by C. R. Daems
At home that night I told Alexa about my talk with commander Pogue and his comments.
"I've talked with several of your instructors, and their comments were very positive, even those that are still against admitting you to the academy. They had nothing bad to say about you and had to admit you were a good student," Alexa said between bites of her raspberry soufflé.
"Thank you for taking a chance on me. I know you risked a lot getting me enrolled at the academy."
"You're welcome, daughter. I never had any doubt you wouldn't succeed. The risk was the challenge to tradition. People don't like that. Tradition is comfortable. But we have to be able to adapt, or we will miss our opportunities when they come along—like you. You have great potential, and we have to help you achieve it." She patted my hand and smiled.
I had been too busy surviving to think about the future until now, and now I was afraid to think too far ahead for fear of losing what I had. One man had destroyed my life with the Bordans.
"Yes!" Alexa shouted, causing me to jerk back and spill my glass of water. "Sorry, Anna. We have to prepare you to defend yourself. You can't always depend on Red," she said as if she had read my mind. "I'll arrange for arms training for you."
I sat with my mouth open. I'd never been a fighter, preferring to ignore or walk away from trouble. Of course, Alexa was right. It wasn't always possible to walk away. The boys at Koria Hall and the man at the Bordans proved that. And the man had threatened Joshua and Carola's lives as well. And now Alexa was risking her life by adopting me. I would do it for her—not me.
The next day I was wakened extra early, and Jason had me to the academy and hour and a half before my first class. A petty officer met me as I exited the car. He was dressed in working fatigues with a Master Chief insignia on his sleeve. He was average height with close-cut brown hair receding at the temples. His angular face had a pleasant smile, but it was a no-nonsense face with penetrating eyes that I'd wager didn't miss anything.
"Hello, Anna, I'm Master Chief Ransom. Retired Captain Bellona asked me to teach you basic arms training. Many of us knew her when she was a captain. She was one of the really good ones."
"I agree, Master Chief. I'll try my best for her sake, but ..." I stopped, not sure what to say.
"That's all we can expect," He led me into a long narrow building and sat me down at a long table which looked like it had seen years of use with its many scratches and stains. "First, you are going to learn how it works, how to take it apart if necessary, and then how to hit something with it." He spent the hour explaining the theory of how a basic laser pistol worked. "Same time and place tomorrow."
For the rest of the semester, Ransom explained the theory behind lasers, projectiles, and shard weapons, then introduced me to hand guns, rifles, and multifunctional weapons. The theory included taking each weapon apart, cleaning it, and putting it back together again. Finally, during my last two months, he took me to the range. I noticed he had changed the image of a half-man target to a series of circles with a small black one in the middle.
"The object is to hit the small black circle in the middle. Think of it as a tent at an amusement park. If you can hit it, you win a prize," he said, smiling.
I had never been to an amusement park, but I knew what he meant and appreciated his attempt to take my mind off the real intent—killing. I preferred to think about it as protecting those I loved more than life.
"Thanks. I'm ready," I said. He then demonstrated the correct stance and posture and finally shot the laser he was holding. The target was only twenty meters away, and I could see he hit the bull’s-eye. When he nodded, I steadied myself, assumed the posture he had shown me, aimed, and pulled the trigger. I hit the corner of the target, high on the left. We both laughed.
"No fuzzy doll for that shot." The Master Chief was a good patient instructor, and by the end of the school year, I could hit within the circles consistently and the bull’s-eye now and then with the laser. We arranged to continue again next year. Red didn't seem interested in weapons.
CHAPTER FIVE
Intriguing patterns
The second year flew by, a wonderful year I hated to see end. I was no longer a phenomenon. Only the freshmen turned to look at me as I wandered the campus and attended courses. I loved each and every class and scored at the top of each. Master Chief Ransom had patiently managed to qualify me in each of the four weapons he considered necessary. I had successfully deluded myself into thinking that learning how to put an object into the center of a target was just another academic course. Ransom did insist I continue to qualify each year. For Alexa's sake, I agreed.
The third year went smoothly as a repeat of my second year. I even made a few friends. Cadets Linsey Braswell and Bradon Morley both had at one time or another sought me out and questioned me about a problem he or she was having. They were both at the top of their classes and either weren't intimidated or felt it more important to maintain their grades. So, in our third year we began eating lunch and taking breaks together.
"I can't imagine having a snake on me," Linsey said with a genuine shudder. Bradon laughed.
"It sure wouldn't help to attract the girls." Bradon was a professional flirt according to Linsey. He was tall with curly dark-brown hair, an athletic build, and a handsome clean-shaven face. Linsey on the other hand was several centimeters shorter than average with a plain-looking round face, but her red hair and shapely figure made her popular with the boys. She was a gentle girl, and I wondered how she would like the navy.
"I've had no choice, like being born with six fingers or maybe three eyes. Actually, that's not a good example. You can have the extra finger or eye removed—"
"Ack," Linsey said, her face screwed up in disgust.
"Red keeps me alive. Without him, the Coaca Virus would return and I'd die within days."
"You could survive. Some people do," Bradon said.
"Less than one in a hundred. I was in very bad condition when Red magically arrived." It had been magical the way he showed up: winter, snow on the ground, in daylight. And strange that Red hadn’t stayed with the man who attacked me at the Bordans, since he had the virus. Strange that he didn’t bite Alexa, who now thought nothing of hugging me or giving me a kiss on the cheek or holding my hand. Strange that I could feel people's emotions. Strange the interest he took in my studies. Strange that I'd want him to stay even if his leaving wouldn't kill me. "I never liked snakes either, Linsey. But Red has become like an arm or leg. You don't think about it; it's just there and useful."
"If you say so." Linsey laughed. "I guess if I caught the virus and someone offered me a krait to save my life I'd jump at it."
* * *
One day midway through the second semester, I was approached by a navy commander as I walked out of my navigational lecture.
"Miss Anna Paulus?"
"Yes?"
"I'm commander Stauffer." He held out his hand, and I shook it briefly. "I've talked to your computer science instructor, and he is quite impressed with your pattern recognition ability. Would you mind taking a small test for me? You can check with Magistrate ... your mother tonight. She knows me." He handed me a sheet of paper with writing on it. "It's in code. I'd like to see if you can decode it for me."
I took the sheet of paper and read it. It appeared to be a message from a man sent to a relative telling him about his recent fishing trip.
"If mother says it's all right, then I'll try. How do I get in touch with you?"
"Let’s keep this private except from your mother. There’s no time limit. Take all the time you need. And if you decide you can't or you think you have decoded it or have questions, tell Alexa. She will know how to get in touch with me." He smiled, then turned and left.
I stood frowning at his back. "That's strange, Red." I folded the paper and put it in my pocket. The rest of the day I was restless, wanting to get home and show Alexa. Jason had barely stopped the car when I hopped in and waved for him to go.
&n
bsp; "I could wait while you go to the ladies’."
"No, I'm in a hurry to talk to Mother."
He laughed. "All right, maximum velocity, stop for nothing." He saluted good-naturedly and sped away, pushing me back into the seat.
I laughed. I liked Jason. He seemed to enjoy life and was always in a good mood, unlike most people. We arrived home at least ten minutes sooner than normal.
"Thanks, Jason," I said as I flew out the door and headed for the house. I found Alexa upstairs in her office. The door was open, but she sat frowning at her tablet and didn’t notice me. "Mother." I hopped from one foot to the other in front of her desk. She looked up, put down what she was doing, and waved to me.
She chuckled. "Come here and tell me what has you so excited. Even Red looks excited."
I ran around the desk and hugged her as I took the paper from my pocket. "A man said he was commander Stauffer and gave this paper to me. He said it was in code and asked me to decode it. I said I wouldn't unless you said it was all right. He said you knew him."
"Yes. I know commander Stauffer. He's a spook. That's navy slang for he works in navy intelligence. To them, everything is a secret, even when everyone else knows it. But Carl is all right for a spook. So, if you want, you can play with his little puzzle. Can you show it to me?"
"He said I couldn't tell anyone except you ... so I should be able to show you." I handed the paper to her.
She studied it for several minutes before handing it back to me. "A test, he said?"
"Yes, he said my computer science instructor said I was good at pattern recognition."
"Well, you like puzzles, and this looks like a good one, but don't neglect your other studies. Forget I said that. You're probably weeks ahead of the class." She laughed.
I took the paper and ran off. After dinner, I cut my studies a little short and picked up the paper and read it again. Then I looked at each sentence, then each word, looking for any anomalies. A few words were misspelled, but I saw nothing else of significance. Although it was not unusual for someone to misspell a word, electronic messages usually had software that corrected misspellings. It was late and Alexa had gone to bed hours before when I finally folded the paper and fell into bed.
* * *
Over the next week, I studied the message every free moment and could barely concentrate during my classes. Finally, I put the paper away and forced myself to study and give one hundred percent during the lectures. Alexa was right: my education should be the priority. I ignored the message for an entire week. Afterward, I resolved to limit my time to only three hours a day.
After dinner that night, I sat on the couch with Alexa on the opposite end—our favorite positions for relaxing at night—and unfolded the paper. Red wound himself into my hair and laid his head on my forehead, ready to read. I giggled, a snake that read. In a few minutes, I saw the solution. As I had suspected, the key was the misspelled words. I quickly typed a message to commander Stauffer:
commander Stauffer, I need to talk to someone with knowledge of the banking laws. Anna Paulus.
I touched Send and sat back with a smile as Red slid into my blouse.
"You look like you’re gloating, and I notice that Red has lost interest."
"Me gloat?" I pretended to be indignant.
"Solved the problem, did you?"
"Sort of. I know the gist of it, but I'm going to need to understand the banking laws to figure out the specifics. I told Stauffer."
"I'm proud of you. Not for solving the spook's puzzle, but for the way you handled it when the puzzle became an all-consuming distraction." She returned to her reading.
I truly loved that woman.
As I left my last class the next day, a tall young lieutenant stood waiting.
"Miss Paulus?" When I nodded hesitantly, he said, "I'm Lieutenant Nollad. Commander Stauffer sent me to answer your questions about the banking laws. You can call me Noll, everyone does."
"Hi, Noll. I get the impression there are banking laws concerning deposits and withdrawals."
"Yes, when it comes to reporting to the government ..." Noll spent the next hour explaining the laws, the reasons behind them, and answering my questions.
"Thanks. You can tell commander Stauffer I have the message decoded."
"Can you tell me? I'm interested."
"I don't think I should. Commander Stauffer was very specific that I shouldn't talk about it ... to anyone. I wouldn't want to get you or me in trouble. Mother says the spooks classify everything as secret, even when it's public information—" I stopped and was sure my face had turned scarlet.
He laughed. "She's right, Anna. We are all paranoid. I'll tell the commander." He walked away grinning.
That evening, Commander Stauffer showed up at the house and settled down on the couch.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Alexa, but your daughter says she has decoded the message I gave her. I admit to being overly curious and thought you might want to be present."
"Thanks. I admit to also being curious."
"All right, Anna. What do you think the real message says?"
"The sender, who works at a bank, is notifying the recipient of the message to deposit money into three accounts from his two in random amounts to circumvent the reporting laws ..." I went on to explain how to identify the accounts and how the payments were to be staggered. Stauffer clapped his hands for several seconds.
"Very good, Anna. You are one hundred percent correct. I know because it is an old case, so I know all the details. It took us longer to deduce what was going on, and even then we didn't have the details you just told me."
Alexa laughed. "Carl, she took a week off because she felt her studies were suffering."
"If you have no objections, Alexa, I would like to offer Anna a part-time job."
"Doing what?" she asked, frowning. I held my breath.
"First, I'd like to acquaint her with the type of machines we have to assist us in breaking codes and the various methodologies we employ. Then I’d ask her to do some part-time work decoding messages." He watched Alexa as he talked. "Nothing dangerous, and she can do her work at home. Of course, we will pay her for her time. I can loan her some basic machines and give her access to others as necessary. She has a real talent. It took the team back then longer, and they didn't figure out all of the details until afterward."
Alexa looked at me, worrying her lip as she often did when she had to make a difficult decision—a magistrate decision.
"Let us discuss it, and we’ll get back to you when we’ve decided."
"I understand. It's a great opportunity, but like all decisions, it has consequences. Take all the time you need." After a cup of coffee and a bit of reminiscing, he left.
"The decision is yours, Anna, but I would like to discuss it with you before you make it," she said later as we settled on the couch. I sat with my feet touching hers, feeling I wanted the contact. She was my mother and could make the decision for me, but she was leaving it up to me. She trusted me to think it through, which made it a tougher decision.
"Your life is centered on the present, and that's not only normal for a girl your age but understandable given what has happened to you. And I wish you could do that forever. I'm an adult and can't help thinking about the future and you. Red will complicate your life. You can hope for a cure for the Coaca Virus, but you can't plan your life around that. Graduating from the academy will give you a good education and that will open doors for you. Your working in naval intelligence could also lead to something. I know that's not much help, but I'm here if you want to talk or have questions."
"I won't make a decision without discussing it with you, because I won't do anything you would be uncomfortable with. I love and respect you, Mother," I said, leaning forward and hugging her.
"Thank you, daughter. You're the love of my life."
* * *
I spent the next week wrestling with the problem. I would learn the tools and methods the spooks ... the intelligence
agencies used to decode messages they intercepted, be involved in decoding plots against the government, and get paid. And it might lead to a full-time job with them. But it would definitely interfere with my school studies. I knew from decoding their test case how easy it was to get caught up in the puzzle. I was sure I wouldn't fail any classes, but my grades would suffer, as well as my understanding of the material. And the fourth year curriculum looked really interesting. I'd be learning the functions of flying a cruiser—but then I'd never be assigned to a cruiser with Red—animals weren't allowed on cruisers. I fell asleep each night exhausted and woke tired.
"What do you think, Red?" I asked and waited for some sign. He mimicked signs of intelligence, like when he lay on my forehead while I was reading as if he too were interested, and I always felt I learned faster and understood more when he did take an interest. And then there was my increasing ability to feel other people’s emotions, which I attributed somehow to him. But he never gave a sign that I could interpret as communicating. "This decision affects you as well as me," I mumbled in frustration. As I did, he appeared out of my blouse, wound himself around my neck, and his tongue lightly touched my cheek several times—almost like a kiss. "Thank you, Red." That kiss made my decision easy and I walked downstairs. Alexa was sipping her coffee and reading one of the cases before her that day.
"Good morning, Mother. Do you have a minute? It can wait if you don't."
"I always have time for you, Anna," she said, looking up and putting aside her tablet. It was true that she always had time for me. I could feel her commitment. She would sit there all day and cancel her court appearances if necessary.
"I've reached a decision and would like your opinion." I paused, and when she nodded, I continued. "I'm going to ask to be taught how to use the spooks’ equipment, but I’ll refuse to take any money, because that would give them priority over my time. I’ll agree to accept work, but I won’t guarantee when I can get to it or how much time I can spend on it."
"That's sounds very wise. It must have been a very difficult decision. What made you decide not to accept money?" She leaned forward as she asked.
