The Kidnapping King

THE DEMONSTRATION

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - PRESENT DAY 

 Ethan and Inez stepped through the portal and found themselves, once again, in the conference room on the upper floor of her elegant Oestermalm home. Inez clasped the golden telescope tightly in her right hand.

"Time for some answers." She said, glancing at Ethan to her left.

They both strode confidently out of the room and down the hallway until they came to a door next to her own bedroom.

"Wait here." She said, turning and walking into her room. A moment later she emerged with a key in her hand. Inserting it into the knob she knocked briefly, then turned the handle and opened.

Jack was standing across the room, staring out the large picture window at the manicured lawns below. He turned and stared in their direction, emotionless, until his eyes came to rest upon the item Inez held out toward him in her hand.

The telescope.

"What?!" His hand shot to his hair and his eyes were large as saucers. "How did you get that?!" He asked, and Inez and Ethan only smirked at him.

"We think," Inez began in a sing-song tone of voice, "that it's time for a demonstration!" And she boldly strode across the room, stopping immediately in front of where Jack was standing.

Jumping backwards, bumping into the window, Jack threw both hands into the air high above his head, eyes wide, brows shot up on his forehead.

"Be careful with that thing!" He shouted. "The outcome is unpredictable!" He leaped to the side to gain some distance between him and the device.

"What do you mean?" Inez eyed him suspiciously.

"I mean...I've had limited experience touching that thing. And only for, like, 30 second intervals. Bart timed me last time and had to pry the thing from my hands to make sure I 'came back'...for lack of a better term."

Inez lowered the scope and tipped her chin to one side, considering.

"So, you've touched this thing how many times now?" She asked.

"Only twice." He decided not to tell her about the failed third attempt.

"And both times my mother appeared to you in these visions?" Inez raised one eyebrow at him.

"Yes, both times."

"Fine. Ethan, set a timer on your phone. 30 seconds." She turned and looked at the boy.

Ethan pulled his cell from his pocket and swiped across the screen a few times.

"Got it." He said, looking up at Inez, then Jack.

"Ok, you're all set, then. Let's do this." Inez raised the telescope again and shoved it in Jack's direction.

Jack stared at her for a long moment, then looked at Ethan, who was simply grinning at him.

Jack didn't move to take the telescope, but stood motionless.

"Look, I can press this thing to your body and force the experience, whether you want to cooperate or not. So, you might as well have some level of control over how this goes down." She shoved the device in his direction again.

Jack rolled his eyes, blinked one time, long and slow, licked his lips, then looked at Ethan. "Ok," then to Inez, "Pull this thing from my hands if I'm not back by the time the alarm goes off." He said and when she nodded at him, he reached out and took hold of the telescope.

"Jack, we don't have much time. You need to know how to use the telescope. It's not just for sending messages." Lydia was looking directly into his eyes. She was in a strange environment this time. A dark, rocky passage that was cool and musty smelling. "The adjustable ends can be set so that the telescope can be used as a teleportation device. I've made it easy for you. Have someone else turn the smaller end to the left until it clicks into place. The larger end to the right. Then when you take hold of the scope it will transport you to my time and location. It's imperative you help me get back to Por..."

"Did it work? Did you see my mother?" Jack dropped to the floor, his breathing was labored.

"Water." Jack gasped and watched as Ethan dashed into the bathroom. Jack reached down into his pants pocket and retrieved the inhaler located there. Inserting the device into his mouth, he inhaled deeply, then removed it and exhaled slowly. Ethan emerged holding a glass of water in his hand, from which Jack sipped, then set the glass down on the floor next to him.

"Well?!" Inez asked, impatiently.

Jack stood and walked to where a chair sat in the corner next to his bed. Turning to have a seat, he put a hand in the air, closed his eyes, and breathed slowly. Then opening his eyes again, he looked at Inez.

"Yes. She was there." He simply stated. And he stared at her.

Inez's eyes flashed open wide and she shook her head from side to side, chin jutting out sharply in front of her.

"Well...what did she say?!? I want details!"

Jack rolled his eyes, then motioned for Inez to come closer. Inez scrunched her brows and squinted her eyes at him, pursing her lips together.

"Come here...I need to inspect that telescope. But you have to hold it for me." Jack said to Inez and she cautiously edged closer to him.

"Your mother said that she designed this thing so that, if I have someone else twist the ends for me a certain way, when I take hold of it...I don't know...it seems too crazy to be true." Jack paused and looked up at Inez.

"What?! What will it do?" Inez shrieked, an aqua vein was pulsating through the crepe-thin skin at her temples.

"Well," Jack began," she said that if I grab hold of it after the ends are turned just so then it will teleport her to my location." He wrinkled up his nose and pulled his mouth to the side, shaking his head back and forth.

"Do it. Do it!" Inez shouted.

Ethan stood by, squinting at the two of them.

"Well, it seems unlikely to me," Jack continued, "but she said if you turn the little end to the left until it clicks into place..."

Inez turned the telescope in her hands so that she could twist the movable pieces. She grasped the smaller end and, with some effort, twisted it to the left. Click! She looked up at Jack.

"And?"

"Now turn the other, larger end to the right until it clicks."

Inez did as he directed and the larger end clicked into place. She looked up at him, expectant.

"Now," Jack shrugged his shoulders, "I guess I'm just supposed to touch the thing.

Inez held the telescope out in Jack's direction. Her eyes were wild and she bounced the device up and down before him.

"Wait a minute," Ethan shouted, "that's not..."

Inez turned to look in Ethan's direction.

Jack took a deep breath and lunged forward with both hands, firmly grasping onto the telescope.

And he vanished from the room.