© 2004 Myr
Thanks to BOAS for editing this chapter.
Last updated on February 19, 2004Psionic Corps Chapter 2
I was in a pair of Army shorts and t-shirt when Danny got back. He closed the door behind him and locked it before approaching me with a washcloth wrapped around a bag of ice in his hand. He steered me over to my bed and lay me down. He then very tenderly saw to my eye.
“What happened, exactly?”
“Some friends of that bully at lunch decided to get even with me. One of them had a very unfortunate run in with my body armor,” which I lazily indicated hanging in my closet.
He snorted in amusement. “If you don’t mind too terribly, I’d like to stay here again tonight?”
I nodded, not quite knowing what he was after.
“Thanks. Now, I’ll go intercept your dinner and get my own. I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.”
“Thanks Danny.”
“Don’t mention it Ian. I’ll be back soon,” and with that he was up and out the door again.
True to his word, he was back within twenty minutes. He smiled at me as he set the tray down on my desk. It was loaded with enough food for both our dinners. I smiled as he indicated I should get up to eat.
“Thanks for bringing dinner. What are they saying down there?”
“Don’t fuck with Ian Smith, to put it bluntly,” he said calmly.
The curse did not sound right coming from his mouth. He was obviously not overly exposed to it. I snorted.
“What else are they saying?”
“The ROTC guys are rallying behind you. Cadet Major Dodge, your friend from breakfast, was a vocal supporter of you. I doubt you’ll find that too surprising however, since you made such a good impression with him.”
I blushed a little.
“So you do embarrass huh?” Danny teased lightly.
“I think I underestimated you Danny.”“Was that because of my cowering with Steven last night?”
I nodded reluctantly.
“I choose my battles carefully, but I defend my friends. You more then proved yourself to me yesterday.”
“What are you after Danny?” I asked lightly.
He paused for a long time in silence before answering, “I’m not sure. What I do know is that I feel more at peace with myself when I’m near you than I ever have before.”
My mouth opened in an ‘O’ as I realized why that was. I closed it quickly. “Thanks Danny. I appreciate that you enjoy my company.”
He looked a little hurt at my response. “Do you want me to go?”
The question startled me. “No! Definitely not! I enjoy your company too.”
He relaxed as he started eating, and I joined in.
We ate in silence and when we were done, he ran the tray back down to the cafeteria. He returned wearing shorts with a picture of the Capitol on them and a t-shirt that said “United States House of Representatives.”
After he locked the door and settled himself on the floor near my feet, he looked up at me and asked, “What’s the real reason you have Pentagon computer access?”
I looked at him blankly and he elaborated, “I can sometimes tell when people aren’t being fully honest, and you weren’t last night.”
I looked at him for a long time before standing up from my chair and walking to my bed. I patted the spot next to me, indicating he should join me. He did.
“Do you trust me?”
“Completely.”
His immediate response rocked me back for a moment. “Give me your hand and clear you mind.”
He placed his hand in my without hesitation. Now that I was looking for it, I could sense it right away. He had an active, though untrained, empathic gift. Since he had a gift, he also gay. This is where the complication to identifying the boys with gifts came in. I now had to tell him. He felt something from me when I scanned him. I know because he jumped a little during the scan.
I turned so that we were facing each other directly. “What I’m about to say is classified higher than Top Secret. You are not to reveal any of it to anyone ever. Is that understood?”
He tensed and then replied, “I give my solemn oath.”
“There is no easy way to tell you this, but you have what we call Psionic powers. In order to have any of these abilities, you have to be a gay male. Now, this is the hard part. You’re going to have to be trained. By law, that means you’ll be joining the United States Army Psionic Corps. I have and I’m already an officer.”
“I’m going to have to join the Army?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so. Not to worry though. You’ll be around those that are like you.”
“I don’t want to leave here.”
“Something might be arranged. I’m not sure.”
“I…I… will you hold me Ian? I need to think on this.”
I nodded. “I need to send an email first.”
“Is it about me?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
I quickly fired up my computer and sent an email out to the General. I then shut the computer back down and crawled into my bed next to Danny. I fell asleep pretty quickly listening to his deep breathing.
The next morning was Thursday and it was my first day of suspension. Danny got up with the bell and did his morning routine, promising to ensure my breakfast arrived for me. After he had delivered my breakfast, he rushed off again. It left me alone for a few hours. I decided that it was a good time to do some of my exercises.
When I completed my usual routine I took a shower. I got out just in time to catch Danny arrive with my lunch. He ate with me and then rushed off with the tray. I decided that it was as good a time as any to work on my doctoral thesis. I was still plugging away at it when Danny got back. He wasn’t alone though. David was with him. The Secret Service Detail was in the hall behind him.
“Hi David,” I greeted him lightly.
“What’s going on Ian?” Dave asked as he handed me a folder.
“What do you mean?” I asked while looking over the contents, of what turned out to be my homework for the day.
“I mean something doesn’t feel right about you. You show up one day out of the blue, are in all my classes and you get into two fights. One I suppose I had something to do with, but the other?” he asked.
“Friends of the first thought that their friend was unfairly treated.”
“I see. Other strange things are going on too. For example, you’re going to be coming home with me tonight. Apparently your father is back in town and needs to speak with you, but is meeting with my father. They seem to think that our traveling together would be good for us.”
I snorted quietly. He nodded his head and rolled his eyes in reply.
“I think they’ll put you in one of the spare rooms for the night. I’m told that your father is flying out again tonight.”
“No doubt,” I answered cryptically.
George Watters stepped into the room, “Please pack an overnight bag, Ian.”
“Okay. No problem Mr. Watters.”
I quickly packed a change of clothes and my toiletry bag into my duffle bag.
I followed David out to the waiting suburban and climbed in through the door the Agent opened for me. David climbed in behind me and plopped down into the seat right next to me.
“You were quicker than I thought you’d be packing.”
“The Army trains you to move quickly.”
“I’d say you moved pretty quick. I mean that in more than packing too.”
“I am a black belt in a couple of forms of martial arts. Mr. Watters knew that. He shouldn’t have ever grabbed me that way.”
“Any other things you are good at?” Dave asked a little smile on his face.
“I can read minds. Do you want to see?” I asked conspiratorially.
“Ha! Right! And I’m the President.”
“Give me your hand and think of something,” I said, not expecting him to do it.
He frowned for a moment and then smirked, putting his hand into mine.
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to read your mind?” I asked, giving him a fair chance to get out of it.
“Sure. Go ahead.”
So I did. I could feel it right away. He had the feeling of being gay. He also had an untapped power hidden in his mind. It looked like it would be powerful when it emerged. If it emerged, that is. I then focused on his surface thoughts. He was still smirking as I locked onto the most prominent thought in his mind. He thought my eyes were pretty. I felt myself blush.
I looked him straight into his eyes and whispered quietly, “I like your eyes too Dave.”
He had a panicked look on his face for a moment. I still smiled at him and I was still holding his hand. After a long moment, he went pale.
“It’s okay you know,” I told him quietly, trying to be reassuring as possible.
“I don’t think my father will like it and I know my mother will be angry,” he mumbled.
“We are what we are. That is the way it is I’m afraid. Is this why you push people away?”
“You’ve only known me for a day. How would you know how I behave?” he asked looking slightly cross.
“I have a neighbor that likes to chat and he is far more observant than people give him credit for.”
“I see.” He pulled his hand out of mine and leaned back in his seat. I looked around and saw that we were in Washington now and that we were rapidly approaching the White House.
As soon as we arrived, agents opened the door and asked me to follow them. We breezed through the building I had never had the pleasure of seeing far too fast for me to catch more then a glimpse of it as we moved along. I suddenly found myself thrust through an open door into the most famous office in the world. There was only one person in the room and I immediately saluted him and stood at attention.
“First Lieutenant Ian William Smith, United States Army, age 16. You’re arguably one of the most powerful people on the planet. Have a seat please,” he said waving at the chair that was set up across the desk.
I sat and but kept my posture rigid.
“I was informed of your email today and thought it would be best if the two of us talked right away.”
“Of course, Mr. President.”
“I’d like to get this out of the way first. There were two incidents at school yesterday. Would you like to tell me what happened?”
“Sir, your son wanted some indication that I was able to physically handle myself. He asked Mr. Watters to take a bathroom break. As soon as he was gone, a boy decided that he didn’t like your son. Or me. I defended myself from his attack. Mr. Watters made a tactical error in trying to spin me around whilst I was subduing the other boy. I reacted on training and punched hard, though I pulled the punch as much as I could when I saw who it was.”
“He was incapacitated for several minutes and you pulled your punch?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Interesting. What about the incident yesterday afternoon?”
“Friends of the first boy decided that they wanted to get revenge, Sir. One of them had the misfortune to punch my body armor full strength. The result was rather messy for him, I’m afraid.”
“You were wearing body armor in the school?”
“Standing order number one for the Psionic Corp, Sir, is to wear our armor at all times when in the general population. I do believe we are considered National Assets, Mr. President.”
The President looked a little abashed. “Agent Watters was also wearing similar body armor, I believe. How was it that you could punch him without injury?”
“I…I could punch a hole through a steel door without injury,” I replied hesitantly.
His eyes widened before he changed the subject, “I was not expecting us to meet this quickly, but I hadn’t expected you to find someone so fast either. I had wanted you to get close to my son to determine if he is gay and if so, whether or not he has the potential.”
“Why Mr. President?” I asked because I really needed the answer for my peace of mind.
He gave me a calculating look before standing up and walking around to my side of the desk. “I’m told that if you have physical contact, reading minds is much easier.” He stretched out his hand and grabbed mine in a handshake. “Please read my mind Ian.”
I had always heard that this President was a good man with good intentions. I did a deep scan and that was all I could sense. He wanted someone he could trust in Psionics before the existence of the program could go public. He trusted his son, but he wasn’t sure if there were any other youths he could trust. There was a lot more, but I’d have to think it over later.
“Mr. President, you must have trusted me to let me scan your mind.”
“We have interviewed a lot of the boys that you have trained with and they have all said that you were a strong patriot and believed in people’s freedoms. You have the most potential to abuse other people’s freedoms so I decided to take a risk.”
“Everything I have seen will remain with me, unless you wish otherwise, Sir.”
“Good. Do you think you’ll be able to get close enough to my son to be able to determine if he has psionic potential?”
“I scanned him on the way here, Sir, though, he’s not fully aware of what it meant.” I saw the strange look on his face so I went on. “I told him I could read minds. He thought I was joking. I asked him to take my hand. Once he decided to do so, I asked him again if it was okay if I read his mind. He gave his permission, so I did so.”
“The results?”
“I think I should discuss that with him first, Sir.”
“I could order you to tell me.”
“You could Mr. President and I would tell you, but it would be violating his right to privacy.”
“That was the answer I was hoping to hear. Thanks for not disappointing me.”
“I don’t think you understand what it is like Mr. President. I have a strong empathy gift in addition to the other things. I can feel what other people feel. Most of the time I can shield it, but betrayal cuts through the shield like a knife. Hurting other people hurts me. It’s worth the pain when I can teach a lesson and I’ve cured a number of bullies this way. It is always worth it to help someone else.”
“Thank you. I think I understand a bit more now.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. President.”
“Your primary objective of scanning my son has been accomplished, the other objective is to determine who at the school has potential. I’ve read a report you have written that indicates you have several theories on passively scanning for talent. That is what I would like you to practice.”
“Yes, Sir,” I said responding to an order by my Commander-in-Chief.
“Before we go, I’d like to discuss your file with you.”
I cringed inwardly but replied promptly, “Yes, Mr. President.”
“I’m aware that the military has been in custody of you all of your life. I know about some of the rough times you went through and all that you have accomplished. I want you to know that I have the very best of intentions to help all of the boys who have these gifts. Some day soon, the world will know about you all. It is my job to ensure your safety when that happens. I want you to know that you can come to me for anything, at any time Ian.”
“Thank you, Mr. President.”
“Come with me. We’ll go up to the residence and you can talk with my son.”
The President led me to the elevator that went up to the residence level of the White House. Secret Service agents were standing around looking somewhat apprehensive. The President and I stepped into the elevator alone.
“Mr. President?”
“Yes, Ian?”
“Why do the Secret Service agents look so apprehensive?”
“They don’t trust you,” the leader of the free world snorted. “But then, they don’t trust anyone.”
“I see, Sir.”
“I’m trusting you.”
“I won’t disappoint you, Sir.”
The President nodded as the door opened. There was a secret service agent there and he looked us both over, though he was practically glaring at me. David was lounging in a chair nearby reading our English assignment.
“David, as you know, Ian will be staying here with us tonight. I’ll leave you boys to talk.”
David looked up and shrugged before he went back to reading. The President shook his head and gave me a nudge forward as he turned around to go back downstairs. I walked forward, interpreting his desire for me to talk to Dave now that we were relatively alone.
I stood in front of Dave and waited for him to say something.
“Ian, please stop staring at me like that.”
“We need to talk,” I glanced over that the Secret Service agent who was watching me like a cat watches a mouse, “alone.”
Dave sighed but stood up and nodded his head in the direction of the hall. I followed. So did the agent. I pulled his name from his surface thoughts.
“Agent Jack White, 45, Eagle’s Nest duty. What’s your clearance?”
The agent stopped dead in his tracks and scowled at me.
“What is your clearance level?” I asked again sharply.
“Top Secret,” he answered sneering.
“You are not cleared for our conversation. Please cease and desist.”
“I can’t do that.”
“I’m following direct orders from the President, whom I just arrived here with. Feel free to confirm with him, but please stay there.”
Mr. White looked like he wanted to tear my head off. Dave looked somewhat surprised at my tone. I indicated to him that he should move on. I turned back to follow him and the agent grabbed my shoulder and spun me around.
“Stay right there, you damned little brat.”
“Take your hands off from me,” I growled as I forcefully removed his hands. “Contact your superior,” I ordered.
He stared at me for a full minute without making any move to contact anybody. I turned once again and he clamped his hand viciously on my shoulder. I grabbed a hold of it, stepped back into him and then flipped him over the top of me. He landed with a crunch and I put my foot on his throat.
“I said, ‘don’t touch me.’ Do you understand me?” I asked as I pressed harder on to his throat. His whole head was dark red and getting darker. He nodded.
I let him go. He lay there gasping as I gently nudged Dave to his room.
Dave went into his room and sat on his bed. I closed the door behind me and pulled out a chair. He looked at me and waited.
“What I am about to say is highly classified and is for your ears alone. Do you understand?”
He nodded.
“I need you to acknowledge verbally, Mr. Price.”
“I understand.”
“My name is Ian Smith and I’m a First Lieutenant in the United States Army.”
“Aren’t you a little young?”
“No. It was the secret part to your father’s legalization of the gays in the military. Not too long ago, it was discovered that gay boys have the potential for psionics. You have a strong potential.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“What are psionics?”
“Mind powers. There are a rather large variety of different kinds though.”
“So you really did read my mind earlier?”
“Yes. I know you’re gay and I detected the potential for the power. It was a rather large potential, actually. You father ordered me specifically to scan you.”
“You didn’t tell him did you?” Dave asked on the edge of hysteria.
“No. He has suspected for sometime though. I’d imagine that was why I was assigned to all of your classes and issued my orders. Nobody imagined that we’d talk to each other on the first day.”
“She’s going to kill me,” he mumbled as tears started to streak down his face.
I could feel fear and pain radiating strongly from him. I clamped down viciously on my empathy so that I wouldn’t start crying as well. I crossed over to his bed pulling him gently towards me and in moments he was holding on to me for dear life crying his eyes out.
About an hour later, he finally cried himself out. When he finally did stop, I pushed him away and looked straight into his eyes. “Tell me what’s going on Dave.”
“My mother is a religious zealot. She divorced dad eight years ago. Ever since Dad changed that rule about gays in the military, she has been saying that he was going to hell and that I was too because I lived with him.”
“I thought the First Lady…”
“She’s my step-mom. She has been a much better mother than the bitch that gave birth to me.”
“I thought you looked like her.”
“A lucky coincidence more then anything else.”
He looked like he was going to breakdown again. I put my hand on his shoulder and stared straight into his eyes. I willed confidence into him as I held eye contact. “Nothing is going to happen to you Dave. You’ll be trained to control your powers in the military. Your mother won’t be able to do anything to you. If she even tried, she wouldn’t make it.”
He blinked hard a few times as he heard my words and felt the emotions I projected at him. He took a few calming breaths before nodding slowly.
“We need to talk to your father. We can wait until he comes back up here, or we can try to go down and see him.”
“We should wait. We have homework we can do while we wait for him.”
“Okay. I should probably talk to that Secret Service guy who is about to knock.”
Right on cue, there was a knock at the door. I gestured at Dave and he said, “Come in.”
An agent in his sixties stood at the door. He was quite obviously a senior man. “Lt. Smith? We have taken care of Agent White. We’re sorry for the trouble he caused, Sir.”
“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have attacked him. Is everything all cleared now with the Secret Service, Sir? I would hate to think that we keep having bad reactions to each other.”
“Yes Lieutenant. We shouldn’t be causing each other any more headaches,” the man nodded.
“Good.” I turned to Dave, “I believe we have homework?”
He nodded and led his way back out to the sitting room he had been using when I first arrived. I sat on a comfortable chair and read over the homework we were supposed to do. It was nothing I hadn’t done before, so I quickly set to work on it. An hour later found me completely done with my work. Dave was struggling with our English assignment, but he finally completed it.
The elevator made a quiet ding before the doors opened revealing the President with another man. I noticed his Congressional pin on closer inspection. I stood for my Commander-in-Chief.
“Ian. Excellent. Would you please join Congressman O’Brien and I in my study?”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
The President sat behind his desk and the Congressman poured three drinks. He looked me over from head to toe before handing me my glass. The President mumbled an “At ease.”
I stood more relaxed for only a moment before he waved me towards an open seat. As I sat down, I sniffed lightly at my glass and realized it was Scotch, like both men were drinking. I set it aside without drinking any of it, and waited quietly to see what they wanted.
“Congressman O’Brien, this young man is Ian Smith, First Lieutenant in the United States Army.”
I stood up to shake hands with him and asked as I approached, “Danny O’Brien’s father?”
He grasped my hand firmly, “Yes young man. It’s a pleasure to meet you. So you’ve met Danny?”
I looked at the President and he did a very subtle shake of the head. No, he hadn’t been told yet. “Yes, Sir. We became friends my first night at school. He’s my neighbor in the barracks… er… dorms.”
“The President tells me that you are one of our psionic-gifted young men. He wouldn’t say more then that, however.”
I looked over to President Price and he nodded his head at me, indicating that I was free to talk. “I am, Sir.”
The President looked amused at my short response. The Congressman did not.
“Is that all you’re going to say?”
“I’m not sure what you’re looking for Congressman O’Brien. I suppose a fishing expedition works with some people of lesser intelligence, shall we say, but I’m not in that category, Sir. I’ve been in government service for some time now and I’ve learned to only answer what is asked of me.”
The President had a quiet little smile on his face as he leaned back in his chair. He didn’t say anything at all.
Congressman O’Brien narrowed his eyes at me. “I am on the House’s Select Intelligence Committee and I have the highest security clearance the government gives, so I’d like to know everything first hand. The stuff I see is filtered through agents and handlers, in part to protect identities.”
“Yes, Sir. I understand that. I’m not sure what to tell you. I’m the most widely gifted psioncist that we currently know about. My special talent seems to be the ability to master other people’s best talent.”
He stared at me deeply for a few moments before changing subjects. “You’ve met my son. Is he gay? Does he have the gift?”
“I filed a report last night on this matter. He is gay and he does have gifts. I’ve already told him about them. He is also aware that you would find out.”
“You discussed it with him?”
“Not in words per se.”
“When did you scan him?” his father asked.
I looked back at him for a while before answering. “I didn’t do it the first night. At that time Danny told me he wasn’t sure whether or not he is gay. I didn’t scan him because of some complications the first night. He did spend the last two nights in my room with me though.”
The President leaned forward at that. “What complications? I saw nothing in my briefing about it.”
I blinked hard before answering. “I had a bully for a neighbor, Sir. He was gay-bashing any boy that showed any signs of being gay. He overheard a discussion I was having with Danny and he started some trouble. I subdued him. I then ‘fixed’ his problem and sent him on his way. It took more energy then I expected. As soon as he was gone, Danny came back and ended up holding me all night because I passed out shortly after his return.”
“You fixed his problem? What do you mean?” the President asked with some intensity.
“Sir, we all behave based on our life experiences. This boy had a very bad experience and it twisted his reality violently out of whack from what it should have been. I removed that event from his mind and added some protections for him to prevent the event from recurring. His personality returned to its pre-event state. A nice, friendly young man with a caring nature.”
“What happened to him?” the Congressman asked.
“His older brother forcibly raped him.”
“And you removed this memory from him?” the President asked me.
“I did, Sir. I told him I would make his bad dreams go away. And I did.”
“What about his rights?”
“What about the boys he beat up? Sir, he was quite willing to pound on both Danny and I last night. It was only my superior training that allowed me to subdue him. He is nearly seventy-five pounds heavier then I. Should I have left him in pain? Should I have left him inflicting pain on others?”
I looked at both men and waited for judgment.
“I think you did the right thing, son,” Congressman O’Brien told me after a few moments of reflection.
“I do as well. It is the mark of a good officer, having to make decisions in the field that will affect other people’s lives. I suppose we’ll need to set up a protocol for this sort of thing. It should be done before we go public,” President Price stated.
“What can you do?” Congressman O’Brien asked again.
“I can do almost anything imaginable… to myself. I have strong passive telepathy and strong active telepathy as well as strong empathy.”
Both men blinked hard and remained silent for a long time.
“What do you mean, ‘to yourself’?”
“I mean that I can change my appearance for example, but I couldn’t change yours. It’s like hyper-level control over one’s body. There are a fairly low number of things that are possible to do to others.”
“How do we handle this?” the President asked aloud.
“Mr. President, you must train every boy that shows signs of the power to be moral people. We haven’t yet seen a case where the power developed in an unstable or immoral person but it doesn’t mean it won’t. It might be wishful thinking on my part, but you must nurture every boy that develops this gift and try to ensure that they do everything they can for the betterment of mankind as a whole. We cannot be used as weapons. Sooner or later a boy would come along that thought about nothing but an empire of his own. We have to avoid that.”
“Ian, I must apologize to you. I’ve greatly misjudged your character,” Congressman O’Brien told me sincerely.
The President pushed a button on his phone. “Could you bring my son in please?”
A minute later Dave came into the room.
The Congressman and I looked at each other. “Mr. President, if you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to the Congressman out in the sitting room?”
“Go ahead Lieutenant.”
Dave looked relieved and the Congressman looked pleased. When we entered the sitting room we sat across from each other and talked in low tones.
“Can you take care of my son for me, Ian?”
“Take care of him, Sir?”
“Ever since his mother died, it has been very difficult on him. I think I have seen signs of him using his gifts to appear less than he is. It’s as though he knows what he is subconsciously and is trying to hide it. Can you train him? Can you help him feel normal?”
“Sir, I am a trainer. It might be possible to train him at school, but it’ll be difficult. I still have to scan all the boys in the school and I still have to do my schoolwork to keep up appearances.”
“Keep up appearances?”
“Sorry, I’ve forgotten that you haven’t seen my file. I’ve already graduated college and I’m working on my doctorate.”
He gaped at me for a long moment. “Never underestimate someone based on their appearance. You’d think I’d have remembered that simple rule by now. Are you becoming romantically involved with my son?” he asked, radically changing directions in the conversation.
“What do you mean, Sir?”
“He slept with you the last two nights, didn’t he?”
I blushed a little, “We slept in the same bed, but it was innocent. It was mostly just friends comforting each other.”
“Can you activate potential in someone if it is there but not active?”
“There is a theory about that, but we haven’t tested it yet.”
“Who are we?”
“We are the more powerful recruits. I’m usually the one that tries new things.”
“So, was that a no?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
“Will you experiment with it at some point?”
“It is intensely personal thing you are asking me to do Congressman O’Brien.”
The Congressman blinked a few times and must have gotten an idea because he blushed a little before nodding. We drifted into an awkward little silence. Dave burst out of the President’s study and ran down the hall past us. He slammed the door to his room closed behind him. The Congressman and I exchanged looks again.
The President walked out looking upset a minute later. “Ian, please talk to him. George, if you’d please?” The President said, gesturing back towards his study.
They went into his office and I walked down to Dave’s door. I knocked lightly before trying the door. It was locked. I left my hand on it and forced it to unlock. It made a click before I pushed it open.
Dave was on his bed crying. I closed the door, walked over and sat next to him. He continued to sob, ignoring my presence. I could feel his anger, confusion and pain.
I put my hand on his back and gently rubbed him. I didn’t use any power other then simple human compassion. In the end, that is probably the most powerful thing of all. He gradually tapered off. When he was finally still, I asked quietly in the fading light, “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, Ian. But thanks for being here for me.”
“It’s one of the things that friends do.”
“Will you sleep with me in here tonight?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“I’m not feeling hungry and I don’t want to face dad again tonight, so would you mind if we went to bed now?”
It was still pretty early, but I agreed anyway. I wasn’t hungry either, but I normally didn’t eat much anyway, so it didn’t matter.
He stripped down to his boxers and crawled into his bed. I followed his lead and did the same. Once I was settled, he pulled the blanket up over us and cuddled up to me. He held me tight and not too long after that I felt his body shaking again with silent sobs. I loosened his grip on me and flipped him over so that I could hold him. He spooned into me as soon as I flipped him over. I held him tight and he slowly settled down and then drifted off to sleep.
I woke up at 5:30 am the next day and quickly got my bearings. Dave was still in my arms, sleeping soundly. I extracted myself and exited his room in search of a bathroom. A Secret Service agent found me shortly after opening the door and directed me to the right place. He was waiting for me when I exited and he escorted me to over to the dining room where the President was reading his morning briefings.
I stood at attention in my boxers waiting for the President. He looked up and nearly laughed before telling me to have a seat.
“Good morning Ian. I’m sorry they dragged you over here without letting you get dressed. That wasn’t my intention.”
“Good morning, Mr. President. It’s not a problem, Sir.”
“Are you hungry? I know you missed dinner last night.”
“A little, Sir.”
“Help yourself to the buffet.”
“Thank you, Sir,” I replied as I wandered over to the proper location. I pulled off some scrabbled eggs, toast and a few slices of bacon. I also poured myself a cup of orange juice.
I was halfway through breakfast, sitting at the dining room table with the leader of the free world in my boxers, when his son came out of his room in search of food. He, too, was clad in only boxers. I guess that explained why my lack of clothes didn’t bother him.
Dave gathered pretty much the same food I had and then sat down next to me.
The President looked up from his paper, “Good morning son.”
“Good morning, Dad.”
I blushed red when the First Lady entered the room and wished us all good morning.
“This handsome young man must be Ian,” she stated more than asked, as she looked me over.
“Yes ma’am,” I stated starting to get up before she waved me back into my seat. She walked over to Dave and kissed him on top of his head. You could almost seem him purr in response.
“You two should shower and get ready for school,” the President told us.
“Yes, Sir,” I replied standing up.
Dave followed me back to his room, where I noticed my bag on the floor. The Secret Service must have moved it while we were eating.
“You can go first Dave, I’ll wait for you.”
He looked at me and nodded. I started to look around his room as soon as he was in the bathroom. He had quite an assortment of books and music that I browsed through while I waited.
“You can go in now.”
I took a fast shower with military efficiency. I quickly dressed in a clean uniform, grabbed my bag and joined Dave out in the sitting room. The President walked in just as I was sitting. I stood back up and remained at attention.
“There has been a bad accident along your route so you won’t be driving back to school. You’ll be riding with me in Marine One. I’m flying to Camp David and your school is on the way.”
“Cool, Dad. Thanks!” Dave replied excitedly.
The President smiled deeply.
Dave and I walked directly behind the President as we walked out to the chopper. We all climbed aboard with the various Secret Service agents following us on board the helicopter. The flight was fairly brief and we did see a huge multi-car pileup on the freeway as we flew over. The school didn’t have a helipad so we landed in the parking lot. There were local police keeping the kids out of that area. We drew quite a crowd as we got off the aircraft.
I returned the salute of the sergeant who opened the door for us. The President waved out the window and I saluted him as well. Dave and I walked towards the school together. I heard mutters of show off and other insults. Dave ignored them and so did I. I parted ways with Dave and slowly returned to my exile in the dorms.
I heard more mumblings about being a showoff as I walked into the building, but I ignored it. As soon as I was back in my room, I changed clothes into my workout things. I did an extra-long workout that morning. I then hopped into my second shower of the day and was just in time to catch Danny bringing up my lunch.
His face was full of questions, but he didn’t ask them. He left without talking about anything deep. Only chit-chat type stuff.
I spent the whole afternoon working on my thesis project. I didn’t stop until I heard a knock on the open door and turned to see Dave standing there. I smiled warmly at him.
“How are you feeling, Dave?” I asked by way of greeting.
“I feel okay. I’m here to drop off your homework.”
He stepped close to me and whispered in my ear, “My father said that I’m going to have to be trained and that you will be the one doing it. Mr. Watters told me to tell you that you and Danny have to be ready at seven in the morning tomorrow. You’ll be going with me to Camp David.”
“We’ll be ready. Want us to meet you in the circle?”
“Yes,” He shyly kissed my cheek.
I blushed.
“Thanks for being there for me yesterday. It meant a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome, Dave.”
“See you tomorrow.”
I nodded.
Danny was in a few minutes later. “What’s up?”
“We’re going to Camp David in the morning with the President and his family.”
He stared in shock. “Is this about you know what?”
“Yes. I think your father might be there as well. He knows Danny. I talked to him last night.”
Danny nodded, unconcerned. “I need to go get our dinners. Can I stay here again tonight?”
“If you want.”
“I do,” was the simple reply.
End of Chapter 2
