Building a CAP Based FutureChapter 35 In at School
- 3 years ago
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I held Ashley close. There was a musical chime coming from the backpack at her feet. She giggled and looked down at it. "Mark, that's my cell phone. Can you grab my bag?"
I shifted to the left so I could use my left hand to reach the bag. My right hand Ashley held pinned against her pussy. She was rocking gently against my hand as I picked up her bag and lifted it to the table. Once it was on the table Ashley dug through a side pocket to find her phone.
"It's Mom!" she exclaimed as she swept her finger across the phone to answer the call. She raised the phone to her ear. "Mom ... Yes, I'm fine ... No, I'm not on the campus anymore ... I saw what was happening and ran to Freedom Junior High ... Yes, Mark and Jason are right here ... It was a student, Mother ... He must have hid some knives in his car ... No mother, I'm fine. He never touched me."
Ashley twisted around to look back at me. "The attack has made the news," she said. "Apparently school officials have already announced that Central High and Freedom Junior will be closed for the rest of the day, but they haven't opened the street. We can walk to the corner, or wait for the street to open," she said.
"Won't the school want to know who leaves campus?" I asked.
Ashley giggled. "The news reports that the student parking lot for Central High is almost empty. Anyone who could escape the rampage ran away. They say it will be easier to check on Monday."
"Tuesday," I said. "Monday is a planned protest. Actually this afternoon was one too, but after this, the teachers will look bad if they march on City Hall."
"You can't fight City Hall," Jessica said knowingly. "Although with the right bribes you can certainly rent the bureaucrats running it."
"Bad business girl," I said cheekily. "No soup for you."
Everyone laughed at that. Kathy and Kelsey then pulled out phones and started to make calls. Ashley put her phone back to her ear. "Sorry Mom, I was asking the others here what they want to do. It sounds like walking to the corner will work. They worry about the teachers wanting to take roll."
I could see Mrs. Greer wandering across the blacktop. I waved to her and the art teacher sped up and jogged over to us. "Mark, Jessica," she said as she got closer. "What can I help you with?"
She seemed to be trying to recognize the rest of the group. I gave Ashley one more quick grope and then pulled my right hand out of her skirt. "Well," I said casually, trying to avoid drawing attention to where my hand had been. "We've heard about the incident at the high school. We hear that school will be closed for the rest of the day."
Mrs. Greer nodded grimly. "They are worried that there might be another incident. I don't think we have anyone with as many problems as that boy who went on a rampage at the high school, but we have more than a few angry boys. Right now, several teachers are discussing how to deal with the changes."
"What about students leaving the campus now that school is done for the day?" I asked. "Is there a method to check out if we want to walk to the corner to be picked up?"
"Do you have a ride?" Mrs. Greer asked me. Her right eyebrow rose up as she stared at me.
"Jason's mother is willing to come and pick us up," I said.
"And you know this how?" Mrs. Greer said. "I don't see Jason on the phone with anyone."
I pointed at Ashley who was holding her cell phone to her ear and whispering something. "Ashley here is Jason's older sister. She's talking to their mother right now."
Mrs. Greer pulled out a clipboard she had been hiding behind her back. She immediately began looking over a printed list. "Let's see," she muttered as she looked at the papers. "Adams, Kathy. I can check her out. Feris, Kelsey. Your record shows you can be checked out. Parker, Mark, yes I can check you out. Roberts Jason. Oh, I can't check you out without parental approval."
Ashley wordlessly held out the cell phone towards Mrs. Greer. The teacher stared at it with a frown on her face before accepting it and holding it to her ear. "This is Mrs. Greer, who am I speaking to? ... Hello Mrs. Roberts ... Yes, we are trying to organize an orderly evacuation of the school ... Yes, I have Jason here asking if I can check him out ... No, I'm not at the office ... No, your children are hanging out in the back of the school ... No, they've actually been very well behaved ... The problem is that your instructions when you registered Jason indicate that a parent is supposed to be physically in the office to sign him out ... No, I don't really expect many students will be doing that today ... Yes, I'm sure a few will try to sneak out ... Yes, I can accept what you are saying ... Yes, we'll do that this time."
Mrs. Greer held the phone out for Ashley who accepted it and quickly brought it back to her ear. Our teacher made a mark on the papers. "Jason, your mother has verbally checked you out. At least I'm led to believe it's your mother. All of you can run to the corner and wait for pickup. I'm sure others will be heading that way shortly. Principal Mathews is going to organize teacher led groups, but Mark and Jessica have always been responsible. If you want to sneak out, I'll pretend I didn't notice."
"Won't that get you in trouble?" I asked as Ashley climbed out of my lap.
Mrs. Greer laughed. "Do you know how many emergency procedures Principal Mathews violated with his first announcement? He should have locked down the campus first and had the teachers close and lock their classroom doors."
"That didn't work at the high school," Ashley said with a shiver. "Bart had a master key and would just unlock a classroom and head inside to attack people. He seemed to be hunting the prettiest girls and guys he knew had high CAP scores."
"He missed the prettiest girl," I said as I stood up and wrapped my arms around Ashley. "I have the prettiest in my arms."
Jason looked worried. "But how can we just walk away from the school now? I mean, won't that violate procedure?"
Mrs. Greer held up the clipboard. "That's what the class rosters are for. I just checked that I found you, and you were safe. Give me a moment to see if I can allow you to walk to the corner."
Mrs. Greer pulled out a cell phone. As she turned away to talk Ashley spun around in my arms. She wrapped her legs around my waist and pressed her body to mine. I pulled her breasts to my chest. She giggled as her head rested against my shoulder. "Tonight I want to do this naked," she whispered.
I snorted. "Let's first wait to see if we can leave the school."
Mrs. Greer turned back to the table and put her cell phone back into her purse. "I just spoke to Principal Mathews. He's currently being berated by the police for how he handled the situation. I've been asked to walk with you to the corner to make sure you arrive safely."
"Is Bart still creating havoc?" I asked.
"No," Mrs. Greer said. "That much I did hear before teachers were sent to gather up students and verify that everyone was fine. Bart was subdued by Officer Lynch ten minutes ago."
"Subdued?" I asked.
"That's what the liaison officer told us," Mrs. Greer said. "Now do you want to walk to the corner? It sounded like they are starting to check out students from the courtyard, so it will be crowded shortly."
I looked at my friends. They all immediately stood up and started to gather up backpacks. Ashley slid from my arms and stood up next to the table before grabbing her pack from the table and allowing me to stand.
"Ready to go!" Jason chirped as I reached under the table to pick up my own pack.
The girls all giggled as we turned to start walking toward the street corner. Mrs. Greer ran to catch up. "Wait! Do you all have rides?" she asked.
Jessica smiled. "My father is sending a van to collect me. The driver will make sure everyone gets home. Or are you saying you don't trust my father?"
The blatant hint in Jessica's final sentence caused Kathy to giggle. I shook my head as Mrs. Greer nodded. Our teacher settled for walking alongside us. She kept her eyes oriented on the many police cars blocking the road between the two schools.
I glanced over and could see that the officers were still on the alert as they guided several ambulances into the drop off circle at the high school. As soon as an ambulance stopped a teacher or student would run up to guide the EMTs into the school grounds. Ashley shivered as we watched the frantic scurrying.
Jason noticed her shiver and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're safe," he said.
"It's just ... I never thought I'd see something like that. You know people will blame his CAP score," Ashley said.
"It wasn't his score," I said as I put my arm around Ashley and pulled her against my chest. Jessica and Kathy turned to listen as I continued. "He's been an angry man for at least two years. Last year he did all he could to star on the football team despite being undersized. He was voted most inspirational, but I remember hearing that he was still being snubbed by all of the cheerleaders."
"He stank," Ashley said. "The boy remembers to bathe maybe once a week. Even the coach couldn't get him to shower after practice, although he did shower before games."
Jason laughed. "I heard about that. He was told that no one wanted to line up next to him on offense unless he smelled less offensive."
"That's Baaaaaaddd," I brayed out. Kelsey and Kathy giggled at my imitation of a sheep.
Ashley squeezed my arm again. "It wasn't just that though. Bart was always swearing. He got in trouble at least three times a week for cursing at a teacher during class. Everyone knew him as this massive jerk. The girls who knew him well also said he never had something nice to say."
"Angry, dumb and antisocial," I mused. "Add in some drugs, and you have a volcano ready to explode. Sadly, it happened here."
Mrs. Greer slapped a hand against her clipboard. "It didn't need to happen here!" she snapped. "Teachers are supposed to recognize when a student needs help. Did no one ever counsel the boy and try to get him on a more productive path?"
I shrugged as we continued to walk. Behind us someone shouted. We did not slow, but I looked back over my shoulder to see another group of students being escorted in the same direction we were walking. I could see one of the schools two uniformed security guards leading the crowd following us.
"Damn," Kathy moaned. "It will be a mob at the corner."
"Not really," Jessica said pointing toward the corner. "I believe that minivan is the one belonging to Jason's mom."
"It's the right color," Jason said after looking at the maroon vehicle. "I can't tell if Mom is driving though."
A black SUV pulled up and parked behind the minivan. Kathy started to giggle. "Oh, your father sent the armored car," she gasped out between giggles. "He's serious."
"About my safety he is," Jessica said saucily. "He loves me and only wants the best for me. Mark, do you think we can meet over the weekend to chat?"
"About?" I asked.
Jessica looked over at Mrs. Greer. I could see the unspoken question that Jessica was implying. "Ah, about that. Well, I expect my parents to ask me to help make signs and banners for the big protest on Monday."
"You know about that?" Mrs. Greer said with a gasp. "We were told it would be kept secret. Technically it's a violation of state law for teachers to stage a walkout."
"My father is part of the union's enforcement and action arm," I said. "He's dragged me into protests for years. And even if he had not directly told me, it's the best day to hold a protest."
"Do you think it will work?" Kelsey asked nervously.
"The protest will be like the finale of a Gilbert and Sullivan Operetta," I said quietly.
Jessica laughed. "A thing of sound and fury, but signifying nothing?" she asked.
"Most likely," I said. "If this whole CAP thing was some new political policy there might be a chance for the protest to generate a backlash. However, elected officials aren't making this decision. In a way, the planet surrendered to the aliens, and this is part of the terms we agreed to."
"But no one invaded Earth," Jason protested. He turned around to look at me. We continued to walk, so he staggered backwards so he could maintain eye contact with me.
"Yet," I pointed out as I gave Ashley a squeeze and then held my left arm out so Kelsey could walk next to me. "That's the other part my father and the unions aren't considering. We've basically been told we have a choice of doing nothing and getting invaded when we will likely be very unprepared, or we can send humans into space to try to slow down the Sa'arm. The lady working at the testing site pointed that out to me. I wondered if it was cowardly to run away from Earth as a volunteer to this new military."
The rest of the night was not very exciting. Lenore was inside the restaurant for at least ten minutes. We sat quietly while we listened to the cries of anger coming from within the restaurant. The patio was not an exit, so we saw no other customers except the two women who had collapsed out on the patio shortly after the barrier had been removed. What we could hear made it clear that several married women had tried unsuccessfully to be picked up, and their husbands were not pleased. Lenore...
When Ashley led me from the television room that night, I think I finally realized that my thoughts about just how crazy things might become had been wrong. Just the rumor of and few released reports about the Sa'arm invasion had been enough to get four hundred women into that room based on a very faint promise of protection. They had submitted to a televised humiliation on little more than a rumor and trust in the government. I was determined not to let the show upset me too much, but that...
Jason was holding up his CAP card. Leticia exploded out of her chair with a loud cry of pure joy. She tackled Jason. They fell to the floor as the young woman covered his face with kisses. Ashley looked down at the couple. She kicked playfully at her brother's leg. "You scared us!" "I scared myself," Jason admitted. "Even knowing that I should score well, I was stunned by how often I couldn't answer one of the questions quickly. And the scenes I had to move through. You ever try to...
After such a rough start the rest of the vacation went surprisingly smoothly. Miki proved to be a huge asset. She knew places to visit that we might never have thought of. There was a small feeling of loss after Liz and Cassidy were picked up. None of us knew them well, but they had been friends. Her short tale of the conditions at the pickup had definitely impressed everyone. Maurice was at times fawning on Jessica. Fortunately the young lady just laughed and then had her minions pounce on...
I allowed Jason to lead me into the training center. We found Ashley standing near the service counter, chatting merrily with the young woman standing there. I was surprised to see that the woman was wearing what looked like a combination of military uniform and space suit. Ashley noticed us and waved. "Mark! Lieutenant Marakova here tells me that she's received transfer orders," Ashley called out. Jason and I walked up to meet the woman. "You're not going to be here longer?" I asked...
Ashley jumped behind me, putting her hands on my shoulders. I reached up with my right hand to stroke her right arm. "Ashley, I don't think that's helping," I said. Ashley's mother glared at me, but quickly turned to concentrate on her daughter. "Ash, why are you hiding behind Mark? You came here to get tested. I'm not going to punish you for your score." "I agreed to have Mark take me," Ashley said. "My score isn't good enough, but his is." "What?" Beatrice squawked....
Becky picked up most of us. Matilda and Kelsey were riding home with us for the first time all week. Becky noticed as they jumped into the minivan. "I have extra passengers," she said. "I'm glad I didn't bring Angelique. She wanted to come" "Awww," Kelsey and Matilda said in unison. "We wanted to see her." "I haven't gotten to play with her all week," Kelsey added. "You choose to go home with Jessica," Jason pointed out. "Well," Kelsey said. "I don't go home with...
I stood up and walked toward the door, leaving my unfinished drawing on the easel. Jessica gave a cry of annoyance, as I walked away. I heard her easel crash to the floor behind me as I left the building. Outside, I walked a few feet from the door and then turned around. A couple minutes later Jessica stormed out of the classroom. She walked right up to me and slapped me across the face. "How can you embarrass me like that!" she hissed. I said nothing. Instead I pointed to a bench set far...
Sergeant O'Malley stepped to the center of the room and looked at me. "Son," he said. "You have to be one of the bravest fools I've ever met. Did you just tell this man that you wanted to make a sex slave out of his daughter?" "No," I replied firmly. "I told him that I would protect his daughter and love her. In my home she will be a partner, someone who can assist me in raising our children and providing a happy and enriching environment for all who live there." The Sergeant...
The incident with Hillary left everyone a bit skittish for the rest of the trip. Sunday we packed the vans early and headed for home. Lenore was a bit worried that I would blame Angelique for some reason. I kept telling her that it seemed more a case of bad timing and a desperate woman. The others seemed to feed off of my indifference. The initial drive back to the hotel had been tense as everyone in the van looked over their shoulders. I had taken the front passenger seat, but made sure to...
Jason and I walked over and sat on the ground with our teammates. One of the sophomores looked over at me. I realized that it was Derek Goodman, one of the starting defensive tackles. He looked over at Maurice. "You brought a couple of freshmen over." "Why not?" Maurice replied. "They put more effort into practice than most of the sophomores. I expect them to make a difference on the field." "Not if Lucas and Terrence have their way," the other sophomore said. I realized it was...
The varsity game ended in a huge loss for the upperclassmen. The crowd actually started to get uneasy with half of the fourth quarter still to play. Several recent graduates and parents started shouting at the players, cursing them for their poor play. It got bad enough that the faculty advisor for the cheerleaders sent them away from the field with two minutes left in the game. The exodus of the cheerleaders signaled to Morgan that it was time for our group to make its way out of the...
Fortunately, the rest of the protest was rather peaceful. My brother stopped the few anarchists who had shown up hoping to use the protest as cover for some robbery attempts. Jason, Ashley, and I found that someone had already warned people on the route of the march. Buildings were closed, and many had placed boards over their windows to protect them. The three-mile march proved to be no more strenuous than a weekend jog. Jason was the first to notice that the marchers were having trouble...
The next two hours were a blur of exercise and pain. Sergeant O'Malley never broke a sweat as he first had everyone run around the clearing while he promised to train us to fight and then he proceeded to show us a series of dirty tricks and holds we could use to disable an opponent. When Jessica, Jason, Morgan and I were too tired to continue, he had us lay down while he took the ladies around and showed them how to break free from any hold a person might try. It was exhausting, but at the...
The game ended up being a bit of a snooze. Carolina's defense created three touchdowns before the second quarter was half over and then cruised to the ending. The halftime show was loud, but otherwise forgettable. Angelique and Erica both ended up falling asleep during the third quarter. Angelique climbed into her mother's lap to sleep. I ended up with Erica in my lap. I had spent almost no time with the young lady, but she was smiling in her sleep. Thomas tried to stay awake. He...
The rout of Constance seemed to signal an end to any disturbances for lunch. Maurice hung around for a while at the other table in the courtyard, staring at us, but saying nothing as Jason and I cuddled with our girls and listened to Jessica bragging about how good the freshman cheerleaders would be this year. I had to laugh at that since Kelsey, Matilda, Kathy and Millicent had all made the cheerleading squad. Jason seemed a bit preoccupied, but volunteered nothing about his brief...
The rest of that first week of school quickly established a number of patterns. It started that night when Jason and Letty arrived home just after eight. Both were smiling. Neither one was willing to fully explain what had occurred over the dinner they had with Jana, however, the conversation that evening was interesting. It started when Jason knocked on the door at the top of the basement stairs. Ashley, Lenore, Angelique and I were downstairs playing a game of Chutes and Ladders. I had...
After the morning break we had to head to German. Jason was clearly unhappy with the prospect of seeing Miss Kirke, if that was her real name now that we had discovered her previous occupation. However, Letty convinced him that missing class would only alert her to the fact that her activities had been discovered. My sister grabbed his arm as we walked from the courtyard. "I'll protect you," she whispered just loud enough for Jason and me to hear. "I'm sure Kelsey and Kathy will help as...
The television switched back to the same newsroom we had been viewing earlier. The same anchor now had a visible stack of notes in front of him, but was looking at a teleprompter. "Hello again, this is Martin Sherman, and I'm anchoring the lead-in to tonight's Defense Forces Special as some people are now calling it. This show is here to demonstrate how someone with a six point five CAP or higher will select his companions. We have been told that this is actually more organized than most...
My fears for my father's reaction proved to have understated just how mad he would be. The man destroyed every wedding picture he got his hands on and ripped all of my mother's clothing to shreds that night after Mrs. Roberts brought Matti and me home. Ashley did whisper to me that she had left her phone number with Lenore. The sad woman had tried her best to do a great job as a waitress while the group of us ate in stunned silence. We heard nothing from her for the rest of the week, and...
I muted my cell phone. "Everyone is fine with this correct?" I asked. Letty giggled. "It sounds like you'll have fun. I'll stay out for the most part. I'm Jason's sex slave and should be seen naked and at his feet." Ashley laughed. "Oh, that's so wrong its right. I agree though. Mark, it should be mostly you with Jason, Jessica, and Morgan offering the most support. We already know it will probably be about you." "This song is not about me," I said firmly. "I never thought...
My weekend passed quickly. Not from a time perspective, but from a feeling that I never was able to give Ashley, Lenore, Angelique, Kelsey and my friends all the attention and time they deserved. A huge part of me was feeling a bit frustrated when we returned to school on Monday for Homecoming week. We had heard that the freshman were going to have a float for the homecoming parade and game on Friday, but Jessica and I had been unable to find out who was organizing the efforts. Jason...
By some miracle there were no bodies on the ground when the field vanished, and the crowd dispersed. Even the boy who had attacked me managed to crawl away to receive medical attention. There still was plenty of emotional trauma. Several young men ran out of the restaurant with tears pouring down their faces. Mall security stopped several of the men. Most were shirtless and two were carrying a collection of women's clothing. It soon became clear that the boys had lost girlfriends to the...
I let everyone know about the reappearance of my brother. No one was very worried about him. Mike had proved to be a coward. The only worry was that he might try to catch one of the girls alone. Morgan used some contacts he had through his construction work and a week later gave everyone in our group pepper spray canisters. School continued. The teachers were increasingly distracted though, and the lessons suffered. Some of the teachers spent most of their time trying to chat up the students...
The next morning, I found myself wrapped up on my now unzipped sleeping bag with a young girl hanging on each side of me. I was dressed in boxers for sleep while my sister and her best friend had found long t-shirts they used to cover their bodies. They each had a hand on my chest and my hands were resting on their hips as we cuddled under a blanket. Absently I gave each of them a few tender rubs before I sat up and turned the alarm off. Kelsey shifted and growled in annoyance, but neither...
My three morning classes were quiet. The teachers seemed a bit distracted, and the students just wanted to whisper about the President's announcement. Most students were speculating on the special show to be on television in two weeks. No one seemed to have a clear idea of what to expect. I stayed silent as the others continued to gossip. It was not due to a lack of interest in the possibilities. My issue was that I wanted to have facts rather than rumor, and other than Jessica, there was...
Jason lived up to his promise in the second half. He not only recorded two more sacks, but on the last one, stripped the football and then managed to recover the bouncing ball and run it in for a touchdown. Everyone on the defense was patting his helmet when he walked over to the sideline still carrying the football. "Take it easy," Coach Grisham told him. "There are only two minutes left in the game. We'll let the backups play." I walked over to the benches. Jason followed me. He...
My thoughts after the pickup proved true. Ashley and Lenore rarely let me leave their sight during the days leading up to the New Year. Jason and Jessica had the same issue. A simple plan to go for a run in the park quickly became an organized march as their companions demanded to go with them. Becky was the worst. She clung to Morgan. Beatrice had called their employer and tried to explain the issues, but was not sure she was successful. She succeeded in getting Becky a week off without...
It must have been only a moment, but I came awake with my arms wrapped around Ashley. She was lying there senseless. I pushed my body off hers and rolled to the side. Once we were lying next to each other, I began offering loving kisses. "Will it always be like that?" Ashley asked with a sigh. "I wish it will be," I replied as I held her. "That was just about perfect." "I know," Ashley said as she put her arms around me and squeezed me. "I never expected that." "I love you," I...
Ashley and I were quiet on the drive home. We were pulling into the driveway at my place when Ashley quietly asked. "Mark? Should we have offered her a chance to leave Earth with you?" "No," I said firmly. "There was no connection. Both of us think Kelsey is sweet and adorable. With Lenore it seemed like we came to the same conclusion about her sadness. And we know they get along with each other. I liked that Connie was willing to help when I had to intervene in the fight at the store,...
Chastity followed me as I walked over to the table. When I stopped to look around the room I could see a very nervous look on her face. “Problem?” I asked. “That orientation makes the ship seem very complex,” Chastity said. “It is. It has to be in order to allow us to travel into space,” I replied. “But I can’t even understand why I have the CAP to be a citizen. I always hated fighting. My parents were always fighting. I got into acting because there was a small theater group in my...
The rest of the weekend was in some ways idyllic. After we finished eating the pizza, Mrs. Roberts drove us home, stopping to drop off Walter. Jessica called her father, and had one of his employees come to pick up Kathy, Millie, and her. They promised to try to spend more time with us. Mr. Cunningham told us he would be showing up later before driving away from Harrard's. I rode home with Mrs. Roberts. Ashley let me know that she was not excited by the idea of spending a night in a cold...
"Your father is trapped in the Ukraine?" Becky asked. "That's what he told me last night," I said. "He said some kind of intelligence agency arrested Valery and he lost some of the paperwork required to leave." "Why the tour then?" Jason asked. "I guess the band owes the unions some favors," I said. "My father said they would make sure he can travel back here with the band. Supposedly they use a choir and he'd be part of it when they fly here." "Your father sings?" Jason...
Morgan's question stuck with me for the next two hours as we wandered the mall. Beatrice had handed out cash to everyone when we first arrived and told us to spend it as we pleased. Angelique had been given a twenty and begged to be shown where she might purchase a teddy bear. I found a children's store and took Angelique inside as my friends scattered throughout the mall. Angelique wandered the entire store, gazing longingly at a couple of the dolls before heading over to an area filled...
We loaded the suitcases onto the bus quickly. Once the bus was full, I informed the driver that we were going to head to breakfast. He said that he would park around the corner. Maurice, Jason, and I headed over to the restaurant. We arrived at the entrance and found that the rest of our group had already been seated. The hostess agreed to lead us to the private room where everyone was. I lagged behind the others as the hostess led us through the restaurant. Several of the patrons looked at...
We found the ramp and began making our way up the spiral. Ashley had her phone to her ear. "Yes, I know about it. I was filming ... No, I didn't put my video on YouTube." "Sooner," Lenore and I said in unison. "Look, we're trying to get to our seats," Ashley said. "No one here is hurt or anything." "No one?" I asked as I looked over my shoulder. Lenore giggled. "Morgan told us about how this security company has been known to try to shake down some of the luxury box ticket...
It was about nine when I finished my studying for the night. I was preparing a list of food items that could be hidden in the tree house when my father came home. He was shouting about untrustworthy politicians and corrupt bureaucrats. It was clear that the conference call had not provided the results he and his friends had hoped for. I went to sleep listening to him rant at Mother. The next morning Father was sitting at the breakfast table when I came down after my shower. He glared at me...
The ground under the treehouse was hard and my right ankle protested the abrupt landing. I fell forward, putting my hands on the dirt, and dropping the bag containing the washcloths. A small cloud of dust billowed up. I inhaled some of the dirt and started coughing. Above me I could hear Ashley laughing. She waited for me to stop coughing and then shouted. "I'll take stupid human tricks for fifty." "It was fun!" I protested as I stood up and began brushing dirt from my shirt and...
Ashley was the first to exit the mall, but I caught up to her as we came around the building and could finally see the small seating area for the outdoor café. Her mother was sitting quietly at a table sipping from a cup as she scanned something on a tablet. We could see Jason approaching from the other side. All three of us managed to reach the table at the same time. Mrs. Roberts did not look up. "I set up a pizza delivery back at the house in forty-five minutes," she told us as she...
The system was in standby as I turned the chair back to the front. I reached down to call up a replay of the engine repair when I felt a hand grasp the back of my chair. “Yes?” I asked. “Is it always like that?” Captain Prescott asked. “The simulations are supposed to be the absolute worst possible sequence,” I replied. “And the time is compressed a bit. I really doubt we could enter a system get into a fight, scan a planetoid as well as a Sa’arm controlled planet and escape in just under...
The final two weeks of the school year passed quickly and painlessly for my friends and me. We studied often during the first week leading up to the finals. After the last final we gathered chairs and tables and took over the backyard of the house. Morgan set up in the middle of the yard and looked around at all of us. "I guess it is summertime. And I'm hoping everyone has enjoyed the activities so far," he began. "Some more than others," Jason called back. "Can we formally protest...
The rest of the afternoon proved to be great fun. We started out playing one of the larger linked racing games that allowed up to eight players. The first round went to Jason. After that we quickly discovered that Beatrice's real world experience helped her find the fastest route around many of the tracks. She went on to win six of the ten races we ran before everyone decided to scatter and try other games. Ashley made sure to stay near me at all times. If we played a game that only allowed...
I waited for the door to close and then released a massive sigh. Tatyana immediately put her arms around me. “That was hard on you,” she observed. I feel like I’m the only sheep in a room filled with hungry wolves. There are quite a few members of the crew that would do their best to replace me if they thought I’d fail,” I replied as I stood up. “Never let them see you sweat?” Tatyana said. “Basically,” I agreed as I stood up. “AI, you can power down this room until the next training...
We returned to the lobby in time to meet the others as they started to board the vans. Vlad came over and gave Tatyana one last hug. He promised to tell her sister what had happened and to bring her sister into the troupe should she want to come to America. Several other troupe members also came by for a last goodbye. Tatyana was bubbly on the drive back to the house. She asked many questions of Miki and Lenore while playfully ignoring Ashley, but finding ways to answer her when talking to...
The next two hours were spent quietly monitoring the ship’s systems as we continued to crawl towards Yulara and the orbital station. Blaine and I said little as we watched the one prototype ship circle its target. Only two more attack runs were attempted and one confirmed Kelsey’s comments about the weapon’s short range. The ship fired from what appeared to be about twice the distance as the first run only for every shot to fade away before they reached the moon. Blaine repeated his thanks...
The instant the door closed, Ashley jumped up and waved to me. "Come take a seat Mark." "Ladies should be the ones sitting," I said carefully as I walked over and gave her a hug. "Humor me?" Ashley said coyly. I was surprised by how childish and adorable she sounded. She was rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, so I sat down in the chair she had just left. The moment my butt was on the cushion Ashley jumped into my lap and put her arms around my neck. "This is a much...
My friends were relaxed at school. Ashley, Lenore, and Miki sat together at brunch and lunch, giggling. Matti was sitting on Jessica's lap during our breaks. My sister was still timid, but she clearly felt safe in Jessica's arms. The others tried to keep me from worrying too much about the meeting after school, but I still obsessed a bit over my father's tone. I knew he was intensely interested in finding a way to thwart the CAP system and worried that he would demand that I take him. I...
I watched my father until he finally vanished behind the fence enclosing the backstage area. Once he was out of sight I heaved a huge sigh of relief. "That was intense," Jason said. "I thought you were going to have to kill him." "I thought I might have to as well. He is going to try again if he can think up a way," I said. "So what do we do now?" Lenore asked. I reached into a pocket and pulled out a huge bundle of tickets. "We do have tickets to see the concert," I said. "But...
The next two weeks blurred together. Every morning was spent out at the park. Jason, Jessica and I always tried to get some exercises in first before we joined the others in a series of sports related activities. Soccer and kickball were the most common but we tried ultimate Frisbee and touch football as well. Sergeant O'Malley showed up occasionally and would drill us in unarmed combat techniques before having everyone run laps. At first the laps were small, but each time the Sergeant...
The sunny skies and warm air were attracting more and more people to the park as the day wore on. After lunch, Ashley, Lenore and I decided to avoid the growing lines on the slides and spend several hours in the wave pools and on the endless river. We woke Angelique and spent the next three hours splashing each other as we explored the park. We stayed at the park until the setting sun and diminishing light signaled that it was time for the park to close. Morgan gathered everyone up and led...
“Captain Parker,” A voice growled out. “Dare I ask why you are in port today?” “Corsica ended its last patrol yesterday. The orders we received just before leaving Crucibleat were to visit several nearby systems and look for signs of Sa’arm incursions. We found none, although there was one system that my officers and I believe would be quite interesting to them. We left a warning buoy in the system as a way to provide advanced warning should an incursion occur. Our final orders were to visit...
Miss Kirke's revelations were the only thing that marred the dance and all of homecoming weekend. The girls met us at the decked out gym dressed in elaborate Victorian gowns. It meant that dancing to the faster songs was pretty much impossible, but the slow dances were great fun. Before the night was done, Kathy even won an award for the best costume. The next morning, Jessica reminded us that she was going to have her birthday on the upcoming Wednesday. Everyone in our group wanted to be...
Major Greenfeld was standing outside the door. He looked at me and shook his head. “You are just fifteen?” he asked. “I might be sixteen now,” I replied. “I’ve lost track of how many days have passed and which day we are on anymore. But I also don’t worry about it much.” “You don’t?” he asked as we started walking back to Corsica. “My age does not determine how well I can do my job,” I said. “No, but it does determine how others will view you,” Major Greenfeld said. “At least initially....
Once I sat down in the captain’s chair I found that the sleep training had shown me the location of every button. I tested out the ones activating the holographic data screens just in front of the chair. They came up, but showed no data. “AI? Is there a problem with the simulator?” I asked. “No simulation has been chosen,” the AI said. “Can we set up for a simple cruise in the Crucibleat system? We haven’t heard much about the system or the planet we will be on,” I replied. “Activating...
I knew of the grove and tree houses along Milford, but this was my first time looking past the road. The few times I had come out with friends, we had concentrated on the houses on the far side of the street. I scanned the trees ahead, watching for tree houses as Ashley and I moved away from the road. At first I saw nothing more than a couple of wooden platforms in the branches of a few of the bigger trees. Most of the trees on this side of the road were young and lacked the branches to hold...
I was surprised how much fun we all had. Lauren ended up spending the last hour coaxing many of us onto some of the intermediate slopes in the area. Erica was fearless on the slopes. Ashley, Jason, and I were the next group to start challenging the harder slopes. To my surprise Milli often joined us, although she was very tentative if there were moguls. Maurice struggled with stopping and turning. He often crossed his skis and wound up crashing. Still he kept smiling and was willing to race...
It was nearly twenty-four hours later that we finally arrived at Tokyo's Narita airport. Angelique was more than a little anxious. She really wanted to get out and run. Jason and I had done what we could to keep her entertained on the overnight flight, but it was clear she needed a bit of time just to run around. Of course, the first thing we had to do after arriving was go through customs. Liz, Morgan, Jessica, Jason, and I talked about this as we walked through the skyway and headed for...
We ended up spending only one more hour in the park. Many of the partiers were drinking heavily. Once darkness fell the park started to feel a bit unsafe. Miki helped guide us back to the subway station so we could catch a ride back to the hotel. During the ride back to the hotel, I finally managed to introduce Miki to everyone. She was intimidated by Morgan and Maurice but started up a lively conversation with Jessica about the merits of a couple of old anime series. By the time we reached...