Change E-Book

Ruth Wyss

• Herausgeber: novum publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 207

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Having grown up in a sheltered environment in Switzerland and trained as a teacher with "head, heart, and hands," Ruth Wyss sees her dream job turn into a nightmare under an arbitrary and authoritarian mentor. When she wants to give up to study music, theology, and literature, her pragmatic father encourages her to look for a job, telling her that she will find joy in working independently. A self-confident, energetic woman develops, turning her musical talent into a career. She co-founds a music school, becomes an ensemble director, raises two children, and travels the world with her husband on business. She navigates the pitfalls of life with deep faith, helpfulness, and empathy. "The wind bends the grass, but it does not break it" is particularly true of this strong woman.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Dedication

Foreword

All beginnings are difficult

The life-saving breakthrough

An impossible shot

The talkative agent

Good afternoon, Mr. President

The big day of the operation

The birth of Air Soldier

An influential friend

The training

Walter's secret workplace

Air Soldier's first assignment

The offspring

The fastest car in the world

The founding of the War Brigade

The golden rule

The last case

Imprint

Dedication

For my sadly deceased grandpa Siggi, the best librarian in the world, Prof. Alexandra Klingler, my grandma, my Nonno, my grandpa Peter and not to forget my parents

Foreword

You are probably expecting a long, in-depth explanation of how my idea came about. Well, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, as the idea was quite banal.

A walk with our dog Diego sparked my imagination and a small thought experiment grew into a veritable stream of ideas. That was the birth of the protagonist "Walter R. Tech".

It was particularly important to me that the character of this figure should be based on mine. The best example of this is: I'm a massive creature of habit, just like him, and we share a love of chemistry and physics.

At that point, there were no concrete ideas or ideas about the storyline. I just started writing from the beginning to the middle to the exciting end. Actually quite different from most authors.

Now I was still missing a picture of the main character. What does he look like? Do you know the Superman actor Christopher Reeve? That's exactly how I imagine him. My friends and family inspired me to create some great characters. And yes, Hasi really does exist.

I continued to work tirelessly on my story. My focus was on 'authenticity' in my science fiction thriller and I spent hours researching every little detail of the cars, motorcycles, weapons, etc. to achieve this.

After about six months, the time had come and I proudly held my finished manuscript in my hands.

The school librarian at the Bundesrealgymnasium in Schwaz, Prof. Klingler, supported me, encouraged me and helped me to follow this path to my dream. I was allowed to give readings in the library and got some feedback on my idea.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family, my friends and our librarian.

MANY, MANY THANKS!

On this note, I bid you farewell and hope that my story will inspire you!

I wish you a good time.

Yours, Florian Wenzel

All beginnings are difficult

"I must have missed something!" the scientist Walter Tech told himself desperately as he repeated this attempt for the umpteenth time, almost demotivated. He hurriedly typed a few key combinations into his computer. He then screwed around with a thirty-centimeter-long steel object. This was connected to the computer with a ten-meter cable. The scientist typed the word "sword" on the computer keyboard and pressed a button located on the upper third of the handle. The prototype began to glow briefly, but the blue light disappeared again after a few seconds. Walter placed his construct on the lab bench, straightened up and smoothed out his lab coat. With his left index finger, he pushed the glasses that had been on the tip of his nose back in front of his eyes. The scientist left the research room and walked down the long, white-painted corridor to the coffee machine.

When he arrived, Walter saw another physicist making a cup of coffee in front of him. When his friend James McTaggart noticed him, he greeted him warmly:

"Walter, how's it going? Did it work?"

"Fine, thanks for asking, and no, I'm afraid it's still not working," he replied dejectedly.

"I'm sorry about that, you know my offer still stands, right?"

"Yes, thank you, Jim, but I'll keep trying myself."

"Whatever you say, Walter."

When McTaggart's coffee was finished, the two men took their leave of each other.

Walter glanced at the clock, which read 7 pm. "Oh no, I'm supposed to be at home for dinner at seven. Claire is going to kill me!" thought the scientist. Walter quickly ran to his laboratory, where he put his key, which he always kept in the left pocket of his lab coat, into the lock and unlocked the door. He then hurriedly pulled the door open, ran to his desk and logged out of his computer. The scientist quickly took his prototype from the table and neatly put it back into the padded box, which he then placed in his cupboard. Walter also locked the box, fearing that his work might be stolen. He went to the clothes rack, took off his lab coat and exchanged it for a gray jacket and a bowler hat of the same color. The scientist pulled the jacket over his white shirt, which was tucked into his black suit trousers. A red tie was neatly tied around his collar. He put his hat on his black hair, which was already slightly graying on the sides. Walter put the key in his left jacket pocket and took his black briefcase from the table. Then he remembered that he still had to put his other keys in his jacket pockets. The scientist hurried out into the corridor. A few moments later, he reached the elevator and stepped in, panting. Walter wasn't the only one in the elevator. Next to him stood his colleague Lisa Smith and his colleague Jonathan Brown. They talked briefly about tomorrow's weather and when the elevator stopped in the underground car park, they said goodbye.

He went to a white Ford Cortina Mk I, pulled the car key out of his right jacket pocket and unlocked the door. The scientist sat down in the driver's seat, took his hat off his head and put it and his briefcase on the passenger seat. He put the key in the ignition and started the engine. Walter put the car in reverse and turned his head back so that he could look out of the rear window. He then reversed out of the parking space reserved for him with the number 145. The scientist drove out of the parking garage at a speed of 20 miles per hour and onto the highway, where he accelerated to 100 miles per hour. He followed the highway for a quarter of an hour until he reached the Brooklyn exit. Later, the scientist turned into the driveway of his house on 9th Avenue. The building was number 321A. Walter took his hat and briefcase, removed the key from the ignition, got out and locked the car. He put the car key in his right jacket pocket and took the front door key out of his left trouser pocket.

The scientist walked up the short porch and unlocked the front door. As Walter entered, he called out, "Honey, I'm home!"

"About time!" exclaimed Claire, slightly disgruntled.

"I'm sorry, I completely lost track of time, darling," Walter apologized meekly. He hung his jacket and hat on the wooden clothes rack. The scientist had barely done this when his six-year-old daughter Martha came running in. Walter hugged her with joy. After taking off his black dress shoes, the scientist climbed the stairs and entered his study. There he put his briefcase in a desk drawer and locked it with his key. He then walked carefully into the kitchen, where his wife Claire was already waiting for him. Walter went to her, gently turned her by the shoulders and kissed her passionately. "Don't be angry, Claire, I'm sorry." Her anger slowly faded. She was just placing the dinner on the plates. There was chicken liver with pieces of roasted potato. He went to the cellar and fetched a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey. The scientist went into the kitchen and uncapped the bottle. The father of the family took two of his best Scotch glasses and poured whiskey for himself and his wife. Walter placed the two glasses on the table while Claire served the food. He sat down at the head of the table, his wife took a seat to his left after helping Martha to the right-hand chair. When Walter had finished saying grace, they began to eat. "You've outdone yourself again, Claire," said the scientist commendably. After the meal, he washed the dishes. Walter then went into the bathroom to take a shower and brush his teeth. The scientist then got dressed again. He looked at the clock out of the corner of his eye, it was half past eight. When Walter put his daughter to bed, he was dressed in blue and white checked pyjamas.

"Good night, sweetheart," he said.

"Good night, Daddy," replied the little girl.

The loving father gave her a kiss on the forehead, switched off the light and left the room. He crept along the corridor and then went into Mr. and Mrs. Tech's bedroom. Walter kissed Claire tenderly, wished her a good night and lay down on his side of the bed. She lay down on hers. The light was then switched off. He fell asleep after a few minutes.

The alarm clock went off at five in the morning. The scientist took his glasses from the bedside table and put them in front of his eyes. Suddenly, what had previously been blurred was now clear and sharp. Walter and his wife got up, still half-asleep. He brushed his teeth. As soon as he had finished, he went to his wardrobe and opened both doors. A long clothes rail ran through the wardrobe. Shirts were attached to it with the help of hangers. There was only men's clothing in the entire wardrobe, as Claire had her own wardrobe right next to his. Walter took off his pyjamas and hung them on a hanger. When Walter had finished dressing, he was wearing a gray shirt and a black tie under a black jacket, with equally black suit trousers. Last but not least, he opened a drawer and took out a watch from "Hamilton Watches Company". He put it on his right wrist, as he was left-handed. Walter then went into his study, where he opened a drawer with his key and pulled out his black briefcase. Walter carefully closed it again and went downstairs with the bag. He moved purposefully past the dining room and kitchen to the front door. Walter opened it and bent down. A moment later, the scientist straightened up again with the new copy of the New York Post in his hand, walked into the dining room and sat down at the head of the table. He placed his briefcase next to his chair. Martha sat in front of the television, eating her breakfast cereal and watching the bickering between Bugs Bunny and Duffy Duck. Claire was making coffee. Pancakes topped with maple syrup were in front of him. Walter opened the newspaper and began to read. He examined various articles about a bank robbery, about Mayor Wagner wanting to build a new school and about a double murder committed against a young couple in their apartment. The cinema release of "James Bond - 007 hunts Dr. No" was also announced. The premiere was to take place on March 7. This date was already three weeks away. He skimmed the rest of the newspaper for interesting articles, but didn't see any more. When Claire brought him his coffee, Walter asked his wife if she wanted to take him to see the very first James Bond movie in three weeks' time. She said yes enthusiastically, as she was a big fan of the novels by author Ian Fleming, just like Walter.

"I'll ask my mother if she can look after Martha."

"Good, I'm already looking forward to it," he replied and ate his breakfast with relish. When Walter had finished the last sip of his caffeinated hot drink, he stood up, kissed his wife and daughter and said goodbye to them. The scientist took the briefcase, went into the dressing room and put on the same coat, shoes and hat he had worn the day before. Walter opened the door, said "See you tonight!" and then let the door fall into the lock. The scientist pulled open the garage door and drove out of the garage. He parked his car there with the engine running to close the door again. Albert Montgomery, the prosecutor, had just stepped out of his house. He was a tall man with a black side parting. The prosecutor was Walter's friend and neighbor. Al was a very down-to-earth and likeable man who Walter liked very much.

"Morning, Al!" he called out to him.

"Morning, Walter, how are you?"

"Can't complain, and how's the prosecutor feeling today?"

"He's fine too."

They said goodbye before Walter saw Albert get into his Bentley S2 Continental. A moment later, the scientist got into his own car and drove off at a speed of 50 miles per hour. After fifteen minutes of driving, he steered his car into the research facility's parking garage and parked again in space 145. When he entered, he was patted down by security personnel, whom Walter had never seen in this building before, and ushered inside. The scientist went into the office, which belonged to the director of the laboratory, and asked him why security was there. The answer he received was: "Threatening letters have been arriving at the laboratory at regular intervals. Have you read about the double murder today?" Walter replied in the affirmative and asked why this was important for this matter. Martin Ryan, the director, told him that the couple were Susan and Jeremy Pritchett, two employees of the laboratory. Walter expressed his condolences and, to avoid an awkward situation, said he had to continue working on his project . Walter turned to leave, but when he realized that the security guard wanted to follow him, he said that he felt able to find his way to his workplace without an escort of any kind.

After the scientist had closed the door, he walked quickly along the corridor that led him to the door marked "Dr. Dr. Walter Tech". He unlocked it with his key and entered his laboratory. Walter hung his jacket and hat on the clothes rack, grabbed his lab coat and pulled it over his shirt. He fished the keys out of his pockets and put them, except for one, in the same pockets of his lab coat as he carried them in his jacket. He left his front door key and his car key in his jacket. Walter then went to the wardrobe and unlocked it. He took out the box containing his prototype and placed it on the table. He then quickly logged on to his computer with the user name W.Tech and the password "12061933WRTech". While the computer was loading, he took his coffee cup from his lab to the coffee machine.

Once the coffee was in his cup, the scientist went to the canteen to get milk and sugar and a plate of cookies. On the way to the laboratory, it was only with great self-control that he resisted the urge to eat one of these tasty, round treats. The temptation was particularly strong as they were his favorite cookies, the ones with the chocolate chips. He placed the plate on the floor in front of the laboratory, unlocked the door and entered with his coffee and chocolate cookies. Walter went to his workstation and placed the hot drink and cookies at the far end of the table. He then opened the box and carefully took out his prototype. He then used a Phillips screwdriver to tweak the me tall object. A few moments later, he connected the cable attached to it to his computer and this time typed the word "axe" into the program he had written himself. Walter clasped the handle with both hands. His left thumb moved towards the button that activated the prototype.

The life-saving breakthrough

Walter pressed the button and his prototype began to glow. A moment later, a blue light lit up and slowly formed into an axe. At the same moment, the scientist heard the sound of glass splintering. Walter erased the word "axe" and typed "shield" into his specially programmed program. A moment later, a shield materialized from the axe. And not a second too late. Because at the same moment he heard a crash. It sounded like a gunshot. Seconds later, something hit Walter's shield with such force that he was knocked to the ground. Since he had specialized in ballistics and atomic and nuclear physics after studying physics, he was able to deduce from the force that the bullet had released on impact that the gun must be a 357-calibre revolver. Walter looked up and saw that the shooter was only five steps away from him, so he must have fired from a distance of six meters, as only a few seconds had passed between the shot and that exact moment. The scientist struggled to get up. The shield was still in his hand. Walter could feel the grip burning into the flesh of his hand. He briefly calculated his chances in his head and then sprinted towards his attacker, who was wrapped in a black cloak. Baffled by the physicist's actions, he fired two shots. One bullet pierced Walter's right shoulder. It passed through it and, like the other bullet that had missed him by just a few centimetres, crashed into the wall behind him. The scientist cried out in pain, but did not slow down. He assumed the stance of Captain America and rammed the shield into the crook's stomach. The latter stifled a scream. The revolver slipped from the hooded figure. Now the attacker stood in a crouched position in front of the scientist. Walter reached out and struck him on the skull with the flat side of the shield. The man slumped over unconscious. At the same moment, the security staff arrived at the laboratory. They looked puzzled from the shield to Walter and then to the unconscious stranger. The scientist looked down at his attacker, the ski mask that the criminal had been wearing just a few minutes before had been burnt off. Blisters had formed on his scalp, where the hair had already been burnt. A security guard approached the crook armed with a fire extinguisher and extinguished the crook's skull and coat, which had started to burn. Walter sank to the ground, his coat already soaked in blood. "Would you be so kind as to call me an ambulance?" At the same moment, another of the four guards present pulled his radio from his belt and called for an ambulance. The guard who had deleted the stranger went to the computer and carefully pulled out the cable leading to Walter's prototype. The shield then began to glow more intensely for a short time and then dematerialized. All that remained was the hot handle, which slowly slipped out of Walter's hands. Meanwhile, the other two guards, a man and a woman, arrested the criminal. The female officer pulled handcuffs from her belt. The man pulled his Beretta M9 from his holster and pointed it at the injured stranger. The woman put the cuffs on him. The two then pulled the unconscious man up and lifted him onto the nearest chair. They then asked for a second ambulance. The officer who had pulled out the cable went to Walter and congratulated him on successfully fending off a trigger-happy criminal. He then walked over to where the recently fired revolver lay. He picked it up with his gloved hand, took his radio in his other hand and radioed the police. One of the two requested ambulances arrived. Walter was friends with the two paramedics who had just entered the room. The first was a huge man with a black moustache, glasses and black hair combed to one side. His name was Simon Heinrich. He was an Austrian, a Tyrolean to be precise. The other firefighter was called Emanuel "Emi" Mayr. He was a little shorter than the other paramedic, had red hair and was clean-shaven. The two of them came from the same village in Tyrol. They had gone to school together there and then finally emigrated to America. They were wearing their black firefighter uniforms and helmets on their heads. The men tended to Walter first and then carefully lifted him onto the stretcher they had brought with them. Simon pulled the stretcher and Emi talked reassuringly to Walter while he pushed it. He asked the scientist how they had been called out. Walter then briefly described the events. After summarizing, Emanuel replied: "You were lucky again, Walter." That was the last thing Walter could remember. The next thing he saw, but only in a blur, was a long corridor, people in blue coats and Emi, who seemed to be getting more and more nervous. Then everything went black again. Walter now saw a nurse pressing a mask over his mouth. In the background, he heard a doctor say: "Parts of the bullet are traveling to his heart, if we don't operate right now, we'll lose him." Then the anesthetic took effect.

When he woke up again, his wife was sitting next to him with tears in her eyes. When she realized that he was no longer asleep, she wiped her tears away. She mumbled something, got up and left the room. A short time later, the door opened again and Martha came in. "Daddy!" she exclaimed overjoyed. He was very happy to see her and hugged her as tightly as he could. Immediately afterwards, Claire came into the room with his mother and father. There were worry lines on his mother's wrinkled face. His father's expression was a mixture of worry and unbridled pride. Claire's expression, on the other hand, was only happy.

"Are you all right, Walter?" his mother asked Kate.

"I've never been better, Mom," the scientist replied.

"You did great, sport. I'm so proud of you," added his father Paul. In return, he received a poke in the ribs from Kate Tech.

"I'm just saying," he grumbled meekly.

"I'm so glad you're all right," Claire said in a tearful voice. The door to the room opened again and a nurse came in.

"Mr. Tech needs his rest now. You can visit him again tomorrow."

His wife and the rest of his family said goodbye and left the room. It didn't take long for Walter to fall asleep again.

The next morning, the scientist was woken up by the nurse who brought him his breakfast. He gratefully accepted it. Walter was given a bowl of milk and breakfast cereal, along with a juicy red apple cut into eighths and a cup of hot coffee. He looked at his watch on his bedside table. It read 8:15. He ate the flakes first and then the apple with relish. The scientist had not yet finished eating when the door to his single room opened. A man in a black suit, carrying a briefcase, came in with light, springy steps.

"Detective Jason Kennedy, Homicide."

He flashed Walter his badge.

"Please take a seat, Detective."

Once seated, the police officer continued, "I'd like to ask you a few questions about yesterday's attack. But only if you feel well enough, of course." Walter replied in the affirmative. After a few moments, another man came into the room. He was a muscular man, about 1.90 meters tall, with brown hair that was already greying. The gentleman was dressed in a gray suit with a red tie and white shirt. He introduced himself to Walter as Captain Arnold Bond from the 66th Precinct. The detective asked: "How did the attacker get in?"

"I think through the window, because I heard glass shattering," the scientist replied.

The captain interjected in a raspy, low voice that Walter should just tell the whole story. Kennedy pulled a notepad and a pen from his briefcase. Walter then began to tell the story.

After half an hour, the story was over. It was another five minutes before Kennedy looked up from his pad.

He took a sand-colored file from his briefcase, opened it, placed a photo on the table and asked: "Do you know the man in the picture?"

"Yes, that's Adam Johnson. He was fired last year for threatening to kill others if they didn't bend to his will. He was also committed to a mental hospital because of it. Why are you asking about him?" asked Walter.

"He attacked you," the captain interjected.

"We have two more questions, after that we'll leave you alone again. Firstly, what was your relationship with the perpetrator? And, would you like to sue him for damages?"