Soon the knock arrives, and General Birtwistle attempts to compose himself in a serious manner, failing miserably and only adding to the clownish representation of his character.
“Enter!” His attempt at sounding stern fails as his voice cracks. The two lieutenants standing behind and to the right of the general desperately try to stifle their laughter. It is difficult since the overall mood of the room is jocular. General Birtwistle wisely chooses to ignore them. This is Frank Hunter’s day; nothing and no one is going to spoil it.
Frank Hunter opens the door and walks into the room. He walks directly to the center of the room where he stands at attention and promptly salutes the general. The general stands and salutes the young man.
“I am certain you are curious as to why I summoned you here today.” Once again, the general’s goofy smile slips out as his attempt to be stern and stolid fails.
Frank notices how foolish the older man looks, but he doesn’t feel inclined to laugh. He is confused. He was certain he was in for a reprimand. After having successfully seized the gate and “killed” the general in his sleep, it seemed like Frank was always managing to annoy the general. But that is clearly not the case or the old man wouldn’t be grinning like a monkey right now. Nor would there be such an unusual array of individuals present. He mouths the word Dad and then notices the woman standing immediately to Geoffrey Hunter’s right. Hadrian’s Lover, he muses, is that the President? The dumfounded look on Frank’s face causes much mirth to explode in the room, even from the President and the general. Devon is laughing outright, along with their cohort, Mid.
“Yes, son,” General Birtwistle finally answers the quizzical look in Frank’s face, “that is the President.” Sitting back down at his desk, the general continues, “She is here today to present you with a Presidential Pardon.” Frank’s expression merely grows in confusion, going from mere befuddlement to being outright flummoxed.
“A—a pardon, sir?”
“Yes, private, a pardon.” The general looks the President’s way. “Madame President, if you please.”
But before the President can begin, Frank interjects, “But I don’t deserve a pardon. I killed a man. I killed—I killed my best friend.” Devon’s heart clenches tight; it is agony for him to watch Frank suffer from pangs of guilt.
“Yes, Private Hunter,” President Stiles remarks, “but in the past five years, you have proved yourself more than worthy of this parole. You have helped to strengthen Hadrian’s security with the War Games scenarios you produced, and if you are to travel from gate to gate continuing with this good work, then I have no choice but to pardon you.” Madame President, unlike the poor general, is able to maintain a strong sense of authority while simultaneously expressing her pleasure in today’s proceedings. “I have great plans for this country of ours, Private Hunter, and in order for me to follow through on my campaign promises, I need to be able to reassure the electorate that our Wall is impenetrable. Your War Games scenarios will help me do that. The citizenship of this country deserves to have our soldiers being trained by the very best in order to anticipate the unexpected and that, Private Recruit Hunter, is exactly what I want you to do.” Ceremoniously, Madame President steps out from the semi-circle and approaches Frank. Standing before him, and with all the authority and strength seen only in the rare few who become the great leaders of all time, President Stiles announces, “Private Frank Hunter, you are officially pardoned of your crime against the state. You are free to live your life as you see fit without hindrance by the state or our military.” She hands Frank a small box. Inside is a vocal contact lens. “It is a small gift from your friends. Rather than show you your pardon on a wall screen, we thought you might like to link up and view it by using this instead.”
Frank’s fingers shake as he reaches inside the little box and retrieves his vocal contact lens. He places it in his right eye and blinks. Appearing on the main drive is a file title “Presidential Pardon.” Frank blinks it open to read the very words the President just vocalized.
As the tears stream free from Frank’s eyes, Devon rushes forward to give his fiancé the biggest bear hug of his life. Even though this action has brushed the President off to one side, she shows no sign of annoyance, so the general allows for this momentary bit of indiscretion. He can appreciate the joy of the moment, but since this ritual is not yet finished, he clears his throat and orders Lieutenant Rankin back into line. “Private Frank Hunter, attention!” Frank obeys instantly. Standing now, the general walks around his gigantic desk and stands before Private Frank Hunter. “You have been given the opportunity to leave the military, if that is your choice, though I do hope you decide otherwise. If you are interested in becoming career military, I will then present you with the rank of lieutenant.” Smiling, General Birtwistle waits for Frank to nod before pinning on his lieutenant’s badge. “One last thing,” the general says with a wink. “Colonel de la Chappelle, please step forward.” The colonel obeys with starch formality and a sparkle of a smile in his eyes. This is a day he has been waiting for for close to two years. He salutes the general and then turns to face Frank. The general then orders, “Open tactile tattoo restraint control FH001.” Simultaneously, the two men blink open the doc that runs the program controlling Frank’s tactile tattoo restraint. Neither man needs to say anything, just blink the scroll to off, and it need not happen concurrently either. It is a military ceremony, though, so they follow procedure to the letter. “Blink off.” Frank feels a slight tingle in his right ankle where the tactile tattoo sits. The sudden realization that he is no longer condemned to a three-mile stretch along the Midwest Gate brings tears of joy to his eyes. General Birtwistle and Colonel de la Chappelle salute Lieutenant Hunter. All military personnel do the same. Frank returns their salute.
With all ceremony complete, the room explodes with the formerly suppressed jocularity, and everyone engages in the full gaiety of the moment. Once again, Devon rushes to his lover. They hug. They kiss. Frank’s family joins them. All cry freely—tears of joy.
* * * * *
Bibliography
Anti-Reflection Coatings. PVEDUCATION.ORG. Retrieved from: http://pveducation.org/pvcdrom/design/anti-reflection-coatings. Retrieved on: March 23, 2014.
Aron, Arthur, et al. “The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness: A Procedure and Some Preliminary Findings.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, SAGE journals. Retrieved from: http://psp.sagepub.com/content/23/4/363.full.pdf+html. Retrieved on: February 21, 2015.
Barrett, Stephen. “Glare Factor: Solar Installations and Airports. Industry at Large: Environmental & Sitting Issues.” Retrieved from: http://www.solarindustrymag.com/
issues/SI1306/FEAT_02_Glare_Factor.html. Retrieved on: March 23, 2014.
Belge, Kathy. “Jane Addams: Social Worker, Political Activist, Nobel Peace Prize Winner.” About.com: Lesbian Life. Retrieved from: http://lesbianlife.about.com/
od/lesbiansinhistory/p/JaneAddams.htm. Retrieved on: April 11, 2015.
Bennett-Smith, Meredith. “Why do Virginia, 13 Other States Want to Keep their Anti-Sodomy Laws a Decade after SCOTUS Ban?” Posted: 04/09/2013 7:27 pm EDT. Updated: 04/09/2013 7:30 pm EDT. Huffington Post: Politics. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/09/
virginia-anti-sodomy-laws-supreme-court-ban_n_3047489.html. Retrieved: February 23, 2014.
Brooks, Adrian (author). Katz, Jonathan (Foreword). The Right Side of History: 100 Years of LGBTQ Activism. Paperback – June 9, 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.amazon.ca/The-Right-Side-History-Activism/dp/1627781234. Retrieved on: August 11, 2015.
canada.com.: CLASSIC EDITION. “8 great Manitoba hikes.” By Travel Manitoba. June 8, 2005. Retrieved from: http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=91a5f5c6-841d-
453a-9334-4ea877ccdf55. Retrieved on April 11, 2015.
Canadian Mental Health Association. Ontario. Mental Health. “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Trans People Mental Health.” Retrieved from: http://ontario.cmha.ca/menta
l-health/lesbian-gay-
bisexual-trans-people-and-mental-health/. Retrieved on: August 6, 2015.
Carton, Mandy Lee. “To Fall in Love with Anyone, Do This.” January 9, 2015. nytimes.com. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/fashion/modern
-love-to-fall-in-love-with-anyone-do-this.html. Retrieved on: February 21, 2015.
CBC News. “Gay–straight alliances subject of debate in Saskatchewan: While politicians spar, Regina student tries to launch group.” Posted: April 16, 2013 2:30 p.m. CT. Last updated: April 16, 2013 2:28 p.m. CT. Retrieved from: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/gay-straight-alliances-
subject-of-debate-in-saskatchewan-1.1357369. Retrieved on: February 23, 2014.
CBCnews/Politics. Analysis. “Conservative video spreads ISIS propaganda to make Justin Trudeau look weak.” By Eric Blais. Posted June 30, 2015 12:22 p.m. ET. Retrieved from: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/conservative-video-spreads-isis-
propaganda-to-make-justin-trudeau-look-weak-1.3133039. Retrieved on: September 23, 2015.
Corneal, Devon. “The Talk My Preschooler Wasn’t Too Young To Have.” Posted: 04/18/2013 3:29 pm. Huffington Post: Gay Voices. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/devon-corneal/
the-gay-marriagetalk_b_3111122.html?ir=Gay%20Voices. Retrieved on: February 23, 2014.
David Suzuki Foundation. Issues. Climate Change. “What is climate change?” Retrieved from: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/climate-change/
science/climate-change-basics/climate-change-101-1/. Retrieved on: February 23, 2014.
Delay, Tom. “Why is there no Manhattan Project to tackle climate change?” ENVIRONMENT BLOG: The World’s Leading Green Journalists on Climate, Energy and Wildlife. The Guardian. Retrieved from: http://www.theguardian.com/envi:ronment/blog/
2014/mar/11/why-no-manhattan-project-climate-change. Retrieved on: August 6, 2015.
Facebook, Gay Middle East Identities. “Arsham Parsi and the Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees.” qualiafolk.com. “State-sanctioned sexual reassignment.” Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=427917150647459
set=a.408602162578958.1073741851
.399207883518386&type=1&theater. Retrieved on: February 22, 2014.
Feder, Lester J. “Why Some LGBT Youth in Jamaica are Forced to Call a Sewer Home.” BuzzFeedNews. Retrieved from: http://www.buzzfeed.com/lesterfeder/how-jamaicas-
sodomy-laws-drive-gay-teens-into-the-sewers-of#.rrnZarwYP. Retrieved on: August 6, 2015.
Francis, Merlin. “Climate change is caused by nature, not human activity.” Tuesday, February 1, 2011 11:52 IST | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA. KIRKUS: INDIE REVIEWS. Retrieved from: http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report-climate-
change-is-caused-by-nature-not-humanactivity-1501621. Retrieved on: February 23, 2014.
Government of Canada. Statistics Canada. Police-reported hate crime in Canada, 2012. “Overview of Hate Crime by Motivation.” Police-reported hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation. Retrieved from: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2014001/article/14028-eng.htm#a8 Retrieved on: February 19, 2015.
Heller, Aron. Associated Press. “Israel City unveils gay Holocaust victims memorial.” Friday, January 10, 2014. LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved from: http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2014/01/israel-city-unveils-
gay-holocaust-victims-memorial/#.UtAd9hHTYWw.facebook. Retrieved on: February 23, 2014.
Hinnant, Lori and Corbet, Sylvie. 04/23/13 06:46 p.m. ET EDT. “France Legalizes Gay Marriage after Harsh Debate, Violent Protests.” Huffington Post: Gay Voices. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/23/france-gay-marriage-
law-_n_3139470.html?ir=Gay%20Voices&utm_campaign=042313&utm_
medium=e-mail& utm_source=Alert-gay-voices&utm_content=Photo. Retrieved on: February 23, 2014.
Huckabee, Charles. S.C. House Keeps Penalties on Colleges that Assigned Gay-Themed Books.” The Chronicle of Higher Education. March 11, 2014. Retrieved from: http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/s-c-house-keeps-penalties-
on-colleges-that-assigned-gay-themed-books/74099?cid
=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&ir=Gay%20Voices. Retrieved: March 11, 2014.
Huffington Post: Gay Voices. “Amy Grant Talks Gay Fans and Being Invited to Perform at Same-Sex Wedding.” Posted: 04/23/2013 12:30 pm EDT. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013
/04/23/amy-grant-gay-fans_n_3139505.html?ref=topbar. Retrieved on: February 23, 2014.
Human Rights Campaign. Right Side of History T-shirt. “I Stand on the Right Side of History.” Retrieved from: http://shop.hrc.org/right-side-of-history-t-shirt.html/. Retrieved on: August 11, 2015.
“IPCC and climate science.” Home. Opinion. Your Say. Posted on Tuesday, 21 January 2014. Otago Daily Times: Online Edition. Retrieved from: http://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/your-say/
288838/ipcc-and-climate-science. Retrieved on: February 23, 2014.
IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on climate change. Retrieved from: http://www.ipcc.ch/index.htm#.UwqGa15kKOh. Retrieved on: February 23, 2014.
Kauffman, Alexander, C. “The CEO who Took On Indiana’s Anti-LGBT Law—And Won.” Huffington Post: The Third Metric. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
2015/04/07/marc-benioff-indiana_n_7017032.html. Retrieved on: April 24, 2015.
Kinsey, Alfred et al. Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. Philadelphia and London: W. B. Saunders Company, 1948.
Kuruvilla, Carol. “Oregon mom accused of fatally beating 4-year-old son until his bowels tore because she thought he was gay.” Posted Friday, March 28, 2014. New York Daily News. Crime. Retrieved from: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/
oregon-mom-accused-killing-4-year-old-son-thought-gay-article-1.1738037. Retrieved on: August 6, 2015.
LeBlanc, Denis (editor), Tomlinson, Maurice (journalist). “Jamaican Youth Minister to develop plans for LGBT homeless youth.” Erasing 76 Crimes. Retrieved from: http://76crimes.com/2014/04/17/jamaica-youth-minister-to-
develop-plans-for-lgbt-homeless-youth/. Retrieved on: April 18, 2014.
Mayo Clinic. “Healthy Lifestyles: Getting Pregnant.” Answers from Roger W. Harms, M.D. Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/getting-pregnant/
expert-answers/pregnancy/faq-20058504. Retrieved on: April 18, 2014.
McGonnigal, Jamie. “‘So…Who’s the Bride?’” Posted: 04/22/2013 11:50 am. Huffington Post: Gay Voices. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
jamie-mcgonnigal/so-whos-the-bride_b_3114070.html. Retrieved on: Feb. 23, 2014.
McPartland, Ben. “Beating reveals ‘the face of homophobia’ in France.” The Local: France News in English. Published: 8 April 2013 13:31. Retrieved from: http://www.thelocal.fr/20130408/
the-face-of-homophobia-in-france. Retrieved on: June 15, 2014.
Military.com. Army Weapons Qualifications Course. Retrieved from: http://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/
army-weapons-qualification-course.html. Retrieved on: July 11, 2015.
Moore, Chadwick. “Love in Putin’s Russia.” Posted January 14, 2014 2:05 p.m. ET. ADVOCATE.com. Retrieved from: http://www.advocate.com/print-issue/current-issue/
2014/01/14/love-putins-russia. Retrieved on: February 23, 2014.
Morgan, Glennisha. “Isaak Wolfe, Transgender High School Student, Denied Use of Assumed Name at Graduation.” Huffington Post: Gay Voices. Posted: 05/09/2013 11:13 AM EDT | Updated: 05/09/2013 11:42 AM EDT. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/09/
isaak-wolfe-graduation-transgender-_n_3238947. html. Retrieved on: February 23, 2014.
NASA Earth Observatory: Where every day is Earth Day. “Is Current Warming Natural?” Retrieved from: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
/Features/GlobalWarming/page4.php. Retrieved on: February 23, 2014.
National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. Honours & History. Rank Appointment Insignia. Retrieved from: http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/
honours-history-badges-insignia/rank.page. Re
trieved on: July 5, 2014.
NIPCC: Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change. Retrieved from: http://climatechangereconsidered.org/. Retrieved on: February 23, 2014.
Nobel Prizes and Laureates. Jane Addams – Biographical. Retrieved from: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_
prizes/peace/laureates/1931/addams-bio.html. Retrieved on: April 19, 2015.
Nowysz, Karina. “Adidas creates shoe made from recycled ocean trash and illegal fishing nets: Sports apparel company partners with Parley for the Oceans environmental organization. Daily Buzz. Yahoo! News. Retrieved from: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-buzz/adidascreates
-a-shoe-made-from-illegal-fishing-171835933.html. Retrieved on: August 6, 2015.
Nunavut Tourism. People of Nunavut. The Inuit of Nunavut are a very young ancient culture! Retrieved from: http://www.nunavuttourism.com
/about-nunavut/people-of-nunavut. Retrieved on: April 10, 2015.
“Oceans North: Protecting Life in the Arctic, Hudson Bay Estuaries.” Retrieved from: http://www.oceansnorth.org/hudson-bay-estuaries, Retrieved on: January 27, 2014.
O’Hanlan, Kate, M.D. “Origins of Diversity of Sexual Orientation and How Discriminations Impacts Health.” AMA: Helping Doctors Help Patients. Retrieved from: http://media01.commpartners.com/AMA/
sexual_identity_jan_2011/index.html. Retrieved on: February 16, 2014.
“‘Oh my’ – George Takei is peeved over Arizona’s anti-gay religious freedom bill.” Staff Reports. Sunday, February 23, 2014. LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved from: http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2014/02/oh-my-georgetakei
-is-peeved-over-arizonas-anti-gay-religious-freedom-bill/. Retrieved on: February 23, 2014.
Hadrian's Rage Page 34