Gray Panthers: Battle for Earth (9 page)

“You have a deal,” the senior of the two finally said.  Dan twirled his right wrist in the air and one of the men came in and escorted the older man out to his bike, where a huge backpack waited, filled with meat.  As he strapped on the backpack, he noticed his rifle was in the scabbard on the cycle.  He looked at the guard, who just shook his head, letting him know not to try.

Dan took George to a VIP apartment and told him to make himself at home and that he would be released in the morning if Butch Bad did not show up.  “Son, I have no intention of helping those DHS bastards in any way, shape or form.  Enjoy the amenities and do not hesitate to ask if there is anything you need, or want,” Dan finished as he showed him the fridge and freezer full of food.  The young man just looked at it and at Dan without saying a word.  His face lost its sullenness.

Dan was notified less than an hour later that Butch Bad was on the road heading for the town.  Dan sent Abdul out for him so he could size him up before Dan spoke with him.  Waiting in the cavern for Bad, Dan was once again wearing his jeans and loud Hawaiian shirt with cowboy boots.  It still amazed Dan at how the cavern was brighter than day, with the alien technology not even visible.  Abdul brought Butch to Dan as he was reaching into the chest in the back of a pickup truck pulling out two long necks.  Handing one to Abdul and one to Butch, he grabbed another for himself, as he looked over Butch.  Barely less than seven feet tall, Dan remembered their last meeting.  Butch looked at the figure before him and tried but could not remember where he had seen him.  “How’s Jimmy’s arm? Is it healing OK?” Dan started, as recognition, then suspicion filled Bad’s face.  “He’s almost recovered; I haven’t let him out of the camp for his act of stupidity.  Never jump into anything without checking it out first, know the odds.” 

“You seem to have taken a leap of faith yourself coming here. Did you have the odds figured out already?” Dan asked.

“I had to try something; my people rely on me. Thank you for the food, by the way.  Where is George?" Butch replied.

“That is commendable commander, loyalty is very important.  George is in one of our guest apartments, if you want to visit him later.  For now, I have a job offer for you.  We purchased the USS Enterprise, and would like you to be her commander.  At the moment she is in dry docks getting a rebuild from the hull up.  We will be launching it soon to go to the moon.  Once there we are setting up a base.  This is a 100 percent private endeavor with no government interference.  The start of your compensation will be the long-term use of this cavern for your people to move their homes here, and a promise of jobs for all of them as well.  I will also use our attorneys to clear the records of anyone that needs it.”  Dan walked over to Butch, looked him in the eye and continued.  “I am not crazy. You see what I have built here in the desert, and I have not yet hit my stride. I need you commander Bad.  Grub, display the Enterprise as she is now.”  A ten foot long Enterprise seemed to float in the air in front of them as it appeared from the dry dock.  The new modifications were apparent to the retired commander immediately.  “Grub, show the list of modifications, both completed and planned,” Dan ordered as Butch looked over the list while comparing it to the view of the ship.  Dan instructed Grub to show the projection for where the Enterprise would land on the moon and setup operations.

“So you plan to go to the moon, Mr. Daniels?" Butch asked.  “You know there are numerous treaties and government organizations that will take you a hundred years to get through before they allow you to even submit a request to go to the moon.”

“I will have the Enterprise on the moon in less than a year, and you are going to command the mission, commander.  You will have nearly full autonomy and a blank check,” Dan replied.

“I have to decline. I am not a young man, and I am aware of the physical requirements not only of space but as a commander,” Butch replied. 

“Is that your only excuse commander?  If so, you may remember what the effective range of an excuse is,” Dan said laughingly.  “Grub, show the commander some footage of our deputies training.”  Butch watched for five minutes. Men in their 60s to 90s running an obstacle course, the clock under the view showing they were making excellent time.  The display disappeared as Dan repeated, “Any other excuses commander?”

Slightly choking on his words, Butch held out his hand to shake hands as his eyes once again watered, “You have a deal Mr. Daniels.  I will pick up George and start bringing my people in, in the morning.”

Dan countered, “How about George goes back to tell them to get ready and we can get you ready.  You can just take George’s apartment for tonight.  We need to go over a few more things anyway, and his dad is probably getting nervous.  We can send him back with a radio so you can give them any instructions you want. 

Abdul left to coordinate everything.  The two men just sat on the tailgate and sipped their beers as Butch admitted he had always wanted to be an astronaut. He had planned to go to the navy as a way to become one, until he was retired after failing to take an obedience oath after the purge following the suspension of the constitution in 2096.  Abdul returned with George, who now was wearing new clean clothes and was clean-shaven.  Butch gave him a quick brief and the radio, saying he would call the group at 7:00A.M.  “Have the group ready to move by no later than noon.” George looked at him and whispered, “Four?”

Butch whispered back, “Eight, now get going George, patting the man on the back.

“Duress code?” Abdul asked Butch. 

“Always have a plan,” Butch replied as Abdul turned to leave with George. 

Dan pulled another long neck and popped the top.  Handing it to Butch, he also handed him a short vial; then took his own beer and made the simple toast, “Dreams to be realized.” 

Gray Panther Head Quarters, Arizona

6 December 2126

Butch woke in the bed, still in his clothes but having his boots removed.  Everything felt off as he pushed the covers off trying to remember how he got there.  Turning on the light to the bathroom, he decided not to pass up on an opportunity for a hot shower.  As the water began to run down his face, he started to soap himself up.  Soap from his head managed to find its way into both eyes, burning.  Butch almost fell getting out of the shower heading for the mirror.  There before him in the mirror, was his old self, replete with two eyes and the body of a young man attached to his head.  The tears flowed uncontrollably as he checked himself out.

A knocking on the apartment door, made him leave the bathroom.  Wrapping himself in a towel, he opened the door to find Dan with a large bag.  “Please come in Mr. Daniels.”  Butch invited as Dan followed, dropping the contents of the bag on the table, assorted breakfast sandwiches, donuts, and juices.  “I remember when I woke up I was starved
,
” Dan said as he grabbed a donut. “You get used to it fast, but there is something about the hormones. You will find yourself trying to act like a teenager if you are not careful.  Is everything working out for you?  You look better with a pair of eyes. Now you can get rid of your pirate eye patch.  Oh, and stop calling me Mr. Daniels, I’m Dan.”

“Thank you Dan. I feel I have a new life ahead of me, like I have been given a mulligan.”

The caravan heading to the town was a cross between the circus and a bad post-holocaust movie.  Abdul took the lead and had the caravan escorted to the cavern, where they quickly setup with a precision that rivaled any circus or military unit.  Abdul felt a headache starting as he figured the security he’d need to make sure nothing started to come up missing. He saw a pickup with a small camper move away from the rest and head for the entrance to the cavern, stopping just inside.  A man and woman popped out and immediately setup two saw horses blocking the entrance, as they went back inside.  The man again came out and began walking toward the center of the cavern, leaving a trail of wire from the camper.  Looking back at the door to the camper Abdul could see an old style field phone, and a light machine gun that he could not identify.  The pain in his head started really began to pound as he headed toward the cavern to set some rules with Butch.  As he neared the sawhorses, the woman at the field phone waved him through.  Tracking down Butch, but put his mind at ease as he said the guard shack was to keep people in, not out.  Some of the folks he admitted would need time to acclimatize to being back in civilization.

Gray Panther Head Quarters, Arizona

26 March 2127

Dan, Black Jack, Siggy, and Abdul sat around the table as they tried to decide how to proceed in a more harmonious manner.  Too many small problems kept popping up that they figured they did not need to stop and try to fix.  Siggy was the one who came up with the best idea.  They would have the folks elect a mayor who would take care of all the town’s problems.  Siggy would find a crony to be the CEO of the factories, in name only.  That crony would fix all external problems, bean counters, infrastructure, paying the taxes, and other bribes.  Abdul would be able to dedicate his time to actual production and resources.  General Black would be able to devote his entire time to training and outfitting the Gray Panthers as they continued to grow into an army.  Dan was free to try and coordinate everything together. 

The selection of Mayor was treated as a joke. The troops and their families selected James Bell.  James had the distinction of serving 30 years in the army, never rising above the rank of E-6 for longer than six months.  His free spirit and lackadaisical bearing turned out to be opposite the true character of the man.  The first thing he did was form a council and hit all the things that were annoying the men and their families.  James built a couple restaurants, a movie theater, a huge gym complex, and assorted small stores, providing jobs for the dependents and something to do off duty. 

Siggys crony, William Scotch, initially tried to flex his muscle as the CEO, trying to get more perks and hiring his own cronies to pad the payroll.  After a trip out in the desert with Abdul, there were no other misunderstandings and his handling of the company was noteworthy.  With Abdul bringing him parts that could easily be outsourced or assembled in a traditional factory, production went up. They even listed the company on the stock exchange, though Dan held 70 percent of all stocks.  The decision to mass produce the shuttle was initially a nightmare until it was decided to only inform the public that the vehicle would go to 15 feet.  Allowing the shuttles to be assembled throughout the rust belt in addition to Arizona guaranteed the smooth ride through all the various bureaucracies since it created additional jobs.  The fact that it was safer than any car or truck and did not need good roads overcame the fact that they looked like shipping containers.  The additional fact that the computer could do the entire driving, if desired
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was the final selling point.  Initially political and union thugs that tried to get concessions were amazed when they found recordings for a solid three days waiting for them. Many hours of which were both embarrassing and suitable evidence to put them away.  Letting them know the origin of the recording with the simple message “Don’t mess with us” was enough.  The newly opened factories followed a simple principle; they opened with a sense of teamwork with all participants. Good pay and outstanding benefits, sealed the deal.  The workers actually voted not to unionize since they saw they had better pay and benefits than other unionized companies did.  The government coordinators realized it would be smart to just accept things the way they were as they had seen the political cronies leave the factory alone and even the unions had backed away from messing with the operation. 

Gray Panther Head Quarters, Arizona

1 April 2127

Dan could not help but smile when the test pilot came walking down the hall toward him.  The man's face was pure red to his ears.  He was five feet of furious when he finally got to Dan.  "That shuttle is a piece of garbage.  It's idiotic that I have to fight with the shuttle to get control of it.  Too many things are automated to the point I am nothing more than a passenger giving input, not control,” the little pilot wheezed out.

"Other than that, how did the ship perform Mr. Clause?" Dan managed to ask with a straight face.

"It is the strangest ship on earth Mr. Daniels.  I have learned to trust my instincts from the way a plane responds to my control.  I sit in the seat and see the instruments telling me what is going on.  I view the monitors and see I am in a heavy spin, yet I sit there with a cup of coffee on my lap that I cannot spill.  The inertial dampeners and gravity plates remove every last sense of sensation.  Other than that, it's the hottest bitch on earth that performs everything you want and still leaves you with a case of blue-balls!”

"Well thanks for that enlightening report Mr. Clause.  How did you find the personality of the ships computer?" Dan finished.

The test pilot seeing he was done, conceded, "The personality was fine. If I closed my eyes, it could have been any one of two dozen pilots I've flown with before; precise, professional, and even seemed on the verge at times of telling a joke when things were getting stressful.
”

Dan laughed as he dismissed the pilot.  Feeling very tired, he decided it was time for a break.  Comming Abdul he explained he was in dire need of a break and suggested they leave the town, go back his place in Surprise and visit with Brent and chill.
Abdul quickly agreed, wondering how many months it had been since he had seen Marilyn.

Stepping into Brent’s Tavern seemed like it had been forever. It was almost midnight and the place was nearly deserted.  Brent sat in his usual place at the end of the bar, as a new bartender was washing a few glasses behind the bar.  The bartender was a thin dirty blonde, with obvious fake breasts, barely concealed in a leather halter. Brent waved them over and ordered three shots of tequila and three beers.  Looking Dan in the eyes, he simply said, "You did it to me didn't you?

"What are you talking about old friend?" Dan replied unable to hide his smile as Abdul just laughed.

"You know, you did whatever ya did to Abby, to me too,” Brent said seriously.

"I'm sorry Brent; I can undo it if you want,” Dan contritely replied.

"Screw it; I'll just live with it, now that I know I'm not going crazy.  You know you are both in the doghouse.  Maria is going to kill you. How could you hurt that poor girl’s feelings like that? It has been months."

Dan sat amazed. He never thought of Maria as anything more than a hooker that became a friend with benefits.  "Aww Brent, what the hell am I going to do with the girl when her clothes are on? I could be her grandfather. We got nothing in common."  Thinking a moment, Dan commed Grub, "Grub, let me know everything you know about my Maria."

"Sir her real name is Juanita Jorge. She escaped from Brazil during the coup there.  Her entire family was assassinated.  She came to the US five years ago at age 15, went to college and got a degree in business management.  She has filed her taxes showing that she plays the stock market.  No arrests, she also owns a dozen houses in the Phoenix area. No family or friends found."  Grub reported.

Dan made the decision then. Calling Maria, he asked her to meet him at Brent’s Tavern as soon as she got his message. 

Maria entered the bar, wearing a pair of vintage Levis that complimented her legs and a white shirt, covered with a vintage leather bomber jacket.  Her hair was not as tidy as usual and there were a few flakes of paint on her forehead.  She walked over to Dan and kissed him chastely on the cheek.  Dan laughed and reached up and scratched off the paint from her head.  Then hugged her as he led her to a booth as Abdul and Brent just watched.

Dan proceeded to explain he had found a major deposit of gold and had been using it with his friend's assistance to literally build his own town and factories in the desert. It was a great success, but could not help but miss "his" Maria. 

Maria broke down crying and said she had quit her job as an escort and had instead devoted her time to her investments, and rental properties.  She wanted to start over and find a good man.  Dan feigned interest when she mentioned her investments.  When she mentioned her Master’s degree in business, he used that as the opening he was waiting for.  "Could I offer you a job as my executive assistant?  I know a lot of things, but it doesn't translate well to business.  It would help to have someone I trust that can be my second set of eyes.  Would you do this for me?" Dan asked as he looked her in the eyes trying to read her response.

Maria's eyes just got wide, then filled with tears. She hugged Dan with all her might as she said, "Yes, Yes, Yes
,
" burying her head in his chest as she continued to cry happily.

Dan stroked her hair and whispered in her ear, "If you cry this much when I hire you, it's going to be ugly when I fire you."  Taking her head from his chest her makeup was all smeared as she said, "let’s get out of here and celebrate." Pulling Dan behind her, they stopped long enough for Dan to throw his keys to Abdul.  Dan was impressed by her tiny sports car, a cherry red reproduction 1965 Ford Mustang convertible.  The ride to the Surprise Ritz was short and fast.  Walking into the lobby, the woman at the counter immediately made a face as she saw an old man and a woman young enough to be his granddaughter walking hand in hand.  Dan went to the woman and informed her he needed the Presidential Suite, and if someone was in there now to move them out.  The woman could not hold back a laugh after hearing her instructions.  Looking hard at the woman, Dan removed his ID card and informed her he was not only a major holder in the chain, but very tired.  The woman looked at him and decided to leave it for the night manager.  She excused herself and repeated the story, along with the suggestion they throw them out on their asses.  The manager simply made a quick check then paled, as Dan’s name appeared in a special listing of VIPs who were to get full service.  Stuttering he rushed out and welcomed Dan and promptly escorted him to the Arizona Penthouse, the best and most expensive the Ritz had to offer.  Dan promptly thanked him, slipping him a couple C notes. 

Turning to Maria, he quietly said, “You smell like turpentine, and I smell like an old man. Let’s hop in the pool then decide what we want to do from there.”