Chapter 67

For the next few months Hawk and his family felt like a small aspen leaf caught up in a raging thunderstorm. It wasn’t the seriousness of the problems and crises happening in their lives that helped foster those feelings. Instead, it was the sheer volume of the rapidly occurring events around them that placed the three on edge, and it was the sudden and random twists that made them feel overwhelmed.

During the week following the wedding Bill and Maria had located a three building cluster that was ideal for the initial phases of the new company. Without the need for a mortgage the company was able to close and take possession within a few days. The buildings were located adjacent to the Gateway Airport, which placed it only about six miles from Hawk, Maria, and Brenda’s ranch. Besides the commuting time this had the added benefit of limiting the three’s exposure to outside dangers. Its location on the eastern side of Phoenix also increased the job opportunities for the Apache tribe, as it was much closer to the reservation than most of the other business complexes in the area. The interior of the offices had been a pleasant surprise when Bill and Maria were first shown the buildings. The entire building, including the executive offices, came furnished - furnished with the kind of furniture that would impress political and business leaders as well as prospective employees. The only remaining need for the company to become a viable entity in the eyes of the community and the world was to acquire the appropriate business licenses, have the utilities listed in the company name, new phone lines connected, a sign placed near the front door, and a logo attached in a prominent position on the building. The day after the closing on the property these had all been accomplished, and the key people, including a receptionist, were at work there. The middle building of the cluster had a sizable portion already laid out for light manufacturing, but it also had plenty of room for the numerous research projects Hawk had planned. Its position, hidden between the office building and the hangar, definitely made it easier to secure than most of the other potential sites. If an unauthorized person was found in the area he was likely there for mischief or industrial espionage.

Finally, the proximity to the airport, along with having their own hangar, made it significantly easier for those that needed to travel to and from other locations, at least for those not flying commercial. There was one small airline that utilized the airport, but it only operated out of six or seven cities. The hangar was large enough to hold all their existing aircraft, including Dan’s Baron and the King Air they were about to purchase, as well as to house and support any additional aircraft likely to be added in the near future. Coupled with fueling equipment and a ‘parts’ warehouse all that was needed to make their aviation department fully functional was a ground crew and a certified mechanic.

As soon as they had access to the facilities Fred Berkin (Admiral Burke) joined the operation. The timing was such Mark Angry Bear (now Grey Fox) was able to take some time off from school, enabling the two men to develop a solid working relationship built on trust and respect. Within two weeks their friendship and trust had progressed to the point Mark suggested to Hawk that Fred would be a much better director of research. It seemed being the assistant director and the leading research technician for his area suited young Mark just fine. It wasn’t long after that meeting Hawk’s vision of an operation doing pure research became a reality. Their research was so successful, and the team so motivated, that ideas for new products were being generated within the facility’s first months of operation.

Something else also swiftly came together because of Mark and Fred’s developing friendship. Kimmie and Mark met when she visited the facility to have lunch with her father, and the young people were introduced. It almost seemed like the two had been hit by lightning. Within a week the pair were discussing marriage and looking for a house. This really made Hawk happy, as he knew Mark was getting a wonderful partner in contrast to the bitch the young and naïve John Grayson had married in a similar vulnerable stage in his life. Fred was a little apprehensive at first, considering the short time the two had known each other, as well as their ages. Hawk’s assurance had helped, but it was seeing the loving and respectful way Mark treated his daughter in their everyday life that eventually won Fred’s enthusiastic support.

As for the two men involved in facilitating the Admiral’s ‘demise, ‘ both had joined the company. Tom Hargrove joined Bill as a company pilot, and Max ‘Mad Max’ Madison became head of security for the company. He also became one of the ‘Apache Warriors, ‘ accepting the position of being Mike Running Deer’s second in command.

Tom was divorced with two children, his marriage being a casualty of his Navy career. His ex-wife was living in the Phoenix area, so he called and arranged to see his children. When Janie learned he was out of the Navy and working in Phoenix she invited him to join the family for an evening meal. Later the same night they both realized they still loved one another. Encouraged by that truth Tom began spending more and more time with Janie and the children. As a result, within six weeks the two adults were making plans to restore the family to its natural status. Of course, the fact she was pregnant again didn’t influence that decision at all. This was the result of the two getting carried away on their second or third evening together. Since Janie hadn’t dated anyone after their divorce she hadn’t thought about protection. Neither had Tom, as Janie had been on the pill, it was something he’d never had to worry about during their marriage.

In Phoenix, Brenda’s pregnancy had been confirmed. If this wasn’t enough excitement, during a follow-up exam for Maria her flamboyant doctor stated her healing was much further along than he expected. As a result he said there was no reason for her not to try to get pregnant. Thus, Maria was working Hawk overtime in her quest to join her sister-wife in carrying Hawk’s child. There seemed to be many days when Hawk came into the office looking like he had been ‘rode hard and put up wet.’

Dan Cashman and his wife moved back to Phoenix when he assumed the duties of Chief Financial Officer for NIDE (National Industrial Development Enterprises). He excelled in this role and had quickly acquired several companies that fit into their long-term plans. They also formed a joint venture with a major battery company based in Atlanta. The primary goal of this joint venture was the purchase of a Brazilian battery manufacturer, but had also included a sizable investment in their partner’s company. This would provide the cash needed to complete the company’s Chapter 11 reorganization. Also, the partner agreed to use its existing brand name and distribution channels to market any battery products developed by NIDE.

Dan also purchased the aviation company discussed in the planning meeting following the wedding. Mustang Aviation manufactured seventy percent scale kits of the North American P-51 Mustang of World War II fame, as well as other legendary aircraft such as the British Spitfire, the Japanese Zero, and the F4 Corsair. At the same time, at Hawk’s direction, Dan purchased the blueprints, name and production rights of all earlier models of the Piper aircraft. There was a lot of speculation concerning the purchase, but he always responded the names for most of the aircraft models’ were Indian related. To most, this made about as much sense as his reason for purchasing the company that made the Mustang kits, which was, “Well, I always wanted to fly one of those hot birds.”

Hawk wasn’t idle either, he found, through an old friend, that Dell’s biggest competitor wasn’t satisfied with the return they were getting on the home and small business PC market. After some intense negotiations the company agreed to spin this section of the business off into a new company with NIDE acquiring majority ownership. A major provision of the acquisition was an agreement to share future technology. The new company wasn’t restricted from the server and corporate market, but it had to share access to new technology that affected those markets.

Though over those months there were a lot of positive things happening the aspen leaf of their lives continued to be caught in the swirling storm. Hawk, Maria, and Brenda felt their lives were totally out of control, and no one knew how to change things. Things reached a peak when Hawk snapped at Brenda over some minor event.

Everything was soon smoothed over, but a few hours later Jason’s grandfather, Eagle Eye, showed up at the ranch. When he informed Hawk it was time for their first session Hawk tried every excuse he could to postpone the distraction, as there were just too many loose ends and pressing problems that needed to be dealt with. The old man just listened to all Hawk had to say and then shook his head, saying, “‘Tis only a ‘tempest in a teapot.’ These insurmountable problems will either take care of themselves, or they’ll still be here when we return. The difference is you’ll be more mentally able to deal with them at that time.”

Unable to sway the old man’s determined attitude, and encouraged by Maria and Brenda, who felt their own need for some time for refreshment, Hawk finally relented. Within an hour the teacher and the student were in Hawk’s pickup headed deep into the White Mountains; neither man said very much along the way.

About five miles past the turnoff to Jason’s cabin Eagle Eye said, “Hawk, you need to slow down at this point. Just as you start around this next curve you need to turn onto the timber access road to the right.” Hawk did as the old man suggested and was immediately glad he had. The road began a series of ‘S’ turns, with the first one being to the left and down a fairly steep slope. Since the driver’s eyes would automatically follow the inside of such a turn Hawk would’ve never even noticed the overgrown logging road that was his destination. After driving another ten miles Eagle Eye pointed to a wide turnaround area ahead, and said, “We’ll begin our journey here. You should pull over behind that stand of Aspens and Willows, so if anyone does follow us, or happens along the road, they’ll not easily spot your vehicle.”

Hawk did as the old man suggested. Once the truck was out of sight they locked up and started a simple hike along an old game trail through the woods. As they moved Eagle Eye showed the young pupil how to walk silently, even among dry leaves. He added to that the ability to move through the trees and brush, leaving no sign of his passage, and how to minimize the amount of movement others would notice. As the journey lengthened the old man taught Hawk how to read the trail, learning the ‘who, what and when’ of the various creatures that had traveled before them. Later, as the shadows of the sun grew longer, the teacher pointed out various plants and their value. This included which ones were edible, and which were not. Finally, as the last rays of the sun outlined the three peaks to the west and Hawk had reached the extent of his endurance, the two men came into a clearing beside a small, but swiftly moving stream. There were two wickiups with a fire ring near the entrance to one of them. There were some subtle differences between the half grapefruit shaped dwellings, but Hawk couldn’t identify them.

Realizing they’d reached their goal for the day about all the exhausted Hawk could do was slide down the trunk of a tree and sit, using the tree as a back rest. Feeling respect and compassion for the young man Eagle Eye pulled a bag from his pack and poured some of the contents into Hawk’s hands. Hawk in his exhaustion just stared at the pieces of dried fruit and nuts. “You need to eat some of that to help your body refresh. I’ll cook something more substantial shortly.”

Hawk slowly ate the mixture while watching the old man retrieve a plastic water bottle from the stream. Moments later he handed the bottle to Hawk, along with several pieces of jerky. Then, as the food and drink began to revive the young man’s body Eagle Eye produced some wood in various sized pieces and arranged them in the middle of the fire ring. You can’t imagine Hawk’s surprise when the old man used a lighter to actually start the carefully prepared campfire. As the fire began to burn warm and bright before Hawk the old man entered one of the dwellings and moments later returned with a folding grill, some nested pots, and some packs of what appeared to be freeze-dried camping food. Feeling much better Hawk teased, “Now you can’t tell me all of this is part of the Apache heritage. That was good trail-mix by the way.”

“The trail mix and jerky are from Wal-Mart, and the food I’m preparing is from REM. Personally, I think knowing how to survive by the old ways is important, but this isn’t a survival training camp. By the way, I was surprised how quickly you were able to acquire and utilize the skills I taught you this afternoon.”

“This is a different environment, with different flora and fauna, but many of the basics I learned in the Boy Scouts. Of course, I’d forgotten much of it, but the lessons came back quickly.”

“I was not aware they taught such things in the Boy Scouts.”

“My Scoutmaster was a Choctaw from the southwestern corner of Alabama. Actually, I think he was a mixture of Choctaw and Cajun. Anyway, he taught those of us who were interested much of how the Indians lived in the wild.”

“It’s interesting you’ve this in your background, and I think your assessment is appropriate. It means I have to sharpen some of your skills, while starting at the basics with others. Besides, I have to remember I’m teaching the skills to one who’ll teach these things to future generations, not prepare a warrior like my grandson. This will be complicated by the fact I’ve so much I’d like to impart, as you’ll be my final student.”

“I’m honored that he who has the eye of the eagle and the task to watch over these mountains would choose me for such a role. The problem I see is I’m not a young teen who can take months or years to sit at your feet by the campfire and to walk with you over all the ridges and through all the valleys of these mountains. I’m also concerned I’ll be a leaky sieve instead of a secure vault for all the wisdom and experiences that desperately need to be retained for future generations.”

“Your wisdom and insight is great for one so young. You realize your limitations as well as the importance of the task before you. You also sound like you have a solution.”

“Now that we’re discussing it, I do. I think we should video tape as much of this as possible, with you dictating additional information to someone who can take your words and put them in a written form for future generations.”

“This has promise, but I can see problems.”

“Such as?” asked Hawk.

“Some of these things are only for the tribal Diiyan Also, the time and expense would be great.”

“Then the sessions concerning the Diiyan will be taped only by me, Jason, or just by yourself.”

“I can tape myself?”

“Easily. We can even set it up so you can watch yourself on a monitor while you talk. What’s the real beauty of the idea is you can review what’s been taped and the video can be edited, deleted, or appended. There’s even software that can take your spoken words and turn them into text. There’s some time involved to train the software to understand you, but the end result is surprisingly accurate.”

“Hawk, this sounds like a very good idea. I could even produce a tape of Apache legends and lore, as well as a dictionary, assuring our culture and heritage will live for generations to come. I must give it some more thought, but I like the idea. Now, what about the money? Won’t this project take millions of dollars?”

“No, Sir. If we can get enough volunteers I doubt it will cost more than a few thousand dollars.”

“Really! Now, I must give these thoughts some very serious consideration, though I find the idea of using modern technology to keep our ancient culture alive rather paradoxical.”

Suddenly the humor of this conversation became too much for Hawk, and he began laughing - laughing with a deep belly laugh that led to tears in his eyes and finally hiccups. “What is so funny?” asked Eagle Eye.

“The seeming absurdity of two Apache men sitting in the wilderness around an open fire positioned in front of a pair of hand crafted wickiups, and yet having the conversation we’ve been having concerning incorporating modern technology, as well as the vocabulary we use so easily. It makes me feel I’ve entered the Twilight Zone, though that concept might not make sense to you.”

“Actually, I saw a couple of the shows a long time ago. One of them has been a source of laughter for years.”

“Really? And which one was that?”

“It was about an old car that prevented the owner from telling a lie. The used car salesman it was destroying ended up selling it to the Russians. It seems they wanted to use it to show the backwardness of American Technology.”

“I don’t remember that one,” responded Hawk, “but I can see the irony in the plot.” At this point the old man brought over a metal plate with sloped sides, a fork, some flat bread, and another bottle of water.

As he handed the items to Hawk, he said, “You need to eat this and then go to sleep in the spirit lodge. Hopefully the Great Spirit will give you a vision in your dreams that will reveal keys to the tribe’s future, as well as your future tasks.” Hawk began to eat and was amazed at the taste. For what it was, it was surprisingly good.

Then, as they ate, Eagle began to recite an ancient legend:

In the beginning nothing existed: no earth, no sky, no sun, no moon, only darkness was everywhere. Suddenly from the darkness emerged a thin disc, one side yellow and the other side white, appearing suspended in midair. Within the disc sat a small bearded man, Creator, the One Who Lives Above. As if waking from a long nap, he rubbed his eyes and face with both hands.

When he looked into the endless darkness light appeared above. He looked down and it became a sea of light. To the east he created yellow streaks of dawn. To the west tints of many colors appeared everywhere. There were also clouds of different colors.

Creator wiped his sweating face and rubbed his hands together, thrusting them downward. Behold! A shining cloud upon which sat a little girl. “Stand up and tell me where are you going,” said Creator. But she did not reply. He rubbed his eyes again and offered his right hand to the Girl-Without-Parents.

“Where did you come from?” she asked, grasping his hand.

“From the east where it’s now light,” he replied, stepping upon her cloud.

“Where is the earth?” she asked.

“Where is the sky?” he asked, and sang, “I’m thinking, thinking, thinking what I shall create next.” He sang four times, which was the magic number.

Creator brushed his face with his hands, rubbed them together, then flung them wide open! Before them stood Sun-God. Again Creator rubbed his sweaty brow and from his hands dropped Small-Boy.

All four gods sat in deep thought upon the small cloud. “What shall we make next?” asked Creator. “This cloud is much too small for us to live upon.” Then he created Tarantula, Big Dipper, Wind, Lightning-Maker, and some western clouds in which to house Lightning-Rumbler, which he just finished.

Creator sang, “Let us make earth. I’m thinking of the earth, earth, earth; I’m thinking of the earth,” he sang four times.

All four gods shook hands. In doing so, their sweat mixed together and Creator rubbed his palms, from which fell a small round, brown ball, not much larger than a bean. Creator kicked it, and it expanded. Girl-Without-Parents kicked the ball, and it enlarged more. Sun-God and Small-Boy took turns giving it hard kicks, and each time the ball expanded. Creator told Wind to go inside the ball and to blow it up.

Tarantula spun a black cord and, attaching it to the ball, crawled away fast to the east, pulling on the cord with all his strength. Tarantula repeated with a blue cord to the south, a yellow cord to the west, and a white cord to the north. With mighty pulls in each direction, the brown ball stretched to immeasurable size:- it became the earth!

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Mike Lowe aka The Scot

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