Freddy Anderson’s Home: Book 1 (9 page)
Read Freddy Anderson’s Home: Book 1 Online
Authors: John Ricks
“Yes.”
“Before the maintenance team comes out, they’re supposed to let me know, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Good, I have no problem showing myself when they come out, as long as a member of the SEAL team is with them.”
That raised his eyebrows. “Why one of the SEAL team?”
“Security, of course. I trust they will keep the maintenance team at the radar station and off the rest of my land. They’re into babysitting; they can babysit the radar team too. The other time to see me is during a neighborly visit. I would expect anyone who wishes to pay me a neighborly visit to let me know beforehand so I can clean up. I would also expect that such visits would not occur very often.”
“Of course, but it’s the neighborly thing to do. I may be sending a representative on the visit, as I’m not always here.”
“That would be fine, as long as I know who it is. I would love to have Lt. James visit now and then, now that we’ve been introduced.”
The admiral looked at her and smiled. “I think that could be arranged.”
“I have a cellular phone and will call you when I have visitors or if I am leaving my land. Is that acceptable?”
The admiral stood up, and so did I. “Good,” he said, “it sounds like we have a workable understanding. Dr. Anderson, it has been a pleasure. The lieutenant should be able to take care of your needs from here on out.”
“Thank you. It was nice meeting you, Admiral.”
“I’m totally lost.”
Everything went black.
“Master.”
“He says he does not want government involvement, yet he just invited the government into his home for visits.”
“Simple, master. He must be watching them as much as they are watching him. The humans have a saying: ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.’”
“Yes, they have a lot of good short-ranged weapons. Fighting hand-to-hand is something they do well, considering they only have two hands. They are highly limited. Continue.”
I
t was eleven thirty when Lieutenant James and I left Admiral Bates’s office. Once outside, the lieutenant stopped me and said, “Let’s talk.” She led me to a bench under the shade of a tree, and we sat down.
“You don’t like being babysat do you?” she said.
“It’s not a problem with being babysat as much as it’s a problem with people thinking I need to be.”
“I see. I would like to thank you for not telling the admiral that you saw our watch the first day.”
I shook my head slowly. “Lieutenant, stop playing games with me. You’ve had three women watching me at all times, one in the open so that I—and the rest of the town—could see her and two hidden, using long-range cameras and infrared scopes.” She said nothing, but I could feel her increased emotion. I expect some heads were going to roll.
“Very well, Dr. Anderson, where do we go from here?”
“If we can agree to be honest with each other and not play these silly political games, then we do exactly as the admiral said. If not, then all bets are off.”
“Very well, the political games stop here.”
“Good. You give me a phone number to contact you when I’m coming out and when I’ll be having guests, but you stay off my land. You provide me with security, the storage space, and an ID card, and in return, I’ll make watching me easy. For some reason, however, I sense that you would prefer a challenge of sorts. Do you think your team’s talents are being wasted here, Lieutenant?”
“That’s not up for discussion. You’re going to comply with the admiral’s requests, then? I had a feeling that you would renege.”
“Right now, Lieutenant, the agreement stands. This agreement may and probably will change in the future. When it does, I will try to let you know, possibly before I change my mind.”
She smiled and said, “Understood.”
“One other thing, Lieutenant.”
“What’s that?”
“I have a list of the personnel who work on the radar station maintenance team, and none of them are female. Your entire team is female. Please ensure that when on my land, one of your team—someone I would recognize—is with the radar group at all times. I will be setting up some defenses, and if I don’t see someone I recognize, then I will trigger those defenses. There are issues on this base, and someone is leaking information. I cannot afford to have those issues.”
“Understood. I think the admiral will ask us to find the problem with his security. Before your conversation, it meant very little to him, but your finding out about it in just two days and then turning him down on something he wants and was ordered to get will cause him to make this his top priority.”
“I would hope so,” I smiled. “Did you see the color in his face change when I brought it up?”
She smiled. “Yes. I hope you don’t mind, but that’s one I’d like to tell my team.”
“Not a problem. They need to know where we stand in order to do their jobs anyway.”
“Come on, let’s get lunch and then set up the rest,” she said.
Lunch was in the officer’s mess. It looked neat and very clean, so I had no idea why they called it a mess. After lunch, Lt. James got me an ID card and showed me the exchange and commissary facilities. Eventually, we made our way to the barracks to meet her team. They were living in an old building that they had converted into living quarters. The placed looked really nasty on the outside, but when we went inside, the change was remarkable. The paint was fresh, the floors were polished to a high shine, and everything looked like it was new. We entered through a “quarterdeck” and went into the lounge to meet the rest of the team. While I was waiting for them to “muster,” I asked Lt. James, “If you fixed up the outside of this building, would someone of higher rank get jealous and take over the place?”
Her eyes opened wide as she cocked her head. “You’re a veritable Sherlock Holmes, aren’t you? The answer is, yes, they would, and that is exactly the reason we don’t fix up the outside. It keeps the others thinking we have a bad deal, staying here.”
By this time, the whole team was in the lounge. I was introduced to all twelve of them, including the lieutenant. Lt. Susan James was in charge, just as I thought. Ensign Daphne Morgan was the only other officer. She had a nice smile and seemed extremely intelligent. Gunnery Master Chief Jacquelyn Uniceson was the top enlisted person. With a shaved head and hard-muscled shoulders, she looked like a man and was built like a tank. She didn’t seem to have a sense of humor.
The rest of the team were a mixture of every color and size, and all were extremely professional.
“I thought you said they had no coloring.”
Everything went black.
“Master, he is reminiscing about his first impressions. Interesting thing is that he does not really care where someone comes from or what race they are. He simply files the information away for later recall. Other humans had strong feelings about such things, just as we do. Still, this one thinks all are the same and should be measured on their actions, not by their religion, color, ancestry, or—strangely enough—their words.”
“Green, you seem surprised. We of the Gray determine rank on prior accomplishments. Not words or shades of Gray but on deeds.”
“Greens are the same way, but other colors are measured on promises that are mostly not kept.”
Both said in unison, “Blues.”
Gray looked around like they were in trouble and mumbled, “Continue. Quickly.”
A
fter introductions, we retired to the lieutenant’s office. It was a big room, so the lieutenant, the ensign, the master chief, and I were fairly comfortable.
“Dr. Anderson, I find it hard to determine just how you knew my two people were watching you from a distance. Could you enlighten us, please?”
“No.”
“I see.” She thought for a second. “Let me put it another way. I would like the opportunity to correct their actions, so that we will not have this issue with others. It could save their lives some day.”
I thought about this for a minute, and then I reached into my pocket and pulled out my portable scanner. I turned it on and handed it to the master chief. “Lieutenant,” I said, “this is one of the items that I have not yet patented. Please do not allow this information out of this room.”
“Agreed.”
I showed her how I could see anything within a twenty-mile range, using my scanner. I explained to her that when I saw her decoy out front, I naturally scanned for any others. I knew they had to have long-range equipment to see me from that distance. One of her girls moved with me as I crossed my room, so she could see through the walls; therefore, she used an infrared scope. The other girl lost me as I moved away from the window; therefore, I knew it was long-range equipment, possibly photography or optical. “I’m sorry if I got anyone into trouble, but it really is not their fault. They can’t hide from me as long as I know to look.”
The ensign looked at my scanner. “I can see the town and everyone in it. I can pick out Janice from here. She’s still in the church tower, and she’s watching the road for Dr. Anderson’s return. This scanner is way beyond anything I’ve ever dreamed of—I mean, that if—”
“That’s enough, Ensign. Call her in, Master Chief. Let her know her position has been compromised. Dr. Anderson, I would—”
“Lieutenant, you and your team can call me Freddy, if I can call you by your first names.”
She smiled. “Freddy, I must admit this gadget of yours is impressive. I can see why trying to watch you without being noticed would be difficult. I hope you don’t mind if we continue to try.”
“Susan, I would be delighted if you can find a way to fool my scanners. I will let you know when you’re not successful. Please let me know when you are. Here’s a challenge: if anyone of your team can sneak up on me at any time that I am awake, I will grant you one request, within reason. This means actually touching me before I acknowledge your presence. It cannot be while I’m here on base, as I expect to be near you then.”
The lieutenant looked at the others and said, “We have a challenge placed before the team, Master Chief, and a prize that could be very useful—a concession the admiral could not get from him. What say you?”
“We accept the challenge, Lieutenant,” said the master chief.
I took the scanner from the ensign and said into it, “Computer on.”
“
Welcome, Fr
eddy.
”
“Computer, did you scan the people in this building and file them in your memory?”
“
Affirma
tive.
”
“Good. Did you also include the team member in the church tower?”
“
Affirma
tive
.”
“Good. Set for continuous scan and report each time any of them approach me within one hundred feet. Continue to report that person’s progress toward me each ten feet or until I let you know to stop.”
“
Set and calibrated. Warning—there are twelve of the thirteen targets within one hundred feet of you
now.
”
“Affirmative. Please do not report again until we leave the naval base. Also, do not report when I am in bed or sleeping.”
“
Affirma
tive
.”
I looked up at the lieutenant and then turned to the master chief. “I doubt that you would wish me to make it easy for you, would you?”
The master chief smiled. “Of course not.”
I turned back to the lieutenant. “As I understand it, when in company, you normally use titles to show respect. Is this true, Lieutenant?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Good. I would not wish to break that standard, so I will continue to call you ‘Lieutenant’ in the presence of your team and the same thing for the ensign and the master chief.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you.”
“I try, Lieutenant, but sometimes I simply don’t know when I’m doing something wrong. Just let me know so I can think about it.”
She smiled. “It is apparent that watching you from a distance is useless, so do you mind if we join you when you are out and about?”
“I don’t mind, but there’s something you need to know. The town has the idea that you are here to take me out if I try to leave.”
“We’re to follow, watch, and protect, but if you try to leave without permission, then it would make some people very nervous.”
“I understand this, and your reputation precedes you. The town believes that you’re assassins. They will not take kindly to your presence there. We need to do something to prevent possible violence toward your team.”
The master chief quickly picked up a walkie-talkie. “Watch One, this is home base. Come in.”
“I’m here, home base.”
“Watch One, where are you?”
“I’m just coming out of the tower.”
“Well, go back up and wait for a jeep to pick you up.”
“What’s up, Master Chief?”
“The town is unfriendly—repeat: the town is unfriendly. You wait right there until the jeep arrives. Got that?”
“Roger that. I’m not moving. How long?”
“Fifteen minutes. Out.”
The master chief opened the door and sent two girls out to pick up the watch. “That was close. I’m glad she was still there.”
“I really don’t think the townspeople would harm her, Master Chief.”
“I’m not worried about her. I’m worried about the townspeople. If Janice has to protect herself, a lot of people could get hurt. With two additional SEALs showing up, it may make the townspeople think twice before they start anything, and the two I sent will keep Janice from doing anything rash.”
I could feel her emotions, and she was not kidding. She was genuinely worried about the townspeople getting hurt. “Then I hope nothing happens, Master Chief.”
“So do I, Freddy.”
“Back to your question, Lieutenant,” I said. “I think it would go a long way to pacifying the townspeople if we were hand in hand, so to speak. I do think it will look like a bodyguard, but considering what the town did to me yesterday, I think they would understand the admiral’s insistence on this. Will that make it easier?”
“Yes, it will. From now on, you have bodyguards twenty-four hours a day.”
“I like being a bodyguard a lot more than being a babysitter,” said the ensign with a pout. Everyone looked at her.
“One other thing, Lieutenant. I am going into the woods on horseback soon. I need to scout out an area to build my house. I would accept it if two of your team members came with us.”
“You could cover more territory in a helicopter.”
“Are you offering to take me up, Lieutenant?”
“Of course, and when you have decided on a couple of possible sites and want to check them out on horseback, we’ll go with you.”
“That’s a great idea. Thank you.”
“I’ll send a car for you tomorrow at 0700. Wear warm clothes; it gets cool over the mountains.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant. I’ll look forward to it.” We talked for another half an hour before the admiral called. He wanted to know how things were going, so the lieutenant had to leave. I took my pocket scanner back from the ensign, who’d been sitting in the corner, spying on people at marine headquarters with it.
My next bodyguard, Petty Officer First Class Colleen McMasters, was already dressed in civilian clothes and ready to go. The entire team, except the master chief and Colleen, were gone in seconds.
She turned to me, saying, “The leak will be found shortly, and when we get through, there will be no more leaks, not even people talking to their spouses. We will fix the admiral’s problem ourselves. If another country finds out you have equipment like that scanner, you’ll either be dead or kidnapped. They would want to make sure that they had the equipment first or that we never got it, and that would mean your capture or death.”
“I think you people are a little paranoid, Master Chief. I think the only ones I have to worry about are people in my own government and their being overly protective. Why do I get the feeling that this was already planned before I even stepped foot on this base? It seems to me that your team was prepared for this possible change in plans and that I was manipulated by someone who’s just a little smarter than me.”
She smiled and said, “She’s good, isn’t she?”
“If you’re saying the lieutenant set this up, then I must agree.”
“She didn’t set it up, but she did her homework and now understands you a little bit better than most. She said that this would be the best possibility, with a 93 percent probability index. That’s a high rating, so we prepared for it. I hope you’re not mad.”
“On the contrary, Master Chief, I like working with professionals. I find them easier to understand. I’m a scientist, as you said. I enjoy a good challenge, just like you do, and I like the fact that the lieutenant can figure me out. Not only will it make things interesting, but it could save me a lot of time and effort. I also noticed that things went very smoothly today. I am pleasantly surprised, and now I know who was responsible. Please give the lieutenant my compliments when she returns.”
“I’d be more than happy to, Freddy.”
I climbed into the car with Colleen and the master chief, who drove as we headed back to town. While going through the gate, the guard snapped to attention and saluted us. That was a definite change in attitude.
As soon as we left the base, my scanner let me know that two navy SEALs were nearby, within ten feet. I ordered it to not include Colleen and the master chief at this time. Colleen played with my scanner for the rest of the trip.
The big Gray said, “That’s interesting.”
Everything went blank.
The Green asked, somewhat annoyed, “What’s interesting, master?”
“They’ve only had scanners for a short time.”
“Yes. All of their technology is new.”
“How long have we had scanners?”
“Master, the first scanner was invented in the year of the Forgometa, approximately eight thousand years ago.”
“How could such a primitive creature destroy our most advanced ship?”
“We will soon find out.”
“Good. Continue.”