The Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison: Call Sign Reaper Read Online Free Page A

straddled him and pinned him to the ground. After about ten seconds of no audio or movement, they saw Ben raise his head and, they thought, head butt the major. Her temperature spiked then eventually returned to normal.
    Later they understood when they saw the major was not hurt — plus Ben was calling her “lady” again and asking how much he owed her. They looked at each other, then back to the screen and laughed. Holy shit! It was a kiss. One day they would have to shake that brave young man’s hand.
    The Vander Hoyts were both out in the yard. Janet was pulling weeds from the flowers surrounding the front porch and Harold had a hammer and nails, repairing a fence. The major pulled down the gravel drive, shut the engine down, and let the car sink to the ground 15 meters from the house. She did not want the Vander Hoyts covered in dirt and sand.
    The major walked up to Janet first and said good morning. She got a big smile and a sweet “good morning dear” in return. She said her name was Dawn and explained she was looking for Ben. Harold walked over and answered before Janet could say anything. Harold said he was looking for Ben also. The “rascal” was supposed to fix the fence for him today, but it looked like he didn’t come home last night. Janet said it was unusual, that even on Friday nights when Ben stayed out later he was still home before midnight. He was always up at six on Saturday doing something for Pa until mid- afternoon or later.
    Janet offered the major some coffee and to come sit on the porch. Harold cleared his throat. “Am I chopped liver or can I have some coffee too?” he joked.
    The major went up the steps and sat down. Harold sat next to her. Janet brought three cups of black coffee, cream and sugar. They made their coffee quietly until Harold broke the silence.
    “So Dawn, how do you know Ben? He’s never had anyone come visit.”
    “We use to go to school together and went separate ways afterwards,” the major lied. She said she had heard from someone that Ben was on Anubis, so she thought she would look him up on her way to Osiris. Janetsaid he was a wonderful bo y — always so nice and helping out. He kept his room clean and always paid his rent on time. She would do his laundry from time to time and money would mysteriously appear on the kitchen table the next day. They just wondered about him because he didn’t talk much about his family or life.
    The major knew a little about his family, and decided it would not hurt the mission to give them a little info. She told them Ben was an orphan. A train wreck on Athena had killed his parents. She told them she did not think he had any family other than his grandparents. They were both sad to hear about Ben’s misfortune, but it made sense to them now. The major could see they both thought the world of Ben, and he probably felt the same way about them.
    Surrogate grandparents, she thought. “Now, don’t tell him I told you. He may have his own reason for not saying anything.,” she said.
    “We won’t tell him,” Harold said. 
    She thanked them for the coffee. She shook Harold’s hand, then turned to shake Janet’s, who decided a hug was better. She tensed for a second, then relaxed and hugged Janet back and said good-bye again. She walked down the steps and crossed the yard to the hover car.
    The major realized she had really enjoyed that 20 minutes with them. She got behind the controls and lifted off. “Where to now, boss?” Bill asked from the back seat.
    “I want to go by the bar and see what time it opens,” she replied. “If they are open I may go in and sit for a while, maybe read and have some more coffee. I want you to wait outside for about 30 minutes in case he is already there or walks in. If he does not show in 30 then you can start a search perimeter, working your way away from the bar until you’re no farther than 15 minutes in any direction. I want you to be able to get back here if I signal his