The Charges

Disclaimer

This story is a work of fiction. None of the characters portrayed herein represent any real person, living or dead. It includes characters invented by Chip Masterson including the muscle super kid, "Danny Henderson" who appears in a number of stories created by Chip. These characters are used in this story with his express permission, (Thanks, Chip!) although this story differs substantially in tone and theme from stories written heretofore by Chip. There are inconsistencies between Chip's story line and mine. The characters in my scenario dwell, therefore, in some sort of parallel universe.' Also included in this story is a character inspired by "Billy," the lead character in John D's "Billy Muscles up." One incident is borrowed directly from the "Billy Muscles Up" series and some of the things Billy does in this story echo "Billy Muscles Up." However, although this "Billy" begins with more or less the same personality and physical strength as the original, events take "my Billy'" in a somewhat different direction. My use of the "Billy" character is with John D's express permission. Thanks, John D!

If you are looking for erotic stimulation, please look elsewhere because you won't find that here. Aside from some coarse language and violence, this story could almost be rated "G." But if Chip's "Danny" series is one you have enjoyed, you may find this story entertaining as well. My interest in Chip's "Danny" series has been mainly, "what are people thinking and feeling?" (Something Chip has preferred to leave to the reader's imagination.) This story delves into that question in just a little bit more detail. Of particular interest to me as well, is how some of these characters respond to situations and circumstance that could happen to anyone as well as how they react to extraordinary situations.

I've introduced my own characters in this story, among them, "Andy Jackson Partlowe," and, to some extent, this is HIS story... how he came to meet Billy, Danny and his friends and how he reacts to their phenomenal strength and abilities.

My thanks to the web master for his work in maintaining this site and for posting this story. I would like to express my special thanks to Chip Masterson and John D. for graciously sharing their characters with me and especially for their work and creativity in creating their stories. This story is dedicated in their honor.

Thanks a lot for sharing, Chip and John D...

Tags

Roy drove Robbie, Hernandez, Nguyen and LeBlanc back to the base. Hernandez asked, "Well, Fuchs, now can we talk?"

Roy said, "Sure, Gunney. But, like I said, some of the stuff yer gonna wanna ask hasta come from Major Salas. But I'll 'gouge you' (military term for "give you the lowdown") on what I can."

"Well, first off. What's our mission? What're we supposed to be doing?"

"Well, you prolly know as much as I do, maybe more, about what Salas and his guys can do. The base's mission is, basically, logistic, admin. and aviation support for these super guys. What THEIR mission is... well, you can get that from Major Salas. I know what MY job is. I'm just a supply geek and a paper shuffler. An' Robbie here's their computer guru. Now as far as you guys... Well, I'm really not too clear on what Salas has in mind for you. I'm sure HE does but he hasn't let me in on what he's thinking. But let me give you just a little advice. Be ready to be flexible. Cuz things don't work at this base anything like what any of us are used to. Just remember, be flexible and go along with the program. I know this much. You guys won't get bored. I'm sure you already figured that one out. And you don't hafta be intimidated by these super guys either. They put their pants on one leg at a time just the same as we do. And they're all great guys. All of `em. You just let them do their job. They'll let you do yours, whatever THAT turns out to be."

I WOULD watch out for that young'n, though. That's Danny. He's a great kid, especially considering what all he's been up against all his life. But I think you'd all do well to remember, that's exactly what he is... just a kid... It just so happens, he's got the power of a twenty kiloton warhead in his fists. Now that's a lotta horsepower for a kid that age to be 'drivin'.' So you just ask yerself. Would you trust ANY thirteen year old to act like an adult all the time? Even though I only got ONE glimpse... only one.. of him gettin' a little out on the edge of the envelope, I'd watch it around him if I were you. Fortunately, he's got the older guys around keepin' an eye on him... helpin' him keep himself in line. But that hasta be THEIR job. Don't try stickin' yer spoon in that rice bowl. If you run into any problems on that score. DON'T try to handle it yerself. Go to one of the other guys and let them deal with Danny. Or, if any of them ain't around, come to me... at least till you get to know him a little better and he gets to know you."

Hernandez asked, "Well, has Danny given YOU any trouble?"

"Nope. Not a bit. But, hell, I've only been here a few days. Now, mind you, I like the kid. And I think he likes me. But Robbie and I were at the beach in Laguna yesterday and we ran into the guys down there. Some assholes decided to pick a fight with em for some reason. Robbie and I happened to come along at just the right time. We stepped in and broke it up before anything really bad went down. I know you don't need me to tell you what coulda happened if those super dudes woulda mixed it up with a buncha normals. We don't any of us need that kinda of attention, do we? Well, so, right before Robbie and I stepped in, without even a second's thought, little Danny was all set to take on all those damn fools by himself... which you know damn well he coulda done with both hands tied behind his back. Not that I blame the kid. All he wanted to do was stand up for his friends. And he'd do the same fer you or me, I'm sure. But in his position you can't always do like yah wanna. Well, I'm proud to say, his buddies reeled im in. But if they hadn't a been there, I guarantee I couldn'a stopped `im. The five of us together wouldn'a stood a chinaman's chance of holdin' Danny back. And then it'a been all over for those idiots who had not a clue one who they were fuckin' with. Like I said, Danny's an OK guy, but sometime, I figger he might kinda tend to act first and worry about bein' sorry later on. So fer now, y'all just make sure you stay out of his way. I'm just tellin' yah as a friend and I'm tellin' yah what I know. Just watch yerself around him and you'll be OK."

Hernandez responded, "Well, Fuchs, thanks for the heads up. Makes a lotta sense to me..."

Roy hastened to add, "Now I don't wanna go overboard on that. He's a sweet kid. I don't wanna make it out like he's the devil in the flesh. Cuz he ain't... far from it! My point bein', he's a THIRTEEN year old with all that 'horsepower.' That's all I meant by it."

"OK, Fuchs. I got it. Thanks. Have you seen much of what those guys can really do?"

"A little. They built all of our support buildings damn near bare handed in no time. You shoulda seen it. Looked really strange. You really couldn't even see any of them while they were workin'. They move way faster than your eye can follow. But you just stand there and watch what they're building comin' up right before yer eyes. That's really somethin' t'see. But I figger that's nuthin' compared to what all they can do. Y'all saw what they did with those tunnels at Lassiter's base last week. But I'm sure we'll all get an eye full before our tours of duty here are over with. That's what kinda throws me about you three guys. I know y'all are good combat Marines. But, shit, any one of those boys could prolly take on the whole damn Corps, any one of `em, all by themselves, and give us a real run for the money. So, hey, I'm as stumped as you are what Salas has in mind for you. But I do know he asked fer y'all by name. So you can make book he's got plans for you. And if I know Major Salas, which I'm startin' to, it's gonna be somethin' real good for y'all. That guy's gotta be the best officer to work for in the whole damn Corps. Yer gonna LOVE bein' on his team. And however it works out, you'll be glad you're workin' with these super dudes. And he and the rest of those super guys will all treat you like equals, even though, hey, lets face it, we're anything but... And that even goes fer Danny. Not cocky or swell headed in the least..." Roy laughed. "That's a lot more than I can say for me. Cuz, hell, I KNOW I got an attitude. Its a wonder Major Salas ain't snuffed me yet. But, anyway, guys, here we are... Home again... "MCALF El Toro Alfa Three..." Welcome aboard gents. Let's go ahead and get down. Robbie'n I'll help yah schlep yer gear into quarters. Mornin' chow's whenever you say, since yer senior enlisted and we got no mess cooks so we fix it ourselves. And I guess you'll wanna lay on a morning formation. Just let me know what you want and I'll get it posted in the plan of the day, startin' tomorrow mornin'."

Hernandez replied. "Well, OK, Fuchs. Lets have that at zero five. PT for forty five minutes. Then morning chow at zero six."

"Roger that, Gunny. That'll be just fine, cuz we oughta be in the admin. building by zero seven. The guys all start showin' up around zero seven thirty. That'll Give us a chance to get the lights and the coffee on and do any 'field day' (cleanup) before the workday starts off. We meet in the conference room right after zero seven thirty and don't be surprised if Major Salas calls for a vote on somethin'. Robbie an I already gotta 'walk through' on one of those. So don't be shocked if it happens. Just go along with it and be prepared to voice yer opinion. The Major calls this command his 'little enterprises' and calls us his 'equal partners.' Strangest damn lashup I ever heard of but that's how it is. Like I said, Major Salas and his boys are great guys. You'll see tomorrow. You'll be glad you got assigned out here."

"Well, OK, Fuchs. Thanks for all the gouge..."

Tuesday (the third)

Roy was about to turn in for his 'forty winks.' He had the TV in the day room tuned to CNN. A news bulletin announced a major earthquake with its epicenter near Managua, Nicaragua. It had registered nine point seven on the Richter scale on the seismograph at Cal Tech. It was a real city buster.

"Roy said, uh oh! Guys, hang loose. We may not be gettin' rack time any time soon. I dunno fer sure, but we may be mountin' out tonight. I gotta try and get ahold of Major Salas right now. Gonna see if I can raise him on his cell."

Roy called and Salas answered almost immediately.

"Salas, this is Roy... Sorry to bother you but we just saw bulletin on CNN. I thought you might wanna hear about this..."

"OK, Roy. What is it."

"Well, sir, they just announced a major earthquake Managua, down in Central America... It was a real bad one. I thought I might better give you a heads up."

"Thanks, Roy. I've got Scotty and Danny here in the car with me. We're turnin' around right now and headin' back to the base. Call Danny's mom. Then get on the horn to Billy's mom's and leave a message for them to come straight back out to the base... Now. Then try to run down Cole. His phone number is in my 'rolodex' on the LAN. You should be able to call that up from your desktop. Tell him I asked him to come straight on out to the base. Then call over to the BOQ at mainside and get the Admiral on the phone. Ask him to standby and tell him I'll be calling him as soon as I get back to the base...

"... And, Roy, I've never needed your talents more than I do right now. I need you and Robbie both. Try to get us a C-17 airlift lain on for us from El Toro to Managua. We'll want both helos airlifted down there with us. You and Robbie think you could handle flyin' rescue for us down there?"

"Can do, Salas. But, hey, a C-17 won't carry but one of our birds. We'll need at least TWO C-17's or a C-5. I'll get the airlift lain on as soon as I make these other calls. I hope to have their ETA at El Toro for you the by the time you make it back out here."

"Good, Roy. Great! I knew I could count on you. Thanks."

"OK, Salas. I'll see you when you get here. We'll have the coffee on."

"Great kid. See yah soon."

Roy made the calls to Danny's parents and Billy's moms. He called Cole's house and his police HQ and left messages for him on his answering machine at home and at his HQ. Then he called over to mainside BOQ and briefed the Admiral. He said he'd head on down to the El Toro MAC (Military Airlift Command - air cargo) terminal and call back with a phone number.

Roy and Robbie pulled on their utility uniforms and packed their duffles. Then, on their way out the door, Roy called back to Hernandez. "Gunny, sorry you guys didn't get a chance to settle in, but we're prolly gonna be mountin' out, tonight. I'll see y'all over at admin. Get on over there as quick as you can."

"Will do, Fuchs."

Roy struck out with the MAC birds. Nothing was available on such short notice. He logged onto his computer and found a Ukrainian contract airlift outfit on the web, "Antonov Airlines." They flew huge Russian built Antonov-124's (the Russian counterpart of the US Air Force C-5 Galaxy heavy lift cargo jet). Anotnov Airlines had one of their aircraft based in New Orleans, flying contract airlift for oil and gas exploration companies down in Central America. He called the MCAS El Toro mainside MAC terminal, got authorization to charter the bird and called Antonov Airlines' New Orleans operations center. Their bird would arrive at MCAS El Toro at first light, around zero five hundred (5:00 a.m.).

Roy had little idea what would kind of gear they would be needing for their mission, so he called the duty desk at the Pentagon and asked for some guidance. Before he'd rung off, an 'e-mail waiting' notice popped up on his display. He clicked on it. The attachment file gave him what he needed. There were pre- loaded air freight pallets pre-positioned at McCord Air Force Base. Roy called up to Naval Airlift Command at Naval Air Station Alameda, across the bay from San Francisco and got a C-9 (the naval version of the DC-9 civilian airliner) mission lain on to move the pallets from McCord to El Toro. Their pallets would be in position at El Toro within the next three hours.

By the time Salas had arrived with Scotty and Danny, Hernandez, Nguyen, and LeBlanc were with Roy and Robbie.

Roy pushed back from the computer console in the OOD office and said, "Salas, coffee's on..." Then he briefed him on what he'd set up so far. "I'm waiting on the Admiral's call right now. He should be over at mainside MAC terminal any minute and he said he'd call us as soon as he gets there. We'll need his help to get 'dip clearance' (diplomatic clearance) for our flight into Managua. Won't be a MAC bird. I got us a civilian charter. Aircraft's due to land at mainside around zero five. I got us an AN-124 outta New Orleans."

"Good work, Roy. Would you join me in the conference room?"

Roy followed Salas into the conference room and closed the door behind him. Salas asked, Roy, "Did you get a chance to read Miguel and his guys in on anything on your way back over here?"

"Some. They already had a lot of the gouge on you from last Monday night. And I left alone what you told me not to go into. I didn't 'go there' with `em. And, so far, Miguel, Nguyen and LeBlanc haven't seen Scott and Andy in action yet. Wait... That's when Hernandez is gonna start askin' questions. And when he does, I'll refer him to you, just like you said."

"Well, Roy, I guess that's fine for now. But, most likely, we're gonna hafta cross a line before we get down there and I wanted talk to you alone first. Probably won't get a chance to do that until we get airborne for Managua."

"OK, Salas."

The phone rang. Roy picked up. "Salas, it's the Admiral."

"OK, son. I got it."

"I'll be across the passageway in the OOD's office."

"No, Roy. You stay here."

Roy took a seat at one of the chairs at the conference table while Salas conferred with the Admiral. Admiral Tucker agreed to handle getting dip. clearance for their arrival in Managua. He assured Salas that he'd have it in hand by the time their "ride" arrived at El Toro. Salas rung off.

"OK, Roy, what's left that we gotta do before we head on over to mainside?"

"Well, sir. We need to load all our gear onto the flatbed and somebody's gotta drive that over to MAC terminal at mainside. Robbie and I'll hafta get the birds over there and get the rotor heads pulled off for loading onboard the aircraft. That's about a two hour job once we set down. And I still gotta run down a communications van and get it over to the terminal."

"OK, Roy. Keep up the good work. Would you send Gunny Hernandez in here?"

"Yes sir."

Roy left the conference room and went to look for Gunny Hernandez. He found him out front with Nguyen and Leblanc. They had the flat bed loaded with their gear. Hernandez said to Roy. "Oh, we were just looking for you. You and Bukowski need to get back over to quarters and get your stuff packed. Might as well drive the flatbed over there so you won't hafta lug all that stuff over here in your backs."

"Robbie's over there now. I packed before I came over here and Robbie should be all set, too. Could one of you drive over there and get him and our gear? I gotta run us down a COMM van from mainside. Got that left to do yet... Gunny. Major's lookin' for yah. He's in the conference room."

Gunny Hernandez knocked on the door jam of the conference room. The door was open. Salas looked up smiled. He stood up. "Welcome aboard, Miguel. Looks like you and your guys are gonna get a running start with us. Sorry you didn't get a chance to settle in better before our first mount out..."

"No problem, Major. We're all set to go..."

"Well, I'm glad you guys are gonna be with us. I've been on the phone and Managua and the surrounding area's a real mess. Casualties in the thousands. People trapped in collapsed buildings all over the place. Roy's really been turnin' to tryin' to get us into the air and on our way down there... Hopefully, we'll launch outta mainside not too much later than zero seven. Our bird's ETA at El Toro is zero five..."

"Well, Major, we've got all our gear loaded on the flatbed. We're ready to move on over to mainside whenever you say. I must admit, though, Major, I'm just a little curious. What're you expecting from me and my guys? Are they gonna issue us weapons over at mainside?"

"No, Miguel. They're not. We're not expecting any kinda trouble that would warrant that. If you'd feel better, you and your guys can check out side arms from the armory over there, but no rifles. This is a rescue mission."

"Well, Major, my guys and I are more than glad to help all we can. But from what I saw, the most we'll be able to do is stay out of you and your guys' way. What is it we're supposed to do?"

"Well, frankly, Miguel, I was expecting to be able to spend some more time with you guys before all this came up. I've definitely got plans for you guys. Still, even now, I'd rather have you, Nguyen and LeBlanc with us than not. You and your guys were magnificent at Lassiter's HQ last Monday night..."

"Well, Major, that was a combat situation. That's what me and my guys are trained for. We'll just be kinda 'wing'n it this time out."

"A lot of that went down last Monday night. You 'winged it' pretty good out there, Miguel. And you didn't let a three star admiral or these super guys get you rattled. You guys just did your jobs like professionals and, right then, I knew I wanted you assigned to me. This is just TAD, Miguel, but I'm hoping, if you guys are OK with it, that it'll be permanent."

"Well, Major, thanks for askin' for us. That kinda thing looks real good in our service jackets. Let's see how we do for you. And of you still feel this way after we secure from this op... well, let's just see how this one goes... OK, Major?"

"Sure, Hernandez. Sounds good, son. Oh, one thing that's gonna come in very handy. You, Danny and I are the only Spanish linguists in our bunch. That'll be worth a lot."

"Yes, sir. At least that'll be one thing that comes easy for me. Anything else right now, sir?"

"Yeah Hernandez. As long as it's just us guys by ourselves, my name's 'Salas.' Not 'sir,' not 'Major.' It's 'Salas.' Everybody else around here goes on a first name basis, unless you'd rather we use your last name. Cole and I, Cole's deputy O-in-C, by the way... we use our last names. First name, last name, that's up to you. But we're very informal here. Everybody's gotta job to do. Everybody knows what his job is, or soon will know. Nobody here is better than anybody else, regardless of any rank or special abilities. Now once we get over to mainside, we DO 'play the game' the Marine way. But whenever we're off by ourselves, over here or anyplace else, those ground rules apply. Got it, Miguel? ... or would you rather 'Hernandez.'"

"Well, uh, 'Salas,' Whichever... I'll roger up to either one. I'll brief Nguyen and LeBlanc on that. And, if I know both of them, they'd rather their last names. Actually, with Nguyen, I always get it mixed up. I think those Vietnamese guys say their names like we write em on our service jackets. You know, 'last name first... first name last...' And I KNOW LeBlanc doesn't wanna go be 'Jean!' ... Not in THIS man's outfit!"

"... OK, 'Salas.' Be anything else?"

"Yeah, Miguel. Could you ask Roy to come back in here? And have your guys standby. We're gonna muster here in the conference room once we get everybody over here.

"Gotcha, 'Salas.'"

Roy walked in and Salas looked up. "Sit down, Roy..."

Roy took a seat and faced Salas. "Yeah, Salas, watcha need?"

"Can you whip out a briefing for the guys on our mount out logistics? ... What you've done so far, what's yet to be done and what, if anything you need the rest of us to do to make things flow and get us out of here and in the air faster. I'll follow up with something on the mission and the part everyone will play. But I'd like you to lead off and run the meeting."

"Yeah, Salas. Sure thing. Think you could whip out an outline for me on your part? I'll turn that into some slides, pass you some notes and I'll run the slide show while you make your pitch."

"Naw, Roy. Let's don't make a federal case outta this. And don't you do that for your part either. No need to waste your time on an elaborate 'dog'n pony show.' We're not tryin' to sell anybody anything here. We're just passin' along the gouge. You keep it short'n simple and so will I."

About fifteen minutes later, everyone had arrived. Even Cole.

All they guys were seated around the conference table. Roy called the meeting to order and briefed them on the logistics of their mount out. Then he turned the meeting over to Salas.

"OK, guys, here's the op. We gotta bad one down in Managua. A nine point seven. The city is in ruins. Thousands of casualties and no one has any idea how many people are still alive and trapped in all the wreckage. That's where you guys come in. We'll work with rescue crews from all over the world who are converging on Managua right now. What you bring to the table with your strength, speed and super senses will be nothing short of a miracle to those rescue teams. None of us has ever done anything like this before. We'll be working with these rescue teams. We don't really know all that much about how they work and they don't know all that much about us. But we've gotta figure out a way to listen and be flexible. And yet we've gotta be assertive, too. We really don't know a lot about how to pull these victims out of the wreckage. The buildings will be unstable, aftershocks could hit us at any time. One wrong move and what's left of a building could come down around our ears... Wouldn't hurt us, but it'd sure queer a rescue op. But on the other side, those guys have NO idea what you guys can do. This is gonna be new to all of us. But, hopefully, by the time we get back home, there'll be a lotta people's lives you boys will have saved. In the meantime, though, this is gonna be a grizzly, grueling, frustrating and heartbreaking job. Roy, you'll supervise our offload down in Managua. But once that's done, you and Robbie get with Billy and Andy. What I think we'll do is take Scotty and Danny and put Nguyen and LeBlanc with them. Miguel, you're with Cole and me."

"Billy, that'll leave your guys with no Spanish linguist..."

Roy interrupted, "Wrong-oh, Salas. I gotta lotta Spanish... Me'n Robbie both. We did a few crop dusting jobs in South Texas and Northern Mexico a couple of summers back and we both studied Spanish in school. It ain't all that hard... Makes a LOT more sense than English does if you ask me... You might be surprised how well we'll get by. They won't confuse us with the natives, but we'll do OK." Then he repeated his words to Salas in Spanish.

Salas laughed. "Damn, Roy, I think you may've said that better in Spanish then you did in English!"

"Yeah, well, thanks, Salas. But Robbie here's even better at it than me. I think that may be b'cuz he listens a lot better'n I do."

Salas turned to Hernandez. "Son, I wouldn't worry too much how you boys are gonna fit in with our guys. I've no doubt, when this is all over with, every man at this table will have proved himself to be indispensable."

The meeting broke up. Scotty and Hernandez drove the flatbed over to mainside. Roy and Robbie went out to the flight line and started their pre flights on the helos.

This time, Salas rode with Robbie, along with Cole, Danny and Scott. Billy and Andy flew with Roy. Roy let Robby fly lead this time. They lifted off for the MCAS mainside MAC terminal. As soon as they set down, Roy called over to the aircraft maintenance line shed and requested assistance for removal and crating of the rotor heads for shipment of the two helos aboard the air cargo jet. There was a maintenance crew on the helos within fifteen minutes of Roy's call.

Admiral Tucker strode out onto the flight line and walked up to Salas. Salas saluted and the Admiral saluted back. "Salas, I've got the dip. clearance for you guys to land in Managua. You can set up a command post right there at the airport. You'll have logistic support via a daily C-130 run from NAS, Corpus Christi, Texas. If there's anything you need, you let me know. Fuchs has a COMM van on its way down here from NAS, Alameda. ETA in about any minute. There's a sat phone for you guys in the COMM van. And here's how to get in touch with me via sat phone. Admiral Tucker proffered a card with his sat phone contact information written on it. Salas took the card and slipped it into his billfold. "Thanks, Admiral. I'll hold onto this."

"Good luck, Salas. You're gonna need it..."

"I've got to get back to Annapolis. My change of command is coming up just over a month from now. I'll look forward to seeing you and your guys there."

"Yes sir."

The two men exchanged salutes and the Admiral walked off. His liaison jet, a T-39 from Annapolis, was inbound and would be in front of the MAC terminal in less than fifteen minutes.

Shortly after the Admiral's departure, the huge Ukrainian Antonov-124 lumbered onto the parking ramp at the MAC terminal. Roy was first onboard and immediately conferred with the flight crew, three of whom were Americans. And the Ukrainians were very fluent in English. Roy got the aircraft load masters and MAC cargo handlers together and orchestrated loading of the two helos, the COMM van and all their gear.

The loading was going smooth as clock work. Both helos and their crated rotor heads went aboard just fine. Then the COMM van went in. But a cable on a loading winch snapped as they were loading an equipment pallet. It would take over half an hour to change out the cable. Roy went over to Salas. "Look, man. I gotta problem..." Roy explained the delay and Salas followed him into the cargo bay of the giant aircraft. By himself, Salas easily shoved the heavy pallet into position and then the load masters secured it to the cargo deck.

Salas winked at Roy, "Now yah see there, Roy. If you'd go along with lettin' us try, mebbe we could fix it so you coulda done that on your own without any help from me."

Roy grunted. "Whatever."

They lifted off at zero six hundred, bound for Managua. All hands were in the passenger compartment on the top level, high above the cargo deck. Billy, Andy, Scotty and Danny sat together. Danny, even though he was the youngest by far, had the most experience among the four boys living as a full-blown superman. That distinction might've gone to Billy, since his genetics were the equal of Danny's but, somehow, in spite of the fact that he had always been phenomenally strong, until Andy had introduced him to Salas, Danny and Cole, he'd never come anywhere near his full potential.

Danny said to his friends, "Guys, I know you've got some idea how strong you are. But it's not over yet. I can see all of us getting stronger every day. And then there's the speed. We're fast, but we keep getting faster. But there's another area we haven't really touched on. Your senses. All of them are very enhanced now. You'll be able to hear things, see things, smell things, even FEEL things you'll think maybe you shouldn't be able to. I gotta figure that's gonna come in handy when we're trying to find people in all that rubble. Just trust your senses, guys... Cuz it'll be real. And it might be hard convincing other people to listen to yah. Cuz they can't hear what you can, see what you can or feel what you can. But, guys, I'm tellin' yah, you gotta 'go with your noses.' They're stronger than anyone else's around..."

"...And Andy, Scotty, I don't want you guys getting worried about either of you two or Billy, Salas, Cole or me gettin' hurt, cuz that can't happen. It's damn near impossible. Andy, you saw me under that section of concrete mezzanine I pulled loose down at the mall. It came right down on top of me and I came up without a scratch. Well, I'm stronger now than I was then and, Andy, believe it or not, now so are you. And even though we're not absolutely indestructible, a collapsing building wouldn't phase any of us. Our only concern should be the people we're trying to save. I know the survival instincts you've built up over a lifetime are gonna be hard to get around. But peoples' lives may depend on your doin' exactly that. You guys gotta be strong and just do it. Andy, yer one ballsey dude. I KNOW you can do that. And you too, Scotty and Billy."

Scotty looked at Danny. "Well, if you catch us slackin' off, Danny, just say the word. And don't worry about hurtin' my feelings. If even one more life could be saved, baby bro. that'd be worth a swift kick in my broad ass..."

Danny winked. "Don't say THAT, big bro. I've seen that bubble ass of yours and it's cute as a button!"

Cole sat with Miguel, Nguyen and LeBlanc. "Well, guys, Salas and I were hoping to spend some time with you before something like this came up. But don't worry. You'll still be able to be make a meaningful contribution to this op. Hernandez, I wasn't with you in Lassiter's HQ last Monday night. But Salas told me all about what you and these guys did back there. He says you've got 'grace under pressure.' Well, there's gonna be a lotta pressure this time around, so you'll have plenty of opportunity to display a lot more of that 'grace' Salas says you guys have got so much of. We're countin' on you guys and I want you to know, all of you, that you can count on us, too. We gotta be there for each other."

The three young Marines nodded.

Roy was sitting with the overseas HF radio operator on the flight deck. He had already been in touch with the red cross aid worker command post at the airport in Managua and spoken to the senior coordinator on the ground there. Ground cargo handlers would be scarce. Aircraft were converging on the airfield and there was a major backlog getting all the aircraft unloaded. Roy walked aft to where Salas was seated. "They've gotta problem on the ground in Managua. A major gum up in getting the cargo aircraft unloaded. I think you know where this is goin', Salas..."

"Yeah, Roy. Looks like we're gonna hafta unload our own stuff..."

"What about those other birds, Salas? Think you and the guys would bear a hand with that, too, before we go out into town and get started on the rescue?"

"Roy, get back on the horn and get me a detailed rundown on the situation. And bring that back to me. I'll get the guys together and we'll go over it. I'll want you to sit in on that. Cuz you'll be the one to run interference for us once we land. If we can help, we'll wanna do that. But it'll be up to you to sell the program to the folks on the ground down there. That might not be as easy as it sounds but you're a fast talker. So's Andy, so you might wanna have him with you when you make your pitch."

"OK, Salas... I got it 'forac' (for action). I'll try to get `em to FAX or TTY us a load masters printout of all the aircraft on the ground and inbound if I can. If not, I'll just transcribe as best I can, with pen and paper... Be back in a few."

In about fifteen minutes, Roy had a printout of all the aircraft then on the ground or inbound into Managua, including their own, their cargo manifests including weight and dimensions of their payloads. He handed it to Salas. "This is what we got on the ground and inbound right now, but there'll be more inbound by the time we get there. I sure hope you and the guys can break loose this logjam."

"OK, Roy. Go lets go ahead and join the rest of the guys and go over these cargo manifests."

Salas gathered the guys around. "Roy here's got our first 'assignment' once we land in Managua. They're way undermanned with cargo off loaders and equipment. So we're gonna offer to lend a hand. You'll each wanna look over Roy's printout. He says there'll be more than this by the time we land but this'll give us a leg up on what we'll be up against...."

The six supermen each glanced at the printout and passed it along. Andy handed it back to Salas. "OK. We got it. We oughta have those aircraft unloaded in no time. Then we can get out into town and start doin' what we really came here for..."

The copilot, an American, not a Ukrainian, walked aft. "OK, men, we'll be landing in about fifteen. You'll wanna go ahead and have a seat and strap in.

As soon as the engines shut down, Salas and his crew clambered down the crew ladder to the main deck. By the time they'd cleared the stair, the cargo doors fore and aft were coming open. The internal loading ramps deployed and the men walked down the tail ramp onto the tarmac. Roy trotted from the foot of the ramp over to a huge tent emblazoned with the red cross emblem and asked for the area coordinator. He spoke to the man in Spanish and asked where they could set up their COMM van and place their equipment...

"Anywhere you can find room... And you said you might have a solution to this cargo offloading logjam?"

Roy answered, "Yes sir. My guys think they can have every aircraft on this field unloaded within the next twenty or thirty minutes..."

The man snorted but Roy cut him off...."

"Just have the aircrews open their cargo bay doors... All of em. And work me up a plan how you want everything staged. We'll take it from there... guaranteed. We'll start off with our own aircraft..."

Roy returned to his party and spoke to Salas in Spanish. "This is Alejandro Gomez, the local red cross area coordinator. I want him to see our guys offload our bird. He's a little skeptical... Andy, you and Danny are the smallest guys in your little group. Whatsay you two handle our offload? Salas, you, Cole, Billy and Scotty. Why don't you guys just standby?"

Danny and Andy blurred into invisibility. They had their entire load neatly lined up alongside the big Antonov in less than a minute. Andy slowed down to normal speed and dragged the second of the two helos down the nose ramp to the tarmac. Then he crouched down and lifted the aircraft over his head and turned to Roy. "Where yah want it?"

Roy turned to Mr. Gomez. "Sir, I think this should give you some idea who you're dealing with here..."

Mr. Gomez was stood there in open mouthed amazement... Roy commented, cool as a cucumber, "Don't worry, sir. The Marines have landed."

The supermen, under Roy's direction had the unloading logjam cleared out in less than twenty minutes. Salas assembled the men and repeated their assignments... "Miguel, Cole, with me... Roy, you and Robbie go with Billy and Andy. Nguyen, LeBlanc, you go with Scotty and Danny. Now let's move out. We'll start off together. I guess once we get a better handle on the situation, we can split up.

There was an urgent call for help with an ongoing rescue not far away. A handful of people, still alive, but trapped in a collapsed building near the airport access road. The group headed out on foot. Cole carried Miguel on his back, Scotty carried LeBlanc, Danny carried Nguyen, and Billy carried Roy and Andy carried Robbie. They blurred into invisibility, reappearing near their objective. They arrived at a large apartment block which had partially collapsed. There was a rescue team working feverishly to free people trapped under the rubble. There were men with jack hammers and others working with pick axes and many with their bare hands, desperately trying to move the rubble aside to get at the earthquake victims. It had been very slow going.

The supermen set their "passengers" down as Salas went up to the man in charge and spoke to him in Spanish. "Sir, we're here to help. If you know where the live ones are, point out the area and let us help you dig them out."

The man led them onto the pile of rubble and pointed out three different locales where there had been signs of life. Salas, Cole, Danny, Billy and Andy mounted the pile of rubble. Salas called down to the man in charge. "Have your men clear out. We'll need a clear area to pitch this debris into. Miguel, that goes for you, too... and Nguyen, Leblanc, Roy and Robbie. All you guys stand clear. I'll call you if I need you..."

Salas turned to the other supermen. "OK, guys, this is where the rubber meats the road. Let's get to it!"

Salas and Cole went to work in one area, Billy and Andy in another and Danny and Scotty in yet another area of the pile of rubble...

Cole and Salas worked like machines, heaving chunks of concrete aside. They excavated down to a heavy slab of concrete. The two men moved to either end of it. Together they lifted it and heaved it off the pile of rubble and out into the street where it shattered. There were three people who had been trapped underneath in a void barely large enough to accommodate them...

Scotty and Danny worked another area of the pile of rubble. They heaved huge chunks of concrete aside until they came upon a young woman pinned by her legs under a large concrete pillar that had toppled over, trapping her underneath. Scotty wrapped his arms around the pillar and started to move it but he stopped. With his super sharp senses, he could feel the resistance. He could easily have pulled the pillar free, but he was afraid of undermining the stability of the pile of rubble. He lifted the pillar very slightly, to relieve the woman of the horrific crushing pressure that had tormented her for the last several hours. He briefly entered her mind and relieved her pain. He 'thought' words of reassurance to her. Even though Scotty knew no Spanish and she knew no English, he was able to convey his thoughts to her past the language barrier. He 'linked' with Danny. "Baby Bro. I don't dare move this pillar any more. If I do, this whole section of rubble is gonna cave on us. Think you could burrow underneath and pull her out from below?"

"Yeah, big bro. I'm on it. Gingerly, but still faster than the normal eye could follow, Danny began to burrow into the pile. He broke through the rubble and found himself in the basement of the building, still largely intact. The room had a very low ceiling. The space was deserted. But across the ceiling, what he saw made his heart skip a beat. There was a heavy concrete cross beam support. It was just beginning to sag. The normal eye would've missed it, but Danny could easily see the stress would soon cause the support beam to fail. With his phenomenally acute vision, he could see tiny stress cracks crawling across the surface of the support beam. Danny was barely tall enough to reach up and support the cement beam with his super strength. His super charged muscles flared, straining against his heretofore loose fitting utility uniform as he set himself against the load. With his mind, through the 'link,' he 'called' up to Scotty... "We got trouble, big bro... I'm down in the basement. I broke through down here and was gonna dig my way back up to that lady. There's nobody down here but me. But I found a horizontal concrete support beam. It's about to fail. I'm stuck down here, holding it in place. I got nuthin' down I would dare pull loose to shove underneath it. And, besides, if I move, this whole mess'll come down around our ears. Look, Scotty, you've gotta call one of the guys over to pull that lady out. I can't move right now."

Scotty linked first with Salas, then with Billy. None of the supermen could come to Danny's aid. They all had 'situations' of their own they were dealing with. Scotty 'thought' to Salas. "Look, man, Danny and I gotta get some help. We've gotta lady over here and she's trapped. We don't get her out fast, we're gonna loose her. I just need an extra set of hands to get down here and pull her out from under this concrete pillar that I'm holding off of her, barely. I don't dare move it any more or there's no tellin' what kinda shit I'll stir up."

Salas thought back, "Who's closest?"

"That'd by Roy. We told him to stay clear, but, as usual, he's climbing all over everything in this mess. He's comin' right toward me."

"I hate ask him, Scott. I can't get up there with you, but if you think he can hack it, call him down after her."

Scotty called to Roy. "Hey, man, c'mon! I need you now!"

Roy was just a little surprised. He'd halfway expected Scotty to try shooing him off the pile of rubble. He scooted over the debris and was at Scotty's side in seconds. He immediately understood the situation. "OK, I got her. He shinnied down into the depression and grasped the woman under her shoulders and pulled her free. He stood, holding her in his arms. He called out at the top of his lungs. "Robbie! Hernandez! I need you guys over here, NOW!"

In a powerful, booming voice, Scotty called out, "Robbie... Hernandez... c'mon guys! Hurry!"

They climbed onto the pile of rubble and made their way to the edge of the pit that Roy was standing in with the lady in his arms. Scott, also in the pit with Roy and the lady, still holding the collapsed pillar didn't dare let go of the pillar until Roy and the lady were clear. He was afraid if he did so that rubble might be shaken loose, only to fall into the pit onto Roy and the lady.

Robbie and Hernandez moved to the edge of the pit and lay prone, reaching down with their arms for the woman Roy was passing up to them. They pulled her clear of the pit and then reached back down and pulled Roy up. Hernandez stooped down, picked up the woman and the three men moved off the pile of rubble. As soon as they were clear, Scotty 'thought' to Danny. "OK, baby bro. It's just me left up here. I'll burrow on down there and see what I can find to prop up that support beam and we'll get you outta there..."

"No, big bro. Don't worry about that. I could let this whole building fall in on me and come out without a scratch. Just see if Billy and Andy and Salas and Cole have pulled their people out. I'll be just fine. Go see if you can give them a hand.

Scotty moved across the pile of rubble and found Salas and Cole. They had just excavated down to a small open space and found a couple of small children huddled together. Their mother lay dead nearby, her lower body crushed by debris. Salas took one of the children, Cole the other and they made their way back to the surface and moved off the rubble down to the street.

Billy and Andy had found a young man pinned between two slabs of concrete, one the floor and the other the ceiling of the room in which he'd been trapped. There was just enough clearance between the two slabs that the boy had survived. He had been so tightly sandwiched that he could barely breathe but, miraculously, he had no more injuries than a few minor cuts and abrasions. Andy easily lifted the ceiling slab and handed it to Billy. Then he pulled the boy to his feet. Andy took him into his arms and leapt out of the depression in the debris pile that he and Billy had excavated, Billy leaping up after him.

When everyone was clear of the Debris pile, Scotty 'thought' down to Danny, "OK, baby bro... All clear. I'm comin' down to get yah."

"No, Scotty. Don't... I'm just gonna let this thing drop. I'll be fine."

Scotty was already burrowing down to the basement, shoveling debris aside with his awesome power. Danny could hear him coming. Momentarily, Scotty broke through. He found Danny, his arms extended over his head supporting the cement cross beam. Danny looked at Scotty and grinned. "Big bro. Yer so hard headed! I TOLD you I'd be OK! Now I guess I'm gonna hafta prove it to you, once and for all. He released his burden. The beam held for about three seconds and then gave way. The ceiling collapsed on Danny and Scotty and thousands of pounds of debris from above shifted and fell into the basement. Both boys were entombed. Danny punched through the debris, probing for Scotty. He found his arm and moved his hand down to Scotty's wrist. He held onto it and exploded upward through the debris, pulling Scotty alongside. They both landed on their feet out in the street. Neither had so much as a scratch on them.

Danny grinned. "See, Scotty boy? I TOLD yah we'd be OK! NOW do you believe me?"

Scotty shook himself off like a wet dog, dust and debris flying off his utility uniform. "Oh wow, baby bro.! This is a whole brand new world! I guess I needed that."

Danny turned to Billy and Andy. I hope you guys saw that. Cuz yer gonna NEED to believe what I told you before. It's not OURSELVES we gotta worry about. It's all these other people. We'll do each other a lot more good if we DON'T worry about any of us gettin' hurt. Cuz that's NOT gonna happen. You guys have GOTTA believe that now."

Roy, Hernandez, LeBlanc and Nguyen joined them. Scotty turned to face them. "Well, guys... looks like you saved our bacon with that lady. I guess any doubts you may've had about what you're doin' here should be gone by the board by now."

Roy had a two way red cross radio strapped to his belt. It hissed and squawked. It was Mr. Gomez. He spoke in Spanish to Roy.

"There is a high rise in the center of town. The building didn't collapse in the quake but the lower floors did give way. There are people trapped on the upper floors and now the building is on fire. Can you come back to the airfield and fly your helicopters over there and pull those people off the roof?

In his nasal drawl, Roy cursed. "Dammit! We gotta get those rotor heads installed! Salas, Robbie and I gotta get back to the airfield, fast! An' Robbie'n I'll need you super dude's help.

Salas said, "OK Billy, each of you guys grab somebody and lets get on back to the airport."

Billy snatched up Roy and Scotty took Robbie. The other supermen grabbed Hernandez, Nguyen and LeBlanc and they all vanished, reappearing alongside the helos. Roy moved alongside the two crated rotor heads and started to release the catches. Billy and Andy came alongside and pulled Roy back. "It's OK, dude. We'll get this..."

"Just be careful, guys. Those rotor heads are very delicate. I'll climb up on the roof. One of you guys get up here with me and I'll talk you through the installation. Robbie, you climb up on top of the other bird and run the show over there."

Scotty turned to Salas. "Man, we could sure move a lot faster if you'd let me do you know what."

Salas nodded. "OK, Roy, hold up. This is decision time. I wouldn't push you guys on this but we got an emergency here."

Roy was about to have a conniption fit. "Goddammit, Salas, we don't have the time for this! We gotta MOVE. We can do this 'confab' bullshit ANY time..."

"Roy, settle down and listen to me... Guys, Roy's already figured out the 'mind thing' Scotty and Andy have goin' on. Miguel, Nguyen, LeBlanc, what Roy knows and I'm about to tell you is another capability we have among us, besides the super strength and super speed we have. Andy and Scotty can 'link' our minds and when they do, we share information. We know what each other is thinking, we can pass along our knowledge, skills, everything, instantaneously. Well, Roy, you and Robbie know how to install a rotor head and these guys don't. But if they did, they could get them installed for you fast."

Roy replied, "Yeah, and I'll bet I know what's comin' next, Salas. That's part of what made Scotty and Andy like you and the rest of these guys somehow, huh."

"Bingo, Roy. Yer right again. I guess by now I shouldn't be surprised at how fast you figure these things out. And I know how you feel about that. I don't rightly know WHY you've been so uptight about this thing, but I'm asking you now to let Scotty and Andy link us all up so you and Robbie can pass along the rotor head installation procedure to all of us. I doubt one time in a 'mind link' would make much difference. At least that's been our experience so far..."

Salas put his hand on Roy's shoulder. "...But, son, I think your fears about yourself are way off base. The very fact that you feel that way shows me you're more than responsible and more than mature enough to handle yourself if this happens to you and Robbie."

Roy didn't even hesitate. "Salas, this is sure as hell one goddamn emergency. And I'll do whatever the fuck it takes to get the job done. And if this super thing takes over with me, I'll find a way to deal. And if I don't, y'all just shoot my ass an' call it a mercy killin'...

Roy turned to Robbie"...I was planning to go over all this with you when I thought the time was right. I wanted Salas to have a chance to look us over, check us out and decide whether we could measure up if we got what these other guys have. But now this thing's caught up with us and we gotta do somethin' with it now. So, would you be OK if it happened to you? Cuz if not, I won't go along with it either. It's up to you, buddy. So whadda yah say?"

Robbie looked down at the ground for a minute. Then he looked up at Roy. "I'm for whatever you decide. I'll go along with you and don't worry, Roy, I won't have any regrets after the fact. I trust you to do the right thing. But we got all these people here to think about. So I for one am tempted to go along with Salas as long as you are."

Salas pumped his fist in the air and said, "Yes!"

"OK, Miguel. That leaves you, Nguyen and LeBlanc. How do you guys feel about this? If we bring you guys into our 'mind link' and do it often enough, we have every reason to believe you'll be affected the same way Scotty and Andy were. And, more than likely, you'll get the mind linking yourselves, something that, so far, hasn't been passed to Billy, Cole, Danny or me."

Hernandez looked at his guys. He turned back to Salas. "OK, Salas, look. You guys link on up and pass your info. Let me get off with Nguyen and LeBlanc for just a minute. We'll be right back..."

Andy linked all the supermen to Roy and Robbie. Within a matter of seconds they had distributed the rotor head installation procedure to all hands in the link. Robbie thought into the link, "Hold up, Andy. Y'all might as well take everything we know about flyin' these birds while we're at it."

Without a word, Andy copied everything Roy and Robbie knew about flying the helos... all their flying skills, distributing that throughout the link as well.

Hernandez and his guys rejoined the group. "OK, Salas, count us in. We'll do our best for you guys. That's all we can say..."

Salas turned to Andy and Scotty. "OK, BOTH you guys establish links among all of us, one link on top of the other. Let's see if this is really what did it for you guys. If it did, if we all STAY linked up, this thing might get passed along to the rest of these guys fairly quickly. And then, at least, we'll know if this really is what did the trick for you two."

Andy and Scotty quickly brought Hernandez, Nguyen and LeBlanc into the link. They too received the rotor head installation procedure and all of Roy's and Robbie's piloting skills. On his own, Andy took the initiative of passing along to Roy, Robbie and Hernandez, and his two guys his skills flying the harrier.

Roy exclaimed, "Oh goddamn, Andy... Thanks! Shit! Fuckin' awesome! OK, Salas... Yer gonna owe me some stick time in the jet as soon as we get back home!"

Salas grinned. "So Andy made a believer outta yah, eh?"

"Fuckin' A, Salas! ...FUCK-IN A!"

Scotty and Danny hopped onto the roof of Robbie's bird. Billy and Andy hopped on the roof of Roy's. Cole uncrated one rotor head and passed it up to Scott. Salas uncrated the other, passing it up to Billy. Both pairs of supermen had the rotor heads installed in under a minute and a half, Roy running back and forth on the tarmac, gesticulating like a maniac, hollering up at them the whole time... "Goddamn, be careful with those fuckers!"

The four supermen hopped down to the tarmac. Danny grinned and said, OK 'cap'n Roy,' all done!

Roy turned to Scotty and Billy. OK, guys you're copilots. You two guys do a quick preflight and then hop into the left seats of your birds. Robbie, the rest of you guys, lets man up. We'll launch as soon as Scotty and Billy get done with their pre flights.

Less than twenty seconds later, the rotors were turning. They were airborne inside of three minutes, headed for downtown Managua.

Heavy black smoke billowed from the high rise. The flames were climbing up the side of the building, spreading to the upper floors. About fifty people had escaped to the roof. Roy went in first. He struggled with the controls, battling the vicious updraft from the flames. He turned to Salas and thought into the mind link. "OK, man, I'm gonna have Hernandez winch you down to the roof. As soon as you touch down, find something solid to hold onto and just hold me steady. I'm gonna set down and load as many of these civilians as I can. All of you guys pile out. I'll need the room. Billy, you too. I'll take a passenger in the copilot seat. That'll give me six people in each load. Hernandez, you stay on board. I'll need you to handle the winch with Salas. Robbie, did you get that?"

Robbie responded through the link, "Yeah, Roy. Roger that. I got Nguyen handlin' the winch over here for me."

Using the outboard winch, Hernandez lowered Salas to the roof. Salas hauled the cable over to a very solid vertical antenna, standing about eight feet tall. Using his awesome strength, he bent over the top of the antenna and wrapped the cable around it. Then, pulling against the powerful updraft, he hauled the helo down to the roof. Everyone except Hernandez hopped out and moved over to where the fifty or so civilians had huddled. Smoke was rising all around the building from the lower floors. The supermen and LeBlanc herded six of the people toward Roy's helo. Hernandez pulled them aboard, one by one. Billy placed a child in the copilot's seat and turned to Salas. "OK, man, all loaded up. Go ahead and untie the cable."

Salas loosened the cable from the antenna he'd just bent over and held onto it. Hernandez reeled it in with the winch and then, through the mind link, 'thought' to Roy. "We're clear, man. OK to lift off."

Roy pulled in on the collective lever, gaining altitude quickly. He nosed his helo away from the building and headed for an open spot down on the street, about half a block away. This would have to do as their landing zone on the ground. Robbie flew into position over the building as Nguyen began to lower the cable down to Salas. His helo was on the roof, boarding his first load of passengers in less than a minute. Salas released the cable from the antenna, Nguyen reeled it in and Robbie lifted off. Now they had four trips apiece remaining to clear everyone off the roof. The turn around was cut in half by the time they managed to get their last full loads of civilians off the roof. There were only two civilians left, both men, along with Salas, Cole, Danny, Billy, Scotty, Andy and Leblanc Flames were now rising up the sides of the building and climbing into the air above he roof line. Buffeting from the updraft was making it very difficult for Roy to maintain control of his aircraft. He was sweating bullets. Hernandez lowered the cable one last time. Salas did not tie the cable to the antenna this time. He bent the antenna over at a right angle, just above the roof line and wedged his left foot under it. He hauled in the cable hand over had and ordered the two civilian men, LeBlanc, Danny, Andy and Scotty into the helo. Billy, Cole and he would be taken off in Robbie's bird, now hovering overhead. The three superboys all refused to leave Salas, Billy and Cole behind. They all insisted on leaving together with Robbie. Roy thought into the link, "Goddammit! You fuckers git in this goddamn mutherfuckin' bird! Every second this bullshit goes on just makes it just that much harder on Robbie, now fuckin' MOVE!"

Danny, Scotty and Andy piled aboard and Roy lifted off, clearing the rooftop landing zone for Robbie. Roy moved his helo away. He transitioned into a hover, nosed his aircraft around, facing the building, affording himself a clear view of Robbie's approach. Through the mind link, he entered Robbie's mind. "OK, bro. we're gonna do this together. I'm with yah all the way! Robbie's bird was rocking and rolling violently. He was barely able to maintain control. Nguyen lowered the cable and Salas wrapped it around his forearm. His foot still wedged under the bent over antenna, he pulled the helo down to the roof and Billy and Cole hopped aboard. Salas had intended to climb aboard and simply snap the cable with his super powered hands, dropping the excess length to the roof to avoid any chance of it fowling the rotor blades, saving Nguyen the time of reeling it in before liftoff. But a small section of the roof gave way underneath him and he fell through, now dangling from the end of the cable, still wrapped around his right forearm, in the midst of a raging inferno. Robbie, because of the 'mind link,' immediately knew of Salas' predicament. He yanked in his collective lever and popped up, pulling Salas clear of the flames and back above the roof line. He continued gaining altitude, screaming in his mind over the link, AND with his voice at the top of his lungs, for Nguyen to reel Salas in. Nguyen was already winching Salas up. When Salas rose alongside the open starboard door, Cole and Billy pulled him aboard. Salas unwrapped the cable from his forearm and Nguyen reeled it up to the stop.

Roy turned and headed back to the airport, Robbie flying form on his lead.

When they'd landed and shut down, Roy hopped out of his helo and ran up to Robbie's just as he was alighting from his bird. He looked past Robbie to Salas and asked, "Are you OK, man?"

"Yeah, Roy, I'm good..."

Without another word, Roy wrapped his arms around Robbie and squeezed him as tight as he could. "I saw your thoughts, Robbie. I know you'd decided you were gonna finish that evac or die in the attempt. I know you hadda follow through... no turnin' back. But goddamn, man, I was scared shitless for you. I think that's about the scardest I've ever been in my whole fuckin' life. I dunno what the fuck I'da done if anything'd happened to you! Shit, man! Thank God everybody's OK. That was so fuckin' close!"

Salas looked at Roy and Robbie. "Thanks, guys! That was great flyin'! All of you guys did great! Now we've got our work cut out for us here. Let's get with these red cross guys and try to get a handle on how we're gonna approach the rest of this rescue op. We're gonna wanna be where the most difficult extractions are. Roy, you and Robbie stay here with the birds. We'll call on you when we need helo support. Hernandez, you and Nguyen stay with Roy and Robbie and be ready to copilot or run the winches. Andy, Scotty, you guys just keep the mind links up among all of us as best you can. We'll probably be split up most of the rest of the time. LeBlanc, you stay with me. Now lets get over to the red cross tent and find out where we're needed most.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (the third)

The guys worked round the clock, non stop for the next three days. It was grueling, frustrating and often heartbreaking work for all of them. Although the supermen were more or less alert and could've done more had there been any need, Roy, Robbie, Hernandez and his guys were bone weary. Altogether, they were responsible for over twenty five thousand rescues, by far the lion's share of all the lives saved in the entire Managua rescue operation.

When they finally secured from operations, Salas ordered Roy, Robbie, Hernandez, Nguyen and LeBlanc aboard their big Antonov cargo jet, which had just returned to Managua to fly them back to El Toro. "You guys get aboard, find a seat and rack out. I know you guys are dead tired. We'll get the helos broken down and load them and all our gear. Roy tried to protest but Salas was firm. "Son, if I have to, I'll just have Danny here tuck you under his arm and haul your young ass aboard the aircraft and strap you down. Enough's enough, young'n. You've done your job. Now let me and these guys do ours.

Roy and the other normal guys were asleep as soon as they hit their seats on board the airplane. They were still fast asleep when they landed at El Toro. Salas, Cole and the superboys unloaded their gear and their two helos and reinstalled the rotor blades. Then they went back aboard the big Antonov. Salas carried Roy off the airplane in his arms. Billy carried Hernandez, Scotty carried Nguyen, and Andy carried LeBlanc. They loaded aboard the helos and flew back to their base, all except Scotty who loaded the flatbed with their gear and drove it off the air station. Once he was clear, he stopped, got out, hefted the truck and ran it back to their base. He was on the ground, waiting as the helos arrived overhead.

Roy awoke as Salas and Billy landed the two helos. By the time the rotors wound down and the engines were shut down, Robbie, Hernandez, Ngueyn and LeBlanc were all awake. Roy was still a little groggy. "Damn! Home again. Seems like we've been gone a million fuckin' years. I know one thing, I'm starvin'! I could eat about nine pizzas right now, all by myself!"

Salas laughed. "Oh no yah don't. Not that. Boy, you're gonna start eatin' right. You guys can all have as many steaks as you can eat, my treat!"

They loaded into the van and Salas drove them to a nearby steakhouse. All the guys, supermen and normals ate up a week's worth of Salas' detective pay. When they were finally done, Roy was surprised at his appetite. "Man! I ain't never pounded down that much chow at one sitting in my whole damn life! Now I can't fuckin' move. Somebody get a wheelbarrow and roll me outta here!"

When they arrived back at the base, Roy led Robbie, Hernandez and his guys back to their quarters and they went to bed.

Salas asked, "Scotty, Andy, do you still have your mind links going?"

Andy answered, "Yeah, Salas, we've been in more or less 'standby' mode nearly the whole mission. We've never broken our links. They're still active. Any one of us could raise the other through the link any time they wanted to."

"Well, can you to guys keep them active until tomorrow morning?"

Andy said, "Well, I know I sure can... How 'bout you, Scotty?"

"I don't see why not."

"OK, both of you. Do exactly that. We're gonna find out tomorrow morning just how much this has to do with transfer of these super traits..."

Danny interjected, "Salas, it might be affecting you and Cole by now. I wonder if you guys might be getting stronger, too."

"Well, Danny, maybe so. I don't really know. So far, none of us born with super strength has assimilated anything from those born normal. Maybe we never will. But I guess we'll find out about that tomorrow morning. Let's all go home and get some rest. At least a little bit of rest. I for one am ready for some sleep. And for me, that's sayin' somethin. I can't remember the last time I was this tired."

Danny said, "Yeah, Salas. Me too. I think I may have finally about reached my limit goin' with zero sleep. I know I could go a good couple of good hours in the rack myself."

As they were about to break up, Salas looked at these young super men once again, Scotty, Danny, Billy and Andy. "Guys, you... and Roy, Robbie, Miguel, Nguyen and LeBlanc... Cole and I are so proud of all of you..." Cole nodded.

"We'll meet back down here tomorrow at zero seven thirty. I wanna see how this 'mind link' has affected our new guys. We've got one more week with you four before school starts. Then we'll hafta shift our routine to accommodate your class schedules. I'm hoping all of you can get your classes lined up so we can spend afternoons and Saturdays together. But, inevitably, our pace will slow down some. This really has been a fast three weeks, since you showed up, Billy. And I guess the real watershed was, when you came along, Andy. I can't believe that was just a little over a month and a half ago! So many things have changed for all of us... And now, we've added five new guys to the mix. Guess we'll have a better idea tomorrow whether this 'mind link' has affected them they way we think it will. I guess that'll drive where we go from here..."

Salas looked at Andy, "...But even if nothing happens on that score, I'll wanna get those guys on some kind of routine to build their strength like we'd planned to do for you and Scotty." Salas looked from Andy to Danny. "Danny, if nothing happens, I'd like you and Andy to wrap up that research you did Sunday before last and get it ready to go. That'll be our backup. I think you all agree now that, as magnificently as our 'normal' guys did down in Managua, if they were stronger, they could do just that much more. That'll always be a big part of who we are and what we do. Of course, I'm kinda lookin' forward to workin' with Roy on all this. He's gonna be a handful. Even if he get's every bit of the potential you guys have from this mind link, I gotta feelin' he may fight it, tooth and nail, but I'll bring him around."

Billy laughed. "Yeah! There goes his excuse to stand on the sidelines and 'supervise' us while he lights up another one of his filterless Camels. But, yah know, I don't remember seein' Roy with a cigarette in his mouth since we first left the airfield down in Managua. Did any of you notice that?"

Salas thought, "Now that you mention it, Billy, I guess I you're right. Of course I wasn't with him the whole time, but, before we left to go down there, I almost never saw him WITHOUT a smoke. And yah know, he didn't light up this evening after we ate and he ALWAYS smokes right after he eats. Hmm... Interesting..."

They broke up. Salas drove away with Danny and Scott. Cole boarded his police cruiser and left. Finally Andy and Billy climbed into ole "Nellie Belle" and headed home.

Billy reached across the seat and took Andy's hand. "Finally, lil. bro."

Andy smiled and said, "Yeah. Finally."

Billy looked at Andy. "Yah know, I've been thinkin'. I still wanna do this thing between us. Sort of a public exchange of vows if you'll do that with me."

Andy looked over at Billy. "Well, I'm just fine with the idea in principle, depending on what you have in mind. I think we oughta talk it over with the moms. And were you thinking of inviting Salas and the rest of the guys or not?"

"I want EVERYBODY there, Andy. The people who really matter in our lives. The people we love and care about and who love us. Just wouldn't make any sense if they weren't there to be a part of it with us."

"Well, I say we talk to 'the moms' first... See what they think. Then we go from there. If our moms go for it, I guess next we better talk to Salas. I'm not too sure about inviting Roy, Robbie, Hernandez, Nguyen or LeBlanc. I guess we oughta play that one by ear."

Billy scratched the stubble on his chin. "Well, Andy, I guess I'd go with whatever Salas' thinks on that one... But I'd sure hate to cut those guys out if they wound up bein' OK with it. I just wish we could invite the Admiral..."

Andy laughed. "Wishes are like 'you know what,' Billy. That ain't gonna happen. We both know we can't put the man in a position like that. He's willin' to turn a blind eye to us as long as we 'cool it' around him. But he could NEVER go that. And it wouldn't be right to even ask."

"Well, I was just sayin' 'I wish.'"

Andy changed the subject, "I wonder how the closing went with the moms. Guess that oughta be a done deal by now. They're gonna wanna get the move done. Mebbe Sunday afternoon, you and I might take a ride over to get us some sticks for the new place and, oh yah, I wanna go back to the old place and get my journal. I'm way behind on that and Salas said my neighbor downstairs, Gloria, has some other stuff for us. I'm gonna miss that gal, kinda. She sorta kept to herself, mostly, but she sure was a good neighbor. Nice of her to take the day off and salvage some of my stuff. I'd like to do somethin' nice for her in return. Mebbe we could ask her if she needs anything done around her place... You know, 'man stuff ' that mebbe she's hadda sorta put off till she could find some guy to give her a hand."

"Well, Lil Bro. Count me in. I'll be right there alongside you... Just in case..."

Andy laughed. "Naw, bro. It's nothing like that. She's just been a real nice neighbor. I don't even know her last name!"

"Yeah, but all the same, I think I'll just come along and see if I can make myself useful as well."

"Yer not jealous are yah, Billy?"

Billy said only half jokingly, "Extremely. I'm jealous of the whole damn world when it comes to you."

"Well, Bill, you don't hafta be. I'm all yours now..."

"Aw, lil bro, I know. And I'm all yours. Really, you do what you hafta do for Gloria. I'll come along or not, whichever you'd rather."

Andy smiled, "Well, likely as not, you'd be the one she'd have eyes for, not me, since yer a helluvua lot better lookin' than I ever was. Mebbe it oughta be ME who's jealous."

"Not on my account, Andy. You've always sold yourself short, lil bro. And I've never understood why. You are the most beautiful human being I've ever known. I've had eyes only for you almost since we first met and I was barely old enough to even know anything about that kinda thing."

"Aw, Bill!" I never knew that."

"Well, it's not like I coulda said anything to you, lil bro. I guess I was way too scared I might run you off. I never woulda thought I hadda chance with you. All you ever talked about to me when we were growin' up was women. But, seriously, didn't you ever wonder why I never went out on any dates in high school?"

"Well, Andy, I guess I never thought about it. And besides, that's not really true. We double dated at least a half a dozen times back in high school."

"Yeah, but never anything serious. No steady girlfriend. Nothin' like that... Lil bro, I've been so in love you all along and I was so afraid I'd scare you off. I think that hadda lot to do with my decision to go off to the Naval Academy. Maybe, subconsciously, I might've figured if I got away from you for awhile, I might settle down and just have some kinda 'normal' friendship with you. Not what I wanted, deep in my heart... but sure a lot better than loosing you. I guess I was fine for the better part of two years. But after last Christmas, maybe, deep inside, I musta known it was a lost cause and I was gonna hafta come home and face the music with you. It all really came to a head for me when I came back up to you on your mom's front porch right after we got back from the airport when you and the moms came out to LAX to pick me up. I've been fairly sure since last Christmas, but right then, lil bro, I knew... I just KNEW I wasn't gonna ever be happy without you. I was about to start cryin' right there in fronta you, God and everybody.

Andy thought for a moment before he said anything. "Well, Bill, I guess everything worked out for the best. Maybe if you'd have come to me sooner, I might not've been ready. But, I do know one thing. I would NEVER have turned on you... NEVER. There was never a time I'd have EVER done anything like that..."

"...Billy, even though it killed me to see you leave, I was so happy for you when you went off to the Naval Academy. I was so proud of you. I always felt I had something to do with your getting serious with your school work way back when. And you being valedictorian and goin' off the Naval Academy made me happier than if I'da done it myself. It just made me feel so validated because you listened to me when I got you to take your studies serious, like you felt what I said really meant something. I know what I just said may not've come out like I wanted it to, but I hope you know what I really mean."

Billy didn't say anything. He just pulled the back of Andy's right hand to his lips and kissed it.

Andy thought to himself, "God, I hope I can learn to be like that for Billy one day. He's just so open and so natural... never afraid to show you how he feels... never afraid of intimacy. I wanna be like him that way so bad."

Andy decided, thinking to himself, "Well, I may look like a fool to him, but here goes. At least I'm gonna give it my best shot..."

"Billy, there's little things you do... Little gestures... Like what you just did... How you do little things to show me how you feel... You have no idea what that means to me... And I know I haven't done much of that for you. I'm just no good at that... Not like you are... But I hope you know, even though I'm lousy at showing you how I really feel, sometimes, I don't take you for granted. And even though I just don't have that gift of showin' it... at least not like you do, I love you with all my heart and soul. I'm nothing without you. Nothing makes any sense to me without you. I'm the luckiest guy I know that you picked ME, of all people, to spend the rest of your life with..."

Billy squeezed Andy's hand. "Don't try to be anything you're not, lil bro. You've made ME the happiest guy I know. I fell in love with who you are. So don't worry about changing anything. Just be yourself. Cuz, lil bro, that's who I'm in love with..."

Andy pulled into Mrs. Hartlander's driveway. There was a 'For Sale' sign in the front yard with a "Sold" sticker slapped diagonally across the face of it."

Andy said, "Well, now we know the answer to one question. The closing's obviously gone through."

"Yeah! Looks like it, lil bro. Guess we'll be in our new 'love nest' before you know it!"

They went inside. Mrs. Harltander ran up to both boys and hugged and kissed them, almost desperately. Billy laughed. "Woah, mom! We were only gone a few days!"

"Oh, Billy! We've been so worried about you and Andy. We heard all the horrible news about what happened. And we knew you two would be right in the middle of all the worst of it. I guess I knew I'm not supposed to worry, but I can't help it." Mrs. Hartlander was close to tears. "Well, mom, you're right. Yer not supposed to worry. It was no pick nick, but Andy and I were never in any danger..."

Andy said, "'Mom,' that's the truth. You really need to KNOW that about Billy and me... We really ARE practically indestructible. And even if we ever DID get injured, well, you saw how fast I healed in the hospital at El Toro. But now it'd be a wonder if Billy or I even got hurt at all! That's just how different we both are from normal. Mebbe I shouldn't tell you this, but a building collapsed on Danny and Scotty... Came right down on `em. They were trapped in the basement when the building fell in. Well, of course any normal person would've been crushed. But they came through without even so much as a scratch. They just busted out through the rubble with nothing more to show for the experience than a lotta dust on their utilities."

"Oh, Andy, I guess I know that. But it's just a mother's instinct to worry about you boys. Now, Andy, I think you better call your mom and let her know you got home OK."

Andy made the call. "Mrs. Partlowe was relieved, of course, but a bit less agitated than Mrs. Hartlander had been." Andy rung off, promising he'd drop by to see her sometime tomorrow.

Billy asked, "Well, mom, I guess the closing went OK. And from the sign out front, it looks like you've already got the house sold. When's the move?"

"Whenever you boys are ready. You tell me..."

Billy turned to Andy. "This Sunday afternoon OK?"

"Yeah, that's OK, as long as you don't mind 'campin' out fer a few days.' We still need to get us some 'sticks.'"

Mrs. Hartlander said, "Well, until you do, your mom and I will loan you a few things so you won't hafta eat and sleep on the floor over there..."

Andy replied, "Well alrighty then... It's a date. I'll arrange to rent us a truck. Billy and I will wanna do the move at night. We can move faster that way without worrying about a lotta pryin' eyes. You and mom just go out and see a movie or somethin'. When you get back, we'll have everything all set up. And, yeah, we know, you'll want a lotta the stuff moved around..." He laughed, pulled up his sleeve and flexed his steel hard bicep. "Yah gotta coupla real strong dudes here... at yer service, ma'am."

Billy laughed. "Showoff!"

Andy grinned, "Well, some of us got it... an' some of us don't."

Billy shifted behind Andy, dug his fingers into his ribs and started to tickle him. This time it wasn't so easy to hold him fast. Andy was so strong. But Billy was still bigger and stronger and had Andy doubled over laughing hysterically. "Awright, awright!!! I give! I give!"

Salas dropped Danny off and headed home with Scott...

Danny went inside. "Hi mom, I'm home."

Mrs. Henderson ran up to her son and hugged him. "Oh, Danny, thank God... I knew you'd be OK, but it's really been hard sitting here at home, wondering exactly where you were and just what you were doing... I mean, your dad and I knew you were with Salas and Scott down in Nicaragua helping with the rescue, but that's all we knew the whole time you were gone..."

"Aw mom, I wish you wouldn't worry yourself like that. You oughta know by now there's nothing to worry about with me... ever. I just can't get hurt like everybody else. And, besides, Salas'd never let me do anything really stupid. He and Scotty and the rest of the guys are always lookin' out for me. It's not like it used to be at all. Now it's like I got five big brothers with me all the time. I never had that before, yah know."

"Well, Danny, I'm just glad you're home safe. I promise I'll TRY not to worry. But that's the best I can do."

Danny hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. "That's OK, mom. Yah know, I'd be lyin' if I denied it. In a way, I'm really glad you worry so much about me. Feels good knowin' that. I love you, mom... You and dad both."

"Your dad is in his study. Why don't you go in and say 'hi' to him. He'll be so glad you're back home, safe'n sound."

Danny walked in on his dad. Mr. Henderson peered over his half lens reading glasses. His distance vision was still perfect, but he'd been obliged to wear reading glasses for about the last year or so. He stood up, walked around his desk and embraced his son. "Welcome home Dan. I'm glad you're back. Your mother was worried, as usual."

Danny asked, "And how `bout you, dad?"

"No. Of course not. I know you can take care of yourself a lot better than we ever could..."

"Oh, dad, please don't think that! If you only knew... If you only knew what you and mom mean to me... I know I never showed it much before. But I meant what I said the other night. From now on, I'm really gonna try..."

"Don't fault yourself, son. I just wish your mom and I had been able to do more for you. But we've just never had what it takes. We haven't since you were a little boy. You were always just so strong and so smart. I can't imagine how frustrated you must have felt with your mom and me."

Danny looked into his father eyes. "I think it was the other way around, dad. But I'm telling you. That ends, right now." Tears welled in his eyes. Danny dropped to one knee and took his dad's hand in both of his. It was the most extreme gesture of submission he could think of to his father's authority, as man of the house. Danny looked up at his father. "You're the dad. I'm the son. You're in charge around here. Not me. And, dad, I promise you. I will NEVER give you cause to doubt that, ever again. Oh, God, dad... I love you and mom so much..."

Mr. Henderson pulled his son to his feet and hugged him again and said, "Welcome home, son. I just thank God you're OK."

"Thanks, dad... Well, now that's settled... I'm asking for your PERMISSION to keep working with Salas and the other guys. But, dad, I'll stop if you want me too."

"Well, son, I know that might make your mom happy, at least for a little while. But she'd regret it in the long run. No, Danny. You have to follow your destiny. I think Salas, Scotty and the other men in that group have been the best thing that's ever happened to you. I can see the difference in you. And it's not just that you're getting older and more mature. Maybe that IS part of it. But, Danny, there is no way we'd be having a conversation like this, if it weren't for those men coming into your life. I'd have to be out of my mind to ask you to give that up."

"Thanks, Dad. I think I'll go to bed. Believe it or not, I'm dead tired."

"Danny? Tired?" Mr. Henderson smiled at his son's rare concession of even that much weakness.' "Sleep tight, son."

As Danny backed out of the room, Mr. Henderson wondered. "Have I EVER said that to him before?"

Salas and Scotty pulled into the driveway. They were home.

They went inside and Salas dropped to the sofa. "Man, I am beat. I can't remember ever bein' this tired!"

"Get some rest, Salas. You'll feel better after a couple of hours sleep."

"You too, Scott."

"Yeah, Salas. You got that right!"

Scotty started for his room but Salas called him back.

"Scotty..."

"Yeah, Salas."

"I'm proud of you, son. And I love you. G'nite Scotty... Sleep tight."

"I love you too.'dad.'"

Scotty turned and walked to his room, stripped off his utilities and fell into bed.

Salas smiled to himself. Stretched out on the sofa and dropped off to sleep.

Saturday (the third)

Salas had slept soundly for about two hours. Then he got up, made a pot of coffee, pulled out his notebook PC and logged into the LAN server back at the base. He tapped out an after action report to the admiral and released it for immediate transmission. He knew Roy would probably have a rough draft of his own prepared for him by the time he arrived at the base at zero seven thirty, but he wanted to do this one himself. He appended his report with two requests. He hoped the admiral would go along with them.

(to be continued)

Comments welcome. TagsNOLA@lycos.com