Chapter 19: Life Goes On
Stanley was asked about what he was doing during the emergency, and he swore he was just sitting at home watching it all on the TV, and many of his friends laughed thinking that sounded just like him. But that report was still there, only it moved to a different desk now, and they knew that if they worded things right maybe things would be different, and Stan got messages and calls and finally people coming to his door asking him to ‘at least give it a try’ and finally he agreed to go see, and many in Washington felt they had won.
But ‘go and see’ didn’t sound like some permanent thing at all, and a few mentioned that once they had him he’d stay, they’d see to it. But when anything , and I do mean ANYTHING got close to Stanley it stopped dead. Clubs from behind, tranquilizer darts, even bullets. Nothing got through to him and every time he’d just look them in the eye and smile that crappy smile of his knowing full well what was going on.
They did get him to do a few small jobs so they were paid pretty well for the aggravation of not being in control. But anything remotely dangerous or when someone would get hurt or killed and he just waved it away saying that ‘his friends wouldn’t like that’ and off he would go again.
They found out quickly enough they couldn’t control him the normal ways so they tried women, drugs, drinks and finally just plain old cash. He was getting paid extremely well for otherwise simple jobs and he did each of them magnificently. But they were still trying to manipulate him and he knew it right out in the open, and finally after a rather tedious day he smiled that smile and said he was going home, and the entire office he was in stopped dead at the sound of it.
“There aren’t any flights out to New England all this week.” The man they assigned to him said, as Stan laughed right out loud and the people there looked shocked.
“Sure there are...” He said, as everyone there swore that they were right and no flights were available.
“When you talk to the REAL Boss tell him that I’ll be home resting for a while, and if he’s nice to me maybe I’ll come back some other time. But ask me to hurt anyone, kill anyone or sink any more ships, and the deal is off.” he said and stepped right out through the big window behind him, and fell...12 stories... but never touched the ground.
“Lets go home ladies.” Stanley said as Cora and one of her friends caught him and hand in hand they flew north with a fighter escort all the way, and Stanley even waved as he drifted down to land and they went inside so he could make himself some coffee after that cool ride home.
“He did what?” the Big Boss said as the story, and video was shown and he fumed that he thought they were gaining something over time. But Stanley left them know he wasn’t a killer and never would be and if he was somehow tricked into doing it, they weren’t at all sure anyone could hide from him...there or here. “Fine then, I hoped he would be more reasonable, maybe more Patriotic or something, but he’s just not worth the effort, there are many others that will do the job almost as easily.” he decided, and Stanley’s trips to Washington ended there.
But they did spoil him while he was there, and in response to that his house now had a big enclosed deck with a 6 foot hot tube in it. The walls were plexiglass, totally bulletproof and heat and cold resistant, and though this outfit cost a bundle, it would last him the rest of his life.
Clare got a call a day later and after a few tense moments she hung it up and smiled. They decided that Stanley was more important to them as a Teacher and possibly a Breeder in the future. If he had such great powers maybe his children would too, and once more the Hemming school was front and center for the future of the world, and Stanley was going to be watched very closely to see if they had done the right thing.
Since his talents came out he had brought them more and better info about Spirits than anyone in a century. The new lessons for all classes were more detailed, and Spirits became part of every class. Every student needed a Spirit Guide to graduate and the people going out to work in the Future would be stronger and better prepared than before.
Clare made sure the politicians knew this up front, and that since she took over as Headmaster the school had gotten more respectable, and they were now openly testing all over the country for skilled students. No longer would they just train their children, but there were a rare few out there that could be found and trained and with the new initiative the numbers available in the future would be more and better. That alone made the school worth keeping, so after all the tension of the past weeks new deals and agreement were made, and the school was left to train another generation of Naturalists, and Stanley was lined up well in advance to be first a teacher, then the Headmaster to keep it going for another generation.
“Well thats silly..” Stanley mentioned when she finally sat him down to tell him everything.”I get the whole ‘running the family business’ thing but breeding...really?” He asked as she looked surprised then just smiled and said it might not be that literal, after all you can only marry one person at a time.
“Sounds like too much work to me.” he mentioned as she got a quick chuckle, since she thought he’d say something like that.
“Thats tough...” She added.” Its the Family business and after all the trouble you caused you better do a good job too because I’ll be watching.” She grumped and he asked if she was planning on quitting already, and she laughed and said she had a few more years in her yet but he better start thinking a little more about it though.
“I caused? Who kept making me take tests and sent all that info to those fools in D.C.” He asked as she left him know it was a deal..any really skilled person usually got work there... advising the President on many important things. “Advising I can do, but while I was there they pushed that envelope to the extreme.” he added and told her about some of those things and she looked upset.
“I doubt ‘advising’ was the real reason they went and stayed there. I had to get a ride home myself because they kept telling me I could never get a plane home.” he added as she looked sad. Many others had gone there to work and never returned, and she just assumed they were happily working away making big bucks...but maybe that wasn’t really true. “My Spirit Advisors told me straight out that once they were there many were forced to do terrible things, and their Spirits through them, and so when they asked me I told them my friends wouldn’t like that, and I refused.” Stan said as she agreed he had done the right thing.
“They seem to think they own us, that we can only exist because they allow it.” Stanley added while she looked sad.” I think we need to let them know it might work the other way around too.” he said as she demanded that things just settled down, and she didn’t want him making waves. “Don’t worry mom, there’s lots of time. I’m still learning after all and they know by now that we wont do everything they demand, so thats a start.” he added and she agreed that if they were careful that things might change, slowly over time.
Chapter 20: New Blood, New Rules
Stanley was still getting lessons from his friends. He never asked any of them their names but made up some for them like Water Woman, and Earth Maiden...every Natural type had a representative coming and going, and Stanley spent a day traveling the oceans, and another flying around the world seeing the pollution and dead and dieing birds and animals. If there was something important he was taken to see it, and he made notes of important things and passed those on to his mother who also was working to get the word out to those that needed to know.
In a few weeks he gathered information that would have taken a century to gather on its own. And Agencies in the government that were in charge of these things either were thrilled to get the free info...or shocked someone else could find out these things faster than they. So much information appeared so fast that the usual people that help keep it all under wraps got overwhelmed and many things they hoped to keep a secret got out to the Press.
Even the U.N. got upset because while they believed the people had a right to know, they also had deals to help fix these problems slowly and quietly, and those were under attack now. So when Stanley was ready he asked for a meeting with the entire U.N. and after seeing what he can do when he wants they agreed and countries that seldom appeared for meetings went to see this one, because they knew that this was the worlds leading expert in Nature... and many had questions...and favors to ask of him.
His entire Family was there, sitting on stage as Stanley got introduced, and many whispered among themselves since this was the first time seeing him in person. He waved and gave them all his cheesy smile and asked if anyone here was doing anything to clean the planet...and faces got serious and a few looked angry he could start his speech this way.
“You probably wonder where I can get so much information so fast...right? Well let me show you. Friends can you come here please?” he asked and people, oddly dressed people just...appeared... beside him and many recognized them as Spirits and some looked frightened and some bowed down to pray right there.
“These are my friends...” Stanley started, and laid a hand on one small young man and smiled at him and he returned it.” This is Earth..tell me my friend what do you control?” he asked and the young man admitted he controlled everything that was considered Land, soil or any other type of land worldwide, as mouths dropped and eyes popped all over the stadium.
“Thank you...” Stan added and turned to the well endowed young lady wearing almost nothing and she gave him a hug and he smiled and asked her too.” what do you control?” he asked as she said Water...all water everywhere. And people started to see where this was going and a few tried to sneak out but they just couldn’t move at the moment.
Then Air and Fire..they were all here, all the Spirits that people had called Gods and prayed to until they felt they no longer needed them anymore, and now they used them like sluts and treated them like dirt, and hundreds of Leaders sat there, mouths gaping open to see their Gods standing before them.
“This is where I get my information from. Its real information not false like some of you have been spreading for years. I also see to it that everyone can find out. Some of you tell the Press that you’re working hard to clean up the planet, then build coal fired generators that pollute even more. Others hunt down and kill fish faster than they can reproduce, and then complain prices are going up. Well DOH!” he said as Clare got as good laugh at that one.
“People need to eat!” Someone screamed and Stanley agreed they did.
“But you take prime farm land and make it into military bases, dozens of them that you don’t need, Then complain to the U.N. that you need to buy food from others when you yourself made that decision and then went begging for handouts.” he added as many looked upset he was dragging all this out in the open.
“We need to protect our people too.” He heard as he laughed and many more looked upset.
“You’re adults here right? You make important decisions that effect all your people, every country does right? So how about we let you solve your own problems? One country in particular that shall remain nameless for today has pollution so thick that its making seeing to walk and drive difficult, only the Wind saves thousands of people from dieing from the pollution. Many more are already in the process of getting cancer or other sicknesses from it that they will then cry about here...asking for free handouts when their people die. Its all your fault you know, and what would happen if the Wind didn’t come for say...a year?” he asked as mouths fell open and some started screaming that that was an act of terrorism, and he didn’t argue the point.
“You all have been slowly destroying land and water that you need to live...and even now you wont do anything about it because, hey! The planet will clean itself someday right? Well thats true but only after the pollution stops, and thats why we are here today. I have my friends here all Nature standing here looking at each and every one of you, so now...lie to them...tell them you’ll fix it all and that we’ve already begun...lie because you know none of that is true.” he demanded as the people there gave them all a serious look and only a few radicals could scream that it wasn’t true and that it wasn’t their fault.
“Then I’ll help you myself. You claim the oceans are full of plastic and no one did it? Water my dear, for 1 month please stop all currents leading from cities into the oceans. Let the waste gather there so it can be tested and proven to not be polluting.OK?” he asked as she agreed, and rivers feeding into bays slowed down and the oceans currents stopped accepting the waste and even as the speech went on cities started to smell worse than before.
“You cant do that!” One man demanded as Stanley turned and asked her if he could and she hugged him and said she’d do anything he asked, and the room got dead quiet.
“I want the U.N. to monitor these tests see to it that companies that are caught polluting pay the fines and use those to help clean up the planet. I have talked to a young man in the US that started a company to clean the oceans. Its a tiny company now with one boat that harvests plastic right out of the ocean. But he told me that its spread so thin that he can only make a profit when its gathered a one place, and so I told him to move his boat to...Los Angeles Harbor...because my friend Wind will blow tons and tons of plastic from the ocean into the harbor and then he can gather it. I expect people to pay well for it too..the man needs to feed his family as well.” Stanley mentioned and the US representative said they would gladly pay him, and they didn’t realize for a second how much plastic was really in the oceans now.
“This is my gift to you all, my help to see who is polluting the most and help gathering the pollution for removal. One month like this and I’m sure we’ll see a lot more fines after this and that cash can go to slow pollution everywhere.” he said and he got a round of applause...from the Spirits... and they disappeared, and he walked from the stage and didn’t even stay for the dinner afterwards, and as they flew home his mom mentioned he might have made some enemies today, and he smiled saying that that fear was what stopped everyone else from helping the Planet...and she admitted it might be true.
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