Chapter 6

The next morning Cassie was still thinking about her observation of the gold the night before. She could sense nothing that defined the boundary between the gold and air. She wondered if it was because the air was so less dense than gold that she could not scan what was there.

Cassie had no idea, but she knew that she was going to find out.

Physics and Math were on her class schedule today. They were both very interesting subjects.

As they entered the first classroom of the day and took their seats, like always, one of her companions sat behind her and one on each side. Grace always took the seat behind her. Sgt. Townsend and Cpl. Jerkin alternated their positions on either side of her. She was curious about today's lesson and the lab experiments that would follow.

Hours later she was walking in a daze. Sgt. Townsend was worried; he could tell that she was not herself. It had begun in the lab where they had set up a test in optics. Cassie had warned him that she would need his help doing the lab work. She could not see light so she could not see colors. This made it difficult for her to do anything in an optics lab setting.

She had found out that if she really narrowed her scan she could detect very high frequencies of light. What she had determined was that it was the quantum of light, the actual photons, which she could detect when it was at a high enough frequency that it was actually out of the visible band.

This whole lesson had been on the Photoelectric effect of light. They were emitting light on known frequencies to show how this effected the emission of electrons. The two things which governed the electric effect of light on a 'solar' cell were intensity and frequency. Both would increase the electrical response of a solar cell.

This was one of those things that the proponents of solar energy to help green the world did not understand. The best frequencies for solar cells were ultra-violet and above. Those were also the most likely to cause cancers and were the least likely to hit the surface as the atmosphere filtered them out.

One other effects of the duality of light was that it had mass. As she had narrowed her scan, she became able to 'feel' this mass more and more. It seemed that her scan was like a muscle; the more she used it the better she became at using it.

Later that evening, Cassie sat in the Armory examining the Kevlar materials of the vests and helmets. She once again hit that boundary effect between different materials; but with her practice she now had a firmer grip on her scanning abilities. It appeared that all solid materials arranged themselves into a form of crystals. This, in turn, helped to make them solids. The different elements in the solid could add strength or weaken the material.

Cassie sat back in her seat as Cpl. Jerkin drove them to her Friday morning class. She was having a hard time keeping her mind on school. Just a few more hours and her parents would be here. Though she looked, and at most times acted, like a twenty year old, inside Cassie knew she was only fourteen, or in reality soon would be. She missed being able to go to her Mother anytime she needed and hug her and talk about her problems.

They entered the classroom as a group. Having left a little later than normal, their usual seats were occupied. The only seats not being used were in the rear and few of them were connected. Grace found two adjacent seats where she could sit behind Cassie. Townsend and Jerkins had at least one other student between them and Cassie.

Cassie was wearing a school colored windbreaker but under it her normal split skirt and white blouse. Her holsters and credentials where hidden under the jacket. She opened her briefcase and turned on her recorder.

In a soft voice she said, "Cassie online, Calculus I."

"Roger, HQ Security. Camera activated." They had secretly installed two cameras in each of her classrooms. The cameras transmitted to a repeater that forwarded the images to Security HQ for processing. One of the things this did was to give a read back for anything written on the blackboards. A scanner in the briefcase could be used to do the same for any written material that might be handed out.

Cassie had this class aced. Today was a breeze and she could have skipped it if she needed to, unless the Professor did a pop quiz. Professor Robbins liked to give pop quizzes at two different times, just before major tests and just after introducing something new.

Cassie thought this made sense. One showed you could not wait and cram just before the major test. The second was to find out if you had understood what he had just taught. She had spent the previous night doing pop tests herself. She had finished her textbook and the entire set of tests in the back of it. Cassie had learned that Professor Robbins was a close friend of Professor Howell, her Physics teacher. He loved working a physics problem into his math problems.

She figured that somewhere on the major math test they would have to work out some orbital ballistic problem as that was the area of Physics they were now starting to study. She was working on what she thought would be a good example. The 2011 MD asteroid was going to be passing the earth within the week. She was calculating the orbital path it would take and its trajectory as it left the earth and returned deeper into space.

"Ms. Howards, you seem to have something else on your mind. Could you possibly tell me what the speed of my imaginary spaceship will be?" Cassie did a quick review of the lecture that she had been ignoring. In a low voice she said, "Data." Security HQ starting telling her the data the Professor had written on the board and had spoken.

"Kilometers or miles, Professor?" Cassie asked.

"Oh, give it to me in feet per second."

"With the given acceleration, against the decreasing effect of the earth's gravity, the speed of your spaceship will be 47,236 feet per second when the spaceship has reached approximately 2100 miles from the surface of the earth."

There was a lengthy pause as everybody waited.

"My apology Ms. Howards it looks like what you were engrossed in was the example I had on the board."

He turned back to the board.

"Professor, my apologies to you sir, but I was engaged in trying to work out a possible problem on your test Monday."

He stood looking at her. "What problem would that be Ms. Simpson?"

By this time the whole class of students was paying attention.

"I thought you might ask us to calculate the orbit and trajectory of the MD 2011 asteroid as it leaves the vicinity of earth next week."

"Oh, you thought that it might be a good problem?"

"Well, it's a very practical one, sir."

"Yes, it would, but the calculation would take longer than we would have for the test, so in that way not very practical."

He had been walking toward her as they conversed. Reaching down he took the piece of paper she had been jotting on. Her pens used a very heavy metal ink so she was able to scan her writing. He stood there looking at what she had written. Then he looked at her for a minute.

"Ms. Simpson, where did you get your data?"

"The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, web site, this morning."

He reached inside his coat and from the inner pocket he pulled out a couple of sheets of computer paper. He spent a couple of minutes comparing the two papers. "Ms. Simpson, you are excused from the Monday morning test."

He turned, returning to the front of the class.

"Ms. Cassie what was that about?"

"I am not sure Sergeant Townsend. I don't have time to check on it right now. I need to get a good workout then get to the airport."

Leaving the campus, it was one rush after the other. Her workout brought massive criticism down on her as Sensei Inoue used her like a basketball on a court. When he was through with her, Cassie could barely drag her body into the shower. Exiting the bathroom she found a set of clothing laid out for her on the bed.

She quickly dressed and scanned the back of the lapel where she found the tag with the number 1 written in a heavy metal ink. She had mentioned to June that she could scan the ink and wished a label telling what color her outfits were. The number one was for black and as the numbers increased the colors got lighter.

As Cassie exited her bedroom she met SSgt Schultz in the hallway. The SSgt fell in to her left as they went down the hall. Cassie reached behind her to her mid back and turned her comm unit on.

"Cassie, on line."

"Roger HQ security activate."

"Transport ready!"

"Sergeant Schultz, who's my driver this afternoon?"

"Sergeant Townsend's team, it is still their duty shift. Corporal Jerkin will be driving the new Tahoe Limo. They finally got it fully up to date. Security has verified that it's fully equipped. We are sending two other vehicles as backup and to haul the luggage."

"Quarters?"

"The aides will be given guestrooms in the main house, as will your mother and father. We've got the visiting security quarters up and functioning."

"I think one of those Security persons will out-rank Betty and June. If Clint Wilson is with them, he is most likely going to become the Director of Operations. That is one of the things we will decide with this visit."

"Yes, Ma'am." With that she fell back at least two steps. Cassie's scan showed her that Schultz had flipped a switch on her comm unit.

Faintly, she heard, "Colonel Smyth, Ms. Cassie is expecting Clint Wilson, prospective Director of Operations. We may need to put him in the main house and a better guest room."

Very faintly she made out the response. "Thanks Sergeant for the heads up. I'll get Juanita on it now."

SSgt Schultz reached down and switched her comm unit back to its normal setting.

"Schultz, you've a direct channel to Smyth?"

She had returned to her previous position to the left of Cassie. "Yes Ma'am, I have a very advanced unit. I can connect directly to Colonel Smyth, Colonel O'Keefe, and Captain Gifford and to the shift OD. Plus I am also on the general comm channel."

"See to it that I get a comm unit that is as good if not better. I want one channel that hears everything, along with channels just like yours. Add another channel for just you and me. Also, install repeaters for all channels on all our major vehicles. We sure don't want to lose contact just because we went a mile too far"

"Yes Ma'am." Cassie noted that she pushed a button and talked quietly to herself for a moment."

"Who put out my clothing?"

"Corporal Toni Lambskin, she has been assigned as your personal batwoman. She will take care of your room, clothing and any personal services you need. She has had two tours in Iraq, and received a bronze star and a purple heart. She will see that all your equipment stored in the main house is ready at all times."

Cassie said nothing for minute, thinking about what she had heard. In some ways she did not like it. But then she also understood the principle involved. Most officers in command just did not have the time to waste on taking care of their own personal things.

What had just happened was a perfect example. If she'd had to get her own clothes out and make a decision on what to wear or 'make her own cup of tea' she would have been thirty minutes later then she was now.

They exited the house through the rear entrance and Sgt. Townsend opened the rear door for her and SSgt Schultz. He had changed into one of their formal looking uniforms that looked like a suit. Her scan of him found his comm unit and both a cross-draw holster and a mid-back holster.

On her comm she heard, "This is Coachman one; the Shadow has entered the vehicle."

"Roger that Coachman one, your tail has mounted up and is ready to go."

Cassie looked over at SSgt Schultz and cocked an eyebrow.

She could tell that SSgt Schultz was fighting a grin. "Well if the Secret Service does it for the President, we can do it for you."

"Coachman makes sense, but why Shadow?"

"Well, to us you are like a shadow. We don't really see all there is to you."

"Schultz, did you find out about a dinner out with my parents."

"Yes, Ma'am! He said he would be busy both Saturday and Sunday nights so I stretched my orders. Tonight it is. Russo's has reserved a table for you from 7 until closing time tonight."

"No, that is not stretching your orders, that's initiative. Thanks."

It took about 45 minutes to get to the airport, and then find the Signature Terminal where their private jet would be serviced. Just before they arrived at the front entrance, one of the two trailing Tahoes pulled in front of them.

Cassie spotted Cpl. Perkins moving quickly to get to the Limo just as it stopped. She stood, blocking the door from being opened until Sgt Townsend had exited the front passenger side. He walked around the Limo and approached their door. Once he was there Cpl. Perkins stepped away from the door, taking the opposite side from Sgt. Townsend. When Cassie exited the Limo she was between the two with Cpl. Perkins to the outside and Sgt. Townsend on the inside.

As she stepped toward the entrance way, SSgt. Schultz took a position behind her. Her comm unit stated, "Security HQ, CHH-01 has landed and is taxiing to the unloading area."

"Roger that HQ, our package is in the terminal." She heard SSgt Schultz voice behind her and on her comm unit.

It was just hurry up and wait. While the lobby here was nowhere as busy as a regular airport terminal lobby it was busy. They had attracted some attention with four people, one male and three female, wearing almost identical outfits. Yeah, she could see that might attract some attention. Their clothes looked too well tailored and were made of too high quality a material to be uniforms but the style and cut screamed uniform.