Episode 21

Tuesday

Chapter 59

Tiffany

Personal log (voice), Tiffany French, Captain of the Flying Dutchman, 12:10am, November 1^st, 2006

I grabbed my coke and slice of pizza and sat down on the sofa.

"Did you see the way those tough guys ran when they saw that headless horseman image?" Lucy asked.

"Did I?" Debbie laughed. "I saw them running past the gate. It was soooooo cool."

"I bet." Mr. Mason added. "Ok everybody, you can enjoy the laughs later. Time to see how well we did. Karen, have you finished counting the money?"

"Yep."

Diane asked, "How well did we do?"

Karen checked a slip with a few numbers on it. "Ticket sales were five hundred thirty three dollars. The snack and souvenir tables brought in another hundred twelve dollars and change. The total is six hundred twelve dollars and forty cents."

I took another bite of my pizza. "Let my get this straight. All this money was from tonight only?"

"That's right."

"You know Tiffany, if we did this for a week or two before Halloween next year, we could really make out like bandits."

"She's right." Debbie added.

Daphne looked between Karen and me. "Remember what happened the last time you started volunteering people, Karen?"

"True. But she can't deny I'm right."

"No, I can't. And I might even cooperate. But I've a more pressing matter. Remember that you guys decided to make my AIDS research the group's project for the 4-H Science Fair?"

"Yes." Daphne said. "Why do you ask?"

"Because today I received the information for our first mission. We have to go central Africa. According to Dr. Lacroy we need to get some plant that the locals have locked up rather tight."

"More of that profit above all shit?" Karen asked.

"Right. But there are a few sites that are not as well known. Smugglers go through there all the time."

"Ok. We have to talk about this."

"We do???" I asked. "I'm going there. Alone if I must."

"I'm not arguing that point. What we need to talk about is the 4-H's involvement in the trip."

"I'm missing something here." I said as I looked back at Mr. Mason.

"Simple. If this is to be a 4-H project, I need to be in charge."

"You are in charge of the 4-H group."

"I have to be in charge during the trips, too."

I was shocked.

I nearly spilled my soda onto my jeans.

Is that man out of his mind?

He cannot be serious.

I quickly put my food down before I was tempted to throw it at him.

"What, Mr. Mason, can possibly be going through that electrified sponge you presume to call a brain that makes you think you are capable of commanding the Flying Dutchmen?"

"Calm down, Tiffany." Diane interrupted. "I'm curious though. Why are you doing this to her?"

"I'm not doing anything. But the 4-H insurance requires that an adult be in control. That's just to start with. The insurance company has already told me they're not going to cover us for this trip."

"Why not?" Karen asked. "You tell them where we're going?"

"No. Besides until five minutes ago, I did not know where we'd be going. They say the Flying Dutchman is unproven technology. Our policy does not cover that."

Debbie chimed in. "Then make it a volunteer trip. God knows, after what happened last week, I trust it."

"Hell," Diane added, "I'd trust the Dutchman to take me to and through Hell."

Karen was curious. "Well, if the insurance is not covering it, why are you still interested?"

"Because it still is a worthy project..."

A worthy project?

The others in the room could sense the impending eruption.

Too bad I didn't give them any time to do anything about it.

"A worthy project, is that what you said?? Just a project? Like breeding rabbits with softer fur or growing bigger pumpkins? Can you really be that dense??"

Mr. Mason stood up. "Now wait one minute."

I stood up to match him tone for tone. "Don't you understand? I'm dealing with my life and how long it continues. This is not some bit of amusement for me. I'm a high school cheerleader for god's sake. Fun is not something I have trouble finding. I don't need you or this group for amusement." I went and grabbed my coat. Maybe this is a waste of time. "It's obvious that you're just using my bad situation to benefit you and your group. A group, I might add, that I thought had better standards of behavior than this."

Somebody put a hand on my shoulder as I turned to leave.

I turned to see just who was that brave. Or stupid.

It was Diane.

"Yes?" I asked her.

"He said it badly, but he has a point. We all know your side and how you feel on this. Try looking at it from his side."

"His side ticks me the hell off."

"Why? A few badly chosen words shouldn't cause this much trouble."

Mr. Mason nodded at that.

I growled right back. "You know damn well that that's not the only thing bothering me right now."

"Is it fair to bite his head off for that?"

"Look. I'm not Jacob Stone. I only dated him. Briefly. I can't turn my emotions on and off when I choose."

"I'm calling your parents." Mr. Mason added.

I seriously considered backslapping him into the fireplace. "Listen up. I'm only going to say this once. I do not have parents. Understand me? I have a mother. That's all. If you ever say, or even hint, that that piece of... of... I can't think of a word bad enough for him, if you ever make it seem that that person has a say in my life, you'll be extremely lucky if they can hold me back. Am I being clear?"

Diane moved between us before he could start yelling himself. "I'll tell you more about why later. Trust me that she's being calmer than I would in her shoes."

"Ok. I'll call her mother."

"May I say something?" Karen asked.

We all turned to look at her.

She continued. "First, I understand where both of you are coming from. But does one of you have to be wrong? Look, Tiffany, we all know that no matter who sits in the chair, you'll really be running the ship. Is it so bad to let Mr. Mason have his peace of mind? And Mr. Mason, you know very well there are things in that ship that none of us has any understanding of. So what is wrong with Tiffany sitting in the chair, since she knows it better than anybody else here?"

Mr. Mason and I both stared at each other while Karen's words sunk in.

"That could work." he said.

"I think I can live with it. You can seem to be in charge, so long as you understand that I am keeping the right to overrule you if needed."

"I can accept that, so long as you do not make a habit of overruling me."

"Excellent." Karen said. "So when is the first trip?"

"As soon as I can get everybody together for it."

"But what about school?"

"Personally, I don't care. But the rest of you probably do."

"You should, too. How about Friday night? That should give us all time to get ready."

Chapter 60

Adam Stone

2 am, November 1^st, 2006

(5pm local time, Palestine)

They said I needed to keep up my exercise. So I limped around the base. According to the base doctors, this was supposed to help my leg. All it was doing for me was fostering a greater respect for the inventor of painkillers.

I walked by the spot Jacob had moved his ship to. It worried me that he felt the way he did. I wondered if the man who understood science so well needed a few lessons on the real world. High ideals don't last long if they have nothing to protect them.

I saw a lot of people saluting out of the side of my eyes.

I turned and saw General Smith coming towards me. I quickly switched the cane to my left hand so I could salute with my right hand.

General Smith returned our salutes and indicated he wanted to speak to me alone.

Everybody else got real scarce, real fast.

The General asked me "Is the ship really all that I've heard it to be?"

I replied "I'm the wrong person to ask. I just saw the ship yesterday. Why do you ask, Sir?"

"Your offer interested me."

"What offer?"

"The offer about your brother and his ship."

"Sir? Are you serious?"

"Yes, Marine, I am."

"May I speak freely?"

"You may."

"Jacob really does not like military authority. He hates most people in the armed forces."

"I've noticed."

"Actually, sir, I'm probably understating the case. Outside of possibly a half dozen at most, he absolutely despises the people in the armed forces. The problem with this is he's always respected the job the military is supposed to do."

"Sounds like a stressful contrast."

"Yes, sir. That's why this would be a challenge. You want to get him to help a group about whom he has contrasting feelings. It would have to be a really important goal."

"He already got a hint of the mission."

"Was that what we were talking about this morning?"

"Correct."

I checked around to make sure there was nobody within hearing range. "You mean that was not clever phrasing?? We have a real lead on Bin Laden??"

"Yes, we do. A lead I would bet my stars on. Do you think getting Bin Laden would be an important enough goal for him?"

"Hell yes!!!"

General Smith just looked at me.

"Sorry about that."

"It's ok. I did give permission for you to speak freely." He looked at the ship. "Do you think we can get aboard?"

"Well, Sir..." I hesitated.

"What's wrong?"

"I do have the code to get in. But he said it's for emergencies only. Great as that mission is, it is not an emergency. The family's trying to get him to want to work with the military."

Smith looked back at me somewhat annoyed. "Can you guess what he'd want?"

"Want??? Oh, you mean so that he'd not get upset about me letting you see inside the ship? There is only one thing you have that Jacob wants, and that is all the details on the mission that killed David."

"He doesn't think small, does he? The mission is so classified that there are only eight people outside the United States that know all the details."

"No." I replied, "tapping the hull of the Hades, he does not think small."

"Agreed."

"Sir?"

"I agree. I'll personally brief your family on the raid your brother was killed on in exchange for Jacob's cooperation."

"Very well, sir." I turned and opened the hatch.

We both boarded.

No sooner did I turn on the lights and the computer systems than the General's mouth dropped.

"My God. If we only had this back in 2002, god only knows the trouble we could have avoided in the second Gulf War. The militants would never have gained control of large sections of Iraq either in the aftermath. What took us years to settle could have been done in months."

I escorted the General out and turned off the lights. "As you can see, the ship is all you heard it was."

Chapter 61

Aide to Senator Clinton

3 am, November 1^st, 2006

(6 pm local time, Palestine)

Soon enough I plan to run for the Senate. Eventually Hillary is going to need a successor when she runs for President. That is the only reason I'm here. This place is dusty, dirty, has no cable and no pizza delivery people within five hundred miles.