Chapter 78: Damned if you Do

Screwed if you Don’t

Mid-August, 1985

He grinned, “Nice to finally meet you Charlie! I’ve heard SOOO much about you and your family.”

“Are you ready for our showdown tomorrow, boy?...”

“Just remember, ‘old man’, no dirty tricks. Have you done what I asked?”

He looked at me warily, “I told you, I don’t have anyone under my control right now.”

I looked over at Dad and he winked. I took that as a sign he was still okay.

I did want to check something however, so I shook hands with Johnny. His warm smile was disarming and when I read his thoughts, I felt he was truly glad to see me and wanted to get to know me.

I didn’t sense any evil in the man.

I also didn’t get the feeling that he had any ESP capabilities, whatsoever.

“So Johnny,” I asked, “when does this shindig officially get started tomorrow?”

He chuckled, “The gates open at 10 AM. At noon we have a brief opening speech where we review the timetable for all of the different events. At 7 PM we have a slightly more formal gathering where we’ll let everyone know what happened in the last year. Both Joshua and I will give everyone a short synopsis. Immediately after that we have the first round of our ESP contest.”

He snickered, “Sherman tells me that the two of you might make it very interesting this year. He says you’re each going to take a couple of willing contestants and see how much you can teach them. That sounds like it could be a lot of fun. The difficult part might be figuring out who, because once word gets out that ‘help’ is available, everyone may want it! You see, unlike the general public, most of the people that come here either believe in ESP or want to.”

I hadn’t thought of how that might complicate things.

I had an idea, “I was told that people can sign up either individually or in pairs. For Sherman and me, we’d each like to take a pair. When people sign up tomorrow, have anyone interested in our ‘help’ put their names on a slip of paper and put it in a jar. That way Sherman and I will each reach in and grab one. That’ll make it fair for everyone, especially the contestants.”

Both Johnny and Joshua smiled, “That sounds like a great idea!”

From the look on Sherman’s face, it didn’t seem that he liked the idea of our ‘students’ being totally random at all.

Good, the more he didn’t like it, the more I did! One less chance of a dirty trick.

I looked at Johnny, “So how much has Joshua told you about my family and me?”

He grinned, “Up until the last few days, nothing. It seems that my friends have kept you a closely guarded secret.” He looked around then said, quietly, “I’ll do my best to keep it quiet too.” Then he whispered so that only I could hear, “We don’t want our friends at the CIA to have any idea what I think you guys might be capable of, Charlie. Why don’t we all get together tomorrow morning around 9 o’clock so that we can get to know each other a little better before this whole thing gets started.”

“I have an even better idea, John,” I whispered, “Let’s you and I get together for breakfast, alone, at say 7 o’clock? Bubba’s right next door serves killer biscuits and gravy. It’ll be my treat, what do you say?”

He winked, “Your dad says you’re the expert on biscuits and gravy! It’s hard to find good biscuits and gravy out here in Arizona, so let’s call it a date.”

Everyone engaged in some more small talk for a few minutes before Dad and company said goodbye. On his way out, Dad asked quietly, “Would it be okay if Joshua and I joined you two?”

“Of course, that way I can invite Greg, Bob and maybe Linda to join us too. Just let me know. Oh and FYI, Sherman is NOT invited.”

The grin and wink he gave me confirmed that he knew the score, he too was growing weary of playing hide and seek. I didn’t care if Sherman had heard us or not.

As it approached 10:30 PM, all of our friends decided to call it a night.

It’s funny how that seems to be a nearly universal bedtime at most campgrounds, except maybe on Friday and Saturday nights.

TJ had come back to pick up Janet, so the 11 of us had one more drink inside Greg’s bubble. We needed to get our signals straight about what everyone was planning on doing over the next couple days.

I had to wonder whether or not Sherman or Johnny knew about our relationships with Ed, Gracie, TJ and Janet. It was entirely possible that they both just figured they were only here for the Jamboree and they’re being with us was nothing more than coincidence. After all, the campground was very crowded with other Jamboree enthusiasts and everyone around here seemed to be very friendly.

The four of them were still planning on entering the ESP contest. They all understood, that unless told otherwise, they were not to do anything that would make them win. They were also NOT going to sign up for any ‘help’.

When I asked everyone, no one felt that Sherman had made any attempts to get into their heads. They DID all hear his little mental comment to me, however.

It was universally decided to sleep with our mates tonight, since we were all beat from our long ride. Sarah, sensing my need to unwind and think, asked to spend the night with Bob and Linda, who were planning on some slightly more ‘energetic fun’ before actually going to sleep.

Sarah and Linda had been getting a bit more intimate lately. They weren’t anything like Jamie and Mary yet, but they had been seen kissing once or twice and hugs were much more frequent.

Ed and Grace went to their little camper. TJ and Janet went back to their hotel, to get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow looked to be a busy if not suspenseful day.

Mary cuddled me tenderly and sensing my uneasiness, took her place in my head, assuring I could ‘share’ my thoughts with her.

Her presence there was one of the most precious benefits of our gift of telepathy.

I had many questions swirling around in my head about Sherman’s actual capabilities.

For instance, just how strong was he when the effects of the drugs he took wore off? For all I knew, the times he tried to attack us he may have really been ‘juiced up’. Maybe Butch was indeed much more powerful than his dad. After all, we didn’t find any needles or vials anywhere amongst Butch’s things. On second thought, he could also have just taken them with him.

You see, I’m not much of a gambler by nature. With so many unknowns, how could I be sure what tack to take? In some ways, I felt like a bully, but then other times, I felt like an unsuspecting guppy swimming into the jaws of a shark.

I despised both of those feelings.

After Linda’s and my trip to Montezuma’s Castle, I had to wonder if the two of us might actually have more knowledge and insight about all of this than Johnny and Joshua combined. Were WE becoming the ‘experts’?

I looked at my sweetheart who was lying beside me in the bed. She was smiling serenely when a ray of light came through the curtains, illuminating her breasts and hitting her pendant. Little beams of color danced around the room until she moved slightly, then they went away.

That made me wonder what if any significance that ancient pendant might have?

I also thought about how everyone in the Family had acquired somewhat different gifts, all on their own. Just before falling asleep, I felt everyone in the family surrounding me with support and thoughts of love and solidarity.

I knew I’d never have to face anything alone.

***

In the morning, the entire family sat around the kitchen table having a ‘spot’ of coffee with me. I had received neither a flash nor a call from Dad, so we put a two-pronged plan into action. Greg, Bob and Linda were going to come with me. If it turned out that Johnny had come alone they would simply get another table and I would go and have breakfast with Johnny.

When we got to the restaurant we all began chuckling. Johnny was sitting at one table by himself, while Dad, Joshua and Ann sat at another. Without saying a word, I joined the Johnny as I promised. Bob, Greg and Linda were cackling all the way as they sat down with Dad, Joshua and Ann.

After some initial pleasantries I decided to cut to the chase. “How much, EXACTLY, has Joshua told you about my family?”

Johnny was smiling, “Only that you are perhaps the most important thing that the study for the advancement of ESP, telepathy and telekinesis has ever seen. I need to ask; would you consider speaking to the folks at our 7 o’clock meeting?”

I grinned, “I think we’ll have to have a bit more conversation about what you’d like me to talk about. Before I say yes or no, I need to ask you a very important question. How much do you trust Sherman?”

His face told me that he was somewhat conflicted. “Up until a couple days ago, I trusted him implicitly. Today, my answer would have to be ‘not so much’. Last night your dad told me, in a roundabout way, that you and Linda wanted to give me some kind of a test.” He chuckled, “He said I might be a little embarrassed but, if you were right about something, I might enjoy it tremendously. Would you like to invite her over here?”

I gave Linda a ‘come-hither’ motion with my forefinger. She bounced over, then sat on the other side of Johnny from me. I asked, “Before we get started, do you currently have any ailments or other physical problems?”

He laughed, “No, I just had a physical a month ago and the doctor assured me that for an old guy, I’m in pretty good health. What does that have to do with your little test?”

I smiled, “I needed to know before we checked you out. I just want to be sure that the results give me the correct answer. Joshua never told you about one special gift that Linda and I have in common, has he?”

He seemed lost, “I’ll be honest Charlie, my friends over there have been very tight-lipped about your exact capabilities. Last night your dad just suggested, that you might feel better about talking to me after you gave me your little test.”

I told Linda to take his hand while I took the other. Just as I suspected, he immediately began getting warm. He went from surprise to bliss to extreme embarrassment as he desperately tried to hide his moans of bliss from everyone in the restaurant. We let go of his hands to give him a chance to compose himself before I asked the next question.

I WAS still holding his hand.

“Do you have any idea what just happened to you, Johnny?”

Still looking embarrassed Johnny chuckled, “Um, I think I just came in my pants! Did you do that to me?”

I smiled, “The orgasm was the after-effects of what Linda and I did, yes. Have you ever heard of ancient healers?”

He was nodding his head so I continued, “Linda and I seem to have that ability, along with many others. What I believe really happened is that we have broken the spell or ‘push’ that Sherman has had you under. Are you aware of how much of your serum he’s been taking?”

His eyes grew as big as saucers. “Oh my God. I have been giving him way too much, I’ll tell you that. What I don’t understand is, why have I kept doing it?”

“Because my friend, at some point he used his mental abilities to ‘push’ you into not countermanded any of his requests! He did the same thing with my dad. I cured Dad of that spell just a couple days ago. How much do you know about Sherman’s sons, Butch and Benjamin?”

He acted like he was shaking the cobwebs out of his head, while thinking deeply about it. He closed his eyes then said, “I know that Benjamin, along with his brother Brock’s daughters, Bonnie and Bridget have fairly good telepathic abilities. The three of them won last year’s contest and I suspect they weren’t even doing their best. I’m not sure if Butch has any abilities, because Sherman has never let me test him, nor has he told me about any.”

“So you had no idea that Butch’s mental abilities were perhaps even more powerful than his dad’s?”

The way his head tilted forward and his mouth opened told me he was shocked. “I had no idea! Sherman’s never even hinted to me that Butch had ANY abilities!”

“Then you wouldn’t know if Sherman has ever injected Butch with any of your ‘special sauce’?”

“Oh gosh no. I made it perfectly clear to Sherman the first time he volunteered to let me test it on him, that I had no idea what the possible side effects might be. I’ve been developing the serum for nearly 10 years. I wonder just how long Sherman’s had me under his control? Is there any way you can find out?”

I summoned Dad over, who exchanged seats with Linda. We decided to double-team Johnny to see what we could find out.

Dad’s eyebrows and mine rose simultaneously.

Sherman’s had Johnny under his control ever since the second time Johnny injected him. The first time, Johnny had done it willingly and obviously had Sherman’s full consent. The second time both Dad and I clearly saw that Johnny had refused, trying to explain to him that he wanted to do more testing first. That’s when Sherman pushed him into never questioning his need for more injections in the future. He also pushed him into never remembering having done it. From what I could tell, that was the only type of push he’d ever given Johnny.

From everything I saw, Johnny was Sherman’s only real friend.

The rest of the group came over to join us.

Between Dad, Joshua and I, we explained everything we knew that Sherman and Butch had been up to.

Johnny was clearly shocked about Butch’s evil deeds and his having used Benjamin to help him, which ultimately led to both of their deaths. For being Sherman’s only friend, I was astounded that he had never explained to Johnny what happened to them. Sherman had never even HINTED to Johnny, just how strong HIS ability to push anyone was!

I had to wonder if Sherman wasn’t around somewhere, listening in on us.

When I asked Johnny were Sherman was right now he gasped, “SHIT! He said he had to go back to Tucson this morning to get some things that he had forgotten. I’ll bet he’s going to the lab to get some more of my serum. I didn’t bring any because I would never use it here. Honestly, I had recently been thinking about stopping that research altogether. If it wasn’t for all the money that Sherman gave me, just over a week ago, I would’ve already stopped.”

“Just how much money did he give you and where did he say it came from?”

Johnny’s face turned red, “I promised to keep that a secret ... But since he’s been totally dishonest with me all along, I’ll tell you. It was nearly $1 million dollars. He said he got it from an anonymous benefactor who wanted to donate to my research on ESP. That wasn’t long after Sherman and I figured out that Lenny might be Jonah, the ‘Invisible Man’. Quite honestly, if it hadn’t been for that influx of cash we probably wouldn’t even be having the Jamboree this year. Our coffers were damn near empty. Between those two events, I FINALLY believed we could figure out the whole ‘catalyst’ thing and if so, could begin ‘training’ people. Sherman was VERY excited about that possibility.”

Now I was curious, “How long have you believed a catalyst was necessary to teach others?”

Johnny looked at Joshua and Ann, they were all grinning and trying to stifle a laugh. “Forever! When we were still in Tempe, before we ever even gave our first ESP test.”

Josh said, “We both had the theory that you needed a ‘catalyst’ if anyone’s ESP abilities were to ever become strong enough to be truly useful. We both felt that a catalyst might not even KNOW he was one! We hypothesized that IF we could discover one, we could then be able to find a way for him to teach others how to nurture and expand their abilities.”

Joshua winked at me before continuing, “That was back in the late 1950’s. Rumors were swirling at the time, that the Russians had psychics and of course our government didn’t want to be left behind. When we first started, we entertained two government representatives who gave us a small grant to fund our research. They promised much more if we could actually ‘produce’ someone who could do what they needed.

“Enter Sherman and Lenny. Sherman was the first one who took the test and scored substantially higher than raw probability would suggest. We worked with him for nearly a year before Lenny graced us with his appearance. Lenny’s aptitude was even higher than Sherman’s. At first, Sherman was upset that we found someone who scored higher than he had. Somehow though, Lenny must have ‘grown’ on him and they became close friends. They began challenging each other and one day they scored nearly 80% on a brand new test we had devised. We were ecstatic and when we told them, their friendship grew exponentially. They were the ‘Dynamic Duo’ of ESP, just like Batman and Robin in the comic books.”

Dad interjected, “Yes, and now that I think about it, that’s also when Sherman began dating his future wife, Jennifer. He had been somewhat jealous of my relationship with Nancy. Jennifer was Nancy’s friend at college. The first time we all went out on a double date, well, it was magical. He fell totally in love. He and I began growing so strong in our abilities that we consistently scored 100% and we soon began ‘talking’ to each other without physical contact. It was shortly after, that we got the BIG grant and moved to Area 51.”

Johnny and Joshua were both looking at a giggling Ann with their mouths wide open. The ‘light’ had suddenly gone on as they both gave Ann a hug.

Dad winked at me then continued, “Sherman and I, along with Nancy and Jennifer bonded very closely at Area 51. Everything makes sense now. The day that Joshua and John announced we were going to have our first real live test, Sherman was dead set against doing it. In fact, he BEGGED me not to. I realize now, that he was leery of what the CIA might do. You see, he and I were both supposed to be in on that test. They wanted to see if both of us had the same or maybe ‘complimentary’ abilities. We did, even though I didn’t think so at the time. I seemed to progress extremely fast at being able to read people’s thoughts. Sherman seemed more interested in wanting to control people’s thoughts. Either way, Sherman complained of a migraine and didn’t participate. I’ve always wondered what happened after the CIA took Nancy and me off to their compound in Virginia. I’ll let Joshua and Johnny continue.”

Johnny sighed deeply, “The day that Lenny and Nancy disappeared, Sherman came to me all in a tizzy. He demanded that I tell him what happened to Lenny. When I asked him what he meant, he said he’d just been to Lenny’s apartment and it was completely empty! He said all their clothes and personal effects were gone. I was as shocked as he was. We went and asked Joshua what he knew, but he was as in the dark as we were. Sherman went into a rage that his best friend had been taken by the CIA.

“Later that evening, when we got the call that Lenny and Nancy had been in a car wreck and been burned beyond recognition, Sherman was convinced the CIA was behind it. Joshua and I both suspected he might be right. Sherman immediately began trying to call Lenny, telepathically, but became frustrated that he wasn’t getting any response. It makes sense now, after talking to Lenny and knowing that they had taken him all the way across the country. The CIA must’ve suspected that distance played a role in telepathic communication. They wanted to make sure Lenny was far enough away that he couldn’t contact any of his friends.”

Dad was nodding in agreement.

Johnny continued, “It’s ALL starting to make sense to me now. You see, suddenly it seemed like all of the other clairvoyants that we had been grooming, ‘mysteriously’ lost almost all of their abilities. I suspect now that Sherman may have pushed them into ‘un-learning’ whatever they had managed to learn so far. Needless to say, a few months later when our benefactors contacted us, looking for their next subject, they weren’t happy to find out that we didn’t have any.