Ch. 4 - Phenom

For, Ember, it was easy.  She took a break from her experiments for just a little over a month.  Mr. Shenko had given her a roster of names - unmarried men who worked for the department of defense.  These were men whose lives were focused on work and not much else.  The key was finding one with high level clearance  and who was extremely lonely.  Coulten Lowry turned out to be perfect. 

He had access to the entire record of the federal gold reserves.  He also had access codes that would enable her to gain knowledge of enough federal secrets to bribe terrorists on three continents. And she'd only share the minor stuff with the terrorists.  She’d set them against each other even as she pushed them into the path of the United States.  A distraction.  The intelligence she would lure out of Mr. Lowry, oh, what a delight!  No one could contain her ambition.  Why was she so power-hungry?  It did not matter.  She just was. 

Dean Powers was just hungry, for a sandwich or something.  He and some of his buddies on the cross-country team had just finished a summer run – 10 miles.  He felt good running, but 10 miles had worn him out.  He and his friends gathered at the Dairy Queen in town.

A pick-up truck pulled in the lot and 5 guys piled out of the back. 

“Hey, Tayshaun,” Dean yelled.  It was some of the offensive starters on the football team and Dean had been friends with star running back Tayshaun Banks since they were the best students in their 8^th grade math class.  Tayshaun approached, wide smile across his face.

“It’s my man Dean.”  He gave the handshake-hug.  “Where’s fast Eddy?”

Dean was long over the fact that while he was very good in cross country, his younger brother was so fast in long distance running, there were rumors of a college scholarship, a rarity in that sport.

“He and Ben are working on a project with my Dad.”

“Tay,” a voice yelled from the pick-up, “Enjoying your talk with the puffing skirts?”  Billy Rebuks had been a starting offensive tackle since his freshman year.  He had been a big pain in Dean’s neck longer than that.  Now, they were all juniors and Billy continued to grow.  He was up to 6’ 3”, 275lbs. 

“Shut up, Billy” Tayshaun barked with an irritated look on his face.

The big boy sauntered over, ignoring Tayshaun.

“Puffing skirts?”  Dean asked, regretting the question as soon as it left his mouth.

“Yeah,” he crowd, “skinny little boys, running their butts off in a sport no one watches.” 

“Huh-huh, huh-huh,” he mocked, “listen to hard I breath.  Oh, I ran 10 miles.  Oh, oh, oh.”  He pirouetted effeminately. 

Dean looked at him with scorn. 

Unsatisfied that his taunts weren’t striking home, Billy continued.  “Tell you what, Powers, I am going to help you out.”

“Billy!”  Tayshaun’s voice was harsh, but Rebuks shoved him aside. 

“Powers, I am going to shove that milkshake down your throat.  Maybe if you guzzle all those calories, it will fatten you up just a bit.”

“Come on, Billy, man.”  It was the voice of another player, DeAndre White.  He was not a star, but definitely a tough kid.  Dean had tutored him through 10^th biology and in the process the two became friends.  He was moving toward Dean, Billy, and Tayshaun.  Billy’s only acknowledgement of White was to shoot a middle finger in his direction. 

He stepped toward Dean whose neck was feeling hot.  Yet, there was something odd …

“Seems my friends don’t like me threating their little buddy.  Are you a girlfriend they share?”

Now the Dairy Queen assistant manager, Cory Twinesette, a recent high school graduate, was approaching.  “I think that’s enough, Billy.”

Rebuks reached out and grabbed him, pulling him into a tight headlock.

“Ughh …” Cory could not breath.

“Aw, Cora, did you come to see the show up close?”

“Let him go,” Dean spoke through gritted teeth.  He was filled a feeling, an overwhelming, what, emotion?  He did not know.  But he knew this.  It was not fear.  He, at 5’ 9”, 140 lbs, should be very afraid of the hulking jock.  And he felt no fear.  And he did not know why this was.

“Oh, the puffing skirts squeeks.”

“No,Dean,” Tayshuan tried to gently come between the lineman and the runner.

With one hand, Rebuks violently shoved Cory Twinesette to the parking lot’s concrete surface.  The sun was beating down.  It seemed like time and sound were fading to the background.

Billy turned to his teammate.  “Back off Banks.  I’ll block for you, but you shut your mouth and get back to the pick-up truck.”  By now DeAndre White was on the other side of Billy Rebuks, wanting to intervene.  But he did not know exactly what to do. 

Dean extended his hand to move Tayshaun aside.  Tayshaun was shocked at the force of Dean’s small push.  He was actually thrust back a few steps.  Dean’s eyes’ never parted from Rebuks.

“Let see what you’re made of runner.”  Bill sneered, “Let’s see what’s in the heart of a puffing skirt.”

He reared back his balled up fist and thrust it with everything he had into Dean’s chest.

Tayshaun heard a crack.  Something had popped.  Dean had not moved, not a centimeter.  He was still glaring at Rebuks who had dropped to his knees.  He was staring at his wrist which showed a protruding bone, easily seen in spite of the rapid swelling. 

For several seconds, on his knees before Dean, agape, he stared as his now shaking arm.  The pain shot through him.  All his knuckles and his wrist were broken.

“Guess we’ll need a new offensive tackle,” DeAndre muttered as he made his way back to the pick-up.

“Dean.”

“Dean.”

Dean was coming back to himself, back to an awareness of something more than his rage.  It was Tayshaun’s voice.  His hand was on Dean’s shoulder.  He pointed to the ground.  Dean’s feet had sunk into the parking lot, making two 2-inch deep divots in the concrete.