The Gravity of Anti-Gravity (29 page)

“I’ll call his CO and have his leave extended until further notice for security reasons.” Vaughn answered.

With that, the three men shook hands and left.

-36-

Stella and I were blindfolded for the ride between the airport and our final destination. We were in a van with a driver and at least three other armed men. No one said anything to Stella or me for the entire half hour drive.

Finally, the van rolled up to an opening in a large wall. Our blindfolds were removed and we saw we were stopped beside a small shack attended by two armed guards. Our driver nodded to the guard and we were waved through. The van continued up the driveway to what looked like the entrance to a large building and stopped. There were two more guards standing on each side of the entrance door. No one moved to get out of the van. The Chinese man who was riding in the front seat turned around and began to address us. In contrast to the armed guards seated next to us, he was a small, gentle looking person with a round face, slicked back gray hair and was wearing small round wire rimmed glasses. His rumpled business suit added to his college professor look. He spoke nearly perfect English.

“I am Mr. Fat,” he began, “You have been brought to the Nantong Scientific Institute to design and develop your anti-gravity machine. You will be provided all the assistance you require. This complex is one of the finest high-tech industrial complexes in
China. Because it’s small, the people here are like a family. We currently have over 200 scientists, all with advanced degrees, working on various projects that have been deemed by the government to be very important. Many of your colleagues here have attended school in the United States and speak English.”

“Does everyone live here, in this prison?” I asked.

“I assure you Mr. Burton, this is no prison,” answered Fat.

“I’m sorry,” I argued as I looked around at the surroundings, “I guess the fifteen foot high walls surrounding this place and the armed guards at the entrance and the door in front of us, must have fooled me!”

“This is a highly regarded scientific facility,” Fat went on. “To answer your question, most people working here also live here by choice. We have family areas and comfortable individual rooms. We also have a common central cafeteria where you can order anything you want. A few of our people do live off site in the city, however.”

“Mr. Fat,” I said, “Stella and I want to live in the city. Is that alright?”

“That option is not available to you Mr. Burton,” answered Fat.

“Then for us it is a prison!” I declared.

Another man in a business suit came out of the building, bounced down the steps and opened the door of the van. He was lean, about 35 years old, enthusiastic and cheerful.

“Step out of the car folks. I am so honored to meet the two greatest scientists in the world” he said sounding strangely sincere. “My name is Dr. Stanley Yam. I am the director of this facility and I want to welcome you. Please follow me. I want to show you your new home and then we will show you where you will be working.”

Yam escorted us past a reception area with one receptionist and two more armed guards. We proceeded through a door and down a long hall. We turned down another hall to the left and Yam stopped at a door, turned the knob and we all went in. The room was small; about ten by ten with a tiny closet on one end. It had one window to the outside with bars making escape impossible. The room was sparsely decorated with Asian style furniture including a twin bed, a night stand with a small lamp, and a large dresser with a simple mirror hung on the wall behind it.

“Dr. Morton, this is your room. In your dresser we have included appropriate attire for your stay with us. Please get settled and I will show Mr. Burton his room right next door.”

“Where’s the bathroom Dr. Yam?” Stella asked. “I need to use it.”

“It’s down the hall through that door on the right,” Yam answered, “and you are fortunate, there are only eight women sharing that bathroom in this part of the facility. Mr. Burton, the men’s restroom is the next door.”

Both Stella and I walked to our respective communal baths, came out and Stella went back to her room

I followed Yam to the next room and it was exactly like Stella’s; same size, same closet and exactly the same furniture.

“Your decorator lacks a little imagination.” I said but the comment seemed to go over Yam’s head. I looked through some drawers, inspected my new wardrobe, tested the extra firm mattress and stood up. “May I go back and talk to Dr. Morton now, Dr. Yam?”

Yam nodded his approval and we went back to the adjoining room where Stella was laying on the bed and it looked like she was fast asleep.

“Dr. Yam, judging from what I see, may we postpone our visit to our work area until tomorrow. It’s been a long trip and we are both exhausted,” I whispered.

Yam nodded his approval and said. “Our evening meal is at 6 PM which is about four hours from now. I’ll return then and escort you there.” With that he walked away.

When I exited Stella’s room, I saw that two guards had been placed outside our rooms; one for Stella and one for me.

-37-

It was Saturday about 9 AM when Jerry’s phone rang. “Jerry, this is Brenda. I’ve been calling Bill’s phone for the last two days and he doesn’t answer. Where is he Jerry, I’m worried.”

“Brenda, meet me at Bill’s house at noon. There’s something I’ve got to tell his grandparents and Joanna. You might as well be there too.” Jerry answered.

At noon Brenda arrived at Bill’s house and Jerry was already inside. Brenda came in, sat down and joined everyone staring at Jerry anxiously waiting for information about Bill.

“First, Bill is OK.” Jerry said. “Second he is in China with Stella. They have been abducted by our own government and to put it bluntly, have been sold into servitude”

“What?!” screamed Brenda.

“Yeah, Bill told me this might happen.” Pops said.

“Start from the beginning Jerry Smith,” Brenda demanded. “I don’t know why I know so little about my boy friend but damn it, you’d better clue me in right now!”

Jerry took the next half hour giving Brenda a concise yet complete analysis of the current situation including the probability of an armed rescue inside China.

Brenda sat there in stunned silence and then in an instant came back to life. “Jerry I want to help. What do you need me to do?”

“Brenda, this is a dangerous mission. Some of us may not come back.” Jerry explained.

“I don’t care.” Brenda declared as she stood up and became very animated. “I love Bill. I have to try to help save him. Jerry, don’t forget I took three years of Chinese in high school and minored in it in college so I am fluent in the language; that’s got to be an asset. Also I ran on the BYU women’s cross country team so I am in good shape. Unless we are leaving tomorrow, you can teach me to handle a gun and give me some hand to hand fighting lessons. And being a smart, attractive, sexy young woman might come in handy along the way too. So it’s settled then. I’m too valuable to leave behind. I’m going!”

“We are having our first planning meeting tomorrow at a place to be determined,” Jerry said. We are looking for a location to meet away from everyone’s office since our little endeavor is technically ‘off the books’.”

“Let’s meet at Chantry Flat. I know a secluded place up there where we can talk in private. Call me with the time and place,” Brenda ordered.

“I’ll relay your suggestion to my people Brenda. I’m very familiar with Chantry Flat too but your participation is strictly up to the guys in the group.

If it works out, I’ll call you with the time and pick you up Brenda,” Jerry said.

The next day was Sunday. Jerry had received permission from Rolf allowing Brenda to join the first planning meeting. They arrived at the Chantry Flat rendezvous point sharply at 10 AM. Within fifteen minutes Rolf, Alvarez and Vaughn were all standing around a picnic table at the far end of the area. After introductions, Brenda signaled to the men to follow her down a narrow path that wound down the mountain to a small stream.

“This is the place. Bill and I spent a lot of time right here in high school.” Brenda said in a melancholy way. “So men, what’s the plan to save Bill.”

“I’m a little confused,” said Vaughn, “Why is she here; because she’s the girl friend? This is just ‘off the charts’ stupid!”

“Agent Vaughn, before you pass judgment on me,” Brenda jumped in. “I am fluent in Chinese, I could outrun you and Alvarez and I’m a woman. By the time we leave, I’ll be proficient with a handgun and be able to hold my own in a fight. If you’d loan me one of your female training agents to give me a crash course in how to be a spy, I promise I will be an asset.”

“OK Brenda, this is your first test,” said Vaughn. “I want you to seduce Agent Alvarez here and I want you to speak Chinese when you do it. By the way, Alvarez is fluent in Chinese as well.”

With that challenge, Brenda rose and sat on the right, next to Alvarez. She whispered something in Chinese into his ear and continued to speak sweetly. She grasped his arm tenderly just above his right elbow and pressed her left breast into his upper arm. She was still speaking softly as she looked lustfully into his eyes. She reached her right hand up to his chin, pulled his head toward her and kissed him passionately.

When the kiss was over, Alvarez looked over at Vaughn and declared, “She passed the first test with flying colors, Agent Vaughn!”

Everyone roared their approval. “OK young lady, you appear to be somewhat skilled and highly motivated,” Vaughn said. “We are scheduled to leave in three weeks. The only people who can stop you now are your parents. Jerry, it’s your job to talk to her parents and tell them how dangerous this mission is. Don’t tell them anything they don’t need to know but make sure they understand that this is a life and death situation.”

Vaughn actually believed that including Brenda on the mission was too risky, so he included the parental approval stipulation thinking that no parents in their right mind would let her go on an operation this dangerous.

Rolf took over and began to inform the group. “We got lucky. From the intel I am getting, Stella and Bill are being held in a scientific compound in a town called Nantong. Nantong is located on the Chang River about a hundred clicks Northwest of Shanghai so it is near the coast. As I see it now, we will need three teams to approach the compound from different directions. Get as many Chinese looking and speaking men as you have available and are willing to participate in this mission.”

“Felix, I hope you have men in the area that can help. We will need transportation to and from the local area. I was thinking some kind of fishing vessel could get us dropped off near
Nantong and pick us up. We will need some other kind of transport to take us from Southern Japan to a rendezvous point with the fishing vessel; and some way to get us back to Japan. Plus we’ll need some inflatable rafts and other basic equipment. Can you arrange all that?”

Alvarez and Vaughn looked at each other and almost in unison said “No problem.”

“OK, we have much more logistical planning and information to gather if we are going to make our mission successful,” Rolf added. “I will let you all know the location of the next meeting. We will go over the final strategy and each of us will begin training for our specific part of the plan. Brenda, as soon as you get permission from your parents; your training will begin and I promise you it will be the most intense experience of your life.”

“Rolf, I’m twenty two, I make my own decisions, I’m committed and I promise I won’t let you down!” Brenda said with the tough determination of a highly motivated, if not naïve participant.

With that the group started walking back up the trail with Alvarez and Vaughn walking together. “Marvin I told my boss that I was heading up this operation,” Alvarez said.

“Felix, I told my boss that I was heading up the operation too.” Vaughn said. “But it appears to me we have the best man for job in charge. I’m not sure who Rolf is, but his thought processes and skill set are just what we need. I’m starting to think we might actually pull this off.”

Rolf heard Vaughn’s and Alvarez’s conversation and said “Men, we are going to be bringing Bill and Stella home!” He said it in Chinese.

The next day Rolf made a phone call. Stella had given him Forest Buckholder’s direct line in case he needed it.

Buckholder came immediately on the line. “Mr. Buckholder, I am Rolf Morton, Dr. Stella Morton’s brother. She gave me your direct number. I am not sure if you know yet but our government has traded Bill Burton and Stella to the Chinese for a reduction in the debt we owe them.”

“Rolf, I didn’t know. How did the government justify that?”

“It was some sort of Presidential Executive Order, Privilege or Mandate signed by the President himself so he is the one calling the shots.” Rolf answered.

“Nothing surprises me anymore Rolf. How can I help?”

“I hope we can trust you Mr. Buckholder.” Rolf said.

“Rolf you can, absolutely.

“We are planning a rescue operation. Here’s how I think you can help.” Rolf began. The two men discussed the upcoming operation and worked out ways in which Forest Buckholder could be of assistance.