Reborn

by Orrin Jason Bradford

  “What did you do? Why are they looking for me? I haven’t done anything.”

  “I know, I know. The guys told me that I freaked out when Saul and Sally came at me—went all commando on them. They told me that I killed both of them, but they were wrong. I killed Saul, but Sally survived. She isn't able to talk, so she drew this picture. No one knows why for sure. Sally has always been a bit touched in the head. Big Blue put two and two together…"

  “And came up with five,” TJ finished. “They came to the wrong conclusion.”

  “It’s not the first time,” Luke said. After a long pause, he continued. “If you want, I’ll turn myself in. I’ll explain what happened and maybe…” The last words hung in the air unfinished.

  “You can't do that," TJ replied. "They'll put you away for the rest of your life. I couldn't live with myself. Hell, you were just trying to help me get my stuff back." He looked down at the paper again. "But you're right. I need to get the hell out of here—fast."

  Luke nodded, then reached inside his shirt and removed a set of dog tags. He held them out to TJ. “Give these to the recruiter over on Oak Street. It’ll either be Starr or Lee. Every once in awhile I’ll send them someone I feel would make a good soldier. I have a pretty good track record. They’ll treat you right. Tell them I’m asking them to expedite your process.”

  TJ took the tags from him and dropped them in the envelope, then pulled a few of the bills from the stack of money and handed them to Luke who just stared at it.

  “Take it,” TJ said. “Someone told me once not to let my pride get in the way when someone offers to help out. You need to get yourself out of town for awhile. This will help.”

  After another moment of hesitation, Luke took the money and dropped it into the box. He studied TJ for a moment.

  “Let me do something to earn this. It’s important you make a good first impression so we’ll start by getting you cleaned up and with some decent looking clothes.”

  He stood up and clipped the leather leash onto Precious' collar. "First stop, the Salvation Army, then to the shelter for a much-needed bath. Might need to borrow a pair of scissors to trim your hair as well. Why don't you go ahead over to the Salvation Army, and I'll meet you there. There's something I need to take care of, but it shouldn't take long."

  TJ agreed, then strolled off in the direction of the store leaving Pack Square Park for the last time.

  2

  As Mimi and Kendra arrived at Pack Square Park, they realized their search was far from over. The park was larger than expected and filled with people enjoying the sunny weekend day. Mimi decided to show TJ’s photo to a young girl with red and pink hair who looked like she might be a permanent resident of the park.

  The girl glanced at the photo for a few seconds, then back to Mimi. “Yeah? What about it?” she asked with a suspicious look on her face.

  “We’re looking for him,” Mimi replied simply.

  “So?”

  “So, can you help us? It's really important. I'm his sister, and our mom is very sick," Mimi lied. "He'd want to know."

  “Oh,” the girl replied, her look changing to one of concern. “Sorry to hear that. Yeah, I know him. He’s over there with Luke and…” She stopped in mid-sentence. “They were over there near the fountain a few minutes ago. I guess they must have left.”

  Mimi groaned. “Where would they have gone?”

  “Oh, probably back to their condo over on Reed Street,” the girl replied.

  “Really?” Mimi said with renewed hope.

  “Of course not,” the girl laughed. “What about the word ‘homeless’ don’t you understand?”

  Mimi's face turned red, a mixture of embarrassment and anger. She started to take a step towards the homeless girl, but Kendra stepped in front of her and placed a hand on her arm. "Don't," she said. "It's not worth it. We're getting closer. We just need to keep looking."

  After a couple of seconds Mimi relaxed and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”

  As they turned to leave, the girl spoke up again. “You might try on the other side of the park. Luke likes to change his location about this time of the day. Says it’s better for business. I hope you find your friend,” she added in a consoling tone. “Look for an old man with an even older looking cocker spaniel.”

  Mimi and Kendra headed in the direction the girl had pointed. As they approached the other side of the park, Kendra urged them on. “We’re getting closer. I just know we are. I can feel it.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Mimi replied and a moment later, “There…over there. Isn’t that a cocker spaniel?”

  Kendra followed where Mimi pointed. “Yeah, looks like one to me, and she seems to belong to that old man sitting under that tree, but where’s TJ?”

  “There!” Mimi pointed off to the right where a teenage boy with shaggy black hair was waiting to cross the street.

  As the two girls started running towards him, Mimi noticed a young woman rising from the park bench where she’d been sitting. She stepped in front of the two girls to block their path.

  “Don't." She spoke the one-word command with such authority that it stopped both of them in their tracks. "You need to let him go," the woman added as she reached out and grasped Mimi's arm for emphasis.

  “Pat!” Kendra exclaimed. “What are you doing here? We’ve got to…”

  “You need to let him go,” Pat repeated more softly this time. “We all need to let him go.” She corrected herself.

  “Why?” Mimi asked.

  “Because TJ needs to find his place in the world. We’ve all done what we can to prepare him for this next leg of his journey, but we can’t take it with him.”

  “I don’t understand,” Mimi replied.

  “In time you will,” Pat said. “For now you’ll just have to trust me.”

  The three of them stood in silence as the light changed, and TJ crossed the street, disappearing into the crowd of other pedestrians.

  Rangers

  1

  Luke watched until TJ was out of sight before turning around and walking in the other direction with Precious following close behind on the leash. They strolled along one of the paths of the park until they were close to the center before leaving the path to enter a thick clump of trees. When he was sure they were out of sight of any prying eyes, Luke sat down cross-legged on the ground, placing the end of the leash under one leg. He glanced around one final time before reaching into the inside pocket of his coat for his pocket knife enclosed in a worn leather case. He pulled the knife out of its case and stared at the scrimshaw picture of two ducks about to land on a lake etched on its surface. Opening the single blade of the knife he carefully held it up to his ear and spoke a series of numbers into it.

  Several seconds passed before he heard a muted voice on the other end of the line.

  “Yes?”

  I have another one for you,” Luke said. “Think this one might be special. You’ll want to keep a close eye on him. His name is Todd John Jacobs. He’ll be coming in through the regular channels.”

  “Okay,” came the simple reply.

  Luke nodded. His job was done…for now. He closed the knife and returned it to its case. He looked over at Precious, who lay dozing in front of him. “Let’s go get something to eat, Pretty Girl.” He slowly unwrapped his legs and stood up. It had been a good day’s work.

  2

  The next couple of days were a blur for TJ. On Luke’s recommendation, he made sure he took a bath at the shelter and dressed in his nicest clothes.

  “If you wear a t-shirt make sure it doesn’t say anything obscene or anti-American,” Luke had warned. “And give them this address as your current residence.” He handed TJ a slip of paper. “Starr or Lee will know it’s not real, but they won’t say anything since so far I’ve not given them any rejects. Make sure you’re not the first.”

  After meeting briefly with Sergeant Starr and filling out some preliminary paperwork and presenting his own identifyi
ng papers, everything moved into high gear with the next days filled with aptitude tests, a thorough physical exam, and an interview with another officer who went over the various career options currently available to TJ.

  “You've scored in the upper ten percentile on your aptitude test, and you're as physically fit as anyone I've seen in the past year, so you've got quite a few options available to you," the career counselor said.

  “I saw a poster of someone jumping out of a plane at the recruiting station,” TJ said. “What do I have to do to be able to do that?”

  He’d remembered in several of the Mercenaries game scenarios that his namesake had often started off his clandestine mission by jumping in behind enemy lines. Besides, he already knew he enjoyed flying, though as a bird rather than in a plane.

  “So you think you could be a paratrooper?” the sergeant asked.

  “Maybe,” TJ replied, then added, “Sure, why not? Someone has to do it.”

  The sergeant smiled and made a couple of notes on the paper in front of him. "Okay, duly noted. If you want to jump out of planes, maybe you should consider becoming a Ranger."

  “What’s a Ranger?” TJ asked.

  “They’re elite fighters who go in fast, hit hard, and get out.”

  That sounded right up Todd Jacob's alley.

  Everything became very real when TJ was asked to take the Oath of Enlistment.

  “I, Todd John Jacobs, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

  It was the last step before he was whisked off to Basic Training.

  Epilogue

  1

  18 months later

  Private First Class Todd John Jacobs paused a moment at the top of the stairs, waiting for his name to be called by his commander. He gazed out at the crowd who enjoyed the early spring-like temperatures of mid-March in Fort Benning, Georgia. It seemed like his fellow soon-to-be Rangers had invited all their family members and friends to join the graduation from Ranger School. As far as he could tell, he was the only one without anyone from his past in attendance.

  He'd toyed with the idea of calling Allan and inviting him and Kendra to come down, but then quickly rejected the idea. He'd agreed with Pat, and he wasn't about to use this occasion to renege on the deal.

  “Our next soldier has the distinct honor of winning two of our most esteemed awards; something that has never been done since the founding of this school over fifty years ago. Private First Class Todd Jacobs has received the Darby Award, which is bestowed on the Ranger that has shown the best tactical and administrative leadership, has the most positive spot reports, and quite frankly has demonstrated being a cut above the rest.”

  The crowd clapped but stopped when the commander raised his hand.

  “And he also receives the Michael Kelso Enlisted Leadership Award. This award, which is selected by the Ranger’s peers, is given to the Ranger who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, initiative, and motivation.”

  After the applause had subsided, the commander looked up from his notes and smiled. “I also have it on good authority that no one goes hungry while part of Private Jacob’s team; something many of us are still trying to figure out how he manages. Private Jacobs, please come forward to receive your awards and diploma.”

  As Todd walked across the stage, the applause resumed, accompanied by several shouts of encouragement from his fellow graduates. Todd felt his face redden with a mixture of embarrassment and pride as he strolled forward. It had been a grueling two months, but it was now over, and he could get on with the business of being a soldier, but not just any soldier. He was now part of one of the most elite groups of fighters on the planet.

  After shaking hands with his commander and receiving his diploma and awards, he exited at the other end of the stage. As he walked down the stairs, he noticed an older man in a dark gray business suit standing at the bottom, gazing up at him. He didn't recognize the man, but from the straightness of the man's stance, Todd suspected he had a military background.

  “Congratulations, Private Todd,” the man said as he held out his hand. As Todd shook it, he took in the graying hair around the temples and crow's nests around the eyes.

  “Thank you, sir,” Todd replied as he stifled a wince of pain from the firm handshake. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

  “No, least not yet,” the man replied with a chuckle as he released Todd’s hand. “But an old friend of yours suggested we meet. My name is Phillip Ackerson, but most of my friends just call me Jersey. I wonder if you’ve given much thought to what’s next for you.”

  “No, can’t say that I have,” Todd replied. “Just waiting for my next assignment, I guess.”

  Jersey nodded. “Good. That’s what I’m here to talk to you about.” He placed a hand on Todd’s back and started guiding him away from the stage. “Your Commander-in-chief has a very special assignment for you.”

  “My Commander-in-chief?” Todd asked, confused by the title.

  “Yes, you know, the President of the United States.”

  “Oh, yeah, right," Todd replied, his face flushing once more with embarrassment. "But what on earth would he want from me? I'm just a good ole boy from the North Carolina mountains."

  “That's what we need to talk about," the man answered as he pointed towards a black SUV parked illegally along the curb, its windows tinted black. It looked like it had been pulled from some Hollywood spy movie. "Right this way, if you please," but it was apparent from the man's tone that it wasn't a request, but an order.

  Todd glanced over his shoulder to see if he could draw any of his friends’ attention.

  “Don’t worry,” the man said, his hand continuing to guide Todd towards the vehicle. “You’re in good hands.”

  The last thing Todd remembered seeing before he was escorted into the SUV was his commander standing on the stage staring at him, a worried look on his face.

  2

  It took James almost two years to find a way to bring some semblance of control to his life as a mercenary. Becoming more selective about the missions had helped, as had insisting on knowing more about the other team members, but he knew these were just temporary steps until a better answer came along. It finally came in the form of a complaint.

  Over the past year, Jersey had complained to him a couple of times about how stressful his position had become and how he really wanted to get out of the black ops business and into something quieter. When James prodded further, Jersey confessed he longed to retire to some quiet getaway and open his own restaurant.

  “Besides, James, a restaurant in the right location can be a pretty good front so I could keep my hands in a bit without them getting cut off. Why do you ask?”

  When James suggested he might be interested in assuming Jersey’s role, his old friend had responded positively and then added. “This isn’t something I’m comfortable talking about on the phone. How about meeting me in person?”

  “Sure, where?”

  “There’s a cozy little restaurant in Bermuda called the Black Horse Tavern that I’ve been looking at. You can give me your opinion on whether it would be a good investment; kill two birds with one stone as it were.”

  As James hung up the phone, he thought, this could be the start of a whole new phase for both of us.

  3

  It started as a mild buzzing in the ears. When it persisted, Val went online to learn that such buzzing was fairly common among humans; a condition called tinnitus. Unfortunately, the buzzing grew in frequency and intensity making it next to impossible to ignore. When it started interrupting his sleep, he considered going to a doctor, but then thought better of it. Even though his “Aeo engineered” body had worked fine
for the past two years, he wasn’t sure if a doctor might be able to detect a difference.

  It was after a week of mostly sleepless nights that he realized the second anniversary of when he'd left the cave and entered human society had been the previous week…just about the time the buzzing had begun. During those two years, he had continued to grow rapidly but decided to ignore Aeo's advice to move from family to family. Maude had turned out to be surprisingly easy to manipulate, in part because she was starving for love and attention. Over the many years they'd been married, Harold had grown increasingly reclusive, spending most of his waking hours in his workshop out back, leaving Maude and Val to themselves. It didn’t take long for Val’s cute and cuddly act to win her over completely.

  When Val heard Maude and Harold arguing one night with Harold insisting they turn him over to social services, Val decided to take matters into his own hands. Harold would have to go. The opportunity arose the next day while Harold was working on the second floor of the barn. Val followed him upstairs, knocked the old man unconscious then broke his neck before tossing him out the window to cover it up.

  Maude was devastated, but there was no more talk about social services. About a week after Harold’s untimely passing, as she tucked Val in bed she said a short prayer thanking God for sending the young boy to help her through this most trying of times.

  The next big challenge was when Maude began noticing Val's incredible appetite and growth. At first, she chalked it up as a growth spurt that many children experience, but when it persisted week in and week out, she became concerned. When she called to book an appointment with the local pediatrician, Val threw such a temper tantrum that she finally hung up the phone without making an appointment.