Considering the new threat from the damaged transport, Mike made a decision on the fly. “Thank you Mr. Hardesty, I would appreciate that. And I believe we have a way to do that, if we hurry. We’re going to be leaving for Earth in three more days and we’re bringing as many upgrade med units as possible. We can’t waste time bringing people back and forth. So, upgrades will be done on the planet. We’ll need to get those men into the units as quickly as we can, because there is more involved than just suffering through the procedure.

  “As we are still learning up here, it takes constant practice to take full advantage of everything you can do with your new talents. Think of it as mental boot camp. I can assure you it’s necessary, and well worth all of the work.

  “You’ll need to decide who you want to join my staff up here. The other English speaking governments will too, if they want to be on the inside of the decision making process.”

  Much to Mike’s surprise, Todd Pierpoint spoke up, “Mr. Hurst, I’d like to be a part of that staff, but I would insist on remaining a US citizen and answerable to the President.”

  “Mr. Pierpoint, I would be very pleased to have you add your knowledge and experience to the counsel of advisors, if the President will allow it. And for the record, no one sent by another government will be required to surrender their allegiance to their respective countries.”

  Max cast him and angry glare, but held his tongue.

  There was a long pause, as people whispered back and forth. Then the President announced, “I shall allow Mr. Pierpoint to join you, Mr. Hurst. However, at the risk of seeming ungrateful for your efforts, I must warn you that I’ll unleash the dogs of hell if you violate him in any way.”

  Mike responded, “Then I should tell you that any person who undergoes the upgrade process will have implanted in their minds a restriction against being a part of any effort to displace the Terran Space Navy from taking the lead in the defense of Earth. That would include an attack on any of my staff, or me. Other than that, they will have free rein to almost all information and be able to pass it on to the governments who are working with us.”

  He waited for the expected complaint from Mike Hardesty, but the man remained silent. So, Mike continued. “Along those lines, I would add that we would take it as a possible violation of our alliance, if new weapons, which are developed through us, are used against another nation. There can be exceptions, such as self defense against a serious threat. But I want to be kept in the loop, if you’re planning to use our weapons as you resort to force.”

  Hardesty again. “You ask a lot of us and yet you make it sound as though it’s not. We have a right to defend our national interest.”

  Mike chuckled, as he told the man, “You can do that right now, Mike; using weapons that you already have. I’m just saying that I don’t want these new weapons to be used to dominate the world. If another country seems as though it is about to strike first, that will be a game changer. But I ask that you do a quick check with me, before you unleash the dogs of war using this new technology.

  “I think you’ll find me far more willing to help along those lines than you may expect. I have no intention of watching my former country abused by anyone. For instance, I am sending you a list of people who are not on your terrorist watch list and why I think they should be. Also, I will provide the location of every terrorist leader in the world that we can find. How you deal with them is up to you.”

  Hardesty cursed and told him, “Damn it, Hurst, you make it hard to like you and difficult to dislike you. You’re no politician that’s for sure.”

  “Mr. Hardesty, I take that as the supreme compliment.”

  After a long pause, a soft woman’s voice spoke up. “Mr. Hurst, Marge Chalmers here. I’d like to join you up there. As I learn what you have up there and how it works, I can direct the research down here. I know so many people in so many different scientific fields. It could really speed up the effort to protect us all.”

  Bet Fulwiler grabbed his wrist and gleefully wrapped on it repeatedly, as she beamed a huge smile and nodded her head. She remained silent, but just barely.

  Mike told her, “Ma’am, the same goes for you. I would be honored to have you up here, but only if the President allows it.”

  Without hesitation, the President agreed. “Mr. Hurst, you seem to be whittling away at my staff. I must admit that makes me nervous.”

  “Sir, I recommend that the ten people you send me have the procedure performed down there. The med units we are sending you will handle the upgrades and you will have a chance to see for yourself how difficult it can be. But, you’ll also be able to spend some time with those people, before you send them on their way. Hopefully, that would alleviate some of your concerns.”

  “I’m not sure it will be possible to completely remove my worries, but it might make me feel a little better about it.”

  “Mr. Pierpoint, I’ll send you that list of terrorist and you can distribute it as you wish. Oh, you might want to act quickly on four of them, whom I’ll highlight. They’re just days away from attempting an assault on the New York City subway system.”

  “I’ll get right on it. May I ask how you came across this information?”

  “Certainly. I had my technical staff monitor all communications, just like the NSA. The difference is in how we analyze the data.”

  The President told him, “I’m sure the NSA would like to have any insight you could provide as to how that works. Why don’t you provide us with a copy of that program.”

  “I will, when the time is right, Mr. President. As your psychological analyst have no doubt told you, I have a predilection for being opposed to the abuse of power, not that anyone on this call would be likely to be in that category, I’m sure.”

  Mike waited, and when no one said anything, he told them, “Gentlemen, I suggest that we talk again about all of this tomorrow. That should give you time to consider a number of issues. I’ll have a timetable for you, as to when I expect to arrive. May I suggest that we meet at Nellis Air Force Base? I believe the Base commander and his Exec. Should have a crack at me, too.”

  There were chuckles on the other end, as the President said, “Very well, Mr. Hurst. Tomorrow it is.”

  Mike cut the connection, knowing that Bambi was recording everything they said, after he left the line.

  He told his staff, “Well, let’s hope they can come up with some ideas we overlooked. In the mean time, I want everyone working with the new people to prepare them for upgrading.”

  Chapter 7

  Bet waited until she was sure the connection had been broken, and then she quite simply exploded with joy. “Oh Mike, I’m so happy that Marge is heading up here. You didn’t know it, but she’s my Goddaughter and I’ve known her parents since way before she was born. She’s brilliant and really knows her stuff. We’ll have so much catching up to do.”

  But Mike did not have the happy reaction Bet had expected.

  “Bambi, why the hell didn’t you tell me about this connection between these two.”

  “General, I’ve looked at every relationship that is traceable by data bases. I knew about Godparents, but I wasn’t aware of the importance of Godparents, in the human cultural equation. So, I didn’t add it to my evaluations.”

  “Well get on it, Bambi. We want to know everything about every person we invite to join us.”

  “I’m already working on the new algorithm, Sir.”

  Bet tapped his hand and rather harshly, for a normal human. “Mike, don’t you think you were a bit rude with her?”

  Max and Wayne were surprised to see the woman take Mike to task. One didn’t speak like that to a superior officer.

  Mike coldly responded, “We can’t afford to make mistakes, Bet, and you know it. This one was fortunate and will probably prove to be beneficial. But the next mistake may prove fatal for all of us.”

  She said, “You’re right, of course. In the scientific world, we hate to make mistakes because it can prove to be a terrible waste of our time, sometimes years of research can be turned upside down, due to a single oversight. It’s extremely frustrating. So we usually triple-check everything, before proceeding to the next stage. I can see that you don’t have the luxury of surviving any mistakes, in your business.”

  “That’s true, Bet.”

  He assumed she was through but he was wrong.

  “That said, I still think you could cut Bambi some slack. After all, she doesn’t have the knowledge of human interaction like we do.”

  Mike realized that Bet was still chastising him for scolding Bambi. She was merely going about it in a kinder way. Damn but she was clever. That’s exactly the sort of thing Sherry would have done.

  He assured her, “I’ll be a little gentler the next time, OK? But this is how anyone learns, including kids.”

  She smiled, having won her point.

  Mike asked her, “Did Marge go to Stanford, as you did?”

  “No. She went to MIT.”

  Then she pushed on to another subject. “So, you’ve done back ground checks on everyone. I assume that includes me. How did I check out?” She was batting her eyelashes at him, in an obvious flirtatious and humorous manner.

  He grinned and warned her, “Young Lady, flirting with the boss will not get you a raise in pay. As for checking you out, you better damn well believe it. I remember reading about some of the men who worked on the Manhattan Project; you know, the first atomic bomb. A few of them had strong communist leanings and it affected the working relationships, with their peers. I won’t have any one up here who is pursuing their own agenda, in order to benefit one nation, or political agenda over another.”

  “I’m pleased to announce that each one of the scientists checked out just fine. And you have proven to be a very special prize. You have a clean record with the FBI, the DIA and a number of government sub-agencies, for whom you did some mighty fine work. Your personal history is outstanding, only married twice and,” he paused awkwardly, before adding, “You’re practically a saint, compared to the politicians.”

  He expected her wrath to come boiling to the surface. But it didn’t.

  “In a voice as sweet as his old grandmother she asked, “And what about your past? Who checked you out?”

  “No one, because I was the first.”

  With a hint of anger, she followed up with, “It’s going to come up eventually, General Hurst. Perhaps you should have an impartial committee look into your history.”

  He laughed and told her, “By God you don’t back down from difficult situations, do you, Elizabeth? OK, how about this. Bambi, I want you to work with Dr. Fulwiler and dig up everything you can on me. Don’t hide anything from her.”

  Bambi responded, “General, what about those missions that didn’t really happen, in South America?”

  “Everything, Bambi. And if she wants you to look into my past in an area you haven’t thought of, don’t argue with her, just do it.”

  “Got it, Sir.”

  Bet smiled and softly told him, “Thank You, Mike”

  So, he thought, she calls me General when she’s angry and Mike when she gets her way. He knew she had played him, but he didn’t really mind.

  The fact was there would be many people who wanted to know what gave him the right to lead. Learning about his background would help to alleviate some concerns and, no doubt, raise a few others. It would work in two ways; first: if his history was an open book, no one could create a false history that would harm his image and second: it said something about what kind of leader he was, honest, confident and above board.

  Sir, Al Benson wishes to speak with you. He’s waiting just outside.

  Send him in.

  Al was looking extremely young and fit, as he marched into the conference room. When he stopped, he almost threw Mike a salute, but caught himself.

  Mike smiled and told him, “Don’t feel pregnant, Al. I still have a hard time not saluting General Kolbe. So, what’s up?”

  “I’m sorry to report that only about half of the men we went after have shown serious interest in being upgraded. After some honest talk with them, I think it boils down to two things. They would rather be with their families and enjoy the life they missed out on. Also, they don’t like the prospect of going back into combat again. I can’t blame them, General. Look at what happened to them the last time.”

  Mike looked at Al and asked, “What about you, Al? How do you feel about it?”

  “Well sir, when I first agreed to be upgraded, I was kind of gung-ho. Now that I’ve had a chance to really think about it, I’m not too fucking happy at the thought of getting blowed up again.” Then he looked toward Bet and added, “Pardon me, ma’am.”

  Bet seemed upset. She told Al, “I’m not bothered by a few curse words, but I am concerned about losing out on a few good men.” She tilted her head and asked, “So, do you intend to leave or stick with us.”

  Al looked at Mike. “I didn’t think I would be allowed to leave the TSN, once I had been upgraded. You mean I can go, if I want to?”

  Mike looked him in the eye and said, “Al, you know we need you and every one of those men. But, I’ve had a chance to rethink my original plan and I can understand how difficult this decision is for all of us.

  “So, here’s the new rule. Anyone can leave, after the upgrade, but for security purposes, they have to work for us on Earth, at Nellis Air Force Base. After a year, maybe less, I believe the word will be out about this. Then it won’t matter. When that happens, they can go wherever they wish.

  “However, there will be very hard and fast rules about using their new strength and mental abilities. They can’t use it against our cause, the cause of the US, or any other nation.”

  Bambi suggested, “Sir, I can have their comm units negated, so they will not be able to use them and it won’t hurt a thing. They’d still have their young bodies, their quicker minds and their greatly enhanced strength, but they would have no access to me, or anyone else through the comm unit.”

  Mike agreed. “I like that idea; we’ll do it. Also, if any of them pursue a criminal activity, the TSN will bring its full capabilities on board to bring them in. I will request that the President allow them to be prosecuted by us, out here and to serve their punishment out here, as well. They absolutely may not become mercenaries. Oh, and I don’t want to see any of them become a strong man in the circus.”

  Al grinned and acknowledged, “Alright General. But, for the record, I’m in. I figure whether I go, or I stay and fight, the whole planet will be fighting the Saurans in two years anyway.”

  Bet added a disturbing truth. “If what Jo and Bambi tell us is accurate, we won’t even get a chance to fight them on the ground. They’ll attack from space and destroy the planet in a few days. We’ll just sit and watch as region after region is eliminated, until finally, everyone on the Earth has been murdered.”

  Al’s brow furrowed, and then he smiled. “Dr. Fulwiler, that’s a horrible thing to contemplate, but it’s a great selling point for us in our recruiting efforts. Let me delicately plant that seed in the minds of those leaning toward a return to Earth. Once they see the possibility and horror of total genocide, they just might want to go down swinging. I can sell that concept.”

  Mike told him, “Al, you’re a walking poster boy for the Terran Space Navy.”

  Al cringed, “Does it have to be Navy. Couldn’t it be the Terran Space Military, or better yet Army?”

  Max smiled broadly and told him, “I hate it too, Al. But the reality is that this war is going to be fought primarily in space.”

  Then he added a grim prophecy. “If we have any luck at all, we’ll be taking this war to the Saurans and that will mean fighting them on other planets. So you see, Al, we may yet have a serious need for a Terran Army component. But we must not allow inter-service rivalry to effect our actions, as it did in World War Two, or Korea.”

  “Hell, I know that. It’s just hard not to think like a ground pounder when I was one before I got blowed up.”

  Al turned to leave and Bet jumped up, saying, “Wait for me, Al. I want to come along and talk with those people, too. I think a woman’s touch on this might be of some help.”

  Al told her, “I’m not so sure about that, Ma’am.”

  She put her hands on her hips and stubbornly announced, “Now you listen here, soldier. A woman, in the early years of their lives, raised these men. So when a woman tells them that she knows that they are the only chance she has against flesh eating aliens, I think it could give them a different perspective.”

  When Al Benson was happy, he reflected his joy with an enormous wide grin, which he wore now. “By golly, I think you just might be right. Let’s go give it a shot.”

  As they walked away, Mike couldn’t help but notice Bet’s long stride, as her legs took longer steps to keep up with Benson. He had also taken note of her firm butt, when she stood proudly with her hands on her hips, as she faced off against Al. She was a fine looking woman all right. She might be eighty six, but the med unit had her looking around fifty. To a seventy one year old man like Mike, she was…well, hot.

  When he looked back at the others, only Mary had noticed his interest. She was beaming at him, and Mike felt embarrassed to have been caught leering at Bet’s sassy rear end. He thought “It’s been at least twenty years since I had a moment like that.”

  Mary looked him in the eye and winked, signaling her approval of his male hormones exposing his thoughts. He grimaced and looked down at some non-existing notes and attempted to get back into the conversation.

  Max and Wayne had been chatting about recruiting. Mike interrupted them by speaking out loud.

  “BAMBI, is there any way for us to travel to Earth faster and not alert the beacons?”

  “As I’ve said before, it would be dangerous for me to augment the beacon’s programs, because I wasn’t the original programming computer.”

  In frustration, Mike pressed, “We simply can’t be wasting weeks, every time we make a round trip to Earth. Is there some way to mask our faster movement?”