The Tesla Legacy

Chapter 33

Ash ground his teeth in frustration. After sending his last enigmatic text, Quantum had gone offline. He’d ditched his phone, and he wasn’t in any of his favorite online hangouts. Ash had sent men to his house and work, but Quantum wouldn’t be as easy to find as Geezer had been. Meanwhile, Joe Tesla had been badly wounded, and Ash still didn’t know where or what the device was. Quantum had said it was the Oscillator and that he had it in hand, but who knew how trustworthy he was?

So, here he was in the back of his limo on his way to the hospital to pretend he cared about Joe Tesla. If the wounded man was still alive, he might be able to give clues about what he’d found. Ash fiddled with his secure phone, hoping to find traces of Quantum, but the clever man stayed hidden. Instead, he verified that news of Joe’s accident had been posted on the Internet, so he could say that’s where he’d found it out. He found an article on the New York Post’s website: Multimillionaire Brained in Hotel Where Ancestor Died. If Joe ever read it, he’d be angry at being mentioned next to Nikola Tesla, and he wouldn’t like the use of the word brained either. Delightful.

“Shall I circle the block, sir?” His limo driver had parked and opened the door before Ash even noticed.

“I’ll text you when I need you.” He was out of the car and halfway across the sidewalk before he heard the door close.

It didn’t take long to find Joe’s room in a long corridor. Two people stood guard outside — a man and a woman, both around six feet tall. No chairs for them. They stood practically at attention. Retired military.

He approached them casually, like a man who didn’t expect trouble.

“I’m sorry, sir, but you can’t go beyond this point.” The Amazon had a gun visible under her jacket, and she stood like someone who knew how to use it.

“It’s OK,” Ash said. “I’m a close friend of Mr. Tesla.”

“You have my sympathy, sir, but you’re not going through that door.” She took his arm, and he tried to shake her off, but she wouldn’t let go.

The man who’d been stationed on the other side of the door looked over at them as if ready to intervene to help her out, maybe tear Ash’s head off if necessary. He wouldn’t be bullying his way into the room. New tactics were called for.

“Let’s start over.” Ash held out his hand. “Mr. Alan Wright. You may have heard of me.”

The woman did not shake his hand. “Vivian Torres. If you’re lucky, you haven’t heard of me either.”

Ash was irritated. He was well known in New York and one of the richest men in the world. “I’ve known Mr. Tesla for many years, and I’d like to see how he’s doing.”

“I understand that, sir.” She planted herself between him and the door and forced him back a step. “But only family is allowed in at this time.”

He thought of making a scene, but his efforts might be better spent looking into this Vivian Torres, seeing what leverage over her he could find online. Fighting a long game instead of a skirmish here. “Is he going to be OK? Is he conscious?”

“I’m afraid I can’t answer those questions, Mr. Wright.”

“Is Edison all right?”

Her expression thawed by half a degree. Nobody could resist a man who cared about dogs. “The dog is fine. And I’ll inform Mr. Tesla of your visit when he wakes up.”

So, Joe hadn’t regained consciousness yet. A good sign.

He tried to imagine Joe Tesla without the use of his magnificent brain and felt no pity. He’d had his chance, and he’d squandered it. He could have done great things.

Maybe he still could, but given the worry on Ms. Torres’s face, that was no longer a certainty.