Building a CAP Based FutureChapter 36 More School Hijinks
- 3 years ago
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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 treehouse, so we went down to her basement bedroom to spend the night in her bed. There was not much sleeping going on that night.
Saturday we stayed at the house, playing a series of board games. Jason played with us from the start, and shortly before lunch, Jessica came over bringing Kathy and Millie. The impending televised special and the news of the alien invasion was carefully not discussed for the rest of the weekend as we tried to relax.
I remained at the house through Sunday, only returning to my parent's home late Sunday in time for my father to remind me that we were going to be heading to City Hall at dawn to prepare for the protest.
"We're going to make it about unfair work rules," he said. "We already have an agreement with two networks to televise the keynote speech, and we got Valery Kostantinov to come out and headline."
"Who?" I asked.
"He's a major union organizer and political kingmaker," mother replied. "Supposedly he's helped elect more than one prime minister in Europe and has as much as thirty percent of their parliament owing him favors."
"And he's coming here?" I asked. "I could understand a big city like New York or San Francisco, but here?"
"Too big," my father said scornfully. "We couldn't get the networks there interested, and there are already multiple other groups trying to host some protests and events. If we want to be heard, we need to have it in a smaller city."
I nodded and looked over at mother. "Is Matti here?" I asked.
"She's going to stay with Kelsey and her family," my mother replied. "She won't be participating in the protests."
"Mike will be there?" I asked.
"Of course," my father said. "I'm amazed you even asked. He's going to arrive in the morning. The plan with him is to have him watching out for any official attempts to shut down the protest. He'll be in charge of the teams set up to distract and prevent such efforts."
"Will he know enough to stop before going overboard?" I asked worriedly. "He might end up inviting an overwhelming response."
"Of course he'll know!" my father snapped scornfully. "He's been doing things like this for years. Just worry about keeping any children away from the main body of the protest. We don't need to be dodging children during our speeches and march against the testing center."
"That's a three mile march," I said. "Is that actually going to work? Some of your union members probably haven't walked that far in years."
"Get out!" my father screamed. "It's not your place to worry about things like that. Just be there and perform your job. Make sure there are no problems."
I dashed up the stairs, heading to my room. My father did not follow me. I ducked into my bedroom and sat down at my desk. I wanted to take a few minutes to check my homework and make sure it was completed.
I had checked my history and English homework assignments and was pulling out my math homework when there was a light knock on my door.
"Come in," I called out. "I'm just checking my homework."
The door opened and Mom slipped into the room. She quickly pushed the door closed. There was a worried expression on her face. "Mark," she whispered. "You need to be very careful around your father."
"I just asked a few questions," I replied.
"Yes, and they were intelligent ones," my mother admitted. "The problem is that your father might have wondered why you were asking those questions. If he looks deeper he'll figure out what your score is, or at least that is a good one."
"I'll be careful," I said. "Now I should probably get some sleep."
"Let me guess," Mother said. "You didn't sleep much last night."
"Jason and I did spend several hours playing some board games," I admitted.
Mom nodded. She had a look on her face that made it clear she did not completely believe me. She said nothing though as she left the room. I completed my check on my homework and then got into bed, setting my alarm to wake me in time to get breakfast before heading out to the protest.
My sleep that night was troubled. I had only spent two nights in Ashley's arms, but I found that my bed felt empty without her. When my alarm finally rang in the morning, it felt like I had slept for only a moment. I slipped out from under the covers and made my way to the shower, hoping some warm water would wake me up and make up for a night of little sleep.
I kept the shower short. Once I was a bit more awake, I grabbed a washcloth to lather my body up and rinsed off as quickly as I could. My father was awake and shouting something at my mother before I jumped out of the shower and started using a towel to dry my body.
I dashed from the bathroom back to my bedroom naked. My father's shouts had moved downstairs, and there was no one upstairs to see me. Once in my room I threw on a clean pair of jeans and a black polo shirt. I made sure that the shirt was tucked in before I grabbed my shoes and ran downstairs to the dining area.
My mother was just bringing some toast and a pair of eggs sunny side up to my father. She looked at me and frowned.
"I'll just grab some toast and juice," I said. "Sorry, I tried to wake early."
"Eat fast," my father said gruffly. "I received a call. Valery's flight arrived an hour ago. He's checking into a hotel and will be heading to City Hall. We must be there to greet him."
I nodded as my mother brought over a glass of fresh orange juice. She smiled at me as I grabbed the glass. I sat down and started drinking as she headed over to the stove to prepare her own breakfast.
The meal passed in silence. My father was looking at his phone and reading what appeared to be a series of text messages, while my mother finished cooking and then sat down to devour her breakfast. I barely had time to finish my orange juice and a couple of slices of toast when my father slapped his phone into a holster and stood up. "Time to go."
I swallowed a last bite from the toast. Mother snatched the plates from the table and rushed them over to the counter leaving them next to the sink as my father stood up and grabbed a jacket. I bent down and pulled my shoes on. My father ignored my antics as he strode confidently to the front door.
My mother followed my father, so I got up and joined them as we headed out the front door. My father was in such a hurry that he neglected to stop and lock the door. I held back and made sure that the door was closed and locked.
The delay meant that my father had already started his SUV before I could dash over and jump in the back seat. My father growled something as I slammed the door shut.
"He's hurried," my mother apologized. "It's good that someone thought about locking the door. You were in a bit of a rush."
"We have to arrive before Valery does. It would be a huge embarrassment if he arrived, and there is no one to greet him," my father said gruffly.
My father drove through the streets at illegal speeds. In his hurry to arrive at City Hall, he rolled through more than one stop sign. At one point I saw a police car sitting on a side street as my father ran a red light. The cop immediately pulled out behind us, but then turned at the next side street leaving us alone on the street.
Normally the drive from the house to City Hall would take almost thirty minutes with stops for lights and driving the speed limit. My father stopped for only one red light during the whole drive, and only twenty minutes after we left the house we were pulling into a parking lot across from the City Hall. There were several people working to assemble a temporary podium and stage, but otherwise the area in front of the City Hall was quiet. My father did not wait for the SUV's engine to completely turn off before he was running across the street to approach the workers constructing the podium.
Mom grabbed me as I took the time to lock the doors on the SUV. "Mark, be careful. Your father has become increasingly erratic since the announcement was made."
"He seems as intense as always," I replied carefully.
"He's frightened," my mother replied as she put a hand on my arm. "None of the plans that he and the other union heads have come up with has a prayer of actually changing the opinion of the government, and they all know it. He's thinking that he's about to lose everything."
"It won't happen that quickly," I said. "The government can't just cut off everyone with a low CAP. I'm not sure they'll want to. After all, the people with a six point five will be leaving to join this new space military. If you hire someone with a good score, it's doubtful that you'll get all your training expenses back."
I frowned at that. My mother laughed bitterly. "Just thought of that did you? You aren't old enough to work full time. I can try to find something you can do for cash."
"I'll mow lawns," I said. "We still have a few homes in the area that aren't landscaped."
Mom laughed as we made our way onto the lawn that would be used for the gathering. My father was standing next to one of the construction workers. From the wild hand waving going on, it was clear that the two men were arguing over some aspect of the build. I waited just out of earshot until my father finished the discussion and started walking back toward me. He was shaking his head.
He looked up and for a moment I could see anger in his eyes, but it vanished almost immediately as he pasted a fake smile on his face. "Mark! Can you watch the area near the duck pond? There are usually some retirees out feeding the ducks, and it would be good if we kept them away from the rally."
"Usually you want them to participate," I pointed out.
"Not this time," my father said. "They aren't going to feel all that threatened by the new policy. At least not until they see how much it affects tax revenues."
"You are bringing that up today?" I asked.
"Hell no!" my father snapped. "We aren't going to allow the government to brand us as a bunch of leeches only worried about lining our pockets. Today is about the uncertainty the new plan generates and how it's unfair that people are being locked out of participating."
My father was clearly looking over my shoulder as his voice seemed to trail away. I turned around to see what had distracted him in time to see a limo pull up to the curb. A tall, blonde-haired man with a weathered face stepped out of the vehicle the instant it stopped, not even waiting for the chauffer to walk around the machine. "Damn," my father whispered. "We aren't ready."
My father took off toward the new arrival. His shoulder brushed me, pushing me to the side as he scrambled to meet the man. I glanced back at the unassembled stage and could see my mother chatting with one of the workers. She had her back to me as they conversed, so I decided to head over by the duck pond.
The pond was just to the east of City Hall and part of one of the city's larger parks. Normally, at this time of the morning, there would be dozens of walkers and joggers following the various paths that circled the water, but on this morning I could see only a couple of figures using the park. I slowed my walk toward the pond and looked down the path wondering why the park was so empty.
"There are a couple of old guys in the park's parking lot warning everyone that the union plans another of its idiotic protests," Jason said from behind me.
I spun around to see Jason and Ashley walking toward me. Ashley's face lit up with a smile as she saw me. She was wearing a long skirt and grabbed at it to pull the hem up off the ground so she could run towards me.
"Are they part of the protest?" I asked.
"No," Jason answered as Ashley reached me. She let her skirts fall back down as she embraced me. "I asked. They are retirees who were hoping they could keep a conflict from happening."
"They expect problems?" I asked.
"Not really," Jason said as Ashley tried to kiss me on the lips. "Both men said they retired from the army after twenty years, and they figure that the military knows what it's doing with the CAP scores. They hope they can prevent a conflict from arising."
I was going to answer, but Ashley grabbed my chin and forced me to turn my head so she could plaster her lips to mine. She held the kiss for a minute before reluctantly pulling her head away. "I missed you," she said. "Not having you in bed with me was torture."
"I missed you too," I said honestly, giving Ashley several kisses to the cheek. "I'll find a way to make it up to you."
"Fuck me," Ashley said teasingly.
"What?" I responded taking a moment to look Ashley in the eyes. She had a look of mischief and longing.
"Take me over to one of the park benches, bend me over it and put your cock in my pussy," Ashley said lovingly. "It's not that complex. I need you. I'm horny."
Jason was standing next to us laughing his head off. "Oh god Mark. I wish I had been ready. Your face was classic."
"This isn't exactly funny," I replied. "Actually I'm surprised you didn't try to slug me. After all, I have most definitely corrupted your sister."
Jason just laughed. "Dude! I'm hoping I score high enough to volunteer and can find a woman who is half as sexy and loving as you've made Ashley. Heck, she offered to make breakfast this morning and was singing as she cooked for everyone."
"Everyone?" I asked. "Does that mean the mysterious Becky finally showed up?"
"At nine thirty," Ashley said giving me a squeeze. "I've heard tons of blonde jokes, but this girl really can't walk and chew bubblegum. She tripped over the door jam while entering the house."
"That doesn't mean she can't," I said slowly.
"Dude!" Jason said. "I'm not sure she understands words that have more than two syllables. She worked at the old Moon Shadow Hotel as a maid. I guess she works at some clothing store now, but that was because Morgan knew the owner."
"But she's pretty?" I asked. "I thought pretty blondes were supposed to be hanging from some rich man's arm."
Ashley giggled. "She's not bad, but she could lose sixty pounds and still not be skinny. She's not blonde though, she just likes telling the jokes. Her hair is an ordinary brown. Morgan was right to say she's a girl next door type. It was more that she expected us to rush to the taxi that brought her to the house and carry in her bags. Then she tried to order Mom around. At least Morgan stopped that."
"Morgan? Not Mr. Cunningham," I asked as I ran my hands up and down Ashley's back. She purred lovingly and pressed her mound against me.
"So you will take me over to the park bench?" she whispered in my ear.
Her brother did not hear the question and replied to my question. "He told us that he doesn't want us to call him Mr. Cunningham, and he doesn't really qualify as a dad, so..."
I nodded and then released Ashley. "Ash, that's the wrong skirt for what you want. It's too long for us to keep it discrete."
Jason laughed. "I told you that a short one would be better."
"It's too cold," Ashley snapped. "At least it is until I can get some stockings. And I'm going to get Mark to fuck me today."
"Not until the protest is over," I proclaimed.
"When will that be?" Jason asked. "We've never participated in one."
"Neither have I," I replied. "This is the most I'll do, stand at the fringes and try to keep innocents from getting trampled during the parade."
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...
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 the day at school passed quickly. Jason and I sat with Julio and Walter at lunch. Jason spent most of the time trying to cheer up Walter. I said little, but did discover that Julio and Walter were going to attend a one-day seminar that was reported to help young men improve their scores. Both had scheduled tests for the upcoming Tuesday afternoon. Jason and I both offered to walk with them to the training center. Jessica did stop by during lunch. She teased Julio a bit. Her...
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...
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...
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...
"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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
I used my cell phone to find an e-mail address for the US consulate in Tokyo. I sent an e-mail before we slept that night. At the time I figured I would have to call in the morning. Miki asked if she could sleep alone. I noticed that she was blushing when she did and finally asked her how much experience she had. I think Ashley and Lenore both gasped when she told us that she had never had a real boyfriend, and her only experience with sex had been when she had been forced to use her body as...
My mother pulled the minivan into the parking lot. I opened the door, but then leaned back to allow Jason and Leticia to leave the vehicle first. I could see my mother looking across the street and looked in the same direction. "What?" I asked. Mom took her fingers off the steering wheel long enough to point at a Pizarro's Pizza place across the street. "Is their pizza any good?" she asked. "Harrard's is better," Kelsey said. "But they are pretty good." "I guess I can stop in...