The Man From Mars - Episode Three

   "Well what are you going to do Mister Johnson?" Asked the Technician.
   "I'm going to take my amulet home of course." I told him bluntly.
   "You can't do that. We have to call someone. Call in some experts." He said almost hysterically. "If I can confirm these findings, this could be the find of the century. We could be famous."
   "I am already known for being a journalist. Fame is over rated."
   What I wasn't expecting, was this little meek, nerd of a man, trying to steal the amulet right before my eyes and run away from me.
   Like I said before. I have been on clandestine stakeouts and rendezvouses, that will make your hair stand up on the back of your neck. I've taken self-defense classes almost my whole career. What was this guy thinking?
   "Give me that." As I wrestle the piece away from him, throwing him down to the floor. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"
   "You can't keep this for yourself. This belongs to mankind." Almost pleading now the technician says, "I've waited my whole life for a chance like this. To be known the World over and win the Nobel Peace Prize. You can't take this away from me."
   He tries to get up, but I kick him back down.
   "You know, maybe I did carry that virus in here with me. The one the old guy was talking about. Because you just turned freaking insane."
   With that, I left him lying on the laboratory floor, walked down a short corridor, past the guard at the front desk.
   He was on the phone, looking at me with furl brows and beady eyes. But he did nothing to stop me. How could he? He was probably listening to the tech from the room I just came out of, but I am sure he felt that he was listening to a lunatic.
   You could hear the tech's voice, coming over the phone, being hysterical and screaming. Telling the guard to stop me.
   I almost burst out laughing when this gruff of a man calmly asks into the receiver, "What for? Did he steal something?"
   I got out the front door, onto the street, waved down a taxi, told him my New York apartment address, and off we went.
   I did have an uneasy feeling once when we were riding along, where I turned around to see if I was being followed, but you have to keep looking back to notice anyone. Since I didn't, I will never know if I was.
   It wasn't until I got home that another set of paranoia set in.
   If that guy started calling other scientists, colleges, or even the State Department, and was convincing enough, it wouldn't be hard to find me. Thanks to the phone book.
   I never did get an unlisted number. I have had more then one tipster call me on my home phone. So maybe tonight might be a good night to stay at the Ritz Hotel.
   It couldn't hurt.

   I packed a few things, including a bottle of Scotch, called a cab, and headed down to the front lobby of my apartment.
   I didn't have to wait long for my cabbie to show up. So that was good.
   I threw my luggage in his trunk, got in the back of the car, and paused.
   Everyone in New York calls a cab for transportation. Every cop and investigator knows this. Just because I wasn't home when someone came looking for me didn't mean they couldn't find me. All they had to do was get a quick warrant from a judge and have the cab company hand over their records.
   Hell, this is New York. With the right boisterous private dick or police detective, all they had to do was threaten the cab company with vehicle inspections, legal alien documentation for all their drivers, and even to threaten to pull their license if they didn't co-operate. Screw waking up a judge. They could be on my tail in a matter of hours.
  I look to the driver's name tag and tell Omari, "Take me to the LaGuardia Airport please."
  As the cab is pulling away from the curb, Omari says to me, "Yes sir, right away sir."

To Be Continued...

This is,

The Weekly Serial Called

"The Man From Mars."

A New Episode Will Debut Next Thursday.

Jim Hauenstein,

And,

“I once started out to walk around the world but ended up in Brooklyn.”
- Lawrence Ferlinghetti, -

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

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