Ch. 5 – Duncan Strauss Mysteries
The Storm Approaches
The floodgates of memory poured upon his mind. Duncan jerked forward, while all his blood went straight to his temple. He grasped his head feeling the course texture of a tightly wrapped gauze. He laid back. “What happened?” He recalled the traffic, the phone call, the sprint, the bright light, and then nothing. It was all black.
Where is Kathryn? He looked around. He lay in a white room on a bed with sheets smooth to the touch. The room was mostly barren, bar the imposing bed he lay upon, a small espresso-coloured end-table to his right, a cart filled with glasses, shiny implements, and a bin for disposal. The wall in front of him bore a poster with a thin plastic frame. It depicted a vast forest of birch trees, though they were slightly obfuscated behind a slight blur, likely to accentuate the text that lie in front. “Keep moving forward.” He read aloud.
He felt as though he could hear his heartbeat. But he could, he picked up the rhythmic pulsing of the vast machines behind him - feeling the movement of pressure in his veins synchronized with the subtle ‘beeps’ from beyond his vision. He glanced upwards realizing it was a mistake. His head seared. Looking forward again, he glanced to his left toward the door. The door was slightly ajar. He heard the whispered mutterings of strangers, the shuffle of chairs and shoes, the elevated tone of voice, the rush of urgency. Need to find Kathryn.
He felt something attached to his wrist - a round but lightweight tube. He followed it up to somewhere behind him, realizing that he should avoid craning his neck. He glanced at the mechanism that penetrated his skin. He noticed a couple with a small lever. He slid the lever to the right, releasing the couple. He shook his arm, feeling free of the extra weight. He pushed his legs to the right just until they reached the edge and fell off. He leaned forward, slowly this time, and pressed his hands to his knees, stretching his torso. He tried to stand, but couldn’t - and fell back catching himself before his back hit the bed. Okay. Slowly now. He pressed forward, coming to a stand. As he stood, he realized that he was in a medical gown, feeling a not so average breeze. He noticed a shelf on the cart at the front of the room, where he recognized his clothes. He started towards them, making a conscious effort to balance on even footing. He felt the clothes, and felt a fine powder rub off on his fingertips. He picked them up and shook them off, forming a thin layer of dust on the floor. He started to remove his gown and glanced toward the door. The window of the door appeared frosted - so he shrugged and started to change. He sat back on the bed to stabilize while he sheathed his legs into his trousers. How was this so easy before?
As he slipped the final arm into the sleeve, he heard a knock at the door - it was man dressed in all white.
“Mr. Strauss.” He said.
“Hello, doctor.” Duncan replied.
“I see you’re feeling better,” the man smiled.
“How long was I out?”
“You’ve been out for just over eighteen hours,” he said glancing up from his watch. “Normally I would suggest staying in bed, but seeing as you’ve dressed yourself, I’m going to ask that we open this room for another patient.”
Duncan nodded. "I was able to remove the IV, but I was afraid to pull this out," he held his wrist forward.
"Oh yes, I'm glad you didn't pull on that. Let me call a nurse." He left the room.
Duncan glanced down where the man was standing, and noticed footprints where the dust had settled not minutes before.
The doctor returned with a nurse who was holding some kind of applicator - it looked almost like a bottle of adhesive.
"This will take just a moment," the nurse said, gently grabbing his forearm.
Duncan glanced at the doctor, “I need to find my sister Kathryn, do you know where she is?”
“I’m afraid not, though the front desk should be able to help you."
"Almost done," the nurse interjected.
Duncan glanced down at his wrist, almost surprised at what it left behind. The nurse hovered the applicator over his wrist, oozing some viscous goop over the hole. "The adhesive will decay in about the time it takes to heal, and then will fall off just like a scab." The nurse looked up at him and smiled.
"Thank you." Duncan replied.
“If you start feeling light-headed, faint, any kind of pain, let us know - it may be some complication we need to consider.” the doctor started toward the door.
"Is a migraine normal?" Duncan asked, shielding his eyes from the light above.
The doctor kept walking toward the door, "A migraine is characteristic with such an injury. It involves pressure imbalance with fluids surrounding the brain. It should go away within a few days, and if it doesn't come back immediately." The doctor turned, and shook Duncan's hand. "The front desk will also have your statement, a standard 84 pieces."
Duncan stepped into the hallway. "Thank you, doctor."
"Oh, and best of luck finding your sister," the doctor offered a look of sympathy, nodded, turned and left.
Duncan looked around the hallway - he saw people in white, concerned family members, people in tears, hurried processor conversation - all rushing this way and that. "Now to find the front desk."
William glanced down at his shined shoes and noticed some dust along the sides he must of missed. He stopped in the hallway, sat down on a nearby couch, pulled off his shoes, and, wicking some moisture from the tip of his tongue, began to re-shine his already shiny shoes. He set the shoe back on the floor, slipping his foot back inside. He stood, straightened his tie, and proceeded down the hallway.
He met his assistant midway through the hall. She wore a loose fitting blouse which complemented her figure, along with tightly fitted dress pants.
“Have you ever known how to match your clothes, or is it a recent regression?” William asked.
“Yes, sir.” Denise replied cooley. “Are you prepared?”
“Of course. Little preparation is needed for something so self-evident.”
“Well I prepared these for you anyway,” she reached her hand forward.
William grabbed the note cards, muttering through them. “...addressing the allegations,” “...revolutionary new service,” “already rolling out...” “Yes, this will work.” He grabbed at his jacket collar, and slid the cards into the sleek pocket brushing past his rather notable breast.
“Is that all, Denise?”
“Yes sir,” she replied.
William nodded his head, and proceeded down the hall.
Duncan started down the hallway. He began to listen to others' conversations. “A skin graft?” He heard. “Has it been tested?” Said another. “What do you mean synthetic?” Said yet another. It was almost as though everybody was participating in the same conversation, all with different doctors.
Duncan walked through a pair of heavy-looking doors, and came upon a small area with sofas and a large television mounted to the wall like a plain picture frame. He heard someone shout, “Duncan!” Duncan turned and faced the sofas, and was quickly embraced by someone he recognized first by smell.
“Kati!” Duncan replied, wincing.
Kati relaxed her grip, “when you left so abruptly I was worried. You’re all over the news!” She picked up the remote from the table, and flicked her wrist a few times to the left and spoke into the remote “Peace-Time Produce bombing.” The screen offered a few results, but Kati choose the first one.
Duncan walked up to Kati, resting his arm over her shoulders. The screen showed surveillance footage from the electronics storefront across the street. He saw his sedan, he saw himself jump out of the car leaving the door wide open - hand at his hip - he saw himself rush toward the brightly coloured building. A bright light followed. By the time the camera adjusted to the new exposure, the building was aflame, the structure in collapse, and he saw a body upon the ground which he could only assume was himself.
“Kathryn,” he glanced to his right and locked eyes with Kati, “I need to find Kathryn.”
Kati nodded, “let’s ask the front.” She took his hand and led him further down the hallway. “Wait." She stopped, "Are you okay?” She asked, suddenly remembering he was the one in the parking lot. “Shouldn’t you be laying down?”
“My head hurts, but I feel fine otherwise.” He smiled.
“Okay,” she said hesitantly. They continued down the hall. “Apparently there were several other bombings all at the same time, in different places around the city.”
“What? How many?”
“There are four that I know of,” she paused. “The three others happened at an exchange downtown, a recreational center, and a nursing home. What the hell’s that about?”
Duncan thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. Do we know who’s responsible?”
“The footage from within the recreational center was broadcasted live at the time, though there wasn’t any audio. A group of three men entered, but it was hard to make out who they were, but it seemed like they were holding something. They must’ve been holding something.”
“Right before the bright light, I saw three men inside the store - near the front. They were wearing black” Duncan recalled.
“These guys were too!”
“Did all the events happen at once?”
“I think so, it’s hard to tell. The explosion seen from the storefront, and the explosion seen at the rec-center were within seconds of each other.”
“Hmmm, so I suppose it’s safe to say that these events were orchestrated. But we mustn’t jump to conclusions. Surely one of the victims got a video uploaded. I bet we can find one.”
They reached the front desk. “Is there something I can help you with?” A smiling face, with keen amounts of eye contact stared at Duncan. Kati interlocked her arm with Duncan’s.
“Yes, I’m looking for my sister Kathryn."
Nicki leaned back from the display, jaw agape. She leaned forward, and clicked rewind, and then play, crossing her arms.
She uncrossed her arms and hit pause. She reached her fingers up pressing them to the smooth glass pinching them outwards. She leaned in closer, and her eyebrows shot straight upwards. "No shit."
She stood up, grabbed her processor from the plate to the right, and jolted out the door.
She grabbed her bag from the end table near the door, but was stopped abruptly,
"Babe, are you going somewhere?"
Nicki turned, "Yes, I must see Duncan. I think we just had a breakthrough in the case."
"Haven't you seen the news?" He held a remote, and clicked a button, lighting the screen he pointed at.
"What news?"
She looked up at the screen, and saw in big letters ‘Peace-Time Produce Bombing.’
A rickety sedan rushed into the parking lot of a familiar grocery store.
"Wait, that’s Duncan’s car,” she followed the rickety sedan with her eyes; the blood completely drained from her face. She followed the figure that stepped out, and hurried toward the store.
The bright flash on the screen illuminated her soft complexion, the blue textured fabric of the sofa, and casted a shadow against the beige-painted wall behind them.
Eyes wide, Nicki said nothing. She turned slowly, and wrapped her hands around her elbows.
"I'm sure he's fine, babe. He's probably just at some hospital." He reached his hand toward hers.
"Yes, let's hope." She turned away, and stepped for the door, her face scrunched in concern.
William was staring straight at the cylindrical glass that lay before him, periodically switching to the cameras that lie to either side. He tapped the black sphere attached to his lapel, and glanced up at someone to his right. Receiving a nod, he proceeded.
“Hello. My name is William Beyer, and I am the CEO of Beyer Dynamic: the company I built from the ground up with my blood, sweat, and tears.” He reached his hand up pointing at the room he was stationed in. “I have some important news to announce, but first I want to address the growing allegations of malevolent intent. You may of heard that we haven’t been very honest lately, but I want to assure you that that is for good reason. When somebody wants to tear down your spirit, destroy your effort, undermine you work, eliminate all your efforts, they put forth these kill words. You may have heard the fancy word ‘embezzlement.’ This just means that we’re using the money we earn to make something new, something secret. But that’s not how they use it, they use it wrongly. They use it to insinuate that we mean harm. But that is surely not the case. In fact, quite to the contrary.” He paused. “We want to protect.” He paused again. “We want to keep you safe.” He paused for a third time. “And so, today, I’m pleased to announce our brand new innovation, Beyer Security.”
“She’s in room 312.” The nurse pointed to the right.
“Thank you,” Duncan nodded. He proceeded down the hall with Kati close behind.
308, 310, 312.
Duncan stopped suddenly, and felt this deep sinking feeling. It was almost as if he couldn’t move - like there was some invisible barrier between him and the room that lie right before him.
Kati caught up, and touched his back, looking up at him.
Duncan looked down at Kati. He exhaled. And took a step forward.
He looked the right, but was surprised to see that the bed lie to the left. The person on the bed he didn’t recognize. She was the right height, but covered in some kind of wrap. It seemed less course than the one on his head, but covered her whole body.
“Kathryn?” He muttered.
There was no answer.
He crept forward, slowly realizing that the person that lay in the bed was indeed his sister. He heard the slow rhythmic beeps behind her. “Kathryn?”
Still no response. Duncan stood at the foot of the bed, with Kati right beside him.
“How does this, just happen?” Duncan asked.
“It feels like I’ve been asking myself that a lot lately. These people can’t just get away with it.”
They heard the steps of someone approaching from their left, and turned to see the doctor he met earlier.
“Ahh, Mr. Strauss, I see you’ve found your sister.”
Duncan nodded.
“The burns are pretty bad I’m afraid. Of the second degree, but quite nearly the third. We currently have her wrapped in regenerative gauze, which typically heals first degree burns, and sometimes second. But I’m skeptical how far it will heal these ones”
Duncan remained quiet.
Taking the silence as permission to continue, he continued: “Mr. Strauss, your sister is very fortunate. Of the eighty people from the bombing, only six survived; and that includes both you and your sister.”
Kati exhaled, “Wow.” She paused. “Do you know the numbers for the other sites?”
“I’m afraid not. I know these ones from a GBS agent who accompanied some of the victims.”
Duncan interjected, “do you know when she will wake?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes these shocks have profound physiological effects.”
“Have you contacted her husband, Daniel?” Duncan asked, straightening up.
“Yes we have; that would’ve been,” he looked at his watch, “four hours ago.”
“Okay, I’ll see what’s going on.”
Kati spoke up, “you might want to consider Danny and Ella, it might be shocking to see their mom in this condition.”
“Good point.”
“If there’s anything else you need, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you doctor,” Duncan responded.
“Yes thank you.” Kati replied.
“Danny, Ella, come here for a second.” Daniel sat in his study. He stared at the last word he just wrote, ‘accepted.’ He read the sentence back in his mind, “Fredrick accepted,” he continued writing, focusing on each stroke of the pen. “his fate. The past was etched in stone, pointing the direction to the future. He knew what he must do, for it was the only thing he could do. No other option was available. And the more he thought about it, the more he knew. This is it.” He set the pen down.
Danny and Ella came running into the room, followed by a stern looking Mrs. Kemper. “Thanks Kathy, I think I’m done for the evening. How much do I owe you?”
Kathy seemed surprised, “I’ve been here for just over two hours, but we can call it two.” Kathy replied, and smiled.
“So, that’s fifty pieces total, right?”
“That is correct.”
Daniel fished his processor from his pocket, punched a 5 0 into the box onscreen, and swiped upwards - immediately hearing a ding across the room.
“Got it, have a great night Mr. Storm.”
Daniel sighed. “You too, Kathy.”
“Are you okay, dad? Where’s mom?” Danny stared up at his father.
“There’s something we need to talk about.”
“Is mom okay?” Ella stared with eyes starting to tear up.
Daniel got down on one knee and brought Danny and Ella in close.
“Something has happened to mom,” he paused. Danny and Ella took a step back, but pushed into the firm hand of their father. Daniel continued, “and she needs our help.”
“What happened?” Danny sputtered.
“Some bad people did some bad things, and mom got hurt. She’s in the hospital now.” Danny and Ella were just listening now. “She might look a little different, but she’s still your mother, and she will always love you.”
Danny started to tear up.
“They have her in a special sort of wrap. It’s supposed to help with healing. But we’re going to visit. Do you think you guys are ready for that?”
Neither of them replied.
“It’s okay if you feel scared, I feel scared too.”
“We should go to see mom, I bet she’s even more scared than us.” Danny said remarkably straightly.
“And what about you, Ella?”
“I guess so,” Ella looked at the floor.
“Don’t worry sweetheart, everything will be alright.” Daniel rubbed her back.
William continued, “Beyer Security is a brand new service. But there’s nothing you need to do, we do it all. Soon, you will start to see our security personnel patrolling your neighborhood. And even better, it comes at no cost to you - it’s 100% free. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering: ‘Wait a second, William, how are you paying for it?’ And I’ll tell you. The model is simple: serve people well, and they will be willing to oblige. Simple as that. So, even though the service is free, we will graciously accept your offerings. If you find our service valuable, all it takes is a simple donation. Not a thing is mandatory. In fact, some of you might see our guys protecting already, right out in the streets! It’s time that we feel safe in our houses, safe in the streets, safety everywhere. This is William Beyer, signing out. Stay safe, my friends” William gave the smile that melted hearts in times past.
The little red light on the camera stopped blinking. William’s smile evaporated. He stood and approached Denise. “Are you keeping up with the deployment?”
“Of course,” she replied. “All is operating according to plan.”
“Good.”
Nicki rushed through the expansive lobby. She looked upward and followed the vast central pillar that seemed to spear the hospital in two. Landings branched from either side in a somewhat sporadic order.
She reached the pillar and pressed the metallic button to the right, and the circular doors slid open. She was about to step in when she noticed two children right beside a man who she assumed was their father.
"Oh hello, ma'am. Which floor?"
"The third floor please," she replied.
"Oh, we're going to the same place."
"Okay." She looked down to see a few reddened eyes staring up at her.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes, my wife was..." he stopped.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." She looked down. "I hope she's okay."
"Me too." A smile tried to escape, but was extinguished by the weight of the moment.
"I'm here for my boss." she paused, waiting for an answer; but continued anyway. "I need to get to the bottom of this."
"I thought you said you needed to go up?" The smile finally escaped.
Nicki broke a smile too.
They stepped out, "Do you know where you're going?" he asked.
"No, I was going to look for the front desk."
"Okay, we can walk together, I believe it's this way." He was holding the young girl in his arms, while the young boy walked beside him, holding his hand.
They reached the front desk. "Kathryn Storm, please."
The friendly nurse replied, "312."
"Thank you." he started down the hall, and turned around, "Good luck ma'am." He smiled.
Nicki nodded. She turned to the nurse at the desk. "Duncan Strauss?"
"Let's see, " the nurse typed something onto the keypad. "He's in room 378, that's back to the left."
"Thanks," she turned and started down the hall.
304, 302, 300, 380, 378.
She stepped into the room and shifted her head scanning the room. Where is he?
She knelt down and rubbed her fingers against the floor, feeling the out-of-place powder carelessly strewn on the floor. She stood up and stepped outside, nearly running into a man in a white coat.
"Oh excuse me, miss."
"Was there someone in this room?"
"Are you looking for somebody?"
"Yes, I'm looking for my boss, Duncan Strauss."
"Oh, he's in room 312 with his Sister Kathryn."
Nicki's face grew pale. Why is Kathryn here?
"Thank you doctor," she looked at the floor.
"Let me take you there," the doctor pointed his hand down the hall.
"Okay."
They began walking.
"Is Duncan okay?" Nicki asked suddenly.
"Yes, yes he's quite fine. He is quite lucky, I'm surprised that beam didn't take his head off."
"No kidding."
They walked in silence for a few moments.
"What about his sister?"
"Not too well I'm afraid, she was much more exposed to the blast than he was."
"Will she be okay?"
"It's hard to say. We're doing the best we can to heal the damaged tissue, but only time will tell."
"What's your name?" Nicki asked.
"My name is Gregory, but you can call me Greg."
Nicki walked a bit closer, "I'm Nicki." She extended her hand.
"Nice to meet you Nicki," Greg smiled, and his eyes too.
They reached the room. "Here you are," Greg offered.
"Thanks again, Greg." They made eye contact, and held it for a few moments before entering the room.
Duncan took a seat in his sister's room. Kati joined him, and grabbed his hand. They sat in silence. Duncan's eyes began to feel heavy.
He awoke to a commotion, his eyes opened wide, the lights seemed brighter than he remembered and the sounds louder. He saw Daniel right beside his sister, grasping her hand warming her soul back into the present. He glanced left to see Kati knelt down next to Danny and Ella. They seemed withdrawn - Danny with his hands wrapped around one another, and Ella with her hands deep in her pockets. He stood up suddenly, feeling a bout of tunnel vision, but gained his balance.
"Daniel! How is she?"
Daniel glanced in his direction, "it's probably about the same as when you got here. Danny and Ella come here for a second."
Daniel scooped the kids up in his arms, "you want to sit next to mom?" Ella nodded, but Danny nodded in the opposite direction. Daniel set Ella on the bed, and Danny down on the ground. Danny ran around and stood next to Duncan. Duncan knelt down and patted Danny on the back. Ella curled up next to her mom. Kati walked around and sat down on the chair. For a few minutes, the Storms, Duncan, and Kati sat in silence.
A voice broke the silence from outside in the hallway, "Thanks again, Greg." Nicki entered the room.
Duncan stood up, "Nicki!" He ran around and hugged Nicki. "Have you heard?"
"Yes! Are you okay?" She looked up at his head wrap, "Hey, that's a good look for you boss!" She smiled.
"Nicki, this is Kati. She's a journalist I met outside of Beyer Dynamic of all places."
"It's so good to finally meet you," Kati walked close and hugged Nicki.
"Yes, you too," almost frowning, Nicki's arms slowly reciprocated the hug.
"I hear you've been working closely on the bag case," Kati remarked, "how has that been?"
"It's been great, that's actually one of the things I'm here to talk about."
"Have you found something?" Duncan asked.
"Oh, have I, check this..."
Before Nicki could finish, they heard a faint voice from the bed in the middle of the room. "Ella?"
"Mommy!"
"Kathryn?"
"Honey?"
They gathered around the bed.
"Hey honey," Daniel grabbed her hand, kneeling down to bed-height. "How are you feeling?"
"I," she paused, "I'm not sure." She looked to the left and saw Duncan holding Danny. "Duncan?" Her eyes started pooling with water. It started to come back to her. She gasped. "Duncan, what's" she stopped; the beeping behind her accelerated.
"Shh, shh, it's okay! Everybody's fine! We're all here!" They leaned in.
"The men, the men. Why, why would they?" She sighed, and relaxed into the bed. "I think I need to lie down."
"That's okay, we're not going anywhere." Daniel reassured, and grabbed Ella from the bed.
The beeping relaxed, and Kathryn's eyes closed.
The silence held by the solace of the moment lingered for a time.
Duncan stood up, setting Danny on the bed. Danny laid down. Duncan rest his hand on Kati's shoulder, and motioned Nicki toward the door.
They all stepped outside, and he shut the door slowly, making a whisper-quiet 'click.'
"She'll be okay, it's going to take some rest." He exhaled.
"Yeah, I think you're right." Kati wrapped her arm around his, and rest her head on his shoulders.
"So, what did you find?" Duncan glanced at Nicki.
"Check this out," she held the processor out toward him. Duncan and Kati leaned in. They watched for a few moments.
"Wow." Duncan exhaled.
"That's huge!" Kati said. "How could they neglect the security cameras?"
"I thought about that, and I don't know." Nicki shook her head.
Just then, the door opened behind them. Duncan glanced into the room and saw Danny and Ella resting beside their mother.
Daniel stepped up, "What do we know about the people responsible?"
"Not much yet, as far as I'm aware." Duncan looked toward the ground. "I think this will take precedence over the bag case. This is huge. Do you think you can handle the bag case on your own for a while?" He looked at Nicki.
"Yes! Absolutely!"
"Well I want to help. I'm smart, I can make connections. Let me join you!" Daniel's eyes glowed at Duncan.
"What about your job?" Duncan asked.
"I can't imagine a future where I just wait and crunch numbers. This is just far too important."
"Well I'd love to work with you. One of these times I'm in the field you can come along, and I'll teach you the ropes. We can talk with the GBS about hiring you on officially."
"Yes, there is no time to waste."
"What do you think of this?" Nicki jumped in, handing her processor to Daniel.
"I've seen that type of van before! Some of the companies we account for purchase fleets of these vehicles." He pointed to the bumper - "You see this indentation? That's a recent redesign. It's smooth on the newer models."
"You might just be useful after all," Duncan smiled.
"Boss, you called?" He stepped into the dark room. He always felt eerie walking through the lobby at this early an hour. But it's a concession he made for the sake of anonymity.
"Yes. Have they reported success?"
He noticed the desk was completely empty. The person across from him held a clean glass half filled with a strong-smelling beverage. "Yes, all four report complete success."
"Good. I have something else for you." The person extended his hand across the immaculate desk, holding a slip of paper between his fingers.
He reached out and grabbed it. "Him?"
The person nodded, the ice clinking in the glass he held. "By tomorrow evening."
"That might be too soon. I'll need some time to research."
"Then as soon as possible." The person turned and faced the dark window in his chair. The conversation was over.
"Yes sir." He turned and left.