Page 4 - Unlikely Stories 5

The Forteana Suppressor

demons. And a lot of things like ball lightning are now understood as
natural occurrences. Hoaxes in general, like the Piltdown Man and
Orson Welles’ dramatization of War of the Worlds, are more quickly
exposed or less likely to be believed than they were a century ago.”
“Yes, yes,” said Larry impatiently. “I get it. But what has this to do
with these desert rats?”
“I’m coming to it. You see why we couldn’t wait for you to cross-
examine me on the phone? It’s not simple. Anyway, Femilius,
according to Monella, does his own research and comes to his own
conclusions. He thinks he found the explanation for what he calls
ballistic displacement: mysterious power points on the planet that
suddenly shoot objects into the air when they are active. And he is
certain that Nikola Tesla knew about them.”
“Why? Wouldn’t that be documented? Tesla’s records have been
scrutinized for years.”
Keith shrugged.
“Don’t ask me. The point is that Tesla, according to Femilius,
found out that the circulation of the earth’s molten iron core
occasionally brought it under places in the crust that acted as lenses,
focusing enough electromagnetic energy to offset gravity for a brief
period on the surface. The locations would shift, some never to
repeat; others held for longer periods. You may recall,” Keith tried to
sound authoritative, “that Tesla experimented with airborne power
transmission and resonant vibration generators. Some of those
devices and plans were lost. No one knows what they were supposed
to do. Except, of course, Femilius. He told Monella that one of
Tesla’s teleforce machines actually was built but malfunctioned when
tested, sending a jolt of power deep underground. No harm done,
right?”
“You tell me.” Larry observed that they had passed the dilapidated
buildings of the resort and were now on an even poorer road. He
hoped Keith was paying attention to where they were going as much
as to where his narrative was headed.
“Femilius believes it is no coincidence that a sharp drop in
Forteana occurred around the same time.”
“Wait a minute. You mean those anomalies stopped happening
because of it? That nothing fell from the sky because nothing had

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