Freddy Anderson’s Home: Book 1 (12 page)

“Ahhh.”

Everything went black.

“Master?”

“It seems that their military has spies that watch other aspects of their military. It is not a cohesive force. Good-to-know information.”

“Master, this may be an isolated case. The army commander, in this case, seems to be somewhat of an ‘Uoopfordiss.’”

“Uoopfordiss! That’s something you call a politician, not a military commander, unless …”

“Unless? Master?”

“Unless sometimes the politicians make their way into the ranks of the military. No. That cannot be. The species would have destroyed itself long ago if that happened.”

“Our records show that most life on this planet was destroyed several times.”

“Makes sense, then. Continue.”

Chapter 18
My Land

T
he lieutenant explained that the helicopter was used for the transportation of troops and supplies. Due to its size we likely would not be landing in the forest. I must have asked a hundred questions about the helicopter. The lieutenant finally told me, “Get in, or we’ll never get up.” I blushed and climbed in with my bag. Once in the air, I started unloading my equipment. Now it was Betsy’s turn to ask questions.

“What’s all this, Freddy?”

“This unit here”—I pointed to the biggest unit with a flat screen lying next to it—“is a portable scanner. It’s considerably more powerful than the pocket version you’ve seen. It has a lot more flexibility and provides better information and details. This is the power supply, and it goes right here.” I shoved it in, and it clicked into place. “This is the color monitor that goes right here.” I placed the flat screen in position. “This tiny crystal bank is the memory unit, and it goes right here.” I placed it into the holder. “Ta-da. All put together. And now, the add-ons. When I patent this invention, I expect to sell the main unit for an outrageous price but give buyers a break with the add-ons. That way, when other companies come up with more attachments, I won’t have any problem with them trying to undersell me. This prototype can take up to ten additional pieces of specialized equipment.” I held up several small devices, each about the size of a pack of cards. “This unit is for measuring gravitational fluxes. It adds on in this slot here. This unit is for measuring radioactivity and all forms of ionic activity and goes into this slot. This one measures density, this one is for types of life, this one measures temperatures in five different modes, and last but not least, this unit is for checking the air, ground, and water quality.”

“This is an environmentalist’s dream come true—if it works,” Betsy said.

I stuck my tongue out at Betsy and then turned back to my unit, mumbling, “If it works? Of course it works! Why wouldn’t it work?” I turned it on. The screen came up, but it was garbled. I adjusted the unit from one thousand miles down to five hundred feet and pointed the scanning gun toward the ground. Instantly, I received a view and readouts of the ground below us. I explained to Betsy, “I can touch the heat-activated trigger and get a continuous reading on wherever I point the gun, or I can let go and it holds the last recording. All information is stored in this crystal bank. Lieutenant, when will we be over my property?”

“We have been over it ever since we left the base.”

“Great! Please take me to the center section that borders the ocean. I plan to use a boat to go back and forth from my home to town so that I don’t have to build any roads on my property.”

“We’ll be there in just about ten minutes.”

I continuously scanned the areas that we passed over. There was an underground river flowing from the mountains behind us, directly through my property. The water quality was excellent. Most of my land was dense forest and mountains—difficult to travel through, I would think.

“I don’t see any roads. What did the army do out here?”

“Mostly they played games—Hide and Seek, Go Fish, Old Maid,” said Betsy. We all laughed. “Actually, they practiced war games. They had a setup for forest survival that they ran several times a year. They also practiced running scenarios that required the use of helicopters and boats. The terrain is too dense and steep for land-based equipment. One dirt road goes from our base to the radar unit. They used it to bring tanks, trucks, and other equipment in for their games and to evacuate anyone who became injured.”

Lt. James added, “They also used it to bring in their contaminated waste and then transferred it to helicopters and dumped it in the canyon, where we’re headed now. It’s exactly in the center of your property on the other side of this mountain and just back from the shoreline.”

I scanned the mountain; it was exactly what I was hoping for—hollow, although not completely, with several caves that ran deep into it. Some of the caves ran on a winding path that took them all the way to the center. Just off center toward the ocean side was a large, open cavern. The river ran along the left side of these caves. It appeared that the river had made the caves while trying to reach the sea, but sometime, eons ago, the river apparently had been cut off from the main caves and forced to reroute itself around them, leaving them abandoned. The mountain itself was mostly granite, which was ideal because granite condenses really well. There were other mineral deposits but nothing worthwhile.

As we reached the other side, I could see several rivers running down the snow-covered mountain toward the ocean. They all seemed to flow into the ground. As we traveled closer, I could see that they were flowing into a deep canyon. The lieutenant pointed out the area and said she was going to bring us directly over the canyon.

The canyon was enormous. Two waterfalls flowed over the edge and plummeted down the sheer cliff to the bottom, where they splashed on the rocks over a thousand feet below. Another waterfall came out of the side of the cliff. The bottom of the canyon was about two-thirds rock and one-third deep lake. The scanner showed that the water at the bottom was highly contaminated. The underground river exited near the top of the canyon wall, and the caves were right at the bottom. I could see what years of dumping by the army had done, as virtually the entire canyon floor was littered with junk. Some of it was in drums clearly labeled as hazardous materials. The canyon was so beautiful and the damage so extensive that I nearly cried.

“Please fly over the ocean end,” I said. The lieutenant moved us over so that we could see the ocean but still see into the canyon. Here, the cliffs thinned to only one hundred yards across, with a river running through the middle. This is where the river met the ocean. The river was very deep, and there were several spots where the water had to go under the cliff to continue its flow, making natural bridges from one side to the other. The scanners showed that there were many kinds of contamination all the way to the ocean and out into the currents.

I stared across my land, saying to myself, “The president, Congress … I guess everyone knew about this. Just like politicians to pass this kind of problem to someone else. Now I understand why they voted unanimously to give it away. Probably thought I’d need the money to clean the place up. I do not doubt they have some plan to cite me for having all this pollution on my land. Darn them!” I was mad and realized that I had been talking aloud.

The lieutenant said, “Knowing politicians, I’d say you hit it right on the nose. Want to see the rest of your property?”

We traveled the rest of the shoreline, seeing the radar station and many natural wonders. The lieutenant said, “People say that seals and otters used to play along here.” We didn’t see any and I could guess why, but we did see deer, a black bear, a gray fox, and all kinds of birds but very few near the shore and none around or below the river.

“Let’s head back, Lieutenant, and thank you.” I was becoming extremely angry very quickly. The general was not making a good impression on me and neither was Congress.

The trip back was in total silence. When we landed, I asked to go right back to the inn. I thanked the lieutenant for her help and told her that I would contact her shortly. I also told her that I would not be making a trip on horseback, as I already knew where I was going to build my home. I promised to contact her soon and let her know when I was leaving.

“So, I have to wonder again how such a primitive race could put up such a grand battle.”

Everything went black.

“We have wondered this also. Their technology is far inferior to ours. Scanners like the one he describes were toys, hundreds of years ago. Today, any child has two or three class-eight scanners implanted in his body.”

“True, but these toys are not what destroyed our mother ship.”

“No, we have studied his scanners and determined that they could not penetrate our illusion device.”

“Continue.”

Chapter 19
Having a Mental Gift Has Its Pitfalls

O
nce back at the inn, I called Mr. Thompson, the owner of the sporting goods store, to say that although I no longer needed his camping equipment, I would have a list of quite a few products that I needed from him by tomorrow. After a short conversation, I went upstairs to my room. I tossed out the cleanup plans and started over on new cleanup plans.

I felt something warm on my cheek and realized I’d just received a kiss. I focused, and it was Becky. I was not finished with my planning yet, so I asked what she needed. “Did I miss dinner?”

Becky took my hand and pulled me out from in front of my computer. “No, dinner is on the table. You’re going to be late if you don’t come now.”

“Why did you disturb me?” I asked, looking longingly at my computer. “I’m not finished yet.”

She put her hand on my cheek. “Oh, Freddy, you have to learn when to work and when to play. It’s time for dinner now, and that’s that.” Becky took my hand, and we headed downstairs—followed by Katie, one of the navy SEALs.

I couldn’t read any feelings from Katie. Her concentration was too strong. An ant could have crawled under a chair and not escaped her view. This woman was all business and no friendliness. She was probably the only one on the SEAL team of whom I was actually afraid—at least a little bit.

Everyone was waiting for us at the table.

During dinner, I said to Mrs. Crain, “The dinner is really great tonight, as always. I really like this creamed spinach.” Then I looked at Annabelle and said, “I hope you’ll come to visit me when I finish building my new home.”

“Oh Mommy, can we? Please can we?”

“We’ll see, dear. Right now we need to clean up this mess.”

Everyone except Katie helped to clean up. She had disappeared for a few seconds but returned and stood in the doorway. Becky and I were doing the dishes, and I called to Katie over my shoulder. “Find anything when you checked the perimeter, Katie?”

“Just a dark brown cat with white boots on three of its legs.”

“So where are you from?” I asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

“Where I’m from is none of your business,” she retorted. “I would prefer not to talk about myself.”

“As you wish. I suppose it makes no difference whether we talk or not.” I said it with just a hint of mischievousness, which caused her to have a surprising emotion—hate. I reached out and read her mind. She didn’t hate me in particular as much as she hated all men—age, ethnicity, or appearance made no difference; she just simply hated men. I looked a little deeper and found out why. It seems she’d had a lot of trouble while she was growing up. I felt sorry for her. I’d personally had a great childhood, but I had met some people when I attended college who’d had some very bad experiences. This lady had been betrayed too many times. It wasn’t her fault that people treated her badly, but it was her fault that she reacted to it as she did. She had an ability, one that probably caused her some emotional troubles when she was young—she was telepathic. It wasn’t very strong; she couldn’t pick up emotions or thoughts, but she could feel and hear things that others could not. I understood how she felt. It was difficult to hear people talk about you, especially when you know that they’re only trying to get something from you. As beautiful as Katie was, I could guess what that “something” was. I could tell that her father and brothers were nasty. It must have been devastating to find out that her husband was cheating on her by hearing him on the phone, three rooms away. This woman had an outstanding mind, probably one of the most organized I’d ever met, but she had no mental shields. She had no choice about what she heard; she simply heard it all. It was amazing that she hadn’t gone insane. She just shut off her emotions instead, which was a neat trick. I can’t do it. In fact, I tend to be overly emotional.

As I continued drying the dishes, Becky whispered, “She’s very cold.”

I whispered back, “There are lots of reasons for people to be cold. I can see it in her eyes. She has a hard time trusting people, especially men.” I knew Katie was listening, but I continued anyway. “When she looks at you, Becky, I don’t see the same hardness. She softens considerably.”

“But she seems so mean,” Becky argued. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll treat her just like everyone else, with respect for her abilities and the job she does. I’ll be nice to her, just like I would be to anyone. She could use a little kindness, I think.”

“Do you trust her?”

“Very much so. She’s the type who would die trying to do her job, and since her job is to protect me, I think I’m probably safer right now than I’ve ever been in my entire life.”

“What if her orders change, and she has to kill you?”

“Then I’ll be dead.” I could see that Becky was going to start crying. I hugged her and kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry. I’m not about to do anything that would cause a change in her orders.”

Becky relaxed a little, and we finished the dishes. As we were heading into the living room, Katie said, “You can see a lot by looking at a person’s eyes.”

“Just between you and me,” I responded, “you were born able to sense things and hear things when no one else can. Do you hear the two people walking this way right now?”

Her eyes widened and then narrowed. “Yes, I can.”

“It’s a hard life, being different, isn’t it? I can sense emotions. That’s how I can see your ability as well as the two people walking up to the front door right now. I’ve always known when people say one thing and mean something else. It’s hard when someone says ‘I love you’ and his or her emotions say it’s a lie. As for me, it hurts to lie to others, knowing what it will do to them when they find out.”

“So you don’t lie, then?”

“Seldom. Sometimes it’s better to lie than to tell the truth, but that’s seldom the case. I won’t tell the truth if it will hurt someone’s feelings when there is no need. You can say what you want, but sometimes lying is best.”

Becky had gone ahead of me and was waiting for me in the living room. There was a knock on the front door, but it wasn’t for me. I told Becky that I needed to get back to my work and thanked her for her help. She gave me a hug and said, “Don’t work too late.” I smiled and went upstairs.

I could tell that Katie was trying to think things through. I knew she was going to report this to her superiors, and that’s why I left it at emotions only. It was about five thirty in the morning when I finished my new cleanup plans. I took a shower and then put a note on my door said that read: “I’ve finished the plan, but I’m tired and need some sleep. Please wake me for lunch.”

“Again, I think I am lost.”

Everything went black.

“Lost, master?”

“I did not study this enemy yet. The words ‘hug’ and ‘kiss’—what do they mean?”

“Hug and kiss are physical forms of communication, allowing an understanding that they are upset. We know that this species is not normally telepathic and cannot confront each other without openly stating so either verbally or physically. In fact, they are so primitive that they are just reaching that stage of development. We cannot remember when we were nontelepathic and therefore have lost all knowledge of what it was like. If we could take the time to understand how they live without such abilities we may understand much more about our lost past.”

“Still, hug and kiss seem to mean hit and hit harder. How else would she get his attention?”

“On this one, I tend to agree. Although in this case, they do tend to hit each other a lot.”

“Of course they do. You should spend some time in the Gray pads. Children continuously fighting are a good way to weed out the weak. Continue.”