A Hero in the Making

  Word Count 2129

Fear prickled down Mike's spine, and his body trembled in utter disbelief. He felt the blood drain from his face and was unable to tear himself away from the blue, green and red flashes he witnessed on the monitor. The latest future atmospheric conditions were in front of him as he sat at the W.B.C. weather bureau in California, stunned and unable to move.

"Jack, this is unbelievable, I have been a climatologist for years, and I have never seen anything like this. Look at the weather graphs this computer has predicted for the next five years. Heat waves and little to no rain and drought in almost every country in the world,” Mike declared as he jerked the pointer across the screen.

Jack, a tall, middle-aged man stretched his long legs under the desk. He crossed his arms behind his head stretching the pressed pleats of his blue shirt against his muscular chest and narrowed his dark eyes. "That's nothing new; I have been saying global warming will destroy the earth unless we use this man's invention." He pointed to a paper clipped file lying on his desk, and a picture of a man in a military uniform with cold, lifeless grey eyes and chiseled cheek bones with a shock of blond hair.

"Are you going on again about Babikov's climate control document? I know you were an agent for the special services Jack, but that was twenty years ago and you haven't been active since.  How do you expect to steal the file from the Russian Government? They have that in a secret location that's armed to the teeth." Mike turned away from the monitor as he spoke. He shook his head, and the long curly hair that surrounded his piercing blue eyes and tanned sharp featured face bounced wildly on his shoulders.

Jack's eyes darted around the room. He closed the door to his office and whispered for Mike to come closer so he could talk to him without anyone overhearing their conversation.

His face grew red, and he tried to control raising his voice. "You think just because I have gray hair, wear glasses and look a little older, I'm finished. Don't let that fool you," he said, gathering the papers off his desk in a huff. "This isn't a game, and I have remained active. The last twenty years I've been developing a network of special service retirees trained in highly developed mental intelligence as well as combat protocols for this mission."

"You're kidding Jack, right? How do you and a bunch of fifty year old service men plan to get by a heavily guarded area?"

"Forget it. I see that you're not a believer of overcoming the impossible. Damn, damn, the Secret Services! I wouldn't have to go through all this if they hadn't kept all this technology under cover," he complained, banging his fist on the metal cabinet as he flung the file in a drawer and locked it.

Mike put his hand on Jack's shoulder, shook his head and mumbled an apology under his breath. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to make you angry, and I wasn't making fun of you. I was just being realistic about how dangerous this mission is.”

Jack grabbed his jacket off the chair pointing to the back door and told Mike to follow him. A couple of streets down, Jack gave him a quick look and went down a few steps to a weathered, wooden door. Mike barely had time to notice the plaque over the frame Dooley's, before Jack grabbed his sleeve and pulled him into the darkness. He paused for his eyes to adjust. The bar was empty, and Jack called out to the bartender. "Two on the go." The bartender reached out and pulled a lever on a draft beer keg. Mike jumped back a bit as the floor behind the counter slid open revealing a stairway spiraling downwards underground. Jack jerked his head for Mike to follow. The Bartender didn't look their way...

"Come on Mike, I want to show you something.” Jack started down the stairs waiting for him at the bottom of the steps. "It's in this area, not much further," he directed pushing open the creaky metal door. A musty smell permeated the air around them.

"Wow!” Mike's mouth dropped open, and his eyes bulged out of their sockets in shock as he looked at all the sophisticated computerized equipment and weapons that were crammed into the large room. “What's this stuff and where did it come from?”

"This is everything that I have been telling you about,” Jack answered while he walked around the room and explained each device and its capabilities to him.

Jack touched a spot on the atlas-covered map hanging on the wall and a partition opened exposing a massive aquarium filled with different kinds of brightly colored fish swimming around red coral and rocks. He picked up a purple octagon faceted stone from the water that was emitting rays of light and after rolling it around in his fingers, he showed it to Mike.

"When these are placed around oil spills, they change the chemistry of it into a harmless substance that breaks down and floats away." He bent down and pointed his finger as he looked through the glass. "See these reefs, they're biologically developed in a laboratory so when all the ocean dwelling creatures swim by or through them, they conduct frequency currents through their electrical system that heals all abnormalities in the animals."

"What's this huge shield looking thing, Jack?” Mike inquired pulling it towards him.

"That's exactly what it is, it's suppose to activate an invisible force which can't be penetrated or seen by the human eye. It will be used to implement all the restoration equipment when we create a weather crisis as a distraction and protection when we put the balancing elements back into the earth. When I touch this button watch what happens."

He tapped it with his finger, and the shield began to compress when a flashing blue light appeared, then it separated into fragments and broke down into a tiny microchip.

"It's amazing Mike; in fact every apparatus I've shown you in this room is supposed to transform into microchips. That's how we are able to hide them.”

"How is that possible? Are you telling me that huge aquarium holding all that water and fish will break down into a microchip?" Mike arched his eyebrow with skepticism as he looked at the small crystal Jack held in his hand.

"I haven't actually seen that one convert, but scientists believe everything within atomic mass has a gravitational field that can be manipulated. The next mechanism I assume could be the key to our existence as human beings. This equipment could pull water from anywhere through a large vortex like a vacuum and send it suspended in a molecular chamber of clouds and disperse it where there is drought. I was told it could freeze tons of water and restore ice caps to the North Pole. Then, wildlife like seals and polar bears will be safe again." Jack patted the control panel as he moved to the next demonstration.

"The last two inventions were developed just a few years ago. I'm not exactly sure how the first one works, I think it has something to do with analyzing the composition and then breaking it down and changing it into an edible source. Give me your shoe Mike."

"Why?"

"Just give it to me. I want to show you how this gadget works."

"Okay, here." Mike took his loafer off and handed it to him. "This I have got to see," he replied, with a smirk on his face.

“Stand back. I'm not sure how this contraption works, I've seen it once before, but I think we should take safety precautions when I activate it. Here goes.” Jack placed a small white box on an oblong table next to the aquarium and placed the shoe in front of it, then he reached over and pushed several switches on the side of the device.  A violet energy wave shot out from it and encircled the shoe, lifting it in the air. The leather began to break apart into tiny particles and spin around then disappear and reappear reconstructed like jigsaw puzzle parts closing together to form what looked like bread.

"Success," Jack squealed!  "Well, Mike, I guess I made a believer out of you. Here taste it, he smiled, shoving a piece of the crust in Mike's mouth.  "Well, what do you think? Does it taste like food?"

"It's delicious" he mumbled, swallowing the morsel.

Then Jack reversed the procedure and handed him back his loafer.

Mike stood there staring at it, his eyes wide open and frozen in a daze with the hair standing up on the back of his neck, as if he had just seen a ghost.

Jack picked up a slender looking black gun from a shelf and waved it in the air. "This solar laser destroys disease in animals and man. No more primitive surgeries, just aim it at the afflicted area and solar energy diffuses and corrects the body's imbalance.”

"I'm convinced that this equipment can change our world. I showed you what I and the network have been working on because we have been good friends for years, and I not only trust you, but you're like my kid brother. We already have everything we need; it's just a matter of when to get the ball rolling," he uttered, ruffling Mike's hair with his hand.

Suddenly, the alarm went off outside the door. Jack's heart pounded against his chest, and he whirled around yelling as he ran toward the sound.

"Who's there?" he screamed, gasping for breath. His startled eyes peered over horn-rimmed glasses. No one answered.

"What's wrong?" Mike frowned. Reluctantly, he walked with stiff awkward movements towards Jack.

"I guess it's a malfunction, I hope that's all it is; because this place's secrecy is suppose to be as tight as a drum. Other than that, it could be an infiltration," he responded, his voice vibrating in fear.

Jack turned his head slowly, with blazing eyes he clenched his jaw and walked with caution through the door.  He started to climb the stairs when his cell phone rang. "Now what?" He answered it and started to pace back-and-forth, swaying from one foot to the other as he talked to the caller. He wiped beads of sweat dripping off his forehead with his hand and slammed his receiver shut as he approached the stairs, then turned around and spoke to Mike. "I have to leave and fly to the Middle East tomorrow, a restoration device that was planted there was stolen by those thieves in Iran. This is the event that could trigger the combat division to use the invisible force shield to get it back."

"What the hell did you get yourself into?" Mike murmured, rolling his eyes around. I've known you all these years, and I never once did I take you seriously about your rantings of restoring the world. I thought it was just a bunch of nonsense, and now I'm involved in a battle that could be the salvation of restoring the earth back to its original balance. I don't know what to say Jack, you're either a fool or a hero."

"Don't say anything; just know that tomorrow will be the beginning of the fight for civilization to exist. My people will begin the distraction of the weather crisis, so we can start the restoration.  I've got to get going; the men in the operation have arranged for a jet to fly me to the Middle East for a meeting. Pray for me and watch the news, there are still those of us who want to bring healing to the world. This is a futuristic gift for you. Contact me with this hologram transporter. It's programmed to be on at all times, right now this blinking light means the machine is in sleep mode. To activate it, wave your hand over the visual screen, and the beam will send a live image of myself back to you. Don't worry I'll be back soon. Old tomcats like me have nine lives." He winked at Mike and slipped the instrument in his hand. Then, Jack ascended towards the top of the stairs and disappeared out of sight.

Mike's puzzled blue eyes stared at the top of the stairs as he thought about Jack. He cupped his hand under his chin and whispered, shaking his head. "I guess he must be a hero after all."