Episode 55

Saturday

Chapter 236

Ashley

12:20 am, November 5th, 2006

5:20 pm, November 5th, 2006 (local time)

And here I thought my workouts were harsh. He's been at it for the last twenty minutes and I've barely heard him complain.

He really must have some demons he's trying to forget.

Jacob grabbed a drink from a table at the side of the room.

"You might want to slow down a bit. You don't have to do the whole week's regimen in one go." the trainer told him.

Jacob did not so much as snort. He just went back to it.

Well, I'll admit he chose a good way to distract himself. I've done some pretty tough routines before. They always distracted me. But I'm not sure I ever threw myself as wholeheartedly into them as he is doing now.

But what demons is he fighting?

Then again, what demons am I fighting? I know Tiffany told me to pursue my crush. But how did she know of my crush? Then again, does it matter?

I slipped over to the benches and sat down.

What is it about him that fascinates me? It can't be his fame. I've enough of that from sports. I doubt it's his looks. It's not that he is ugly, but he's not all that good looking either. He is smart. I'll give him that. However, the more I think about recent events, the more I wonder if he is not too smart for his own good. He seems to be able to do things nobody else can. That's always a plus to get girls. Unless, of course, the girls have no idea what he is doing. I've overheard some of the gossip stories too. Most of the girls he thought were his girlfriend just wanted him for his brain. You know, that probably hurt him more than anything else. He seems like a helpful guy. So trusting too. They are always the ones that get hurt the easiest. That might explain how he flips from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other. Make that why he acts like that. So who is the real Jacob? And how do I feel about him? Plus, can I risk the pain if we are not who the other expects?

Damn parental matchmaking.

Chapter 237

Heather

3:30 am, November 5th, 2006

8:30 pm, November 5th, 2006 (local time)

I stretched out on my bed, trying to find a more comfortable position.

Then I nearly fell off of the bed in shock. Voices are not something one usually hears in this house at... three thirty in the morning. It was such an odd hour that I had to look at a clock to see what time it actually was.

The conversation continued. Enough of this. I need to know whether I should be calling the police. I crept very softly to the top of the stairs.

The voices could be heard clearly. It was my parents.

But what I heard them saying had me wishing I could call the police.

"You're not going to weaken, are you? You've always given in to her looks in the end."

"Looks?" my dad inquired.

"You know which looks I'm referring too. Her 'pity me, I'm your sweet innocent little girl' looks." my mom answered him.

"Not this time. What she did to that poor girl showed me she's no innocent. I'm going to show her all the kindness she showed that other girl."

My temper started to rise. It took a great effort not to run down there and give them a piece of my mind. With thoughts like that, they certainly needed more brains.

"So, have you got it all?"

"Got it all taken care of, you mean. Yep. I got a card and a cake. You said you'd get the twenty for her present."

"It's sitting on my dresser."

"That's it then. That's all we need worry about."

"True. What do you plan to tell her if she whines about how little she's getting?"

"I'm going to tell her the truth. We gave the rest of the money that we would have spent on her to Tiffany in her name as a gesture of apology."

They did fucking what????

It took more than I thought I had to resist going down there and screaming how stupid they were at them. Somehow I managed it. How could they think that I would apologize? What made them think that I would let that mistake go uncorrected? Tiffany deserved everything I did to her and worse.

I turned and went back to my room. I had some thinking to do.

Maybe some packing.

Chapter 238

An aide

4:14 am, November 5th, 2006

9:14 pm, November 5th, 2006 (local time)

General Brock looked over the room again. Then he sighed as he said the words that told the others he was ready to listen to their treason. "Repeat that, please."

The Air Force representative complied. "The President, our Commander in Chief by law alone, has already attempted a nuclear strike on Camp Carter in the Middle East."

Brock thought that was what he heard. He could not help but give voice to his thoughts. "You have to be kidding me. You've already told me that you don't like our President. But he's a Christian and a true American. He would not fire on our own troops."

"He's not my President." the Marine snapped. "At least I pray he won't be much longer."

Brock snorted. "It's ironic for you to pray to God for the removal of the God Given President. Why would God get rid of his agent on earth?"

"I suppose you support Colt too." the Marine General growled.

"That's General Colt to you."

"Not to me. Not after the law got through with him."

"Hold it right there. We'll come back to that. I'm telling you frankly that the only way that I'll consider listening any longer is that you prove that nuclear accusation."

The Army representative bristled for a moment. Then he forced himself to calm down. "Is not our honor as members of the United States armed forces enough?"

"Don't make me laugh. You're plotting treason against the best President our nation has ever had. If you want me to even think about believing your evidence, you had better get around to sharing that evidence."

"You win."

"I thought so. You are all a bunch of traitors who are doomed to failure. Those terrorists will be killed by forces loyal to the President. Then we'll..."

The Army General cut across the tirade. "No. By 'you win', I mean we are going to shatter your ignorance. Just you wait."

"Gladly."

Meanwhile the Naval person present was already on the phone. As the other two were finishing up their argument, he was finishing up his call. He turned to the others in the room. "General Hambright is standing by. He has a recording of the attempted nuclear strike."

The Army General moved so General Brock had a very clear view of the screen.

The Naval person nodded. "Go ahead, please." he said into the phone.

The screen lit up.

Punching the flashing button, General Hambright picked up the phone. "Yes, Mr. President?"

"This is your Commander in Chief speaking."

"Yes, Mr. President."

"By the authority of Almighty God and all Right Thinking Voters of the United States, I'm authorizing a nuclear strike on Camp Carter in that so called country of Palestine."

"Sir?"

"You heard me."

"I hoped, Mr. President, that I had heard wrong. Palestine is a sovereign country. The world won't stand by and let you order nuclear strikes on independent countries. Also, Mr. President, there is the political fallout within our own country if we attack an American base. They will not approve of us attacking our own people."

"Our own people, you say? You can't be one of them, you can't be an American if you disagree with me!" the President snapped back at him. "Palestine is not a country and I'll bomb it to hell and answer to God with a glad heart. As for the other part, it's not in American hands, it was attacked by a traitorous force bent on defying General Colt and his Presidential Orders. Now will you carry out my orders before I am forced to replace you with somebody capable of doing their job for God and country?"

General Hambright's disgust was obvious on his face. He next spoke with contemptuous sarcasm. "You mean replace me with somebody willing to obey orders without question? Somebody who wouldn't care if the order was illegal or stupid? Well, Mr. President, I will not. You know, Mr. President, you are such an intelligent person that I think the rumors about your impending impeachment are wrong. They won't get rid of you that way. They won't have to. I think it's my duty to have the Surgeon General check you out. You are behaving as if you have some serious mental imbalances. Congress and God willing, you'll be out of office within the month."

The President snapped back "God's on my side. Congress is immaterial. Nobody and no stupid principle will stop me."

The screen went blank.

Brock slid into a seat. "Great. Just great." he paused. "That was a start. It seems a lot hinges on General Colt. Yes, I am still calling him General. He was pardoned and reinstated by the President. Legally, he is a General. How did General Colt get caught up in all this?"

"We have quite a lot of information on that." the Air Force representative informed him.

"Let me." the Marine said. "It's only right given that it was a Marine that started it all."

"Started it all?"

"Indeed. We've done a lot of investigating since this all started." He sat down.

So did the others.

"Well?"

"This mess started the same way a lot of messes do. From somebody doing a favor. It all started last Sunday. Colt showed up at the Stone's farm without warning. He started ordering Jacob around as if he was a raw recruit. Stone refused. Colt ordered him to take him and his aide to Palestine."

"You mean Occupied Israel, don't you?"

"No I don't. That area is by treaty and law, the liberated state of Palestine."

"We'll see what God has to say about that. What happened next?"

"Stone scoffed and practically threw him out. At that moment Jacob's father called him. Major Daniel Stone convinced him to give Colt and his aide a lift. Jacob agreed. Later that night they started for Palestine. Midway through the flight, Colt took over the flight. He attempted to kidnap Jacob Stone and steal the ship. Due to an unexpected stowaway, this piracy was prevented."

Brock looked at the speaker for a few minutes. "Okay. You have me curious. Answer two questions if you can. Why did the President get involved in a piracy case? And also what happened that drove both sides so far?"

"Because both Colt and the President are working for the Association For An Almighty America. Colt was the agent chosen to gain control of the ship for this organization. When Colt was captured, he was turned over to the Marines at Camp Carter. Colt was prosecuted under the United States Military Code of Justice. He was unrepentant right up to the end. At the time, we thought we were through with him. We did not know then how high the Association's influence went."

There was a long pause.

"What are you waiting for? I'm not a member of the Association. I only heard about it on the news a few days ago just like everybody else."

"We know. We checked very carefully."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because you are a test case. We need to know how those who have not chosen one side or the other will react to everything. To be honest, we need to know the likelihood that we can convince our brothers in arms not to fight the Association's war."

"It all depends on your explanation. Remember all I know is what I've been told previously. Admittedly that has been all pro President."

"Understandable. I believe we left off just before Colt was pardoned. Well, not only did the President pardon Colt, he put him in command of Camp Carter. That was just the move Colt needed. He threw Jacob and his family into the base stockade. He ordered the torture of the Stones and also tricked the stowaway into letting him aboard the Hades. Colt put a picked crew aboard, renamed it the Montezuma's Revenge, and then sent it off."

"Let me get the timing of this straight. This arrest and abuse of Jacob happened before the attack on the base?"