Chapter 4
850 Words
Chapter 4
I was belting out Immigrant Song in the shower when I heard my phone ringing on the counter.
It could be important. I knew I should get out and answer it. Besides, we were supposed to be conserving water, not taking long showers or watering our lawns during yet another California drought year, but I’d been washed clean for more than a few minutes.
Sighing, I quickly turned off the water and wrapped a huge burgundy towel around me as I glanced at the screen.
Doug.
Swiping “accept” on the phone and hitting the speaker button, I used my other hand to wipe some fog from the mirror.
“What up, bro?”
“Callie, we have a situation.”
Jesus, I thought, really? We hadn’t even hit mid-morning yet, and the drama just kept piling up.
“Are you okay? Is it Kate? What’s going on?” I asked, worried.
“Me? I’m fine,” Doug said dismissively. “It’s just something I heard this morning from one of the other lawyers.”
“Yeah?” Doug was one of the youngest JAGs ever in the Navy, and he worked on a lot of top-secret projects. Everything was always need-to-know, and according to him I never needed to know. But after China Lake, after finding out his big sis was a starseed and the Navy had tried to warp her, he’d relaxed his rules a bit. Anything he thought might help the Gregors keep warpers under control, he reported to me, and I’d tell Ethan or Henry. So far, there hadn’t been much to tell, though. “Okay, what’s up?”
I picked up my brush and started detangling my wet, wavy hair. The faster I got it brushed, the straighter it would dry, making my work with a flat iron a lot easier.
“I didn’t hear much, nothing that made sense anyway, but the Navy is helping the warpers with some kind of sound technology. They were talking about HAARP arrays.”
“Harps? What damage could they possibly do with a harp?”
“Not harps, H-A-A-R-P,” he spelled out patiently. “It’s a controversial antenna array in Alaska that was designed to analyze ionosphere activity in the sky for possible communications and surveillance uses. The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program. Conspiracy theorists think it’s used to change the weather, create earthquakes, mind control, all sorts of things. Anyhow, I don’t know what’s true and what’s not, the program started way before my time and was supposedly shut down in 2015, but who knows, right?”
“So, you’re saying they want to start the program up again?”
“Yeah, kind of. They were talking about finding a legal way to transfer the frequency data and calibration technology without raising any red flags. The freedom of information act has made this sort of thing a little more difficult.”
“Good for us, right?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“So, where is the tech headed?”
“I don’t know. They were heading out of the office and started talking about some kind of fancy new cappuccinos. My boss told Mike to send all the details to the Washington office. I called you as soon as they were out of sight. You gonna call Ethan?”
“Definitely. This could be the break he’s been waiting for. Did you catch any names, details about who else is involved?”
“No, nothing. But I have a friend in Washington at that office, she’s totally on the up-and-up, Jolene Davis. I can call her, ask her to cooperate with Ethan. Would that help?”
“Maybe. But how sure are you that she’s clean? I mean, no offense, but you’ve always been Mr. Moral, and you were helping them, too.”
“Hey! I had no idea what they were up to on that base, not really. I thought they were just conducting basic psyops studies, with willing test subjects. I didn’t know they were kidnapping people.”
“I know, I know, don’t get your panties in a wad. Okay, so HAARP, with two A’s, right?”
“Yes. You’re going to call Ethan?”
“Yes, I’ll call him right now. You sure you don’t want to call him yourself?”
“Me? Talk to your boyfriend? No, I’m good.”
“Oh, my God. He is not my boyfriend. I told you.”
“Right, and I don’t think Taye Diggs is hot. Sure. Whatever you say, Callie.”
“Seriously. He’s just a friend. With benefits.”
“Okay,” Doug laughed. “I give up. He’s not your boyfriend.”
“Hey, speaking of boyfriends, what’s up with Mel? Is she back from her vacation with Lou yet?”
“Not yet. They tacked another few days on, something about not wanting to miss the fair.”
Lou, a pilot at the high-end charter company Mel worked for, had flown them out to Iowa to meet his family, a long line of pilots who worked dusting crops throughout the region.
“Good for her. I’m glad she’s enjoying herself, she deserves a rest.”
It was true. Mel had been working herself to the bone for years as a flight attendant while she searched for the perfect husband to go along with her white picket fence. It was part of the reason I still hadn’t told her about my abilities as a starseed. She’d never believed in anything spiritual. She certainly didn’t believe in aliens. I wasn’t sure that telling her wouldn’t break some part of her deep inside, the part that yearned for normality and predictability.
“She sounds super happy, I think she’s really in her element out there in the boonies. She said to say hi.”
“I’ll call her later and let her talk my ear off.” I glanced at the time. “I better run. Talk soon?”
“Yeah. If I hear anything else, I’ll call you.”
“I don't want you putting yourself in any danger.”
“Callie, I may be an officer, but I did go through training. I can take care of myself.”
“Still. Take care, okay?”
“Always do. You know that. Stay safe, sis.”
- Writer
