Chapter 32
I have had physicals in the past, but this was becoming ridiculous! I folded my arms across my chest.
"I understand the need to have me checked out by a doctor, however, you are taking this to the extreme. I have never had to have an MRI taken during a routine physical, or had wires attached to my head. No, this is to much," I said, putting my foot down.
"Mr. Wilshire, I was assured you would cooperate with this," said the doctor.
"I cooperated with a normal check up. You have left the realm of 'normal check up' far behind, and are into finding out what you can about my ability. No. I don't care about your security clearance, your instructions, or your intentions," I said striding to the door.
I tried to open the door. It was locked. I turned slowly, and looked at the doctor. I quirked an eyebrow at him.
"This is a secure facility Mr. Wilshire. Look, just let us take a reading of your brain while you do your viewing of the past. It will only take a few minutes, then you can be on your way," the doctor said.
I sighed and looked around the room. I had been asked to go into this room from another room, and as soon as I stepped in, I knew it was not a normal office. An MRI machine was off to one side, several computers, a head harness with a ton of wiring coming from it sat on a desk. A case with drugs and other items in it.
"I am going to be on my way now. I did not agree to any of this. Now, either unlock this door, or I will go through it," I said grimly.
He sighed.
"I told you, this is a secure facility sir. I assure you, the procedure is painless and would have been over with quickly if you had just cooperated when you came in a few minutes ago," the doctor said soothingly.
I looked at the door. Its jamb was made in such a way as to keep people out, not in. I smiled to myself. It should be possible to kick the door open.
"Doctor? Open the door now. If you do not open the door, I promise you that you will see what an irate man can do when he is angry," I said in a promising tone of voice.
"Threats do not impress me, Mr. Wilshire," the doctor replied a bit primly.
I walked a few paces away from the door, then took two steps and lashed out with my foot. BOOM! The door held, but the echo it made would tell anyone in the area that something was going on in here.
I stepped back, and did it again. The door boomed and groaned, but held. I was about to do it a third time, when the door buzzed, and opened. A couple of guards came in.
"Ah, the door opens after all," I said, and beamed with phoniness at the doctor.
"You ok Dr. Polty?" Asked one of the guards.
"Him? What about me? I was psycho-traumatized! Where is the concern for me?" I asked with feigned hurt.
I started to go around a guard, but he blocked me. I looked at him.
"Ok, this is becoming a nightmare. If I don't get out of here right now, I promise that when I do, my first stop is my attorney's office. Then we'll go to court to file a breach of contract, false imprisonment, medical ethical violations, and whatever else my attorney can think up between his office and the court building," I said grimly.
The doctor threw up his hands. "Fine, Mr. Wilshire. I will have to report this to your controller, though," he said, as if that was going to hurt my feelings.
"Do what you have to, Doc. I plan on reporting with my own complaints," I said, and got the hell out of there.
I walked out of the office, and back into the real world. Damn, but that had been surreal. I walked down the hall of a facility owned and operated by the federal government.
I exited another door, and this let me out into the rest of the facility, which was occupied by several small companies doing research with government grants. I walked to the front door of the building, and let myself out. No one tried to stop me, which was just as well, as I was not in a mood to be stopped.
I walked out to the parking lot and stared at my car for a moment. I 'back timed' and watched my car from the time I left it, to the time someone came out and attached something under it.
I sighed. The government was not really living up to their end of the bargain I had struck with them only a couple of weeks ago. This was the third time I had someone from the government try to attach a tracking device on my car. I don't know why they kept doing it. I kept removing them as fast as they placed them in or on my car.
I went to my car and removed the device. I looked at it, and went to my trunk. I opened my trunk and put the device in a baggie I had for just this situation. I closed my trunk, and drove to my attorney's office.
I opened the trunk, and got my cargo out, IE, the tracker. I was soon seated with my attorney, and telling him the latest in my list of complaints against the government. I plopped the device down on his desk.
"This is the third one I have removed from my car. Now, either the government honors that damn contract we signed, or we sue for breach of contract, and I am free from their inference," I said angrily.
"Ok tell me about it," Richard said to me, and settled back.
So I launched into my tirade. How three times now, I had caught someone placing tracking devices on my vehicles. The government asked I take a physical, which was apparently code for: "let's test the guinea pig". I told him about the shadows that my security had seen and reported. I was tired of it.
"Ok, suppose we take this from the top. Can you prove that the devices were placed by the government?" Richard asked me in a reasonable tone of voice.
"No," I answered slowly. "But the last time I was parked at a secure government facility, with security cameras everywhere. They had to have seen or captured the placing of this device on my car, and they have done nothing," I finished.
"Ok. Then these people who you say were following you. Did you identify them as government? See IDs? Did they identify themselves?" he asked, driving the point home.
"Of course not. When my security approached them they left or denied they were following me," I told him.
"Ok, this doctors visit. You did see in your contract where you agreed to let them examine you?" he asked.
"Yes, I did," I answered, wondering where he was going with this one.
"I should have thought about it before, but if they wanted to be clever, they can argue the term examination. Since you can do something so unique, they could insist that their examination had to get as you described to ensure your health, safety, to be sure you had no brain tumors," he stopped.
"I can see where you're going with this. Basically, I don't have a leg to stand on," I said with a sigh.
"Another thing. If you take them to court, after admitting to your ability as you did, these "shadow" people following you could give the government a 'legitimate' reason to have you followed, or even protected; up to and including the point of keeping you locked up somewhere, 'for your own protection' of course. And if they happen to need your ability, I doubt you would have much choice in cooperating," he finished and looked at me intently.
"Ok, every examination I went in for usually consisted of being poked and prodded by the doctor, a 'turn your head and cough' segment, and possibly a blood and urine test. Hooking me up to hi tech machines has never ever been done. I think we can argue the word examination with the best of them," I answered him.
"Tom. I know you're aggravated, but I seriously think you should calm down, and look at this a different way. I think you're working yourself up into an anger over minor things," Richard said quietly.
"Do you have any suggestions on how I should look at this?" I asked.
"Tom, the government, and people in general, stretch and test limits all the time. This is one reason contract law has become such a specialty. I would suggest you just learn, let them know you're onto them, but put it aside. Pretty soon they will owe you too much for them to risk continuing this pettiness," Richard said.
We sat and talked until the phone buzzed, and Richard said he had another appointment. I went downstairs and walked over to my security whom I had following me.
"Anyone approach my car?" I asked them.
"No, Sir. Not even so much as a cross-eyed look," the driver answered.
I nodded and went to my car. It would have been nice to have had them with me earlier today. But I had been told the lot was secure and that they could not come in unless invited, and they weren't. So all they had done was follow me to my appointment, and park outside somewhere. They had picked me up when I came out of the lot.
I really needed to clear my head and relax. As I drove home, I got an idea. What better place to relax than back in a world that moved much more sedately? I finally arrived home and was told no one had tried to break in, or had even shown up.
I locked up, and looked at my computer. I had found a file encrypted from the information taken from Miller's computer, and I had a program running to crack it. So far it had been running for over twenty-four hours, and still no luck. Whatever program he had used to encrypt this, had been a good one!
I went to my silo home, and picked out an appropriate period costume. I also retrieved three hundred dollars in gold coins. I was going back to Boston, but in the 1840, s. It would be a good time to visit, and I might even do a little furniture shopping. Nothing like period pieces to go up in value over the years.
Boston 1849 was an eye opener. It was bustling, but at a much more relaxed rate than in my time. I also loved going up on a hill overlooking the harbor, and watching ships sailing into and out of the harbor.
There is something so majestic about old time sailing ships, with their sails unfurled, catching the wind for other parts of the world. Commerce being done via the vagaries of the wind.
I spent a total of four days elapsed time, in the past. Boston was not as big then as it is now, of course, and it was beautiful! All of what I would have considered 'old fashioned', was then brand new. I went to fashionable restaurants and ate, and stayed in a hotel during my stay... No rooming house.
It was on my last day that I found myself drawn into a conversation between two men. They were discussing the health, and the lot of the people today, (their 'today', 1849) compared to even a hundred years ago, and how much better off people were. I stuck my oar in the water so to speak.
"Excuse me, I could not help but over hear your conversation. May I join you?" I asked.
They rose and gestured at their table. I got up, carrying my glass of sherry, and sat with them. We all introduced ourselves. My companions were Harald Horner, and Peter Wheeler. They were gentleman and investors.
"Well, as for the people's lot being better today than a hundred years ago, it is true I think. However, there are considerations to take into account, also. For example, the skulls that have been unearthed from people of the past show good teeth, usually.
"Today, you find more and more peoples whose teeth are rotting and decaying. Why?" I asked them.
Peter was unsure, and Harald was of the opinion that it was passed on from father to son.
"No. Eating habits. Processed sugar, processed foods, all contribute to bad teeth; and, incidentally, more health problems," I said.
Both of them discounted this right away. No matter how I tried to convince them, they thought I was totally out of my mind. This conversation went on for about twenty minutes, and then they had to leave.
"A most enjoyable discourse, Sir! It has been a pleasure to meet and talk with you," Peter said, quickly echoed by Harald.
I rose with them, and said I, too, had enjoyed the conversation with them. I took a cab out to the hill I used to watch over the harbor, and paid him to wait with me. Dusk fell, and soon it was night. Boston lit the night with its lights. Just not as brightly as in my own time. I told the cabby to take me to the cathedral. My room was paid for the night, but I decided I was going to head back to my own time, now.
I walked close to the church, and grabbed the power. I launched myself back to my own time. As soon as I arrived, I went through the NTZ back to my home. I sighed and undid the damned starched collar at my neck. Damned chafing. No wonder it didn't persist long as a man's 'formal wear' item.
Edited By TeNderLoin