Chapter 8: The Car Chase
“Ok…when can we launch the Reality Waver to the market?” Frank asked rolling his eyes again.
“We still have a lot of technological problems we need to solve…”
“I thought your teams already backward-engineered the blueprint from the device I gave you?”
“Yes. The design is groundbreaking. I had never seen anything like it before.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that it is light years ahead of what the technologies in our lab can analyze.”
“Do we have to go through it again? I told you I was not giving you any more money to upgrade your lab!”
“Well I guess we will have to try our best we what we have then…”
“Ok…if and I mean hypothetically if I gave you the money you asked for how long would it speed up the process and how long would it take to solve all the technical problems?”
“To be honest, I can’t really quantify it. However, with the upgraded technologies, we are talking about within years rather than at least over 10 years with the old technologies.”
“Fine. You’d better over-deliver, otherwise…”
“Sure we will!”
However, the upgrade of his research lab did not reassured Frank who grew frustrated and suspicious. Frank started to have his agents following Jay secretly.
From the moment Jay left his home to when he came back, Frank’s agents would provide a detailed report on what Jay did which became a daily obsession to Frank.
Frank dared not to spy too closely fearing the reputational threat from the secret Admirer.
Frank lost his cool when his agents passed him a photo of Jay’s wearing a pair of the earplug devices inside his room.
Jay kept his cool as he noticed his room was tidier than he left in the morning. The furniture were moved slightly. The objects inside the drawers were meddled with. The room was cleaned in such a way that the cleaners didn’t want to be noticed. He knew only one person who would have the motivation and resources to search his room so professionally. It was Frank. He knew what Frank was looking for and was reassured because he did not store it in his room.
Knowing the dire consequences of letting Frank to get hold of it, Jay decided to personally take it oversea. Without telling anyone, Jay drove all the way to the highway carrying the most important thing with him.
A black sedan surfaced from behind. Before Jay could react, it was hit from behind amid the screaming of the tires. Jay maintained his composure as his heart beats were racing. He noticed his breathing became shallow. He got a firm grip on the wheel which was at the blink of losing control. Jay’s car finally saw another car in front of them. A sudden turn and twist allowed Jay’s car to get in front it before losing the black sedan. Jay wondered if his uncle used the same trick to try to lose the black sedan that was chasing him. The car went into the small cross road which would led him to the airport. It was a shortcut his uncle told him. Even at almost full speed, he saw the road ahead on the bridge was blocked by a container truck. It was the same bridge his uncle’s car fell off of. Jay could not help but to turn and look at the sea that devoured his uncle without any mercy. The idea of charging ahead into the massive container truck was dismissed by Jay who was slowing down his car.
Frank emerged from the truck extending both of his hands as if he was welcoming Jay.
All of a sudden, a helicopter appeared and landed between the two.
“Jay get in here” a familiar voice shouted from the helicopter.
“Uncle Bill!” Jay shouted back.
Jay jumped out of his car with a memory stick that contained the original and only copy of the Reality Waver’s blueprint. For a split second, he was hesitant to get into the helicopter. He could not believe his uncle was still alive. However, all his doubt evaporated when he saw the signature smile from his uncle.
“Uncle Bill…”
“Jay, put on the parachute too…ask questions later…our priority is to get out of here.” Bill commanded Jay as the helicopter was starting to talk off.
“I am asking you anything but I want to tell you about my Instant True Calling Creator…”
Jay was interrupted by a sudden opening of the helicopter’s door as it was ascending. It was Frank who somehow climbed into the helicopter.
“Hand it over to me or I will…” Frank demanded with a gun in his hand pointing towards Jay.
The helicopter was shaken violently as Bill escalated the ascent. Jay crushed himself into Frank who dropped his gun. Frank fought back trying to seize Jay’s backpack. He regained his gun, only to find his hands were gripped by Jay. A gun shot was fired. The second shot was fired. No one was hurt, but one of the shots hit the control panel of the helicopter setting it on fire. Bill was losing control of the helicopter as he was distracted by the man was trying to seize the most important thing as well as threatening to kill the most important person in his life. It was as if the helicopter had a mind of its own. He was flying towards the mountain. It was the mountain that symbolized the country.
Bill was the first to saw the mountain. Instinctively he took from Jay the backpack which was still hold by Frank from the other end before kicking Jay out of the helicopter through the opened door.
“Parachute!” was the last word Bill shouted to Jay before the helicopter crashed into the mountain. The helicopter exploded into flame.