Emp caravan, p.17
EMP CARAVAN, page 17
“Yeti, that is interesting. Why do you say that?”
“Simple observation. Almost everyone I meet can do something, sometimes several somethings, better than I believe I ever could, things that require brain processing power to accomplish.”
“Such as?”
“Music, inventing, art, helping people, giving love to others, understanding people...”
“Girls?”
“Well, yes.”
The Senator laughed. “Yeti, I have made it my life's work to study people, and I think I can safely say that no man can ever truly understand a woman.”
“I believe that, Sir,” I said. “And I have read studies that say IQ is not fixed, that it can be increased as much as thirty points with just a few months practice in developing different patterns of thinking.”
“I am aware of those studies, but I must admit, I have paid little attention to them.”
“They intrigue me,” I said. “What would be the effect of a lifetime of such practice?”
“I never thought of that. Ah, Yeti. There is much I believe I can learn from you, and I believe there is much that you can learn from me. Would you stay for a while so we can have more discussions? When the time is right, you can return to your caravan with Pepper and Trish, if any of you wish to go. My goal is to recruit you to stay here and aid in the rebirth of our country.”
“That sounds reasonable, but you should realize that my ties to my family are very strong,” I said. “How long do you have in mind?”
“Say another two weeks?”
I stood and offered my hand. “That sounds good to me, Sir. I look forward to our conversations very much.”
The Senator grasped my hand, “As do I, Yeti.”
“Yeti!” Trish slammed into me like a rocket bomb. She nearly knocked me down. The Senator was right, she was gaining weight, but she was still thin and as strong as ever. Her arms clamped me like a vise.
“Hello, Yeti.” It was Pepper and she was deigning to speak to me. My heart skipped a beat.
“Hi, Pepper.”
“How is my father?”
“He's fine. He wanted to come with me, but decided he would be of more use at the caravan.”
“Yes, Dad isn’t particularly good at roughing it.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” Pepper pirouetted holding her red skirt. “How do you like my new dress? The Senator got it for me.”
“It’s pretty, just like you,” I said. “You sound as if you like it here?”
“I do. This is a nice place and the people are so nice.”
“Everyone’s nice in the caravan too.”
“Of course they are, but this is different. This is more like it was before. Why they think they will even have the electricity on before very long.”
I thought about it for a minute. The nearest power plant was the Forney plant just east of Dallas. It used natural gas as a power source. If they could get the compressors running, and I suspected they ran on natural gas, then they might be able to get that power plant running. Cobbling together a replacement transformer might be possible if they cut off sections of the grid and limited current flow to a fairly local system. It all depended on the pressure in the natural gas wells and pipeline. “Maybe they will, Pepper. Maybe they will.”
“Won't that be nice? I miss air conditioning, and TV, and computer games, and my cell phone. I really miss my cell phone.”
“We don't need electricity, we can just watch TV by candlelight like our grandparents did.” I caught the smirk and the sparkle in Trish's eyes, but apparently Pepper didn't.
“Don't be silly Trish, TV's plug into the wall. They need electricity to work, puh-leeze.”
“Let's go to dinner,” Pepper took my hand and my heart melted. “It’s going to be roast duck tonight. The chef is very good. He used to cook at a major hotel restaurant here in Dallas. I don't remember which one, but he’s a great cook.”
And he was. I ate enough for three people and I don't even like duck.
“Yeti, how do you think we should go about rebuilding the country?” As usual Tar and Ms. Riker were in the room, but neither ever said a word. They just listened. I figured the Senator was just one of those people who needed an entourage.
“I ‘ve thought about it a lot, but I’m not sure. It seems to me that the most important thing is to develop reliable food and water supplies. All civilizations are built on those two things.”
“Yes, we need to get agriculture going again,” the Senator said. “I am afraid we will need many people to work the farms.”
“A few smaller old tractors would make a good start,” I said. “But I think the real problem is twofold. First, due to pesticide and herbicide applications over many years and the use of genetically modified crops, it will be several years before open pollinated seed can even grow in most fields used for crops before the EMP attack.
Secondly, I am not sure there is enough arable land remaining. Every nook and cranny in the suburbs would need to be used just to support the present population. It would require much handwork because many of the plots would be too small to use a tractor, or even horse-drawn implements. Depending on previous herbicide use, some of the pastures might be arable though.”
“That is interesting, Yeti. We have been trying to grow crops in several nearby fields. We have had poor germination from seed recovered from an agricultural supply house. The corn is making ears, or so I hear, but the yield will be low. We were thinking of saving the seed for replanting next year.”
“Don't bother. Kernels from commercial hybrid and/or GMO seed are not particularly viable and don't breed true to type.”
“Interesting. None of my advisers knew that.”
“Let me guess. Your advisers are all either previously employed in politics or worked in the city?”
“Yes.”
“Find a farmer or three and ask their advice. Especially look for retired farmers in their eighties or nineties, if there are any left. They farmed with open-pollinated seed.”
“What is open-pollinated seed?”
“The garden variety. Get your seed from garden centers. Grow that in small plots on previously unfarmed ground, save the seed for several years until the fields grow your saved seed well. It may take as long as five years. Test each field with just a few seeds each year. When the tests go well, it’s time to increase the scale of your farming operation.”
“Could you oversee that, Yeti?”
“Maybe, but farmers and gardeners would do a better job. I know a few things, but they’ll know more, much more. Senator, you have a lot of people here. How do you feed all of them?”
“We will go into that later, Yeti. Right now I need to get to a meeting. Can you entertain yourself for a while?”
“Of course, Senator.”
“Tar, will you teach me to fight?”
“Why do you want to learn to fight, Yeti?” Tar clapped me on the shoulder. We were almost eye-to-eye. I had about an inch or a tad more on him.
“Because I’ve had a couple of fights now, but, even though I won, it was close. I need to know more. The world is no longer civilized.”
“No, it isn't,” Tar smiled, “but then it never really was.”
“No, I guess it wasn't, at least in some circles.”
“I like you Yeti.”
“I like you too Tar.” And I did, in spite of the fact that he kidnapped Pepper and Trish. But Tar liked dogs and he hadn’t hurt either Pepper or Trish and had treated them well.
“Very well, Yeti. We will begin now.”
I suddenly found myself on my back. I didn't even know what happened.
“I watched your fight when you extracted the doctor.”
“You were there?”
“Of course. The Senator has been interested in you ever since he found out what happened in Mountainair.” Tar extended a hand and pulled me to my feet. “You were very lucky in that fight. That man had no real knowledge of fighting.”
“Well, neither do I.”
“Let us begin, then.”
The days passed quickly. I saw far less of Pepper than I wished, but Trish was by my side a lot. She even watched my lessons with Tar, although the Senator wouldn’t allow her to be privy to our discussions.
The Senator and I spent several evenings discussing intelligence. He was far more interested in the topic than I was, but he seemed to know less than I did. All of my reading on the Internet paid off, I guess. In any event, I found the Senator had a narrower view of intelligence than mine. To him, intelligence was more about intellectual things and less about emotions. In fact, the Senator never displayed strong emotions, except once when I saw him angry. He didn't know I saw that incident, and I never told him.
My views of intelligence were much broader than the Senator's. I soon learned not to express them fully, because the Senator liked to argue and would berate a point like a starving dog held onto a bone.
I believe there are many forms of intelligence, maybe hundreds, and that none of us has all of them in abundance. I learned from everyone I spoke with, no matter his or her education or status. I hope at least some of them might have learned something from me as well.
I was speaking with Goody Sams one morning. Goody was the sweeper, as he called himself. He swept the sidewalk and the driveways, and cleaned up after the horses of visitors to the mansion.
Have you ever known someone who you instantly knew loved everyone, who you knew was honest, and would listen to whatever you had to say and not criticize you? That was Goody. He may well have been the lowest ranking member of the Senator's entourage, and the movers and shakers ignored him, but I liked him the first time I saw him smile. Trish adored him.
“Yeti, all this talk about smarts that you and the Senator do is interesting. It’s all above my head. I don't understand a lot of what you say, but I think you’re missing something, and, as much as I like the man, I know the Senator is too.”
“What’s that, Goody?”
Goody leaned on his broom and shuffled his foot. “Now Yeti, don't think that I don't know you’re smart, cause I know you are, but I need to tell you something, something simple.”
“What’s that, Goody?”
“Smarts ain't the same as wisdom, and wisdom trumps smarts every time.”
“I know that,” I said.
“Yes, Yeti. You know that. You know that with your mind, but do you know it with your heart?”
“I don't know?”
“Wisdom is something that you feel is right, not something that you think is right.”
And that was it. The thing I had been missing all of my life. It hit me in the face like a battleship. All of the times I said things that seemed harsh, were harsh, just because I believed them to be true, all of the times I criticized people instead of dealing with them gently, these were the things that caused almost all of my problems with people, especially at the orphanage. Goody said it and now I was beginning to understand it. Wisdom is love, guided by knowledge. Smarts play only a small role, albeit at times a crucial one.
“Ah, Yeti. You’re quick. I think you understand.”
I just hugged Goody. He hugged me back. “Thanks Goody.”
“You're welcome, Son. Now don't stop your lessons with Tar, or your studies for that matter. Wisdom can't solve everything. Some people just can't hear reason or love.”
For the sixth time in a row, I found myself flat on my back with the wind knocked out of me. Tar helped me up when I got my breath back. “Sit down over here for a bit, Yeti.”
“I'm good to go, Tar.”
“You think you are but you’re not. Sit down.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Yeti, you’re too analytical with your fighting. You think out every move before you make it. Sometimes that works for you because you have an unusually quick mind and very fast reflexes. To get better, you have to take your mind out of the equation, so to speak. Just react, don't think.”
“Okay.”
“I’m serious Yeti. Why do you think I win against you every time?”
“You’re really good, Tar.”
“Yes, I am, but you could be too. All you have to do is stop thinking and just react. Let your muscle memory take over. That’s why you’ve been doing katas, and the other movements I taught you. Remember the movie, The Karate Kid?”
“Yeah.”
“Remember, ‘wax on, wax off?’”
“Yeah.”
“That was about developing muscle memory, nothing more. Now let's try it again.”
I tried to let my mind go blank and my body relax. Theoretically, I understood what Tar was saying; I’d just never tried it. My thinking habit was too strong. Unexpectedly, Tar swung at my head. Before I could think, I blocked his blow and dumped him on the ground. I wasn't even sure what I did.
Tar got up and gave me a funny look. “I think you’re getting the hang of this now, Yeti. I have a meeting. I want you to practice your katas for two more hours. Don't think about what you are doing. Just do it.”
“Yes, Sir. Thanks Tar.” I started my katas. I noticed Tar look at me over his shoulder as he left. I couldn't read his expression.
I continued my lessons with Tar and my conversations with the Senator. Two weeks turned into four, and then six. Pepper still wasn't ready to leave, although Trish was. Trish said she missed Julie. I knew Julie missed her. I missed Mom too, and Wayne, and Uncle Dave. I missed my family. Yes, it was comfortable here, although the electricity never seemed to get turned on. Trish and I finally convinced Pepper that it was time for her to go home to her father.
“Senator, it is time for us to leave.”
“Well, yes, Yeti. I suppose it is. I can't convince you to join my efforts at rebuilding the country?”
“Sir, I approve of what you’re doing, but I have to contribute in my own way. I need to see my family.”
“Of course,” The Senator said. He was absentmindedly-playing solitaire. I watched him take a card from the stock and slip it under a top card on the tableau below. I’d watched the Senator play solitaire before, but this was the first time I paid attention to the cards. He was cheating, cheating at solitaire. “When do you want to leave?”
“This afternoon.”
The Senator restacked the cards and shuffled them. “I will have your horse, gear, and guns brought to the front of the house in one hour. You may tell Pepper and Trish to get ready. There will be gear and horses for them as well.”
“Thank you, Senator. I’ve enjoyed our visit.”
“As have I, Yeti, as have I.”
I changed into the clothes I was wearing when I arrived, and checked the derringer. On a hunch, I moved it into my underwear, hoping I wouldn't blow my balls off. Then I went outside to await the horses and gear.
“Yeti, I am sorry.”
“Sorry for what, Tar?”
“This...”
I awoke in a cage. Tar was standing just outside. “I really am sorry, Yeti. I like you very much.”
“I like you too, Tar. Why did you taze me?”
“Just following orders, Yeti. Just following orders.”
CHAPTER 21
Joe Brandy
“So, what do you think, Gina?”
“Kill him.”
“Now that is a direct answer. That doesn't sound like a former FBI agent. You used to advocate following the letter of the law.”
“Senator, there is no law anymore. Kill him and do it now.”
“Gina, how could a fifteen-year-old boy be dangerous enough that I should kill him immediately? Besides, I rather like the boy.”
“So do I,” Gina frowned, “and that is exactly the problem.”
“Explain further, please.”
“Of course, Senator. I’ve watched Yeti very closely since he’s been here. People like him.”
“So? He is a likable boy.”
“Yes, Senator. But he’s also a natural leader and his leadership talents are developing quickly, much faster then I think even he realizes. He’s a modest boy considering his talents.”
“Gina, I know you were one of the best profilers in the FBI, if not the very best. That is why I hired you. But don't you think there is some way that Yeti can be brought over to our side. He could be of tremendous use to us.”
“At first, I thought so too. Then I got to know him. Yeti is scary smart, and his exploits are making him a real figure of the new frontier. He’s as talked about, if not more so, than Wild Bill Hickok in his day. His easy recognizability is a tremendous asset to him, just as it was for Abraham Lincoln. Yeti's reputation among the survivors may soon upstage your own. That could be disastrous to our plans of controlling the rebuilding of the country.
But, and this is the most important point, Yeti isn’t malleable. He has a rigid moral code, even if he isn't sure himself what it is yet. He will not bend and he will not corrupt.”
“Everyone is corruptible. After all, all men act in their own self interest all of the time.”
“No, Senator. Not all men do.”
“And that is what makes Yeti so dangerous?”
“Yes, he’s willing to offer his own life if the cause is right. You can't manipulate people like that. That’s why the United States won World War II, our men were willing to give their lives for our country, and many of them did just that.”
“They were fools.”
“I ‘m not so sure they were fools, Senator. My grandfather gave his life at Guadalcanal. My mother said he believed in our country with all his heart.”
“But Yeti could change. I would truly like to have that boy on my side. Besides, he is the best chess opponent I have ever had. Surely he could be taught to act in his own self interest?”
“Fooled for a while maybe, but not corrupted. If he ever found out about the necessities of political power, he’d turn against you.”
“Surely, we could continue to fool him?”
“He lets you win, Senator.”
“Nonsense.”
“Yes, he does. I’ve watched him. I recorded every move of that first game in my notebook, and then studied the chess books in the library. The first time he played you, he had checkmate in ten, but he didn't follow through. He let you win that first game, and probably nearly every one since.”
