CodeY

by Lamar Rutherford

  “I know,” said Keece. “My husband, Pele, was the first to point this out to me with Rane. They would watch soccer on TV and he would test her later on each of the players. She’d remember almost the whole team perfectly and recite which way they typically kicked, faked, ran, whatever. It’s a little unsettling when you live with them. I’m afraid they know my habits better than I do. And you should really see Kala drive.”

  “Ahhh, that’s her sport. I knew there must be one I hadn’t seen yet.” Then he continued, clearly showing his military roots, “Their skills are remarkable! They would be so effective in combat.”

  Keece continued, “Rane’s soccer coach figured this out about her a while ago. He has really dialed in on not only taking advantage of it but also how to get the other players to support her and follow her lead. I know that’s a big part of why the team has been so successful.”

  Drew answered, “I’ll have to come watch her play. I know the testing we’ve done hasn’t challenged her skills in that arena at all.”

  Keece agreed to take Drew to Rane’s next match. She also noted this was the first comment Drew had made that inferred he might have a longer-term interest in training the children. She was still hopeful he would reconsider and take on the lead tutoring role.

  Keece, “One thing I do appreciate is how you’ve encouraged them to help each other and work as a team. They seem much more willing to support one another, I’m sure largely based on your lead.”

  Keece giggled to herself about an example of this, where Calice, Cole’s youngest daughter had been hesitant about doing her swim test. Calice, with her long, willowy limbs, was a talented athlete, but she was so shy, she simply wanted to blend in. She didn’t want the attention of outperforming others. Kala, Keece’s youngest, had generously offered to swim with her so she would feel more comfortable. About three laps in, Calice settled into her smooth stroke and did not even notice she was quickly almost a lap ahead of Kala. Kala stopped and looked up at Drew with a puzzled look as if to say, “Am I really that slow?”

  Drew, understanding Kala’s look, commented, “Don’t worry, she’s a total ringer. I haven’t seen anyone swim that fast in a long time.”

  Kala laughed with relief and sprang out of the pool. They all cheered when Calice finished her last lap and popped her head up, completely embarrassing her. But you could tell from her shy smile that she was happy she had done well.

  Drew responded humbly to Keece’s praise, “Well, I’m not sure how much credit I deserve. They do all seem to get along.”

  Then he added, “Maybe with a few exceptions. I sense a little tension between Devon and Pace. And then Zander, who I think everyone loves, and then hates a minute later, depending on who he is picking on that day.”

  Keece grimaced, “Oh, you’re definitely right about Zander, hilarious one minute, totally annoying the next. You’re also spot on with Devon and Pace. They try to get along, but I think it has to do with Pace being protective of Rane. Devon has always been close with Rane, and really supportive when she lost her father. But then, when Devon got into drugs and started hanging with a shady crowd, Pace got protective. He didn’t like it when he thought Devon might get his sister into any kind of trouble, not that Rane couldn’t take care of herself, but Pace likes to think of himself as the responsible man of the house.

  I’m pretty sure the two of them, Pace and Devon, got into it one time when Devon came over and tried to get Rane to go to a party with a notably unsavory crowd. She didn’t want to go, but apparently Devon was putting pressure on her, which didn’t go over well with Pace. And you know Pace, not always the most delicate with social interactions. I’m not sure exactly what happened. I wasn’t home. But putting two and two together and seeing the tension between them over the next couple of weeks, I’m pretty sure something went down. I suspect you’ve noticed; in addition to his autistic tendencies, my boy Pace is a bit of a mamma’s boy. I can’t complain, but he definitely steps in if he thinks his sisters might be out of line. Funny how that doesn't keep him from getting into trouble himself!”

  Drew smiled, “Yes, but it’s all good. He takes plenty of risks with his activities, especially his polo and piloting. I don’t think he needs any type of stimulants to get a rush!”

  Keece could not help but giggle. “Yes, that might run in the family,” she replied with a big grin.

  During the two weeks of running the children through both intellectual and physical challenges, Drew realized what a special group they were.

  He commented on this to Keece at one of their evening meetings, “It’s surprising that all these children are so talented in one or more ways. How do you suppose they all turned out to be so gifted? They’re not related, and their skills are often very different from each other, yet all are truly outstanding in one way or another.”

  Keece, trying to be nonchalant so as not to raise suspicion, “I don’t know, but their fathers were all very good friends, and each of them was pretty talented in their own ways. Maybe that has something to do with it. Also, I can’t speak for Pele, but the other two certainly married some pretty capable women.”

  Drew scoffed, “Oh, I think Pele did pretty well for himself.

  Keece smiled in appreciation but continued, “I don’t know about that. Sophie and Ava make me look like an amateur.”

  Drew shook his head, completely disregarding her claims, “I don't think anyone is going to make you look like an amateur, but it does sound like all the parents were an outstanding bunch. Anyhow, I’ll take the job. It would be my pleasure to help these kids make the most of their talents.”

  Chapter 9

  Within a month, Drew had the children on a strict after-school regimen with a host of specialized tutors lined up. One challenge he had discussed with Keece was finding the right tutors.

  He bemoaned to Keece, “I can easily find tutors for the basic subjects—physics, math, writing, even computer skills—but some of their specialties are a bit more challenging. For example, I can find a pretty high-level science teacher, but Shanta’s passion and skill level for researching and understanding the spread of viral diseases is a tougher challenge. I’m not sure where to even start to find someone who can actually teach her something in that field.”

  Keece responded almost nonchalantly, “Oh that’s an easy one. Start with her mother. Sophie’s a researcher in a completely different field, nanotechnology, but she will still know where to find an expert in viral diseases. She and Radi were both totally connected to the science community in town.”

  Drew, still hesitant, said “Yes, but that’s only one. What about Devon’s coding. He’s crazy good at it. And Sanji with languages. I’ve never seen anything like it! We did the basic language aptitude test on him. The tester came out after two minutes into a ten-minute test. She was completely befuddled and said, ‘He’s already blown away the test that was supposed to take ten minutes. I don’t know what else to do?’

  “I said to her, ‘Aren’t you fluent in French? I know he speaks French. Can you ask him questions in that language?’ Her response was that he was already way more advanced in French than she was after studying for six years and living in full immersion in France for a year!”

  Keece looked puzzled, “How many languages does he speak and how he is learning them so fast?”

  “I asked her the same question. He speaks at least five languages fluently—Spanish, French, German, Mandarin and obviously, English. She said he’s got such a strong aptitude for them; he picks them up faster than anyone she’s ever seen. She also said he’s been learning through one of those online programs where you do a tutorial on a language, and they match you with a native speaker who also wants to learn your language. She said he admitted they spend much more time talking in the other person’s native tongue because he picks it up so much faster.”

  Keece knew Sanji was good with languages, but she didn’t realize the extent of his skills, “Well the good news is he’s obviously interested in
the topic. Why don’t you give him the challenge of learning a couple of different languages, maybe something like Iraqi and Japanese, and then let him find his own tutors? It seems to be working so far. You can always bring someone in to test him periodically.”

  Drew was shaking his head in agreement, “You know that’s a great idea. For some of their more specific talents and interests, I can get them to help me find their own teachers. Devon could probably help me find a good tutor for his coding. I’ll work on that.”

  “Great, anything else?” asked Keece before they parted.

  Drew paused, “There is one more thing. They all have remarkable gifts, but I still don’t feel like we’ve fully pushed them. I don’t really know their limits or how they behave under pressure.”

  “Do you have any ideas?” asked Keece. She could tell he did and was curious to hear what he had in mind.

  He smiled a little conspiratorially, “You know I do.”

  Keece laughed. “Well, let’s hear it.”

  Drew continued eagerly. “You know the Navy Seal version of the escape rooms?”

  Escape rooms had become a very popular form of entertainment. The puzzle mysteries had become more and more complex, and there were many types of themed escape rooms now, from a children’s Winnie the Pooh version, to Star Trek, to psycho murder mysteries. They had also moved from strictly mental challenges to some involving physical challenges. The Navy Seal Escape park was a fairly recent version and involved high levels of both intellectual and physical skills.

  Keece was surprised, “Are the children even old enough to do that one?”

  Drew answered, “Technically not all of them, but I think if they work in teams, they will be fine. There is no way I could have them go through as regular customers. First of all, a couple of them are too young, but secondly, I’m afraid they might stand out too much with their talents. We don’t need to draw any attention to them. However, I do know the owner, and he owes me a favor. I could set up a time when the place is normally closed. I’d have just one assistant help, and I’d make sure it was someone who could keep a secret. What do you think?”

  After a few moments of contemplation, Keece agreed. Drew set it up for the following Monday.

  Chapter 10

  As soon as he heard his bunkmate start to snore quietly, Pele slipped out of bed and quietly down the hall, trying to look nonchalant as if he needed a drink from the cafeteria. Once he slid past it, he went outside towards Jaber’s quarters. The Lieutenant Captain’s shades were drawn as usual, but Pele crept over to a corner where he could see through a sliver in the shades into the room. Jaber finished what he was working on and ejected a tiny thumb drive, the size of a cufflink that he then used on his shirt, a relatively dressy shirt that made him look like he was headed for a night out. He then grabbed a bottle of wine and slipped quietly out the door.

  Pele could guess where he was headed. He’d watched him several times before. The Lieutenant Captain was on his way to visit the General’s assistant, Mariana, always with a nice bottle of wine.

  As Jaber reached Mariana’s room, he tapped lightly on her door and entered as she greeted him eagerly. Pele stealthily went around toward a window where a slit of light gave him a view of their activities. As he stepped around the corner, he accidentally startled a stray cat, who shrieked in surprise. Pele swiftly ducked back into the shadows as Jaber looked out the window for a few moments. He seemed to satisfy himself that it was only a cat and turned his attention back to Marianna.

  Pele, more cautious now, crept over to the window and peaked inside. He watched as Mariana and Jaber sat down to enjoy the bottle of wine. As the evening progressed, Pele noticed Jaber drank very little and poured most of the wine into Mariana’s glass. She was soon very tipsy. Jaber lead her into her bedroom where they disappeared for a while. About twenty minutes later Jaber left the bedroom alone. He sat down at Mariana’s computer and quickly transferred the information from his thumb drive cufflink to her tablet. Pele couldn’t see the screen, so he was not sure exactly what Jaber was doing, but his best guess was that Jaber was sending military secrets out through Mariana’s email account.

  When finished, Jaber checked on Mariana briefly, then slipped out of her quarters and went back to his own. Mariana’s door was locked, so Pele could not get in to verify the information Jaber sent, but he was suspicious it was the latest drawings of the Robustor suit and other updates on their newest weaponry. Who was Jaber working for? Pele’s sleuthing would have to wait for another night. He walked back past the cafeteria, grabbing a water on the way. Re-entering his room his bunkmate stirred but rolled over snoring again. Pele slid safely back under his sheets, his mind spinning with questions and theories. He had to figure out a way to get to Mariana’s email account.

  Chapter 11

  The van pulled up next to the Navy Seal Escape (NSE) Game facility and the children tumbled out, all very excited for their game day. Drew had presented it as a reward for all their hard work. It was early on a Sunday, a day when the business was normally closed, but Drew had gotten special permission for them to play. He explained to the children that some of them were under-age, so they had to get special permission and come during off-hours.

  “I had to pull a few strings, but I had some connections, so they let us in,” Drew told them with a sly wink.

  The children loved the conspiratorial air of it all.

  Their young ages were really only part of the reason, the other part being Drew did not want anyone to see how talented they were. He was afraid they might raise suspicions if anyone saw them. One of his trusted former squad members, Blake Peters, worked at the NSE Game facility and had agreed to help run the games, but keep the day’s activities confidential.

  The NSE Game facility was a large cavernous warehouse with surrounding outdoor space near an ocean inlet. A central building provided a lounge for waiting participants and an observation tower for the game master. The facility had various sections that were similar to theater sets; some indoor, some all outdoor, some a combination, each one tailored to that particular puzzle’s needs. The ocean inlet provided a natural space for water activities such as ocean swims, diving, and rocky boat landings. Another area was more of an open field with an enemy encampment at the far end. There were also inflatable rescue boats for the teams to carry, rocky walls and ropes to climb, logs to cart, and other obstacles designed to test a range of skills.

  The puzzles were really more quests or adventures. The group participating would be given clues as they progressed through the puzzle to help them solve the challenge. A typical puzzle involved trying to break through an enemy’s security system, overcome obstacles on the way to rescue a prisoner, and then get them back out safely, all while the circumstances were constantly changing. They got new clues to solve each new challenge as they progressed through the game. Each puzzle required different sets of both physical skills, knowledge and ingenuity. As the game proceeded, members could get shot or wounded as they played. Wounded players would be indicated by a red dart that would stick to them as they played. That player would then continue to play but would typically have some kind of handicap and need help from other players. If shot dead, that player would have to leave the game, and the team would have to solve the puzzle without them.

  Some of the games could be set up so teams competed against each other, but more often, the teams were on their own and simply tried to break a time record. Because some of the children were still relatively young, Drew decided to keep them all on one team, so all ten worked together to solve the puzzles.

  The team quickly fell into the usual pattern, Rane was the lead, partially because she was one of the two oldest, but also because she was a natural, logical, levelheaded leader. Devon clearly supported her. He did not have as much leadership clout because of his recent mistakes in judgment, but if he and Rane had been two parents they could not have been more in sync in their direction. They supported each other completely.

>   Pace and Kala were also key players in working through the strategy. Pace, with his methodical and literal interpretation could sometimes frustrate the others, but occasionally, because it was such a different perspective, it was insightful and helpful. Kala was always there to interpret and, if needed, buffer communications with the group for him. Everyone was amused when they first arrived and realized Pace was surprised the “Seal Games” did not involve playing games with live seals.

  The others generally contributed their specialized expertise when needed, Shanta anything medical, Sanji language related, Jadyn and Jaya architectural or structural, and Zander anything weapon related. Zander was particularly helpful whenever they got stuck. He had an uncanny ability to look at things in a unique, often more conniving way, that would lead to an unexpected answer.