Carol, “Jenks”, Jenkins had seen it before. Twenty years earlier, while he worked an odd job behind the counter at a seven eleven store during a midnight shift. A man, dressed in a clean suit and blue tie, appears out of nowhere and approaches another man sitting in a car in the parking lot. They exchange inaudible words, then the man in the car pulls a gun and shoots, the bullet passing through the other man and shattering the front window of the store. Then as quick as it happened both disappeared in a flash of light. The car door never opened and the driver seat was left vacant and cold. Jenks rubbed his eyes and just looked at the empty car mesmerized. After a few minutes he remembers the store's security cameras. He plays back the tape, watches dumbfounded and then dials 911.
Sirens blaring, lights flashing the cops arrive. Jenks retells his story and shows the tape. Plainly, there should be a dead body. Point blank, broken glass and a lodged bullet in a counter shelf. The cops search the car and later find it registered to a serial looser and that is as far as it goes. Jenks files it away in his memory, using it as an impedance for his future. Much later he becomes the head of security of Petredine, a large scale, technology firm working in advance physics and battery development.
Now, twenty years into the future, he watches another security tape, the exact same man, dressed in the same exact clean suit with the same exact blue tie, appears out of nowhere and approaches Pretredine's head of research development, James Walton. Inaudible words are exchange and in the same exact flash of light they both disappear. Jenks relates his story to the cops about his earlier encounter. A search of the seven eleven tape and notes of the crime results in a dead end and lost memories. The cops only have Jenks unbelievable word and proceed accordingly. Walton is never found, the crime a mystery.
Jenks takes it upon himself to find the answers. He recreates Walton character as a database matrix. His family, his associates, his coworkers, his ethics, his work and his goals. Jenks quickly finds Walton as a loner, without close friends, admired by associates, loathed by coworkers, guided only be his burning desire to solve the energy crises through advanced battery technology. His current project a secret but involving controversial methods to create energy through the use of chemicals and oxygen. Theoretically, the process should work but the resulting byproducts of such a process were unknown. In small experiments, highly promising, nothing too harmful and certainly thought controllable. If Walton's work could be completed the result would possibly be the answers to all of man's needs and most importantly be highly profitable. Only one pitfall in the process. With Walton's disappearance, the final formulation of the chemical makeup enabling the process. Walton did not trust anyone with his secret of the ingredients and batching process. It was his way, never to be shut out of the process or denied his brilliance and recognition for saving mankind. This was Jenks lead, his query, “who would benefit from stopping Walton's process?”
Pretredine really had no competitors other than big oil and big utility companies. There were other battery research companies but these were only in business to solve immediate needs and not the big picture. Big oil and big utility would certainly loose out but all felt Pretredine was a “pie in the sky”, dot com hoax, just in existence to burn through indulgent investors money. When the money was gone so would Pretredine and all that would be left would be a tax deduction. Jenks pressed on.
Wally Baxter was Walton's right hand man of sorts, more of a step and fetch it, but Jenks was searching for answers. Baxter did believe Walton's process would work but didn't think the byproducts from the process all too safe. Baxter said that yes in the near term the accumulation of the byproducts would have no significant effect but overtime, years and years, if no other process was discovered, the byproducts could become harmful. Speculation was these byproducts would interact with man's other waste and start a breakdown in the fabric of existence on earth.
Jenks returned to the security tape. The cops as well as his department employed the latest techniques trying to unlock its secrets. The best anyone could conclude from the inaudible words exchanged were, “cease and desist”, “no longer in this space”, and “no, I must”. What type of conversation could this be? Statement of fact, begging, pleading, threatening, all at the same time, simple and matter of fact ending in the bright flash of light and disappearance.
It finally came to Jenks, early one morning while he lay in his lonely empty bed. Walton was stopped because of the future. His process was thought to be the answer to mankind's delima but was in fact the end to mankind. This process would end the world and someone knew that so they stopped it. If Pretredine were to continue and Walton's process completed who else would disappear? Would the man in the clean suit and blue tie return? Jenks then knew he must be the one to acquire Walton's secret and face future. In a garage backroom utility closet, locked in a box of Walton's boyhood treasures, Jenks found a small notebook. In it, he found the missing formula and on his way to Pretredine he found the man in the clean suit and blue tie.
“Cease and desist or you will no longer exist in this space.” quietly but directly the man said. “Excuse me?” asked Jenks. “Cease and disist or you will no longer exist in this space.” the man repeated. “May I ask why?” Jenks queried. “Your actions will only lead to extinction as we all know.” the man returned. “But who are you, I know you, I have seen you before, tell me.” Jenks pleaded. “I am not of this space but we are all connected, I saved you once, minutes ago for this moment.” the man said softly. Jenks, with his voice quivering, “minutes ago, that was twenty years ago, saved me for this moment, what do you mean?” The man looked coldly and directly into Jenks soul, “time is but a measurement according to one's space, you must cease and desist or you will be no longer exist in this space”. “You mean, I must not reveal Walton's secret?” Jenks questioned. “Yes” said the man. “If I do, flash bang, I am gone?” Jenks exclaimed. “Yes, but there is more” the man returned. “More, what could you possibly mean?” Jenks whispered. “You must make sure Walton's secret is never revealed” the man told. “How?” Jenks asked one last time. “Do you have the formula with you and is it the only copy?” asked the man. Jenks shook his head in agreement.
Flash Bang.
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