Author notes

BURNING GAZE, Page 49

alschroeder

on July 7, 2013

This ends this particular storyline. And yeah, he was acting to save Griffin from Vigilant's "tender" mercies, but this is what he was doing in that hour before he went (transformed into Griffin's likeness) to the zoo, to be confronted by Vigilant. He knew he had to return the necklace—but even Lafferty, who's no scientist, knew that an anti-gravity device is something that can immensely benefit mankind.

So he's killing two birds with one stone. He's going to send the analysis of Beastbeauty's necklace—which can halve her weight—to her ex, Griffin, who's on the run, but has numerous contacts with the press he used to work with. Lafferty wants Griffin to make the decision when to release that info—and how. In a way that won't endanger Beastbeauty or their daughter, Jewel. So it might be years and years from now…

And it might be little by little, contacting some top physicists and showing them the way the device was made, and letting them duplicate it….

…But some of the Next Level's secrets will be revealed, and mankind will be better for it.

Oh. And as advanced as Vigilant's senses are, there is no way he can watch a single person, while moving in an airplane going faster than a bullet, from thousands of feet up. The eye itself moves…it's like using a hand-held telescope of really advanced magnification on the deck of a ship…it doesn't work. The eye can't hold it on one object, when a very minor twitch could make the image move hundreds of feet.

Similarly, even Vigilant cannot hear something said when he's moving faster than the sound waves coming from it.

Lafferty picked the perfect time to meet with the grad student (mentioned a few pages ago, when the two half-Laffertys were talking together.) where Vigilant, even Vigilant, couldn't see what he was doing.

Lafferty will have to be more careful than ever, though…now. Vigilant might be watching at any time.