by John Ricks
“Do not be profane, creature. How is it you are still alive?” Yellows asked.
“I turned the switch off.”
Yellows looked over at the switch and turned it up fully. Then they ordered, “We want two more Yellows in here immediately, and have Green guard that switch!”
As two small Yellows entered, Blue and Gray backed up. Green would have backed up, if not for being required to hold me centered in the tank. The new Yellows bowed to the other Yellows, and eyes looked unblinkingly at the other colors in the room. A Purple fainted, and two Greens quickly attended him, glad of something to do.
The new Yellows said, “You wish for help, our pen mate?”
Yellows said, “Yes, our friend. Please hold this creature up, and monitor any attempts from him to use mental abilities. If he tries, do not shut him down or erase memories. Simply block him.”
“As you wish, pen mate.” Six tentacles entered the tank and wrapped around me, holding me directly and firmly in the center. My mind was held in a firm shield, and everything went black. Darn!
Green removed all his tentacles except the one in my brain. Yellows said, “We are sorry, Green, but your emotions would have destroyed this creature, if not for his deception. We cannot afford any more deceptions or mistakes. Please continue.”
Chapter 12
The President Is Coming
When I woke up four days later, it was because I heard Colleen saying in a soft voice, “Freddy! Wake up, Freddy! The president is coming. She wants to talk with you.”
I turned over and covered my head, asking, “Why? What did I do now?”
She smiled. “I see you have a sense of humor again. You know you did nothing wrong. Now let’s get you up and into the shower, and then we’ll get you dressed.” She threw the covers back and lifted me up, noticing how underweight and undernourished I was, and she carried me to the shower.
When she turned it on, I woke up. I have a great hot-water system, but it still starts out very cold—ice-water mountain cold. “Hey!”
“Stop complaining, and get going.”
“Yes, Aunt Colleen,” I said meekly, while shivering.
I cleaned up and started to get dressed, even though what I really wanted to do was go back to bed. The president was in charge of the army, and she had set them on me again. I just couldn’t see them disobeying her. She was the boss, and that made her responsible for what the army did, didn’t it? Was she against me for some reason? I’d been good, so why was she coming here?
Since it was the president, I supposed that I should dress up a little. I had a suit and tie that the team bought me for my birthday, or I could just dress in my normal work jumper. I could not think, so I went over to the dresser and found a coin. Heads it’s the jumper; tails it’s the suit. It hit the carpet and bounced, finally settling on tails. I said out loud, “The suit it is, I guess.” Luckily, Colleen had already tied the tie for me, so all I had to do was slip it over my head and collar, turn my collar down, and button the flaps. I liked this suit. It was a dark blue with tiny stripes—I was told they were called pinstripes. It made me look like I was thirteen instead of eleven, and I really liked that. I actually felt better for a minute.
Colleen knocked on the door, startling me. She opened it a crack and asked, “Are you ready yet?”
“Yes. I guess so. How do I look?”
She looked at me critically and then tightened and straightened my tie. With a look that seemed motherly, she said, “You’ll do.”
“Why is she here?” I asked. “Are you going to stay next to me? I don’t want to be alone near her.”
She bent down so we were face-to-face. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. The team won’t let anyone harm you, not even the president. You don’t need to worry about her. She’s not here to punish anyone. I think she’s interested in the shuttles.”
I looked at her. “Don’t lie. You’re better than that, and you know I can tell.”
“I wasn’t lying.”
“Scurrying around the real answer is the same as lying.”
“Yes, well, sometimes your abilities are a good thing, and sometimes they’re not.”
“Tell me about it. Sometimes I hate knowing how others feel.” I shivered, remembering the coldness of that Mr. Handelson, and said, “But sometimes it saves my life.” Nothing was said for a few moments while I tidied up the bed. “I’m tired, Aunt Colleen. How long do you think this will take?”
She looked at me with concern. “A while, sweetheart. She came a long way just to talk with you, and we’ve planned a dinner for her. You’re the host, so you need to entertain her and keep her occupied.”
“I guess I can try,” I said, feeling downhearted. We left my room and headed downstairs.
Meanwhile, downstairs in the study, planning was going on. Petty Officer Henderson said, “The president will be here in about ten minutes, Commander.”
“Great! Katie, how’s Freddy?”
“Colleen has him in the shower. Commander, he’s unconsciously broadcasting his thoughts. He can barely stand up he’s so tired. His thoughts are fear of the president. He feels that she’s responsible for the army’s actions and that he might as well give up and die. He doesn’t want to face her. God, I hope she doesn’t make him angry right now. If his fear turns to anger, I have no idea what he’ll do. Don’t let him get cornered, or he could come out fighting. He called Colleen ‘aunt.’ He doesn’t realize it, but he thinks of her as his aunt and protector.” She smiled. “How cute.”
“What?” asked the commander.
“He thinks of you as ‘Mommy.’ He may not say it out loud, but he does.”
“Interesting.”
“We’re like his sisters. I kind of figured that, but he really feels that way.”
“What is he planning to do?”
“Nothing. He’s so tired he had to flip a coin just to decide what to wear. He’s thinking he’s glad Colleen already had his tie tied. He’s also thinking about going back to bed.”
“Where’s Colleen?”
“At the top of the stairs, waiting for him.”
The commander said, “Betsy, tell Colleen that Freddy is thinking of going back to sleep.” Betsy nearly flew up the stairs. “Katie, I know this is spying, and you don’t like doing this to Freddy, but I need to know. What are his immediate needs? What can we do to help him? Is there any clue on how to get him interested in working and living again?”
“First, we need to be ourselves, act natural, joke around, and make light of things. He could use a laugh. Show concern if you feel it. He loves us all very much and will take it well if it’s sincere. Do not fake anything! Next—and possibly most important—show that you’re protecting him. Make a big show of it. Show that you trust the president but not more than you trust Freddy. He needs to see that your concern for him overrides anything the president wants. He trusts us, but he’s feeling very vulnerable right now.”
“Showing protection for him is easy. The orders stand that we protect Freddy at all costs, and I repeat—all costs. If that means taking out the president, then do it. The other could be tricky. I could warn the president that I need to go against her on some things, but he’d see right through it. Let’s just hope something comes up that will fit the situation. I can always explain it to the president later.”
Katie said, “He’s on his way down.”
Betsy entered. “Freddy and Colleen are coming down, Commander.”
“You have your orders. I want that helicopter fully scanned, and I want Freddy to see us scan the president and every person who’s with her. What are you waiting for? Scatter!”
The commander stood up and walked out to the front. When she saw Freddy, she almost cried because he looked so tired and pale. He needed to hold on to Colleen just to make it downstairs. His little legs were wobbling like there was no strength left
in him. His expression looked drab and listless. His normally bright purple eyes were dark and sunken. Susan’s motherly instincts were in overdrive. She bent and straightened his tie when he reached the bottom of the stairs, and she hugged him close to her as tears started to flow.
“It’s nice to see you too,” I said to the commander.
“It’s good to have you back from the dead, sweetheart.”
I chuckled a little. “Does this mean I can go back to bed now?”
She held me at arm’s length, saying, “No way, young man! You’re not leaving me alone to entertain the president all by myself.”
“Are you still afraid of her? I don’t blame you. I am too.”
She took my hand and started walking toward the front door—the helicopter was coming in. “No, dear. I’m not afraid of her at all. I’m just afraid of looking bad in front of her.”
“I guess that makes sense,” I said. “You respect her and her office, and your career depends on what she thinks about you. That would make anyone nervous. After all, she is your boss. You may think the orders make you independent, but they don’t, not if your job is still in her hands.”
“Freddy, you’ve always had this knack of seeing right to the real issues,” said Colleen. “You understand that we do need to make her happy.” Then, while straightening my tie again, she said in a sterner voice, “You be on your best behavior, young man.”
“Don’t you think it would take some of the tension away if she accidentally slipped and fell in the water?” I asked. “Can she swim?”
Susan looked at me in shock, but seeing my smile, she realized I was pulling her leg. “Don’t even joke about such things.”
“They would kill their president to protect this creature.”
Everything went black, but if you think that’s going to stop me, think again!
Yellows said, “Yes, and now you know why their entire fleet is headed toward our home system. Not one ship stayed behind to protect their Earth.”
Blue turned to Yellows with great concern. “Their entire fleet! We will destroy them easily. They must know this.”
Yellows sadly said, “We are not sure they do. Our last Gray leader was so inept this species was winning. They may think they have a chance. What we learn here may save their planet from our fury and this species from total annihilation. No one has ever attacked our home system. The fleets from all the worlds are converging to the home system. Over one thousand battleships. They will be there in plenty of time, and the Gray will not allow a single survivor. Green, please continue.”
Chapter 13
Presidential Visit
I tensed up dramatically as I watched the incoming helicopter.
“What’s wrong?” asked the commander.
“Someone’s with her who can read minds. I feel her trying to sense everyone here and pick out emotions.”
“Is she hostile? Is the president in trouble?”
“No, and no,” I answered. “The president knows she reads minds. Her ability is rather weak but stronger than Katie’s. She doesn’t have the ability to control others. She reads and transmits, but that’s it. She has good mental shields, but her front mind is open and letting us know that they are not a threat. She knows I’m reading her. She says to say hello. She knows someone here.”
With that, I relaxed considerably and brightened up as I started toward the helicopter’s landing area. I was still too weak to move quickly and had to support myself on the commander, but my renewed enthusiasm was clear.
The commander and Colleen looked at each other and smiled. I could tell that Susan thought curiosity could sometimes be a good thing. Then it hit her, and she stopped suddenly and pulled me in her direction. “Can you control people, Freddy?”
“Sure,” I answered, still looking at the helicopter. “Why do you think that nasty spy didn’t move for a while when we talked? I made him think he was tied up tight, thus keeping him from using his legs and arms.”
She put two fingers on my chin and turned my face to her. “I don’t recall your ever doing that. Have you?”
“Only with animals that I wanted to get a closer look at, and after I do, I usually reward them. Most of the time, they come back on their own after that. Did you know that most birds have tiny little fluff under their wings, and bears have bad breath? I normally would not do that to a person, but the spy wanted to kill us. He didn’t like being found out. Not at all. I personally don’t think it’s right to control anyone. When I had to do that to him, it really upset me, as it goes against everything I believe.” I could feel my lips forming a pout. “I was afraid he’d harm one of my sisters. Did you know that—”
She put a finger to my lips. “You’re babbling.” She smiled and said, “Freddy, have more faith in our abilities. We’re here to protect you, not you us.”
I smiled meekly. “I know.”
The helicopter landed, and several people in black suits climbed out. When they started heading in our direction, eight girls from the team aimed fully automatic rifles at them and yelled, “Halt!” Two of the girls scanned the Secret Service personnel and removed their weapons, which made them very unhappy. Once unarmed, they were set in a group to the side and watched under guard. I recognized the president when she climbed out. She looked well and not a bit scared, but her emotions were exactly the opposite.
The young lady who climbed out next was reassuring the president that she was not in danger. She was about twelve or thirteen, and she was beautiful. She told the president that the reaction she was seeing was for my protection, and the girls surrounding them were thinking only of me. She said she felt no animosity at all. Then she looked at me and said to the president that the strongest emotion she sensed was fear of her, and that was coming from me.
I instantly raised my shields, and her eyes widened. She said, “He’s stronger than I am by a large multiple, but he’s not trying to read our minds. He is listening, however, to our transmitted thoughts, our emotions, and our spoken words. He knows what I’m saying, even from way over there. By the way, Freddy, I’m fourteen.”
“Interesting,” said the president. She looked at me and asked the girl, “Melanie, if he’s so much stronger than you, how do you know he isn’t reading our thoughts?”
She giggled. “He thinks it’s immoral. He won’t do it unless he’s protecting himself or his …”—she paused and tilted her head—“family. Be careful what you propose. He sees these girls as his family, and he’s very protective of them.”
The president said nothing more but visibly relaxed. This all happened very quickly as the president disembarked. The next person out was a navy admiral. It seemed like he was covered in gold, especially with all that trim on his hat and the gold stars and gold stripes running up his sleeves.
The next two people out were army generals. This did not go over very well with the team or the commander. She stopped when she saw them and turned around, placing me so that she was between the helicopter and me. I looked back over my shoulder as she took me back to my home. She was fuming mad, and with her, that meant she became deathly quiet. While we were walking, she said in her wrist communicator, “Full alert. Watch, I want to know every movement, both inside and outside this compound. Team, if you see anything out of the ordinary, I want to know about it now. I want those two generals”—she spat out the word—“under the barrel of a gun at all times. Take the civilians and the nonessential personnel inside. Scramble!”
I don’t think the generals liked it very much, being forced onto their knees, hands behind their heads, and with a cocked 9 mm pistol pressed against the backs of their necks. The admiral shouted orders that the team ignored. The president was not happy about guns being suddenly pointed in her direction either. Melanie dropped to her knees, closed her eyes, and started crying. Katie yelled to me, mentally, “Get my niece out of there!” I teleported Melanie to
my home porch so she was away from the guns. I said through the window, “Don’t worry, Melanie. They won’t hurt you.” She looked surprised, and so did everyone else.
The commander said, “How did she do that?” The commander was so upset that Melanie could just disappear and reappear wherever she wanted that she pulled her gun. She had it cocked and was about to pull the trigger, but I placed my hand on her arm and said, “I did it, Susan. She was so scared, and I know that she’s not here to harm me. She’s Katie’s niece, and Katie yelled to get her away from there, so I did.”
Melanie knelt on the porch, trembling, so I looked at Colleen and said, “She needs comforting.”
Colleen immediately went outside and kneeled next to Melanie, while talking slowly and quietly, letting her know that no one wanted to harm her. “You’re safe here.”
The commander let the rest of the team in on what had happened, and then she turned to me to chew me out. “Freddy, please try to let us know when you’re going to pull something like that. You scared me half to death, and I almost shot the child out of a need to protect you.”
I looked up at her, threw my arms around her waist, and started crying. I don’t know why I felt so relieved, but I did. She reached down and hugged me.
“I love you, Susan.”
“I love you too, sweetheart. You need to remember that our training is very much reactive, and you may not have time to stop what you set into motion next time. Please think before you act. Okay?”
“I’ll try. I’ll try real hard.”
“Good. Now let’s take care of what’s going on. Maggie, get to the house, and cover Freddy. Home, Shop, protect Freddy as per Order Five.” The commander headed back toward the helicopter.
“Affirmative,” Shop responded.
“Affirmative,” Home echoed.
I looked at the watch. “What’s Order Five?”
Marian said, “Order Five is for Home, Shop, and all resources to be stationed at full alert. All focused on protecting you. If Home or Shop detects anyone or anything that may harm you, they’re dead. If anyone enters this command base, or if someone on the base enters the house or the workshop without the direct permission of an authorized person, or if someone tries to tamper with any part of the base, shop, or house, the computers will notify us and destroy them without question.”
