TAK Chapter 13

Tossed Away Kid - Chapter 13

This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to anyone in real life is a coincidence.

A special thanks to the Late Ed Wooten for his editorial help.

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Friday morning was really strange. I woke up with the sun shining down on me. I got up needing to pee really badly. As I headed for the head I passed the clock and saw that it was 20 after 6:00. We had been allowed to sleep an extra hour. After relieving myself I came out of the head and saw Sergeant Brooks walking into the barracks. He quietly told everyone to get up, dress, and get out on the grinder.

After forming up outside, he told us that we would have no PT training today and that’s why we were allowed to sleep in. He said we get punished when we mess up and we get rewarded when we did good. Because us ‘touch-downers’ had completed our EMT without losing anyone he decided to reward the whole company. After 4 days of EMT I was really glad to be able to skip PT. I’ve had enough physical training this week!

We marched to breakfast and for the first time we sang a cadence. Sergeant Brooks led us in the cadence.

“AS WE MARCH YOU SEE US HERE.”

“WE COULD BE HOME DRINKING BEER.”

“BUT WE’RE HERE IN MISERY.”

“’CAUSE WE’RE THE FIRST IN HISTORY.”

“AM I RIGHT OR WRONG?”

“YOU’RE RIGHT.”

“ARE WE WEAK OR STRONG?”

“WE’RE STRONG.”

“SOUND OFF.”

“ONE, TWO.”

“SOUND IT OFF.”

“THREE, FOUR.”

“BRING IT ON HOME NOW.”

“ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, ONE – TWO, THREE FOUR.”

This was the first time I really felt like a part of the whole team. I also felt this was the first time Sergeant Brooks saw us as a team. We were no longer just a bunch of pussies and pansies to him. I could see the pride he had for the company as he continued to call cadence even after we were marching near to companies of Navy recruits. This week we had really grown as a team and I was very much part of both the cause and the cure.

At breakfast Mike joined us ‘touch-downers’, and sitting with us became a hard seat to get. It’s like the whole company looks up to us. It’s hard for me to describe how I feel about all this attention. I’ve never been the type to really hang with a big crowd. Usually it’s just Danny and me. Jefferson insisted that I sit next to him with Mike on my other side. We all had a huge breakfast. I’m eating more than I ever have.

I’ve talked to Danny a couple of times this week and they are coming here to pick us up today. They are already camping not far from here on the shore of Lake Michigan. Mike’s parents and Mark’s aunt and uncle are also there along with Mark’s brother, sister, and cousins. With three days off I’m sure we’ll have lots of fun.

At self-defense training we started to learn how to disarm someone with a deadly weapon such as a knife or a gun. Mark explained that disarming someone was a last resort. He went on to say, unless you’re very quick and good at it, only bad things can happen. ‘Only if you are attacked should you try to disarm someone,’ was drummed into our heads.

After that we went to advanced interrogation class. They had a polygraph machine today. The instructor explained to us how it worked. How it can tell if your heartbeat gets faster. Or how your skin or your breathing changes as you are asked different questions. He asked for someone to try out the machine. I raised my hand and he chose me.

“First, young man, have a seat and relax while I hook you up to the machine.”

He put this spring thing around my chest. Then he hooked another thing with a clamp to my finger. Then he put a cuff like they take blood pressure with around my arm and put some pressure in the bag. All these items had wires running to the machine. The machine itself had a paper running through it with some pens, on the end of all these wire bars sitting on the paper. He gave me a piece of paper with some really simple question on it.

“First we only ask questions that require a yes or no answer. Then we ask some control questions so we can see how the machine reacts to the truth. Then we ask what you might call a set-up question that we know the person will lie to. Then we can see the difference in response. Then we continue the interrogation. Now let’s turn on the machine.”

“Tommy, are you 14?”

“Yes.”

The needles remained steady and he marked the paper with a grease pen.

“Tommy, do you have two brothers?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have any tattoos or body piercing?”

“No.” He turned off the machine.

“These are control questions. We already know the answers to these questions. Now let’s see if I can trip him up. I’ve been doing this for 20 years so I know a bunch of question that people often lie about.” He turns the machine back on.

“Tommy, have you ever commented a crime?”

“No.”

The needles on the machine started reacting. He marked the paper and turned off the machine.

“So tell us, Tommy, what crime did you commit? The machine says you are lying.”

“When I was 6 I stole a squirt gun from a K-Mart. My mother caught me and made me give it back to the manager and say that I was sorry.”

“This is a good example of a set-up question. Everyone at some point has committed a crime. But we are conditioned to lie about it when talking to a police officer.” He turned the machine back on. I’m beginning to hate this machine. The Navy recruits say that NAVY stands for Never Again Volunteer Yourself. I’m starting to think I shouldn’t have volunteered.

“Tommy, I’m about to ask you a very personal question.”

Omigod, is he going to ask me if I’m gay? Or if I beat off in my sock!?

I looked to the machine and the needles were going crazy. He turned off the machine and unhooked me. He tore off the paper and I went back to my seat.

“As you can see, class, I marked where he answered the questions correctly and the one lie. You can see the difference. Then here’s the last statement I made. I never even asked the question and you can see the reaction. Although a polygraph is not admissible in court, it’s a really good interrogation tool we can use to determine who needs to be investigated further.”

Next he taught us to look in the eyes of someone we are questioning to determine if they are lying, based on their eye movements. He went on to tell us that the key in determining whether or not someone is lying is to already know the truth. He calls this approach asking leading questions. I feel kind of like a locksmith but instead of being able to pick locks I’m learning how to pick brains.

The afternoon was really interesting too. We went over to the shooting range. They had brought in a couple of deer carcasses from road kill and we were shown how different weapons and different bullets made different wounds. We were shown both the entrance and exit wounds. How hollow nose bullets really made a mess. How some small caliber bullets never made it through the body. Last we were shown shotguns’ effect and how different kinds of shot (the size and amount of pellets inside the cartridge) and range could affect the results. I felt sorry for the poor deer but it was road kill anyway. It was a real bloody mess when we were through. I’ve never seen someone get shot and from what I saw I hope I never do. After the demonstration we were taken back into a training room and our instructor explained all about ballistics. By the time we finished it was almost 3:00 PM and time to leave for the weekend. It’s great getting a break until next Tuesday.

We went back to the barracks and changed clothes. We got our checks. I still haven’t deposited my check from last week! Mark, Mike, and the whole ‘touch-down’ group walked out of the main gate together. I saw Danny and the Smiths and Danny ran up to me. I wanted to hug and kiss him right then and there but we restrained ourselves.

“Danny, I’d like you to meet Jefferson.”

Jefferson extended in hand. Danny turned red and balled up his fists until his knuckles turned white. He looked at him with pure hate.

“It’s cool, Danny, Tommy is the best white boy I’ve every gotten to know. As a matter of fact he’s the only white boy I’ve gotten to know. If you his homey then you my homey too. Cool, Bro’?”

Danny extended his hand and shook with Jefferson but it was plain that he didn’t trust him. We all said goodbye to each other. Then we got into the Smiths’ car and off we went.

“I guess Jefferson don’t hate you anymore, Tommy?”

“We’re getting along just fine now. It was a rough week though. I’ll tell you all about it later, Danny.”

“Don’t plan on getting much rest this weekend. It’s already a zoo and even without you, Mike, and Mark. Rick, Bill, and their families decided to come along. Mark’s cousins, the twins John and James with their folks - also Mark’s brother Jeff and his sister Sally along with Mike’s parents. We have 6 campsites all together on the shore of Lake Michigan and rented three pontoon boats. We have the fishing boat, swimming boat, and a just cruising boat. It took me a full day just to figure out everyone’s name. The only one missing, they tell me, is Mark’s mother. She stayed home to watch Mike’s father’s store.”

“Just how many people is there all together?”

“Let me see – My parents and me is three. Rick and his parents make six. Bill and his parents make nine. The twins and their parents make thirteen. Mike’s parents, Jeff, and Sally make seventeen. Plus Mike, Mark, and you make twenty. Sally is the only girl and only seven. Nine boys from age ten to seventeen and a bunch of old folks. Two of the parents are police officers so I guess no break for you this weekend. No one is being real strict though. The dads even let Rick, Bill, and me have a beer last night. I think you can plan on having a good time this weekend, Tommy. We do have a tent to ourselves. The Stevens, Mike’s parents, have a big motor home. Jeff and Sally are staying with them. Mark’s uncle and aunt have a tent trailer. Rick and his folks have a truck camper. Bill and his parents have a motor home. Rick and Bill are roughing it in a pup tent. And my folks have a big old tent. We’ve also set up a tent for Mike and Mark. It’s going to take awhile to figure out everything but I sure had fun yesterday, and today with you and me together it will be even better.”

“I missed you too, Danny, but I’m really glad you’ve been having a good time.” I tried to process everything Danny just told me. I already know half the people so I just need to get to know Mike and Mark’s families. It didn’t take much longer until we pulled into a private campground. It had lots of trees and seemed to be full. Good thing everyone but us got there yesterday. We drove through the campgrounds until we were near the back. Three boys ran up to meet the car. Two look exactly alike so I guess they are the twins. All three are tall, about 5’ 6”. The twins have black hair and the other boy’s hair is brown. We got out of the car and the twins grabbed Mark’s arms.

“Mark, come with me, I want to show you the fish I caught today.”

“No, Mark, you don’t want to go with him. You want to go with me. I want to show you the boat I drove today.”

“Later, guys, I have to introduce Tommy to everyone. Tommy, these two are my cousins John and James. Jeff, come give your big brother a big hug.”

I shook the first twin’s hand while Mark embarrassed his brother. “Hi, I’m John and I’m stronger than he is,” pointing to his brother.

“ARE NOT.”

“AM TOO.”

“Hi, Tommy, I’m James,” and he shook my hand. “He,” pointing to his brother, “he thinks he’s stronger than me – but he’s not. Also I’m smarter than he is. I got better grades this year in school.”

“YOU DID NOT.”

“DID TOO.”

“DID NOT.”

“That’s enough, you two. I’m stronger and smarter than both of you put together,” stated Mark.

“YOU ARE NOT,” both the twins stated.

“Okay, I’ll prove it to you. Come here!” Both twins walked back over to Mark. “Now turn around.” They did as they were told and Mark grabbed the back of their underwear and picked them both up off the ground. Both twins started screaming so Mark put them back down on the ground. “That’s called a double wedgie and proves I’m both smarter and stronger.” Both twins ran away looking for someplace private to pull their underwear out of their ass.

“Tommy, this is my little brother Jeff and he just turned 10.” I shook his hand.

“Hi, Jeff, nice to meet you. Where is Rick and Bill?”

“They’re off someplace by themselves I think. They don’t pay much attention to us younger kids.”

“I’ll make sure that I spend some time with you, Jeff. You can hang out with Danny and me all you want. Right. Danny?”

“That’s fine with me. As long as he doesn’t try to slip into our tent.”

“I wouldn’t do that, I’m sleeping in my parents’ motor home, it’s over there.” Jeff pointed to a really nice motor home, I say at least 24 foot long. I looked around the campsite and could see bikes and other things everywhere. I also saw the adults approaching. The twins had returned and had attacked Mike. They are taller than he is but with all our training the last few weeks he soon had them both pinned on the ground. I figured they would be attacking me soon.

“You must be Tommy. I’m Mike’s father, Greg Stevens, and this is my wife Amy.” I shook both their hands. Greg Stevens and his wife are small like Mike. I can see where he gets his size. Both had big smiles on their faces and I smiled back. “Behind us is our daughter, Mark’s sister Sally. We adopted both of them.”

“Hi, I’m Tommy, Sally.” She stuck her head out with her mouth open and looked at me and then hid behind Mrs. Stevens again. I peeked around Mrs. Stevens with a big smile on my face and caught sight of her. She then went and hid behind Mr. Stevens. We played this game for a few minutes until she started to smile too but she never did say anything. A big man and his wife approached.

“Hi, Tommy, I’m Sam Brown and this is my wife Norma.” They both had big smiles on their faces.

“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Brown, nice to meet you. I already met the twins.”

“They can be a handful. Don’t let them get to you. Those two like attention the same way a drunk likes his booze. They have been driving Danny crazy the last two days. Good thing Rick and Bill were around to get him away from them for a while,” said Mr. Brown.

“It wasn’t that bad, Mr. Brown. They’re just kids. I don’t mind them too much,” replied Danny.

The Millers and the Mitchells also came by and said hi. Bill and Rick showed up and all of us boys went down to the Lake and they showed us the pontoon boats rented for the weekend. The swimming area was nice but I checked the water and it seemed too cold for my liking. It would be nice if the air temperature was 45 degrees. We went up to ‘our’ tent and checked out where Danny and I would be sleeping. He brought some of my stuff along like my bike, skateboard, and roller-blades. Did I ever tell you that when I grow up I want to be one of these skateboard daredevils you see on TV? I think a police officer is more realistic. Perhaps I can be the first policeman on a skateboard. I could police malls on my skateboard!

The men were cooking steak and I realized that I’m hungry. Dinner was quite an affair. The ladies made salad, fresh vegetables, baked potatoes, and some perch that were caught earlier in the day. The men cooked up all the steaks. Red wine was served with dinner and we all got a taste. I’d rather have some grape juice myself and we ended up drinking cokes. Mr. Brown was the only other one who went to Great Lakes. He asked us if they were still putting saltpeter in the soup, with a big grin on his face. The kids just asked what that was and several of the parents said ‘never mind’ at the same time. Mr. Brown asked us many questions about our training and seemed pleased that we are getting really good training. He said he needed to talk to me later this weekend sometime. Bill’s dad, Don Miller, also asked a bunch of questions. I really didn’t want to think about it that much so I let Mike and Mark answer most of the questions.

After dinner we all went bike riding to explore the area. There are several bike trails with one running along the lake. By the time we got back it was getting dark and the men were building a campfire - a really big one. The bugs started getting bad and so we all sprayed a bunch of bug bomb on and gathered around the campfire. We had a great time. We all told stories. I told them about my week and how Jefferson and I became friends. I went into great detail of EMT and what a total pain that was. Mr. Brown told use about his Navy Seal training. He went into great detail on ‘hell week’. I learned a great deal about most of the adults. One thing I’ve learned because almost every class tells us to listen to others and keep your eyes open and you can find out how people think and act without even asking questions. The more the rest of them talked the more I opened up. I didn’t tell them anything about my family or how I came to be here. I guess that some of them already know? Sally went to bed before too late. Then Mark and Mike took the twins and Jeff to take a shower. We went to the shower house next. They had private showers so Danny and I were able to take a shower together. It was the first time we had been alone in a week. It was 30 minutes before we even managed to get in the shower and it had to be one of the longest showers in history. Where are the world record people when you need them? I think we broke several of them. Quickest orgasm in history - is that a world record? What can I say, Danny makes me hot. Good thing I had a change of clothes. I messed my pants long before I got them off.

When we got back to the campsite only Mr. Brown (Mark’s uncle, the county sheriff), Mr. Miller (Bill’s dad, the state police officer), and Mr. Stevens (Mike’s dad) were still up.

“Tommy, could you join us for a minute, we would like to talk to you,” said Mr. Stevens.

“I’m really tired. It’s been a really long day. It’s been a long week too.”

“This won’t take long, Tommy. We just want to make sure you know what you’re getting into. Mike called me 4 weeks ago and asked my permission to work as an undercover police officer this fall in Springfield. He said that it should only take a few months at the most and then he’d be back to finish up his senior year. The classes he’ll be taking will do him little good because he’ll be taking freshman level classes. I asked him if he’ll be able to complete his senior year even if he misses two months of school. He said that’s not a problem because of the credits he’s picking up this summer. I asked Mark the same question. Mark is so far ahead he could have graduated in December if he wanted to so that’s not a problem.”

“The point I’m trying to make is, Mike’s and Mark’s decision to help you was not an easy one. Also there is no guarantee of results. I felt in Mike’s case he should put the training he’s receiving to some use. But I’ll also be missing him while he’s gone this fall. He’s already gone all summer. This is his last year at home and then he’s off to college. The difference between 14 years old and 17 is huge. Police work is dangerous even for adults. Mike and Mark have a safety net protecting them, namely Sam and me. You have only the state to protect you. The bottom line is, you don’t have to do this unless you want to. We want to make sure that you understand the consequences of your actions, and also the results. Has anyone promised you anything for your help, Tommy?”

“No, they haven’t. I understand that no matter what happens, my life will be up in the air.”

“Four years might seem like a long time to you right now but I can tell you when you get to be our age 4 years is nothing. Even if you get stuck in a bad situation, hang in there. Do you feel you will be able to complete the training?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Do you feel that you will be able to handle being harassed at school by almost everyone?”

“I’d be lying if I told you it won’t bother me. I look at it this way. I have nothing to lose. I don’t see how things can get any worse than they have in the last 14 years of my life. My home life has been hell. If it wasn’t for the Smiths and Danny, who knows where I’d be today. I hope for good things to happen but I expect the worst. The worst that could happen is for my mom to get custody of me and send me away to some school from hell. Right now I have at least two families that want to take me in. I’m receiving a hell of a lot of training and it would be a shame for that to go to waste. I’ve had plenty of time to think things through but do I know what’s going to happen? No, I don’t. But I can tell you this. So far it’s been an adventure and for the first time in my life I have a purpose. I like the feeling of being needed. I went through hell this week just to help someone else I hardly know out with no guarantee of results. I’ve learned the hard way that life is a bitch. I finish what I start. I’m not going to let anyone abuse me again. But I understand that I might get used from time to time.”

“Don was right about you, Tommy. I’d be proud to have a son like you,” said Mr. Stevens.

“I’m impressed with you too, Tommy,” said Mr. Brown. You need a job after you get out of school in the police field, come see me.”

“You can’t have him, Sam,” said Mr. Miller. “We’re going to do everything we can to get him permanently assigned as an undercover officer. Most of our undercover officers in schools are in their early twenties and stick out like a sore thumb. We’ll just need to get him a good partner. That is, if we’re able to get him in the custody of someone who will let him. And he keeps his nose clean.”

“That’s all we have for you tonight, Tommy. We just wanted to make sure that you understand what you are getting into. Also, we wanted to make sure that no one has pressured you and promised you something to get you to do all this training.”

“This might sound strange coming from a 14 year old, but I’m not doing this for revenge. I know that is what you guys are thinking. I’ve learned a lot in the last 4 weeks. I’m doing what I’m doing for justice, also to give my life some meaning. I’ve learned that some one that abuses a child was probably abused themselves. I never knew my grandparents. They were dead before I was born. Dad told me his dad was even worse than he is. I have to break the chain of abuse. Even if I never have kids, I want and need to be able to help others that are hurting. Who knows? I might not even end up as a police officer. I might end up a social worker like Mr. Kelly.”

“That brings up one more point, Tommy. You’re making quite a bit of money right now for an adult, let alone a 14-year-old. We need to find a way to protect your money and grow it. Right now your parents might try to lay claim to your savings account. Perhaps savings bonds and a safety deposit box. I’m not sure. I’m going to talk to a lawyer to find out how we can help you manage your money.”

“Thanks, Mr. Stevens, for your concern. I hadn’t thought of any of that. Well, if you don’t mind I’m going to bed. Good Night.”

We all said good night and I went to our tent and found Danny asleep. We had zipped the sleeping bags together and I crawled behind him and spooned him into my arms. He made a very satisfied grunt as we made body contact. In no time I was asleep.

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