00104

Young Sheila huffed and puffed as she and her team raced around the track. Although in good shape, she still found the CDG Fitness Leader's workouts taxing. What more those other volunteers who were in poor physical condition?

She pretended to like the workout uniforms, but the truth was, she found them as ugly and as brown as their regular CDG outfits. The CDG recruits trained at the Security Agency's facilities.

So far, her Uncle Xavier had not offered her any position of leadership in the Civilian Defense Group. Certainly not that he frowned on cronyism, but first, he said, he wanted to be sure Sheila could handle the job of just being a volunteer. She knew he was trying to gauge her level of maturity. In times past, she had assisted him in some of his duties, the duller type, because she loved and admired and wanted to help her Uncle, not because of any desire to actually do any of the necessary administration work involved in running the World of Hope. Sheila Bright had never really showed any true initiative and self-discipline for working on a long-term, committed basis to doing what needed to be done. She preferred to simply enjoy good times, like shopping here and there and everywhere- with an occasional trip to the Tourist Trap.

As a CDG volunteer, she pushed herself hard to make her Uncle proud of her.

Jogging toward the end of the last lap, she caught sight of Osmo Martin and Mita Morgan, in their Security Agent garb, leading a line of late adolescents and young adults across the lawns and into the Security Administration building. At least the official Security Agents uniforms looked nice.

One of those youths led by sec. Ldr. Morgan and Agent Martin, dirty and stained, gave off a terrible odor; the bad smell floated all the way over to the track field. Sheila and the others wrinkled their noses.

Fitness Leader Whitmoore looked at his watch read off their running times. "Good, Bright. Once again, you beat everybody in the group."

"Of course," wheezed a heavy-set, middle aged man, a true volunteer, and not a draftee. He smiled and pointed out, "As anyone with decent vision can see, she certainly is in good shape."

She forced a smile at Drummond. He had been trying to capture her attention all day long. Not likely.

Whitmoore told the tired runners, "You all did well. The CDG will be so much the better for having volunteers in such a league as yours." He called for a break because, upon seeing the Security Leader and Security Agent Martin coming with the new "volunteers", he knew he must hurry over to the building to help with their medicals and processing.

The grateful runners went over to the grass to sit down or lay down. Drummond- was that his first name or last? Sheila Bright had no idea. He stayed close to Sheila as she also went to sit for a few minutes."Whoo," he said, "that sure was invigorating. I feel like doing another lap. Care to join me, Miss Bright?"

"Eh, no thanks," she sweetly answered. "I'm a little tired. You go 'head without me." Silently she worried, Maybe I ought not encourage him, before he falls over with a heart attack.

Osmo Martin soon came back out the Security Agency building, passing by CDG Fitness Leader Whitmoore, who now entered through the door Osmo came out of.

Agent Osmo Martin came over to Sheila, since she had a few free minutes. "Mita and I just hunted up several more guys and gals who 'forgot' to volunteer. We found one hiding in a trash pile, and he actually cried when we found him. Pretty sad. I mean, sure, I wouldn't want to be drafted against my will if I didn't want to serve, but to blubber about it..."

Sheila Bright wiped her sweaty face in her shirt. "I'm sure Mita will appoint someone to help him grow up fast."

"Yeah, poor guy. Mita's very mean at times. Sometimes I think she's meaner than Clyden."

"Those were the days, when good ol' Mr. Clyden ran the Security Agency," Sheila kidded. "Seriously, Mita and I just went shopping last night. She seemed okay to me. Maybe blunt and matter-of-fact. Not mean."

"Sheila, you know she's smart enough not to treat you badly. But if Gov. Bright were not you Uncle, who knows then how she would behave toward you. I tried to be patient with her, like you said, until she got used to handling authority- but she's not getting any better. In fact, she's getting worse. You should've seen the way she yanked the crybaby into the van, 'accidentally' banging his head on the door-"

Sheila decided to change from that tired old subject to the other tired old subject. "Well, Osmo, once more I questioned Uncle Xavier about all this CDG stuff. What's it all about? I asked, and he said, It's about the security of the World of Hope. That's all he ever tells me. I trust him, but you can't convince me that he is only worrying about wild animals and outlaws hiding outside Sparkle City."

"Me neither. Something big's coming, and I bet your suspicions are the same as mine."

Meanwhile, after Sec. Ldr. Morgan had handed over the new volunteers to the CDG staff for processing, she went out for some fresh air, with special instructions to the staff to make sure the crybaby got a clean shower before putting on the CDG uniform.

Outside, she joined Sheila and Osmo. "Sheila, how's the training going?"

"Not bad, Mita- excuse me, Sec. Ldr. Morgan."

Mita's Security communications device called. She gave Sheila a pleasant grin. "Sorry. Now it's my turn to ask you to excuse me." She took the call. Her face went from relaxed to serious. "I see. Just what we need- another situation!”

She put away the device and turned back to her friend and to Osmo. "The Hopers, those people that were at the CDG Center before, they are causing problems at the rocketport. I'm heading to the office to watch it on the big screen. Want to come along?"

Not really, thought Osmo Martin, but since Sheila accepted the invitation, he went with the ladies to the office as well.

The cry-baby's stench lingered in the halls of the Security Agency building. Sheila held her nose and waved hurriedly to Mita Morgan’s office and away the smell.

Mita remarked, "I think one of that guy's first duties will be to fumigate this place!"

She took them to Tretl Clyden's former office. Sheila observed how much Mita had improved and tidied up the place. No coffee stains on the floor. A brand new water cooler. And the wall screen gleamed. Not a speck of dust on it.

Sparkle News broadcast the scene at the rocketport live on the screen. A large crowd waved signs and shouted slogans. They ran onto the landing fields. A half dozen split from the main group to dash in front of a rocket ready to blast off, a freight transport full of fuel ore. These six daredevils danced around the rocket, knowing that now, the rocket captain could not order take-off because the people would be hurt from the exhaust.

And there were more malcontents at the rocketport than there had been carrying on at the CDG Center/Tourist Trap when Sheila had signed up. Several close-ups showed the face of the Hopers' leader, that man Struber.

Osmo Martin pointed to the screen. "Hey, that's the guy who picked a fight with me at the Tourist Trap when I first got here. Figures, he's still making trouble. And I can't believe they are copying the tactics used by the illegal house church, making it difficult for the freighters to leave with their loads of ore to take back to Earth."

Sheila Bright stared at Struber’s face when the screen did another closeup. "Ah, I knew I saw the jerk somewhere before!"

“Of course, Sheila. He often does maintenance on Security Agency vehicles.”

The news cameras followed the main body of the mob. They ran over to the few tourists standing in line at customs, having come from an Earth passenger rocket only minutes ago. In times past, there would usually be a lot more tourists coming for a stay on the World of Hope, but lately, with the tensions between Earth and Hope being in the news, and frequent new and updated travel advisories, people were more cautious about coming to this small planet. The tourists gasped as the thugs came over to them, standing across from their line at the customs booth, yelling and spitting at the Earthers.

Rocketport Security Agent guards sprinted across the grounds and stood there on the opposite side of the line of tourists, across from the Hopers, with the line of tourists between their sides. One of the guards shouted orders to the Hopers’ group.

"Disperse! Leave! Go home!"

Struber shouted back, "No, let the Earthers go home!"

Mita Morgan shook her head, watching the screen. She waved her hand at the scenes. "See, Sheila? I know you wonder why we started the Civilian Defense Group. Now you know. It's been created for dealing with just such emergencies as the Hopers might create. The CDG can complement the Security Agency's crowd control, and help in other ways as well."

"What crowd control?" asked Sheila Bright. "Nobody's doing anything to stop the Hopers from acting like they own the rocketport."

The fact of the rocketport guards' passivity amazed Osmo Martin as well. "I can't believe the rocketport guards just hang back and do nothing. Before, we Security Agents chased Al and his friends all over, trying to arrest them-"

The Security Leader nodded, acknowledging their bewilderment. "Yes, that was when ex-Security Leader Clyden ran things. He would think nothing of putting innocent tourists in harm's way. We do things differently now."

This concern for innocent tourists coming from Mita seemed to be not quite genuine. Osmo wished she had shown such compassion when it came to squealing about where the illegal church had been hiding. "I guess it is better to be careful so as to not have anything like another Incident, like what happened to Al's friends, including our old schoolmate, Jane." He hoped the subtle dig found its mark.

Mita Morgan turned off the screen. "Speaking of Al- What ever became of your friend? Did he return to Earth?"

Osmo shrugged. "Beats me. I didn't see or hear from him since that night he escaped from the incarceration van."

"Yes, I know you didn't. I already checked that out," said Mita.

He glared at her. "What do you mean, you already checked it out? Did you spy on me or something like that?”

Unembarrassed, Mita freely admitted, "Of course I do. If it concerns the security of Hope, why wouldn't I? But you check out okay."

"Oh, that's a relief," Osmo Martin sarcastically answered.

Stunned and indignant, Sheila demanded, "And did you spy on me, too, when Osmo and I were together?"

Mita casually shook her head. "Oh, no, Sheila, that wouldn't be right. You are Gov. Bright's niece, for crying out loud. Besides that, you are also my friend. No, I trust you, Sheila."

Osmo gave Mita a dirty look. "It's okay to spy on me, though, is it?"

Mita checked her watch. "Break's over, guys. Sheila, you better get back with the other CDG members who are in training. I don't want to be the reason for you setting a bad example for the other volunteers. Fitness Leader Whitmoore must be done helping process the newbies by now."

As Sheila left the office, Mita said to Osmo, "Agent Martin, we also should be going.”

“We just got back from a whole morning of hunting down those recruits who neglected to volunteer," Osmo pointed out. "I missed both breakfast and now lunch!"

Mita Morgan pulled a box of candy chews from a pocket and tossed it to him."Bon Apetit. Now let's get going. You saw the news. We should be there at the rocketport, in case the guards need help. We can help them keep the situation under control so the Hopers don't become nasty."

Tired, hungry, and disgusted, Osmo Martin sighed with resignation and followed Sec. Ldr. Mita Morgan out, shoving a handful of chews in his mouth as he closed the door behind them.

(c) drk 2012