Abort! Abort! Voyage to Save the Mind

By David Werrett

The tide was out; humidity settled wet and heavy over Silvio Caro. The Asp, a cigarette boat carved from a solid billet of titanium, lay in repose slightly below the level of the dock, water rising and falling much like the danger punctuating the war between the Governments and the Cause. TCO, who has imbedded in his subconscious the knowledge to move the Mind to a more hospitable universe, must leave his bucolic Bucks County, PA farm to travel to Key West and Cuba in order to save the Mind, all while being pursued by government operatives, high-jacked by a nymphomaniac angel and trying not to fall for beautiful but dangerous Nikki. TCO, Angel and Nikki, a mis-matched trifecta who lead us through a fast-paced, adventure-packed, high-tech, erotic, humorous and loving story that pits the Dark Side of humanity with the true believers in the spirituality of the human mind. Even now, in the volatile Cuban water's, whining sounds emanate from the direction of the Asp. The cleats on the Asp’s deck retract, the ropes from the dock fall away, the Asp starts in a great roar, a bright flash illuminates the bay. TCO turns, startled and unaware of the fate about to befall him. The first book in the Voyage to Save the Mind Series, if you enjoy adventure and humor in a professionally edited book, buy today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Werrett
• Release date: Jul 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463534144

David Werrett

Author of Abort! Abort! Voyage to Save the Mind, d h Werrett has a new series, Secrets. Secrets Part One is offered as a 'gift' to his readers to give them a taste of a fantasy world where the protagonist and the antagonist are not always what they seem. Werrett lives on a bucolic gentleman's farm, is a SciFi and history buff as well as a pilot. He writes his stories chapter by chapter, without a detailed outline. "I like the spontaneous development of the action and the plot." Creating a novel length story requires the persistent application of a daily writing regime. "When the scope of my story seems overwhelming, when the plot and characters seem too complicated for me to grasp, I just write, I write my way through one difficult scene or chapter, then see where it leads." His characters are often given choices, they can perpetuate the same thinking and addictions, or receive guidance, often from an unexpected, and sometimes humorous, source. "Including humor into a novel, which has serious intent, challenging human interactions as well as action-packed drama, makes the story believable. Then add a touch of reality and share a laugh with me when I hear my friends say, 'You just can’t make this stuff up!'" Visit him anytime at dhwerrett.com.

Book preview

Prologue

MY SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY INTO THE EXISTENCE OF THE RARE FORCE 'UNOBTAINUM'

A white paper

I have discovered the Rare Force 'Unobtainum.' My white paper documenting the existence of 'Unobtainum' will be made available to the lay public at the Fourth Annual Meeting of the International Royal Astronomic, Physical and Rare Force Symposium to be held on March 16th, 2013, at Motel Eight, conference room B, just off exit 2, US Route 84, Brewster, New York.

There had been a rumor that I would release my findings in time for the meeting last year. Because of that rumor, last year’s attendance at the symposium was one hundred percent greater than the previous year. Alas, I was stricken with the rare medical disorder, ED, and was unable to complete my research in time for that meeting. My apologies if you were among the two people in attendance. By attending this year, you will have access to this long awaited white paper. Book now, space is limited.

My quest for the discovery of the Rare Force 'Unobtainum' began when I was fifteen-years-old. At that time, the lay public were very aware of the existence of 'Unobtainum', but the scientific community were unable to prove its existence and steadfastly stuck to their position that 'Unobtainum' did not exist.

My interest in discovering the properties of 'Unobtainum' arrived simultaneously with my observation of a young woman named Julia. In science class, Julia sat one row ahead of me and two places to the right. She wore a form-fitting beige sweater, a pleated tartan skirt, tan socks with lacy embroidery around the top, and brown saddle shoes. Julia was unobtainable to me, but she seemed to be obtainable to the senior class star quarterback. Therefore, some force must be in existence which prevented me from obtaining access to her. I was determined to find the existence of this force and gain control of its magical properties. Science would prevail! I was hot (literally) on the case. Nothing would prevent me from making this conquest, or discovery, as I personally referred to the process.

My scientific inquiry would lead me to understand that 'Unobtainum' was emitted from a location on a female body. I knew this from being able to study scientific journals with names like Esquire and Playboy. These journals were not readily available to younger scientists like myself, for it seemed that the adult scientific community did not want a young scientist like me to be able to prove the existence of 'Unobtainum.' However, I was able to gain access to these scientific journals when the lady who guarded the magazine section at the news agency would go outside for a smoke.

At the time, I was unaware that I was in possession of a scientific instrument, which responded when in the proximity of the elusive force. Initially, I used this instrument for my own amusement, still unaware of its true purpose. In a stroke of rare scientific insight, I was able to connect the reaction of my scientific instrument to the proximity of Julia. Since Julia was unobtainable to me, but obtainable to the star quarterback, it stood to reason that 'Unobtainum' could switch states to Obtainum if certain circumstances prevailed.

I needed to know what those circumstances were and how to use them to create the state of Obtainum.

I was constantly manipulating my meter trying to refine its reaction to Julia. I found that my meter was prone to erratic behavior. Many sets of unrelated circumstances could trigger a false indication on the meter. As an example, during English class, warm sunlight coming through the classroom window would cause the indicator on the meter to rise to the up position. Or just walking down the crowded school hallway and catching the scent of the female students caused the same reaction. Yet, in the presence of Julia, the meter went off scale.

Julia remained unobtainable to me, and my research did not go any further until later in my career when I was able to compare my findings with another scientist. A woman scientist was conducting her own investigation into the properties of 'Unobtainum.' She also had a meter, but it functioned in a different manner. In this case, the front of the meter became warm and turned a rosy red color. My meter was up, and her meter turned warm and rosy red. We simultaneously came, in more ways than one, to the conclusion that the force has male and female characteristics.

We concluded it was necessary to have our meters in close proximity many times in order to get a reliable statistical sample. Ah, science, what hard work. We spent most of our time conducting research under a variety of conditions and in different 'Venues.'

The following are some of our findings:

The male force wishes to be in close proximity to the female force, and is not very discriminating in how that transpires. Once the male force is able to gain Obtainum, which can be a long, arduous process, this new state will only exist, on average, between two and eight minutes. Modern pharmaceuticals may lengthen the time spent - a scientific word that is frequently used in a different context - in the state of Obtainum, but with the caution that if the state lasts for more than four hours, medical intervention may be necessary.

The female force operates differently, converting to Obtainum in the presence of a male force exhibiting the following characteristics: Tall, physically handsome, articulate and wealthy. The female state of Obtainum lasts for many hours, which has the effect of exhausting the male force.

With the long scientific study coming to a climax, so to speak, I now feel ready to present this white paper to the lay public.

A disclaimer is in order.

Under no circumstances should the Lay Scientist conduct this research on their own without proper education. Serious consequences can arise out of the casual uses of the force. Male and Female forces joined together indiscriminately have been observed to produce mini Male and Female forces, which greatly impede the science.

Other than that, good luck on your research and, May the Rare Force be with you.

Chapter 1 The Plumber

I should have known something was wrong the moment my call was answered on the first ring. Normally when I call the plumber, I encounter a menu of options requesting the reason for my call. Then, by selecting an option, a greeting indicates I should leave a message with a call back number and my call would be returned.

This time a voice answered immediately with a short statement, Plumber.

Hi! I would like to have someone come out to check the drain in my shower. It’s stopped up.

The voice on the other line said, We will be right out.

You don’t even know who I am or where I live.

The voice on the other end of the line replied again, Oh yes we do, our people will be there in three minutes.

A few moments later there was a knock on the door. I opened it; standing in front of me was a very imposing man meticulously dressed in a plaid flannel work shirt several sizes too large to accommodate a very large bulge under his left arm. He wore fresh looking work pants right out of the Duluth Trading Company catalog; you know the kind with the extra gussets around the waist and the Ball Room crotch.

I took him to be 6’ 2," 180 lbs., 42-years-old with a body mass index of 23.6. He was very fit and good looking in a boyish, Special Forces kind of way. I know these things because I am an artist; we are very observant and have x-ray vision.

Angel was right behind me, and upon seeing him, she let out a soft moan and started to chew on her lower lip. I could tell she had an immediate attraction to him. Angel is 5’ 12" and this perfect specimen of male virility would be her ideal conquest.

You have a stopped up shower drain? the Hunk uttered. I stood in the doorway contemplating how to answer him while listening to Angel whispering, Let him in, let him in.

Instead of a typical plumber’s truck, a black Chevy Suburban with darkened windows was parked outside. Other men immediately emerged and stood next to the vehicle. They were dressed in black business suits, white shirts and dark ties. All except one had bulge’s under their left arms, they looked like characters straight out of the Matrix.

Who are they? I asked.

Information you don’t need to know, the Hunk said. Let’s just say they are back-up plumbers and leave it at that. All of them, including Hunk, had little white ear-buds with a coiled wire extending down through their shirt collars and a small microphone extending to the side of their mouths. The one without the bulge barked into his mike, Let’s get on with this people.

Chapter 2 A Molten Match

The Plumber pushed by me and flew down the stairs towards the bathroom, with Angel in hot pursuit. The Hunk carried a canvas plumber’s tool bag - it looked new and unused.

By the time I arrived at the bathroom, the Hunk was busy using a screwdriver to remove the strainer covering the shower drain. He was on his knees hunched over his work.

Angel was contemplating his physic. I knew what was on her mind. She was thinking of being underneath him with his strong arms wrapped around her neck, while she wrapped her legs around his thighs, holding his firm butt in both her hands.

The Hunk pried the strainer loose from the drain. Then, without changing his concentration, he reached into the bag and selected the long flexible tool used to retrieve small pieces from difficult places. Inserting the tool down inside the drain, he depressed the plunger and snaked the tool around. Soon, he grabbed something and withdrew the tool - a white feather was snagged on the end.

One of the downsides of living with Angel is that she molts, constantly leaving a trail of feathers, which causes problems, such as collecting in the shower drain.

Angel loves to shower with me because I am a great soaper. But Angel is a big girl and getting us into the shower together takes some arranging. If her wings stick out the shower door, I end up with water all over the floor. However, once we are both securely inside, some of her feathers inevitably collect in the shower drain.

I once remarked to Angel that it would be easier for her to shower by flying through a rainstorm. She reminded me that half the fun of showering is being together; the couple who showers together, stays together.

With the arrival of Hunk the plumber, something didn’t seem right. How did he know where I lived and where the shower was located in my house? Why did he bring the extra plumbers? Why did they have such an unconventional plumber’s truck, why did they have radio communications between themselves and, why did this operation seem like a covert military operation? I am beginning to think there is more to this than meets the eye.

I do recall seeing the same kind of Chevy Suburban in the parking lot at Giant. I have the odd feeling that I am being followed and watched. There are strange clicks on my phone line, and odd noises on my cellphone. My e-mails get lost, then reappear in my mailbox. Last summer I had small drones flying over my house and I took great delight in shooting them down with my trusty Beretta 410 field gun. Then, of course, there was that incident at Motel Eight in Brewster, New York. Is 'Unobtainum' somehow involved?

If this situation turns ugly, I will have to rely on my own resources. What the plumber may not know is that I have watched all the Jason Bourne movies, twice, and I have supreme confidence in my ability to defend myself.

Angel seems to be oblivious to what is going on. Instead, I can see in her eyes that she is deeply engaged in a sexual fantasy. Would Angel’s ‘special needs’ override her responsibility to me? If I was out of the picture, would she request a transfer to the plumber?

Looking back at the plumber, he reached into his tool bag, retrieved a small box, opened the glass cover and put the feather inside. With a push of a button, a light began to scan across the feather. When it stopped scanning, on the readout across the front of the device flashed the word MATCH.

It’s a match, Hunk said into the mike at the side of his cheek.

Dispatch the subject with extreme prejudice, replied a loud voice from the plumber’s earpiece.

The Hunk opened his tool bag, giving me the first good view of its contents. There were some packages labeled C4, which I thought might be some kind of special plumbers plastic for repairing pipes. Also, there were a number of boxes of ammo and ammo magazines taped together at the midpoint, presumably so they could be swapped out when one was empty. I saw a 5.56 and several pistols, an FN PS90 in 5.7 x 28 mm, flashlights, gloves and night glasses.

He reached for a FNX-45 Tactical, in desert camo, with a threaded 5 inch barrel, Surefire X400 Ultra, and Trijicon RMR LED. All of that looked to be about $2,550, a combo I had my eye on since my last trip to Cabela’s. Holding the pistol in his right hand, he found the matching Advanced Armament Corporation Evolution 45 suppressor, coming in at $650 and, a perfect match for the pistol. He deftly screwed the suppressor to the barrel with a few quick turns of his left hand. The pistol had a round in battery and was cocked and locked; pointing the pistol directly at me he clicked the safety to the fire position.

Standing next to the vanity mirror, appearing in my reflection was a red dot, centered squarely in the middle of my forehead. Angel turned ash white.

Chapter 3 The Trail of Feathers

Suddenly the Plumber’s ear bud exploded with commands. Stand down, stand down, abort, abort, do not dispatch the subject. Do you copy, do you copy?

Copy that.

The red light shining on my forehead went dark as the Plumber moved the pistol to the side, and clicked the safety on. He unscrewed the suppressor from the barrel and placed the weapon back into the plumber’s bag. Angel’s complexion became normal again.

Hunk shook his head. "You must be well connected, or have an angel on your team, or both, because the firm never stops a termination at the last moment.

No hard feelings mate, it’s just my job, he grinned while grabbing his bag, exiting the bathroom and jogging out of the house to the driveway.

I followed Angel onto the front step, watching the Plumber and the others in the crew remount into the Suburban and pull around the circle.

It was then that I saw the three Cadillac Escalade’s that had entered the driveway behind the Suburban; the Escalade’s were all identical, flawlessly painted in gloss black with chrome accents. Mounted on highly polished 20’’ wheels were specialized run flat tires, with pneumatic treads designed to repel punctures and deflations. Instead of the usual Cadillac crest on the grill and tailgate, there was a large capital P, painted deep blue and emblazoned with a red lightning bolt.

As the vehicles began to move, the last one in line stopped directly in front of us. From the rear door emerged - a very handsome woman. She had an athletic build, long wavy blond hair and wore a Tahari ASL grey pinstriped suit.

Our apologies, she said, unexpectedly using her forefinger to twirl a section of her hair. It seems the operator in charge went rogue – they were here to take you in, not kill you – the outcome may have been quite different if we hadn’t interceded on your behalf.

Watching her leave, my brain was a-twirl, just like her long hair.

Angel and I stood on the step and looked at each other in dismay. Angel asked, Do you think we will see the Hunk again? I thought he was pretty cute.

It would be better if we saw him under different circumstances, I thought he was cute also, I answered. I wonder what he would look like in something strapless.

It could be in black or desert camo, in a plus size, of course.

Instead of heels, he could wear combat boots, and we could start a new fashion trend. He could maintain his short hair but a stylist could give him a Miley Cyrus look.

He seems more refined than that, Angel replied. I see him in a pink chiffon strapless knee length from Balenciaga, $3,350.00, and Dr. Martens’ boots, style 1406 in blue with studs, available at Nordstrom’s $269.00.

Oh, nice idea.

How can we get in contact with him?

I think he left his calling card in the shower.

We went back to the bathroom, and there in the shower was a business card. I picked it up and read his contact information to Angel.

Plumber

Have Gun, Will Travel

Special Operations My Specialty

[e-mail]

I could see in Angel’s eyes how happy she was to have the chance to hook up with the Plumber-Hunk. When I see Angel happy, I get all teary-eyed.

We stood there for some time trying to understand what had just gone down.

I still have to get the drain unclogged, I said. Let’s go to Ace Hardware and see what they have, I’m gun shy on calling another plumber.

I can understand, Angel replied. Let’s have a quickie first. That sounded reasonable to me, so we took a few moments to relieve the tension of the events so far.

The quickie turned out to be a long one, time just flew by. I was worried the hardware