Chapter 2
So much for a good start
I arrived a few days early so that I would have time to check out the university as well as have some time to hit the beach before classes started.
It was so nice out this morning I decided to walk rather than drive to the admissions building. The sun was out and it was already a humid 75 degrees. This would be a good chance to work on that tan.
The trail from my dorm to the admissions building passed by a large obstacle course, the kind you see on those “be all you can be” commercials for the Army. I also passed a nice size pond, that had signs posted: NO SWIMMING! ALLIGATORS!
Sure enough there was a six-foot gator sunning himself by the edge of the pond. He looked as if he were made from greenish stone. I could tell from the odd position he was in, with part of his tail curved into the pond that he must be the real deal and not some yard statue put there to look good. So I quickly passed by him trying hard not to press my luck.
Now if this were Michigan, there would be a deer drinking from the pond or at least a faded brown statue of a deer stuck out by the pond, maybe beside one of those red or green globe things people stick in their yards. I never really got the point of those colored balls.
Gators were definitely a change of pace. If gators could ever make their way to Michigan sometime they would have quite the treat. There are about 1.7 million deer in the state of Michigan from the last satellite count done and I’m sure that would make quite a few gators a pretty good meal.
From the end of the pond I could see the college coming into view. Wow, the admission building was nothing like the new dorm building. The building must be over two hundred years old, but absolutely gorgeous.
The large stone and mortar two-story building was decorated with intricate carvings along the second floor balcony that ran completely around the building as best I could tell. The roof’s red tile was slightly faded from two hundred plus years of exposure to Florida’s sun and rain, but still in excellent condition. The buildings were amazingly beautiful and positioned right up against the coastline, which doesn’t hurt showcasing them off at all.
There were two stone-encrusted cannon placements between the admission and the Mendon Hall buildings with some commemorative plaque on them. I wondered what everything looked like here at the time this was all new.
The admission building had a “Welcome Freshmen” sign out front and posters directing us inside. Good thing they were pointing us inside, or else those non-leader types would just be milling around outside the building for hours.
Inside the front doors there was a large hall with two long sign up tables on either side of the hall. Past the end of each table were two half mooned stairways engraved with detailed and intricate craftsmanship leading to the second floor. Queen Elizabeth should have been descending the stairs because everyone else looked completely out of place.
I made my way over to the sign up table on the right still gawking at the elegance of the building and its setting, trying to convince myself that I was actually here and this would not all disappear on me.
The girl seated behind the registration table looked up as I reached the table. “Welcome to Palm Bay University. My name is Charlene. If you would just take a moment to sign in here with your name and major, I’ll grab you your welcome package.”
I filled out the card and returned it back to the girl. Charlene looked at the card and gasped, “Oh, Wilson McClain” She looked like I had won a prize for the 1,000th customer or something. She stood and looked up toward the top of the staircase excitedly waving her hand up at someone.
“Is everything alright?” I asked, wondering if I was in the wrong hall.
“No, I mean yes, everything is just fine! It’s so nice to meet you Mr. McClain,” Charlene gushed.
The girl had to be at least a year or two older than I was, so why was she calling me mister. “I’m just here to sign up for freshmen classes. Do I have the right table?”
“Yes, you do, but Mr. Anchutes will assist you now.”
I had no doubt that the well-dressed James Bond looking man hurrying down the stairs was Mr. Anchutes. He had slicked back black hair and dark inset eyes. He was at my side in a flash welcoming me to PBHU before briskly requesting that I follow him.
I show up on time, have a pizza and a few dances…. How could I be in trouble already? All I wanted to do was blend in and have some fun. Oh no, maybe they found out about those surfer girls and policeman I messed with. Maybe those girls go here and recognized me. No way, that was too much of a long shot. Also those girls didn’t even hear the voice coming from the trunk. Just the cop heard the voice.
Mr. Anchutes stopped and held the door open for me as we reached the fifth door down the center hallway. The doors in the center hall were not marked in any way, by room number or by name. I counted them as we walked by, in case I would need to return for any reason.
The room that we entered was interesting. A large ten foot long narrow table stood in the back of the room with six ominous chairs on one side, and what I assumed would be my seat directly across from them. There were old civil war paintings on the one wall and one wall dedicated to deep built in bookshelves. Two large comfortable leather chairs sat between a reading light and large world globe. The room smelled of faint pipe tobacco and wood polish.
Mr. Anchutes speaking in a smooth friendly voice, asked me to have a seat. I knew I would end up in that chair facing someone but who was still the question.
“It was nice of you to arrive so early, Wilson.” Mr. Anchutes said.
Since there was a four-day sign up period I didn't quite understand how I was early. I let it go without a question though, and thanked him for the chair.
“The council will be in momentarily, would you like a coffee or soft drink?”
The council… hmmm… “No, thank you. I’m fine, sir.” I wanted my hands free for whatever was coming.
He nodded, smiled and then excused himself. As soon as the door behind me shut the door to the side opened and in marched six people who I presumed were the council members.
Two of the men were dressed in full business suits and ties looking ready for a day in court, the other two men were dressed in what I imagined was traditional attire for professors. The last two members of the council were female. They were stunningly attractive and dressed in light summer dresses. They didn’t seem to fit in quite as well with the gentlemen’s club look.
“Welcome to Palm Bay Heights University.” The man closest to the middle spoke up as they all took their seats.
I had risen when they entered the room and the two ladies apparently noticed this, because when they sat down they shot a quick glance at one another and smiled as I took my seat.
I spoke in a voice as professional as I could muster not knowing what trouble I had gotten into yet. “Thank you, sir it’s a pleasure to be here. I hope I haven’t done anything wrong?”
“No, not at all,” he reassured me. “Allow me to introduce myself and the other members of the council. I’m Dr. Ishmail and to my right are Dr. Cook, and Professor Watten. To my left are Professor Hoob, Professor Limbert and Congressman Jones.”
Doctor Ishmail was a clean cut thinly built man, who carried himself very confidently. He reminded me of Ward Clever on that old sitcom, Leave it to Beaver.
“Our university watches major newspapers, and talks to school councilors from all over the United States looking for special students. We canvas a great many applications looking for particular traits. As you may have noticed our pre test is not standard or like any of the other prescreening test you may have taken for other colleges. We not only look for good college students but we also have a special branch of this university that looks for unique and gifted people. We would like for you to answer a few more questions for us today to see if this special branch would be of interest to you, and also help us to judge your qualifications for this program?”
&nb
sp; A special program that I would qualify for… now that was interesting. Since I hadn’t used too much effort in high school and devoted most of my time to my own hobby, I was curious what they saw in me that was worth this extra attention.
“Sure, why not… sir.”
Clearing his throat Mr. Ishmail said, “We’ll be asking you a few situational questions. Please answer right away to simulate a real life scenario. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir”
Professor Hoob was the next to speak. She was a tall thin woman with platinum blond hair and pale, ice blue eyes. She would have looked like a runway model if weren’t for the casual sundress she was wearing being a bit too tame for your typical supermodel type.
“You’re in a small bi-engine plane with twelve passengers and one stewardess. You are traveling from Las Vegas to Dallas. Five minutes off the runway, the pilot has a massive heart attack and dies within seconds. The plane is maintaining its altitude. The stewardess calls out for help and asks for anyone with flight experience. Nobody on board replies to her call. What are the first three things you would do?”
“I would get to the pilot to verify that he’s dead and then ask the stewardess to help me remove the pilot from the cockpit. Before touching anything I would try to use the radio to make contact with the tower.”
“Very good.” Hoob states and then fires again.
“The radio is out. The pilot spilt coffee on it when he had his heart attack. Next three steps, and explain why please.”
“OK. No radio. I would get a feel for the controls while there is no immediate danger. Since we had left leaving Las Vegas and were going toward Texas I know I would be over the desert for a few hours. I would ask the stewardess to hand out life preservers to the passengers.”
“Life preservers?” Hoob questioned her eyes narrowing. “Why would you pass out life preservers when you’re traveling over a desert?”
“Because life preservers can be blown up and used like airbags in cars. Anything soft for padding.”
“ Because…?” Hoob prompted, wanting further detail.
“Because the next thing that I would do would be to bring the plane down as soon as I could, and in a straight line on the same course. The reasons are that without flight knowledge and training turning the plane back to the airport would be more dangerous than just continuing straight. The quicker I get the plane on the ground the more likely it is we’ll be picked up. The Juarez desert is 25,000 square miles of sand. That’s a big area to be lost in, without any water or a radio. Also the sooner I drop the plane down the more likely we would still be within the original tower’s radar. So if we end up with injuries, being rescued sooner rather than later may make all the difference. Also two other points, landing in the desert not only leaves lots of room for error but it also provides a very long long landing strip that’s hard to miss. Secondly we would have avoided endangering any additional lives on the ground.”
I was sure that turning a plane too sharply, with too little air speed would drop the plane from the sky. Giving the plane more gas and speed would not have been first on my list of things to do, but I left that detail out not wanting to seem too cowardly.
The council members huddled up to review my explanation, each adding a few words of their own into the conversation. I was too far back to hear anything over a low murmur every now and then. The council all seemed to be in consensus when they faced me again.
“Mr. McClain, we believe that is one of the most practical answers to that question we have ever received. Not too heroic, and no more risk taken than was required. Your immediate action was backed up with reason and a very clear plan. Very well done.” Hoob said with a quick nod.
Professor Watten stood up to ask the next question. He must have been fifty years old, but looked like he was as fit as any student on campus. “Mr. McClain, let’s say you enter the Sundowner Bank of Palm Bay at 9:30 AM. There are no customers in sight, the doors to the offices are closed and there is one teller behind the counter looking at paperwork in front of her. You are there to open an account and deposit your first paycheck from a part time Piggly Wiggly bagger job. What do you do after entering?”
“May I ask what day it is, sir?”
“No… here’s your next scenario”
O…okay, I guess I didn’t do so well on that one.
“There’s an outdoor concert you and your friend have wanted to attend for months. After waiting in line several hours to purchase tickets, just as you reached the ticket booth you’re told they just sold out. You’re disappointed, but as you leave, making your way down the street you notice there is an opening in the fence that you could sneak through to get in for free. What do you do?”
“I would walk back to the ticket booth and ask to see the manager. I would explain to him that there is a hole in the fence, which is probably causing lost sales. I would then volunteer to repair the fence in the morning if he’d allow my friend and I to attend the concert and get backstage passes. If he is smart I’m sure this offer would make good sense for him to accept. If not then I’m sure he’s going to lose even more money through the hole in his fence.”
The council moved in again for a quick huddle and then broke, as the door behind me opened. Mr. Anchutes walked in carrying a small table with three black boxes on it. He placed the table in front of me. From the resounding thud it made when it hit the floor it must have weighed quite a bit.
The black boxes appeared to be made of thick plastic, each one covered with a heavy black cloth lid with a slit cut into the top.
The council gave me a moment to evaluate the boxes set in front of me before Congressman Jones stood up to address me.
“In front of you there are three boxes, as you can clearly see. In two of the boxes there is a check made out to cash for $5,000 dollars. In one box is a Cobra red snake that has very poisonous venom. We want you to put your hand in one box. It’s up to you if you choose to put your hand in two boxes, we will allow that. I will tell you that the center box is a safe choice.”
Then professor Limbert spoke. “I will tell you that the center box is not safe.”
Then Dr. Cook spoke. “And I will tell you the box on your right is safe”
Congressman James spoke again, with no expression or tone in his voice.
“And I will tell you the box on your right is not safe. That’s all that will be said, now make your choice.”
THEY HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! Either I get rich or end up in the hospital or morgue…. What kind of choice is that?
“No, sir. I will not put my hand in any box! I’m afraid this is not the school for me…. thank you just the same… I’ll be leaving now.”
As I stood to leave Mr. Anchutes very calmly said. “Please sit down, Wilson”
The council members did not look rattled or even surprised at my outburst of refusal. Hell, they looked almost pleased and were ignoring me and back in their huddled position.
Anchutes walked over in front of the table with the boxes. He flipped the boxes on their sides so I could see there were no bottoms to the boxes they were empty. No snake. No money.
“Just a test,” he whispered. “We’re not keen on killing off freshmen so early in the year,” he winked as he removed the table.
“Mr. McClain, please accept our apologies for the dramatics, but you were never in any real danger. We needed to see how you would respond under stress, pressure and misdirection. It’s surprising how many people can’t ignore the impulse to follow direction under duress, even when it’s the wrong direction. We would like to ask you one final question now before allowing you to ask any of the myriads of questions I’m sure you have. What made you ask a question during the bank scenario, rather than giving us a reply?”
“Well sir, I like to give the person asking the question the answer to what they really want to know, and that’s not always what’s really asked. And without more information or details of the situa
tion I didn’t have a clear understanding of the true question. The day would have told me if the empty bank was the correct appearance or not. The parking lot would have told me how many people I should expect to see inside the bank. Since banks always have open door policies, that would have been a signal to me that I had missed important details. Since it was a bank question it was a leading situation to be either a robbery or a math question, or maybe just, do I know how to open a savings account. Saving money is tough these days.”
A slight chuckle came from a few council members, and I could feel that this, whatever this was… was coming to an end.
“Alright, Mr. McClain, you may ask any questions you have at this time.”
Where should I start, how much time would they allow me? I searched my brain for a logical place to start. Since I didn’t see anything normal about any of this…. I guess I’d start with that.
“What did I just interview for? Was I supposed to know I was coming for this test? Am I still accepted to this University?” The questions poured out of me without giving the council any chance to answer. I tried to shut my mouth so I could hear a few answers and then get a second round in before being ushered off. Dr. Ishmail stood and I could see the outcome of this event was going to finally be revealed.
“You see, Wilson, we have two separate universities running here at the same time. Although not completely separate, there is a vast difference of knowledge and training being passed on. On one side you have normal students getting normal degrees in science, math, and business. And on the other side, we have some of the most gifted students from around the world now being trained and educated in subjects such as counterintelligence, reconnaissance, and espionage just to name a few.
The United States government funds this portion of the university to develop a pool of people to draw from for any number of special projects, programs or positions. I’m afraid this is as specific as I am allowed to be at this point. We recruit for this program like any other school recruits for their athletic programs.
I’m sure you didn’t know, but we have been watching you all through high school, and we drafted a few questions specifically for you. We believe after speaking with you this morning that you are a good fit for our special abilities program. If you accept our offer, you will be enrolled in the Special Abilities program where all classes and training are fully paid for by the government, with no cost to you.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and few people get a chance at what we are offering you now. The SA program will teach you things you would never learn in any other universities. This is also an accelerated program because of the nature of the studies and activities. You would be given an allowance that would be ample for any needs that arise. There are dorm room accommodations for you in this building that are unequaled at any other university in the world.
We have had the opportunity to debate about you for a long time, Wilson. Unfortunately, we can’t allow you that same luxury before you have to make a decision about us. We can, let you have until the last day of enrollment to give us your answer. We hope you will find this a challenge and understand it for the great opportunity it is. We all wish you the best with whatever decision you make.”