Part I: The Discovery
On one afternoon when Mr. Herrington was not at home, Dameon went into his father’s den in search of whatever might interest him. He did not believe his father would be truly upset with him for merely poking around the study. Mr. Herrington was a good father and mild-tempered, too. The usual punishment for breaking house rules was being sent to bed directly after supper.
“I’ll take my chances,” Dameon thought to himself as he proceeded to wander around and snoop. Dameon enjoyed sitting in his father’s big leather chair, pretending he was a big-honcho oil tycoon with business deals to close. He looked around the room, paged his imaginary secretary for paperwork, and took the box of paper clips out of the desk drawer. As Dameon closed the drawer, he accidentally bumped the box of paper clips, sending them scattering to the floor.
Reality came rushing out of nowhere, and his heart pounded. “My father is going to be real mad if he finds out I have been in his study!” Dameon said excitedly. He quickly hopped off the chair and started to pick up the mess. While on all fours, Dameon noticed a shiny object underneath the center of the desk. It did not budge; it looked, oddly enough, like a door handle. He had never seen a door handle on the floor before. After backing up, he noticed the outline of a trap door and wondered where it led. The basement? Underground? His imagination ran wild.
“I’ve got to call Kyle,” Dameon whispered, and left the room.
Part II: The Duel
Dameon and Kyle were two young children who seemed like any other at first glance. Dameon insisted that Kyle stop by one afternoon to see the trap door. “Where does it lead?” Kyle asked. “I’m not sure,” Dameon replied, “but my father said never to go in the den without him, or the wrath of God would fall upon me.”
Kyle, knowing the “wrath of God” in his own house as a mechanical wooden spanking machine that would not stop, understood the danger. But curiosity won out. After the chores were done, Kyle searched his own house for the fabled spanking machine—checking dusty boxes in the basement and the cobwebs of the attic—before finally heading to Dameon’s.
The sound of footsteps coming down the hall painted an image in Dameon’s mind of a murderer quietly stalking his prey. The doorknob turned, and bang! Dameon smiled as another villain was shot dead by a finger-gun.
“I didn’t have a chance to draw!” Kyle said sharply. “I challenge you to a duel!”
They fought with a modified tennis racket and a broom handle, dancing around the room like hummingbirds until they fell to the floor in a fit of laughter. Dameon’s room was a sanctuary of safety—but nothing could prepare them for what was under the trap door.
Part III: The Descent
After a dinner of “yummy dishes” provided by Mrs. Herrington, the boys seized their moment when she left to run errands. Dameon led the way to the den. The heavy, dark wood door reminded Kyle of a dream where an evil force was trying to break out.
“I don’t think we should go in,” Kyle whispered. “We have to see what is behind the door,” Dameon proclaimed.
Dameon opened the trap door. Below was a shiny aluminum ladder leading ten feet down to a small white room with a keypad on the wall. After a quick game of Paper, Rock, Scissors, Kyle descended first. Inside the small closet-like space, they found three-piece suits, white uniforms, goggles, and a face mask with an air tank.
“Lock the door, Kyle! Push the buttons!” Dameon instructed. Kyle created a melody of tones on the keypad. The red display lit up: 1969.
Part IV: The Shift
The room began to vibrate. The trap door slammed shut. Suddenly it was cold, dark, and the boys’ screams were hushed as they fell to the floor with a thud. When they regained consciousness, every movement was a struggle. They sobbed in the dark until they could only hear the sound of their own breath.
It was now clear that Mr. Herrington’s work for the Government was more involved than the title of “Inspector of Government Affairs” appeared. Jack Herrington was one of the fortunate few who saw the world as it really was. His real income came from the Government, but was heavily subsidized by a private corporation called World Technologies. And World Technologies was not your typical communications conglomerate.