True Heroes (98 page)

              She nodded with her eyes between the two men before moving back to the confused crowd. Her hands moved without her mind’s knowledge through her hair and various food packages, gently handing them with accompanying smiles across the ranks of the bewildered fair-weathers and young ones alike. Massive beats against the gusting wind berated her ears after minutes of organization. ‘Black helicopter parking fifty-yards away. All these guys are rushing away to meet with it.’

              “Hey.”

              She jumped at the voice, but smiled and reset with Caleb’s calming look. ‘He feels tense though.’ “What’s going on?”

              “Stanley called Major Howard, and he apparently sent in the cavalry.”

              “The old guy who talked to you before?”

              “The same.”

              She took a half-step further from him. “And you didn’t tell me about this, again.”

              “He offered to help if needed. There was no reason to think help would be needed, so there was no reason to tell you.”

              “Why bother telling me now then?”

              “Because you should know what’s happening.”

              “Not before, obviously.”

              His body, turned towards her with slumped shoulders, regained the distance between them. “The trail went cold. He seems like he’s everywhere now, and dragging you around is never intended.”

              “You don’t even talk to me the same anymore, Caleb. Is there anything left of you? Is this what being perfect is all about?”

              ‘He swallowed hard.’ “These people are apparently important, and they’ll have all the intel. Be there?”

              “Will you be?”

              “Do you want that?”

              She backed farther away and crossed her arms, feeling a bitter smile spread across her face. “Do what you want.”

              “Can’t,” he said loudly, stopping her backtrack. “Please understand the difference between ‘can’t’ and ‘don’t want to.’”

              He turned quickly and briskly let his legs flow across the ground and through the crowds. ‘He wants me to follow him. I know he does, and I know I want to, but how much further can I?’ Her fists clenched. ‘This is the last time, Caleb.’ She quickly followed his path and into the same tent, catching several people by surprise. ‘He’s sitting, back to me, two older men, that one’s Howard, sitting across a table, looking right at me now. Guards surrounding them all.’ Caleb could be seen pulling out a chair before ever looking back. ‘He knew I’d follow. No, his eyes are happy now. He hoped I would.’

              She slinked into the seat and the two older gentlemen cleared their respective throats. “As we were saying, Mr. Whitmor, this isn’t a task the government takes lightly.”

              “Well, Mr. President—”

              “Of?”

              He turned and smiled at her. “The country.”

              She snapped her head back across the table. ‘That faint smile and the prim grey hairs…wow, it is him. He wore that same suit during his last speech.’ “You like that suit a lot don’t you?”

              The man’s hands folded in a dignified fashion. “Believe it or not, I have sixteen suits that look exactly like this one, young lady.”

              ‘Face didn’t tell a single bit of truth, but his eyes had glimmers of humor during every syllable.’ “He’s definitely a politician.” ‘He reminds me of David….’

              “Word of advice, don’t lie or she isn’t going to like you very much. Neither one of us.”

              The President sat back slightly while Howard smiled. “You kids are still the same. Mind if we get down to business?” She watched as Caleb nodded and smiled before attempting to take her hand. ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t.’ Both were placed in her lap. “Whatever path you were following, you were half a step from finishing this without us. Why stop now?”

              “The path became skewed. Better to be safe than sorry.”

              “Every bit of research we’ve put into the terrorist attack is in a folder in the President’s briefcase behind us, but he wanted to make sure you were the, ahem, right man for the job.”

              ‘Word play, just like me and him do. Do we do anything special?’

              “I’ve heard a lot about you, Caleb—if I may. A lot of it sounds, well nearly ludicrous. Major Howard has shown me the research tapes from your younger years, so while my imagination is somewhat confounded by the logic of it all, I’ve seen samples of it happen.”

              “With all due respect, sir, that’s what makes you the President.”

              The Major kept his smile while leaning towards the President. “He talks like that a lot.”

              “I take no offense, but you’re more than welcome to elaborate if you want.”

              “Surely. Based upon the little detail surmised from your lifestyle, you were brought up to be something less than leader, but not necessarily an undesirable. You grew up with something to prove, and you did that by constantly being the one who spoke the most, but not necessarily the most honest. Everything you did was achieved through whatever working path was available and it’s never occurred to you that the easy path isn’t always the right one. In all of your years of being who you are, you never discovered that you could be someone else until you became President. All the sudden, it was no longer about the feeling of pursuing ‘it,’ but the ability to see what ‘they’ all wanted. Through this inverse, you appeared back at your younger self, but through a completely new lens of time and experience. You, Mr. President, are what is known as a ‘they.'”

              Alice leaned closer. “That’s where Stewart stood, right?”

              “Yes.”

              “He’s nothing like Stewart.”

              “At their cores, they’re the exact same.” He smiled to her again. “Cool huh?”

              ‘How? What did he say…people like Stewart observe everyone, but never themselves and can warp what they love to better reflect what they want.’ She brought her eyes up to the man’s chin, which was sagging heavily from the relaxed frown. ‘He’s right. So cool.’

              “In any case, what exactly did you have in mind Mr. President? A demonstration?”

              The President’s eyes barely flicked up. “Something like that.”

              Caleb turned to her with a straight face. ‘Eyes not on me. Almost through me.’ “Where’s the coin-slot again?” She cocked her head to the side. “They seem to think a quarter will bring their chairs floating into the air.”

              The old men fidgeted slightly. ‘Yeah, you guys insulted him.’ “We didn’t mean to imply….”

              “Of course, but don’t worry. There’s nothing that could be shown here that would switch your opinions from one to the other.”

              “All we’re asking for is a small showing. The President has travelled a long way to turn back now without this attended to.”

              “No.”

              ‘They’re trying to force him to go against doing the right thing.’ She reached out to his hand and quickly took it before laying both back to the table. “He’s not a monkey. You guys certainly didn’t come all this way to turn back now, so you won’t, and neither will he.”

              The President and the Major focused on her for a moment before she dropped her head. She looked up again to see a small man carry a briefcase to the table and unlocking the silver case. ‘Big folder inside. Lots of information on lots of things, I bet.’ The Major took the folder and set it heavily on the table under the sunlight. “Your friend David is safe in jail, by the way.”

              “Good for him.”

              ‘It is.’ “Lifetime sentence?”

              “Several consecutive. Besides that, there was a little good news from the aftermath.”

              “Just a little?”

              President Tramme put on his best mask while sitting forward. “The country hadn’t had a chance to catch its breath from the end of the war, and we have our second terrorist attack in the first half of the century. It means something so much more potent when it hits home, and the Major tells me that you’re the man to talk to when things need to get done.” The man looked strong while staring completely into Caleb’s stronger eyes. “I can see he was right.”

              Alice rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb. The Major turned over the first page and spoke again. “The missile used against the Empire building was nicknamed the Wrap, which is meant to strangle the foundation before exploding. The top legs pierced up at the seventy-third floor with the head of the centipede attaching down at the fortieth, which cut the building in half. Every person from the thirty-fifth floor up was injured or dead. You dug out at least a hundred survivors, for the record.” He flipped several pages. “Those missiles are United States only, and are only stockpiled in certain National Guard stations in the biggest states. The same energy signature from Stephen was mixed with yours at the site of the attack, but it’s been completely concentrated around here for days.”

              “Texas National Guard Station then?”

              “Beat me to the punch, but yes. Forth Worth, about three hours walking distance from here.”

              Caleb nodded and began to stand before being pulled back down by Alice. ‘They have more to say.’ The Major closed the file while the President sat back. “We have a couple of requests that we think you would agree with anyways. We’ve brought along an old friend of yours that will offer a preliminary journalist report, the men here will accompany you into the fight, and the military will have to take full credit for the surge.”

              “Not a chance,” Alice said without thinking. Caleb stared at their combined hands. ‘He’s not against that?’ “Why don’t you want credit for all this? You can’t pass it up again.”

              “Things will be different this time. People…will see what can happen.”

              “They need to see their hero. Please, Caleb.”

              He smiled softly and turned back to the watching men. “Why are the men going?”

              “This place has become an epicenter for army deserters. They’ve united under Stephen and have him backed without care for the consequences. You’re looking at three-hundred soldiers, Stephen’s doctor friend, and the General, rumor has it. Heat signatures confirm the concentration of soldiers. We’ll brief you and the Corporal and anybody else that you’re taking in with you in a few minutes.”

              “That’ll be it.”

              Alice turned quickly, but a shooting glare from Caleb stopped her mouth from opening. ‘Our deal. Crap.’

              All three men stood with Caleb’s hand releasing hers and being clasped by the Major, and then the President. “Son, the country owes you a huge one for this.”

              “This is being done for something a little bigger than just the country, Mr. President.”

              He readily took Alice’s hand again before walking out of the tent. “Caleb?”

              They both turned. ‘Older woman with glasses on the end of her nose. Pulled back, platinum-grey hair, yellow-eyes that look like a cat’s almost, casual outfit.’ Alice watched as Caleb smiled and scratched his shoulder before walking forward with her in tow. “An elected official knows of Caleb. How flattering.”

              ‘Shorter than me, but still a great body for her age. She’s looking at him like they used to know one another.’

              “I guess I know what you ended up doing with your life. You don’t know how many times I tried to find you after high school.”

              “Always in the last place you look.” Caleb pulled Alice closer. “This is an ex-teacher at my high school: Marion Drit. This is Alice Dorrel.”

              The two shook hands while Caleb continued his lengthy smile. “Carol?”

              “Died about two years ago.”

              “Ah, I’m sorry.”

              “No biggie.”

              ‘Why is this awkward?’ “What did you teach? Government?”

              “No, actually, philosophy. It was actually this nutcase who talked me into getting off the rat wheel and working my way up to something.”

              Alice smiled. “Yeah he does that to a lot of people evidently.”

              The shoulder that wasn’t attached to Caleb felt a wave of warmth as Stanley moved closer. “Hey, one of you two help out with the people while I get the stuff ready.”

              Alice looked back to Caleb; their eyes locking with an entire chain of thought casually speaking what their mouths had no use for. ‘They like me better, yeah, but you can give them confidence. I know they don’t need it yet. Still…you’re going to pull out the friend card? Fine, go do that while I make people smile.’

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              ‘Thank you.’

              Alice turned and walked away. He turned back to the smiling older woman. “I’m glad you could get past Carol. How did she die?”