Author's Comment: I have been doing the Neutralizer series for several years. Feedback has been humorous and positive, soooooo, I keep writing it! The stories are based adolescent memories of James Thurber and his "Thurber's Carnival" writing of the Secret Life of Walter Mitty. A story of a very ordinary man who day dreams of an extraordinary life. Ben Stiller made a movie about this character. I consider myself such a person and ergo my Neutralizer alter ego! Characters are all club members chosen as their particular club skills coincide with the needs of the Neutralizer to fight the baddies of the world! I wish to especially to thank Bill Hedricks who has been the Neutralizer's nemesis in many stories. Bill, as well as, as all the members of this MG Club are good natured, friendly folks.

THE STORY - 318 curves in 11 miles......at 3AM in the morning.

LED driving lights at 150,000 candle-power eating the darkness as a small but nimble 2-seater devours the curves at 50mph. The speed was slow "IF" one was driving on a straight road. The difference is that on the Tail-of-the-Dragon, TN Rt 129, leading from Vonore to Robbinsville, Tennessee this was no straight road but rather a pathway to hell if driver and car were not just right!! At the "Tail" end are 2 rest stops - gas and food but also a pictorial museum of those folks that thought they could tame these curves at higher speeds but didn't. Fires, hospitalization and even death darken the color of this route every season. During the daylight hours "The Tail" is a scenic drive thru the Smokey Mountains. Forest and lakes paint the view for the driver. TVA dams in their awesome presence, a visual wonder for the typical American tourist at the nation's most visited National Park.

These were NOT typical American tourists. Americans yes, but of a different cut. There were 2 men in the car racing the curves. Both were predators! The one driving was a soldier, a professional hunter. The other equally proficient in combat skills but a master- mechanic, an artist of the 4-wheeled chariot. His latest creation was a 1972 British Leyland MGB powered by its original 1798cc 4 cylinder engine ....straight from Abingdon, England. However this MGB was helped along the road by a supercharger on its front end but also its exhaust driven turbo on the tail. A fitting compliment to the pathway it engulfed on this clear and dry Tennessee morning. Steve "The Doctor" Skegg turned to the driver with a grin knowing he was enjoying himself. "You like?"
"I like!" was Ralph Arata aka the Neutralizer's reply. "I don't know how you do these things with such a small area to work under hood but this is amazing. "Well, you will need amazing after talking with the DOJ big man!" "The B will stay at a Air Force hangar at McGee Tyson Airport while we fly to The Farm for Hansen's war room briefing tomorrow morning. " Not sure what Ray has in store but the big man told me BIG!!"

The following morning the Neutralizer sat with Ray Hansen, the head fed, responsible for the Farm - a super secret DOJ compound deep in the Alleghany Mtns. Beside Ray was Susan Simpson, the gorgeous and brilliant mission controller for the ops missions that the Farm conducted around the world. Neutralizer and Simpson enjoyed what one might call a 2 ships passing in the night relationship.....they both loved and respected each other deeply and knew that at any time a mission could abruptly end their relationship - cherished as it was!

"Ray, you seem not your typical jolly self this morning!" the soldier joked. The bug fed simply nodded at Simpson who hit the on screen remote. The war room walls separated slowly leaving a solid 12 by 28 foot black screen. Susan pressed again and a picture of a building came to view. "Looks like a peaceful college campus administration building", said the soldier. "Not even close" came Hansen's reply. "What you are looking at is what is referred to as the New Campus at the Oakridge, Tennessee Research Center". (HISTORICAL NOTE: Oakridge, TN was the significant research facility for development of a nuclear bomb during WWII. America was in a race with Germany and built this town of over 80,000 people secretly in 30 days to manufacture the first graphite nuclear reactor harnessing nuclear power for the Los Alamos testing.).

Hansen had the Neutralizer's attention! The big fed continued. "As you know a lot of uranium U235 and plutonium U238 were made during the war. It is estimated there is at least a 500 year supply....probably more. Today, America's entire nuclear fleet, some 2000 vehicles, send their spent fuel cells to Oak Ridge for replacement.". "The New Campus at Oakridge is where all of new technology is conducted - most of it concerning nuclear power we believe!". "You mean your department isn't in the loop" said the soldier. Hansen turned and said, "There are some things even I don't know about." "However, the issue here is that our computer guys in DC have picked up chatter leading us to believe that a small nuclear device has been successfully smuggled thru our rather porous southern border and is on route northeast."" The picture of a middle-eastern man came up on the screen and alongside was one of Sir William, the Neutralizer's nemesis. "The on the right we all know, Sir William." "The one on the left is a new player but we believe he is Assad ad-Din Zanghi." The big fed went on....."Our intel says they would plan to detonate the device in the Oakridge area if ransom demands are not met." "I can't even estimate the damage to air and water east of the Mississippi". Our job

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