Chapter 49

Karen ran from the house to greet Mike when he pulled up in his bass boat at Sanjay’s dock. She was now thirteen years old and thoroughly Texan. She stood at the end of the dock waving to him and shouting, “Unk!”

“Hello, Sweetie. How’s my favorite niece doing today?” Mike called back as he brought the boat up to the dock.

“I’m fine,” Karen answered as she caught the rope he tossed to her. She tied the boat to the dock with practiced ease. She said, “Daddy will be here in a minute. He’s torturing the guy my sister is dating.”

“How is he doing that?” Mike asked with a smile. He turned off the motor on the boat.

“He’s telling a story about you and him facing down a squad of terrorists who were trying to take out Homeland Security,” Karen answered with a giggle. She didn’t believe that her Daddy was really capable of doing those kinds of things. He was just too nice. She added, “I don’t think the boy is going to believe him. I mean, we’re talking about my Daddy.”

Mike held up his left hand and pointed to the stubby middle finger. He said, “That’s when I lost half of this finger.”

“Do you mean that story is true?” Karen asked wide eyed.

“Yes. Your father is a hero and a lot of people owe him their lives. He was even given a medal for it,” Mike said.

“Wow, I didn’t realize that,” Karen said.

She knew that her father worked for Homeland Security, but she didn’t think that he actually fought terrorists. This was the first that she heard about her father getting a medal.

“That’s in the past,” Mike said.

Karen looked at Mike and realized that he had just admitted to fighting terrorists with her father. He never talked about that kind of stuff. She wanted to ask for more details, but held back. Her mother would tell her everything that she wanted to know. Her mother was always talking about what a great hero Mike was.

She asked, “Did Daddy know the Hunter?”

“What’s the matter with his boat?” Mike asked to change the subject.

When he had called about going fishing that evening, Sanjay had suggested that they take Mike’s boat since his had a problem.

“The wire to his fish finder is corroded. You can’t go fishing without a fish finder,” Karen answered unsurprised by the change in subject. Nobody ever answered any of her questions about the mysterious Hunter.

“That’s right. Finding those fish is serious business,” Mike said winking at her.

“It looks like a great evening for fishing,” Karen said looking out at the lake and sighing.

The water was calm and the temperature was comfortable. She really wanted to go fishing with Mike and her father.

“Are you going with us?” Mike asked as he climbed out of the boat.

Now that he was out of the boat, Karen hugged him. In a ritual that had begun when she had started walking, he picked her up and they rubbed noses. Soon he wouldn’t have to pick her up to rub noses with her. With obvious disappointment in her voice, she said, “No. I have a paper due at school on the current elections in China. Those guys are so boring that it makes my head hurt.”

It continued to amaze Mike that kids were so knowledgeable about what was going on in foreign countries. When he was Karen’s age, most kids didn’t even know where the United States was on a world map.

He said, “I’m sure that you’ll write a great paper.”

“Daddy would kill me if I got less than an A on a political paper,” Karen said rolling her eyes.

Sanjay walked down the path to the dock carrying his rod and tackle box. Raising his rod in a salute, he said, “Hello, Mike.”

“Hello, Sanjay. I heard that your fish finder is out,” Mike said.

“Yes. I’m going to stop and get a new one tomorrow,” Sanjay said. He was going to get the new one with GPS navigation that had the entire lake floor mapped out. He paused to look at Karen and said, “Your mother says that you have a paper to work on tonight. You better get back up to the house and get to work.”

“Yes, Daddy,” Karen said. She gave Mike another hug and said, “I hope you catch a big one, Unk.”

“I’ll try, Sweetie,” Mike said.

He watched Karen run up to the house. She was starting to turn into a young woman. Pretty soon Sanjay would be chasing the boys away.

Turning to Sanjay, he said, “They sure grow up fast, don’t they?”

“Yes,” Sanjay said. The boys were circling his daughters like sharks around a wounded seal. While he put his fishing gear in the boat, he asked, “How’s Vincent and Susan?”

“Susan takes after her mother. She’s always good. Unfortunately Vincent takes after me.”

“What did he do now?” Sanjay asked.

He had wondered why Vincent wasn’t in the boat. Undoubtedly, the boy was grounded again. It seemed to him that the boy was always grounded. Mike tended to be a very strict father.

“He told his geography teacher, ‘Fuck France and all of the Frenchmen in it,’ when she asked him to point out France on the map,” Mike answered.

The young man was smart as a whip, but his mouth found some very creative ways of getting in trouble.

Sanjay wasn’t surprised at Vincent telling a teacher something like that even though he was just ten years old. Vincent was actually a pretty good kid and wanted to be a Marine when he grew up. The problem was that he tended to say things in a rather blunt and direct fashion.

Pretty sure that he knew the answer to his question, he asked, “Did he say it in French?”

“Of course. If you want to insult France, do it in French, so they know they’ve been insulted,” Mike answered getting back into the boat. Shaking his head, he added, “It wasn’t that he didn’t know where France was on the map, it’s just that he doesn’t like the French.”

Sanjay laughed. As he untied the boat and climbed into it, he said, “He shares your attitude towards the French.”

“That’s true,” Mike said.

President Archer’s address to the United Nations had laid a basic idealistic foundation for international relations. The reality that emerged fell far short of that ideal, but it was still an improvement over what had been in place, previously. France was one of the countries that fought the hardest against the changes.

Once they were far enough from the dock that their wake wouldn’t cause a problem, Mike cranked up the engine and headed out at a fast clip. Shouting to be heard over the engine, Sanjay asked, “Where are we going?”

“I’m going to take us to the point,” Mike shouted back while gesturing to the place he thought they would try first.

It didn’t take them long to get to their destination since it was just at the end of the little inlet on which their properties were located. When they reached the spot, Mike cut the engine and let the boat drift. He said, “We’ll try here.”

“Great,” Sanjay said grabbing his fishing rod. They had caught a couple of fish in that area in the past.

Mike picked up his rod and said, “Karen asked me about the Hunter again.”

“It’s that stupid movie. It has everyone talking about the Hunter again,” Sanjay said shaking his head.

Hollywood had just released another movie about the Hunter. It had to be the fifth or sixth movie about the Hunter. In this one, the Hunter was portrayed as some sort of super spy like James Bond.

“Speaking of stupid movies, are you going out to the university Saturday?” Mike asked.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You, your Dad, James Wentworth the Third, and President Anthony Archer on a stage to discuss the war is going to be a pretty interesting evening. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say on the matter,” Sanjay said winking at Mike.

“I’m just the moderator,” Mike said pledging to himself that he wouldn’t say anything other than to moderate the discussion.

“I’m even taking the kids despite how late it will be when we get home,” Sanjay said.

Mike’s rod bent as a fish struck his lure. He shouted, “I got one!”

Cathy returned from work to find Kim setting the table for dinner. Kim was no longer just the housekeeper, she was a member of the family. Household chores were shared among everyone at the house. The kids called her Aunt Kim and were just as likely to go to her for permission to do something as their parents. Kim rarely used the voice, except on the kids; but they seemed immune to it.

Cathy hugged Kim and said, “Hello.”

Kim kissed Cathy on the cheek and said, “Mike is in the living room.”

“I’ll be back to help with dinner,” Cathy said.

Ever since the move to Texas, Cathy always helped with the meals. Kim appreciated the help and the company.

Smiling, Kim said, “Take your time.”

Cathy went into the living room where Mike was seated in his comfort chair watching the news. Despite the fact that he was basically facing away from her, he turned towards her as soon as she entered the room.

He asked, “How was work?”

“Boring as always,” Cathy answered. She had finished her internship and was now an entry level intelligence analyst. After three years in that position, she was on the short list for promotion.

“Isn’t there anything interesting happening in Asia?” Mike asked.

“No,” Cathy answered.

The world of international politics had become very boring over the past ten years. It seemed to her like everyone was more focused on what was going on in their own backyards rather than beyond their white picket fences. Trade always remained the one source of tension, but the international quarters in Mexico provided a good location for hammering out those tensions.

“How about the elections in China?” Mike asked.

“No major surprises there. There were no riots, protests, or charges of election fixing. Everything is quiet,” Cathy said.

Smiling at the suggestion that she was bored, Mike said, “Remember that it’s important to be vigilant.”

“That’s what the sign over the door says,” Cathy said with a smile. Mike had the message, ‘Always Vigilant, Ever Diligent, ‘ carved in the concrete arch that was over the main entrance to the building. She asked, “Did anything interesting happen on the news?”

“They finally arrested Reverend Brown,” Mike answered making reference to a rather radical individual who was preaching that Christians should rise up and eliminate all Muslims and Jews.

“Federal or international charges?” Cathy asked.

For a country to be free to trade in the international marketplace it had to abide by certain international laws. The laws weren’t really that much of an imposition and, with a few exceptions, reflected statutes that most countries already had on their books, anyway. The difference today was that failure to enforce them could isolate a country very quickly. Gross violations resulted in the armies of the entire world knocking on their door.

Mike answered, “International. They charged him with Incitement to Commit Crusade/Jihad.”

“That’s a death penalty crime,” Cathy said rather surprised by the charge.

“Yes, but he was really pushing it. He went on television and called for Christians around the world to unite and take up arms,” Mike said.

With the entire world watching the television programs of every country in the world, getting on television and spouting that kind of nonsense was a very quick way to get charged with a crime.

“No wonder they charged him with that. What’s happening in Israel?” Cathy asked noticing the end of a story about Israel on the television.

“They’re still debating if it should be international territory like Antarctica or remain an American Protectorate,” Mike answered.

At the moment no one lived in Israel although many people visited it. The American forces had built a fence around the city of Jerusalem and allowed people to visit the area for the day. The only thing people were allowed to take in with them was water and they weren’t allowed to leave with anything.

“That will take a century to resolve,” Cathy said shaking her head.

It was a complicated mess. Almost all of the Jews living in Israel at the time it fell had died in the fight for the city of Jerusalem. Of those that survived the fall of Israel, the majority were killed in the war. After five years of sexual abuse and torture, few of the female survivors were sane. The children who had survived didn’t know enough about their family to identify their property rights. Thousands of relatives and other interested parties had cropped up claiming property, but it was difficult to claim a condominium that no longer existed. Without a government backing a currency, monetary assets were worthless. The businesses were gone.

“I’d rather we take our time with that than to rush in and create another problem,” Mike said.

“The Jews want their homeland back,” Cathy said.

“And I’m sure that they’ll get it back. It’s going to be a little different this time than it was the last time. This time there won’t be any disputes about who owns the land,” Mike said.

Cathy asked, “Speaking of disputes, where are the kids?”

Chuckling at the suggestion that the kids were fighting, Mike answered, “I’ve got them separated. Susan is in her room playing a game with her friends on the computer. Vincent is out on the dock fishing.”

“Did they finish their homework?”

“Yes,” Mike answered with a smile. She was a very diligent mother in making sure that the kids were always prepared for school the next day.

“Did you check it?”

Trying to look blank, Mike answered, “No.”

“Why not?” Cathy asked wondering why he had such a stupid expression on his face.

“Their material is way beyond me. Did you know that kids today can count to eleven? In my day, we only had to count to ten. I run out of fingers at eight and then I get confused. They even know the whole alphabet. All I ever needed was ABC,” Mike answered as he scratched his head.

“You’re horrible,” Cathy said swatting him lightly on the arm. He had been hanging around Sanjay too much. Laughing, she said, “I don’t know why I love you so much.”

Mike stood at a podium to the side of the well lit stage. President Archer, General Bowman, and James Wentworth the Third were seated in comfortable chairs on the other side of the stage. The auditorium was filled with college students, faculty, visitors, and press to watch the first discussion of World War III by the three major players.

For the University of North Texas, this event was a major coup. The discussion was being broadcast live on the Public Broadcasting Network. Mike had put together the entire program as part of deal to join the faculty with tenure. It turned out that the deal hadn’t been necessary since someone had funded a chair for him at the school.

After an hour and a half of informal discussions in which Mike had led them through the war in chronological order beginning with the election of President Archer, Mike said, “We have enough time left to take some questions from the audience. There are microphones along the aisles for those of you who have a question.”

Upon looking over at the left-most microphone, Mike saw that a student was already standing there waiting to be recognized. Pointing to the young man, he said, “Ask your question.”