Entanglement by Gregg Braden

Author:Gregg Braden
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hay House, Inc.
Published: 2012-06-19T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

* * *

It took more than half an hour for the traffic caused by the accident to clear so that Jack could finally move again. He couldn’t stand to think of all the time he’d lost—more than 40 minutes. He shook himself alert and began driving again through the late-night streets. Traffic was sparse now, except for a few taxis. He had his laptop open on the passenger seat and reached over to click the wireless icon; the computer searched for a signal as he drove. He moved into the right lane and slowed down in front of various establishments, hoping to pirate an open-access Wi-Fi network.

Jenny’s Cafe on the corner of Main and Summit had a network, but it was password-protected, as was the Creamery Ice Cream Shoppe and the Dixie Coffee Spot. He tried the hardware store, two insurance companies, and even a funeral home. All were locked.

Jack quietly cursed and pressed down the gas to leave downtown. Desperate for a connection, he decided to steer his car through a series of residential areas. He drove farther afield, out of the city center. His car, nearly alone on the sleepy, rain-soaked streets, emitted an otherworldly glow.

Various networks popped up on his laptop. Most were simply last names: the Sandy family, the Conners, Le Compte. All were locked. They appeared and disappeared in seconds. Then a new unlocked network appeared: the Tankian family. The signal was strong.

“Yes!” Jack said and pulled over to the curb.

Opening a browser, he sent Charlie an e-mail, typing like a machine gun.

are you ok? i need 2 talk to u!!

He hit SEND.

But even this didn’t seem enough.

Next he opened a Skype window; he and Charlie had talked on Skype numerous times since he’d enlisted. Jack still couldn’t get over the power of seeing his brother’s living, breathing face, talking and laughing in real time, on another continent, with the sound of mortar exploding behind him.

Once he’d asked Charlie just to leave Skype on, even if he couldn’t stay on it himself, and for an hour or so, Jack sat listening to the sounds of a marine’s life halfway around the world. It sounded completely different from his California existence. There were coughs and laughs and snippets of unintelligible conversation. There was an alarm, then a distant explosion; there was the beeping of Skype alerts and cell phone rings. He found it all fascinating—listening in to the most exotic and distant locale—a place where his brother was bound to remain without him.

On Skype tonight, Charlie’s name was grayed out; he wasn’t online. Jack smacked his hand against the steering wheel. He scrolled through other names on the Skype list, and found Ernesto Olveiros, one of Charlie’s closest friends. Jack and Ernesto had talked several times before when he couldn’t get ahold of Charlie. He was frequently on Skype, trying to call his family in Missouri. Besides that, he was friendly and eager to talk to Jack about Charlie—or anything else.

Jack was glad to find anyone who was in close proximity to his brother.

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