Will drove his car, an old PT Cruiser, down the Garden State Parkway towards Cape May. Claire had never liked his car, but he loved it. It had served him well.
At the base of the Parkway, he crossed the bridge into Cape May and soon turned left to the ocean. Once he reached Beach Avenue he drove south until it ended. He parked and walked up to the covered sitting area looking out on the vast dark Atlantic. He was bundled in a warm coat with a scarf, gloves and hat with ear protection to handle the cold wind sweeping off the water. Looking around, he saw no one. He was alone.
“How was the drive?”
Will spun around to see Alvin sitting on a bench at the end of the row.
A nor’easter was on its way and the wind was building. Will had to speak loudly to be heard. “You scared me.”
“I’m sorry, Will. I was in stealth mirror mode waiting for you, and I became lost in my thoughts. The next thing I knew, you were here. Why don’t we get out of the weather?”
“Where would you like to go?” Will asked.
Alvin smiled. “Follow me.”
Alvin made his way down to the beach and started walking across the sand toward the ocean. Will hesitated at first but then began to follow. It was pitch black with heavily overcast skies and the faint light from the lampposts of Beach Avenue faded into the fog.
Fifty feet before the water, Alvin stopped. “We’re here,” he said.
“Where?” Will asked, thoroughly confused.
Alvin lifted his hand and a large recreational vehicle appeared. He opened the door, stepped inside and turned to look at Will, who had a very surprised look on his face. “Come inside with me … it’s safe.”
Will tentatively followed him in.
“Come. Take your coat off and have a seat.” Alvin motioned him toward a small dining table. “How about something warm … like hot chocolate.”
“That would be nice,” Will said.
Alvin went into the galley and whipped up two mugs of steaming hot chocolate. “Here we go.” He handed one to Will and sat across from him at the table, as they sipped their sweet, thick drinks.
Alvin briefly left the table and entered the driver’s cockpit. Will felt a sensation as though he was in an elevator.
Rejoining Will, he said, “I put the vehicle back into the stealth mirror mode so that it’s invisible. The technology that I call Slim can make any object invisible. I also elevated us one hundred feet, so we won’t be in anyone’s way.” Alvin chuckled.
They sipped their hot chocolate in silence.
Finally, Will found his voice. “What exactly is it that you want me to do?”
Alvin leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “In the long term I want you to take care of and protect Slim. By that I mean that you take physical possession and keep Slim secure, maybe in a location that only you have access to. In due time, elements of Slim can be integrated into the greater world. If that doesn’t happen, then you’ll need to groom others to eventually take your place. If you can’t, then you will face the same decision that I face now, which is to put Slim into the self-destruct mode. Slim will do the rest.”
Will slowly nodded his head.
“In the short term, assuming you want to go forward and become Slim’s caretaker, I need to teach you quite a bit.”
Will thought about the stage of his life and how this impacted his future.
“What kind of changes would I need to make to my daily life?” Will asked.
“That’s a good question.” Alvin was pleased. “I can only surmise what your life will be like. Initially, I think that there will be minimal impact. I think you need to maintain your life apart from Slim. You are best served by hiding in plain sight, so to speak. In the future as Slim’s capabilities grow, you may find a way to apply them for the benefit of others. Right now, I can only surmise what turns your road forward might take.”
Will tried to bend his mind around the picture created by Alvin’s words and the situation in general. “Why me?”
“Very simply, you were Slim’s choice based on the criteria that I set. Slim mined an enormous amount of data to make a list of possible caretakers. You were at the top of the list because of your character, loyalty, intelligence, morality and strong backbone.”
Will thought about his situation. He was in an invisible RV that was one hundred feet off the ground with a genius or mad scientist talking about safeguarding technology that could dramatically change the world. “This is so surreal. I’m in way over my head.” Will formed a steeple with his fingers and stared at them, lost in thought.
“Slim is over everyone’s head,” Alvin said in a caring way.
“What will happen to you?”
Alvin had disciplined his powerful mind to focus on saving Slim. He put any thought of his own death on a shelf to deal with later, but now he needed to address it with Will. “I have lived a full life, and although I don’t want it to end, there is nothing that I can do about it.” He paused to collect his thoughts. “Before the neurotoxin takes effect, I will administer a drug cocktail to myself with Slim’s help, so that I will pass peacefully on my own terms.”
“Can’t Slim save you?” Will asked with hope in his voice.
“Someday Slim will be able to do that and much more, but not now. Over the next year and beyond, Slim will develop extraordinary capabilities.”
They stared in silence at each other until Will broke the spell. “I’d like to learn about Slim and plan what needs to be done … but I feel so … inadequate.”
Alvin felt the tension in his body relax a little. A soft smile formed. “You’ll do a fine job, I’m sure, but I’ll need to spend considerable time with you. When can we begin?”
“Do I need to travel?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll need to go to my apartment, pack a bag and handle a few things.”
Alvin nodded his understanding. “Let’s get you out of this RV, so you can get home and do that. Meet me back here tomorrow night at the same time, and we’ll begin.”
Will left the RV and walked back to Beach Avenue to get his car. As he drove out of the beach town, his thoughts were running in all directions.
In the morning to save time, Will took a cab rather than walk to his meeting in Center City on the Brodsky matter. He had a work plan with a timeframe that he wanted approved so he could manage the large engagement with his other clients and his new job–Slim.
He walked into the conference room and was greeted by Karen Shepard, the CFO for Brodsky Enterprises. She had been in a working session with members of her team.
“Will, thank god you’re here. Your old firm has been a total disaster. Tell me you are replacing them.”
Will chuckled. “I am replacing them as soon as you sign my engagement letter.”
She took a few moments to review the document and then signed it and handed it to her assistant. “Please make a copy for our file and give Will the original before he leaves.” She turned to Will. “Okay. Welcome aboard.” She smiled.
They sat down and went over the details of the work plan and the timeframe. By the time they were done and Will was ready to leave, Karen and her team were pleased. Their company was in the competent hands of a professional, Will Parnell.
Will went back to his apartment. After a few phone calls, he was ready to devote a few days to learning about Slim. He packed, paid some bills, made a coffee to go, and hit the road.
As he approached the Walt Whitman Bridge, there was a line of cars going through what looked like a military checkpoint. The hunt for Dr. Grace had begun and looked to be in full gear.
Will parked his car on a side street off Beach Avenue and took out the small bag packed with clothes and necessities. He met Alvin as planned at the covered sitting area at the end of the promenade.
“Good evening,” Alvin said.
“It’s a good night for an out-of-this-world experience.”
“It certainly is,” Alvin laughed.
They walked together out to the edge of the ocean. Alvin took the RV out of stealth mirror mode and they boarded.
“Join me in the cockpit, and we’ll begin.”
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