by Kurt Winans
Throughout the majority of September and October of 2027 Agent Bishop, per the directive of both President Harwell and the Secretary of Defense, continued to quietly investigate any and all possible ties between the former state of Texas and the terrorist activities of November 2026. While keeping the purpose of that lengthy investigation as secretive as possible within the often loose lipped beltway of Washington D.C., Heath followed even the most obscure of leads to their conclusion. Those covert attempts to eliminate any doubt as to who was ultimately guilty were aided by the prospect that many within Washington D.C. were generally too pre-occupied with other concerns, however there were some who remained focused on any unusual activity.
Aided by various lists which the Secretary of Defense had quietly provided, Heath had uncovered some very interesting facts during his investigation. To begin with, each military academy had differing results with respect to the death, injury, or location of their students from Texas during the terrorist attacks.
Nothing unusual stood out at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and they had suffered no cadet losses other than the few which were self-inflicted. Unfortunately those three deaths were caused by their fellow cadets during the misguided yet noble intent of thinking that they were engaging members of the attacking force. Although the losses were tragic, they paled in comparison to what transpired at the other two sites.
At West Point there had been a massive death toll, and now Heath possessed tangible evidence that many of the cadets from Texas were, for one reason or another, intentionally kept at a safe distance from Michie Stadium during the time of the attack. Annapolis had suffered even heavier losses with regard to their Midshipmen, but they had occurred under altered circumstances. In their case no evidence was found to suggest that the infirmary was treating any Midshipman from Texas on that day, nor was there any deviation from normal duty rotations which might have kept certain people away from the nearby Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. With those factors added into the equation, the result of having only one more fatality from Texas than that of West Point must have been nothing more than blind luck.
Then in turning his attention back to the academy in New York, Heath understood that there was a simple and undeniable truth to substantiate what had transpired. However improbable and distasteful the thought of his conclusion might be, it seemed obvious that someone at West Point had forewarned the majority of cadets who hailed from Texas of the pending attack.
In following that belief, Heath then dug into the backgrounds of the West Point cadets from Texas. Although many within the lower classes showed nothing in their files to raise suspicion, those of the senior class at that time were a different matter. Every single cadet from Texas who would graduate with the class of 2027 had at some point during the spring of that year signed a loyalty oath to the Republic of Texas as opposed to the United States of America. Although having the large majority of such a subset following that course would make a certain amount of sense under the circumstances, the entirety of the group doing so seemed to be rather strange. After closer inspection of the names on that list, Heath spotted one which in his mind warranted further investigation. The young man who had graduated as one of the higher ranking cadets in his class hailed from Crockett Texas, and his full name was Jason Gill Tillman.
As Heath continued to investigate, Samuel Tillman was enduring a fall season which was far less enjoyable than that of previous years. Based on the self-proclaimed and nearly unchecked power which it possessed and often flexed, the NCAA had done their part to ruin football for him. The Southeastern Conference, to which Texas A&M had been a member since being invited to join in August of 2011, had followed suit by cutting all existing ties to the university just two days after the proclamation from Indianapolis. Other members of the conference had been required to fulfill their scheduled competitive dates for the current football season with the Aggies, but all future contests would be deleted from existence.
News of the NCAA ruling, and the subsequent path taken by the SEC, were then brought to the attention of President Harwell during the following week. In response, he had offered up a broad smile. For those who really knew the man, it was obvious that the defection of Texas still gnawed at him deeply. Although the thought of having sanctions by the NCAA placed upon the university structure within Texas had never occurred to him, Jordan Harwell loved the fact that it had been done. Then upon further reflection, he realized that there was something which could be done to potentially amplify the penalty. A call was placed to the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, and a restriction was then put in place.
As a result of that restriction, insult was added to injury for those who wanted to view the action of any team within Texas. The impact upon the Tillman family was that of having none of the Texas A&M games throughout the season being broadcast on television by CBS Sports, the SEC network, ESPN, or any other channel. That blanket snubbing had hit the administrators in College Station where it hurt the most, as the missing revenue which would have been gained from weekly televised exposure equated to millions upon millions of dollars. Then there was the ensuing ripple effect created by those games also being blacked out in the regional markets where each of the various opponents called home.
That ripple created an additional problem, as each competing university of Texas A&M feeling the impact of financial fallout upon their respective athletic budgets had something to say about it. With the exception of one opponent, The University of Texas El Paso, the institutions had collectively put an injunction into play which called for Texas A&M to reimburse each program for what would have been their fair share of the television revenue.
Lastly there was the impact that all of the various sanctions and restrictions had upon recruiting. Although Samuel had rightfully believed that some young men from Texas would remain loyal to their homeland and head for College Station or other campuses to showcase their talents, he had also been correct in his previous assumption that others would defect.
In the days leading up to Halloween both Samuel and Victoria noticed a difference in how the family typically approached the pending activities, as there was a justifiable somber mood throughout the mansion. During most years in their memory, there was always a young member of the family who would be excited about the prospect of a tremendous candy haul, while the adults would be anticipating the fun times and social gathering of the annual costume ball in Crockett. With both Jennifer and Blake having now outgrown the idea of trick or treating being a cool thing to do, all that remained of the Tillman clan who would participate in the town sponsored candy dash was Savanah.
Still a few months shy of her tenth birthday, Savanah, like in previous years, would have been dressed in some colorful Halloween costume that Ashley and Ms. Holloway had helped her put together. Unfortunately, that would not be the case during the fall of 2027. Savanah had become increasingly hampered with regard to her affliction, and she didn’t appear to have the necessary strength for all the walking and excitement which would take place in town throughout the evening. During the previous few weeks she had stumbled or lost her balance a number of times while complaining of increased pain in her legs, and on one occasion, took longer than usual to stand from the couch in the family room. Then much to the shock of everyone, Savanah had even fallen asleep in the family suite at Kyle Field while attending a Texas A&M game on October twenty-third. That was when Samuel came to the realization in his heart and soul that his youngest grandchild was now in sharp decline, as there was nothing that Savanah cared about more than watching her beloved Aggies play.
With the costume ball and the other town activities set for Saturday October thirtieth, the Tillman clan faced a difficult decision. For those who could accept the reality of the grim truth, this would most probably be the final Halloween for Savanah. Even if that belief were subsequently proved to be incorrect, the prospect of her being able to participate in any way a year from the present time would be next to impossib
le. With that in mind Samuel suggested to Kyle and Ashley that their daughter should do all that her available strength would allow throughout the evening. Savanah could be paced to a degree with her walking in order to conserve energy, and even carried for the long distances between various stops along the candy trail, but participation was vital. Samuel also took the opportunity to remind them both that Savanah was a bright and intelligent soul. She probably already understood that this would be her last Halloween, so the thought of her doing nothing throughout the course of it would be detrimental, and quite frankly, inconceivable.
Although Samuel’s logic was sound in that it could be the wisest course, his opinion was met with some pushback from Ashley. Would the benefit of her daughter enjoying one more Halloween outweigh what the excitement and expenditure of precious energy might do to shorten the time which she had left? It was a difficult question to address, but after sitting down with her parents to discuss the restrictions which would be placed upon her, Savanah decided that she did want to take part in the festivities.
With all in agreement the family then headed off late Saturday afternoon for nearby Crockett, and both the evening and festivities surrounding it went splendidly for the entire family. Kyle and Ashley took Savanah on the candy dash, and to their delight, Blake came along to help his little sister in any way that he could.
As for the costume ball, the remainder of the family and Ms. Holloway were, for the most part, having their usual wonderful time. Samuel and Victoria engaged in a number of conversations with various friends, and although not completely thrilled about why it was so, Courtney was adapting to the absence of Mason. She became absorbed in the good time that the party presented, and was enjoying a few laughs with some of the other parents. Then it occurred to Courtney that she hadn’t seen her daughter Jennifer in quite a while, so she asked Victoria and Ms. Holloway if they had any idea of her whereabouts. After a negative reply from both, Courtney checked the ladies room to no satisfaction. Then with mounting concern she began a hunt throughout the facility and surrounding grounds. When she spotted Jennifer in an adjacent courtyard from a distance of roughly fifty feet, she felt apprehension in moving closer. Courtney was relieved to know that her daughter was safe, but nervous in that Jennifer was necking with a young man whom she didn’t recognize.
Still not knowing exactly how she would handle the situation, Courtney moved closer with the same stealth that she employed when tracking a target. As the two teenagers were, at least for the present time, focused on nothing but each other, she probably could have walked toward them in full view while playing the drums and they wouldn’t have noticed. Nevertheless, Courtney maintained her cautious advance.
Eventually she took up a shadowed position no more than twenty feet from the embracing couple, and soon noticed that the young man possessed a set of exploratory hands. Jennifer didn’t seem to mind his actions, so Courtney realized that her daughter was perhaps ready to move into a new phase of her life. The thought would be disturbing for any parent to realize that their little girl would soon, or perhaps already had, become a woman, so Courtney braced herself for the upcoming conversations with Jennifer. Of course the basic construct of male and female had been covered a handful of years into the past, but it was now obvious that Jennifer was thinking about participating in the big game of life. Courtney watched for another five minutes, and upon seeing the young man begin to unbutton the dress that Jennifer had worn as part of her costume, believed that her daughter would surely halt his advance. Unfortunately that was not the case, so before things got out of control, Courtney decided to intervene.
With a friendly and nonthreatening tone to her voice, Courtney stepped from the shadows and said, “Oh there you are Jennifer. I apologize for interrupting, but may I please speak with you for a moment?”
Startled by the intruding voice, the young man spun around toward Courtney while removing his hands from Jennifer.
Then while feeling embarrassed at having been caught in the act, Jennifer asked, “Mom, what are you doing here?”
“Well none of the family knew where you were, so I thought I would look for you.”
“Sorry about that mom, but I just wanted to take a walk with my friend.”
While gently touching a hand against her own cleavage area, Courtney provided Jennifer with a subtle reminder that three buttons of the young ladies dress remained undone.
Then when turning her attention toward the young man replied, “I see. And wouldn’t you like to introduce me to your friend?”
There was an extended silence while Jennifer tended to her buttons. But before she could complete the task and respond, the young man stated, “I think I should be going.”
Then another voice could be heard that caught all three of them off guard. It was Samuel who had just recently entered the courtyard while in search of Courtney and Jennifer. He had not witnessed the entirety of what Courtney had viewed, but what he had just seen and heard compelled Samuel to express an opinion.
With stern resolve he moved toward the young man and said, “I see that you have chosen to wear a replica version of a Texas military uniform to the costume ball. That is an excellent and respectful choice of apparel to honor those who serve, and perhaps you will wear an actual uniform at some point in the future. However at this particular moment it appears to me as if you are not enough of a man to offer such a uniform the respect which it deserves. Now let me make this very clear to you son. If you are going to portray a Texas gentleman of noble intent, then you should also behave like one. I don’t care who you are or what your name is, but if you felt the need to escort my granddaughter out here into the courtyard, then you are dammed well going to escort her back inside. Is that clear?”
“Well sir, I don’t…”
With a raised index finger toward the young man, Samuel added, “Choose your next words and actions carefully son, this could become a defining moment in the development of your character.”
The actions of Samuel might seem puzzling to some, but Courtney understood how deeply and passionately the man cared for Texas and how representatives of the republic would be viewed both on a regional and global stage. In his eyes the current situation created a teachable moment to that end, so it was only natural for Samuel to provide a life lesson for both of the teenagers in his present company.
Perhaps it was due to guilt for not providing Jennifer with the same level of attention as had been given to Savanah over recent years, or perhaps he simply wanted to defend the honor and reputation of a young lady who bore his family name. In either case, Samuel was experiencing transference. With the youngest of his grandchildren fading away, this was the first step in separating from his affections for her and shifting them toward his only other granddaughter.
Shocked by the way he had been spoken to; the young man looked toward Jennifer. She was a girl that he had known in school for a few years, but he had never met any of her adult family members. Jennifer gently nodded her head to imply that he should probably follow the instructions of her grandfather. Then after a quick glance toward the woman who was obviously her mother, the young man came to the realization that he needed to comply.
After a nod of comprehension toward the towering man who had just schooled him in ethical behavior, the young man asked, “Jennifer, may I please escort you back inside?”
Slipping into the role, sincere or otherwise, Jennifer gave a heavy sigh and sarcastically replied, “Well thank you kind sir.”
As the young couple then advanced, Samuel asked, “Do you want to provide me with any details as to what happened?”
“Not at the moment, but be advised that I will be having conversations with Jennifer about the possible long-term implications of her actions.”
Catching the drift of her meaning, Samuel nodded and asked, “Do you think it would have gone that far if you hadn’t arrived in time to stop them?”
“Well I certainly hope not, but I suppose it could have. Unfortunately
Jennifer is in a sharp decline from heeding the advice of adults right now. Over the past few months she has become increasingly defiant of any wisdom that might be offered, which could be largely due to Mason not being around very much. Of course it could also be backlash in response to the family shifting most of our collective attention toward Savanah. I also understand that at her age Jennifer is in an exploratory phase of life and is on the brink of womanhood. Although that exploration is completely normal, it can also make her totally unpredictable. Therefore if I, or perhaps we as a family, don’t address her issues with kid gloves, we could have another problem on our hands.”
Samuel had determined, perhaps a bit too late, that the information Agent Bishop might possess could be detrimental to Texas, the organization, and ultimately, the Tillman family. By self-admission Samuel realized that he had been distracted of late due to concerns over Savanah, along with how her current and future circumstances would impact the mental and emotional well-being of the entire family. The shortcoming of Samuel was understandable, however based on the report which had been received via number twenty-three from number twenty-nine in Washington D.C.; there was no denying that he needed to refocus. His realization of that undeniable fact caused Samuel to snap back into an altered reality which was grander in scope than that of Savanah, and unlike the bleak fate of his youngest grandchild, Samuel had helped to orchestrate that larger reality. As a consequence, he quickly shifted his attention back towards managing all that lay in front of him.
