Dawn of Tears - 11. It Begins

Note to Readers: Sex has always been a powerful tool. Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, the Mata Hari are all figures in world history that used sex for their own goals. My discovery of what I originally thought of as a 'kissing power' was just another aspect of using sex. At thirteen, I'd learned the physical pleasures that it could bring, and with this new ability, the pleasures of having total control over others around me.

It warped me, changed me in ways that I never foresaw. When you combine that with the responsibiities and duties I was being thrust into as well, it is no wonder how my world view was shaped and altered so drastically over the years that followed. You who looked at the history records and see the blood, the death, and the destruction that my name is tied to must wonder how I came to do those things. The answers are not simple, but they begin here.

"So he just went to sleep when you told him to take a nap?" Henry was asking me a little bit later. The shower had been…interesting, but Jimmy had been jabbering away when he was drying me off and I'd gotten slightly irritated and told him to go take a nap. He'd stopped immediately, told me 'okay' and gone into my room and fallen asleep on the floor next to my bed. I was very grateful that I hadn't said 'drop dead' because I was very worried he might do that.

This was too damn weird, and I wanted to talk to someone about this, but some part of me freaked at even the thought of telling mom or dad.

"Yeah, he did." I said.

"Wow, oh man I can't wait to try this on someone myself. I want to see if I can do that." Henry said. "Right now I don't care if it's a girl or a guy."

"Try it on one of your guards when you interview them." I said. "Ask them how they'd handle it if you met someone and was kissing them, and then get close enough to touch their lips. You know, I seem to remember that I just had to be close with Jimmy and it started."

"I'd rather not." Henry said. "What if it doesn't work? Word would get around and then there'd be hell to pay. I don't even want to think about dad knowing about this."

"You don't either?" I asked.

"We're on the same page then." Henry said.

"Yeah. I'll tell you what." I said. "Jimmy used to fool around with one of the people on my guard detail. I think I'm going to try it out on him. The guy's kept his mouth shut about Jimmy, and he's not that bad looking. Not too old either, maybe twenty at the most."

"When do you interview him?" Henry asked me.

"In about ten minutes." I said, glad I'd gotten dressed before getting Henry so he could see the sleeping Jimmy.

"I think Jimmy and I are going to go and see if there's any other teenagers in the hotel." Henry said.

"Jimmy, wake up." I said, wondering if it would work, and it did. That meant that whatever it was that made him do what I wanted was sub-conscious, not reliant purely on the conscious mind.

"Hey Dylan." He said softly. "Sorry I took a nap."

"No problem, bud." I told him. "I need to do some interviews for my guard detail here in a bit. Would you mind going around with Henry while I do that? He's my brother and I want you two to be best friends."

"Oh, I'd love to do that!" Jimmy said, and started to follow Henry out before I reminded Jimmy he really should be dressed. It was almost funny to see him scrambling to get dressed again. He was dressed though and at Henry's side, talking excitedly about being in the hotel and how he'd stayed here before on a trip to the space camp when he was twelve. Connors showed up a moment later, with Jimmy's 'Sammy' in tow. He was tall, over six feet, and had dark hair under his helmet. He was fairly attractive, and I felt the tingling sensation already. He had very dark, bushy eyebrows I noted.

For a moment I felt, odd, like these were things I'd never paid attention to before, and I wondered if I'd been blind before.

"Thanks. You can wait outside, Connors." I said firmly.

"But…" He started to protest, but I cut him off.

"These men are going to guarding my life, Connors." I said sternly. "If they were a danger to me, you wouldn't have considered them at all. I want to get to know everyone a bit."

"If you say so." Connors said, handing me 'Sammy's' file. "I'll have Chambers up here in fifteen minutes."

"Thank you Sergeant." I said coolly. As soon as he left, I looked at the file of Private Samuel Richardson briefly before pointing to a couch. "Have a seat, Private Richardson."

"Thank you sir." He said quickly, taking the seat. I sat near him, and he shuffled a little nervously.

"Jimmy tells me you use to be on his guard detail." I started off with, and he swallowed very nervously.

"Uh, yeah. He's a good guy." Sammy Richardson said very nervously. He jumped when I reached out and touched his hand gently. The tingling in me grew at the contact.

"Don't worry, I understand." I said softly and he started to relax immediately. I was nervous, but swallowed quickly and leaned in quickly. He was surprised, but when my lips touched his, that feeling of bliss, and ecstasy flowed up, and through our connected lips. I felt a growl of possessive passion fill me, and he moaned.

It was so different than Jimmy, that moan. It was a deep moan, the first I'd ever heard from a man, and the feeling of being in control filled me even stronger than it had with Jimmy. I looked into this man's eyes as my tongue entered his and slid down until he was half-lying on the couch. His eyes lost the hard look they'd had before, becoming softer somehow. I got the sensation of a lost little boy who had finally come home in those eyes, and he moaned again.

I felt a growing sense of urgency between us, and I knew that we didn't have much time before Connors returned. My hand reached inside down, unbuttoning the fly of his pants and reaching inside. He was wearing boxers, and that made things a little easier. He groaned as I touched him, and my tongue practically vibrated as the moan grew in strength. He started shuddering, not the wild spasms of Jimmy, but an almost caressing shudder as my hands felt his pulsing and the stickiness that followed. When he was done, I pulled my hand out, seeing the sticky stuff on it, and on the spur of the moment, placed my hand against his mouth.

"Oh my fucking God." He moaned in a soft whisper before licking my palm.

"Tell me something that I'm not supposed to know about my guard detail." I said softly. He stopped licking, swallowed and answered quickly.

"We're supposed to monitor and report the details of all your contact with people in private, and if you say anything that could cause problems, report it." He said softly, a look of concern on his face. "I won't do that, sir. I promise. I'll try to make sure no one else does either. Please, you have to believe."

"I believe you." I said softly, lowering my hand and wiping my sticky hand on his t-shirt underneath his uniform top. He didn't move at all when I did that, but was staring at me oddly.

"I don't know what it is, but you're something special." He said softly. "I've never felt this way…about anyone before."

"This stays our little secret." I said softly. "Now, who were you supposed to report things to?"

"General McFarland." He answered immediately. "Also, General Connolly."

"Go ahead and report things that aren't a big deal." I said softly. "Don't worry about your fellow guards either."

"Okay." He said softly.

"Button yourself up." I said, and he complied immediately. I saw a look of adoration similar to Jimmy's in his eyes at that moment. "Look, when you look at me, think about me, or see me, you're to act normal. Treat me like you would any other person you like and respect whenever anyone else can possibly see, especially around cameras."

"Yes, sir." He said softly, that same look in his eyes.

"You can call me Dylan when we're alone." I said, and he smiled broadly, looking a lot younger when he did.

"Thanks, Dylan." He whispered. "I can't believe you kissed me like that, and it was so wonderful. I've never kissed anyone like that before, and when you…oh man I thought I was going to die at that moment. Whatever you want, you just tell, please, Dylan?"

"Sure I will." Dylan said. "One thing though, how would you react if I told you that I was having fun with Jimmy too?"

"Oh man, he must be in heaven!" Richardson said with a broad smile.

"You're not jealous?" I asked.

"No." He said, looking thoughtful for a moment, and then shrugging. "If you want to do that, I don't see who I am to argue. I'll just be glad if you ever let me touch you."

"All in good time." I said, leaning in and kissing him again. There was that tingling again, softer, almost like a reassuring caress. He groaned, and I was tempted to continue the kiss, but I felt tired suddenly. I pulled back from him, and moved further away on the couch. He just stared at me for a moment, but a knock on the door announced Connors was back with the next interviewee.

I was glad when the next interview was over. I was so tired suddenly that I was having trouble concentrating. I think I knew what was happening, and that whatever it was that had affected Jimmy, and Sammy Richardson, took some strength out of me. Chambers seemed like a decent guy, just twenty years old, and not bad looking. I'd try the trick on him later. There were two more interviews before dinner, and both of them were about the same age as Connors, and both seemed to have no problem playing bodyguard to a teenager.

Dinner that night was Henry, Jimmy, and I. Dad and mom had some sort of 'working' dinner they were at. Jimmy and Henry talked about wandering through the hotel, and bemoaned the fact that it was mostly soldiers. However, most of them had been excited to see the President's son, and the State Commander's son.

After dinner, we played on the X-box that had been delivered earlier. It was strange playing video games again. I thought about millions of people right now who were sitting in darkened houses across the nation, bundled up for warmth. A storm was sweeping through the North east according to the news broadcast I'd seen earlier that day, and there was a big concern over people freezing to death.

Mom returned home shortly before 2000 that evening. I had fallen asleep on the couch while Henry and Jimmy were playing some game, but her arrival woke me up. She talked with Jimmy for a bit, and I observed sleepily. Then she turned to me and told in a voice that brooked no argument to get my butt to bed. I was asleep a few minutes later, dead to the world, exhausted like I'd never remembered doing.

"So, you think that this, whatever it is, takes energy?" Henry asked me with a very interested look as we were running the next morning. It was cold out and our breath was fogging the air. None of the guard detail behind us was close enough to hear, and Jimmy had dropped out of the run after two miles.

"Yeah, it's like I was all drained out." I said. "I don't know if it, like, there has to be a physical attraction for it to work or not."

"I don't think so." Henry said after we'd jogged another lap around the hotel. "I wasn't really attracted to Jimmy, or to Terry either until something started."

"We really need to test this more." I said.

"I think we should just experiment with the two." Henry said slowly. "Maybe if I can find the right person I can experiment directly. I mean we're going to be gone a lot here. I'm wondering how distance, and time affects whatever it is. Jimmy's staying here in Alabama, and Richardson's going with you. You should be able to find time to keep contact going with him and we can see how things work out over time with him, and then when you are in town, get Jimmy back and see how he acts when you first meet, and then after you kiss him again."

"You always are the better scientist." I said, realizing he was right. "Okay, that's what we'll do. I'll keep a leash on Richardson and see how it works out. We can't talk about this over the satellite phone mom's arranging though. You know someone will listening, or could listen to those."

"Let's make up something innocuous." Henry said roughly and our conversation lagged as we both started to get more winded.

"You've been in the…dictionary again." I accused and we ended up stopping because he was laughing too hard.

"You wimps still have another ten laps to go." Sergeant Connors said from behind us and I glared at him. He just laughed at me, jogging in place for a moment. Henry finally got his laughing under control and we started back up again.

"Big vocabulary never hurts." Henry said as we finished the next lap. "At least we're still running. Your little Jimmy dropped out after two miles."

"He'll do five next time." I said with a grin, and Henry's answering grin matched mine.

"That should be interesting to see." Henry said. "Improving three miles in two weeks means he'll have to work very hard."

"Yep." I said. "A good test for the first time, don't you think?"

"Yep." Henry answered.

For the rest of the day, we actually hung around the suite for most of it. With Henry reading a very complicated text on the logistic errors during Operation Iraqi Freedom in the main room of the suite, I got to explore things with Jimmy that I'd never let myself dream about. Part of me was screaming that I was way too young for this, but it was drowned out by the swelling desires I'd felt every time I kissed Jimmy.

Saturday night, both Dad and Mom were home. The big news was that a Vice-President had been selected. A former Senator that had retired the year before was flown down from his home state and was to be sworn in Sunday, after a church service. The same service was to be a National Memorial Service. Jimmy was quiet through most of the meal, often staring wide-eyed from Mom to Dad, only speaking to answer Dad's questions. I could tell Dad was amused by him, and hoped that Jimmy wouldn't try sneaking into my room tonight.

He didn't.

That Sunday morning, Mom woke us up a little bit early and told us that something had occurred requiring a change in plans. Dad wouldn't be going to the service, but we were to go with her. She also told us that any personal items we still had should be put on our beds so the hotel staff would pack them with our bags. Jimmy's father had someone drop off a suit for him to wear as we attended a church in downtown Huntsville. It was neither as large, nor modern, as dad's church back home, but it was decent. We all sat in the balcony section, with a ring of soldiers making sure no one got too close, and the soon-to-be Vice President sitting next to mom. After the service, and a brief conversation with the elderly pastor, we were whisked into two APCs.

After our arrival at the Huntsville Command Center, we were escorted into a room featuring a podium with the Presidential Seal, and about two dozen seats. The same judge was present to swear in Warren Callington Sears as the newest Vice-President of the United States. There were two television cameras there recording the event. One was from the local Alabama station I had visited, and met Jimmy at, and the other from the about-to-go-on-air National Station in Wichita. Dad gave a brief speech about how honored he was to be working with such an distinguished statesman as Vice-President Sears. Then we were all whisked into Dad's office that was less than a two-minute walk away. Jimmy was stopped from accompanying us by his father. I was glad I'd already mentioned I wanted to see him running five miles in two weeks.

I stood along the wall, with Henry right beside me. Mom moved and sat at a chair near Dad's desk, and the other people began to take seats around the room while Dad sat behind his desk. He looked at us standing against the wall and in a gruff voice told us to take a 'damned' seat. The use of that word let me know he was very upset. I looked nervously around the room, seeing that Senator Crawley was there, along with every four and three star military officer in the area, two of the congressmen I didn't know were also there, as was the Vice-President. The security details of these people had not even stepped inside the room.

"McFarland, bring everyone up to speed." Dad growled, staring at his desk and clasping his hands tightly.

"Last night was pretty eventful." General McFarland said quietly into the room. "I believe everyone here knows that Colorado, Utah, Wisconsin and Idaho recently declared themselves independent of the United States. That's why we didn't get early warning from Space Command at NORAD. Well, we received a transmission from the Idaho National Guard last night, requesting assistance. They are asking to be accepted back into the United States and invited a senior administration official to come and meet with them. They say they have large stockpiles of food, but no fuel. They just got hit by a major storm in the last week and now it's hurting them badly. They need natural gas and diesel fuel, and are willing to trade on a two to one basis for it, especially the natural gas. They'll accept any new orders from our administration and they'll be a productive part of our recovery, according to their transmission."

"You think it's a trap." Sears, the newest member of this team said. "You think they'll take any fuel we send, and then keep whoever we send with the fuel as hostage against any military action we can take."

"That's an obvious concern." McFarland said. "Even if it isn't a trick, there's the fact that we haven't even admitted that states have seceded from the Union yet."

"That's the old administration that never admitted that." Dad said sharply. "I have no problem admitting they seceded, and if we have a chance to resolve the issue peacefully, and if they truly do intend to become a productive part of the recovery, I will welcome them with open arms."

"There's also the issue that anyone senior enough to convince them that we'll welcome them back without retaliation can't be spared from other areas." Admiral Fullard admitted. "We need the people we have where they are, not worrying about bringing some disgruntled folks back into the fold. There are probably a few lower ranking officers that we could send to oversee any necessary negotiations, and coordinate any activities that are necessary with neighboring states, but we risk upsetting them if we don't send someone senior. They were very clear that they wanted to talk to someone close to the President."

"They want someone that knows me, or has enough clout to assure them that we won't turn around and execute them for Treason." Dad stated. "There's a solution, but I really don't want to consider it."

"Jim, no." Mom said softly. "That's not something I'm willing to risk either."

"But I think that either of them would be more than enough to reassure them and we can send the officers capable of handling the actual coordination work with them." McFarland said. Both dad and mom were looking at us now, and it was very clear to everyone what they were discussing.

"Won't it take time to get the fuel loaded in the tankers for transport?" Henry asked quietly.

"It will be three days before the tankers are ready to make the flight." McFarland answered, and I was relieved that no one protested us actually speaking here. "The delegation would leave today if we decide to take this offer. The officers I'd want to use for the coordination are located in Oregon and Washington. It'd also be a good opportunity to do a little public relations with both states. Thanks to your old district, Mr. President, they have enough food flowing in, and thanks to some of the tankers, enough fuel, that they're making good progress. They're using alternating days for power distribution now and they've also got their own farm products into the larger cities in the last few days, stocking for the winter. Both states suffered some damage though from the storm."

"There are also the other issues to resolve." Dad said, changing the topic for the moment.

"Another major storm has seriously impaired operations in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia." Admiral Fullard said. "Norfolk has actually been doing pretty good thanks to the Enterprise. She just finished refueling and was going through final refit when everything happened. She's been running all eight of her reactors and pumping power into the civilian grid. We've finished her prepping for combat action and she's supposed to pull out in two days, and we lose the power she generates. We've got a shipment of fuel that's been moving by ground to that area, but they were snowed in and it's going to be a few days before we get them there."

"Can't we just leave the Enterprise in port?" Sears asked.

"No." Dad said. "The Lincoln is making her way back, but we're worried about sub activity in the area, and some of the South American navies. They Lincoln's aviation fuel bunkers are dry. Bone dry. The Enterprise is needed to get her back safely. We're still trying to decide which port she'll be in, but she'll be used for power generation the same as Enterprise was. We only have to keep Norfolk powered for about two weeks, and we've got the fuel to do that. However, they think that with the Enterprise gone and Admiral Fullard here we might be abandoning them. The local commander is hearing a lot of grumbling not only from the sailors on base, but the people in the surrounding areas and we can't risk the place being torn apart by riots now."

"I told you I'd go, Mr. President." Admiral Fullard said and dad shook his head.

"I need you with me." Dad said. "I'm flying out tonight and I need you and one of my family members with me for that trip."

"Where are you going?" I asked in surprise.

"We've heard from the King." Dad said. "There was an EU meeting yesterday and they were pushing for more retaliation against the US. They think we're gong to hit them again, and the situation can't wait. I'm flying to Iceland tonight. The King has said he'll be bringing one of his sons as well, so I need to bring a family member with me. I think he wants to break away from the more militant parts of the EU."

"I'll go to Norfolk." Mom said suddenly. "I spent some time there when I was Henry's age and I think that'll look good. You can take Henry or Dylan with you to Iceland."

"I'd be best for Idaho, Dad." I said slowly and Henry nodded.

"Yes, I think Dylan's right. He thinks better on the spot and they've probably seen the broadcasts the last couple of days and he's been more prominent than me." Henry said before pausing and tapping his thumb on his arm. "He's also more outgoing and a slightly better judge of people. He could kiss a frog on television and everyone would think it's wonderful, whereas with me they might wonder if I was insane."

"Send one of those news crews with a satellite connection with him." Mom said, and everyone turned to look at her like she was crazy. "It'll play up good with the image of us fixing the past mistakes. You can announce that they had withdrawn from the States under the old administration, and that you're sending your son to help coordinate reintegrating them into the states. The fact that we'll be expecting live broadcasts should keep them on their toes if they're planning to try any trickery."

"I should stay until the first food shipments leave the state as well." I added. I hadn't missed Henry's reference to kissing, and I realized he was right. It was an ace up my sleeve, and I was more experienced in using it already. "The camera crew and knowing that anything they do to harm me will either be reported, or indicated by a silence from the camera crew should keep them in line. I assume that if they change their mind again they'll be signing their own death warrant?"

"Yes, they will, and you tell them that as a personal message from me." Dad said in a very angry tone. He locked gazes with me and looked at me fiercely.

"I'm assigning two officers from here that will leave with you, as will your full security detail." General McFarland said. "You'll pick up two more officers in Oregon and Washington. You'll lay over in Oregon tonight, and spend about three hours in Washington before flying into Boise late tomorrow afternoon. Major Davies from Washington will be in command, and you check with him on your activities and what is or is not acceptable in negotiations. You're the mouthpiece, but they are the ones who will make decisions. Is that clear Mr. Jacobs?"

"Yes, sir it is." I said as firmly as I could. He locked gazes with me for a long time as well before nodding.

"Your plane leaves in an hour. It's warming up on the tarmac." McFarland said firmly and I knew that although dad had originally meant to say 'no' to sending me, McFarland had no hesitation to use me as a tool. "There's a vehicle waiting outside to take you to the airport. Your security team is aware of your impending departure and should be ready to roll out as soon as you're aboard. Tell Mrs. Engles, the secretary outside that you'll also need the news team. Your flight can stop in Wichita to pick them up. They should be ready. She'll call them, and call the airport to have your aircrew notified of the need to stop there."

"Yes sir, thank you sir." I said, standing at what was obviously a dismissal. Henry stood as well, shaking my hand before pulling me into a hug. Mom then hugged me hard. Dad stood there looking at me for a moment before moving forward to hug me as well.

"Keep your head about you, son." He said. "Make me proud."

"Come back safe." I whispered to him before we pulled apart. I left the room quickly at that, and nodded at the questioning look Sergeant Connors gave me. He began speaking into his radio while I talked to dad's new Presidential Secretary. There were actually three secretaries working here, but she was senior and the only one working on this Sunday. She nodded as I told her we'd need a satellite equipped news crew ready in Wichita for pick up, and that my plane would need to be informed of the stop. She smiled and wished me a good trip.

That was the moment that I had another of these bouts of surrealistic feelings.

Was I really going to my personally assigned airplane, to take a flight to Idaho? Was I really being sent as the personal emissary of the President himself to a state that had seceded from the United States? This whole thing was unreal, but here I was, thirteen years old and this was my life. Now to not let it get to my head.

Oh, who cared if it went to my head?

"Let's get going." I said aloud, moving once more. Connors nodded and we left the office wing, heading for the main entrance. It was obvious from the four armored vehicles waiting that several other would be leaving soon, and I recognized my own vehicle from its identification number. We sat down and I nodded at the vehicle commander we could leave, I sat back and closed my eyes as Sergeant Connors began to talk.

"Your stuff has been packed and is one the way to the airport right now." Connors was saying. "The rest of our detail is with them. We'll be flying the Air Force version of the 757 that was modified for use by VIP. I've heard their really plush and does feature a private room for you and a conference room. The support staff is already at the airport, and the officers for this mission should be arriving shortly before we do. They're coming from the a couple of different place. The Transportation detail will be following in a C-130 tomorrow. They'll rendezvous with us during our layover in Olympia. We should be in Boise at 1600 tomorrow, local time. The transport plane arrive a half hour before that, so your vehicle will be ready when you arrive."

"Wait, you said my vehicle?" I asked in confusion and he smiled.

"You don't think we'd trust you to their vehicles do you?" He asked rhetorically. Obviously they didn't. "This vehicle here is being flow in a C-130 and will be your transport there. The vehicle crew and maintenance crew will follow us if we fly anywhere else as well, and their plane is equipped with lots of spare parts, fuel and other things that might come in handy."

"In a time when we don't have enough fuel to power all of our people's homes, I'm being flown in a big jet, with a gas hog vehicle being flown behind me in its own gas hogging aircraft?" I stated in sheer amazement. "I'm starting to think we might want to reconsider how we do things."

"You're not thinking Dylan." Paul said softly, shifting from the head of my Security Detail, to friend and mentor. "I was fully briefed on this while you were at church. You know that we can't allow states to secede. If you going now, with these gas hog vehicles and gas hog planes, bring Idaho back into the Union without the need to fight, you will be saving a lot more fuel. Think of two brigades moving into that state to take it back, the fuel, the ammunition, and the lives, and the lasting harm it will do. Anyone who thinks it through will realize that this is far, far, cheaper."

"Okay, but I'm just the mouthpiece." I quoted from General McFarland. "It's the officers with me who are the real people that will fix things."

"Yes, and no." Paul answered. "I know how smart you are, but experience, which these officers have, is also necessary in situations like this. Listen to them like you listen to me and your instructors, use their experience, but I'm pretty sure that you are the one who will make the difference there."

"It sounds like you were listening to our conversations in there." I stated. He actually laughed.

"I was." He told me. "The President had his speaker phone on, on purpose I think, so we could hear what was going on and be ready for it. He shut it off right before you left. Mrs. Engels told me he does that sometimes and she asked him about it, and he said that there are certain things he does want people to hear, especially security guards."

"Okay, so what do I do now?" I asked him. He laughed again.

"When we get to the aircraft, you'll meet the aircrew first." Connors said, going back to a more formal tone. "The crew will be your standard crew for most of your future flights, as will the aircraft we'll be in. Then you'll meet Lieutenant Martha Ellington of the US Naval Reserve. She's a public relations expert, worked for some big PR company in civilian life. She's handling the PR side of your life from now on. She's got two assistants, both enlisted Navy, with her. Then we've got Captain Ungers from the Army. He's a reserve officer that works as a lawyer in civilian life and one of your negotiators that will be assisting on this mission. We'll be picking up two Guard Majors that are the respective Chiefs of Staff for the Oregon and National Guard State Commanders. They're going to be there for the resources and transportations issues."

"Connors, I'm never going to call you a dumb grunt again." I said, and he laughed. I remembered that he'd been a football coach and PE teacher back home.

"Just be glad your instructors aren't here yet." He told me with a laugh. "I never was much good at math and military sciences, so you'll just have to deal with squad tactics and physical training on this trip."

"Oh, yeah, joy." I grumbled and he laughed again. The rest of the trip passed in relative silence, at least from human voices. My life had become nothing but a whirlwind, and what scared me is that I felt more at ease now than I had the last two days of relative inactivity. I realized that just four days ago I'd been preparing to give a bible devotion at dad's church, and now here I was getting ready to fly off in a luxury that was special before everything went to crap, and now was undreamed of for almost anyone.

I was doing my best not to think about sitting in church this morning, next to a guy I'd spent the day before having sex with. Poor Jimmy had been sore all night, but he had smiled every time he saw me. That reminded me of the brief kiss with Sammy Richardson, one of the new members of my detail, and I wondered what excuse I could use to get him alone in this 'private' room on the plane. I still hadn't thought of anything when we arrived at the airport.

"Hello, I'm Lt. Colonel Hayworth." An older man wearing a flight said as soon as we approached the plane. He had his hand out before I could even salute.

"Dylan Jacobs." I said, taking the proffered hand and then saluting.

"I'm the commander of your aircraft and your pilot." He continued as soon as he'd returned my salute with a smile. "Let me introduce you to the crew. My co-pilot, Major Sandra Dollinger, our back-up pilot, Captain Michael Stewart, Tech Sergeant Michele Collins the crew chief, and Airmen Pollack, Hines, and Casters. They'll be making sure you and our other passengers have a comfortable flight. The plane is stocked with about five days worth of food for up to 30 people and has a full galley. We're fully fueled and ready to take off."

"I guess we should get going then." I said, thinking of nothing else to say. He nodded with another grin and led the way up the aircraft ladder.

"Sergeant Collins will give you a brief tour of the plane while we conduct our pre-flight." Hayworth told me as we reached the plane itself. He squeezed into the cockpit immediately, followed by his co-pilot. Sergeant Collins immediately stepped up to my side and began her tour.

"While we're not quite as big as Air Force One was, we are one of the newest VIP transport planes the Air Force has acquired." The Sergeant was saying as she led me further back into the plane. "We actually have a full galley aboard. Part of what would be the cargo hold in the civilian model was converted to pressurized cabin for that purpose. Just aft of the cockpit we have seats for the aircrew, and a bunk for the relief pilot. It's enclosed to provide a little privacy. This first compartment has communication equipment, satellite uplinks and other gear that is operated by Airman Casters. As you can see, just aft of that we have two lavatories, followed by the main passenger compartment. We have deluxe seats that fully recline and can carry up to forty passengers in this area. Then, here towards the rear of the aircraft we have a conference room that seats ten comfortably, and finally, here is the VIP cabin. As you can see, we have four chairs like those in the main cabin, a sofa that turns into a full-size bed, and a desk with another recline able chair. There's also a fully equipped lavatory with a shower. We carry a decent water supply onboard, but if it runs low, we'll inform you beforehand. Your baggage has arrived already and I took the liberty of unpacking your clothes and hanging them in the closet on the right. If you need anything ironed, let me know and I'll be happy to do it. We can do a very limited number of washings here on board. I'll be your primary stewardess while you're on board, although Pollack will be covering for me if I'm on my sleep rotation. Is there anything you'd like now?"

"Uh, coffee?" I asked, slightly overwhelmed. This was…amazing. "Cream, with sugar."

"No problem, we've already gotten the list of your preferred food and beverages." She said with a smile and left, leaving the door open. Connors came in immediately after she left.

"Nice plane, eh?" Connors asked me and I shook my head slightly, eyes still wide.

"I feel like a fucking prince." I muttered and he laughed.

"Watch your language, sir." He teased me and I smiled.

"I learned the word from you Sergeant." I told him. It wasn't true, but I still remembered the first time he'd used it in front of me. He'd been embarrassed for a day, and worried I'd tell dad.

"No you didn't.' He retorted, and then got a serious look. "Lt. Ellington just arrived with her two errand boys. They're all dressed up real pretty in their dress blues and looked at me weird when I asked where their duty uniforms were. I think they only brought those fancy dress uniforms squids love. Captain Ungers is here as well, but he's brought three enlisted men I wasn't told about. I haven't looked over their file jackets and he didn't bring them. Apparently one of them is a communications guy and is arguing with one of the squids, the air crewman, and the back-up pilot about who owns the comm gear."

"The pilot is the senior guy onboard, he handles the issue." I stated, but Connors shook his head.

"You're the VIP and they're all on your 'staff'." He said, and I groaned.

"I'm a Warrant Officer, lowest officer on this plane." I reminded him and he actually chuckled.

"You're the President's Son." He told me. "No one cares what rank's on your uniform. General McFarland might think otherwise, but so far everyone's told me that they work for you."

"I'm thirteen!" I nearly yelled, but my voice still carried too loud.

"No one believes that." He said with a shrug. "Or they think you're some child genius like Einstein or something. They don't know you like I do."

"Gee, thanks." I snapped testily. "Tell Unger's guy and the squid that the radio equipment belongs to the aircrew. Tell Casters, I think his name is, that he's to provide whatever assistance they need, and unless they break something that means they can touch his pretty little dials."

"I might word that differently, but you got it sir." Connors said with a grin and I resisted the urge to flip him off. "Oh, and since I don't have the files on these guys Unger brought, there's going to be a guard posted in the conference room near this door, and since you've got lots of room, another will bunk in here. I'll just keep it to one, and not rotated him out for now, but he opens the door, not you."

"Make it Richardson." I said quickly, seeing the chance I had hoped for.

"Any reason why?" Connors asked.

"Yeah, he seemed the most interesting when I interviewed him. He might actually make a good conversationalist." I said and Connors nodded, accepting the answer. He disappeared after that, and Richardson came in a minute later, grinning goofily as he came in with his bag and rifle. He set the bag in the corner and then turned to face me.

"Good afternoon, sir." He said shyly.

"Good afternoon, Richardson." I said with a smile, and he grinned again, blushing just a little. "Make yourself comfortable."

"Thanks." He said, closing the door before moving to one of the chairs. "This is a nice setup, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." I said, opening a cabinet and finding a television recessed inside. There was the faint sound of an engine coughing to life and the lighting changed slightly. The pilot's voice sounded over a speaker system.

"This is the pilot." The voice said unnecessarily. "We have started the engines and will begin taxiing in fifteen minutes. Air crew, please prepare for take off."

A moment later, there was a knock at the door. Richardson was at the door immediately and let Sergeant Collins inside. She brought in a large thermos of coffee with her, which she handed to me, and a sealed bottle of water to Richardson. We both thanked her.

"Not a problem." She said. "I'll be back after take-off to discuss what you want for dinner and any snacks you might want. We're still finishing the inventory of food supplies so we're running behind on that. Plus, I forgot to show you the television controls, the plane's phone system and how to shut off the general announcement system.

She walked through the instructions really quickly, and announced that she'd be bringing my laptop back with her when we had taken off. I was surprised, not knowing I had a laptop, but just thanked her anyway. She then showed me how to use the seat belts on the VIP seats, and then walked through emergency procedures in case of emergency, something I hoped never to have to use. Then she was gone. Richardson sat in the chair he'd selected, between the desk and the door, after stowing his rifle in the corner, and immediately buckled in. I sat at the desk, wondering what kind of person it had been designed for, maybe the Secretary of State, and looked at him.

"Are you…are you upset about what happened during my interview?" Richards asked after I'd stared at him silently for ten minutes.

"Not at all." I said with a soft smile, and he sighed in relief. "Are you?"

"No." He said instantly. "I should. I mean first of all I'm supposed to be your guard. Then you're so young, but I can't help it. Every time I look at you, I get all tingly inside and I just want to do whatever I can to help you. I don't think I could take it if you told me to get lost."

"Don't worry about that Sammy." I said softly. "Just remember, it's our secret."

"Yes, of course." He said softly. "Have I been doing a good job of acting normal?"

"Yes, you have." I told him. "But I think you need to go into the bathroom until we start taxiing or someone knocks at the door."

"Sure." He said, unbuckling his seat belt and standing. He checked to make sure the door was locked and then entered the bathroom. I'd congratulated myself on my little experiment. It seemed the control factor remained even though I hadn't touched him since Friday night. A minute later, the pilot's voice came back on, saying we were beginning our taxiing run and instructing the flight crew to make sure all passengers were buckled up. Richardson came back out, smiling at me, and buckled himself into the same chair. I returned the smile and turned to look out one of the open windows of the plane. Two minutes later, we were in the air and my ears were popping slightly.

"Are you nervous about this mission?" Richardson asked as the plane climbed into the air.

"A little." I admitted. "I feel too young for this sort of thing."

"But you can handle this." He told me with that big grin. "You can probably handle anything."

"Thanks for your confidence in me." I said, noticing a potential weakness in this control or whatever it was.

"You know, you're the most beautiful man or woman I've ever seen." Richard said slowly.

"Thanks, Sammy." I said, deciding that I'd use his personal name in private. I could feel that tingling feeling began, but decided with a bit of an effort that it'd have to wait.

"Have you ever heard of the mile high club?" He asked me and I shook my head. "That's what they call it when you have sex while on a plane. I'd really love it if you would join it with me today."

"I think that's a good idea, a little later on." I said, and he grinned at me until the plane leveled off. I returned his grin and decided that I was very much looking forward to that moment later today. A few minutes later the pilot announced that we were now at our cruising altitude and we could move about the plane. The plane phone on the desk buzzed at that point. When I answered it I found it was the pilot and he told me we'd be in Wichita a little over an hour. They were experiencing a rain storm, and the local commander was trying to get the power company to switch power to the facility for our landing, and possible need of the instrument landing system. He hung up after I thanked him, and there was a knock at the door. Richardson let in Connors, followed by a woman in Navy dress blues, and two enlisted men in their dress uniforms.

"This is Lt. Martha Ellington, and her assistants petty officers Darby and Knight." He said formally. "Ma'am, this is Warrant Officer 2 Dylan Jacobs."

"It's an honor to meet you." The female lieutenant said. She was tall, much taller than my five foot eight, and had blond hair. Her two sailors were both about my height, medium build, and had brown hair. They almost looked like brothers, but I noticed one had tufts of hair peeking above his white t-shirt while the other didn't.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. Would you three like to have a seat?" I said, motioning to three of the empty chairs. Connors nodded his head at Richardson, who locked the door as Connors left, and then took the remaining empty chair. I sat behind the desk. A knock at the door had Richardson up again, and this time Collins came into the room. She asked us all if we wanted something to drink. I gave her my half-empty mug to refill, and the three Navy personnel ordered as well. She was back moment later handing us the drinks everyone had asked for. All three Navy people were drinking tall plastic cups of ice tea. Collins left moments later, Richardson locked the door and took a seat. I was surprised to find that he had book in his hands, that he immediately started reading.

"I was wondering if you'd been told that I've been assigned to work with you on your public relations responsibilities." She asked after taking deep breath.

"Yes, ma'am, I have been told that." I answered. "To be honest, I'm glad for the help."

"You don't have much to worry about." She told me. "You look like a natural from what I've seen so far. First, let me please ask you to call me Martha whenever we're not around media or other people not on your staff. I know your rank is real, but the truth of the matter is, I do work for you."

"Only if you call me Dylan." I replied and she smiled.

"Okay, Dylan," She said leaning forward with a bit of excitement. "Knight is my scheduler. Although we aren't really doing any PR on this trip, he'll be the one handling your schedule, and acting pretty much as a personal assistant for you. That means he'll know what's going on at any given time and where you need to be. He'll also be your gopher. If you need a cup of coffee, something to eat, the nearest bathroom, anything really, he's here to help you out. Darby will work as my personal assistant. I know we have a news crew boarding in Wichita. I want to go over television interviews, and how to act when cameras are following you around."

"Okay." I said, taking note that Knight was the one without chest hair. What followed was a forty minute crash course on interviews and living with a camera following you around. The last ten minutes was her talking about what she'd like to do after we left Wichita and a general discussion of my personal history that she wasn't clear about. Then they left, and Connors led in Captain Unger and his two assistants Bueler and Freemont. Apparently they were a legal clerk and computer/communications technician. He discussed the legal issues surrounding Idaho, and I was surprised at the information he had on what had happened in the state right after it seceded. Apparently several militia groups had succeeded in capturing the Guard Commander and the Governor, executed both of them and then declared the State an independent Republic. It was no wonder dad hadn't wanted to send anyone, but then again it was important to resolve this. I wondered why General McFarland had said that we'd been contacted by the old Guard Commander earlier, but decided to assume it was just an honest mistake on his part.

We weren't finished when the plane began its descent into Wichita. It was raining, but I still noticed several armored vehicles guarding the area with very close security. Ten minutes later, the pilot welcomed the new passengers aboard and we began to take off. My discussion with Captain Unger didn't halt during all this, but was finished by the time we reached cruising altitude.

I'd arranged for an hour of uninterrupted time after Unger left, and almost pounced on Sammy before he'd locked the door. When my lips met his again, that tingling sensation flowed through me, and he nearly collapsed right there. Fortunately, it was easy to switch the couch on the wall into its bed and he collapsed on that, my mouth still locked on his.

Sammy really was different than Jimmy, or Henry had been. Not with this power I was learning about. No, that wrapped him as tightly around my finger as Jimmy ever was. Rather, he was different in how we actually had sex, or should I say he worshipped me?

That was what it felt like, with the soft words he was using, and the way he was touching me and begging to be touched. It was one thing for me to experience this with Jimmy, and quite another to experience it with a grown man, a soldier whose body was harder, leaner, and much more fit. They were like different flavors of ice cream (something that was almost impossible, even for the government, to obtain these days), both damn good and I wouldn't be able to pick only one.

I'd always loved Neapolitan ice cream for that reason: I could have vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate all at once.

When I had exhausted myself inside of Sammy, and lowered his legs before lying on top of him, he'd wrapped his arms around me tenderly, and I knew that this was not something I'd ever give up, no matter what dad or anyone thought about these things. Neither would I make waves. Instead it would be a secret I jealously guarded.

"It's a good thing this room is pretty much soundproofed." Sammy said in a breathless tone. The guy could run twenty miles in full gear, but I had him breathless. Talk about a rush of power.

"I hope there's air freshener in the bathroom." I said, taking a sniff. "We smell a little."

"There is." He said. "By the way, I guess we're both now part of the mile high club."

"Henry is going to be so pissed." I said, and I felt those arms tighten a bit. "Don't worry, Sammy, he knows and won't tell."

"If you say so, boss." He told me in a light tone.

"Why don't you go get cleaned up?" I said. "I'll shower when you're done. There's no way both of us could fit into that thing."

"I'll be right back." Sammy said before releasing me. I rolled off of him and he got up and headed into the shower. He was back in less than five minutes, with a can of air freshener. I went into the bathroom myself, and took a quick shower. The water flow wasn't the strongest, but then I remembered we were on a plane, and I should be glad for any water at all.

Sammy had laid down enough air freshener to clear up the air, but not so much that it was overbearing. The bed was back in the form of a couch and he was dressed in his field uniform, looking every inch the squared away soldier. He had even managed to lay out one of my field uniforms me, with the necessary underclothes. He smiled as I emerged from the bathroom, nude and I returned the smile. I could feel him watching me as I got dressed, and was surprised at how didn't make me feel the least bit uncomfortable. Instead it was making me horny again. By the time I'd finished getting dressed, I was absolutely hard.

"Okay, that does it." I growled, turning to face the older soldier, who was staring at me with a worried expression.

"What does it?" He asked.

"You, you did this to me." I said, opening the fly of my pants and pulling it out. "Now fix it."

He was on his knees in an instant, and I had to lean back on the desk to catch myself before I fell. I didn't last long, and he soon excused himself to go brush his teeth, while I tucked myself back in my pants, a smile on my face. I yes, I was definitely getting use to this. As Sammy came back into the room, there was a knock on the door, and I noticed how whenever someone knocked on this door, it always sounded muffled. I'd later learn that people were essentially pounding on the door so we'd hear them. There was supposed to be a buzzer, but that had never been installed. The plane's modifications had been about ninety-percent complete before things collapsed, and they'd finished most of them before it became my plane, but the buzzer was something they had yet to finish.

"We'll be landing in Portland in about forty minutes." Connors said as Sammy Richardson opened the door. "Richardson, are you doing okay in here or do you want to be relieved?"

"I'm doing fine Sergeant." Richardson said calmly. "I've got plenty to do and the boss ain't all that boring."

"Okay, Richardson." Connors said before turning back to me. "Lt. Ellington gave me a little speech about one of her boys being your personal assistant. What kind of access do you want him have back here?"

"As long as he isn't a security risk I don't see a problem letting him come back here whenever he needs to do so. From what you said, we'll be working with them for a while."

"I think we can expect them to be around for a while, yes." Connors said. "I've talked with both the squids and they seem like they know what they're about. They aren't combat soldiers, and they haven't touched a weapon since boot camp, but they do know their business. If they're going to be on your staff though, I want them to at least become proficient with using a pistol. You have a knack for getting into trouble."

"I resent that remark." I said quickly, but he knew I was joking. He was all too right. "Okay, and make sure Ellington is included in that. I don't think we'll be able to do that on this trip though."

"No, we won't." He said. "Okay, Knight will be back here in a minute. Apparently they've got some stuff planned for you when we land."

"Why do I have a feeling I'm going to come to hate that phrase 'they've got some stuff planned'?"

"Because you probably will." Connors answered immediately. "Just don't forget, you asked for this. You could have said no, but you didn't."

"Yes, teacher." I replied caustically, and he chuckled again. He nodded at Richardson and then left, with Richardson re-locking the door as soon as he was gone.

I sat down in the chair behind the desk and realized he'd been absolutely correct. I had chosen this. However, as I ran my hand over the polished desk that was now mine, and looked at Richardson who was now reading his book again in one of the seats, I also realized that I was becoming very, very comfortable with all of it as well. It was much better than cowering in a shelter back home, even if it had been with my birth family.

I also realized that I no longer felt hurt when I thought of them. There was just a lingering sadness, and a gratitude for the good years they'd given me growing up. I had a new family now though, one that was taking me places I'd never dreamed of, and I was doing things that I knew would be remembered for years and years to come.

What could be wrong with that?