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

Salas dropped Danny off at his house. Rather than going inside, he waited for Salas' car to disappear around the corner and then he vanished. He reappeared not far from the Scheinburgs' home. It was situated inside a fashionable, predominantly Jewish, gated community in Santa Ana. Danny had easily leapt the fence surrounding the neighborhood.

He approached the Scheinburg residence. With his super sensitive hearing, he identified the window of Miriam's room on the second floor. There was a roof ledge just outside her window. Danny leapt onto it and rapped on the glass. Miriam pulled up the window blind... She was startled momentarily, but then she recognized Danny. She laughed...

Miriam opened the window and motioned for Danny to join her inside. As he entered through the window, she stepped across the room and locked her bedroom door.

"Well! It's YOU! Thank you for the roses. They're lovely!"

Danny smiled. "They're from all of us. Thanks fer coverin' for us."

"It was the least I could do. After all, you did save our lives."

"You handled those news guys like a pro... You made `em look a little stupid, as a matter of fact."

Miriam smiled. "Well, that wasn't hard. Most of the time they do that to themselves. They really didn't need MY help for that."

Danny giggled. "Yer a tough little gal! Yah know that?"

"Maybe sometimes, I guess. But only when I hafta be. I have my soft'n gentle side, too... Like you. What's yer name?"

"Danny Henderson."

Miriam smiled. "I'm Miriam Scheinburg. Nice to finally meet you, Danny."

"Well, Miriam, I already knew YOUR name. That's how I found you..."

Miriam laughed. "Of course! Silly me..."

Danny looked at the girl. "I love to hear you laugh."

Miriam looked down for a moment. She kept her head down but looked back up with her dark eyes. Her face was as lovely as a porcelain doll's. Her hair was long, very straight, dark and glossy. She had long eyelashes. Danny could tell she would grow and mature into a heart breaker.

He said to her. "I only wish you were a little older, Miriam. But I'd wait for yah... Really, I'd wait for yah, till we were both old enough...

Miriam laughed, but it was sweet laughter. "My goodness... A gallant young superman comes through my window and asks for my hand! ... And I'm only nine!"

Danny's eyes dropped to the floor. "I guess you think I'm a fool, huh Miriam."

She smiled. "Well, if you are, it's really sweet that you'd be willing to make a 'fool' of yourself over me."

Danny grinned. "Well, Miriam, I guess I figured I'd better come on over here and stake my 'claim' early on.... Cuz it won't be long before the 'competition' comes along and then I'd be just one of many..."

Miriam smiled again. "Oh what a charmer you are! ...You must be Irish!"

"Naw... We're Norwegians, on both sides. 'Squareheads' all the way!"

Miriam laughed. "Oy gevault! A blond haired, blue eyed goy! ... Alone with me in MY room! Mom'n dad would have such a fit!"

"Oh?"

"Well, the thing is, Danny, our family is Orthodox. We are very observant Jews. On Saturdays, we WALK to the shul down the street. Don't let all these suburban trappings fool you. My parents are VERY traditional. My life was all planned out not long after I was born. My marriage is already all arranged.... I've known the boy I'll marry someday since I was little. He lives just down the block. His dad's the cantor at our synagogue. It's a good marriage for our families."

"Your FAMILIES?"

"Well, we don't just marry the boy. We marry the family. That's how it is in our tradition..."

"You mean you'd marry who your parents told you to? ...Even if you didn't love the boy?"

"Oh but, Danny, I DO love him. We're best friends... almost like brother and sister now. But we'll learn to love each other as man and wife when the time comes. He's such a sweet, gentle boy. Like you are now... And he's strong, too, and very athletic... Nothing like you that way, of course. But he's a soccer star at school... Not your typical Jewish bookworm, even though he's got more brains in his little finger than I do in my whole head. Of COURSE I love him. He's like my 'protector' at school, since he finally started growing... Used to be, I was bigger than he was and I hadda watch out for him! But now, he takes care of me. You saw him. He sat right next to me on the roller coaster! You saved him, too! You saved us both. Maybe one day, we'll name one of our children after you... 'Daniel.' ...That's a great name. Do you know who Daniel was?"

Danny smiled. "Of course."

Danny nodded. "...Oh yeah! THAT boy! He wouldn't let me take him down till I'd gotten everyone else. He INSISTED on being the last one off. And, Miriam, what he did up there... He just took charge and kept all those other kids calmed down. And he was passin' the little ones outta the car into my arms as I came up to get `em... and he kept makin' the other kids change their seats to keep the load balanced. I'm not sure I could've brought that rescue off without his help. So THAT'S the boy yer gonna marry some day?"

Miriam nodded. "Uh huh... That's my Ari. He's always been like that. He's so brave."

"Yes, like YOU were, Miriam. You're a very brave gal yourself."

"Well, Danny, thank you. And thank you again for saving both our lives. Thank you for saving ALL my friends... We'd be dead if it weren't for you and your friends. You really DID change from that day at the mall..."

Danny lowered his eyes. Then he looked back up at Miriam. "Well, I sure HOPE so. I'm not too proud of what I did that day... And I'm sorry for what I put you and all those other people through."

"I know you are, Danny. You know, mom and I never told anybody about what happened that day... Not even dad. But I DID tell Ari. And yah know what he told me?"

"What?"

"He told me I should pray for you... pray that you would find your way... He said you must've been very hurt and confused to do what you did. And, Danny, Ari prayed for you too... He has such a beautiful soul. I really do love that boy..."

Miriam laughed at herself. "Now look who's acting like a fool... I'm only nine and already I'm talking like I'm an ole married woman!"

Danny smiled. "Just my luck. Ari's one lucky dude! I envy him. But, I guess if it couldn't be me, I'm glad you gotcha a great guy like him!"

"Well, Danny, I know you're a bit older than Ari or me. His tenth birthday was only three months ago. And I won't be ten until next month. But I hope you'll stay in touch. I'd love for you and Ari to meet each other. You're a lot alike in so many ways. I think you two would really hit it off!"

Danny grinned. "I'll make a point of it, Miriam... I'll make sure I stay in touch with you. And, of course, I'd love to meet Ari."

Miriam took Danny's hand. "I know there's a young lady out there somewhere for you, Danny. Just the right one... And she'll be one lucky girl. I guess in some ways I envy her. Cuz you'll be one great catch! Maybe I can be one of her brides maids..."

"... Uh oh! There I go again! Talkin' about marriage when here I am... not even ten years old! I guess you've figured out by now, I've got pretty much of a one track mind."

Danny smiled. "Well, I guess we're both kinda young to be talking like this. But I HADDA come over here an' meet you, Miriam. Yer one special gal. And, yah know, you got this way aboutcha. You really know how to make 'no' sound almost as good as 'yes.'"

Miriam laughed. "My mother taught me that... She certainly tells ME 'no' often enough. So I've had plenty of chances to learn that from her."

"Well, Miriam, I promise I won't be a stranger... Sure I'll stay in touch... Mebbe you and Ari and I can hang out sometime..."

"Any day but Saturday... We stay close to home between sundown Friday night till sundown Saturday."

Danny smiled. "Yeah, 'shabbos,' huh..."

"Very good, Danny! ...I see you know a little something about our traditions!"

"Yeah, a little, I guess."

Danny kissed Miriam tenderly on her cheek, hopped out the window, turned back, waved and smiled again. And then he was gone.

Salas drove up to the house with Scotty, Alexi and Ivan. Again, Scotty offered Alexi his car keys. Again Alexi accepted. "Go git `er, tiger," Scotty said to Alexi as he handed off the keys.

Ivan added. "I shall wait up, younger brother. I will have my calendar ready. I shall want to mark down the date."

Salas nodded. "Just make sure you two don't sneak off to Vegas tonight!"

Alexi gave Salas a blank look. Ivan laughed. "That is where these Americans sometimes go to elope!"

Alexi grinned. "We shall have a church wedding here in Southern California. I know Gloria will insist upon that. And then I shall carry her off to Yekaterinburg. Perhaps we shall wed during my visit back here this Thanksgiving!"

Alexi turned and walked out the door.

He arrived at Gloria's and knocked. She answered right away. She had been waiting for him. She smiled and invited him in. Alexi entered, closed the door behind him and they kissed.

"If you like, I will drive us in Scotty's car to a restaurant where we can have supper. But I do not know my way around. So, you shall have to choose..."

"I know a little Italian place not far from here. If you're OK with that..."

"I am fine with anything Gloria... We will go there... if you will direct me as I drive us there..."

They arrived and went inside. Business in the restaurant was light. They were ushered immediately to a secluded table.

They chatted a bit, told one another a little more about themselves, just getting better acquainted. They ordered, ate and then ordered coffee.

Alexi looked into Gloria's eyes. "I have never done this before, Gloria. Actually, I am quite innocent of any such thing as this. When we were younger, between us, it was my brother who was the 'man of the world.' I was a leader in Komsomol and, to set a good example, I was always a conscientious practitioner of strict socialist morality. So please forgive me if what I say lacks a certain polish... I am sorely lacking in experience."

Gloria smiled, reached across the table and took Alexi's hand in hers. She gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I will be direct. This is the only way I know. Gloria, I have fallen hopelessly in love with you. I cannot bear the thought of living my life apart from you. And I ask that you come back to Russia with me.... as my bride."

Gloria took a deep breath. All she said was "Yes!"

She said this over and over again, several times. No other words... just "Yes!"

Alexi said, "Gloria, you have made me the happiest man alive. I will endeavor to make you glad of your decision. I want nothing more than to make you happy. But, you must understand, our lives will be hard... At least, harder than you have been accustomed to here in Southern California. Yekaterinburg is not Orange County. It is not a bad life, to be sure, but it is a far cry from here. Life with me will not be as comfortable and as easy as it might have been with some other man you could have chosen... some well to do American business or professional man. I live on a modest income. As a married officer in our navy, we can expect adequate but not sumptuous living accommodations... Nothing like what you might've expected or thought you deserved..."

"Alexi, you know I've lived for a year in Yekaterinburg. I know the conditions there. I am ready to follow you where ever you go. And I know your duties will take you away from me, much of the time. But I will always wait for you till you come home. I would rather have a little of your time than all of any other man's. I promise you, Alexi, I won't disappoint you. I won't hound you about all the separation that comes from being a navy wife. I know something of that life My father was a naval officer before he retired. You might be surprised at how well I adapt." She smiled.

Alexi nodded. "Perhaps, Gloria, a part of me has sensed that all along. A part of me has known from the moment I first saw you that we were meant for each other. Now let us go. We must find you a ring. I want to take you to see my brother and my friends Salas and Scotty. And, tomorrow to my other friends out at their base. I cannot wait to tell them you are to be my bride and invite them to our wedding. And, we must set a date..."

Gloria smiled again. "Well, Alexi, I am ready whenever you are..."

"Then we shall wed in November, during your Thanksgiving holidays. My men and I will return here, along with my brother. We will spend the holiday here with Salas and his men. He is planning a gathering of all my men and his men and their families for Thanksgiving day. We will marry either just before or just after that. I assume you will want a church wedding and I want this as well. And I want to meet your family and ask your parents for their blessing over our marriage."

Gloria smiled. "Well, Alexi, after dad recovers from his shock at my decision to marry a Russian naval officer, you and he will become great friends. And, of course, my mother will fall in love with you. Perhaps we can drop by there before we go to Salas'."

"Very well, then. First we will find a ring. Then you will take me to meet your father and mother. And then, we will go to Salas' to see him and my brother and Scotty. And, tomorrow, Gloria, I would like us to stand in front of all the young men at the base and tell them of our decision to wed."

Gloria's father was a bit taken aback, at first. But, very quickly, he and Alexi found common ground. As Gloria had predicted, Alexi had bowled her mother over. "I cannot imagine a better man for you, Gloria!" she gushed. "How strange that he's from Russia of all places! But, providence is strange that way!"

Alexi drove them to Salas'.

Ivan was profuse in his congratulations to the happy couple. "Well, my brother, you have made an excellent choice! ...Gloria, I am honored to welcome you to the Milkuyin family! I wish you and my brother every happiness and many, many children to carry forward the family name!"

Salas and Scotty joined Ivan in hearty congratulations. Salas spoke first to Alexi. "What a miracle that you two found each other. I'm so glad this happened this way. I'm happy for both of you... When's the wedding?"

"We plan to marry here in Southern California this November during Thanksgiving holidays. It seems there will be one more 'family' now, to celebrate this 'family holiday' with all of you. And perhaps we can make this 'Thanksgiving in America' a Milkuyin family tradition every year. I certainly hope so!"

Scotty smiled. "Alexi, Gloria, I'm as happy as can be for you. And I can't wait till the rest of the guys hear the news. They'll be happy for you, too. But I doubt, after last Saturday night, anybody'll be too surprised."

Alexi and Gloria acknowledged the congratulations. Salas, Ivan and Scotty admired Gloria's engagement ring. It was very tasteful, though not ostentatious, befitting Alexi's relatively modest, though adequate, income as a Russian naval officer.

Alexi took Gloria home in Scotty's car. They kissed goodnight at the door. Alexi said, "I will be here tomorrow afternoon at one to pick you up. We will go to the base and make our announcement to the rest of our friends."

Gloria smiled. "I'll be ready, my Alexi."

Tuesday (the fifth)

Roy was on the phone all morning. He would make good on his plan to have that YaK-141 sitting on the tarmac at mainside before it was time for Alexi to leave. He bypassed all the normal channels, calling direct to Alexi's base outside Yekaterinberg. He spoke with Alexi's deputy, Starshii Leytenant (senior lieutenant) Yakov Shaposhnikov, and explained his idea for a trade, "one of our harriers for one of your YaK-141's." Shaposhnikov was skeptical.

Roy responded to Shaposhnikov, "Let me talk to your supply NCO."

By noon, pacific time, Roy and Michman (warrant officer) Maxim Dmitrov had wended their way through their US and Russian networks and set up the trade. A two-seat YaK-141 had been launched and was en route to Southern California. Before takeoff, the Russian supermen had modified the midair refueling system to conform to US standard and Roy arranged US Air Force KC-135 mid air refueling rendezvous for an over the pole hop from Yekaterinburg to El Toro mainside. The Russian supersonic VSTOL tactical aircraft would be waiting on the El Toro transient ramp by close of business that afternoon, alongside the two seat harrier that Alexi would fly home, via Andrews Air Base outside Washington. Alexi and Ivan would NOT be flying commercial air back to DC.

Roy smiled to himself. "If only I coulda suckered Alexi into that lil' wager... Oh well, yah can't have everything."

At 1400, Salas arrived with Alexi, Gloria and Ivan. Shortly after, Scotty drove up with Billy, Andy and Danny in tow. Everyone had mustered in the conference room except for Roy. He was still on the phone in his office. He was last to enter the room. He nodded to Salas. "Sorry I'm late, boss... Just some last minute stuff on the phone..."

"No problem, Roy. Alexi and Gloria have an announcement to make."

Alexi and Gloria stood side by side as Alexi made the announcement. "As all of you know, Salas has invited my men, my brother and me to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with you... and we will come back here to celebrate with you. I have asked for Gloria's hand in marriage and she has accepted. She has made me a very happy man. I especially thank you, Billy and Andy. If it were not for you, Gloria and I might never have met!"

Billy and Andy grinned at Alexi. Billy spoke for them. "We're glad you came and stood by us on our special day, Alexi. And we can't wait to stand with you two for yours."

Then Billy spoke to all of them. "Andy and I wanna thank all of you for last night's surprise! And it really WAS a surprise! Thanks, you guys! That's all I can say... Thanks! You guys are... well, you guys are all... are all.."

Andy smiled, "What I think Billy's tryin' to say is that you're the best buncha guys in the world. Thanks so much for all that furniture, it's awesome! But, even more, thanks, you guys, for standing with us last Saturday night! It means so much to Billy and me that you were there for us..."

All the guys grinned at Billy and Andy. Then, each and all, they congratulated Alexi and Gloria. Everyone looked forward to Thanksgiving when they would all be together again...

The meeting broke up and the guys began to make their way out the door. They planned to make their way to the shop. Since Gloria and Ivan were with them, they would drive, rather than run over there. As they made their way to the cars, Andy took Danny aside.

"Danny, I wanna apologize to you for yesterday. I am so sorry for how I acted. I want you to forgive me for that."

Danny looked at Andy, surprised. "Apologize? For WHAT, Andy? For not wanting to hurt me? Even though you oughta know by now, we could never have hurt each other with what we were doin'... Hey, I'd never have sparred with you if there was any chance of that. But you just couldn't bring yourself to put that to the test, couldja, Andy... Just like you couldn't bring yourself to shoot at me back at the mall that day... And you think that's something you hafta apologize for?"

"I just wanna make sure you and I are OK, Danny."

Danny smiled. "Andy, you and I will ALWAYS be OK. Cuz yer my bro an' I love yah dude!"

"Thanks, Danny... Thanks."

"Now, Andy, I'm PT 'czar' in this outfit, so I'm gonna make you 'climb back up on that horse.' You and I are GONNA spar again. And don't think I'll hold back on you. I'm gonna give it everything I got. And I want you to gimme all you got. But, Andy, I wouldn't hurt you. It'd take a lot more than you and me sparrin' for either of us to do any real damage to each other. And even if, by accident, we did get hurt... well, we just heal up so fast. So, Andy, next time, try to get ahold of that. And if you get close to freakin' next time, well, just come inside my head. Then you'll feel what I feel, and know what I know. I really want you to use that with me, any time you need it. Cuz I want you to know... I want you to FEEL... we'll both be OK."

"OK, Danny. Mebbe I'll try that next time, if I need it."

That afternoon, Roy, Robbie, Hernandez, Nguyen and LeBlanc each had another go at the boiler. They got their times under ten minutes this time. Then it was Alexi's turn and he beat EVERYBODY's time! ...Even Billy's!

They all mangled I-beams, exploded grenades in their palms, pitted their strength against powerful machine tools, mutilating drill presses, lathes and hydraulic stamping machines and then restoring them to factory new condition, all with their bare hands. By now, Ivan was becoming used to this, but Gloria was just a little intimidated at what these supermen, all of them, could do. She'd had some idea that none of them were quite normal, but she wasn't prepared for the extent of their strength and abilities. As they prepared to wrap up, she approached Alexi a little unsteadily. "Well, I knew something about what you men are capable of but, really, I wasn't ready for what I saw you do today. Frankly, it's almost frightening."

Alexi took Gloria into his arms. "There is no need for fear, Gloria. As your great President F. D. Roosevelt once said, '... There is nothing to fear but fear itself.' And I promise you, Gloria, on my life, I will never do anything with my strength that you could not be proud of."

"Of course you wouldn't, Alexi. I know that. It's just that I didn't understand HOW strong all of you really are. It's just something of a shock, that's all."

"You will get used to it."

"I suppose I will, but it might take some time..."

Alexi smiled tenderly. "Well, Gloria, we DO have the rest of our lives together. So you will have plenty of time."

The phone in the lunchroom rang. Roy had been expecting this call. He picked up. "Yes? ...OK, we'll be right out..."

Roy said, "OK, guys, it's here."

"What's here?" Salas asked.

"The YaK, of course. It's waiting for us at the transient line over at mainside. There's quite a little commotion over there. The bird entered US air space with valid 'dip clearance,' but I guess somebody messed up reporting the aircraft type to transient line at mainside. I think those big red stars on the twin tails of the bird kinda threw the guys on the ramp..."

"... Oh, and Alexi, Ivan, your two-seat harrier is waiting for you alongside the YaK. Alexi, you can fly Ivan back to DC tomorrow. You'll land at Andrews. Then, when you're ready to launch for your flight back home, call me back here and I'll arrange en route tanker support and 'dip clearance' for your transit across the European states and on into Russian air space."

Alexi shook his head. "Salas, where did you FIND this young man? I may well take HIM back home with me along with Gloria!"

Salas laughed. "Well, actually, Alexi, HE found us. I'll hafta tell you that story some time. But as for taking him back home with you... over my dead body!"

Roy grinned at Alexi. "Well, it wasn't just me. You gotta good man back at your base in Yekaterinburg. Warrant Officer Dmitrov, your supply officer. He's a good man and I'd never have brought any of this off without his help. It took us both workin' together, pullin' the strings, him on his end and me on mine, to make all this happen. I'm can't wait for my first face to face with him."

Alexi said, "Well, Dmitrov is a competent and resourceful young officer. Very conscientious. But, frankly, I would not have thought he could persuade our people to agree to this trade of aircraft.

Well, Alexi, the request went out from your base over YOUR signature. Higher Naval Headquarters in Moscow seems to be VERY accommodating to any request signed by you.

Alexi smiled. "MY signature??? I shall have to keep a closer watch on young Maxim Dmitrov..."

"Naw, Alexi, I'd just give him his head if were you. Just let `im play his game like he's been doin'. Yah don't wanna queer the do... I think I know how that guy thinks. He'd go through fire for you and your guys. And, this was interesting to me. Come to find out, he's a 'normal.'"

Alexi nodded. "Yes, Roy. For now he is. But if this mental gift is imparted to me before time for Ivan and I to leave tomorrow, I intend to change that at the earliest opportunity."

"Well, Alexi, mebbe you better wait an' let me get over there before you do that. I think I gotta feel for this guy, Maxim, and, hey, he's liable to freak if somebody doesn't 'prep' `im real good first. I sure as hell freaked when it happened to me. I'd like to be there for him when you do that. Cuz I get a feelin' he's a lot like I was... Kinda likes things the way they are.... workin' for you Russian super guys without bein' one himself."

Alexi chewed on that. "Well, until now, this has not been not an option. I have never addressed this matter with him. But I think he and the rest of us might be better served if he were to have our special capabilities imparted to him."

"You're probably right, Alexi. But I still think he'd still have a major adjustment if you did that for him. Like I said, I sure as hell did and I'm STILL adjusting..."

Alexi looked closely at Roy. "Would you 'go back' if you could?"

"Well, I guess a part of me might like to... Guess I'll always envy normals in some ways... for the rest of my life... but, no. All in all, I don't think so.... hasn't been all that long for me, but there's already way too much water under the bridge for me to ever go back, even if I could. Besides, I got certain things I can do that let me hold onto some of the things I used to have as a normal." Roy grinned broadly. "Oh, Salas, I found a way to get my old golf game back."

Salas raised his eyebrows. "Oh? How'd you manage that?"

"Well now, it's not perfect, mind you, but it's close. Nothin' much I can do about how tough my body's become... and my endurance. Hey, that's just there. So, whenever I play... walkin' my round, carryin' my bag'll never mean much... not like it used to. No way to get away from the super endurance. But, hey, I found I sorta hafta 'tap into' the super strength, agility and senses. So, whenever I play, I just won't do that... I can just run sort of a 'bypass' around all that. Last night I took my sticks outside and knocked some balls around and, hey, it was almost like ole times! Looks like I got my game back, more or less. I'm guessin' I'm prolly down to about a three handicap. Not much I can do about that. I can't get it back to eighteen. But, hey, three over par... that's still a fair test of golf for me. So now I can almost have my cake'n eat it, too!"

Salas grinned. "Wow, Roy! That's great. I know how much that means to you. I'm glad you found a way to go back to it!"

"Yeah, Salas. Me too... That's what I'm talkin' about, Alexi. That's why I wanna get next to Maxim before you try changin' him. You guys who were born this way prolly can't do what us 'newbies' can, bypassing the super strength and sort of 'shutting it off.' Y'all never lived as normals, so you don't know too much about what that's like to BE normal. I think I'm the man to help Maxim figure out how to deal."

Alexi said, "Well, Roy, I am reluctant to wait. And we Russians tend to be a bit more stoic than you Americans. I would like to have him ready by the time we return here for our visit during the Thanksgiving holiday..."

"Yeah, well, mebbe Maxim might be a bit more 'stoic' about getting all this than I was. But that don't mean he wouldn't be all torn up on the inside. Mebbe we oughta get TAD orders cut for me to your base. Or y'all could send Maxim TAD over here. B'sides. He an' I need tah hook up anyway, either here or over there. We wanna get our heads together on the two birds... The YaK and the harrier. We're gonna pull `em both apart, rivet by rivet. We wanna try and rig a hybrid prototype, with the best features of both aircraft. We've already skulled out a basic concept. We want a new bird with the speed and agility of the YaK and the advanced avionics, weapons systems and better range of the harrier. And we want the new bird to double as a transport so we can haul all our guys where ever... in a fast really agile VTOL bird. ...Take some doin', but between me an' Robbie and Maxim, I think we could bring it off..."

Salas asked, "You really think you guys can do that?"

"Dunno fer sure, Salas. But, yeah, I'm thinkin' it's feasible. There's lotsa ways either bird could be improved. And even if we never got us the perfect airplane outta this, I'm sure we could get a lot more outta the YaK and the harrier than the original equipment manufacturers ever did... at least for OUR mission. Not that either the YaK or the harrier is such a bad bird. It's just that neither aircraft was really designed to support our mission. Only reason we went with the harrier and the Russians went with the YaK is because they're VTOLs. Neither one is all that good a bird... at least not for what WE need. Both have fairly short range. Neither type is all that good as a tactical weapons platform. Kinda limited overall. And even thought it's supersonic, the YaK is still kinda slow for a tactical jet... and neither bird can carry all that much in the way of weaponeering or payload."

Alexi said, "Well, Roy, I for one would be curious to see what you, Roy and Maxim come up with."

Roy nodded. "Well, lets all get on over to mainside. I can't wait to see the new toy.

They arrived at the transient line. The Russian aircraft was surrounded by curious marine aviators and ground maintenance techs. The Russian naval aviator was standing by to hand the aircraft over to Alexi who would, in turn, hand it over to Salas. Alexi took custody of the YaK and signed it over to Salas. Then Salas assumed custody of a two seat fleet harrier and signed it over to Alexi. Roy spoke to both Alexi and Salas. "OK, guys, I already gave Alexi all I know on the harrier and he's given me all he's got on the YaK. But now we gotta get that distributed to the rest'a y'all. I'll 'link' everybody up..."

Roy did so and in seconds, Alexi had conveyed his knowledge of the YaK to the other American supermen and, just for good measure, Salas had given Alexi all his knowledge of the harrier, even though Roy had already done this.

Salas turned to Roy. "OK, boy. Yer the one who engineered this swap on our end. So you'll have the honor of the first hop. Alexi, I'd like you to go along with him. Let's just make sure this info transfer was effective."

Alexi agreed. "Yes, Salas, I believe that is best. I will fly with you, Roy. And then you and I can fly together in the harrier as I familiarize myself with the flight characteristics of that aircraft. This two seat machine is similar to your four seat super harrier?"

"Yeah, Alexi. Your new bird is only single engine. But the airframe's smaller and lighter, so performance is about the same."

Roy's mastery of the YaK was total. Alexi marveled at his superb airmanship and his natural ability as an aviator. "You are a superb airman, Roy. Did you learn to fly from Salas?"

"Well, thanks, Alexi. Salas gave me all I know in the harrier. But Robbie'n me knew how to fly way before we ever came to work for Salas. Robbie an' me were crop dusters back in Oklahoma. We flew single engine turboprop crop dusters and helos and we were civilian Department of Defense contract ferry pilots before we enlisted in the Marine Corps. So we both pretty much hadda learn to fly the hard way."

"So, Roy, and you and Robbie were normals when you learned to fly?"

"Yeah, Alexi. Robbie an' I have only been like this a little over two weeks. Before that, we were both as normal as can be."

"I am still amazed at that, Roy. It's hard for me to imagine you as a normal."

Roy laughed. "Well, Alexi, it's still hard for me to see myself as a 'superman.' I don't even look like myself anymore. As a normal, I was as skinny as a rail. Not like Scotty or Andy. Those guys were really muscular, even as normals guys"

"It sounds to me like you may be less than pleased with your new look., Roy."

"Yeah, Alexi, you got that right. Not that lookin' like this is all that bad, cuz it's not. Kinda helps with some'a the ladies, if yah catch my drift. Except that it's just not really ME. It's like I'm lookin' at a stranger in the mirror every mornin' when I shave my face. That's just not 'ME' starin' back at me from the mirror anymore. I'm still not used to that."

"You will become accustomed to that, Roy. You must give it time."

"Yah, well, Alexi, I'm OK. Salas and the guys have been great. I was all wierded out at first. But the guys were there for me and they helped me get my feet back on the deck. And, yer right. It's just gonna take a little time. And that's why I wanna be there for Maxim. If yer gonna do that to him. He's gonna need sombody there who can relate to him. I'm not really sure that you've got much of a background dealin' with us normals on a thing like this..."

Alexi laughed. "'Us normals?' But, Roy, you cannot say that. Your are NOT a 'normal' anymore!"

"Yeah. Sorry... I shoulda said 'EX-normal...'"

"Anyway, Alexi, I hope you'll let me get with Maxim if you decide to 'bring `im over.' Might be he'll take to all this like a duck takes to water. But if he has any trouble adjusting, I guarantee, you'll be glad I was there for him. B'sides, it's the least I could do after everything Salas and the other guys did for me."

"Thank you for your concern, Roy. I will seriously consider your offer. And I confess, I am intrigued by your proposal to collaborate with Maxim to build a prototype hybrid VTOL aircraft."

"Just lemme know, Alexi. And I'll arrange to get the orders cut on my end, as long as you can set it up on your side. Or, you could send Maxim over here to us. I know Salas would be OK with that."

"I will discuss this with Salas. And we will let you know what we decide."

Roy and Alexi landed in the YaK and then they took off in the Harrier. Alexi demonstrated mastery over the two seat harrier as absolute as Roy's over the YaK. The harrier's performance was not as impressive as the YaK's, but the avionics and weapons suites in the harrier were far superior to those in the YaK. Alexi agreed. "You are right, Roy. A hybrid aircraft, incorporating the strengths of our two aircraft is needed. I will confer with Salas. I am sure he will agree with me that, either you must come to Yekaterinburg or Maxim must come to you."

The YaK was moved to a hangar and Alexi's harrier was tied down to the pad eyes on the transient ramp. Alexi would fly to Washington with Ivan the next day. The guys returned to their vehicles and drove out to their base.

Everyone mustered in the conference room. Salas spoke. "Well, Alexi, it's hard to believe you and Ivan will be leaving tomorrow. I guess now might be a good time to try again... Let's see if you have the 'mind linking' right now, before we break up for the evening."

Alexi tried again and again he failed.

"Well, we'll just keep a 'standby' link active with you until time for you to leave."

Alexi replied. "Salas, thanks to Roy, my visa has been extended. If I can impose on your hospitality a bit longer. I would like full impartation of the 'mind gift' before I go. If my departure is delayed because of this, although my absence from my men is something of a hardship, I believe the delay will be justified. I thank you again for sharing this capability with my men and me."

"Stay as long as you need too, Alexi... I wanna get this done too."

The group broke up and everybody went home.

Salas dropped Danny off and drove away. Danny went inside, said "hi" to his mom and dad and then went straight to his room. He had a few minutes before supper, so he dialed Miriam's phone number. Mrs.. Scheinburg answered. "Oh, hello, Mrs.. Scheinburg, I'm 'Daniel,' a friend of Miriam's. May I speak with her?" After a short delay, Miriam answered. "Well, hello, Danny..."

"I meant it, Miriam when I said I'd keep in touch. I was wondering if you and Ari and I could 'hang' this Sunday. Mebbe we could meet down at the mall..."

Miriam laughed. "Well, I guess so, Danny. As long as you promise to behave down there this time."

Danny laughed too. "Scout's honor... How `bout we meet in the food court around two."

"Well, I'll make sure Ari can come along. I meant what I said, too, Danny. I want you two to meet."

"OK, Miriam. You set it up an' call me back. OK?"

"Sure thing, Danny. I'll call you right back."

In less than five minutes, the phone rang at the Hendersons'. Danny picked up on the first ring.

"OK, Danny. Ari and I will be there."

"Great, Miriam! I can't wait. And I'm really lookin' forward to meeting Ari."

"Oh, no more than he is, Danny. He wants to thank you for what you did for us. And please be patient with him. He's gonna bombard you with about a million questions. He is really curious about you and your friends..."

"Well, Miriam. I'll answer any questions he has. If you want, I'll take us to someplace private where I can show both of you some of the stuff I can do. But if you'd rather, we can just hang out. The main thing for me is I just wanna get to know you and Ari a little better."

"Well Danny, either would be just fine with me, but I'm sure Ari will opt for a demo. He's very inquisitive. We'll see you at the food court in the mall at two this Sunday."

They rung off.

Salas pulled up to the house with Scotty, Alexi, Gloria and Ivan. There was a brief discussion as to what to do for the evening. Gloria suggested they all go out and get something to eat. Everyone agreed. Salas took them to a steakhouse where they ate, visited and further cemented their friendships. Alexi would be leaving with Ivan in the morning in his new harrier from El Toro mainside for DC. Alexi was a little conflicted. He was anxious to return to his men and yet reluctant to leave Gloria and even Salas and his gang. He was going to miss them all. Gloria reassured him. "But only month after next, I will be coming home with you for good."

"Yes, Gloria, there is that consolation. And it is best that you remain here until then to wrap up your affairs here in America..."

They returned to Salas' and sat and visited for awhile. Then Alexi suggested it was time to drive Gloria home. Scotty offered his car keys again and Alexi accepted gratefully.

When they arrived at Gloria's she and Alexi went inside and sat down. "It is difficult for me to face even this short time of separation from you, Gloria..."

"Well, Alexi, I think this will be good for both of us. We will face a lot of this in the years to come when your duties call you away. But I will be waiting for you when your come back for me in November. And I will always be waiting for you when your duties call you away."

After about half an hour, Alexi rose to go. "I must return to Salas' now, Gloria. We will be here in the morning to pick you up."

Gloria stood and Alexi took her into his arms. "I love you, Gloria. Until I met you, I had no idea I could love anyone so deeply. It has been such a short time since we first met. And, yet, you have become so much a part of me that I cannot bear the thought of the separation that is to come."

Gloria nodded. "That goes for me, too, Alexi. But we have the rest of our lives with each other. And I'll write every day..."

"As will I Gloria."

They kissed tenderly and then broke their embrace. As Alexi drove away, there were tears in his eyes. "So much for 'Russian stoicism,' he thought to himself."

He arrived at Salas' and went inside. He shook his head and said to Salas, Ivan and Scotty. "It was more difficult than I thought to leave Gloria. And tomorrow will be even harder. But knowing I will return in November will at least make it bearable."

Scotty said to Alexi, "We'll do all we can to help Gloria with the wedding arrangements. We'll be here for her, and for you."

Salas nodded. "Scotty's right, Alexi. Don't worry for one minute. We'll be here for Gloria. Anything she needs, we'll make it happen for her. And anything YOU need. You call on us, Alexi... Anything at all..."

Alexi embraced Salas, then Scotty. "I have only known you both a short time. Hardly longer than I have known Gloria. And yet, you are among my very best friends. I have become as close to you as I am to my own men. How strange that after a lifetime of animosity between America and Russia that this would be so..."

Salas agreed, but Scotty, having lived nearly half his life after the close of the cold war was less sensitive to the seeming irony. Ivan, on the other hand, who had spent most of his professional life regarding the USA as "The Main Enemy" was quick to give Scott some perspective. "Scotty, for most of our lives, Salas, my brother and I have lived in fear of a nuclear holocaust. We went on with our daily lives, of course, but we could never escape the persistent threat of this awful possibility. Fear, Scotty, and suspicion and mutual hatred... this is all there was between my country and yours. And now, young man, that hell is finally over. Now we Russians and Americans can be friends, we are free to trust each other, love each other... Scotty, you MUST understand WHY we marvel at this turn of events in our lives..."

"... But, Scotty, even now, still, there is some latent suspicion between our two countries. At first, our higher naval headquarters refused to allow our sailors to be rescued by you Americans. Some of our admirals are still so suspicious of America that they were willing to risk the lives of our submariners before asking for you help... until my brother intervened. But you and your friends are too young to remember or truly appreciate how it was. You and your friends refused to abide any of that. You refused to obey the orders of our superiors and the demands of our higher naval headquarters and you did not wait for Alexi. You young men defied everyone and saved those helpless sailors in our disabled submarine. But, Scotty, there was a time, not so long ago, when no one, on either side would have dared such defiance. And now, the act of courage and compassion of you and your friends has lead to all of this. Lives were saved, to be sure. But now, none of OUR lives will ever be the same... and it is all because this selfless act of human kindness of you and your young friends...

...And because of this, we have found each other. We will be friends, Scotty... for the rest of our lives. And my brother and Gloria... they will be man and wife. You cannot fully appreciate these miracles. You just don't remember how it was. But my brother, Salas and I... we know... we know what a miracle this is... and you must know... and you must understand why we marvel. If you do not, you cannot begin to fully appreciate the depth of our joy."

Salas agreed. "Scotty, you just don't know what this means to the three of us. Ivan is so right. Bear with us, son. We just can't take a miracle like this for granted. Only a few short years ago, nothing like this could've happened."

Alexi spoke. "Salas, if this 'mental gift' comes to me before I leave, I have told Roy of my plan to employ it to impart all our gifts to my supply officer, Maxim Dmitrov. He is a 'normal.' Roy fears this young man may experience difficulties similar to his own after he was changed. He has offered to help Maxim with his adjustment. And he and Robbie want to collaborate with Maxim to design a hybrid aircraft, employing some of the features of your harrier and our YaK, as well as new capabilities more suited to the unique missions of your command and mine. I propose that Roy come with me to my base, or, if you prefer, I could send Maxim to you. But I would like these two young men to meet very soon, and not wait until November, if you agreed."

"Well, Alexi, I'm OK with it. Why don't we see if you can 'link' us up now. I think the 'standby' link might've had time to take effect."

Scotty broke his 'standby' link with Alexi. "OK, Alexi. I've broken my 'mind link' with you. Now you try to reestablish."

Alexi did so, without difficulty.

"Can you 'hear me' in your mind, Scotty?"

Scotty grinned. "Yeah, Alexi! I 'read you' loud'n clear!"

He turned to Salas. "It's worked! He's got it!"

Alexi was delighted. "Scotty, Salas, thank you both so very much for this gift. But, more, both of you... ALL of you, thank you for trusting me and for believing in me. I will spare no effort to make you glad of your decision to share this with me. One day I shall find the means to repay you for this..."

Salas said, "Alexi, just your friendship, Alexi. That's all we want..."

"You have that. Mine and the rest of my men's. And also, I owe you and Billy and Andy for Gloria... I hope I will one day find a way to repay you for everything you have done for me. And now, Salas, we must decided whether Roy should go to Russia or Maxim should come to you."

"Lets let Roy and Maxim work that out between them. I'd go along with whatever they decide, even if they decide to meet in Russia. Of course, I'll miss the hell outta Roy if he goes there. He practically runs the show out at our base. I know he can cross train Robbie in seconds, but I don't think ANY of the rest of us could bring quite the enthusiasm Roy brings to his job."

Billy and Andy arrived home. Billy closed the door behind them. They went to their new table and whipped out their studies in less than a minute. Under grad school was zero challenge for either of them. Andy sighed. "I liked it better when it was hard. How did you handle it all those years, Billy?"

"Well, Andy, it was easy, but at least there was some challenge to it. Somehow, its different now. You'd think it would've been like this all along, at least with my mind. But I hadn't really tapped into but a fraction of my mental potential either. When you guys brought out the real potential in my strength, well, the mental prowess just came along with it. But now, well yeah, school's just a bore. It's like we're standin' still, Andy... What're we gonna do?"

Andy thought for a moment. "I guess we should talk to Danny. Maybe we can get advanced placement in grad school. We could whip through the rest of under grad in a matter of days, if not hours. No sense pretending otherwise. Maybe Danny can help us."

"Well, Andy, maybe you could get a special waiver and get right into med school..."

"Boy, wouldn't that be a coup! I know I could hack it. As long as I could sell myself to the admissions committee. My choices are limited, though. I gotta get into school here."

"You got THAT right, lil bro. But we'll swing that, easy. They'll be fallin' all over themselves to get you once they find out you're like Danny now. Scotty told me that everybody... all the best schools were biddin' for Danny. And yah know why he chose Cal Tech?"

"Naw, I never even thought about that, one way or the other. I guess I just assumed it was so he could live at home..."

"That might've been a part of it, lil bro, but the REAL reason was because he wanted to stay close to Scotty. Not that Scotty was all that happy about it at first. He'd been lookin' forward to Danny goin' away to school. Tryin' to manage Danny and his own home life and school was really startin' to wear him down. It worked out OK, but I guess it must've felt like the whole world came down on Scotty for awhile there... No light at the end of the tunnel."

"And now Scotty's in the same boat as we are. Maybe we all oughta talk to Danny AND Salas. But, whatever... we GOTTA do something... You know what they say, 'a mind is a terrible thing to waste.'"

Wednesday (the fifth)

Everybody met at the base at 0730. They all wanted to spend these last hours with Alexi and Ivan before they took off from mainside at mid morning. Roy and Robbie would fly everyone to mainside in the helos, launching around 0900.

Everyone was mustered in the conference room. Salas announced that Alexi had finally received the 'mind linking' gift. Roy said, "Well, Alexi, I guess this means you'll be bringin' Maxim over..."

"Yes, Roy, it does, if he agrees. And Salas and I have spoken of your offer and your plans to collaborate with Maxim on the new aircraft design. He said we should leave it for you and Maxim whether you come to Russia with me or I send Maxim to you..."

"Well, Alexi, lemme get on the horn to Maxim and see what he says. I'm gonna let him decide. I won't tell him about the 'mind thing' or your plan to 'bring him over.' I think you oughta do that. But, frankly, I think I oughta be there when you tell `im. If you leave it up to him, he might tell yah 'no.' But I'll bet if you let me prep him for yah, you'd stand a better chance of sellin' him on the program. Mebbe I oughta go over there. But for the work on the plane, I'd rather do that here. We prolly got better logistic support over here than you do in Yekaterinburg, at least for somethin' like that... So, mebbe I oughta fly translant over there with you and then Maxim and I could come on back here..."

Alexi replied. "Perhaps I should let Ivan return to Washington via commercial air and have you fly there with me."

"Naw, Alexi. Thanks. I don't wanna do that. I need the time here and you were gonna spend some time with Ivan in DC, before you leave to go back to Russia, right?"

"Yes, Roy, that is my plan. I will stay with Ivan for a couple of days, I think."

"Good, that's what I thought. So you just fly back to DC with Ivan and I'll catch up to you there. Then we can fly the harrier from Andrews to your base in Yekaterinburg..."

Alexi and Salas agreed with Roy's proposal.

Roy and Robbie left the building for their quarters to change into their flight suits and preflight the helos for the short hop over to mainside.

They launched right at 0900 and landed at mainside at 0915. Alexi and Ivan suited up and prepared to launch. The guys lined up and Alexi and Ivan went down the line, embracing them all, one by one, in Russian fashion. Alexi spoke for himself and his brother. "The friendships we have forged over these past few days will last the rest of our lives. It is hard for me to believe I have not known you much longer than I have. It is hard to imagine there was ever a time I did not know you. Thank you all for everything..."

Then, as Ivan shook hands with his hosts, Alexi embraced Gloria. "I must go now. But I will be back. And there will not be one moment when you are not first in my thoughts. I will count the days from now until I come back here for you... I love you, with everything that I am."

Gloria hugged back. "I love you too, Alexi..." She laughed. "but, of course, you know that. We'll have everything ready when you get back..."

Alexi stepped back. "Until then, Gloria..."

Alexi and Ivan boarded the jet as Salas, the guys and Gloria moved back, away from the aircraft. Alexi lit off the engine and the plane captain unplugged the ground power unit. The canopy slid shut and as the harrier began to move, Alexi and the plane captain exchanged salutes.

Gloria and the guys remained on the ramp until the aircraft disappeared from view in the distance.

Back at the base, Roy got his TAD orders lined up. Then he went out and got himself a passport. He had arranged with Ivan to get his passport stamped with his entry visa at the Russian embassy in Washington when he arrived there day after tomorrow. He would remain overnight as Ivan's guest in Alexandria, Virginia and the following morning, he and Alexi would launch from Andrews Air Force Base for the long flight to Yekaterinberg. He would remain in Russia only long enough for impartation to Maxim of the physical and mental gifts. Then they would return together to Orange County where they and Robbie would begin work on their new aircraft prototype.

Thursday (the fifth)

Little was accomplished of any significance. Roy would be leaving for Washington, DC, via commercial air from John Wayne Airport in Orange County the following afternoon. He had transferred all his knowledge of his job to Robbie via mind link and then repeated everything by voice. He wanted to make sure his little "empire" was in good hands.

"I'm countin' on yah, Robbie... to hold down the fort while I'm away. If it was anybody but you, I'm not sure I'd even leave..."

Robbie laughed. "Well, we'll hobble along somehow. I'll hold everything together for you till you get back..."

Friday (the fifth)

Roy had finished his normal routine, he would be leaving from John Wayne Airport in Orange County at 1530 (3:30 p.m.) for Dulles Airport outside Washington, DC. Ivan and Alexi would meet him at the airport. He had been working the phone since early morning. He wanted a sample of the gas from Hawaii. He had roused Sal from his bed in Honolulu. "How's it comin', Sal. You got my package yet?"

"Yeah, Roy. Liam oughta be out there with it by 10:00 a.m. your time. He's got three canisters of the stuff. We've had our lab guys check it out. There'll be a précis of their findings along with the canisters."

"You gotta copy of that, Sal?"

"Yeah, Roy. Right here in front of me."

"Well, can you FAX it to me now? I don't wanna wait till ten hundred for that. And then I might have some questions, so if you'll just hang onto that copy after you FAX it to me..."

"OK, Roy, I'll have it FAXed to you in five..."

Roy held on. A ten page report began rolling off the FAX, a page at a time. Roy speed read the report. He whistled. "Dayum! This is some really nasty shit, Sal!"

"Yeah, a lot worse than we first thought, Roy. Come to find out, the stuff is not a gas at all. It's an aerosol. They used compressed nitrogen as the propellant, but the agent is actually an aerosol... That's fairly common, actually. It's a nerve agent and, turns out, it's not harmless to normals... but it affects us way differently from the way it does you guys. Takes a lot longer and a lot more of the stuff on us normals, but it's deadly to anybody with sustained exposure. And with normals, the effects are cumulative. If we're exposed for only a short time, no problem. But with repeated re-exposure, we can run into real trouble. At least with you guys, once you get away from the stuff, if you get away in time, after a few minutes, as we found out, you're OK. It'd take months for us normals to clear this stuff out of our system. And if we're re-exposed, before we're all cleaned out, or if we get enough of it in one shot... Well... it's bad news. But the thing is, with us, the damage is done before we go down. By the time we finally drop, we're already dead an' don't know it. That's way different for you. You guys drop like flies with just one whiff. And holding your breath won't help. It can seep through the pores, too. One good thing, though. It's non-persistent. It starts to break down as soon as it hits the air. But once it gets inside a normal's system, it'll remain stable. You guys' systems start to attack the stuff even though you're down and out. So for this stuff to work on you, they hafta keep pumping out fresh agent. It's only effective against you guys in an enclosed space. Not much chance you'd stay down for long, if at all, if they tried using it on you out in the open unless they had an awful lot of the stuff they could keep pumpin' out..."

"Thanks, Sal. I'll get Salas on this right away."

"Lemme know if you guys come up with anything. Our lab guys are still workin' on this. The report you have in hand is just prelim. Their follow up is gonna be a lot more detailed."

"OK, Sal. Thanks. Let's keep in touch on this."

"Will do, Roy. Seeyah."

They rung off.

Roy dialed Salas' cell and briefed him on his conversation with Sal."

"OK, Roy, I want you to take a sample with you for Alexi and his guys. Guess you're gonna have problems gettin' that aboard the plane..."

"Naw, I'll check it through on a DOD special waiver. I'll have my ducks in a row before I get over to John Wayne. Gonna get right on that..."

"OK, Roy. Lemme know if you need any help."

"Will do, Salas. Thanks. I'm outta here by noon. Guess I won't see yah till Maxim and I get back here. Could be as late as next Wednesday sometime. Robbie's gonna hold down the fort till I get back. You'll be in good hands, Salas."

"I know I will, Roy. Thanks. Have a good trip!"

They rung off.

Liam arrived out at the base around 10:15 with the canisters and a copy of the report Sal had FAXed to Roy. Roy secured two of the canisters in the safe in Salas' office along with the report. He took the other canister along with his FAX copy of the report to his quarters. Liam had delivered the three canisters in an impact resistant, locking carrying case with foam cutouts to cushion the canisters. Roy had arranged with the airline for a special Department of Defense dangerous materials waiver and would check the container straight through to DC. The flight was nonstop from John Wayne Airport in Orange County to Dulles and he had arranged to check the case at the gate. He descended the jetway stair down to the tarmac where he personally observed as the case was loaded into the aircraft baggage hold and stood by until the hatch had been closed and secured. The he remounted the stair on the outside of the jetway, reentered the jetway and boarded the aircraft. At Dulles, he would retrieve the case directly from the baggage hold.

When Roy arrived at Dulles, Ivan and Alexi were waiting alongside Ivan's car outside the baggage claim area. As Ivan drove them away, Roy gave Alexi the news. "Well, y'all, I got the stuff. I got a canister of it in this here case along with a prelim report from the FBI lab in Honolulu. Roy handed Alexi his FAX copy of the report. Sal sent this to me while I was waiting for Liam to deliver the canisters. I left a copy of the report with Salas along with two canisters of the stuff."

Alexi said, "Roy, you always seem to manage to get what you want when you want it..."

"Aw, I'm not any better at that than Maxim is. He's every bit as shit hot an operator as I ever was and he's up against a lot tougher odds than me."

"You seem quite taken with our young Maxim Dmitrov, Roy..."

"Well, Alexi, I am. I got a nose for guys like me. And that guy's 'sierra hotel' (shit hot). And you can bet yer bottom rouble I'll be pickin' his brain as much as he'll be pickin' mine. I'm all keyed up I'm so excited about meetin' up with him..."

"...Yah gotta watch guys like Maxim, though. Cuz he's not like me in one way. Hell, I'm a big mouth. Maxim's a 'sleeper.' He keeps his mouth shut... plays the game... comes off like a 'company man' an' all that. But deep down, he's a maverick, even more'n me. I bet you got no idea some'a the shit he's pulled off fer you guys."

Alexi "You managed to glean all this from only a few phone conversations, Roy?"

"Yeah, `at's about the size of it, Alexi. Guys like us, we gotta kinda 'code.' We can read between the lines with whatever we're sayin' to each other. Take Robbie'n me... We had that goin' on between us fer years. When he an' I talk, we almost never hafta complete a whole sentence. We never needed this 'mind thing' to know what each other's thinkin'. Fact is, Robbie'n I'll prolly never even use that between us much... Don't have to. It's almost kinda redundant. Me'n Maxim'll be that way, too, straigtaway as soon as we land. We'll have a meetin' of the minds b'tween us before the sun goes down, first day I get there."

Alexi laughed. "I shall watch our Michman Dmitrov a bit more closely in the future. But only to satisfy my curiosity. As you have suggested, I will not interfere with his 'creative activities.' Actually, in many ways, that young man is almost like a son to me. But in other ways, he has always been something of an enigma. He can be very distant and aloof, Roy. Not like you in that way. We will have a long flight from Washington to Yekaterinburg. I will tell you the story of how I met Maxim during the flight. You will find it interesting."

"Yeah, I wanna hear all about that. Almost start'n to sound like Salas and Scotty."

"Yes, those two are very close."

"Yeah, like father'n son. I'll tell you about that. An' we can swap some other 'sea stories' along the way. It's gonna be one long ass flight. That harrier'll be about as slow as Christmas on a long haul translant."

Saturday (the fifth)

Roy had spent the night with Ivan and Alexi at Ivan's apartment. They got up early and went to breakfast at a nearby coffee shop. Then Ivan drove Alexi and Roy to the consular section of the Russian Embassy to get Roy's passport stamped with a Russian entry visa. Then Ivan took Roy to meet the Russian naval attaché' who countersigned his TAD orders to Alexi's base in Yekaterinburg. As of that moment, Roy was formally temporarily attached TAD to Alexi's command. >From the embassy, Ivan drove Roy and Alexi straight to Andrews Air Force base. Roy had arranged for mid air tanker support for their flight to Russia. Their first rendezvous would be over Argentia Bay, Newfoundland, in Canada, their second over the US air base at Keflavik, Iceland. They would land at the US Air base at Lakenheath, UK and refuel on the ground. There would be one more rendezvous with a US Air Force KC-10 over Lodz, Poland. From there, they would enter Russian airspace landing at Kaliningrad to refuel. A special Russian aircraft maintenance detachment would be waiting for them. They would retrofit the harrier with a Russian-standard midair refueling probe. Then Roy and Alexi would take off and fly direct to Alexi's base at Yekaterinburg, refueling midair, twice from TU-16 "Badger" tanker aircraft en route over Russia.

Ivan accompanied them onto the Ramp. He shook hands with Roy. "I look forward to seeing you this Thanksgiving, Roy. You have a safe trip to Yekaterinburg and back home."

"Yeah, sure thing, Ivan. Thanks. See yah this Thanksgiving."

Ivan and Alexi embraced. "It is good to know we will be seeing each other only month after next. I had not realized how much I've missed you, Alexi..."

Alexi held his embrace. "It has been good to spend this time together with you, Ivan. I am glad we will be together again for Thanksgiving. And I am glad you will be there when Gloria and I are wed..."

Roy and Ivan boarded the harrier and they took off.

Once they cleared US airspace, Alexi engaged the autopilot and he and Roy settled back for the long overseas flight. They chatted aimlessly over the internal communications system for awhile. Finally Roy asked, "Tell me about Maxim, Alexi. You were gonna tell me how you and he met."

Alexi smiled to himself. "I shall be glad to, Roy. As I told you, Maxim is like a son to me, much as Scotty is to Salas. There are many similarities but also many differences... Maxim's father was my best friend. He was drafted into the army and was killed in Afghanistan. Shortly afterward, his mother, also a close friend, died of pneumonia. Maxim was orphaned and sent away to a state institution in Gorki. He fell in with gang members and became a hooligan. He got into trouble and the courts were about to send him away to prison. An official at the orphanage finally got my name out of Maxim and I was called in. I, of course, immediately went to Gorki and collected him. I took him home with me. At first it was very hard. The boy was very sullen and angry. He fell in with hooligans in Yekaterinburg and again he was hauled before the courts. I was able to persuade them to give him relatively lenient treatment, but he was sent away for three months to a penal camp. He was brutalized there, Roy... brutalized. He emerged even more angry than before. But I was waiting for him at the gate when he was released. At first he refused to come with me. But, of course, this was not an option for him. I simply overpowered him and dragged him away. It took nearly a year for me to persuade Maxim that I would not allow him to leave. He tried to run away four times, but, every time, I found him and brought him home. He could not hide from me. You know, of course, Roy, that men like us can find anyone if we want to badly enough..."

Roy said, "Well, I'm glad you never gave up on him, Alexi."

"Of course I would never give up on Maxim. His father and I were such close friends. His death in Afghanistan was a terrible blow to me. Finally, Maxim began to trust me. I persuaded him to join the navy and after his initial training, I arranged to have him assigned to me. He has been with me ever since. He became a stellar performer and as a normal, surrounded by my band of supermen, Roy, that is a significant accomplishment. All of my men regard Maxim as a brother and as an equal. Although, to some extent, he keeps his distance from us. He prefers to remain in the shadows. But he has accomplished wonders for us obtaining ample supplies for our base and managing our logistic and administrative support superbly, much as you have done for Salas. Of course, these days, obtaining adequate logistic and administrative support for any military installation in Russia is a nearly superhuman task. And, thanks to you, Roy, I have a better appreciation that some of Maxim's activities may have been 'na levo' ('on the left,' outside normal channels). But, he has cultivated a reputation of being a stickler for navy regulations. One would never guess he would be one to take such 'shortcuts.'"

Roy laughed. "Everybody takes shortcuts, Alexi. That is, everybody like Robbie'n Maxim'n me. You super guys are sort of a special breed. We'll that's what guys like Maxim and me are... we're sort of a 'special breed' too."

Alexi laughed, too. "'You super guys?' Roy, how many times must I remind you? You are one of us now. And I have never known you any other way..."

"Yeah, I guess so. But a part of me'll always be `normal' ...Funny, I don't think any of the other 'newbies' quite think of themselves that way anymore... Not even Robbie. But with me, I guess there'll always be kind of a 'barrier' between me and the rest of you super dudes, even the other newbies. Not that we're not as close as brothers, Alexi. Like you an' me. Hey, man, we're bros. Always will be. But in a way, to me, it'll always be 'us normals' and 'you super guys.' It's crazy, I know, but that's just how it is."

"That will diminish in time, Roy. You are superhuman, now... A full fledged superman... And I appreciate your willingness to come to Yekaterinburg to help Maxim with his adjustment to becoming a superman."

"Well, Alexi, I'll do my best for Maxim. How're you gonna break the news to him? ...And are you gonna give him a choice?"

"You and I will tell him together, Roy. I intend for it to be his decision. But if he refuses, I will not accept 'no' for an answer. I will not go forward until he is ready, but I will wear him down. Even if he resists at first, eventually, he will agree. I will not leave him alone until he does...."

"Yeah, about like Salas was with me. He wanted it for me a lot worse than I ever wanted it for myself."

"Salas only wants wanted what is best for you, Roy. He deeply admires you. And he has grown very dependent on you. In many ways, he is closer to Scotty whom he regards as a son, but he has become dependent upon you too. If he is the strength of his other charges, Roy, in certain ways, you have become his."

"Yeah, well, mebbe so. But when I was all wierded out right after I got 'changed,' he was the one who reeled me back in and got me squared away, more or less. I just thank God he was there. Cuz I'da gone crazy if not..."

Robbie was waiting in Roy's usual place when Salas arrived Saturday morning. He did not recite Roy's customary litany, ("Message traffic's processed. Coffee's on.") but he'd gotten it done. The admin. spaces had been field dayed, the message traffic had been processed and the coffee was fresh.

Scotty, Danny, Billy and Andy arrived. The other troops, Hernandez, Nguyen and LeBlanc were seated around the table in the conference room. There was little word to pass. Salas had decided that most of the day would be devoted to devising means to effectively exercise the boy's super muscles. They would visit Fasullo's junk yard for crushed automobiles, fresh from the car compactor. This seemed to be the best and most readily available source of weights to challenge the boys' super muscles.

As the meeting broke up, Billy and Andy took Danny aside. "S'up guys? Danny asked.

Billy answered. "It's school, Danny... Andy and I are both having some problems..."

"You guys? School oughta be a snap for both of you now..."

"Yeah, Danny. And that's the problem. We're both just wastin' our time. We've got all our courses in the bag. All the texts read and committed to memory. All the outside reading, the only thing left for us is to take the exams and write our term papers which we'll do as soon as we get the assignments. And we'll have that done in a few minutes... We were hopin' maybe we could get some kinda advanced placement or something like you did. How'd you swing that?"

Danny said, "Well, yeah, I guess under grad would be kind of a bore for both of you now. Actually, they found out about me a long time ago. And I did arrange through my parents to take advanced placement college boards two years ago. They know me in the admin offices at Cal Tech so I'll just take you guys, and Scotty too, I guess, and get it all set up for you. But we're gonna hafta be careful. Until Salas got `em off my back, I had all kindsa government goons on my tail. You know, the guys in cheap suits and mirror sunshades..."

By the end of the day, the super boys had built a new workout gym for themselves. They had rigged complex mechanical devices that allowed them to isolate their muscles for an effective workout of all their body parts. Some ingenuity had been required, but they finally got everything set up. When they were done, Salas said, "Well, this oughta hold you guys for the next couple of months. But after that, we'll hafta come up with something else. None of us has reached our full potential, especially you, Danny. It'll be some years before you reach your max..."

Scotty laughed. "Oh gawd, then we'll be right back where we started with Danny. The lil pipsqueak'll be strongest again..."

"Maybe so, Scotty. Looks like Danny's gonna grow into a fairly big guy... Bigger'n you or me. Maybe even bigger than Cole. But for now, until he grows up, you guys'll be stronger, except for you, Andy, cuz the rest of you are all just bigger than Danny right now... But, Andy, even you are well shy of your max potential. All of us are. So we'll just hafta keep finding new ways to push ourselves..."

The guys broke up around fifteen hundred. Everybody agreed to meet for church the next morning.

Scotty spoke. "What about after church. You guys wanna get together?"

Danny begged off. "I'm meetin' some friends at the mall. Gonna spend the afternoon with them..."

Salas raised his eyebrows. "Oh, Danny? I didn't know you had any friends besides us."

Danny laughed. "Well, yeah, Salas. Sure, I got friends my own age. Hey, I'm not a hermit just because of all this I got. Sometimes I guess I just gotta get off with guys from the younger crowd. I need time to goof off with those guys just like anybody else my age. All work and no play an' all that."

The upshot was that everyone would be going their separate ways on Sunday afternoon.

Robbie, Hernandez, Nguyen and LeBlanc decided to run down to Tijuana. Billy and Andy would spend time at home with the moms and Scotty, Cole and Salas decided on a Dodgers game.

(To be continued)

Comments welcome.

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