Chapter 12

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Oh, no, Mister Lewis. Not in the least. You see, there are only eleven college games being played this Saturday, instead of the usual fifty or so. These are all the conference rivalry games, like Alabama versus Auburn, or Tennessee versus Vanderbilt. The earliest any game that ABC is covering starts at 4:00, 3:00 here. That means our game, with twelve minute quarters, and a 1:00 kickoff time, will easily be finished before they have to cover their regular games.”

He looked around. “What that also means to the rest of you, since there’s only one college game on at the same time as ours, and that’s the Army-Navy game, is that every football coach in the country that hasn’t seen you already will have a chance to watch you play, live. Last time I checked, the fewest number of college contacts any of you had gotten was up to ten. Is it still at that level, or has it gone up?”

“I’m up to fourteen, Coach,” one of the guys said.

“Same here, Coach.”

“Good. You two had the fewest contacts, but given your positions, that isn’t surprising. You’ve all been playing on television for quite some time now. And the last couple of weeks, playing at Gowans, means you’re used to playing in a college stadium. Quite frankly, I don’t think this will be any different. We’re not going to allow any press conferences before the game, just like normal. After the game, there’ll be a presentation of the State Championship trophy to the winning team. I’m not going to count our chickens before they’re hatched. At the same time...”

He got quiet for a moment, turned at looked at Coach Myers. “Greg, you know what I’m thinking, don’t you?”

Coach Myers grinned. “Oh, yeah. There’s no mercy rule in a Championship game.”

“No mercy rule in a Championship game. Huh. Mister Lewis, you are excused from answering this question. Anyone else, feel free to shout it out. What am I thinking?”

Most of the team looked confused. Terry shouted it out. “1926, Haven versus Sylvia.”

“Very good, Mister Davis. And quite appropriate, since both of those high school teams were here in Reno County. For those of you who are still looking confused, the most lopsided, and highest scoring game, in the history of American football, was in 1926. Haven High School defeated Sylvia High School, 256-0. We all know how big those two towns are, which meant that Haven, at five times the size of Sylvia, knew that Sylvia had no chance. You look at the numbers, and the Eagles have half again as many students as we do. Of course, so did Derby.”

“Now ... I’m not suggesting that we do anything that’s unsportsmanlike. This is the State Championship, after all. At the same time...” He spread his arms, shrugging. Then he started laughing. “Okay, in all seriousness, that’s not going to happen. At the same time ... we’ve played one hell of a season. You know it, I know it. Let’s make a statement that says that next year’s team is also ready to completely kick ass and take names.”

We cheered at that, then finished up watching the rest of the tapes. At the end of the tapes, before anyone moved, I got up onto the stage. The Coaches both deferred to me. “Okay, Salthawks. We’ve played a good season. That tape we just watched ... do not let it give you ANY overconfidence. I’ll be at practice almost every day this week. We will NOT let our fans, our friends, our families, down, by playing anything less than our absolute best out there on Saturday. If we happen to completely demolish Olathe ... well, you’ve never heard me say this before. Yeah, they suck.”

That got a rousing cheer from everyone.

“That does NOT mean we’re going to let up, in the least. Everyone here knows I’m going to Stanford next year. What a lot of you may not know is that next year starts in January for me. One semester as a Salthawk ... but I’m a Salthawk for LIFE! You’re my friends. You’re my family! Mister Farmer, you’ve been paying attention to these sorts of things. What’s my pass completion ratio?”

“One hundred percent, Cal!”

“What’s Terry Davis’ pass completion ratio?”

“One hundred percent, Cal!”

“Has that ever happened before in high school football?”

“Not in ANY level of football, Cal!”

“Coach Thompson and Coach Myers are right. You’re ready, right now, to beat the Eagles without me on the field. Hell, our JV team could beat the Eagles team that we just watched. But think about this. Regardless of the outcome of the Saturday game, every single one of you has accomplished something that no other high school team in the entire nation has accomplished. You’ve ALL been recruited by more than a dozen Division 1 NCAA teams.”

“Now, hopefully, I’m the only one who’s actually already committed to going to play somewhere. Because I’d like you all to consider something. Talk to each other, talk to both Coaches, talk to your parents and your friends. Don’t just make a choice because something sounds good for you as far as just football is concerned.”

“I know that sounds weird, since we’re football players. But that’s not all we are. We’re Salthawks! We’ve got a responsibility to this team, to this school, to this town, and to this county. But more importantly, you have a responsibility to yourself. We all know that they pay attention to our grades here, to make sure we all get an education. Not to pick on you, but I’ve been paying attention. Pete, what’s your grade point average right now?”

“Um ... it’s a 3.2, Cal,” Pete Rogers said, confusion on his face.

“That’s right, it is. The reason I asked you is simple, and I’m not saying this to be mean. You’ve got the lowest GPA of any member of our team. That’s a point of PRIDE for us! You guys are actually using your heads to learn. I’m going to let you in on a little secret, one that every teacher at HCC mentioned the first day of classes.”

“When you’re in college, it’s all on you. You won’t have your mom or dad waking you up and making you go to school. You won’t have eight straight hours of classes, every single day. You may have a class at nine in the morning that lasts an hour, then not have anything else until two in the afternoon. There won’t be anyone around to make sure you’re in bed at night, so you get plenty of rest. There won’t be anyone around to make sure you do your homework, so you keep your grades up. It’s up to YOU!”

“Here’s some facts I’m going to give you, because right about now, every single one of you thinks that winning our game on Saturday means when you graduate from college, you’ll be playing professional football the following season. This season we’ve only had one player actually injured, and that’s Chandler. A few bumps, bruises, scrapes, and wind knocked out of you has happened to almost everyone else.”

“Ninety percent of college football players get hurt at some point, with nearly a third of those being life changing injuries. Only TWO PERCENT of college players go on to play pro football! Okay, you’ve made it through college, and you were chosen, you’ll play football forever. The average pro football career is barely five years. That means that next May, when you get your diploma, nine years later, the dream you’ve had since you were a little kid is done. If you’re not lucky, it won’t even last a year.”

I started pacing on the stage. “Now, I know this sounds weird, coming from me, on the eve of our state championship game. A game that we’re going to win! A game, and a season, that we’re going to celebrate, and that’s going to be remembered a long time! You should feel good about that. Proud about that! I know I do. But keep in mind one thing. I don’t have to worry about what I’m going to do when I’m done with college, when I’m done with football. You do.”

“That’s why I said, don’t just make a choice for yourself because of football. There’s not a one of you who is a complete moron or idiot. Not even you, Bill.” That got a laugh. “Make a choice where you can get an education! Make a choice where you learn how to do something useful! You’re going to get pressure from your college coaches to take courses that are easy A’s. That’s great, you help them have a winning season, and you find yourself your junior year with two torn Achilles tendons that mean you can’t ever walk right again for the rest of your life.

“Oh, if you can’t play football any longer, then you’re no longer on a football scholarship. Good luck with life. If you don’t think it can’t happen to any one of you, you’re sadly mistaken. In case anyone wonders why Coach Myers has a limp, that’s exactly what happened to him. The good thing for him was that he already had a back-up plan, so eight years after college, he’s teaching high school football in his hometown. And he also happens to have a master’s degree in sports medicine, and is going to be hired by the Reno County Medical Center to work in their new orthopedic rehabilitation clinic. Oh, by the way, Coach, don’t be too shocked at that phone call, when you get it.

“Look at how many engineering and technical jobs we’re adding here in Reno County, and that doesn’t include what I’m going to build on the other four sections of land around the state I’m in the process of buying. Even if you do make it to the pro level, keep one other thing in mind. The average salary is barely a hundred thousand per year. Sounds like an awful lot of money, doesn’t it?”

“Not when we know how much you have, Cal!” Terry yelled.

“Exactly! I’m not saying that because I’m rich. I’m saying that because if you play for five years, and saved all your money, you don’t have enough to live on for the rest of your life! Hell, even if you made it big time, got paid half a million a year, how long will that really last you? Remember, I’m talking about you’re 27 years old, and you don’t have a job. What are you going to do for a living, then? Especially if you’re married and have a couple of kids to support. Or worse, you’re NOT married, and have a couple of kids you’re paying child support for.

“I don’t have the answers to those questions for you. All I am going to do, is simple. I’m giving you some advice. Before you get so caught up in the hoopla and the fever that’s going to happen on Saturday after our game ... sit down together, without me. That’s right. Sit down with your parents. Sit down with the Coaches. Talk about what’s best for you, for your education, for your life. You’re all Salthawks, you’re all my family. I want the absolute best for all of you! But the only one who can make that decision for you IS you! Make it a good one.”

I hopped down from the stage. Coach Thompson stood up then. Considering we had both the JV and the Varsity teams in there, the sound of his footsteps as he walked to the front of the stage sounded like rifle shots, it was that quiet in the auditorium.

In a quiet voice that he knew every single person in the auditorium could hear, he said, “Thank you, Coach Lewis. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I’ve been teaching school for a long time. I’ve been coaching high school football for a long time. That was possibly the best speech that I’ve ever heard given, the best advice that I’ve ever heard given, by any student, teacher, or professional motivational speaker. My door will be open, every day this week. We will run light practices this week. You’re ready for this game. I can’t make you do this, but I suggest you listen to what Cal just said, so you can be ready for life. Salthawks, dismissed.”

Terry and Aaron pulled me aside, while everyone else thoughtfully filed out. “That was quite possibly the absolute worst way to get everyone fired up to play in a championship game that I’ve ever heard of someone doing,” Terry said.

“Good. That means I succeeded.”

Aaron nodded. “That’s pretty much what I figured. This Saturday ... it really doesn’t mean shit, does it?”

“I suppose that depends, Aaron. You know your parents, your uncles. How many of them would give their left nut to be able to say that they played on the championship team, because when they played football here, their team sucked worse than Olathe? But here’s the thing. I do want to win this game. It’s important for the town, for the county, and for all of you.”

“But it’s not the most important thing in life. You bastard, you’ve gotten me thinking of the long term. What happens on Sunday, after we win? Great, more phone calls, more incentives to come play somewhere. That Coach calling may say that he does, but he doesn’t have my best interests in mind. He’s got his in mind. You know I’ve gotten close to two hundred offers, Aaron has almost that many. Son of a bitch!”

I smiled. “Congratulations, Terry, Aaron. Welcome to becoming adults. Now, show that you deserve that title, and lead everyone else to the right decision, whatever it is for each of them.”

They both looked at me, then simply nodded. Each of them gave me a shoulder punch, then followed the team out. I was left standing in the auditorium alone, or so I thought.

“Cal, get up here.”

“Sorry, Coach Myers, I didn’t realize anyone was still here.” I hopped up on the stage, to where he was quietly standing to one side.

“That’s okay. I, uh, didn’t know anyone but Jim knew my history.”

“You don’t think anyone does anything in this town that’s legal that Elroy doesn’t know at least something about, do you? In your case, since I’ve put Elroy in charge of doing some upgrades to our medical system, he remembered your degree.”

Coach Myers blinked. “YOU put Elroy in charge?”

“Well, yeah. I’m pretty much in charge of everything that he once controlled. He set up a good foundation for the future of the city and county, but he’s passed that all to me now.”

Myers thoughtfully nodded. “I see. That actually makes sense. So, what’s this about a new job offer?”

“Don’t quit your day job just yet. There’s going to be a lot of expansion with the medical center over the next two to three years. More care for residents, additional clinics in outlying communities, more specialized treatments, so people don’t have to go more than an hour to Wichita or three hours to KC if they need something that we don’t have here now. One of the things is going to be an orthopedic sports medicine clinic. We’re going to be having more repetitive motion injuries with more factory jobs. At the same time, our population is going to go up by thousands, which means more students in all the schools, so more kids playing sports and getting hurt. Broken bones, torn muscles, strained ligaments ... the usual stuff, but more than we’ve ever seen.”

“So, you’re saying you’ll have a clinic that specializes in all that,” he said.

“Exactly. Keep in mind, all the growth isn’t going to be just here. Buhler is going to get bigger, too. So will Yoder. Actually, they’re already growing down there, because they brought in people from back east that are relatives. Menendez Construction is going to be twice the size it is now, with cousins and family members moving here, too.”

“Yeah, but you’ve only bought eight sections of land here. There’s only so many jobs that can go there.”

“That’s here. No one ... and that includes you ... gets to know how many MORE sections I’m buying in other locations around the state. And keep in mind that for every industrial job, you always add another job somewhere else. Three thousand factory jobs means six thousand total jobs, at the very least.”

We talked for a few more minutes about what I could see happening in the future, then we left. The girls not only had dinner ready for me, they had a surprise. They’d gotten more Kevlar and chemicals, so they were already working on uniforms for Dora and Eve. In addition, they had taken my original jumpsuit, used my multi-tool to cut the fabric, and with Mike’s assistance, made the emblem for the junior Scouts to put on their uniforms. One other thing they did was take some of the foam inserts from my seat, to add to their costumes in certain spots. It was going to be bad enough that it was entirely possible all four of us would get photographed together at some point. We didn’t need to make it totally obvious to the people of Hutch who the four of us were.

Emily came over after dinner with some paperwork for all of us to sign, regarding our new employment benefits package. We’d come up with an insurance company to process things for our employees, and she’d interviewed three different people for the HR department.

That evening, I made love to Eve and Dora. Margie was feeling a little bloated and just wanted to snuggle up once we were all done. Beth and Marcia instructed Jennifer on how they liked to be pleasured, as Jennifer still had very little experience making love to women.

I did something a little sneaky, when Eve was straddling my face, while Dora was riding me. I rose up off the surface of the bed almost a foot. That made them concentrate on controlling themselves, while at the same time getting their own pleasure while still giving me pleasure. It was a good thing that I was the one that gave her the orgasm with my tongue at this point. She squeezed so hard that she might have killed someone that didn’t have powers.

She realized what she’d done when she was coming back down from her peak. “Oh, wow. I ... I never realized how much in control we have to be.”

“And that’s why I specifically picked the two of you tonight. Beth and I already know the dangers. Remember the night I masturbated and shot a hole in the water tower? The other thing to keep in mind is that you’re nowhere near your full strength now. Tomorrow evening and Wednesday, while Beth and I are gone, I want the two of you practicing all day. Safely, of course. Holding your breath, making it so you don’t have to breathe, easy things like those.”

From where she’d been laying, rubbing but not really trying to masturbate, Margie said, “I watched the two of you. I know what to look for.” She stopped for a second. “I just had a really, really wicked thought, watching the three of you in the air. Remember I said something about ‘flying united’? Even though we broke in the big plane’s bed, it sounds and feels so wicked if Beth and Eve would just carry me in their arms through the air while you fucked me silly.”

Jennifer and Marcia both looked up from where their faces were buried between legs. “Yes, please!” Marcia said. Jennifer just nodded her agreement, then went back to licking on Beth’s clit.

Tuesday morning the girls went to school while I met with Elroy about things that needed to happen in town. The other ladies worked on starting to organize for the Disney trip. After a fruitful day with Elroy, I went by school for football practice. It was an easy one, like Coach had said. That evening, Beth and I watched the evening news. She was as disturbed as I was at the way things were being reported, regarding the Messenger and his mysterious assistant.

We gathered everyone together for a simple meeting after supper, while Toby was taking his evening bath.

“Tomorrow, I want everyone but Margie and Marcia to stay home. That way it won’t look too strange for Beth and me to be missing. We’re going to head out to Washington tonight, so we can leave in the dark, and then we won’t be home tomorrow until after dark.”

“Take some money with you, including change, so that if you need to, you can call us from a pay phone somewhere. You might take a change of clothes, too, so the two of you can make an appearance or get something to eat somewhere,” Margie said.

“I was planning on the first, and considering the second. Beth?”

“I’m good. This’ll be amusing and entertaining, if nothing else. Mike, how many nations have resigned from the United Nations so far?”

“Beth, the total is now up to 48. Several minor island nations, along with Italy, Spain, and Portugal, have also resigned. In addition, three of the countries ... the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union ... have announced the formation of joint naval task forces in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Prime Minister Gorbachev and President Reagan made a joint announcement today. The American armor units in Germany are being returned to Fort Hood, in Texas. In addition, Soviet armor units that were in East Germany are also being rail transported to the coast of France, to be met by ships, also for transport to Fort Hood. They and their American counterparts will then move south into and through Mexico, to destroy the drug cartels from one end of Central America to the other end of South America.”

“Mike, I presume you have the direct phone number to the White House, so that I can avoid the switchboard, and call the President directly.”

“Of course, Cal. Here’s the number.”

He told me. “Sounds good.”

“While you’re gone, we’ll train like you said. We’ll also work on reading more of those books from Stanford. I’m feeling ... not so dumb now. I always used to be the slow one, for picking things up. I can read almost as fast as Liz now,” Dora said, pride in her voice.

Jennifer nodded. “I’ll make sure things here stay under control. Harry is going to spend more time in the afternoon with Toby and I at the range, too.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I said.

Two hours later, after giving everyone else kisses, and getting them in return, and then getting our regular clothes ready, Beth and I were dressed in our uniforms and flying to Washington. It didn’t take that long to get there. We stopped at five miles up.

“Where do you want to land?” she asked.

“That’s what I was thinking about. It’s right at midnight here. I’m thinking someplace where we can land, change into regular clothes, and walk around a little.”

“What about that area, this side of the river? It looks pretty empty from up here.”

“Nope. Use your vision, and look closely,” I said.

“Wow. Where’d all those lights come from? And that really bright one, in the middle?”

“That’s Arlington National Cemetery, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. You see that one soldier walking in front? There’s someone on guard there, round the clock, no matter the weather. I wouldn’t want to interrupt his duty. There are almost as many souls in that Tomb as there are in the Cenotaph, in London. There, see, by the Tidal Basin? The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, we’ll land there.”

The trees were rather thick, even if most of the leaves were gone, making it easy for us to be hidden. It only took me a couple of seconds to change clothes. Beth was a little slower, taking a good five seconds. “Here, put these on,” I said.

“What? But neither one of us wear glasses.”

“Exactly. And more importantly, adding in these two rather plain baseball caps that don’t have any logo on them, means that we’re just two kids walking, wearing jeans and plain, long sleeve shirts, with plain jackets that you can find in any store. And our shoes are just regular tennis shoes, nothing special.”

“Is that why you spent some time checking our clothes before we left?”

“Yes. It’s entirely possible that we’ll end up having to burn them, just to make sure no one can trace anything. I’ve been reading some fiction novels, mostly because I’ve read everything else in the college library at home. I find the crime novels interesting, if there’s a mystery that isn’t revealed immediately.”

She smiled, taking my hand. “You know, this really isn’t how I pictured my first trip to the east coast would be, when I was younger. And you’re really not what I thought my boyfriend and husband would be. No complaints, it’s just there’s been a heck of a lot happen in the last few months.”

We followed Ohio Drive, then cut over to 14^th Street, walking in front of a large and imposing building. “Smell anything, Beth?”

She sniffed. “That’s an odd smell. What is it?”

“That’s the smell of money. The ink and such. This is the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where all of the money is printed.”

“I bet they get asked for free samples all the time,” she giggled.

We just enjoyed the walk, looking at the buildings. There wasn’t much traffic out, and only a few people walking. There was a food truck parked along the street that was still open. I bought us both some ice cream.

“This may sound amusing, but this is sort of fun. Reminds me a little of the state fair,” I said. “Granted, it’s not as crowded right now, but I bet things will get interesting later.”

“What are those building over there?” Beth was pointing across the street.

“Oh, let’s go this way.” We started walking east on Madison Drive. “This is basically the National Mall. Not a shopping mall, though. All of the building on this side along here are part of the Smithsonian Museums. This one is the American History Museum. The one up ahead is the Natural History Museum.”

“I really want to come back when we have more time, and when we can be ourselves. I think the others would like that, too. Helen’s the only one awake, and she agrees with me. This is fascinating. There’s so much art, so much history here, that we’ve never seen. I’ve always known this was here, but it’s almost awe-inspiring to actually be here.”

I’d been keeping an eye and ear out. “Come on, let’s go this way now.”

“The two policemen that are half a block behind us?” Beth asked.

“Yep. I’d prefer to not run into anyone that we can’t ... or won’t ... deal with, until after I’ve had a chance to make a phone call.” We turned the corner, then put our hands on our hats to keep them on and ran. We were beyond the end of the building and around another corner, before the police even made it to the first corner.

She giggled as we slowed down. I could see she had that faraway look in her eyes, like she was talking to someone. “Helen thought that was fun. She’s trying to watch through my eyes as she can, while she’s busy with work. Oh, and she agrees with all of us now, totally and completely. You’re an incredibly sexy and powerful man that turns her on.”

I had been watching ahead of us. “There we go, that’s what I was looking for. On the right, around the corner.”

“Oh, I’ve got to get used to doing that,” she said. “I didn’t think of using my vision to look through the buildings.”

We walked into the all-night donut and coffee shop. There were a couple of customers that didn’t look too clean. Older men in one of the booths with coffee cups in front of them. The man behind the counter looked up in surprise when we walked in. “Oh, hi. Sorry, not used to seeing someone like you in here at this time of day.”

“It’s all good. We’re just visiting town, couldn’t sleep, and decided to take a walk. We’re a bit tired of walking, so a couple of cups of coffee and some donuts, or maybe even a bowl of soup, sound good right about now,” I said.

“Sure. I have potato, or chicken noodle. I put those on at midnight, so they haven’t been on all day. The donuts ... the last batch was made yesterday afternoon at four, and we don’t start making the ones for today for another hour,” he said.

“That’s fine. Two of those bear claws for us, and chicken noodle, plus two large coffees. And...” I lowered my voice. “I’m guessing those two are regulars in here. If they want something, go ahead.” I handed him two twenties.

He looked at me in surprise. “Sure.” He got our stuff on a tray, and we took it over to a booth. Then he got two more bowls of soup, four donuts, and two fresh cups of coffee, taking them over to the old men. When they looked at him in shock, he just nodded in our direction. He talked with them softly for a couple of minutes, then walked over to us. “Sir, Ma’am, Randy and Marty say thank you. They fell on hard times about a year and a half ago, and this past year has been a serious eye opener for both of them.”

“I’m not saying this as a religious thing, so don’t take it that way. Being able to help those who need it is our pleasure.”

He shook his head. “Thanks for qualifying that, because it does have some religious undertones to it. Of course, it’s also in line with something that’s lacking in this town right now, which is some common sense.”

I frowned. “How so? We’re from out of town, if you haven’t figured that out.”

He laughed. “The look gave it away. The way you’re dressed, based upon the outside temperature being below freezing, says you’re not even noticing it. Since you don’t have the accent to be from the northeast, I’d guess from upstate Michigan, maybe.”

I just smiled in response.

“Anyway, I’m sure you’ve seen the Messenger from Above on the news. He’s not a joke. We’re right around from the White House, and some of the Secret Service guys come in here. They’ve told me. He’s not kidding around. But those morons over on the Hill? I don’t know what they’re thinking. Like he’s going to put up with their crap. To hell with what happens to the country, so long as they don’t give the other party a win.”

I chuckled. “If I remember my history, wasn’t DC built on a swamp in the first place?”

“That’s the story. It really wasn’t; it was just wetlands. Until the Corps of Engineers got things figured out, it did used to flood ... a lot ... and there were sewer problems. My old man worked for the city, so saying they had to drain a swamp to build the city is a myth. The minor detail that things politically are swampy, isn’t. Marty and Randy are a perfect example. They were successful businessmen. Then they pissed off a Senator and two Congressmen, and some legislation got snuck through that bankrupted them in less than a year.”