Message-ID: <45007asstr$1067289007@assm.asstr-mirror.org> X-Original-Message-ID: <20031027071005.57703.qmail@web20511.mail.yahoo.com> From: Lazlo Zalezac <lzalezac@yahoo.com> X-ASSTR-Original-Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 23:10:05 -0800 (PST) Subject: {ASSM} John Carter III 10 (mf mmf ffm ff mm sci-fi) Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 16:10:07 -0500 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org> Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: <URL:http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2003/45007> X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Story-Submission: <ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Moderator-ID: dennyw, RuiJorge __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Exclusive Video Premiere - Britney Spears http://launch.yahoo.com/promos/britneyspears/ <1st attachment, "Crossroad10.txt" begin> DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes without the consent of the author. John Carter By Lazlo Zalezak Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezak, 2003 Part 3: Robes of Acumen Chapter 10 The funeral had been a very private affair. It had been held in a small chapel in the Arizona town they called home. The body had been laid to rest in a small corner of the local graveyard. Beth's mother and the Carter Clan were the only ones in attendance. The rest of the town respected their wishes and did not attend. The public memorial service would be held when her father left the hospital. The entire town would be invited as well as her colleagues from the hospital. In the mean time, Ling, Ed, and Mrs. Hayes had returned to California to take care of Dr. Hayes. Beth had returned to work, but her heart wasn't in it. John took care of the family business and continued to pursue the establishment of the Druid College. He was sitting at the desk in the office upstairs from his bedroom. The desk was neat with little stacks of papers in neatly arranged bins. He pulled down one stack of papers from one bin and went through the papers one at a time. They listed the candidates for faculty search. He had reduced the number of candidates down to three. It was about time to interview them and measure their interest. He was about to pick up the telephone when the intercom rang. He answered the intercom. Cathy stated, "John, Maria was just on the phone and was asking about rescheduling her visit." John asked, "What visit?" Cathy replied, "Your stud duties to the women that have deep and endearing crushes on you." John laughed and said, "Oh, that visit. Check with Kelly and see if she is up to it." "Okay, I'll do that," replied Cathy and then she disconnected. John made his telephone calls, contacting the candidates. All of them were surprised at having been contacted. One refused outright. The other two were intrigued by the idea. One was from the Virginia Military Institute and the other was from MIT. He was going to meet with them in a month. He replaced the papers in their appropriate slot. He went to the next slot and examined the papers within it. These dealt with the revenues from his fusion cell. He examined the papers dealing with handing the money over to the Fusion Foundation. He was about to sign the form that would turn over all of the money and sat back wondering if he was doing the right thing. He picked up the telephone and contacted Jim. When Jim answered, John stated, "Jim, I would like to change the terms on the fusion cell moneys. Let's make it 65% to the Fusion Foundation, 10% to the Native American College, and 25% to the Druid College." Jim thought about it. He said, "That will dilute your influence over the Druid College." John replied, "No. I'm the Grand Druid. That is sufficient influence." Jim replied, "Okay, I'll put the paperwork together and get it to you tomorrow." John answered, "Thanks. By the way, is there any chance of you and Sherry coming over for a weekend?" Jim answered, "We're waiting for Ed to get back. Sherry has decided that it is time for her and Ed to have a little horizontal negotiations." John laughed and asked "Is that your description or hers?" Jim laughed while he answered, "She said that it was time for her to jump his bones." John said, "That sounds more like Sherry." Jim got serious for a second. "I don't think she trusts that the changes are permanent yet. She won't believe it until she sees him working to make sure that she is totally satisfied." John replied, "That's okay. I don't think Ed has forgiven himself yet. This might be the opportunity for long-term peace to be established." Jim seriously suggested, "I hope so." After exchanging appropriate good-byes, they hung up. John replaced the stack of papers into the appropriate bin. He went to the next bin and pulled out the stack of papers within it. These dealt with his quarterly tax filing. He looked at the bottom and saw how much he had to pay. He checked the form carefully, but realized that he didn't know enough to critique the information on the form. He picked up the telephone and called the local tax office. He made arrangements for an IRS agent to come over and double check the return as though it were an audit. The stack of papers went back into the bin. He sat back knowing that his paperwork morning had ended. He hated this, but until he could hand some of this work to an appropriate person, he was stuck with it. They were still short of staff and had been for a year. Marguerite was still the chef, Cathy was running the office, Sarah was providing maid service, Greg was providing security, and Bob was still the handyman. They still needed an assistant for Cathy as the amount of work was overwhelming. John was surprised at how much he missed having Ed and Ling around the house. Kelly and he had slept together almost every night, but he missed Ling's touch and his evening conversations with Ed. Kelly was often tired at night and missed Ling more than he. Every one missed Beth; she had been such an integral part of the household. Tonight was Wednesday and the tribal elders would be meeting. He called the security center looking for Greg, but he wasn't there. He tried the garage, but there was no answer from there. He finally contacted the office connecting with Cathy. She answered, "Hello?" "Hi Cathy, this is John." "What can I do for you?" "I'm trying to locate Greg. I need him to pick up two cartoons of cigarettes for my trip to the reservation tonight." Cathy replied, "He's meeting with the Police Chief about some security details. I'll call him on his cell phone and give him the message." John asked, "He has a cell phone?" Cathy laughed as she answered, "Everyone has a cell phone except you." "Oh." She asked, "Do you want one?" "I don't know. Do I need one?" There was a hesitation for second. "I would like to answer yes to that question." "Then I guess I'll get one." He disconnected wondering how he had missed noticing that everyone had a cell-phone. He felt that he was missing major changes in the world around him. He wondered if it was time that he went into a major urban area and worked there for a while. He was still teaching one class a semester in Phoenix, but he didn't spend much time in the town. He picked up the telephone and called the head of the physics department. He told them he wouldn't be teaching a course next semester, but would return the semester after that. They weren't happy about it, but there wasn't too much they could do. John approached the simple building well after dark. He could hear the discussions taking place within the building. He was stopped at the main door by a man guarding it. He was not friendly. John greeted the man, "Hello. I am here to meet with the tribal elders." The man replied, "The tribal elders do not deal with white men." John smiled, "Would you mind asking them if I may talk to them?" "Look Mr. Indian-wanna-be, we don't want to be bothered by you or your kind." John smiled, "That is an admirable sentiment. I am sure that William Redman will agree with you." The use of William's name surprised the man. William never dealt with white men. The man replied, "William doesn't talk to white men." John looked at the man carefully in the light. He realized that he knew the man. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He offered the pack to the man. He stated, "It has been a long time since I've seen you Awa Tsireh. The last time you were watching a flock of sheep." The man took the pack and removed a cigarette. This man knowing his true name shocked him. He lit the cigarette and handed the pack back to John. He asked, "Who are you?" "John Carter." The day he had met the white man with the cat in the desert came rushing back to him. He remembered sending the man to meet William Redman. He stated, "wait here, John Carter." The man went inside for a minute. He returned quickly. He asked, "What is your business here?" John replied, "I have come seeking the benefits of their wisdom." He nodded. "They will see you last." "Thank you," replied John. He looked at the man for a moment. "You don't like whites coming here." "That's right." "Why?" asked John. The man stared at him. He wondered if an honest answer would upset John. He stated, "They come here to steal from us." "That is a good reason not to trust whites. However, keeping whites away won't protect you and may hurt you in the long run." "Why do you say that?" "Well, you try to keep the whites away like that and the ones that want to help will not come here. The ones that want to steal will just find another way in." replied John. "So what do you suggest?" He was actually curious as to what John was going to say. "Your tribe needs lawyers that will protect the tribe." Awa Tsireh burst out laughing. He shook his head, "You white men. Who do you think we need protection from?" "I didn't say you should hire lawyers. I said your tribe needs lawyers." The man looked at John with a very critical eye. He challenged, "Who?" John smiled, "Oh, I would suggest warriors that enjoy a good battle. I would recommend men and women such as you. If you are to fight the white man, then you must learn to use their weapons against them. You would be good at it." Awa Tsireh looked thoughtful. The issue always came down to money. He stated, "How will I pay for a law school degree?" John looked at him. "I would talk to William Redman about it. You might be surprised at what he has to say. There is money for that." The door opened as a number of people left the meeting hall. The last one out stated, "You may go in now." John went into the cinder-block building. It was a general-purpose building. The room the elders were in doubled as a basketball court. The elders sat at a table across the front of the room. John stepped forward and set two cartoons of cigarettes on the table. He went back to the middle of the room and stood facing them. They watched him for several minutes, but John just waited. Finally, one of the men asked, "Why have you come, John Carter?" John looked at each person for a second and then answered, "I have come for your advice." There was a moment of silence. Finally, William Redman asked, "What kind of advice could our friend John Carter want from us?" John looked at William Redman, "A young woman has offered herself to me on behalf of your tribe." John paused. William replied, "That is true." "Many in the tribe disagree with this action on her part." "That is true, also." John nodded and thought about it. He stated, "I want to avoid problems between your tribe and my clan." William asked, "Why do you think there will be problems?" John waited a minute before answering, "Discontent on the part of the tribe does not bode well for relations with the Carter clan." The elders talked amongst themselves for a moment. John watched as they discussed the matter. He was patient. Finally, William stated, "You have made a good observation." John nodded. "I have made another observation. The young woman desires this more than the tribe." This time, the talk among the elders was much more animated. John could tell that he had hit upon a truth that was already recognized among the elders. "So what are you suggesting John Carter?" "The woman offered herself to me on behalf of the tribe. The tribe did not offer her to me. The tribe is still free to offer me anything that will maintain peaceful relations." William grinned as he asked, "Such as?" John thought about it for a long time and then said, "Perhaps a handcrafted gift worked upon by those members of the tribe that wish to extend a thanks." An old woman stated, "You can buy anything you want." John laughed. "I can buy things. I can not buy the goodwill that goes into its making. That is priceless." The woman cackled, "Oh, William. You are so right about this John Carter." William smiled, "So what about the young woman?" "That is where I need your advice." The old men around the table laughed. One of them stated, "You are not the first brave that needs advice when dealing with a woman." The old woman made a gesture and everyone quieted down. She asked, "Do you have an idea?" John stated, "I would like to ask her for a date in public, where it is clear that the request is coming from me and that she has a choice to accept or not." "We need to discuss this among ourselves." The elders talked among themselves for quite a while. John waited patiently as the discussion progressed. The minutes stretched into half an hour. John understood that he had brought them a difficult problem. Finally, the elders all nodded and turned to face John. William stated, "Four weeks from tonight, you will come here. We shall present a gift such as you suggested. There shall be a celebration after the gift has been given. During that celebration, you will publicly ask me for permission to date the young lady. I shall give my permission. Sarah can give you background on how to ask." John stated, "It is a wise choice." William stated, "It is a wise man that goes to others for advice and listens to it. You have allowed us to resolve a general tension in the tribe while allowing a young lady that is afraid of following her heart to do as her heart directs." John smiled, "Thank you for your time. I appreciate the effort you have put into this problem of mine. May I also inform you of one other minor matter?" William sat back, somewhat irritated. He didn't like it when a person stated that they needed one thing and then asked for two. "What?" John smiled, "This afternoon, I signed papers giving 10% of the royalties for my latest invention to the Native American College." William asked, "May I know the nature of the invention?" John nodded, "Yes. It is a AAA battery based on the fusion well. It shall make lots of money." The old woman sat back suspicious of his motivation, "What do you want from this?" "Nothing. The money belongs to the college. I mention it now so that you may consider ways to use the money." John turned to leave. William called out, "John Carter, you do all these things for our people and ask nothing in return. Why?" John answered, "I do it for all those who know the ways of the Earth Spirit. I serve the Gods and Goddesses. Our goals are the same, but our methods differ. It is time for us to grow stronger so that the earth can be healed. If we don't get strong enough, then all our people shall die out." The council of elders was quite for a long time. Finally, one of them stated, "The tribal traditions have almost died out. They are only now coming back." John nodded. "This is the first time in eight hundred years that there has been a Grand Druid. We have tripled in strength over the past fifteen years." John stared into the distance as though here were looking at something far away. "The last time I went to Los Angeles, the sky was clear and blue. The air smelled almost as good as it smells here. There was a time when I couldn't breath there because the air was so bad." "Cars now run on fusion rather than petroleum. They have stopped strip mining worldwide because they no longer need coal. Acid rain has stopped falling. The forests are returning. Rivers are running cleaner. The seasons are returning to normal." "Life is better now for people all over the world. Even the most remote location now has access to safe and clean power. Refrigeration has made food safer. Telephone poles and power lines are disappearing. Goods are cheaper as the energy required to produce them costs nearly nothing." John continued to stare off into space. "There is much that is good happening now. We must teach them to nurture the earth so that it can recover. We need the swamps, the rivers, the forests, the great plains, and the deserts." John stood silent, leaning upon his walking stick. He saw all the problems that remained to be fixed. There was still so much to do. The minutes passed as he continued to look into the distance. Finally, he came back to the room and looked at the council of elders. He smiled. "Sorry, I got lost for a minute." William stated, "It is late and time for you to go home. Your family is waiting for you." John nodded. "Once again, I thank you for your help. May your paths be long and pleasant." John left as the council watched him leave. When he had left the room, William turned to his wife and stated, "He's an interesting one." "You are right about him." One of the others laughed, "Linda will make a good wife for him." William asked, "Should we tell her what was decided tonight?" "No. We must decide on a gift and then isolate her from the rest of the tribe," stated one of the old women. "She will try to find some way to force things to her way." William's wife stated, "Do not worry about her. It is time she learned the old ways. I will take her to the cave in the hills." Awa Tsireh entered the room. He stated, "grandfathers and grandmothers, I have talked to John Carter. He knows I do not trust the whites." William looked up at him with curiosity. He asked, "What did he say to that?" Awa Tsireh replied, "That I need to learn to fight the white man more effectively. He suggested I become a lawyer." "He did?" "Yes, he did." The old woman asked, "What about money?" "When I asked about money, he told me to talk to William Redman." William laughed. He now understood why John had told him about the money. He was hoping that William would find a way to use it to help people pursuing degrees not offered by the college. He was a tricky one, that John Carter. He stated, "The money will be arranged." John drove home happy that things had worked out so well. He had cemented a bond that had almost been broken. Tomorrow would be another long day. He was to teach tomorrow for three hours. He would also stop by the FBI office and see Ann. She had invited them for dinner a long time ago. His family had gone to her house while he was away for the funeral of Mrs. South. She had extended a second invitation, but the death of Beth and the long-term stay in LA of Ed and Ling had delayed it past the point of embarrassment. He pulled up to the house and parked in the garage. He went to enter through the garage entrance, but several bats flew around the door. He almost forced the issue, but decided they were warning him somehow. He started for the front door, but the bats moved to intercept him. He turned and went to the back door that was rarely used. The bats did not interfere this time. The house was dark and quiet when he entered. He hit the light switch, but nothing happened. His senses went into overdrive as his medallion seemed to burn on his chest. There was no way the entire house should be dark. There were five different fusion batteries powering it. He drew his cloak around him tighter and held his walking stick in a position that was ready to use. He slowly crept into the house listening for any sound that would suggest a threat. There was complete silence. The harder he tried to listen, the louder the sound of his heartbeat rang in his ears. He took three deep breaths attempting to calm down and get control of his nerves. He moved further into the room. He could hear breathing coming from the dining room. He moved towards the door to dining room and could see the people tied to the chair. He examined the layout of the room. If he went to the dining room, he would be silhouetted for a moment. It was a perfect ambush spot. He concentrated on the upstairs. He could hear minor noises coming from there. He relaxed knowing where at least one assassin stood. He slowly moved to the stairs on the other side of the room. He climbed the stairs, standing as close to the wall as possible to prevent the stairs for squeaking. When he made it to the top of the stairs, he stopped and listened. He almost swore aloud when he heard breathing from the guestroom at the top of the stairs. He listened carefully trying to figure out how many people were in the room. There were at least four men in the room. In his minds eye, he could almost see them. He had to figure out what to do. He decided that it would be best to wait. He had tremendous patience and could outwait them. He stood there frozen on the stairs for ten minutes. He could hear the people shifting around in the room. At last one of the men walked away from the door and sat on the bed. He waited some more. Finally, one of them whispered, "I don't think he's in here." The one at the end of the hall whispered back, "Shut up." John smiled. He didn't recognize the voices, but the one at the end of the hall was definitely a Hispanic man. He could hear the ones in the guestroom whisper to each other. They were getting tired of waiting. Two more of them moved to the bed and sat down. There was only one at the door now. John held up his walking stick and with one quick thrust, rammed it into the guys neck, crushing the larynx. He went down like a log. One of the men in the room went to the door to investigate. He knelt down only to get the walking stick across the back of his neck. John moved down the stairs. The group in the room realized that something was wrong and went to investigate. Now there was no attempt to be quiet. One of them shouted, "He killed them!" The one at the other end of the hall came down to where the excitement was. John moved quickly to the other stairs and climbed up. He positioned himself in the corner and waited for the excitement to die down. Two of them were out of commission, he had four to go. The Hispanic man directed two of them to go downstairs. He sent the other to the top of the stairs and then returned to his spot overlooking the door to the dining room. John brought his walking stick down across the back of his neck. The assassin dropped to the ground, out cold. John held still waiting to see what the man at the other end of the hall did. He didn't hear anything and slowly made his way to the far end of the hall. Listening for breathing, he swung his walking stick where he figured the back of the guys neck would be. He connected with the back of the skull instead. There was a sickening sound as the skull crushed from the force of the blow. He pulled the men into the guestroom. Only one of them was breathing. He searched through the room looking for something he could use to tie up the man. He came across a lamp and tore the cord from it. He used that to tie the man's hands behind his back. He stuffed part of a sheet into the mouth and tied the sheet in place with the other end of the cord. It was the best that he could do in the dark. John went back into the hall and listened carefully. He could hear the two men downstairs moving around. John went back to where he had knocked the Hispanic man out. He felt around on the floor until he found a shotgun. It was a pump shotgun with a pistol grip. He realized this guy was taking no chances on missing him. John sat down trying to decide what to do next. He realized that he still had a pack of cigarettes in his pocket. The idea that came to mind seemed too ridiculous to work, but he decided to try it anyway. He prepared the shotgun so that he could fire it quickly. He threw the cigarette pack across the room towards a vase near the front door. When they fired, John opened fire where he thought the men were standing based on the muzzle flash. He kept firing until he was out of rounds in the shotgun. John quickly moved out of the way and listened to the sounds below. He could hear the two men groaning. He waited a minute to see if he heard any other sounds. Holding one hand over his eye, he hit the light switch at the top of the stairs. The room lit up. There were two men on the floor lying in separate pools of blood. John looked around and found a pistol on the floor. He turned off the light and uncovered his other eye. He moved down the hall and picked up the pistol that was on the floor. He gently set the shotgun down on the floor. He moved to the staircase and climbed down. Again, he stayed close to the wall to prevent any squeaks. He paused at the bottom of the stairs. He was just a few feet from the door to the dining room. He quickly dived through the door into the dining room. There were no shots fired. He whispered, "Don't move until I untie everyone. Then we'll run into the kitchen as a group." He moved behind one of the chairs and untied the ropes holding the woman there. He couldn't tell who it was, but guessed that it was either Cathy or Sarah. He reached up and undid the gag. The texture of the hair let him know that it was Sarah. She stated, "It was five. I don't know where Greg is." John relaxed. He moved to the next chair and undid the ropes. This had to be Cathy. When he removed the gag, Cathy asked, "Did you get them all?" "I believe so." He moved behind Bob and untied him. John removed the gag. Bob didn't say anything or react in any way. John was suddenly concerned. He wondered if Bob was okay. Kelly was next. He went to untie her, but the knots were extremely tight. He worked feverishly to remove the knots. Finally, they came loose. Kelly groaned as the blood rushed back into hands that had been tied too tightly. She bit her lip as pins and needles pricked her hands. He moved over to Marguerite and untied her. He removed her gag. She whispered, "Bob hasn't moved since he was tied up." John went over to Bob. He whispered, "Everyone into the kitchen." The whole group stumbled into the kitchen. John half-carried and half-dragged Bob into the kitchen. When everyone was in the room, he shut the door. He turned on the lights and waited for his eyes to adjust. Cathy grabbed the cell-phone and called the police. Kelly carefully examined Bob, a look of concern on her face. John asked, "What happened?" Marguerite answered, "I don't know. I was waiting for Greg. When I answered the knock on the door, these guys jumped me. They carried me down to the dining room and tied me up." Sarah frowned. "I was waiting for Greg. I was jumped when I answered the door." John looked over at Cathy. She frowned and shook her fist. John understood that she had been waiting for Greg also. John realized that the sixth man had been Greg. John stated, "I got six. The sixth one must have been Greg." Cathy stated, "The police are in the house now. They know we are locked in the kitchen." John stated, "Tell them that there are two wounded in the living room and four in the upstairs guest room." There was a knock on the kitchen door. Robert White Feather called out, "It's Robert White Feather." John relaxed and opened the door, "Come on in." <1st attachment end> ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ Notice: This post has been modified from its original format. The post was sent as an email attachment and has been converted by ASSTR ASSM moderation software. ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ -- Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | alt.sex.stories.moderated ------ send stories to: <ckought69@hotmail.com>| | FAQ: <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/faq.html> Moderators: <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |ASSM Archive at <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org> Hosted by <http://www.asstr-mirror.org> | |Discuss this story and others in alt.sex.stories.d; look for subject {ASSD}| +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+