Chapter 38: Growing up the hard way.

October 2^nd, 2023

Ten am Monday morning, my wayward students returned.

“We’re home. Miss us?” Cat pranced into the den landing across my lap, looking up with a tired grin.

Affectionately, I stroked the hair out of her eyes. She had it trimmed and colored a deeper violet than the previous few times. “Did you have fun?”

“Keeping up with her is work. Boris did great. No one even suspected that he was nowhere near ready.” Her mischievous grin lit that maturing face of hers.

“Any issues?”

“I hate stock brokers and ‘financial advisors’. You would think it’s my duty as a citizen to hand over all my money for them to play with, on top of charging me for the privilege. Someone leaked that I had no stocks in any company besides my own. You would have thought that it was feeding time in the shark tank after that. Clarissa threw one over the rail at Club 69 who wouldn’t stop pestering me.”

“Lissa got tired of their act fast. At first, she thought it was funny, but that didn’t last.”

“Where is she?”

“Getting Boris squared. She should be in a couple minutes. I think we came to an understanding about you, but you will have to give a bit too. She Needs to pay her way.”

“Did you two come to an agreement for a payment?” I wouldn’t put it past Cat to bargain on my behalf.

“How does ten more years sound?”

“If you can get her to agree, I have no issue.”

“I think I can. We didn’t talk much about it. Mostly we just did stuff. God, she has too much energy. I had a hard time keeping up.” Staring at the ceiling, “Not having you there at night didn’t help my sleep either. The aerobics we have been doing, made the difference. We walked miles on three of the days. So, did my bracelet. Oh. Before I forget, I was poisoned nine times and propositioned seventeen.”

Sometimes following Cat bouncing from topic to topic in one sentence after the next was difficult to track. I had though, expected something to the effect of her being poisoned and propositioned. “Any collateral damage?”

“None that I know of. Did you hear that Drake culled the list that night? 156 removed nationwide, twenty-seven went straight to the villain List.”

“Hide a bad news day under a bigger story.” Less than two hundred was a start but not nearly enough. By my count it should have been over seven hundred. More than half of the actives do not belong on the Hero side of the Listing.

“That’s what Lissa said. Colleen was pissed that I didn’t bring her along. I will have to make it up to her.”

“She took this fall off too, didn’t she?”

“Yeah. Winter too. But she is happy. She broke up with Mark and is having the occasional dinner with Laurence, the rep that had been stalking her. I think she wants to step back from dating anyone. Him being seven years older is bothering her more than I think it should.”

“The best thing about going out with Lissa is that she gets the attention from the Casanovas first. The jerks that tried hitting on me were interrupted by the freaking sharks. At least they were good for something. Oh, one more thing. It seems the Pres thinks you are some sort of ancient Greco God. Can’t imagine how he came about that delusion.”

She blinked her eyes, faux innocently.

“And this tidbit of information came from where?”

“An old tank driver called me himself and asked my opinion. He didn’t even try and hide it.”

“What did you tell him?” I was positive I knew her response.

“Same as Moria, ‘Ask him’.” She giggled. Something Cat rarely did anymore.

“Will I be getting a call anytime soon?”

“Nah. They are afraid you might say that you are, which would scare them silly. Speculating about who you really are is one thing. Knowing would not fit in their little world.”

“How are you feeling?”

“A little stressed. We did too much. But it’s a good kind of stress. Clarissa was very good about taking me to controlled environments. Even the clubs we visited had strict VIP sections. No lines or wading through the masses. The Met was okay and don’t get me started on impressionism or abstract art. All the modern stuff looked like recycled trash or an epileptic with paint tubes. The stuff they tried to pass off as sculpture showed some technical skill, but nothing remotely artistic. Give me a good old fashioned Dutch master or the ancients and their works.” Narrowing her eyes in accusation, “Have you started Aphrodite’s bust?”

“Yes.” Yesterday.

“About time. I won’t pretend to understand. But I think you need to do that.”

“Why don’t you just take him to bed and jump his bones?” A shadow from the door smiled.

“We are talking. Besides I am too tired. You and your nonstop ten miles a day.”

Clarissa had her hair up in a ponytail, something she only did while exercising. “Boris is charging. First thing he did was boot up the comps and look for news of ‘Mother’.”

“Yeah, he was quiet for the trip. Master agreed to ten additional years. Deal?”

“Cat...”

“Tough, it’s a compromise. You know he won’t actually do any extra work. That’s all on you.” Laying across my lap, she showed her sister student the ‘serious face’, one she rarely let loose at home.

“Don’t give me that look... ‘Fine’, Deal,” Clarissa agreed.

“Good. I need a short nap, 4 AM four days in a row is too much. I feel like shit.” Crawling off my lap, Cat exited the den dragging Clarissa and the luggage with them.

Someone was growing up.

...

Clarissa would sit and watch me for hours out in the large tent Catherine had purchased to shelter me and my creation from the elements. Cat would only join when she wanted company, silently paying attention to my motions while working on some project or other.

Over the following two weeks the three of us stayed at home with the single exception of the day after the pair returned from New York when we dropped off Boris at Bernie’s for shooting lessons. Cat enjoyed a private lunch with Moria in a local park, returning to me disgruntled.

I imagined the discussion those two had over a picnic lunch.

...

On Tuesday October 18^th, we arrived at the gates of the famed UFMA in south eastern New York, an hour before Cat’s scheduled meeting time. Two cadets checked our ID’s and the senior one rendered precise directions regarding where to park while trying to maintain military composure. Admirable in today’s youths, but he was still unable to keep the excitement from showing in his eyes. Or hide his clenched jaw.

We were met by a junior officer in the parking lot, who escorted us to the secure classroom. Cat looked at me in dismay at the normal blackboards that aligned the fifty-foot-wide wall. She had become spoiled with our state-of-the-art computer linked ones at home.

“Boris can you stand over there?” She directed her loyal follower to the southern corner at the back of the fifty-seat, auditorium style room.

To me, “You can go play in the street. I’ll be fine.”

“Miss Larkin, if you would like, there is a USB connection for the overhead projector on the inside of the podium.” suggested the junior officer assigned to her, a tall dusky woman who gave a walking narration, unknowingly disturbing her principle.

Choosing the far corner away from Boris, I sat and opened my computer and began reading about West Pointe while Cat linked her cleaned computer to the system. We had purchased one for excursions where there was a possibility of infection or infiltration of data.

At 7:55, fourteen uniformed men in their mid-thirties to late forties entered, talking amongst themselves. One of the men inquired of my identity. Cat responded without looking up from double checking her settings, “He’s my driver. Don’t pay attention to him. He never listens anyway.” I smothered my smile.

The room settled quickly.

Projecting an equation on the overhead, “If you do not recognize and understand the principles behind that, you are in the wrong room.” Weighing the men and single woman sitting, Catherine turned to the odd person standing. “If anyone needs a transcript, you can contact the lieutenant over there later. Contrary to my agreement with General Clarke, the room is wired. I hope you gentlemen can keep a lid on it. Lieutenant, you can wait outside. Someone will call if we need you.”

The young woman hesitated, but acquiesced after all her superiors waited patiently. No one was allowed or invited to the lecture except for a very specific list.

“Miss Larkin, my team and I are here for the laser presentation tomorrow. We have been cleared to sit through today also. Is that an issue?” Politely asked a balding Colonel.

“Not for me. Please remember, that unless you are conversant in quantum fields, today might end up confusing you more than helping.”

“Understood and thank you.”

“This equation is in principle correct. But it fails when macrostructures are involved. In a complete vacuum, it’s just fine...”

And she began. We had been working on her tempo. Catherine had a strong tendency to review material faster than any audience could rationally be expected to keep up with.

Breaks, pacing, longer descriptions and examples were all pieces of her becoming a better communicator. Her laptop had a simple low volume oscillator running in the background helping the pacing of her speech.

With the exception of the five members from the laser team, the attendees followed fairly well. At least no one asked any truly dumb questions or made even dumber interjections. Clarke chose his participants well.

After every ninety-minute section, she enjoyed a fifteen-minute break before resuming her lecture. The five topics were broad enough for the foundation. She concluded with a thirty minute ‘suggestion’ that if any of them mastered those five then they would be able to work on the next step. She even volunteered to give pointers if any reached that plateau.

If the questions asked were any indicator, she would be free for a decade or so from this bunch.

...

“If you two would like a tour of the campus, Mr. Driver, I’m sure the Lieutenant outside the door waiting on your student would oblige.”

“Thank you, Colonel. I will leave the decision in Catherine’s capable hands. I would not be opposed to spending an extra day here, but she might be tired after two days of constantly being on.” The officer in charge of the Laser research division sat beside me during the extended lunch break, finishing his lunch with a brief conversation.

“Boris’ construction is mostly yours and the toys he carries Catherine’s?”

“Fifty-fifty, on the mechanicals. The rest is all her.”

“The Persians offered their largest customer a discount for their efforts in her removal.”

“I suspected. Thank you.”

“I was told you had the rest of the players identified. We weren’t sure whether or not you knew of the Persian involvement.” Between bites of his sandwich, he switched topics. “Quantum Magnetism is not my cup of tea. My colleagues aren’t close, are they?”

“You listened to their questions.” I pointed out. We both understood his question and my answer all too clearly.

“I was afraid of that. I don’t think we are any closer on our end. A building sized laser has it uses. My division is seeking something more portable. The one we have now is outrageously impractical. I can’t even conceive how she can trap plasma in a projected magnetic sleeve. I must have watched her junkyard demonstration a hundred times.”

“Quantum does not always mean small or can’t be linked.” I offered the man a direction.

“That is what I was afraid of. When she is ready to go on her own, I can give her a list of servicemen that she can trust. Thanks for your time.” He finished his sandwich and apple, returning to his seat, deep in thought.

That message was the one he came to deliver. Persia’s involvement was an excuse. The UF military believed that Catherine needed her own security force outside of Moria, it seemed.

I’ll let Cat decide later. Not that I believed that she will turn them down. IF, she headed out on her own. That was a topic that was never brought up, I knew that she had put some time considering it. I also believed that before she left, a base would need to be secured before she would move.

We ended up staying for a third day to take the official and unofficial tours of the campus. Given an opportunity, Cat was more than happy to try out the various weapons that the cadets trained with during their four years at West Pointe.

Grinning, she conscripted Boris’ rifle and gave a demonstration on the grossly overpowered penetration that the Coilgun achieved. The grounds even had a working tank in their armory which she was allowed to enter and enjoy a twenty-minute walkthrough while Boris and I remained outside.

...

What do you think?”

“It was a lot different than when I taught the professors in Germania.”

“How so?” I asked after setting the auto pilot and giving her my full attention.

“They seemed older. Kinda like talking to you.”

“The average age of this week’s group was over ten years younger than the one’s last year.”

“Fine. They were wiser.”

“All of them?”

“Yeah.”

“What makes you say that?”

“They weren’t competing. They weren’t trying to prove themselves better than the others. They weren’t trying to prove me wrong. They were cooperating, even if they were from different branches or different projects. I felt that two did not like each other at all and a couple didn’t like being there. But...”

“But what?”

“They came to learn everything and anything they could. I didn’t expect that.”

“What did you expect?”

“I thought they would be worse than the last class.”

“Explain.”

“I didn’t expect them to put their egos aside and cooperate with each other and me. Is that what you were looking for?”

“What I am looking for is your perception of this week’s activities.”

“They were all professionals. Thought, word and deed. Does that make sense?”

“And you did not expect that, did you?”

“No.”

“You expected more military politicians worse than the individualistic professors you had taught previously.”

“Yeah.”

“Generals tend to be politicians in peace time. The lower ranks much less so, even the ones a single step away.”

Watching her think over what I said, “This lot were all engineers and physicists. None of them will ever be promoted above the rank of Colonel. I suspect that not one that attended your lectures would want the hassles, stress and politics that come with the position,” I explained.

“That campus was nice too. I might have liked it there if I never found you.”

“You would be bored senseless. A third of what they do is physical exercise the rest is bachelor’s studies. Can you imagine taking a full semester to learn calculus I or II?”

“Hush, I’m not that bad.”

“You complained for weeks that Circuits took an extra ten days.”

“That’s because you made it harder than it needed to be.”

“The Academy offers a similar course, broken up into three semester classes each spanning two plus months.”

“I get it.”

“What was your opinion of the cadets?”

“Serious. Even the ones joking around were on their best behavior. What does all this have to do for why the officers were so much better than the professors?”

“You believe the officers this week were better?”

“Yes. They might not be as advanced in a specific field, but they were more open and flexible.”

“And you don’t know why. I see I need to address that. Give your new contact a call and ask for a week of guest cadet status, don’t forget to ask her what she wants in payment.”

“What are you hiding?”

“Call her.”

“Are you sure?”

“Catherine,” I warned.

“Sorry.”

...

We dropped off Boris at ‘Bernie’s’ for more instruction and practice. His aim had greatly improved. Judgement was the next set of courses from the veteran shooter.

Cat immediately returned to her work on improving Boris’s systems during her last week of punishment. In contrast, Clarissa resisted the new studies. She still had not fully accepted the deal her fellow student brokered. I could be patient. She would come around under Catherine’s subtle pressure.

...

Sunday October 29^th, Cat traveled to New York for a week’s attendance at one of the few institutions of higher learning that I would allow her to attend on her own as a second year Cadet. She would be rooming with a designated partner/guide and enjoy the same schedule as the other girl for the week.

“Nervous?”

“A little. Mostly annoyed that you won’t give me time to work on the new Core. I keep getting interrupted.”

“Remember their rules.”

“Yeah, I know.”

We were escorted into the administration office to meet a Captain Beachcomb to complete the registration process. Even if it were only a temporary one.

“Miss Larkin, Mr. Smith, have a seat.” The strait-laced officer offered on entry.

“You’ve read the handbook. I have been ordered to accommodate your request for a week training here at UFMA. Do you have any objections or concerns on the rules listed?”

“I have two identifying pieces of jewelry that cannot be removed. General Jackson was informed and gave a written exception.”

Distastefully the officer inquired, “Which pieces and why can’t you remove them?” Having a non-permanent student attend his Academy was not to this man’s liking.