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
Sunday (the sixth)
After church, the Hendersons went home and had lunch. As soon as he'd finished eating, Danny excused himself from the table, went to his room and changed to shorts, sneakers and a T-shirt. Then he ran down to the mall. He entered the food court around a quarter of two. He wanted to be early. At about five of two, Danny spotted Miriam and Ari through the glass doors of the food court entrance as they emerged from Mrs. Scheinburg's station wagon. Danny's senses immediately detected an anomaly. It was Ari. Danny had first experienced this anomaly the day he'd met Salas. Salas and Danny had immediately "sensed" each other were super beings. Danny had missed this with Ari last Sunday because he had been surrounded by the other supermen and Ari's 'signature' had been lost in the 'clutter.' Miriam spotted Danny. She smiled and elbowed Ari. They approached Danny who stood near the center of the food court.
Miriam spoke first. "Hi Danny. This is Ari..."
Ari was a good two inches shorter than Danny. He was olive complexioned, with thick, dark wavy hair, strikingly handsome and he appeared to be in superb physical condition for a ten year old, if a bit on the lean and lanky side. He was modestly and conservatively dressed in cotton khaki slacks and plaid cotton sort sleeve sport shirt with button down collar. (Othodox Jews do not wear clothing made from blended fabrics.) Ari's only concession to `dress down' comfort were a pair of rafting sandals with no socks. He wore a black kipa (skullcap). Miriam was dressed in a very modest cotton print shift.
Ari extended his hand to Danny. "It's nice to meet you, Danny! I've been looking forward to this. Thanks for meeting with us."
Danny took Ari's hand. He held onto it, carefully gauging the boy's strength. He could not resist the impulse to reach for Ari's right shoulder with his left hand. It was clear from these cursory first touches that, while Ari was in remarkable physical condition for a ten year old, his strength did not remotely approach that of a super boy. And yet, Ari's 'signature' was unmistakable. He clearly WAS a super boy, at least potentially. Danny continued to hold Ari's right hand. Finally, Ari laughed a little nervously. "Is everything OK, Danny?"
Danny recovered somewhat. "Oh, sorry, Ari. Nice to meet you. Thanks for coming... both of you. It's good to see you again, Miriam."
Miriam said, "Well, like Ari said, we've been looking forward to this little get together. And, Danny, I warned you. Ari's gotta million questions..."
Danny smiled. "Well, I've got a few questions for Ari. I've got someplace private I wanna take you two. We'll hafta get away from the mall. Then I'll just carry both of you to where we're going. We'll get there pretty fast..."
Danny led Ari and Miriam out of the mall and across the parking lot. They'd walked about a block and a half from the parking lot when they found a deserted street in a neighboring industrial and office park. Danny lifted Miriam onto his right shoulder and Ari onto his left and took off. They arrived at the shop in less than a minute. Danny set Miriam and Ari on their feet, unlocked the gate, re locking it behind them after they'd passed through. Danny unlocked the shop door and they entered. He closed the door and locked it behind them.
Danny and Ari both began talking at once. They both laughed.
Danny nodded to Ari. "OK, dude. You first."
"Thanks, Danny... First off, I wanna thank you for saving our lives. Miriam's and mine and our friends. And we've agreed. Once we're married and have our first son, we'll name him "Daniel," after you..."
Danny smiled. "Aww you guys. You do that an' I'll prolly be over there at your house all the time spoilin' the kid..."
Ari grinned. "Sure you will, since we'll get you to stand godfather for him. At least, you will, if I can persuade the rabbi to let a goy stand godfather for the bris. Might take some doin', but there's precedent for that kinda thing..."
Danny laughed. "I just hope I don't pass out..."
"Naw," Ari said. "You won't. Circumcision's nuthin' for an eight day old baby boy... Not much worse than trimming your fingernails... I've been to lots of `em with my dad..."
"...Well, now I really wanna see you do some'a yer stuff, Danny. If you don't mind..."
"Yeah, Ari. That's why I brought you and Miriam here. So we can keep this among ourselves. And while I'm at it, thanks again, you two, for keepin' a lid on everything from last Sunday. Sure made things a lot easier on Salas. Miriam, the roses were his idea, by the way. I wanted to deliver `em to you myself but he wouldn't let me. He still doesn't know about the other night when I came to see you... or today. But, Ari, I got somethin' off you when you two showed up back at the mall that I missed last Sunday. Guess it was cuz all the other guys were around..."
Ari asked, "You got somethin' off me? Like what?"
"Well, we super guys can sorta sense each other. We can pick each other out. I got that offa you, Ari... and I'm still gettin' it. But I could tell when I shook your hand at the mall that you're strength... well, it's pretty good for a normal kid your age... but it doesn't match your 'signature.' Ari, I don't know whether you knew it or not, but I think you may have all the makings of a super boy..."
Miriam asked. "You mean you got all that from just a handshake?"
"Not just the hand shake, Miriam. I could 'feel' Ari is soon as your mom drove up. All the handshake told me is that his strength is fairly normal."
Ari said. "Well, I'm not sure I understand..."
Danny broke in. "Ari, it's not always the same with guys like us. Some of us find out fairly young that we're different. It started comin' out in me when I was just a baby. It worked about the same for Salas, that's our boss, and with Cole. They're both cops full time but they spend a lot of their time with us... and they're both super men. But, Billy, he's another super guy in our group... even though he was born like us, he didn't really understand what he had till he met up with us around the first of last month. He started to get some idea he was really strong when he was about twelve. But even though Billy was way stronger than normal, he hadn't even begun to tap into his full potential till he met up with us. Ari, I KNOW if you tried, you'd wind up really super strong, really fast...
"... Tell me something, Ari. Have you ever been sick... ever?"
Miriam interjected. "Well, I can tell you that, Danny... and the answer is 'no.' That's always been kind of a mystery with Ari. You've never been sick a day in your life, huh, Ari... no chicken pocks, measles, mumps... no colds... no flu... nothing like that. I don't think you've ever even hadda headache, have you, Ari?"
"Naw, nothing like that. But I guess I always figured my luck would run out eventually. Heck I'm only ten. I got most of my life still ahead'a me. Nobody goes their whole life without ever getting sick."
Danny said, "That's where you're wrong, Ari. I've never gotten sick... not even once. It's just something that comes with being like us. And neither has Salas or Cole or Billy."
"Well, Danny," Ari responded, "I still don't think that proves I'm like you or those other guys who saved us from the Matterhorn. That's kinda slim evidence."
"No, Ari, it's not just that. It's the 'signature' you're givin' off. It's unmistakable. Yer feelin' it, too. Yah hafta be. And I bet I can tell you right when it started for you... Right when Miriam's mom pulled up outside the food court entrance to let you guys out... or maybe just a little before that... sometime between when you guys pulled into the parking lot and when you got outta the car..."
"Yeah, I can feel something I never felt before. And I got some of that last Sunday when you guys showed up. But I didn't really pay much attention to it."
"Well, right now, Ari, what you're feelin'... well, that's comin' offa me. And what you felt last Sunday, that was comin' off all us guys. And the reason WE all missed it from you is cuz you were just lost in the interference from the rest of us."
Miriam said, "Well, Danny, I don't feel anything. I don't feel anything at all."
"No, Miriam. You wouldn't cuz you're normal. But I'm tellin' yah, Ari feels it... and so do I."
Ari asked, "Well, now what am I gonna do?"
"Well, Ari, I think that's obvious. Right now, I wanna get you into the weight room and get you started. You ever lifted before?"
"Naw. I played sports... Soccer, softball, basketball, volleyball... stuff like that. But I never really saw the point in schlepping weights. That never seemed like much fun to me. Besides, I think I might be kinda young for that. I heard there's not much you can expect to get outta that till you get a lil older."
"Well, maybe for most guys that might be true. But not with you, Ari. If we get started right now, you'll prolly outgrow the weight room we got here before time for us to head back to the mall. You'll get that strong that fast. And gimme a week, tops, and you might be darn near as strong as any of us. Not quite, 'probly,' cuz you're so young and you're still kinda small. But, yah never know, you might be stronger than any of us. Until only the last week or so, I was the strongest of any of us, except maybe for Billy. But some other stuff happened to all of us and now we're all a lot stronger than we used to be and we're still getting stronger and stronger every day.
Ari looked at Danny. "Well, I really don't know... Even if you're right, that doesn't necessarily mean anything all by itself. If you are right, we're just talking about 'potential.' Right? It would still take an awful lot for me to get as strong as you guys..."
"Yeah, Ari. An awful lot. But it won't really be as hard you might think. Like I said, if you let me show you how, you'll walk out of this building stronger than any normal man alive. That'll happen right away, Ari, if you're willin' to work with me an' break a sweat..."
"Well, Danny, maybe so. But, really... then what? My life is already all planned out. Something like this stuff... well, it might just ruin all that. I am just a kid... and I'm an Orthodox Jew. I'm gonna follow in my dad's footsteps. I'll finish school, go to seminary and become a cantor. What good is all that super strength stuff to a guy like me?"
Danny thought a moment. "Ari, it's not just what it means to you... What if my friends and I hadn't been there for you last Sunday? If you'd had then what now you and I both KNOW you're capable of, you would've been the one to save all those lives. What it could mean, Ari, might be the difference between life and death... I know you're a Jew, not a Christian. But have you ever heard the parable of the three servants and the talents?"
Ari said, "Well, yes. I've read through your Christian testament and I know that story. It was told by the Nazarene himself and, if I recall correctly, it's documented in the Gospel of your St. Matthew. There was this rich 'macher.' He went away on a trip and he left some of his money with three of his servants. Two of them made really good investments and when their boss returned, those two guys gave the money back to him with a handsome profit... and then he put them in charge of even more of his money. But the third servant buried the money his boss left with him in the ground. He was afraid of what the boss might do to him if he made a mistake and lost the money. The boss told him, that at least he could've put the money in the bank and earned a little interest on it. And then the took the money away from the guy and gave it to the first servant since he'd made his boss the best return on his investment..."
Danny grinned. "Well, I couldn't have told that story any better myself! I'm impressed!"
Danny smiled at Miriam. "I see that Ari knows a LOT more about OUR traditions than I do about yours!"
"...But don't you see, Ari, if you don't develop your God-given gift, it's just like you're burying your 'talent' in the ground... I won't let you do that.. This is not just for you. You owe it to yourself and to Miriam and to everyone else to develop this talent you have. You've gotta face up to this Ari. You've got an obligation..."
"Well, I understand your point, Danny. But this isn't the only 'talent' I have. I have other giftings... there's my music and other stuff... and I've only got one lifetime. I hafta focus on what'll prepare me for my calling. I hafta make choices. And some of my choices have already been made for me..."
"Well, Ari, if you were normal, that might be true. But you're not. You CAN do it all. I know. I know because I can. In fact, you wouldn't believe all the things I can do simultaneously. And, once you develop your gifts, Ari, you could do that too. I'm gonna show you and Miriam some of what I can do. But this won't be just for grins. What I'm gonna show you is some of what YOU could do too, Ari. If you'll let my friends and me show you how..."
Miriam took Ari's hand. "Ari, I think Danny's right. You've gotta let him try and help you... him and his friends. There's really not any choice. Last Sunday wasn't just some dumb accident. There's gotta be some meaning behind it. I really think you oughta go for it. You've GOTTA go for it, Ari. Danny says he wants to help. Please let him try, Ari... Please."
"Ari nodded. I can't say 'no' to you, Miriam. I never could. If you can handle me turning out like Danny, I guess I'll do what he says... But, Danny, you'll hafta be patient with me. I don't have a clue where to go from here."
Danny put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Ari, I'll do everything I can to help you. And I'm gonna get all the guys to help you. Tomorrow, after school, I'm comin' to your house to get you. I'll take you out to our base and introduce you to our boss. Juan Salas. He goes by just 'Salas.' That's what we all call him and that's what he'll want you to call him, too. He's a super guy and he'll get with your mom and dad and make them understand how important this is. He was great with my mom'n dad."
"Well, Danny, with my dad, he'll have his work cut out for him. I don't have any idea HOW he'll react to this news... I just don't know. But until your friend Salas shows up at our door, I'm not tellin' my dad anything about this and don't you either, Miriam."
Danny nodded. "I know Salas'll be mad at me at first cuz I looked you two up when he told me not to. But I hadda meet you Miriam. And now that you and I have met, Ari, for once, I'm glad I went with my impulse. Usually, I get in a lotta trouble when I do that, but Salas'll get over it. And I'm ready to take my lumps. Cuz this is way too important for me to worry about somethin' like that."
Ari asked, "Well, do you think you could show us some of what you can do?"
Danny smiled. "Sure, Ari. And then, we're gonna find out what you can do. There's a fully equipped weight room right through that door over there. None of our guys use it anymore. We're all way too strong now. But it'll be perfect to get you started off. And we've got a brand new weight room out at our base. Once you out grow this place, I'll take you over there. You probably won't be ready for that today, but you sure will be in the next few days. I think you'll outgrow this stuff we have here before sundown."
Danny led Ari and Miriam over to the boiler. He tore the thing to pieces. He moved fast, but not nearly as fast as he was able. He wanted them to see clearly how he tore into the plates, pulling them off the boiler and then tearing each one to pieces. Then he hammered the scrap into a single sheet and went through the routine of fabricating the plates, rivets and end caps. He had the boiler torn down and reassembled in about thirty minutes. Ari and Miriam saw it all. Then he tore an I beam to shreds and molded the scraps into ball bearings. Finally, he found Salas' satchel of grenades locked away in a safe in the lunchroom. Danny easily 'cracked' the safe, even though he hadn't known the combination. He carefully explained the procedure and then linked his mind to Ari's and Miriam's so they could experience it for themselves. Miriam took the mind link in stride, but Ari, fell to his knees and grabbed the sides of his head with both hands. The presence of another mind inside his head freaked him out momentarily, but he quickly recovered. As it was exploding, Danny surrendered control of his body momentarily first to Ari and then to Miriam so they could experience mastery of the grenade for themselves."
Miriam was very excited. "Wow, Danny. That was fantastic! Thank you. I never dreamed a human being could do something like that! You are just so strong and so powerful. Imagine being able to over power a bomb with your bare hands!"
Ari was less than enthusiastic when Danny told him that within days, he would be doing that himself, in his own body. Ari was VERY skeptical of this. Danny shrugged. "Well, Ari, I'll have Andy talk to you. He's the guy who saved Miriam at the mall when I went crazy down there. Andy freaked out pretty bad when we first did this with his friend, Billy. In fact, he walked out on us till Scotty, that's another one of my friends... Well, Scotty went outside and brought him back. But, Ari, I don't want you to be afraid of any of this. Salas wouldn't let you try anything until he's sure you're ready. And now, Ari.. the weight room. It's time for us to get you started."
Ari had no experience lifting weights, but Danny got him oriented very quickly. And he was right. Within less than an hour, Ari had out grown the weight room, not to mention his shirt. He was obliged to unbutton it to complete his workout. And when he was finished, his muscles had grown so huge that there wasn't the room to refasten the buttons. "This won't go over too well with my mom and dad, or with Mrs. Scheinburg when she comes back to the mall to pick us up. What'm I gonna do?"
Danny said, Don't worry, Ari. You can have my T-shirt. I'll be nearly as tight on you as it is on me, but at least you'll have your chest covered. He pulled of his T- shirt and gave it to Ari. As Ari pulled off his sport shirt, both Danny and Miriam were oggle eyed. Ari's upper body had grown massively in less than sixty minutes. His physique was not yet as impressive as Danny's, but it was phenomenal in its own right. Danny went into the lunch room and pulled out some diet supplements for Ari. "Here, Ari, you're gonna hafta tah take all of this stuff home with you. And yer gonna hafta eat like a horse. Your muscles are gonna get bigger and a whole lot denser, and you'll need the nourishment to fuel all that growth. Salas'll help you... He'll make sure you stay well supplied with everything you need."
"Well, Danny, we keep a kosher home. Mom won't let anything into the house that's not kosher. None of this stuff has the "OU" (Union of Orthodox Rabbis) logo so I probably can't have it."
Danny thought for a minute. "Well, what I've given you is all vegetable based. See the label?. It says "parve." So there's no meat or dairy ingredients. That oughta pass muster with your folks. And if there's any doubt, just take it to your rabbi. I think he'll give all this stuff his OK."
"Yeah, maybe, but my mom'n dad are bound to ask questions, like WHY I'd wanna eat all this kinda stuff..."
"Well, we'll let Salas handle your folks. He'll know what to say. I really need for you to trust him. He'll do the right thing by you and your parents."
It was getting late. Danny said, "Guys, I think we'd better head on back to the mall. I'm wanna meet you both at Miriam's house right after school tomorrow and take you out to the base to meet Salas and the other guys..."
Ari thought for a moment. "That might be kinda hard, Danny. Tomorrow's a school night. My mom won't let me leave he house till I get my studies done and by the time I'm finished, it'll be almost dark. She'll never let me leave then..."
"Well, Ari, I know this may not sound exactly 'kosher,' but I'm just gonna hafta sneak you guys out. Just go to your room and I'll get you out through the window... Then I'll just run us on out to the base...."
"Yeah, Danny, unless mom comes up to my room to check on me or one of my friends calls me on the phone. That's just way too chancy. I can't leave the house on a school night without my parents' permission. I just can't do that..."
"Well, I guess I'll hafta go out to the base and lay all this on Salas all by myself. Don't be surprised if he shows up at your door and flashes his badge at your folks. That'll get him inside the door. Then, Ari, it'll be up to you to show your mom and dad a little bit of your strength. I'd rather have had a chance to get you a little stronger so they'd really have a sense of what you're up against. But you gotta soccer ball at home... or a basket ball?"
"Yeah, I got a couple'a basket balls and a soccer ball."
"Well, Ari, kiss one of those basketballs 'good bye,' cuz tomorrow, when Salas shows up, you're gonna do a little 'demo' for your folks. Your dad won't be able to flatten that thing, but you sure will. Then he'll get the picture."
Miriam sighed. "I wish I could be there to see Cantor Cohen's face."
Ari said, "Yeah, not to mention MY face. Are you sure I'll be strong enough to do that?"
Danny pulled the remnant of an I-beam from the scrap heap. "You can't quite manage what I did with this thing, Ari. At least not yet. But just try folding one of the end caps down around the vertical piece. Maybe you can do that. Could be a bit of struggle, but lets just see... Here, try it an' see."
Danny broke a two foot length off the end of the partially mangled I-beam and handed it to Ari. "Now, dude, just see what you can do with that."
Ari set the short length of I-beam on the deck and grasped both sides of the upper horizontal cross piece. It was a struggle, but he managed to fold them down to nearly vertical.
"Yeah, Ari! Fantastic!" Forget about that basketball!"
Danny tore off another two foot length from the I-beam and threw the rest of it back onto the scrap heap.
Danny handed Ari the two short lengths of I-beam, the one Ari had just mangled and the one Danny was saving for tomorrow evening. "Why're you giving me these, Danny?" Ari asked.
"That first one, the one you just worked on, is for me to show to Salas. That other one will be for you to show your folks what you did for Miriam and me just now. When your mom'n dad see that, they'll get the message. I'll hold onto both of them till tomorrow, but I need YOU to hang on to `em while I run you and Miriam back to the mall."
Miriam laughed. "Well, Danny, thanks to you, I guess I'll be marrying a superman after all..."
Ari asked, "Huh?"
Danny answered, "It's a long story. And we better get a move on or Miriam's mom'll be worried about yah."
Danny led Miriam out of the shop, locking the door and then the gate behind them. "Ari, you lift Miriam up onto my right shoulder and then hop up onto my left. Don't forget to hold onto those two scraps of I-beam." Ari did and Danny blurred into invisibility with his two "passengers."
They arrived at the mall just as Mrs. Scheinburg pulled up to the food court.
Danny took Miriam's hand in his. "Thanks, Miriam. Thanks a lot for today. I promise, you won't regret the way this turned out. Ari's gonna make you proud of him... right Ari?"
"Yeah, well, Danny, I'll do my best..."
Danny grinned. "That's all anybody could ask, Ari... I'll see you sometime tomorrow afternoon with Salas. I can't wait."
Miriam and Ari started to get into Mrs. Scheinburg's station wagon, but she stepped out of the car. "Why don't you introduce me to your friend, Miriam?"
Miriam turned to oblige when Mrs. Scheinburg recognized Danny's face from the day of his rampage there at the mall. Her face registered shock momentarily, but she recovered. Mrs. Scheinburg extended her hand to Danny who took it, very gently.
Mrs. Scheinburg said, "I recognize you. You are the one who terrorized all of us last July, right here... right here..."
Danny looked Mrs. Scheinburg in the eye. "Yes ma'am. That was me. And I'm sorry."
Miriam spoke, "Mom, this is the boy who saved Ari and me from the Matterhorn..."
"But, Miriam, you said that was all an act..."
"Yes I did. And yah wonder why? This isn't exactly stuff that can go public... I hadda cover for them..."
Mrs. Scheinburg was a bit flustered, but she was overcome with curiosity. Maybe I'd better park the car. Then I'll join you kids in the food court. I think I'd like to have a little 'chat,' with all three of you..."
Danny said, "Well, maybe it might be better if we talked in the car..."
Mrs. Scheinburg nodded. "I'll drive you home, Danny. We'll talk along the way. Why don't you sit up front. Miriam, Ari, get in the back."
As they drove away, Ari spoke. "Mrs. Scheinburg, Danny really did save our lives. Him and his friends. It was a miracle they were there for us. And Miriam and I prayed for Danny... that he'd straighten up and turn out OK. Well, it looks like our prayers were answered cuz he did. And he was there for us last Sunday when we really needed him. He saved our lives! We'd both be dead now if it weren't for Danny. We're gonna name our first little boy after him!"
Mrs. Scheinburg nodded. "Well, Danny, thank heaven you were there for these kids. But, frankly, after what happened back there at the mall last July, I'm a little surprised. That's quite a turnaround..."
"Mrs. Scheinburg, that day at the mall was the day everything changed for me. The guy who grabbed Miriam, his name's Andy Partlowe... we'll I met up with him a couple of days after that and now he's one of my best friends in the whole world... He showed me a lot with what he did that day... And yah know, scared to death as he was of me, not only for himself, but for all'a you people, he never tried to hurt me with all that firepower he had... You'd already left with Miriam, so you didn't see what happened after that... But you'd hafta have a heart of stone not to be affected by what happened then."
"Well, Danny, what DID happen?"
"Well, Mrs. Scheinburg, that stair I pulled loose out from under Andy and Miriam... I just heaved it over Andy's head and it landed behind him. It blocked his only way outta the concourse into the department store. I had him trapped. Then I told him I was gonna really mess `im up for goin' up against me..."
Danny choked.
"Yes, Danny, go on."
"In a minute, Mrs. Scheinburg... Just gimme a minute..."
Danny continued. "Andy was scared to death of me. He really thought I was gonna kill `im. He ditched his rifle and pulled out a pistol..."
Mrs. Scheinburg caught her breath.
"... he didn't turn it one me, Mrs. Scheinburg. I told him I could dodge a bullet... which I can... and after what he saw me do, he didn't have any trouble believing me. But he wouldn't have taken the shot anyway, even if he thought he could've hit me. He just couldn't bring himself to do that. So he turned his gun on himself. He told me later that he figured if he was gonna die, he might as well take the easy way out..."
Danny choked again.
"...Mrs. Scheinburg, the way he looked at me... I saw for myself what I looked like to all of you people when he looked at me like that..."
"But you said this boy, Andy, is one of your best friends now. What happened?"
"Well, I got the gun away from him. It was all I could do to get to him in time, but I managed somehow. And that's when it all changed for me. I cried all the way home. So, anyway, I met up with Andy afterward and he forgave me for what I did to him. And now we're good friends. He taught me a lot that afternoon, Mrs. Scheinburg. All about courage and mercy. Yah see, even though he was so scared of me he was ready to kill HIMSELF before letting me get my hands on him, he never once tried to hurt me. And he never quit. He went right down to the wire for all of you and didn't let up until all you people had gotten away to safety... Like I said, you'd hafta have a heart of stone for what Andy did not to affect you..."
Mrs. Scheinburg asked, "Would you be willing to introduce me to your friend Andy?"
"Sure, Mrs. Scheinburg, I'd be glad to."
"I would appreciate that, Danny. I had no idea how to get in touch with him. He never showed back up at the mall, not that I blame him... but the mall offices wouldn't give me his name or any information about him. I've always wanted to thank him... How strange that now I'll finally meet him through you... and that it was you who saved these two kids' lives!"
Danny sighed. "Well, it's gotten a lot stranger after that, ma'am. And it's not over yet. I think you and Doctor Scheinburg might wanna be over at Ari's house tomorrow evening, cuz we're gonna have a little surprise for Ari's parents then. And since Miriam and Ari are gonna be husband and wife someday, I think yer gonna wanna be there for that."
"Well, can you tell me now?"
"Let's let it wait, Mrs. Scheinburg. I think we oughta wait until we're all together for that. But it's real important and, even though it's a school night, I really think you and Miriam and Doctor Scheinburg are all gonna wanna be there."
Mrs. Scheinburg pulled up in front of Danny's house. Danny said, "When I get over to Ari's tomorrow afternoon with my friend, Salas, I'll have his mom call you... Please don't let his folks know anything until then. I don't wanna have Ari under a lotta pressure from them to spill the beans till I get over there with Salas."
"Well, OK, Danny. We'll be waiting. It's nice to finally meet you. And I'm relieved things have turned out all right for you..."
"Yes ma'am. Me too."
Danny got out and went inside as Mrs. Scheinburg drove away.
Monday (the sixth)
Alexi and Roy landed at Alexi's base at daybreak. They had radioed ahead and all of Alexi's men were standing by at the ramp when the harrier touched down.
Starshii Leytenant Yakov Shaposhnikov greeted Alexi with a warm embrace. "Welcome home, Alexi Iurevich!"
"Thank you, Yakov! Permit me to introduce to you my young American friend, Roy Fuchs..."
Yakov grinned. "We have met, of course. You are one of the young men who rescued our submariners. It is good to see you again..."
Roy answered in fluent Russian. "Yes, Yakov. It is nice to see all of you again."
Oddly, Roy's Russian, which he'd gotten via 'mind link' from Danny, was far more grammatically correct and far less colloquial than his English.
Alexi embraced the five other supermen one by one... and then he came to Maxim. He held him at arms length by his shoulders and then embraced him warmly. "Maxim, I've missed you. It's good to see you again. I trust you have kept everything in order while I was away."
Maxim hugged back. "As well as can be expected, Alexi."
Alexi introduced Roy and Maxim to each other. Maxim grinned. "Well, Roy Fuchs. So finally we meet in person. This is an unalloyed pleasure, to be sure!"
Roy smiled back. "I have been looking forward to this, Maxim. You and I have a lot to talk about!"
Maxim nodded. "Indeed we do!"
As the men strolled into the hangar, Roy and Maxim immediately began to chatter back and forth. The rest of the men might as well not've been there. You'd have thought those two had known each other all their lives.
"I cannot WAIT to get you back to America, Maxim. You will be coming back to California with me. I am especially looking forward to introducing you to my friend Robbie!"
Maxim looked at Alexi. "So, you are really sending me to America?"
Alexi smiled. "Yes, Maxim. You will be leaving with Roy. You and he will collaborate on the new aircraft over there. It will be better if you do that at Salas' base than here. We will arrange a cargo flight directly from our base to Salas' base in Southern California. You will have all the materials you need from here when you leave..."
Jakov interjected. "Alexi, I am sure you and young Roy are hungry. We have everything ready in the mess hall..."
Alexi agreed enthusiastically. "Yes, I could eat enough to feed a starving army. Roy brought box lunches for us to eat along the way, but that was hardly filling."
As they sat and ate, Roy and Maxim continued in animated conversation. Roy mumbling through mouthfuls of food. He ate as the superman he was. Maxim observed. "I see, Roy, that you brought a healthy appetite along with you. You eat like these supermen here. One would almost gather that YOU are a superman as much as you have eaten. Roy paused and looked at Alexi who nodded. "Well, Maxim, that is because I AM a super man."
Maxim was taken aback. "But, I never realized! I suppose I should have guessed when I saw you. You certainly LOOK like one of them... But I had not known... It seemed from the way you spoke to me over the telephone, certain little things... little things that are hard to pinpoint... it had just seemed to me that you were a normal..."
Again Roy looked at Alexi. Again Alexi nodded.
"Well, Maxim, that brings me to why I am here. Now is as good a time as any to tell you, I should think. You are right, Maxim... I AM normal... Or, at least, I was... I've only been this way for about three weeks. Before that, I was as normal as you are now..."
Maxim laughed. "That is, of course, impossible. No one can be normal one day and then become a super man the next..."
Alexi shook his head. "Maxim, he is telling the truth. Of all the supermen who intervened to save our submariners and their boat, only three of them were born this way. All the rest have only recently become so."
All of the Russians began bombarding Alexi with questions.
Alexi held up his hands. "Let us finish our meal. Then Roy and I will explain."
After they were done eating, Alexi continued. "These Americans have given to us an incredible gift. It will make all of us very powerful in a way completely different from anything any of us has ever had before. One of their number brought this gift into the American group. He was a very strong and athletic young man in his own right. But he did not have super strength. It was his mind. He is able to 'link' his mind with others. He can also link several people together into a kind of 'mind link' network. Even people without this gift, can communicate with one another if they are included in this mental 'network.' But here is the most amazing thing. After a time, this gift was imparted to ME. And if that were not enough..." Alex looked at Maxim. "...sustained exposure to this 'mental connection' between a normal and a superman will impart super strength to those not born with it. This is how Roy received his mental linking gift and his super strength. He was born with neither and has had these for only a matter of weeks. And as a fledgling superman, in possession of these incredible gifts for only a matter of DAYS, he was among those responsible for rescue of our submariners. This was also true of Sergeants Nguyen and LeBlanc who defied the orders of their superiors to not enter our submarine. Against orders, those courageous young men used their newly acquired strength to tear their way through cold steel to rescue our sailors. And Roy and his friend Robbie were under the keel, using their powerful muscles to keep our crippled submarine afloat. They did this for several hours without relief. And the others among these Americans... all but three of them only super men for a matter of days or a few weeks... did the same for their own submariners...."
"Maxim, now I can make you like us if you will permit me to do this for you. This is why I have brought Roy with me... Not only to escort you back to America. You could, of course, make your own way to our American friends without escort. But Roy is here to help you as you adjust to your new life... to your new life as a superman..."
Maxim looked at Alexi. "I will obey your orders, Alexi Iurevich. If you tell me to, I will, of course, cooperate."
"But, Maxim, this is not an order. This is a GIFT! This is something I WANT very badly to give to you, to share with you. I want you to have everything the rest of us have..."
"You are dissatisfied with my work, Alexi Iurevich? It is not enough that I do my best for you as a normal."
"No, Maxim. NO! No one could have done more for us than you have. You have worked miracles for us..."
The other Russian supermen heartily agreed, nodding their heads, "Yes, yes, YES!" they all exclaimed.
"...But now, Maxim, there is no longer any reason you cannot have everything the rest of us have. And this is why Roy has come. He has successfully made this transition himself. And he has come to help you make yours."
Maxim was silent for a moment. He looked back at Alexi. "Then am I to understand that this is an 'offer,' not an 'order?' The choice is to be mine?"
"Yes, Maxim. I must leave the choice to you. No one will force you into this. But I cannot imagine why you would decline."
"I will consider it, Alexi. There are many things to take into account. Roy, I realize you have only a short time with us before you must return to America. So I shall not waste your time. I wish that you and Alexi would have made this option known to me before you came all this way to Yekaterinburg for me. But what is done is done. So I will give you my answer by the end of the day. But now, I should like to be alone. Alexi, if I may be excused. I will return to my quarters where I will consider all of this."
Roy spoke. "Maxim. The reason I am the one who came is because I had the most difficulty with my adjustment to these changes. I do not know you all that well, but it was my sense that you and I are very much alike in some ways. I know that a part of you prefers things the way they are. I was like that. And a part of me misses things the way they were. But Alexi asked me if I would choose to go back if I could. I had not really thought about that until he asked me. But, the truth is, I would NEVER go back, even if I could. And, as Alexi has done with you, my boss, Salas, gave me a choice. He would have allowed me to stay with him, even if I had said 'no.' But, Maxim, to say 'no' to this would be very irrational. I am here to do everything I can to persuade you to say 'yes' to this. And, frankly, only a short time ago, I could not have imagined myself in such a position as this. I could not have dreamed that I would be asking anyone to come into this with us."
Maxim nodded. "Thank you, Roy. As I have said, I will give this fair consideration. But it might take some several hours. The simple fact of the matter is, from what you have told me, 'going back' is not possible. At least not now. And I cannot expect that research into how such `going back' might be accomplished would be high on anyone's list of priorities. So I must assume that any such change would be permanent and irrevocable. This is why I must consider carefully..."
Maxim nodded to Alexi, Roy and to the other Russian supermen as he rose and left the table.
Roy turned to Alexi. "He doesn't know it yet, Alexi. But he has already decided. He will consider the welfare of your group. And he will decide for himself that, in the interest of all of you, he will allow this to be done to him."
Alexi shook his head. "But, Roy, I want him to choose this for himself. I NEED him to receive this as a GIFT, not as an obligation. That boy has been through hell. This must be something that will make him happy or I will not allow it."
"No, Alexi. You were right the before. Maxim WILL adjust. It may take some time. But he will make it. That is why I came here with you. To help him come to terms. When he has adjusted, he will be glad you trusted him. He will understand the faith you have in him, Alexi. And, you will have the satisfaction of knowing everything you have done for him up to this point will have been worthwhile. This is important for you... for BOTH of you."
"You are a good friend, Roy. Thank you for coming for me and for Maxim."
Roy nodded. "Well, Alexi, now maybe you will want to try the mind link with your men. I will just leave that to you. If you need my help, let me know. But I would like to start some preliminary work on the harrier and on one of your YaKs. I need to draft the requisition of materials that Maxim and I will take back with us to our base in California. I will collaborate with Maxim on this when he returns from his quarters. But I would like to get started right away."
"That will be fine, Roy. Do you need any assistance from any of my men? They are all qualified in the YaK and they know all of the systems thoroughly..."
"As do you, Alexi. And you have given me everything you know about the YaK. I will be fine."
Scotty drove Billy, Andy and Danny out to the base. Danny had both of the short lengths of I-beam with him. Scotty asked, "What're you doin' with those, Danny?"
"I'll go over all that with Salas. And then with all'a you guys. It's kind of a surprise... And, Andy, do you think you'd be free this afternoon. There's somebody I want you to meet. Maybe all you guys could come..."
Scotty, Billy and Andy were all mystified. They plied Danny with questions, but he refused to give them anything. "I'll tell you guys everything, but first I gotta talk to Salas, alone. He's gonna blow his top at first, and I think I better go through all that uproar with him while we're by ourselves..."
They pulled up in front of the admin. building on the base, got out of the car and went inside.
Salas and the other guys were already waiting in the conference room. Danny marched up to Salas with the two I-beams, one in either hand. "Salas, I gotta talk to you in private. Now. Can we go to your office?"
Salas led Danny down the passageway and they entered Salas' offices together. "OK, Danny. What's up?"
"Well, Salas, you remember how you told me NOT to deliver those flowers to Miriam Scheinburg?"
Salas frowned. "And you went ahead over there anyway..."
Danny looked down. "Yeah, Salas. And I know I did wrong. I'll take my lumps... Whatever you dish out, I know I deserve it... But I HADDA meet that girl... I just HAD to... And, even though I know I did wrong, I'm not sorry I did..."
"OK, Danny. Let's have it. What happened?"
"I went over to Miriam's house. I SNUCK over there, actually, and she let me into her room through her upstairs window... Well, one thing led to another and before I left, we agreed to meet up. And she mentioned a friend of hers, Ari Cohen. I met both of them at the mall yesterday and, Salas, Ari is one of US..."
"One of US?"
"You know how we super guys can `sense' each other. Salas, Ari's only ten years old and, really, he's more like Billy was than you or Cole or me. He's got all the 'potential,' but he just hasn't found it in himself yet. Or at least he hadn't until I took him and Miriam out to the shop yesterday afternoon. Danny hefted the mangled I-beam. "Ari did this yesterday."
Danny handed Salas the short length of I-beam with one of the cross members bent over on both sides.
Salas asked, "That boy did this, with his bare hands?"
"Yeah, Salas. I took him into the weight room over at the shop and, within an hour, he was strong enough to lift everything in there. There was nothing in that room he couldn't handle. And his body, Salas. It was just like Billy that first day. Miriam and I could see his muscles growing, right before our eyes! He hadda take his shirt off cuz it wouldn't fit him anymore. And then he did this. It was a real struggle for him, but he did it, all by himself. And, Salas, he's only ten!"
"And now you wanna bring that little boy into all of this?"
"Well yeah, Salas... What else? I think we got an obligation to him. And Ari's got an obligation to himself... If yer doin' all this for the rest of us, why not for him, too?"
"What about his parents?"
"They don't know yet. That's where you come in. I told Ari and Miriam that we'd be over there this afternoon after they get outta school to meet up with Ari and his parents. And I met Miriam's mom. She and her husband will be there too, with Miriam."
"You mean you met Mrs. Scheinburg and told her everything?"
"Well, yeah. I met her when she came back to the mall to pick up Ari and Miriam. She drove me home and I told her part of it. But not the stuff about Ari bein' like us. I figured I oughta tell Ari's parents first..."
"Well, Danny, WHY on EARTH did you bring Miriam's mother into this?"
"Well, Salas, here's the thing. Those people are all Orthodox Jews. Ari and Miriam are gonna be married one day. It's an 'arranged' thing, but it's not like you think. They're just kids, but they already love each other... more like brother and sister now. But they've always been close. And, the way things are, the Scheinburgs have got as much stake in all this with Ari as his own parents do. It's just different with them. I figured they've got as much right to know about Ari as his own parents do. But I've held off tellin' Mrs. Scheinburg about Ari until this afternoon. I figured they all oughta hear the news together. And I need you to take us over there cuz they're really gonna need you there when we break this to `em."
Salas shook his head. "Talk about forcing my hand, Danny... Sheezz! How do you know these people won't blow the whistle on all of us?"
"Salas, that's a chance I hadda take. Besides. You saw what Miriam did, coverin' for us like she did... and Ari backed her up one hundred percent. And I already met Mrs. Scheinburg. She recognized me from that day when I went crazy down at the mall. And she wants to meet Andy to thank him for what he did for Miriam. She'd never let her husband or the Cohen's spill the beans on us. We're covered, Salas. You GOTTA believe me when I tell you that."
Salas allowed himself a glimmer of a smile. "Danny, you KNOW you did wrong going over to the Scheinburgs..."
"Yeah, Salas. And, like I said, I'll take my licks. Whatever you decide, I'll accept it..."
"Well, Danny, what would YOU suggest?"
"I dunno, Salas. Like I said, whatever you decide."
"Danny, you're a headstrong young man. I don't know that there's anything I could do to change that. And, as it turns out, it's probably better you went with your heart on this one. I could see you were hot to meet that little girl. I don't think a team of wild horses could've kept you from lookin' her up eventually. I should'a known that. So, I guess in a way, that was as much my fault as yours. C'mon, son. Let's go and tell the other guys about this."
Salas led Danny down the passageway and back into the conference room.
"Guys, Danny's got a little announcement..."
Danny told all the guys about their prospective "new recruit."
Salas spoke up. "Guys, I'm gonna take Danny over to meet with Cantor and Mrs. Cohen and the Scheinburgs. And, Andy, Mrs. Scheinburg has asked to meet you. She's been wanting to thank you for what you did for Miriam that day at the mall."
Andy smiled. "Well, I'd be glad to come. Maybe we could all go together..."
"Naw, Andy, I don't wanna overwhelm these people. The rest of you guys just hang out here and see if you can find something constructive to do. We'll all get together later on if we get done with Ari's parents in time. I think we're gonna hafta play this one by ear."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Comments welcome.
TagsNOLA@lycos.com