Buck Vs. the Bulldog Ants

by David Kersey

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  The four of us made our way to the basement and I could tell Marlene was impressed with the enormity and opulence of it. Indeed, the basement seemed larger than that of the first floor and above due to its lack of interior walls. John showed her the area to the right of the stairwell which was mostly devoted to watching a gigantic, 103 inch television and which was fronted by six large black leather chairs. Dark mahogany cabinets, floor to ceiling, occupied the two walls that flanked the large screen. Behind the stairwell was an area enclosed by mahogany paneling and which contained a full bath with shower, and to which Marlene made a full inspection. John showed her that the theater chairs were also recliners and could be made to lay flat. “These are just as comfortable as a bed in case you want to camp here.”

  To the left of the stairwell Marlene stopped in her tracks and said, “Oh, wow.” She obviously was taken by the large, semi-circular mahogany bar with several high backed, black leather stools. There also was a billiard table and two occasional table with four chairs at each.

  “This is appointed as well as any five star hotel lobby. John, this is magnificent, but I wonder if it’s right for what we need to do.”

  “Maybe this will help.” John said. He approached a wall at the far end of the room to the right of the bar and pressed on the panel. A portion of the wall slid backwards and then to the left and out of view. “This is another room, in fact it’s where we had our first meeting with the Department of Homeland Security agents last spring during the terrorist threat. Do you recall the bulldog ant attacks?”

  “All too well. There were farms invaded in Virginia not too far from me actually.”

  This room was smaller and contained a conference table, eight chairs, and many cabinets, floor to ceiling, on three walls. John opened two of the cabinet doors which contained various small electronics and television monitors.

  “Hmm, this might do, but it makes me wonder. John, do you work for Uncle?”

  “I have done some work for him in the past, Marlene, and I’m still a little bit involved in something. So, would you like a drink and a bite to eat before we unload your car?”

  “Oh my God, John, I am so ready for something cold. I’ve been up since two in the morning getting here and I drank much too much coffee to stay awake. It’s too early yet for something adult, so a Coke would be great, and do you have some crackers or something?” Marlene occupied one of the bar stools while John made himself busy behind the bar preparing a plate of crackers, pepperoni, and cheese.

  “So tell me about Marlene?”

  “Well, I live between Langley and Arlington, Virginia, and my work with the K-9 Special Ops takes me all over the States to train canines in their own environments. Once, in my opinion, the dogs are ready, I ship them to a K-9 camp in West Virginia for further indoctrination. When they are ready for duty, I hardly ever see them again. They a deployed all over the world.”

  “How is the K-9 program working?”

  “John, it is unbelievable how well it is working. In fact, the Taliban is now on alert to shoot the American dogs first since the K-9s have been so incredibly effective in sniffing out land mines or tracking down guerillas, or doing search and rescue. Unfortunately we’ve lost 42 of them in combat or mine explosions. But they’ve saved countless soldiers’ lives. We need more of them, a lot more, and that’s why I’m here having a snack with John somebody.”

  “Christianson.” John extended his hand.

  “Johnson.” Marlene shook John’s hand.

  Cassie and I looked at each other, and Cassie winked at me, a skill she had perfected some time ago, and which also meant, hush, and just listen. Still, I was becoming even more impatient. I thought this was going to be about me. Cassie read my mind and slapped me across my shoulder.

  John used the intercom behind the bar and summoned Sylvester to meet at the Ford Taurus in a minute. Sylvester was John’s house manager and who had been in John’s employ for many years, way before I arrived nearly ten years ago.

  “There’s a guest bedroom on the second floor, or the couch in the den, or down here. I think you might enjoy having a run of this place down here. There’s a fridge here, a microwave, snacks in the cabinets, and Mozetta always has fixings ready to snack on in the kitchen. By the way, are you vegetarian?”

  “No, red meat for me.”

  “Let’s go unload. Buck, you and Cassie stay down here. We’ll be right back.”

  After they had exited the basement, Cassie looked at me and said, “Just let this unfold, Buck. If John wants to take a liking to a woman that’s his business, not yours.”

  “I know you are right, Cass, but to tell the truth I am jealous. It’s like I can foresee losing my time with John if someone else occupies his mind and energies. Even though she’s only been here less than an hour, I’m very uncomfortable with this, and who knows what this woman wants to do with me. It sounds like I could be leaving here, I just don’t know yet.”

  “She’s only going to be here a few days, if that, Buck. Just chill with it.”

  John, Marlene, and Sylvester brought her things to the television side of the basement. John instructed Sylvester to have Mozetta concoct her special prime rib dinner for two. And bring some snacks to the bar, make it edamame and capers with blue cheese, something to snack on during the day.

  “Another cold drink, Marlene Johnson?”

  “I’m still working on this one, so no thanks. I’d like to freshen up before too long, if that’s alright.”

  John asked from behind the bar, “So how do you envision Buck fitting in to your program.”

  Finally, I thought.

  “This is a first, John, so it will be strictly experimental. Buck will not see combat action nor leave the States, nor be considered a MWD, which stands for Military Working Dog, though he might travel to specific locations to assist in prelims. He will never be gone from here for a long hitch and he will be a non-com civilian, which means no pay for you unless he is injured while on duty. I’ll go through a prelim with him here. He’ll identify shapes, letters, smells, and I may run him through some physical exercises and the standard commands, but considering his age and limited vision, he’ll not be used in the field. But this should come as no surprise to you, we want him to teach our canines how to communicate with one another. If successful, it would be history in the making and he would be a hero and undoubtedly be decorated. You see, if our K-9 soldiers who learn Buck’s communicative skills become trainers for new canine recruits it would revolutionize strategies, let alone the incredible improvements that would be accomplished in reconnaissance and search and rescue missions. And retirees who eventually work for police departments, or border controls, or rescue agencies, I mean the value added would be monumental no matter the area of involvement. I can foresee utilization in espionage and eaves dropping. The possibilities are virtually endless.”

  “Well, some of that would depend on the dogs communicating with humans and that hasn’t happened. I certainly do see the value added if they could communicate with each other in the way Buck has learned to do. How long will you need him before he can return to a normal life?”

  “John, it is incredible how our K-9s in fact do communicate with their handlers. The MWDs must learn silent communication. We’ve developed several hand signals that the dogs learn when silence is crucial to a mission. As to how long, that depends. I can’t answer that until I know more about him and just how fast other canines take to his instructions. It could be a short stint, I just don’t know but will have a better idea when I leave here. But there’s another thought. I am thinking about bringing one of our seasoned Mals from West Virginia here. The two could then be monitored to see what we might expect as to the length of time in the learning curve. Would that be agreeable with you?”

  “Is that a Belgian Malinois you are referring to, and if so, I wouldn’t want aggression without adequate supervision? There are a host of small animals on my land that cou
ld present no defense for themselves.

  “Yes, I would bring Guido, a Mal that will do whatever I say. There would be nothing to fear and Guido would be no threat, I promise. He is highly intelligent, socializes well, and I am thinking he would learn more quickly than some of the others. Our dogs are socialized with cats, even small children. They have to be that way or else they wouldn’t be effective soldiers. I would exercise him with a leash until you feel it’s safe to let him roam, but he doesn’t like the leash one bit. Let’s see what tomorrow brings and then decide.”

  “Marlene, before we get too far in to this, there are some things I think would behoove you to see. And if you don’t mind, before you freshen up, I suggest we take a walk and allow me to show you something that may change the way you want to utilize Buck’s skills. It might alter your thinking about taking him away from here. I am thinking you may want to bring the dogs here to train. And I have to admit I am being selfish because I would miss him terribly if he was away for a length of time.”

  “Now you’re talking. Ten points for John,” I thought to myself.

  “I’m game, just give me a minute to change shoes and use your facilities.” John closed the secret room wall while Marlene was in the bathroom.

  “Buck, you and Cassie race on ahead to the clearing and round up as many of your group as you can, especially Mortimer and Penelope and as many others as you can muster in just a few minutes. Marlene and I will take our time and then join you at the clearing. Explain to your group that they will be on display and to not be intimidated.”

  Cassie and I were let out of the house by Sylvester and we hesitated in the car park. I suggested that she check the pasture, and that I would take the corn field, the wheat field, and the out buildings, and that if either of us saw Orville flying about that we enlist his aid in rounding up the circle members.

  “We should have plenty of time. John will without fail show Marlene his prized Harley in the garage, and also the roadster. We have at least a half hour, I’m thinking.”

  “Ok, Buck, see you at the clearing.”