Sleepers and Scouts

by Phillip Murrell

  “No.”

  “At least you’re smart enough to know that. Jenny’s a good girl, and I can’t be mad about the fact that you’re sexually active. I lost my virginity on prom night, too, but I wore a condom. Thank God, too, because that girl would have been a horrible mother. Your mom is going to be pissed that you lied to her just hours before and gave up your virginity.”

  “She told you about that?”

  “Of course, she did. Your mother is a spinal surgeon. That means she’s smart as shit. She knew that prom night combined with a girlfriend of a year and a half would lead to this. She begged me to make sure it didn’t happen. So, thanks, I’m gonna have to take on more of your mother’s wrath, too.”

  “I’m sorry. Would you at least help me out and make sure that Mom agrees to let my friends come to Colberton over the summer?”

  Nick slams his hand onto the table. The nearby plates rattle, and Keith’s glass of orange juice tips over. He barely reacts as the fluid spills into his lap. Nick doesn’t seem to care either.

  “Why the hell would I help you with that? You think a handful of I’m sorries makes life go back to normal? You have to earn those kinds of privileges.”

  Keith jumps up from his chair.

  “Sit your ass down!” Nick barks. “Don’t puff up your chest to me.”

  Keith immediately regrets his actions and retakes his seat.

  “That’s not fair!” Keith protests. “One mistake and I should be punished forever? You’re screwing me just because you can.”

  “Scream at me one more time and see what happens to you. I dare you. That’s your generation’s problem. You mistake not getting a hookup for getting screwed. Do you know the difference?”

  Keith pouts and refuses to answer.

  “I guess you don’t. Let me enlighten you. Getting screwed is when my actions cause you pain. Not getting a hookup is when your actions cause you pain. Let’s say, for example, that you always have to have a pen on you. We all do. Now, I lose my pen and steal yours. You get in trouble for not having the pen. I just screwed you over. Now on the other hand, you lose your pen, but you know that I have two. You ask for my spare pen, but I refuse to give it to you. I’m not screwing you, I’m just not hooking you up. You still lost the pen. It’s your fault. I just don’t want to do you a solid.”

  “You done lecturing?”

  Nick reaches across the table and smacks Keith upside his head.

  “Boy, you’re really working that last nerve. I’m going to take my shower now. You better not move from this table. Not even to wipe clean your mess. Eat up and wait for your mother. I swear to God, if you do one more thing to antagonize me, you’ll regret it more than you did when I caught you as a kid throwing rocks at bugs crawling up our window.”

  Keith shudders at the memory of his childhood, but he defiantly stares at Nick as he leaves.

  “I love you, too, Son,” Nick says as he exits the kitchen.

  Julie walks confidently down the street of a residential neighborhood filled with starter homes. Absent are any guards with her. She walks straight for a specific home and politely knocks on the door.

  Carlos’ muffled voice comes through as he clearly shouts to another occupant in the house.

  “I’m just saying the Demons have a real shot of winning the championship.”

  The door opens and Julie stares at Carlos. She knows a little of this man from the reports her people put together for her. She begins her rehearsed speech.

  “Hello, my name is–”

  That’s as far as she gets before Carlos falls onto the floor behind him.

  “Help!” he screams.

  Julie is perplexed as Carlos slides across the floor in a pitiful attempt to escape the mortal danger he seems to believe he’s in.

  “Sir?” Julie asks.

  She slowly enters the home and shuts the door. She approaches Carlos with confusion and a bit of genuine concern.

  “Are you okay? Is this the home of Karen Whitmore?”

  Carlos shakes with terror. Karen approaches the modest entryway of their small home.

  “Carlos, what’s wrong?” Karen asks.

  The answer immediately fills Julie’s head. She knows that he recognizes her from the Osaka Riots. A single moment that Julie had easily forgotten.

  Karen rushes over to Carlos and completely ignores Julie.

  “I’m not sure what happened,” Julie lies. “He fell over and started screaming.”

  “It’s her!” Carlos cries.

  Karen appears likewise confused and looks at Julie for an explanation. Julie decides to leave and approach Karen sometime when Carlos isn’t present. She slowly walks backwards to the door. She hopes that Karen isn’t paying too close attention to her face.

  “It’s her!” Carlos repeats.

  Unfortunately, Karen’s eyes fill with understanding.

  “Enterprise bitch!” Karen shouts.

  “Oh shit!” Julie says before feeling the full impact of Karen’s body slamming her into the door.

  Karen easily lifts Julie’s lithe body and throws her into a small table next to the door that holds Karen and Carlos’ keys. The table gives way to Julie’s body and splinters into pieces, damaging the wall in the process.

  Julie rolls backwards and comes up in a fighting stance.

  “This is a mistake!” Julie shouts.

  “Come on!” Karen challenges.

  Julie doesn’t know why, but she suddenly has the overwhelming sensation to strike at Karen. Julie throws a pair of punches at Karen’s nose and follows them up with a jumping snap kick. Karen easily blocks the jabs with her own arms and absorbs the kick to the stomach.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that,” Julie honestly admits.

  Karen grabs Julie by the collar of her expensive suit jacket and swings her around by it. Julie snakes her hands inside Karen’s grasp and forces herself free. Karen doesn’t waste a moment to punch Julie in the face twice, then lands an uppercut on her chin. Julie’s vision blurs, and she bites her own tongue. The blood incites a survival mode in Julie. She catches Karen across the cheek with a spinning hook kick.

  Karen instinctively grabs her eye, and Julie dragon sweeps her to the floor. Karen’s head bounces when it hits the tiled floor. Julie immediately mounts the much larger woman. Julie rains blows down on the face of the still dazed Karen. Julie is about to hit Karen again when instead she’s hit from behind by a cane. Julie looks over her shoulder at Carlos and gives him a vicious backhand. The blow opens a cut on Carlos’ cheek.

  “Get off me!” Karen screams.

  Once again, Julie feels the overwhelming urge to obey. She stands and moves away from Karen, but she maintains a defensive posture. Karen stands back up.

  “Fight me, bitch! Fight me your hardest!”

  Julie rushes Karen and jumps into the air, landing a side kick to Karen’s face. Karen staggers, with blood spilling out her nostrils and an eye beginning to puff up. Julie lands and ducks a Karen counter punch. She then barely gets her arms up to block Karen’s second punch. The blow lifts her off the ground a few inches, and Julie realizes that she must dodge. Blocking is a painful option against her powerful opponent.

  Carlos begins to crawl toward the shattered table. His movement is slow and deliberate, but he eventually pains his way over to the intact drawer.

  Julie attempts a double chop to each side of Karen’s neck, but the larger woman spear tackles her to the ground. Julie is able to squirm her way free and rolls backwards to put some distance between herself and Karen. She notices Carlos opening the drawer and reaching for something shiny.

  Julie quickly stands and pulls a silenced pistol out of a holster inside her suit. She fires a warning shot at Carlos as his hand grasps a.40 caliber pistol.

  “Enough!” Julie screams. “I don’t know what
the hell your problem is, but I’ve had enough! I came here to talk and you attack me?”

  Karen pants as she looks at the woman holding a gun on her lover.

  “Just get out of here,” Karen demands.

  Julie begins to cautiously move toward the door.

  “And never come back!” Karen shouts as Julie exits her home.

  Karen spits some blood onto the floor and moves toward Carlos.

  “Are you okay?” she asks.

  “Yeah. Why didn’t you arrest her?”

  “On what charge?”

  “Breaking and entering.”

  “You opened the door.”

  Carlos looks at his woman’s face with pity.

  “That bad?” Karen asks.

  “You’re still beautiful to me, but I haven’t seen you take a beating like that since Smith.”

  “Thanks. I gave as good as I got. You see her limp out of here?”

  “You won. Okay? You won. Now help me up, then I’ll massage away your bruises.”

  Karen smiles and lifts Carlos to his feet. The two limp together to the freezer for some ice packs.

  Keith sits in Tina’s sports car with a dour expression.

  “Tag, you’re it,” Nick tells Tina.

  “Thanks, Nick. I’ll take it from here,” Tina replies.

  Tina sits in the driver’s seat and buckles her seatbelt. The sound of her closing the door gives Keith the impression of a prison cell door slamming. Tina slowly pulls out of the driveway and makes her way out of post housing. Keith can literally hear her seething breaths and just wishes for the uncomfortable conversation to begin, so it can end.

  Unfortunately for Keith, it’s a solid twenty minutes of agonizing silence before he gets his “wish” as Tina merges with the interstate.

  “You lied to me,” Tina flatly states.

  “Mom, I’m sorry.”

  “You never intended to keep that promise, did you?”

  “Mom, I’m sorry.”

  “I didn’t think so. Now I hear there’s a better possibility that Jenny could be pregnant?”

  “It was our first time, Mom. I didn’t lie about that.”

  Tina’s voice raises in volume. “Oh, it was your first time? How stupid of me. I forgot that all virgins get a free pass from STDs and pregnancy.”

  Keith stares at his feet.

  “That’s what they teach in school, right?” Tina asks. “I didn’t go to a prestigious Ivy League medical school, so they were still teaching us that there wasn’t a virginity pass. I guess I’m overreacting.”

  “I’ll say,” Keith mumbles.

  “What was that?” Tina snaps. “You want to use your big boy voice?”

  Keith sits in silence.

  “Sorry, you’ve had sex. I guess I should have asked about your big man voice. Well, tell me, Mr. Man, did you tame that pussy?”

  Keith is unnerved by his mother using vulgar language. He knows she’s doing it to get at him, and he hates it. She’s always known the exact order for pushing his buttons.

  “No, don’t say that, Mom.”

  Tina isn’t willing to give up the game yet. “Well, don’t worry, playa, I’m sure you’ll hit that shit better next time.”

  “Please stop. Can we be adults about this?”

  Wrong thing to say, Keith thinks.

  “That’s right,” Tina says sarcastically. “Being a man makes you an adult. I’ve been doing it all wrong for over half a century.”

  “Whatever.” Keith sulks. He’s tired of her game.

  Tina, apparently satisfied that she got to Keith, begins to speak normally again.

  “You’re only sixteen.”

  “I know, Mom.”

  “So, why did you do it?”

  Keith snaps. “Because I love her. She makes me happy, and I wasn’t until she came into my life. And because the end of the world could literally be any day. Take your pick!”

  Tina looks ready to scream again, but then sighs instead.

  “Those are all fair points,” Tina admits.

  “Really?”

  “Yes, but none of them explain away condoms.”

  “I know. I’m terrified right now. I messed up in that area, and I wish I could do it over. I guarantee I’ll use them from now on.”

  Tina sighs. “Did you have to say it like that?”

  “Do you want me to lie, Mom? It was special, and I still love her. You can’t keep us apart.”

  “Maybe not. I don’t even want to do that. I know Jenny has filled in for Kyle.”

  “Please don’t compare the two right now.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “So, are we cool?”

  “Not even close. You’ll have plenty of time in your room to practice writing college applications.”

  “I’m a sophomore.”

  “With plenty of free time. This way it’ll be a sure thing when you’re a senior.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good. Now how about we finish this long drive in awkward silence?”

  “Deal.”

  The two sit there in silence, but with less animosity.

  Claire stares straight into the camera on the set of The Intrepid Reporter and addresses her audience.

  “Thanks for staying with us on this special Memorial Day. Seated around me still are my special guests and newest Templars: Karmic, Shot Caller, Port, and Stitch.”

  “To be fair, I’ve been here a bit already,” Shot Caller corrects.

  Claire acts embarrassed for the sake of her viewers. “My mistake. Now, before the break you were discussing the benefits of augmented people coming forward and, what, trying out for the Templars?”

  “I wouldn’t phrase it exactly like that,” Port answers.

  “What would you call it then?” Claire asks.

  “It’s more like offering to help,” Port replies.

  “Exactly,” Karmic adds.

  “What exactly do the Templars need help with, and please don’t tell me to save the human race.”

  “I don’t know how to answer you then,” Shot Caller says.

  Claire politely laughs, but forces back the nerves she feels from the ominous innuendo.

  “The Malignant are real,” Shot Caller continues. “They will come back, and we’re the only thing standing in their way.”

  Stitch politely laughs and touches Shot Caller’s arm. “But not for some time. You’ve seen what we can do. They won’t be a threat; we’re just asking for more augmented people to come forward. Don’t be afraid. Announce yourselves and we’ll find a way to meet with you.”

  “Do you have time to answer some questions from the viewing audience?” Claire asks.

  “Of course,” Port says.

  “It’s why we’re here,” Stitch says at the same time.

  “Okay, James in Killeen writes, ‘There are plenty of augments in Colberton already. Why don’t you take them?’ James has a point. You’re pretty exclusive, at least on the surface.”

  “That’s a fair point,” Stitch answers. “But only on the surface. We’re not in the business of getting people killed. Not all augments can meet the demands of being a Templar. Some won’t be able to physically handle it and others don’t have a power that will complement our style. We don’t want to throw lives away.”

  “That being said, we’re a diverse group with members from six countries and every ethnicity. We also have a wide range of ages. I, myself, am over sixty,” Port states.

  Claire is genuinely impressed, more by the age than the other listed characteristics of the Templars.

  “Sixty? Really? And you’re able to keep up with the other men and women on your team?”

  “I am, but don’t give me too much credit. We have a man in his seventies
going through his pipeline training as we speak.”

  Claire looks back at the camera. “Well, there you have it. Open auditions for people of every age, ethnicity, and gender. Let in some non-augmented, and you’ll keep the government off your back.”

  Claire laughs along with the Templars at the simple joke.

  “How about another question? Lisa in Tampa Bay writes, ‘How can you justify killing innocent people and disregarding the borders of other countries?’ A bit feisty, aren’t we, Lisa?” Claire says.

  “There’s nothing innocent about a drug dealer or sex trafficker,” Shot Caller declares.

  “Or professional assassins,” Karmic adds.

  “I think what Lisa is getting at is, who appointed you to be judge, jury, and executioner?” Claire says.

  “Abel,” Stitch says.

  She’s quickly slapped on the arm by Shot Caller, and the other two Templars stare at her. Claire gets the feeling that an inner dialogue is taking place that she can’t hear.

  “That was a bit intense,” Claire says, trying to regain the lighthearted mood.

  “Sorry,” Shot Caller says, “just an inside joke between friends.”

  “Really?” Claire muses. “Some people are going to ask who Abel is. Perhaps the alien that provides all the new technology you have?”

  “I shouldn’t have said anything,” Stitch says.

  “Well, I don’t want to push on a subject that you aren’t ready to talk about, so let’s move on, shall we?” Claire says.

  “Thank you,” Stitch says back.

  “Chuka from Nigeria wants to know, ‘Do all aliens look like humans or are there other species?’ Anything you can add?”

  The three junior Templars look to Shot Caller.

  “I guess I’ll field this one,” Shot Caller begins. “I’m not certain, but I can’t imagine everyone looks human. There are probably planets with all kinds. Maybe humans are just located in the Milky Way and other species live in the neighboring galaxies. Who knows.”

  “Well, keep us informed if you ever find out,” Claire says.

  “Will do,” Port says.

  “Before we close, my team and I would like to give you some swag from the show. T-shirts and baseball caps for everyone. I recommend not wearing them with your armor. They may clash with your look.”