Post by steve on Sept 15, 2011 15:27:46 GMT -6
PART CXI
"Wally!" Laura exclaimed, turning around to see Wally being wheeled into the conference room in a wheelchair. Hearing Laura's voice for the first time since entering the transportation chamber made Wally smile & forget the dismal future of his injured shoulder.
His friends - Jojo, Laura & Cindy, had been seated in the conference room prior to Wally's arrival. The conference room was cavernous for their purpose, a scant four people swallowed in a room built to comfortably seat more then thirty in a "round-table" fashion.
The guard pushed Wally's wheelchair under the table & Wally noticed that the height of the wheelchair seat & the height of the table were almost perfectly matched. He would have been at no less an advantage had he been seated at a normal chair in the room.
Just as the guard walked out, Oscar walked in.
"Hello," Oscar said, walking quickly to the opposing side of the room & sitting down.
"My name is Oscar," Oscar continued, "And, in a way, I've already met you. I know you have a lot of questions. Some I will answer, others I can't & some others I won't. You'll just have to accept my judgment on that."
Oscar paused & his only response were eight eyes all looking at him. He took it as a sign to continue.
"Let's begin with the basics. You know that you originated on the copied world. That makes you copies, clones or however else you want to call it. If it makes you feel any better, your existence on this world has proven a lot of theories wrong," Oscar continued.
"I'm not here to judge you. I know that two of you are draft dodgers & Laura is a deserter. I've already had words with your real counterparts about all the infractions, violations & the whatnot that got you to this point. They've been punished for their actions but I'm giving you guys complete & total amnesty for everything you've done up until now," Oscar said.
Oscar pulled out four pieces of paper. He gave them to Laura & motioned for her to pass them to the other three. Wally's glance at them revealed that it was a certificate of some kind that had the word "Presidential" on it. His scrutiny of it was interrupted by Oscar continuing to talk.
"That's your copy of what's called a 'Conditional Presidential Pardon.' It's different then a regular pardon in that conditions must be met to maintain the pardon. That's what I want to talk to you about today," Oscar said.
Oscar's tone shifted from formality to informality as he began, "There's no easy way to say this so I'll just say it - You can't go back home. You survived your ordeal in the copied world &, as far as I'm concerned, you've earned your freedom. However, the price of that freedom is to live in isolation for the rest of your lives. No contact with the outside world. None. The only alternative is to order a guard in here & shoot you all here & now."
Oscar sighed before continuing, "As a copied human, you are of immense importance to the scientific community. You're a curiosity to them, no different from that of a space alien. As a condition of your continued existence, you'll be required to submit to whatever scientific experiments they want. The tests won't turn you into mental midgets or anything of that sort."
"You're going to be transported to an island in the Pacific. It houses a former base that was mothballed about ten years ago. Very few earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions & the whatnot happen there. Any of you here who've ever wanted to take up surfing will have your dreams fulfilled. If, after a while, everyone behaves, I'll see what I can do about vacations. I make no promises," Oscar continued.
"You're all now government employees for life. Your job is to have medical tests performed on you. That is not as hard as it seems. You will receive a nominal salary & as a fringe benefit you get the luxury of walking on the shore & never having to worry about health care or food ever again," Oscar concluded.
"You have questions, I'm sure," Oscar surmised, "So let's hear them."
======================
PART CXII
The pillow was an open secret.
Stuffed in the back of his closet, Oscar hid a pillow during those times when he absolutely, positively couldn't leave his office & absolutely, positively had to get some sleep.
He had tried to keep the existance of the pillow a secret from everyone else but word had soon leaked out. It was greeted with a tongue-in-cheek response that had actually been beneficial for Oscar - He was thought of as more of a human being then as a military man with more medals then a normal chest could hold. That attitude made people more apt to follow orders &, as far as Oscar was concerned, any device other then a travelling bullet (or the threat of one) that made people follow orders was a good one.
Mullagney saw Oscar resting his head on the pillow, the pillow resting on a section of Oscar's desk.
"Sir," Mullagney stated, announcing his presense.
"Mullagney," Oscar drowsily replied, "The next time you sound like an alarm clock, I'm going to demote you."
"Yes, sir," Mullagney said, failing to suppress a smirk. Mullagney seated himself while Oscar sat up, grabbed the pillow & placed it aside.
"Our real guests have signed the bargain," Mullagney reported.
"Fantastic," Oscar deadpanned, "Does that include what's-her-name?"
"Cindy, sir?" Mullagney replied, to which he saw Oscar nod.
"No, sir," Mullagney reported, "She has not signed the contract yet. She's legally entitled to forty-eight hours to review the contract."
"Christ," Oscar mused to himself, "How blonde can a woman get?"
"What about Harold & Martin?" Oscar asked, "Are they on board or do we have to shove them off the plank?"
"Harold is on board," Mullagney reported, "He also wishes not to be transported in any further experiments."
"Granted," Oscar replied immediately, stifling a yawn, "What about Martin? What was on his Christmas list?"
"We may have to sit on Martin for awhile," Mullagney said, "The psychologists say he may not be ready to openly discuss the transportation incident. He may also be a leak risk."
"Keep him in isolation," Oscar said, "Can we get Harold to try & swing Martin over?"
"The psychologists said that it would be best if they handled his condition for now," Mullagney replied.
"If it makes them happy," Oscar commented, "Are we ready with our cover story yet?"
"Yes, we are," Mullagney reported.
Oscar sighed, then stated, "Then let's do it. I'd hate to keep the widows waiting any longer then they have to."
Mullagney got up from his seat & began to walk towards the office door but then paused for a moment. Oscar picked up on it immediately.
"What is it?" Oscar asked.
"Sir," Mullagney started to say slowly, "One of the copies has a request that...Well, it violates what you had stated to them earlier..."
"What is it?" Oscar asked again.
Mullagney explained the request to Oscar. Oscar couldn't help but smile & give out a little chuckle as his response.
"Yeah," Oscar replied, "I suppose we can swing that. Work out the details & get back to me on that."
Mullagney left the office & Oscar couldn't help but continue to stifle an ever-growing laugh.
'The things I can never tell my wife...' Oscar thought, finally shaking off the smile & begrudgingly getting back to work.
======================
PART CXIII
The news story had been designed to practically bury itself. Admist the sudden collapse of the enemy forces, a small news item about an accidental gas leakage & explosion was reported at a military research facility. Thirty-seven people were killed, their bodies burned beyond all recognition. Two scientists were fortunate to have survived with injuries.
The investigation would reveal that the gas leakage was caused when chemicals were improperly stored. The gas, being flammable, eventually exploded when exposed to the heat of machinery operating under normal conditions.
Oscar didn't want a scapegoat but was overruled by media specialists especially trained in handling "Diplomatic resolutions to sensitive matters." In other words, they were good at covering things up. Wallace would be the scapegoat & his posthumous performance as the manager who ran the proverbial ship into the ground went off splendid in the media.
The incident only received one day of national press & a few more in the local media markets. It hardly even registered a blip on the national conscience, which was transfixed on the post-war efforts abroad.
Oscar finally did manage to get home to his wife & family. At home, his son showed him the latest game that he had bought. Cute. His daughter was evasive about her dating habits but that was nothing new. Eventually, she revealed that she was friends with a boy named Kevin but not "friends friends." He had no idea what the difference was but his wife told him that there was a difference.
The family was excited to learn that they would be going on a vacation. The kids, of course, wanted a theme park. His daughter wanted to take a friend along but that idea was nixed quickly. His son wanted to take his games along & that was nixed just as quickly.
For Oscar, though, there was no such thing as a vacation. He would be in constant communication with his office. His office would shift from an ordinary building to a laptop in a motel room somewhere. Until he retired, his wife would just have to learn that a part of his office would always be with him.
Oscar knew that there would be a second transportation. Maybe not tomorrow or the next day but it would happen soon enough. His superiors had received a taste of the far future & they had enjoyed it thoroughly. That taste, as horrible of an aftertaste as there was with it, had ended a war.
Oscar wondered briefly, for a moment, what the next transportation would accomplish. Whatever it was, it wasn't for him to say. He followed orders & if his superiors wanted to create a new world just to blow it up, then that's what he was obligated to do. He just hoped that it didn't cost the lives that it had the first time around.
======================
PART CXIV
"Are you kidding?!"
Dawn's face froze for a moment in shock. All she could do was stare at Cindy after she had been told the news.
"Yeah," Cindy said flippantly, "They just want me for, like, testing & stuff. It's weird."
"Weird?!" Dawn exclaimed, "WEIRD?!! Two months from now, I'm in boot camp. Rachel's going in, like, half a year & even Valerie might get sucked into it."
"Valerie doing work for a change," Cindy mused, "Now that'll be something."
Dawn suddenly produced a smile, saying, "I wonder what they'll do with her cell phone?"
"I can think of a few places where they can store it," Cindy quipped, causing Dawn to almost laugh.
"I bet some of them haven't been used in a while," Dawn said, trying hard not to choke on her laughter.
"They'd better dust for cobwebs first," Cindy quipped again dryly, causing Dawn to back up to a wall in the employee lounge, sit on the floor & laugh. Her face was turning bright red when Rachel walked in.
"What's up?" Rachel asked plainly.
"Just wondering how Valerie would fare if she got called up for service," Cindy replied.
"Oh, so you've heard," Rachel replied.
"Heard what?" Cindy asked, genuinely curious.
"I guess Valerie tried to appeal to the military that she was too valuable to serve 'cause she's the manager of a store," Rachel stated with some sarcasm, "Well, that appeal got denied. She was just told that today. They also told her that boot camp for her starts in two weeks. So, if you see our boss & it looks like her hair is on fire, you'll know why."
Rachel walked out of the employee lounge, oblivious to the two shocked faces that she had produced.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"You guys measure everything," the copied Laura stated as Dr. Venderton took measurements of Laura's fingers.
"We aim to be very precise," Dr. Venderton replied warmly with a smile, before going back to measuring Laura's fingers.
There was an awkward pause & Laura looked around the room. It was no different then the standard examination room at most private doctor's practices. Laura wore only a paper-y examination hospital gown.
"So," Laura asked, "How are you guys going to do all these tests if we're on an island?"
"Oh," Dr. Venderton replied, "We're retro-fitting the island so that we can perform our tests on it. Any sensitive lab experiments, the ones you're probably thinking of, can be performed off-site once we've gathered whatever specimens we need."
"Oh," Laura simply said, adding after a pause, "That must be expensive."
"Not at all," Dr. Venderton replied, "For a few measly dollars, the scientific community gets a wealth of knowledge in return."
Dr. Venderton finished up his tests & Laura was dismissed.
Dr. Venderton used a nearby phone & called Mullagney. He wasn't available so Dr. Venderton left a voice mail message.
"I have those finger measurements for you," He stated to Mullagney, "And I'll send them over right away."
As he hung up the phone, he wondered why Mullagney was so interested in Laura's finger measurements.
============================
PART CXV
"The package has arrived," a voice on the other end of the phone said. Mullagney nodded & smiled at the news.
"Very good," he replied, "Keep me informed & keep him there until I call back."
Mullagney ended the call & called another telephone number.
"Hi, this is Mullagney," he said, "It's a go. Let's roll."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The real Wally sat on a couch in a doctor's reception area. It wasn't even a military base where he was at; Merely a company that had contracts with the military.
Had it been absolutely essential to get him here just so that he could wait? Although he had been fifteen minutes early for whatever testing they had wanted done on him, not a single doctor had seen him in close to one-half hour. He hadn't even been led to an examination room yet.
As he begrudgingly picked up a magazine that was nearly one year old, he thought to himself, 'Hurry up & wait - It's not just for the military anymore.' He smirked as he forced himself to read dated topics that he was barely interested in.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"There will be no sight-seeing," Mullagney warned as he folded the wheelchair into the back of the military SUV. He felt so...Alien, wearing 'civvies' while still at the office. The clothes weren't even olive green. It made him feel grubby, like he was a hippy.
'Maybe you just need some fresh air,' his conscience snapped back, 'The war shouldn't be your entire life.'
"Don't worry," the copied Wally said, "I understand. Thank you for doing this."
Mullagney got into the driver's seat & started the SUV. They drove away a moment later.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Look," Valerie said, "Just talk to him, OK? Just talk to him. That's all I'm asking. It's like, I mean, I run this whole store! Who's going to run the f**king store when I'm gone?!" Cindy, just outside the 'Employees Only' area rearranging a display, could hear Valerie pleading into her cell phone.
After a pause, Valerie made a sarcastic laugh, saying, "Right. Sure. Like anyone else could really run this place."
Cindy just rolled her eyes & looked at her watch. It was already over twenty minutes since she was supposed to have taken her break. She definitely wasn't going to take a break with her boss in the employee lounge, two degrees shy of spontaneous human combustion.
She walked over to Rachel, who manned the cash register as unenthusiastically as she would watch car racing.
"I'm going on break. I'll get you a coffee. Need anything?" Cindy asked Rachel.
"Screw the coffee. I'm feeling anorexic. Get me a shake, double chocolate from the 'Shake-A-Lot' store. Don't forget the straw," Rachel replied, pulling a few dollars from her pocket.
"Working on your sucking skills?" Cindy asked, trying to keep a straight face but failing horribly.
Rachel briefly laughed before replying, "No, I just want something good to suck on...For a change."
They both laughed as Cindy walked away.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Say, look," Wally asked Mullagney as they drove towards their destination, "I need to know..."
"What?" Mullagney asked.
"What's going to happen to...well, the other me? The 'real' me?" Wally asked.
"The real you," Mullagney replied, "Is a draft dodger & was subject to the laws governing this great country of ours. Considering what he could have gotten, I think you can rest fairly easy."
"Right," Wally replied, an awkward pause filling the SUV.
"Look," Wally continued, "Um, I'm sorry for skipping out on the draft. I mean, I know I shouldn't have done it..."
Mullagney interrupted him, saying, "I don't want to hear it, OK? It's nothing good, it's nothing bad. For what it's worth, though, I think you absolved yourself nicely."
"How so?" Wally asked.
"You saved a life when you didn't need to," Mullagney commented, "You risked yourself & others to help a comrade in distress & punish the offenders. You attempted to establish a command center to deal with the crisis you were faced with & open channels of communication for which you could aid recovery efforts. From the interrogations, it sounds like you were fairly level-headed all the way through."
There was another awkward pause in the SUV as they continued to drive. It would last until they arrived at their destination.
"Wally!" Laura exclaimed, turning around to see Wally being wheeled into the conference room in a wheelchair. Hearing Laura's voice for the first time since entering the transportation chamber made Wally smile & forget the dismal future of his injured shoulder.
His friends - Jojo, Laura & Cindy, had been seated in the conference room prior to Wally's arrival. The conference room was cavernous for their purpose, a scant four people swallowed in a room built to comfortably seat more then thirty in a "round-table" fashion.
The guard pushed Wally's wheelchair under the table & Wally noticed that the height of the wheelchair seat & the height of the table were almost perfectly matched. He would have been at no less an advantage had he been seated at a normal chair in the room.
Just as the guard walked out, Oscar walked in.
"Hello," Oscar said, walking quickly to the opposing side of the room & sitting down.
"My name is Oscar," Oscar continued, "And, in a way, I've already met you. I know you have a lot of questions. Some I will answer, others I can't & some others I won't. You'll just have to accept my judgment on that."
Oscar paused & his only response were eight eyes all looking at him. He took it as a sign to continue.
"Let's begin with the basics. You know that you originated on the copied world. That makes you copies, clones or however else you want to call it. If it makes you feel any better, your existence on this world has proven a lot of theories wrong," Oscar continued.
"I'm not here to judge you. I know that two of you are draft dodgers & Laura is a deserter. I've already had words with your real counterparts about all the infractions, violations & the whatnot that got you to this point. They've been punished for their actions but I'm giving you guys complete & total amnesty for everything you've done up until now," Oscar said.
Oscar pulled out four pieces of paper. He gave them to Laura & motioned for her to pass them to the other three. Wally's glance at them revealed that it was a certificate of some kind that had the word "Presidential" on it. His scrutiny of it was interrupted by Oscar continuing to talk.
"That's your copy of what's called a 'Conditional Presidential Pardon.' It's different then a regular pardon in that conditions must be met to maintain the pardon. That's what I want to talk to you about today," Oscar said.
Oscar's tone shifted from formality to informality as he began, "There's no easy way to say this so I'll just say it - You can't go back home. You survived your ordeal in the copied world &, as far as I'm concerned, you've earned your freedom. However, the price of that freedom is to live in isolation for the rest of your lives. No contact with the outside world. None. The only alternative is to order a guard in here & shoot you all here & now."
Oscar sighed before continuing, "As a copied human, you are of immense importance to the scientific community. You're a curiosity to them, no different from that of a space alien. As a condition of your continued existence, you'll be required to submit to whatever scientific experiments they want. The tests won't turn you into mental midgets or anything of that sort."
"You're going to be transported to an island in the Pacific. It houses a former base that was mothballed about ten years ago. Very few earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions & the whatnot happen there. Any of you here who've ever wanted to take up surfing will have your dreams fulfilled. If, after a while, everyone behaves, I'll see what I can do about vacations. I make no promises," Oscar continued.
"You're all now government employees for life. Your job is to have medical tests performed on you. That is not as hard as it seems. You will receive a nominal salary & as a fringe benefit you get the luxury of walking on the shore & never having to worry about health care or food ever again," Oscar concluded.
"You have questions, I'm sure," Oscar surmised, "So let's hear them."
======================
PART CXII
The pillow was an open secret.
Stuffed in the back of his closet, Oscar hid a pillow during those times when he absolutely, positively couldn't leave his office & absolutely, positively had to get some sleep.
He had tried to keep the existance of the pillow a secret from everyone else but word had soon leaked out. It was greeted with a tongue-in-cheek response that had actually been beneficial for Oscar - He was thought of as more of a human being then as a military man with more medals then a normal chest could hold. That attitude made people more apt to follow orders &, as far as Oscar was concerned, any device other then a travelling bullet (or the threat of one) that made people follow orders was a good one.
Mullagney saw Oscar resting his head on the pillow, the pillow resting on a section of Oscar's desk.
"Sir," Mullagney stated, announcing his presense.
"Mullagney," Oscar drowsily replied, "The next time you sound like an alarm clock, I'm going to demote you."
"Yes, sir," Mullagney said, failing to suppress a smirk. Mullagney seated himself while Oscar sat up, grabbed the pillow & placed it aside.
"Our real guests have signed the bargain," Mullagney reported.
"Fantastic," Oscar deadpanned, "Does that include what's-her-name?"
"Cindy, sir?" Mullagney replied, to which he saw Oscar nod.
"No, sir," Mullagney reported, "She has not signed the contract yet. She's legally entitled to forty-eight hours to review the contract."
"Christ," Oscar mused to himself, "How blonde can a woman get?"
"What about Harold & Martin?" Oscar asked, "Are they on board or do we have to shove them off the plank?"
"Harold is on board," Mullagney reported, "He also wishes not to be transported in any further experiments."
"Granted," Oscar replied immediately, stifling a yawn, "What about Martin? What was on his Christmas list?"
"We may have to sit on Martin for awhile," Mullagney said, "The psychologists say he may not be ready to openly discuss the transportation incident. He may also be a leak risk."
"Keep him in isolation," Oscar said, "Can we get Harold to try & swing Martin over?"
"The psychologists said that it would be best if they handled his condition for now," Mullagney replied.
"If it makes them happy," Oscar commented, "Are we ready with our cover story yet?"
"Yes, we are," Mullagney reported.
Oscar sighed, then stated, "Then let's do it. I'd hate to keep the widows waiting any longer then they have to."
Mullagney got up from his seat & began to walk towards the office door but then paused for a moment. Oscar picked up on it immediately.
"What is it?" Oscar asked.
"Sir," Mullagney started to say slowly, "One of the copies has a request that...Well, it violates what you had stated to them earlier..."
"What is it?" Oscar asked again.
Mullagney explained the request to Oscar. Oscar couldn't help but smile & give out a little chuckle as his response.
"Yeah," Oscar replied, "I suppose we can swing that. Work out the details & get back to me on that."
Mullagney left the office & Oscar couldn't help but continue to stifle an ever-growing laugh.
'The things I can never tell my wife...' Oscar thought, finally shaking off the smile & begrudgingly getting back to work.
======================
PART CXIII
The news story had been designed to practically bury itself. Admist the sudden collapse of the enemy forces, a small news item about an accidental gas leakage & explosion was reported at a military research facility. Thirty-seven people were killed, their bodies burned beyond all recognition. Two scientists were fortunate to have survived with injuries.
The investigation would reveal that the gas leakage was caused when chemicals were improperly stored. The gas, being flammable, eventually exploded when exposed to the heat of machinery operating under normal conditions.
Oscar didn't want a scapegoat but was overruled by media specialists especially trained in handling "Diplomatic resolutions to sensitive matters." In other words, they were good at covering things up. Wallace would be the scapegoat & his posthumous performance as the manager who ran the proverbial ship into the ground went off splendid in the media.
The incident only received one day of national press & a few more in the local media markets. It hardly even registered a blip on the national conscience, which was transfixed on the post-war efforts abroad.
Oscar finally did manage to get home to his wife & family. At home, his son showed him the latest game that he had bought. Cute. His daughter was evasive about her dating habits but that was nothing new. Eventually, she revealed that she was friends with a boy named Kevin but not "friends friends." He had no idea what the difference was but his wife told him that there was a difference.
The family was excited to learn that they would be going on a vacation. The kids, of course, wanted a theme park. His daughter wanted to take a friend along but that idea was nixed quickly. His son wanted to take his games along & that was nixed just as quickly.
For Oscar, though, there was no such thing as a vacation. He would be in constant communication with his office. His office would shift from an ordinary building to a laptop in a motel room somewhere. Until he retired, his wife would just have to learn that a part of his office would always be with him.
Oscar knew that there would be a second transportation. Maybe not tomorrow or the next day but it would happen soon enough. His superiors had received a taste of the far future & they had enjoyed it thoroughly. That taste, as horrible of an aftertaste as there was with it, had ended a war.
Oscar wondered briefly, for a moment, what the next transportation would accomplish. Whatever it was, it wasn't for him to say. He followed orders & if his superiors wanted to create a new world just to blow it up, then that's what he was obligated to do. He just hoped that it didn't cost the lives that it had the first time around.
======================
PART CXIV
"Are you kidding?!"
Dawn's face froze for a moment in shock. All she could do was stare at Cindy after she had been told the news.
"Yeah," Cindy said flippantly, "They just want me for, like, testing & stuff. It's weird."
"Weird?!" Dawn exclaimed, "WEIRD?!! Two months from now, I'm in boot camp. Rachel's going in, like, half a year & even Valerie might get sucked into it."
"Valerie doing work for a change," Cindy mused, "Now that'll be something."
Dawn suddenly produced a smile, saying, "I wonder what they'll do with her cell phone?"
"I can think of a few places where they can store it," Cindy quipped, causing Dawn to almost laugh.
"I bet some of them haven't been used in a while," Dawn said, trying hard not to choke on her laughter.
"They'd better dust for cobwebs first," Cindy quipped again dryly, causing Dawn to back up to a wall in the employee lounge, sit on the floor & laugh. Her face was turning bright red when Rachel walked in.
"What's up?" Rachel asked plainly.
"Just wondering how Valerie would fare if she got called up for service," Cindy replied.
"Oh, so you've heard," Rachel replied.
"Heard what?" Cindy asked, genuinely curious.
"I guess Valerie tried to appeal to the military that she was too valuable to serve 'cause she's the manager of a store," Rachel stated with some sarcasm, "Well, that appeal got denied. She was just told that today. They also told her that boot camp for her starts in two weeks. So, if you see our boss & it looks like her hair is on fire, you'll know why."
Rachel walked out of the employee lounge, oblivious to the two shocked faces that she had produced.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"You guys measure everything," the copied Laura stated as Dr. Venderton took measurements of Laura's fingers.
"We aim to be very precise," Dr. Venderton replied warmly with a smile, before going back to measuring Laura's fingers.
There was an awkward pause & Laura looked around the room. It was no different then the standard examination room at most private doctor's practices. Laura wore only a paper-y examination hospital gown.
"So," Laura asked, "How are you guys going to do all these tests if we're on an island?"
"Oh," Dr. Venderton replied, "We're retro-fitting the island so that we can perform our tests on it. Any sensitive lab experiments, the ones you're probably thinking of, can be performed off-site once we've gathered whatever specimens we need."
"Oh," Laura simply said, adding after a pause, "That must be expensive."
"Not at all," Dr. Venderton replied, "For a few measly dollars, the scientific community gets a wealth of knowledge in return."
Dr. Venderton finished up his tests & Laura was dismissed.
Dr. Venderton used a nearby phone & called Mullagney. He wasn't available so Dr. Venderton left a voice mail message.
"I have those finger measurements for you," He stated to Mullagney, "And I'll send them over right away."
As he hung up the phone, he wondered why Mullagney was so interested in Laura's finger measurements.
============================
PART CXV
"The package has arrived," a voice on the other end of the phone said. Mullagney nodded & smiled at the news.
"Very good," he replied, "Keep me informed & keep him there until I call back."
Mullagney ended the call & called another telephone number.
"Hi, this is Mullagney," he said, "It's a go. Let's roll."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The real Wally sat on a couch in a doctor's reception area. It wasn't even a military base where he was at; Merely a company that had contracts with the military.
Had it been absolutely essential to get him here just so that he could wait? Although he had been fifteen minutes early for whatever testing they had wanted done on him, not a single doctor had seen him in close to one-half hour. He hadn't even been led to an examination room yet.
As he begrudgingly picked up a magazine that was nearly one year old, he thought to himself, 'Hurry up & wait - It's not just for the military anymore.' He smirked as he forced himself to read dated topics that he was barely interested in.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"There will be no sight-seeing," Mullagney warned as he folded the wheelchair into the back of the military SUV. He felt so...Alien, wearing 'civvies' while still at the office. The clothes weren't even olive green. It made him feel grubby, like he was a hippy.
'Maybe you just need some fresh air,' his conscience snapped back, 'The war shouldn't be your entire life.'
"Don't worry," the copied Wally said, "I understand. Thank you for doing this."
Mullagney got into the driver's seat & started the SUV. They drove away a moment later.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Look," Valerie said, "Just talk to him, OK? Just talk to him. That's all I'm asking. It's like, I mean, I run this whole store! Who's going to run the f**king store when I'm gone?!" Cindy, just outside the 'Employees Only' area rearranging a display, could hear Valerie pleading into her cell phone.
After a pause, Valerie made a sarcastic laugh, saying, "Right. Sure. Like anyone else could really run this place."
Cindy just rolled her eyes & looked at her watch. It was already over twenty minutes since she was supposed to have taken her break. She definitely wasn't going to take a break with her boss in the employee lounge, two degrees shy of spontaneous human combustion.
She walked over to Rachel, who manned the cash register as unenthusiastically as she would watch car racing.
"I'm going on break. I'll get you a coffee. Need anything?" Cindy asked Rachel.
"Screw the coffee. I'm feeling anorexic. Get me a shake, double chocolate from the 'Shake-A-Lot' store. Don't forget the straw," Rachel replied, pulling a few dollars from her pocket.
"Working on your sucking skills?" Cindy asked, trying to keep a straight face but failing horribly.
Rachel briefly laughed before replying, "No, I just want something good to suck on...For a change."
They both laughed as Cindy walked away.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Say, look," Wally asked Mullagney as they drove towards their destination, "I need to know..."
"What?" Mullagney asked.
"What's going to happen to...well, the other me? The 'real' me?" Wally asked.
"The real you," Mullagney replied, "Is a draft dodger & was subject to the laws governing this great country of ours. Considering what he could have gotten, I think you can rest fairly easy."
"Right," Wally replied, an awkward pause filling the SUV.
"Look," Wally continued, "Um, I'm sorry for skipping out on the draft. I mean, I know I shouldn't have done it..."
Mullagney interrupted him, saying, "I don't want to hear it, OK? It's nothing good, it's nothing bad. For what it's worth, though, I think you absolved yourself nicely."
"How so?" Wally asked.
"You saved a life when you didn't need to," Mullagney commented, "You risked yourself & others to help a comrade in distress & punish the offenders. You attempted to establish a command center to deal with the crisis you were faced with & open channels of communication for which you could aid recovery efforts. From the interrogations, it sounds like you were fairly level-headed all the way through."
There was another awkward pause in the SUV as they continued to drive. It would last until they arrived at their destination.