JASON STEED Absolutely Nothing (11 page)

Chapter Twelve

The next six hours seemed like a bad dream. Jason was interviewed along with Cowboy, Tex, and Yankee. He knew he would be in trouble for fighting but never expected it to be as bad as it was. The list of injuries to the other cadets was long, but worse still were the injuries on the MPs. He was told that if he had been an adult serving in the armed forces he would be facing court martial and a prison sentence of three to five years. Because he was a cadet, he was still classified as a civilian and being only twelve they were uncertain what to do. It was very embarrassing for the MP’s. They were trained to break up fights between US Marines, a cadet injured all these.

The games organizers met and discussed the situation. After four hours debate they finally announced their decision.

The entire Quentin Roosevelt Military Academy was banned from the 1975 games. The entire staff, all competitors, and Quentin Roosevelt supporters were to leave Pendleton within twenty-four hours. It would be the first time in over sixty years that the Quentin Roosevelt Military Academy would not be competing. Many of the cadets took the news badly. Generations of family members had attended the games, and now they had to explain that they had been banned for the year.

A few newspapers picked up on the story. The headline read
Quentin Roosevelt Military Academy Banned From Games
. The stories went on to say that it was due to a fight that broke out over racial comments. The whole story read like it was Jason’s, Cowboy's, Tex’s, and Yankee's fault. The bad news wasn't over yet eight. Everyone at the academy gave the four boys bad looks. Jason was to report to the commander on his return.

Jason marched into the commander’s office. He saluted and removed his hat and took in his surroundings. The commander was sat behind a large rosewood desk. Behind him were a couple of big flags. There was the Stars and Stripes with a gold fringe and what he guessed was the South Dakota state flag.

Commander Gates studied the boy. He looked at Corporal Jones and pointed at Jason with his pipe. “This little thing is the boy who did all this?” He looked down at the mound of paperwork full of reports and complaints.

Corporal Jones swallowed. “Yes, sir. This is Private Steed.”

“Private Steed, we have contacted the admiralty in England. They are just as disappointed in you as we are. Have you any idea how embarrassing this is for us? Did you see what you did, the amount of people you injured and put in hospital? Good god, boy, we're supposed to be on the same side. This has not helped Anglo-American relations like it was supposed to do. It’s a damn shame I can’t do more than just expel you and send you home. If I had my way—”

Jason interrupted him. “Expel me sir?” Jason was horrified. He finally found a school he loved and was to be expelled and sent home.

“Well, you can hardly stay on here, now can you?”

“What would you have done in my situation, Sir?” Jason asked, his eyes filled with tears.

Commander Gates looked at Jason and softened slightly. “Well...” He paused and exhaled. “I wouldn’t have put three MPs in hospital.”

“Sir, I couldn’t see. They threw dirt in my eyes. They were calling Yankee racist names and wanted him to wipe spit off this bullies boot. It was Cowboy that stopped that, then he got hit for helping and was about to get kicked. I was just defending Cowboy and myself. Should I have let them kick Cowboy and let Yankee, a Quentin Roosevelt Military Academy cadet no less, wipe spit off another cadets boot just because of his skin color?” Jason stopped himself. He was brimming with emotion. The last thing he wanted to do was cry in front of the commander. He took a deep breath.

“Please sir, what
should
I have done?” he asked again.

“Well ah...” The commander stuttered and placed his pipe in his mouth. “It’s irrelevant now. What’s done is done. Until I decide what to do, you will be confined to your room.” He paused and looked at Corporal Jones. “His roommate can fetch his dinner. For now, he leaves him room just to use the bathroom. That will be all for now gentlemen.”

*

QRMA’s officers and training instructors put their heads together and decided that Jason and his group of friends needed a sharp reminder about the importance of discipline. The reminder would take the form of two-day hike across South Dakota’s countryside, led by the notorious Corporal Armstrong. All QRMA instructors were tough, but Armstrong was the worst because he got a huge kick out of making students suffer.

All four boys were dropped off the back of a truck just before dawn and Armstrong gleefully announced that they each had to carry a twenty-five pound weight, on top of the tent, utensils, drinking water, and clothing already crammed inside their backpacks.

Despite all four boys being fit, they found the punishment hell. Armstrong, who drove in a Jeep, kept reminding them that a student could quit at anytime. They knew if they wanted to graduate they had to get through it. A ruthless instructor who didn't care if you’re crying, injured, or sick pushed your body and brain to breaking point. All he cared about was toughening up the students so they could cope with all the bad stuff that might happen in the military. When it was punishment they made it extra hard.

The two-day course chosen would normally be tackled in three days. To do it in two they had to forgo sleep one of the nights. They arrived back at the academy two days later exhausted with blister-covered feet and hungry.

“Took you four men long enough to get back here. Jason, you're still confined to your room,” Armstrong ordered. The boys were tired, but being called men by Armstrong lifted their spirits. Jason stood in the shower, trying to refresh and refocus. It took a minute for the water to heat up, but as soon as it did, Jason wished he never had to leave. By the time Tex and the others had eaten and brought food back, he was in his bunk asleep.

For two more days Jason stayed in his room. He ventured out into the corridor only to use the bathroom or shower. He did go to the end of the corridor to use the phone to call Scott but never went through with the call. He didn’t think he could bring himself to say the actual words he was getting expelled from the academy. Just thinking about it and the shame it would bring to his father put him off the idea.

He was working out in the bedroom, push-ups, karate forms, and sit-ups when someone knocked at the door.

“Come in, it’s not locked.” Jason panted. He was doing stretching exercises, his right leg was held straight up, with his knee almost touching his face. Jason looked as the door opened. A slim man with dark hair stepped in. Jason recognized him.
The weirdo from the dinner,
Jason said to himself he immediately lowered his leg and faced the man.

“I like girls,” Jason said, although as soon as he’d said it he thought how stupid he must have sounded. The man looked at him and smiled.

“Good. But why is that relevant now?” The man grinned. Jason studied him, He was about thirty. He looked fit, with dark hair and large brown watchful eyes. Maybe even good-looking Jason thought.

“Cause you’re a Willy watcher?” Jason said in way that sounded like a question.

“Ha ha. Whatever gave you that idea Jason?” The man laughed.

“You were watching me at the diner. Then when I went to use the bathroom you got up and followed. I never went in and waited. When I tried again you went in again. What were you hoping to see?”

“Oh, I see and you think that I wanted to...” He paused. “No, that was the furthest thing on my mind. If I made you feel uncomfortable, I’m sorry.”

“You come any closer and I’ll make you sorry,” Jason said still not trusting the stranger.

“So you're the famous Jason Steed. Born March 24, 1963 in Hong Kong. Your mother was a Scottish champion athlete and an Olympic bronze medal winner. Your father is English and serves in the Royal Navy. An IRA bomb killed his parents just over a year before you were born. You’re a third Dan black belt in Taekwondo, and you hold black belts in Judo and other forms, plus you’ve also studied Jiu Jitsu. You are the youngest person to receive the Queen's Award for Bravery and the Victoria Cross. And probably the youngest in Europe to hold a pilot's license. You have worked with various intelligence agencies on missions.” He smiled at Jason and continued. “Plus, you are very close friends to the Queen's youngest daughter, Princess Catherine, and you have a vicious temper that you can’t control. Shall I go on?”

“If you know so much about me, when did I last take a pee?” Jason asked.

The man laughed and extended his hand to Jason, who reluctantly shook it. “You’re much smaller than I expected, Jason, but I guess you are only twelve. Let me introduce myself. I’m Max Fisher I work for D.O.D.”

“D.O.D., what’s that? Dumbasses On Drugs? What do you want?” Jason asked.

Max grinned at Jason’s remark.

“That’s a good one Jason, but it actually stands for Department of Defense.”

“So, why do you know so much about me? I told the general I was defending Cowboy and I didn’t know it was the MPs I was hitting. They threw dirt in my eyes. I don’t want to get expelled. You don’t know what it’s like not having a mum, a real family. My father is always away at sea. I love it here at the academy. Why does the dodos have to get involved? I really want to stay here.”

“It’s D.O.D., Jason, and this has nothing to do with the brawl you got into at Camp Pendleton, although that has caused enough problems. Didn’t they tell you in Britain you would be contacted over here?”

“Yes but I thought by a...” Jason paused. “Em, No.” Jason was unsure what to say. He assumed he would be making contact with British intelligence. He scratched his head and sat on his bunk.

“You make a terrible liar, Jason. Don’t worry, my department works with the Brits and oversees most organizations here in the states, including the CIA. Jason, you are working for us. That’s why you’re here.”

“No, I’m here to go to school and just keep an ear to the ground,” Jason protested.

“And what would your father have said if we had asked if you could come in to the academy undercover?” Max asked. He sat next to Jason on the bunk.

“You’re the smart one, you already know my dad would have said no.”

“Exactly. So we came up with this, and it had the added benefit of bringing you to the world's top military academy where you could be among people more like yourself. Although you may have blown that with your fight at Pendleton, unless we can smooth it over.”

Chapter Thirteen

Max Fisher spoke to Jason for almost three hours briefing him on the mission. He told him he had originally wanted to make contact at the diner and arrange a meeting, but Jason’s paranoia spoilt that plan.

The United States government was working with a private company called Lockheed. They were building a new type of aircraft that could avoid enemy radar by a secret system called Echo 1. The aircraft would be built with flat panels that would be invisible to radar. The plane had the nickname of Stealth; the D.O.D was concerned that the details would get into the hands of the Russians or Chinese. They suspected a double agent was working and using the academy as cover.

Max would be working at the academy under cover as a new instructor teaching older students geography. The previous teacher became suddenly ill and left. They still needed Jason’s help as Max would be suspected, as he was new. Max would let Jason do the snooping around and work with him on any information they could gather to find the suspected mole.

Jason agreed to help if it meant he could stay at the academy, although Max told him that was not going to be easy. They needed to find a suitable punishment that would keep everyone happy and not raise suspicions.

The General smoothed things over with Fort Worth Military Academy. They agreed to let him deal with Jason Steed and concurred that Carver had started the trouble Jason and his friends had just been defending themselves. Camp Pendleton was a different matter; the wounded MP’s were embarrassed by the incident and exaggerated what Jason had done. Eventually they agreed to drop the matter as long as Jason Steed never returned to the games another year. He was banned for life.

Jason was allowed to return to his classes and confinement to his room was lifted. The dirty looks he was given by many of the students stopped after hearing what he had done to help Yankee and Cowboy.

Max Fisher kept his distance from Jason while he was in public, but would turn up at various locations to speak to Jason alone. In the library he spoke to Jason between the bookshelves. He crept into Jason and Tex’s room one night to talk to him while both boys were sleeping. He woke Jason up and suggested they talk in the restroom.