JASON STEED Absolutely Nothing (12 page)

“This had better be good. I was asleep, and I have a math test tomorrow.” Jason yawned. He leaned back heavy against a row of sinks.

Max was his usual happy self. “I sometimes wonder if all what they say about you is true. So far you have given me nothing. You're just like a normal boy.” Max frowned.

“I
am
a normal boy. What did you expect, Sherlock Holmes? I’m just good at martial arts. I have no idea who the spy is. I’m new here I have seen nothing suspicious apart from you creeping around,” Jason argued. He yawned again, looked at his watch and his reflection in the mirror, and tightened the cord on his Pajamas. “It’s two in the morning. Can’t you find another time to chat to me?”

“Ah well actually, I have and you are going to enjoy it.” Max smiled. “Some of the special guard at the airbase heard about your karate skills. They train two times a week and they heard that you are over qualified for the academy martial arts class and agreed to let you join them training. It will be Mondays and Thursdays around six in the evening. You will be given a special pass.”

Jason came to life. He practiced a kick at himself in the mirror. “I'll be training with special forces? Whoa, bloody awesome. Will you want me to spy on them?”

“No, Jason. The airbase is secure. It’s the academy where we think we have the problem. Can you not think of anyone who is suspicious?” Max paused. “And don’t say me.”

Jason laughed. “No, I have no clue. I spend my time with my class. After class Tex, Yankee, Cowboy, and me sometimes hang out. They're teaching me baseball, although it’s just like a game I’ve played in England we call rounder’s. Apart from that, I’m not sure what you want me to do. I never said I was a good spy.”

“Well, keep an eye out. I'll get you your pass for Monday night. You will be the only one from the academy who has been given one to go into the airbase,” Max said.

“Wait, maybe it’s nothing but maybe it’s something,” Jason said.

“What?” Max said, gaining interest.

“Well, the night I arrived here, Corporal Jones said something strange.”

“Corporal Jones? That guy’s a idiot. He's far too stupid to be a spy for another country,” Max said and continued. “Unless that’s just a cover... What did he say?”

“He mentioned the Jakarta massacre. He knew I was involved.”

“Well Jason, he probably just read your file,” Max argued.

“No, he never knew it was me. He just knew it was a Sea Cadet, but he said,
one even escaped with a cassette we had that armed a nuclear warhead
.”

“I don’t follow,” Max said.

“Derr, I knew D.O.D stood for Dumbasses on Drugs.” Jason grinned. “A Cassette
we
had,” he repeated. “What did he mean by
we
? Is he the agent working for the Chinese?”

“Wow Jason, that’s impressive. Slow to give it to me since it happened when you arrived three weeks ago, but nevertheless something to go on. I will investigate him fully. Okay, you had better get back to bed. You have a math test tomorrow.”

*

Three French sailors and four British naval personal  taking part in the United Nations observation team, along with three journalists, were all arrested and imprisoned by the Vietnamese. The United Nations team members and journalists from Australia, Japan, and the United States were in coastal waters off Ho Chi Minh City in a small cruiser launched from British Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes. The communist Vietnamese government accused them of spying because they came to shore to help with the relief work. The United Nations, along with the respective foreign governments, was trying to negotiate the release of the ten men.

*

Dressed in his karate gee, Jason proudly marched across from the Academy to the airbase. He showed his pass and was allowed into the base. The two-armed guards pointed him in the direction he needed to go. Two more armed guards greeted him and allowed him inside. Once inside, Alex Hannity, a well-built man with a shaved head, greeted him. Jason couldn’t help but notice his tattoos that covered his arms and chest.

He spent the next two hours working out with the men. Much of it consisted with circuit training and various karate movements they called katas and finished off with non-contact sparing. Jason enjoyed sparing more than anything. He was of course much smaller and lighter than his opponents but made up for it with his incredibly fast reactions and moves. Often, they watched in astonishment at his moves. He switched from Taekwondo to Jiu Jitsu to Jeet Kune Do and, every now and then, he would throw an opponent in a Judo move.

On his way out, he passed several offices. They were closed the people working at the secret facility had gone home for the night. On one door he read the sign Radio Communications High Level Security. He tried the door to see just how secure it was and was surprised when it opened. After checking he was not being watched, he snuck inside and looked around. The room had large radios. They looked similar to his friends Scott’s, but these were much larger and looked more modern. On the table, he noticed a folder marked Top Secret. Inside were codes for radio contacts. Jason had no idea what he could do with it but remembered Scott saying that the Americans used secret codes and could never understand what they were saying.
I bet Scott would love his. It'd make an awesome birthday gift
, he said to himself as he stuck it under his jacket.

He returned back to the academy covered in sweat. He had bruises on his forearms after blocking various blows. he couldn’t wait to see Max again to thank him. He mailed out the secret codes to Scott the following morning, wishing he could see his friend's face when he opened it.

*

Tex and Jason joined Cowboy and Yankee for breakfast the next morning. It was the usual mocking of each other's accents, talking about girls, and what revolver would be best suited to carry. Jason felt strangely at home. He never missed his old school. Maybe Scott, but other than that, he was thoroughly happy.

Even more so, he enjoyed first lesson of the day—military training. Each week at the same time they were taught something of military importance and often had a guest speaker. Jason was delighted when Alex Hannity greeted the boys.

The three-hour lesson was jungle survival training. Hannity had returned from Vietnam just five months earlier. He had spent six years fighting in ‘Nam as he called it. He had lost many friends and colleagues during the war. He called the North Vietnamese the Vietcong, and he recalled events to the enthusiastic youngsters in Jason’s class. He covered how to survive by eating certain bugs and snakes as well as what plants to eat and avoid. He was awarded the Purple Heart. In a question and answer session at the end of the lesson, Yankee asked him what he hated the most about the war. He replied coming home to America. He was walking down a street and called a baby killer and literally spat on.

It was shocking to hear how he and many were treated. However, reports had hit the news that some troops had raped Vietnamese woman. Over four hundred thousand civilians had been caught up in the cross fire from both sides. Alex Hannity had to take a breath at one moment to prevent himself from breaking down. He explained that, in all wars, bad things happen. Your job, as a solider, is to follow orders on behalf of your country.

The whole class enjoyed the lesson and was disappointed when the bell went for lunch break. They all saluted him and thanked him for his service as they left.

Chapter Fourteen

Jason was called into the commander's office just after lunch. He suspected it had something to do with the fight at Camp Pendleton. He'd hoped by now they would drop the matter and let him get on with his studies. He knocked at the door and was told to wait.

He was concerned about seeing the commander. He would rather face a group of samurai assassins. He knew how to handle them. The commander, on the other hand, was far more unpredictable.

“Come in,” the commander called. Jason marched in and saluted. The commander swiftly saluted back and sucked on his cigar and the tip glowed an angry red. “Ah Jason, please take a seat. I need to talk to you.”

“Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir,” Jason said. He was now worried. The commander never called anyone by his or her first name.

“Jason, have you been watching the news?”

“Em. Not really. I don’t really understand American football yet to follow it.” Jason paused when he noticed the commander frown. “That’s not what you meant is it, Sir?”

“No, Jason. I meant international news matters, such as the Russian spaceship and the US Apollo linking up in space or the situation in Vietnam,” the commander asked, closely watching the boy. Jason shrugged. “Did you know the British ship HMS Hermes is off the Vietnam waters?”

“Yes, Sir. I mean, no, Sir. I didn’t know where it was but I know the Hermes. That’s my father's ship. He's the ship's Second Lieutenant. Sir.” Jason paused. He noticed the commander shift awkwardly in his seat and pretend to re-light his pipe. “Is my Dad okay?” Jason’s voice fell off.

“Yes is the straight forward answer. The North Vietnamese have taken him and nine other men prisoner. He was working for the United Nations on a small cruiser, mostly monitoring events. He and three other British naval personnel where taken along with three French personnel and three journalists.”

Jason got up and paced up and down trying to think. “Where is he? Is he safe? Why is he a prisoner? The British aren't at war with the Vietcong. What is the Admiralty doing to release him?”

“Jason, I don’t know the answers. The American government is also working on it. One of the journalists is American. The Vietnamese have not yet given any demands. They have just accused them of spying.”

“He’s in the Royal Navy. What was he doing working for the United Nations?” Jason asked.

“The United Nations is an organization made up from representatives from armed forces around the world. I suspect he and others were instructed to work alongside the French and any other country to help. They do a lot of good. They're peacekeepers. Never before in its twenty-year history has anyone working as a United Nations representative been held before. The world community strongly condemns such action.”

“Thank you for the information, Sir,” Jason said stiffly before clicking his boot heels and leaving the room feeling sick to his stomach. He was worried. Alex Hannity and others had told them about the Vietcong prisons. They had witnessed some of the American POW’s return to the airbase. Many looked emaciated, too weak to walk more than a few paces. Tex and Jason thought one looked too old to be a prisoner of war. The man looked about sixty. They later found out he was only aged twenty-nine but was held in a Vietnamese prison for three years.

Tex heard the news and skipped the last lesson to find Jason. He found him in the gym attacking a boxing punch bag. Jason was stripped to the waist. He had taken off his shoes and socks and was kicking and punching the bag for all he was worth. Jason’s knuckles had split open. The bag had his blood on the front of it where he had been pounding it.

“Wow, Limey I think you killed him,” Tex joked. Jason paused and looked at his knuckles. He threw one last punch at the bag. “Come on man, let’s go and get your hands seen to. I heard about your father. I’m sure he’ll be okay if he's as tough as you.”

Jason nodded and followed Tex who took him to the sick bay where the nurse treated his hands. The next twenty-four hours passed like a blur to Jason. He wasn’t given any more news. He watched the TV, hoping to get some news but nothing new was reported. Out of options, he decided to call his father's Uncle Stewart.

“Steed residence,” Stewart Steed answered.

“Uncle Stewart, it's Jason.”

“Jason dear boy. My favourite second nephew.”

“I’m your only second nephew.”

“I was just thinking about you. I expect you heard the news. Don’t worry ,your father is a Steed. We're a tough family.”

“I can’t find out anything. He’s been a prisoner for two days now. Why isn’t the British Government sending in troops to rescue them? The Hermes is right there.”

“It’s not that simple, son. The United Nations is dealing with it. They are negotiating, but the demands are too high.”

“What demands? Dad and the others were just observing, making sure the civilians didn’t get massacred.”

“The Vietnamese have made demands. I don’t know what they are, but the Prime Minister said they are unacceptable. The French President has said the same thing. For now, the international community has condemned the Vietnamese, but nothing has been done yet. Son, there is nothing you can do. Please try to relax. Your father will be just fine. You concentrate on showing those Yankees a thing or two on how to be a good cadet.”