PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING

Doyle called yesterday and I agreed to meet him this morning at the Woodbridge Mall - the lower level in front of Sears at 9:30. There's some benches there. He showed up with a box and some coffee from Dunkin Donuts.

"Want a donut?"
"No thanks."
"OK. I'll get right to it." He put his stuff down, and pulled out an envelope from his inside, coat pocket. "You'll need to sign these, first."
"What are they?"
"The paperwork I had to get done . . you know, to set up the account and get you on the records as a consultant."
"A consultant? What the hell is that?"
"A formality. I had to list you as something, even though you're part-time, and this looks better then Random Killer."
"OK . . OK. " I took them, and looked them over quickly. There was no reason not to sign them. I did, and handed them back. He put them back into his pocket.
"Now what?"
Do you have any questions before we begin?"
"Would you have made this offer to anyone who got Jimmy's heart?"
"Well, that would've depended on how the recipient recovered and their physical abilities afterwards but, probably yes. Having the tracker already in place also makes a difference."
"What tracker?"
"Oh, I guess I forgot that. There's a tracker embedded in the heart already and we won't have to go to any elaborate lengths to keep tabs on you."
"What are you talking about? When did this happen?"
"It's a bio-electric implant that can only be read by specific equipment which, obviously your hospital didn't have. It was implanted in Jimmy when he joined DHS, and we thought it would stop when he died. Apparently, when they did what they did to keep the organs viable, they had the heart in a state that kept the implant in stasis. Once it was transplanted into you, and beating on its own, the signal started up again. It won't hurt you, and it lets us know where you are at all times. Trust me, it's a good thing."
"All right, look, I'm not crazy about this whole thing in the first place. Let's get on with it. What else do you want me to know right now."
"You need to know how to use this." He took a cylindrical object, about the size of a wrapper of nickles, from his side pocket and showed it to me.
"What is it?"
"It's called a Flasher, although I think there's a more accurate, scientific name for it. It emits an electro-magnetic pulse guaranteed up to 50 feet."
"And that's good for . . . ?"
"Creating Random Events. You point it at you Event Target, push the button, and it releases a pulse that stops all biological functions within whatever it comes in contact with. Instantly. Here's how you hold it." He extended his pointer and middle finger, and folded in the other two. The cylinder had a small fin on one side that lay within the space between the two extended fingers, and a slightly raised button on the opposite side. "You hold the Flasher like this so it lies along the line of the extended fingers. You fold your thumb down over the back of the cylinder, and it should rest across the raised button. All you have to do is point at you target, and press the button with the side of your thumb. That releases the pulse. There's no noise, just a brief, intense flash of light, hence the name Flasher. It can be used in either hand. This is just a test version, and is actually just a laser pointer, but go ahead and try it."
I took the Flasher from him, and held it in my left hand. It was surprisingly light and easy to use. I pointed it at him and squeezed. A red light appeared on his chest.
"See? Easy." He held out his hand.
I gave it back to him.
"Now, I have a real Flasher here for you, but there's a few things you need to know. One, you can't use it on anyone from DHS. Those implants not only serve as tracking mechanisms but will diffuse a Flasher blast so it becomes ineffective. Two, this Flasher is a Level 1 which means you get one shot, then it needs to be recharged for about 20 hours, so figure a day. Three, you're on your own. We won't specify any targets. These are all to be Random Events of your choosing. Be careful so you don't cluster them. You don't want anyone to get suspicious. Spread them out. Area wise and time wise. The only thing we ask is that you create at least twelve events within the next six months. That's the time frame approved by the People Upstairs. Then they'll reevaluate the program. Whatever they decide, I'll let you know. If they decide to terminate the program, I'll make sure that that doesn't include you. Also, if by some fluke, someone figures this out and comes after you, we will protect you. We'll start throwing around the Patriot Act, and put you somewhere safe. Now, I gotta be somewhere, so if you have any other questions they'll have to wait till I can arrange to meet with you again. I'd start working on your Random Events soon cause the clock started ticking when we spoke last week."

With that, he was gone, leaving me with a Flasher, a deadline, a whole lot of doubt, and a huge headache. I find that I'm looking at people differently now.