had no choice... that it was a matter of national defence... He was whisked away by the Airforce Colonel... his name was David... and taken to Gander Airforce base in Newfoundland. The previous day this DC-8 had lost power just after lift-off and sank into the ground killing all 258 marines and air crew. Gordon was hurled into the role of investigating why the crash had occurred, even before all the body bits were picked up.”
“Gross! Why’d they want him so badly?”
“Almost immediately after the crash, they’d discovered a hole in a section of the fuselage near the engines. Gordon confirmed their worst nightmare - that the damage sustained was characteristic of an electro-gravitational scalar strike. Moreover witnesses reported that before it crashed, the aircraft had a yellow glow around it.”
“A corona due to a high electrical charge?”
“Yeah... Another witness had seen crossed glowing beams in the clouds and saw one of them strike the aircraft. Gordon was sickened inside as he realized there was a whole different side to E/M scalar technology than the side he’d researched for his thesis... He thought at this point it was a one-off investigation. That his life would go back to normal. But it was just the beginning... He’d hardly finished the first investigation when the Challenger disaster occurred.”
“The Challenger was destroyed by a scalar E/M weapon?”
“Well the facts Gordon and other researchers like Tom Bearden uncovered were kept under wraps but there were a host of indicators... localized weather changes; birds of all species dropping out of the sky dead; unusual cloud formations; electrical appliances fusing in local businesses... For the next two years Gordon travelled the globe investigating Airforce disasters and working out ways to protect military systems from E/M attacks...”
Zac broke into a smile.
“And because he was a civilian, everywhere Gordon went, he was shadowed by the Airforce bod. David apparently did everything with him... roomed in with him... put him through fitness training... comforted him when he threw up at the sight of dead bodies... mentored him... even showered with him.”
“He saw him naked? That sounds worse than prison!”
“Gordon says the experience was life shaping more than a sentence. Before his enforced service, the peace movement was on his lips. After it, the peace movement was burning in his heart... Since then he’s become something of a world leader in our field... The government and the military still use his expertise... He kinda has an arrangement with the University... He ups and leaves... No one asks any questions... He comes back... No one asks any questions.”
“And he became your mentor after you saved his life, right?”
Zac smiled reflectively.
“It was a chalk and cheese relationship at first. Activist Professor Macca using every trick up his sleeve to draw his reticent rescuer out of his shell! By nature I’m cautious and resistant to change. But Gordon persisted and just kept pushing me out of my comfort zone until I could handle anything he tossed at me. And after a while I became addicted to trying new things.”
“And you use military style push-ups and make-love-not-war massages the same way he does to keep your team in line?”
“My version’s toned down compared to Gordon’s. Gordon would’ve made Brendan do 80 push-ups. And got him to strip down to a towel for the massage.”
Jake’s eyes widened.
“I’ve changed my mind. I think it would be embarrassing to have Gordon as a mentor...”
Zac grinned warmly at the shy comment.
Silence.
“Hey Zac. Can I ask you a hypothetical question?”
“Ask away...”
“If you had a son my age and he asked you to rub his neck, would you think he was gay?”
“Course not. Why?”
“I was just wondering what another bloke thinks. I’ve never asked anyone else... It’s on the list of things I think I’d like to do with my Dad one day when we meet... If I’m not too chicken that is...”
“Doesn’t your Nan dish out neck-rubs?”
“Nah. She’s grabbed me around the scruff of the neck a couple of times when I’ve aggravated her. But that’s just because she’s old and tired... Has your Dad ever rubbed your neck?”
“Dad’s more of a pat-on-the-back bloke, but Gordon’s like a second Dad to me and he’s rubbed my neck heaps of times.”
“Do you like it?”
“Yeah. It makes me all sleepy and I end up dribbling...”
“That sounds... intriguing.”
“You know Jake. It’s good to observe, and ask people about their experiences. But sometimes you need to get in there and experience things first hand.”
“I want to be like that Zac. But even the thought of doing stuff like you were doing tonight makes my guts churn. I’d sooner take an exam any
day.”
“You know, the other side of every fear is a freedom.”
Silence.
“Hey Zac... Just say I asked you to massage my neck, but then I couldn’t handle it, would you stop?”
“Course... Come on. Let’s give it a try... So you’re not so nervous if you ever get to do it with your Dad... Move over to your bed... Now lie face down and say ‘stop’ if you’re getting anxious.”
Zac pushed Jake’s pyjama collar away from his neckline. His fingers detected Jake’s bounding pulse. Neck muscles knotted so hard that he was surprised they weren’t cramped.
Crumbs. He wasn’t kidding about being frightened...
“Flood him with Your peace Lord.”
A lengthy silence. Zac deliberately said nothing. As he expected, within moments Jake started relaxing under his touch... Another couple of minutes passed. Jake’s breathing slowed and became rhythmical.
“Are you still awake Jake?”
No reply.
Zac pulled the sheet over Jake then killed the 12volt lighting in their room. Then he tiredly clambered into his bed...
Ω
Zac was drifting off when a flicker of movement caught his attention. His eyelids snapped open. He stared at the shadows looming on the wall in silent fascination.
People. Two people.
Zac sighed noisily, got out of bed and threw on a T-shirt and shorts. Moonlight bathed the yard, making it easy for him to find his way around in spite of the unfamiliar surroundings. Girlish giggling made it even easier to home in on the source of the shadows.
Zac approached the tramp and peered at the wriggling, sheet-covered bodies.
“Okay. Back to the quarters,” he said, with quiet authority.
An arm shot out from underneath the sheet in response and grabbed his forearm.
“Well - what d’ya know? A prowling lion!”
“Dave?!” gasped Zac, attempting to break free and tear away.
Dave yanked Zac toward him in response. Zac unexpectedly sailed through the air, and landed on the tramp, inches from Dave’s bare chest. Zac lay stiffly next to Dave, his heart beating wildly.
Silence. Dave broke it.
“You out of flight mode yet Professor?”
Zac managed a cautious nod. Dave released his grip and chuckled.
“Can’t have you running off until you’ve calmed down a bit. Ya might trip over somethin’ and break ya neck.”
Protest finally replaced Zac’s trepidation.
“H...How’d you throw me like that? I’m heavier than you!”
Dave grinned.
“Remind me to teach you before you leave... Why’re ya out on night patrol anyway?”
Embarrassed silence. Dave raised inquiring eyebrows. Zac made cautious eye contact with Dave.
“Um...The moon was casting shadows on my wall... of a couple... um... petting... and...”
Zac’s shoulders sagged and he gave up.
Dave glanced over at the moonlit sea containers then back at Zac. His eyes glinted with mischief.
“...and you thought one of your pups was involved in a nocturnal escapade with my Jen, eh?”
An open-mouthed shake of the head.
“No.”
“Ah... So you thought I was pashing Maya?”
Zac shook his head vigorously.
“No!”
“You old tease!” giggled Jen, emerging from under the sheet. “You know exactly what he thought was happening and who he thought was involved!”
Zac eyed Jen’s bare shoulders and fought off an acute wave of embarrassment.
“’Course I do luv!” grinned Dave. “But it’s up to us to be light-hearted about this. He’s too scared to laugh!”
Jen picked up the hint.
“Dave can give you some tips on erotic massage after your judo lesson if you’d like some!” she quipped.
Zac smiled cautiously.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been sprung!” bantered Dave. “It’s a lark teasing the offender!”
A titter of mirth bubbled up inside Zac. He bit his lip to control it.
“Sounds like the offender needs your lark classes as well as training in judo and massage!” joked Jen.
“Sounds like I might have to come out of retirement!” retorted Dave, winking at Jen.
Zac eyed them both with bemusement then cracked up.
“You pair are something else!” he groaned.
Dave and Jen hi-fived like scheming teenagers.
“Sorry to have sent your ticker into tachycardia there Zac,” apologized Dave. “Tonight started out innocently enough. We were just relaxing here on the tramp together admiring the stars... then Jen’s hands wandered a bit and one thing led to another... You know how it is when you’ve been married thirty years and have gotten over all your inhibitions.”
Zac struggled with the sudden intensity of the conversation.
“Well... it’s outside my field of experience, but it sounds... wholesome,” he said guardedly.
Dave laughed easily and rubbed his chin.
“This mixed-sex arrangement that’s got you prowling around... Want me to straighten it out for you?”
“Thanks, but it’s about time I learnt to handle this particular curve ball.”
“Tired of ducking it, eh?”
Zac was taken aback.
“I’ve got a friend... He always says the same thing...”
“Sounds like an interesting friend.”
Dave eyed Zac perspicaciously.
“Not sure how to ride the winds of change, eh?” he added softly.
Zac failed to hide his astonishment.
“I... I’d best get back to my room.”
Dave’s eyes twinkled.
“Goodnight young lion. We’ll see ya at breakie.”
Ω
Zac slipped back into his bed and tiredly shut his eyes.
Dave’s perceptiveness and sudden informality had unnerved him, even more than his judo throw. Something about Dave felt incredibly familiar, but Zac was certain their paths had never crossed before.
Not sure how to ride the winds of change, eh?
His Dad said the same thing whenever he was inviting Zac to share his heart...
Freaky...
And what about that comment about ducking curve balls?
Gordon said that whenever he was tossing out a challenge.
What were the chances of a complete stranger from outback Australia using both phrases in the course of a short conversation? Infinitesimal surely...
Zac yawned reflectively.
Then again his Dad and Gordon were a similar age. And Dave didn’t look much older than them. Perhaps they’d all seen the same tele shows as kids. Or read the same books...
Another memory drifted by and lingered... Maya’s soft hand searching for his, earlier that evening when they’d seen the fire-ball.
God created the spaces between your fingers so that someone else’s fingers can fill the gaps son...
His Dad had made the comment casually when they were out hunting together on his last trip home. A subtle hint that it was time he started thinking about finding a helpmeet.
The most precious possession that a man can have is a woman’s love.
Gordon’s recent very direct comment before he’d left California. Zac had a hunch his Dad and Gordon had been chinwagging. Two similar comments from the two men he most admired in two weeks? Too much of a coincidence.
You’re not passionate about women?
Zac chuckled at the memory of Jake’s mortified expression after the accidental question had slipped out. Poor kid. Lucky he hadn’t seen Dave and Jen’s petting shadows. That would have been the last straw! Fortunately he was snoring like a chainsaw at the time. Bushed after a myriad of new and unsettling experiences. Like his first close encounter with a perky woman who could win a Y-chromosome personality contest without trying.
Maya.
Not only was she personali
ty plus, but she was tanned, toned and knew how to dress to make the most of her body shape. Her Fendi bag suggested she had a passion for fashion. So did her shoes. Zac grinned at the memory of watching her pinpoint heels sink into a pot-hole full of bulldust back in Laverton... She’d retained her poise, in spite of nearly losing her balance. And her self-confidence as she’d stepped out of Tyson’s bush-basher with wind-whipped hair... She could’ve been stepping out of a limo after a trip to a hair salon!
Zac lay prostrate on his bed... reaching out in the spirit realm.
“Yeah alright... I admit it... They’re right... And You’re right. It’s not good for a man to be alone. But I also know I’ve got to let go of some things before I’ll be the right man for the woman of Your choice... We both know what they are... Help me deal with them... Your way... Your time... ‘Night Jireh.”