Episode 36

Chapter 144

General Colt

4:12 pm, November 3^rd, 2006

10:12 am November 4^th, 2006 (local time)

I drove away from any conceivable major target. My job here was nearly finished. By now any Association agents will be pulling out. But before that they would no doubt have killed Stone and everybody that was with him. I chuckled to myself. The funny thing about it all was that I never had to order them to do so. Their orders said that neither they nor their prisoners were to fall into enemy hands. But their deaths were just part of it. We stole Stone's ship. That ship will give the Association the edge it needs to be a superpower in and of itself. It will make me a very happy camper indeed to be able to take out our enemies without such things as ethical diplomacy holding us back. Plus, when the results of this are known, everybody will come to their senses. Not only that, but in doing this, I managed to provoke a war between the United States and the Density Force. That war will be to the death. Not even the liberal fools can allow a citizen to control such a systematic threat to the country. That wake up call alone justifies any deaths among the Marines on that base.

A ship landed nearby.

I pulled out my gun. If I didn't recognize whoever showed his face next, nobody would recognize their face when I was finished.

"Come on General!" It was Colepepper.

I jumped aboard.

"Great to have you aboard. This way to the bridge, Sir." He led the way.

I followed him. "Glad to be aboard."

Colepepper sat in the command chair. "O.K. pilot, set course for Diego Garcia."

We took off.

Something was wrong. It just didn't seem as smooth as when Stone had it. Nor did it seem as advanced.

Then it hit me. I hadn't heard the ship's computer yet. "Gunny, why aren't you using the ship's computer?"

"Because the ship's computer has locked out all the higher order functions until we can enter the correct password. We're working on a way around that. Until then we have to key everything in manually."

"Incoming call, Sir." the communications officer called out.

Colepepper swung his chair around to face the main screen. "On screen."

President Twiggery appeared on the screen.

"Good Morning, Mr. President. This is Gunny Colepepper in command of the Montezuma's Revenge. How may I assist you?"

"Is General Colt aboard that ship?"

I stepped front and center. "Yes Sir, I'm here. May I ask how soon reinforcements can be sent to us here?"

"They're not going to be. I ordered the Pentagon to send them, but they refused. They claimed that your work was wrong and my orders to kill any who opposed you, whether they were teenagers or not, was both illegal and unethical."

"Damn. Our friends will just have to be happy with this ship. That and the fact that they are at war with those traitorous teenagers anyway."

Chapter 145

Major Daniel Stone

4:19 pm, November 3^rd, 2006

10:19 am November 4^th, 2006 (local time)

The interrogator paced back and forth in front of me. I think he thought that this tactic was supposed to make me make mistakes.

All it did was make me think the guy never held a conversation with a bunch of teenagers. They never could sit still during a conversation with their parents. At least mine never could.

I felt a brief twinge of sadness as I remembered a time when David was a somewhat innocent teen.

The interrogator slammed his hand on the table.

His partner restrained him. "Let me try again. We can try it your way if it doesn't work."

Oh God, good cop, bad cop. Did they think I was stupid? Did they think I never saw a cop show on TV?

The second interrogator leaned against the wall. He tried to look casual. "Your value to us is rapidly running out. We have your son's ship. What are your son's command codes?"

I was feeling defiant. It was obvious to me that they had gone too far. No way we were going to walk away from this. "Why did you need my help? You already have the ship."

"We need the command codes. The Montezuma's Revenge has to repel an attack. We need full battle capabilities."

"Why should I help you?"

The first interrogator got in my face. "Because if not, then your wife and that bitch your traitorous son is going out with will be given special attention." He emphasized the words so that there was no way that anybody could misunderstand the threat.

I got the threat alright. It's a good thing that I was handcuffed to a chair or I'd have probably tried to tear him to shreds.

Of course his friends would kill me there and then.

The other interrogator looked at me. He was still trying to play the good cop. "Look Major, it's not too late. If you cooperate, your family and their friends will be released to return to the U.S. Your son would surely trade his work for your continued lives. You guys just have to convince him to do the right thing."

"Do the right thing? If we give in, this will reward you guys for doing this crime. You'll do it again against anybody who challenges your goals."

"Talk to your son. It's the only chance any of you have of ever leaving here alive."

The door slammed open.

Four kids in football gear came charging in. Two of them body slammed the interrogator and his partner into the walls. The other two grabbed the interrogator's guns.

"Move and we'll kill you." one of the kids in football gear said.

"Where the hell you come from?" one of the guards demanded to know.

Good question.

"Not that I'm complaining about the rescue, but I'd like to know that too."

One of the kids in football gear disengaged himself from the interrogator he tackled. He helped his friend up. "My name is Mike. You might say I'm in charge of the ground forces responsible for liberating you and your family."

"You traitor!" one of the interrogators snarled. "You're all going down."

"Funny. I was about to say the same about you." He opened up his cell phone. "I have Jacob's father... Good, I'll check in with the other groups." He closed the cell phone. "As I was saying, this stockade is pretty much in our hands, the Fleet controls the airspace above the base and your command structure is pretty well kaput."

"No way a bunch of kids can beat the Association."

I looked at the interrogator. "Who the hell is the Association?"

"A group dedicated to America's rightful place in the world."
He started choking.

Then his partner started choking.

Before anybody could move, they both died.

Mike had one of the players make another cell phone call. "Call Valerie. See if the base still has any medics working."

I hated to say it. Unfortunately my training included such things as suicide techniques. "Save your cell time. They are dead."

"How do you know?"

"Because I was trained in what to look for in suicide attackers. A lot of fanatics don't like to survive their defeat."

"Still, there are standing orders to get medical people to check everybody, whether they look hurt or whether they seem like they've been dead for two days. Let's go. I've also got orders to take you to our ground command station."

"What about the rest of my family?"

Mike made a quick call. "Everything's under control. Come with me."

Chapter 146

General Smith

4:50 pm, November 3^rd, 2006

10:50 am November 4^th, 2006 (local time)

The teenage girl pulled the jeep over and stopped it in an area in the desert. She looked up at the sky for a moment.

"Why are we stopping here?"

"Because we have to make contact with the Fleet and decide our next move."

"The next move's simple. You return me to the command bunker and I regain control of my base."

Ashley shook her head from side to side for emphasis. "You just don't get it, do you? You lost control of the base. You were rescued because I thought that you could help my friends end this battle easier and help Jacob out. But I was wrong. The base is effectively ours as it is. The only reason the fighting hasn't stopped is because the Marines haven't realized that fact yet."

I didn't know what to say to that.

Ashley pulled out her cell phone. "Kevin?... yes, I'm free, and I have the general... Sorry I only have General Smith... Okay, let me know when and where... Okay. Bye." She put away her phone. "Okay. The two of us are out of it until I get a call."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you're nothing more than a spectator now. We both are, come to think of it, until it's all settled."

Chapter 147

Captain Amy Stone, U.S.N.A.F

5:15 pm, November 3^rd, 2006

11:15 am November 4^th, 2006 (local time)

The teenagers brought me to the hospital. There I saw a sight that no mother should ever see. They had brought my son in on an improvised stretcher. Both his legs were bloodied and one eye looked like it was punched closed. The swelling from the abuse of his body looked horrible.

The medics took one look at him and told the nurses to prepare an operating room.

As they carried him through the ward, there were shouts on both sides.

"What's that traitor doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

"His friends are responsible for us being in here."

"So? Have you heard the rumors about who caused this? Ask yourself what would you have done in their shoes?"

"Yeah, can you blame them?"

"Yes I can. I don't care what they did to him. Nothing can excuse this mess."

"Well, I just want to know why. Not the rumors, but what really happened. Why did all this happen?"

I saw Jacob try to move. Then he saw some of the kids that rescued me. He muttered "No." barely audibly and fell to the stretcher.

Then my husband Daniel came into the building. "Where is he?"

Somehow I found my voice to respond. "They're taking him to be operated on."

"How soon can he be up?"

"Daniel, are you crazy? Look at him!"

He looked at our son as they carried him towards the operating room. "Yes Amy, I know. But I also know that his is the only voice that can stop this from getting worse."

"Not again. Not this time. This time I'm putting my foot down. I don't care. It's time he got treated first as a hurt child, not as some kid who isn't supposed to let setbacks set him back. You do it."

Dan looked at me, then he looked at the doors they carried Jacob through. "You're right. I should be thinking of him as my son instead of the legend that resulted from his brilliance. I don't know if it will work out as well, but I'll try. What about you?"
"I'll be here to calm him down and try to keep the legendary Stone temper from showing. He's got a lot of control, I'll give him that. That just means it's all the more dangerous when he does snap."

Chapter 148

Press Aide to Senator Clinton

Personal log (voice), J. J. Stone, Captain of the Flying Dutchman,

5:30 pm, November 3^rd, 2006

11:30 am November 4^th, 2006 (local time)

Along with everybody else, I didn't have any idea of what to expect from this press conference. All I know is that the President's recent press reference drove her into her office. Rumor has it she made several phone calls before dragging her speech writer into a private conference.

Senator Clinton came out and stood at a podium. "Ladies and gentleman. I am grateful that you have all come. It is my regrettable duty to respond to the recent press announcement of the President. He referred to the upcoming elections with some veiled comments about the legal blessings given to a winning candidate by the election process. The remainder of his speech tells me, at least, that he forgot that candidates elected to office must still obey they law."

The assembled crowd started paying closer attention. Accusing the President of the United States of acting criminal was definitely an attention getter.

"I will start by addressing his accusation that it is democratic policies that have caused the problems this country faces. That cheap shot at the Democratic Party betrays the fact that this is a democratic nation. I'm not referring to the political party. I'm referring to the principles upon which our great nation was built and upon which it stands strong. It is on behalf of these principles that this evening's statement is being made. The President, as you all know made some dramatic statements in his press conference. He stated he was revoking all laws that gave gays and lesbians any form of equality. He quoted the executive authority of the Presidency as the source of his right to do this. I have asked the best presidential law authorities in the nation to review this for any justification. They found none. Let me repeat that. The best legal authorities of our nation have determined such a decree is unconstitutional. I have passed this information along to the American Civil Liberties Union and have been reliably informed they will fight this as soon as they can get the court documents filed. As for the President's military ultimatums, the legal scholars found some precedent for this. However, the President's decision to withdraw from Palestine while hinting that the United States would not stand in the way of Israel seizing what ground it could justify, even if only on religious reasons, shows the world, and the nation too, that his political agenda comes before deals made with others. Internationally he has ruined us. Any nation can now point to this and say that politics rules above ethics, and that our promises are good only as long as we want them to be. So long as honorable people serve in the House and Senate, we will override such actions as long as he remains in office. I, as well as many others in the capital, remain committed to space science as a way to expand the human condition. But our commitment is to space science for all humanity and benefits to all. It is not the goal of most of the United States government to turn the Moon and Mars into American colonies, despite the veiled hints of the President. These are all important things to be placed before the media. My next announcement is the reason though that I called this press conference. I have consulted with several lawmakers on the hill and I agree with them. The President must be impeached. He has ceased to recognize the Constitution as the supreme law of the land and thus violated his oath. His actions have forced me to consider something else. The need for true leadership in the White House. Leadership for all Americans, not just those who agree with you. To that end I am announcing my candidacy for the Presidency of the United States."