Brian Saves the World, Maybe

Chapter 37 - Aw, That Sucks!

Brian stared at the thing in Dale's hand. It looked like one of those guns from Star Trek. "What the heck is that?" he asked.

I believe that is called a phaser, TV said.

"Let's get out of here, first," Dale said. He set the gun on the dashboard and turned the key in the ignition. The engine made a heavy, labored sound as it sluggishly turned over. Dale tried again, with the same result.

Brian got a sinking feeling in his stomach. He tried to argue away the apprehension building inside him. No, it will start. That kind of thing only happens in movies, right?

Incorrect.

Dale turned the key one final time. There was a clicking sound, but nothing more.

"Look, guys!" Jessica shouted, pointing.

A black truck had pulled into the parking lot across the street, and armed men were getting out.

"Aw, that sucks!" Ralph said.

Brian tried to stay calm. "At least we parked in another lot."

"It won't take them long to widen their search," Dale said, "and we're sitting ducks, here." He cursed, climbing into the back. He began pulling a section of carpet up near the back doors. "I've got a booster pack under here I can jump the battery with. If I hurry, maybe we can get away before they see us."

At that moment, the men seemed to notice the van, and began approaching. Ralph reported this, causing Dale to curse again.

Brian wracked his Brain for an idea—anything that could help them escape. He remembered the invisibility device, still in his hand. Of course! But he had to use it at the right time.

Before the men reached the street that separated the parking lots, a semi-truck pulled up and stopped at the traffic light, hiding the van momentarily.

"Okay guys, we have to run!" Dale said, moving to open the back doors.

"Wait!" Brian shouted, slapping the device on the side of the van, and pressing the button.

There was a collective gasp, as the vehicle, and everything and everyone inside it, became as clear and imperceptible as air.

Becoming invisible was a strange feeling all by itself—being unable to see one's own body—but adding to that the effect of sitting inside a structure that is itself invisible compounded that strangeness exponentially. It was like being nothingness, hovering above the ground. And, although Brian knew they were all concealed, he still felt more vulnerable.

The semi-truck pulled away, and the men stood staring for a moment, before running to their truck and peeling away.

Brian could hear heavy breathing around him and hoped no one was hyperventilating. He felt around with his hand for the device. Finding it was surprisingly difficult since he couldn't see his hand, or the device, or the van wall it was attached to. Locating it, he pressed the button.

There were more gasps, as everyone regained visibility.

"Whoa. That was intense," Ralph said, panting.

Dale jumped out and attached the booster pack cables to the battery terminals. He then cranked the engine, and it roared to life.

When they were a few blocks away, Brian asked, "Okay, what's with the gun?"

Dale gave a single nod. "That's how they do the upgrades," he said.

"Really?"

Dale smirked. "Yep. Just point and shoot."

"Let me take a look," Brian said.

Dale passed it back.

"Be careful," Jessica said. "Don't want you accidentally shooting yourself, and becoming a Brian-zombie."

Brian nodded, as he began examining the gun. There was a screen on the top of it displaying a long string of digits. "What are these numbers for?"

"No idea," Dale said, "That came up when they pointed the gun at the guy that got upgraded."

Brian thought about what the numbers could mean. An ID, maybe?

Possibly. It has the same number of digits as the identifier on your chip.

Interesting. So, you think it could be the number of the chip to be implanted?

More likely, it is the identifier of the existing chip. That would explain why it displayed when pointed at an Observer.

Right, that makes sense, Brian thought, biting his lip. Aunt Carol said the new chip links to the old one, somehow. Maybe it needs the identifier on the old chip in order to sync up with it.

That is a plausible theory.

So, that would mean... Brian carefully pointed the gun at himself. As he did so, the numbers on the display disappeared, and then updated to a new set of digits.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Jessica said.

"Just testing something," Brian said. TV, does that match the ID of my chip? There was no answer. TV?

One moment. Brian, I am receiving indications of a significant news event.
It seems there has been an assassination attempt on the President of the United States.