Fire Book Two

The Friday before leaving for Europe, a large, really large, delivery was made, to the new school.  Eddie was there when it arrived.  He opened the letter that came with the large boxes.  It seemed that 'Philip' had been busy.  After school, he had all the Haven, Phoenix and the Harris kids report to the gym.  The first thing that happened was that 'Philip' showed the gang the Barcelona video. Then he announced that they were going to be responsible for the candles.  The boxes were then carefully unpacked, and the younger kids (less than ten years old) were each given a special candle, with a two foot handle which had a grip for each hand.  Each grip had a trigger and both triggers had to be depressed to light the butane flame within the polycarbonate chimney.  The other kids were each given two candles with short handles and just one trigger to operate the flame. 

Then each kid practiced lighting their candle(s).  Next came walking while keeping the candles lighted.  They were all told to take their candles home and practice in the halls without any other lights on, to simulate what they would be doing during the concert. There were even special brackets set up for a pair to be attached to Lou's chair so he could participate, too.  Needless to say, there was lots of fun in the halls.  Eddie, Lee and Neal were checked out to make sure they could refill the butane reservoir in each type of candle. 

By Monday, there was a frenzy of activity all around Havendale. 

At the Phoenix house, all the boys were busy packing their clothes, and John and Becky were making sure everyone's new passport was in order.  Oliver had taken the bus in to the shop for a complete check, to be sure it was in good shape for the trip.  He also made sure his international commercial license was current.  Normally, it wouldn't be a problem, but he was going to be transporting extremely sensitive material and he didn't want there to be any problems.

At Haven, the kids were all excited about getting to see Chameleon and maybe even getting to meet them. 

At the Harris house, Travis was worried that something bad might happen and get people he loved in trouble.

Lee had things at the school running smoothly, and his assistant principals were well up to the task of keeping things in order, while he was gone.  Linda had considered not going... for about two milliseconds, and had insisted that 'Philip' get passports for the triplets and Lou, also.  Of course, 'Philip' did not tell her that he had already gotten them. 

Andy called a meeting of the Squad Leaders and Neal.  They discussed the performance, and the role 'Philip' and 'James' had for them.  They wanted to have some sort of special look, so that everyone could easily tell they were part of the same group.  There was discussion about that, until Hairy Henderson, Squad 4 leader, stated the obvious, "We're all Scouts, why don't we wear our uniforms?"

Noah Patterson, Squad 5 leader, asked, "What about the little guys?"

E. J. Rossman commented, "The little guys are really looking forward to becoming Tigers next year.  Why not get them tiger uniforms and just not put all the insignias on them?"

Everyone thought that was a great idea.  Neal came back with, "I think we should all have matching neckerchiefs.  I wonder if Philip could get them made in time.  Hey, 'Philip'!"

'Yes, Neal.  There is no need to yell.  I'm not deaf, you know.'

"Well, can you get them done?"

'There is not sufficient time to have them done before you leave. However, I believe I can have a Swiss manufacturer complete them and deliver them directly to the hotel.  What color should they be, and is there any special design?'

Bob Brown said, "It needs to be something that really stands out.  We want everyone to know who we are.  And it will help the younger guys, if they somehow get separated, to find us."

'Might I recommend Scarlet, the color used by Chameleon for their cummerbunds.'

Neal added, "And the Phoenix, like on the gate, on the back."

It was decided then and there, and 'Philip' made the order, after conferring with 'James'.

Neal found Jim Gordan and filled him in on what they needed.  Philip printed out the sizes needed for the little guys, and Jim and Neal headed to the Scout store.  Neal decided that they should go ahead and put Council patches and unit numbers on the shirts.  They dropped off the uniforms at the Phoenix House, and Becky got two of the house staff to help, and they got the patches sewn on and had each boy come in, then they had him put on the pants so they could hem them to the proper length. It was going to work out really well.

Tuesday morning was near chaos.  Nick and Lee got their crew packed and loaded, and headed to the Phoenix house.  Tom Richards and his crew were arriving at the same time they did.  The Phoenix kids were lined up and, one at a time, giving Oliver their big suitcases to pack in the luggage compartments under the bus.  Then they were getting on the bus, and the bigger boys helped put the carry-ons under the seats.  Each boy also had his custom Watkins Enterprises laptop.  There was easily more computing power here than at NASA Mission Control. [Unfortunately very true in fact one of those laptops has more computing power than the Shuttle :( ]

When everyone was loaded on the bus, John and Bobby raced from where they had been overseeing the procedure, to the big van with the lift.  Bobby won, this time.  Oliver led the way to Pittsburgh International Airport.  They proceeded to the charter area.  The TSA team did their job and, amazingly, didn't give anyone a particularly hard time.  The boys then waited for the plane to be ready.  A silver 767 taxied to the ramp.  An attendant came over and asked for Mr. Richards. 

Tom stood and approached.  Soon he was explaining to the waiting crowd, "Eddie and Oliver, I want you to board and help get the boys settled in the back."  He turned to address the kids.  "We are the only passengers, so there are plenty of window seats.  If any of you are a bit afraid, you can sit next to someone.  I know Doc will be sitting next to me."

From the crowd, Neal's voice came, loud and clear, "That's not 'cause he's scared, Dufus!"  That got a good laugh. 

The loading began.  Once everyone was on board, the three flight attendants made sure that all  seat-belts were fastened securely; then they went through the standard pre-flight instructions.  The plane began its taxi to the runway.  The pilot informed them that they were third in line and would soon be taking off.  This was a totally new experience for the majority of the boys. 

Travis was grinning, as he was telling Mitch exactly what to expect.  Bobby was a bit apprehensive, since this was the first time he had flown in a wheelchair.  This being a custom executive plane, it had a special location for securing a wheelchair.  John had opted to move to a regular seat and have them store his chair.

The flight was uneventful, but quite long.  The boys did manage to get some sleep, and it was the middle of the night when they arrived in Zurich.  Customs was easy, and the two tour buses 'Philip' had chartered were already waiting for them.  The boys were no trouble and were very glad to get to their rooms and climb into bed.  The adults were not far behind, either. 

The adults had to wake the kids up at eleven in the morning (local time, five in the morning their home time, Jeez).  They went to the hotel restaurant for lunch, and then the women took the kids who were under twelve to go sightseeing, and the men took the others 'sightseeing' in small groups, and ended up at the bank.  Oliver picked up the truck and forklift that had been arranged for their use and drove to the back of the bank, where secure deliveries were made.  He ran the card he had been given through the scanner and the massive reinforced steel door lifted out of the way.  He pulled into the garage and backed the truck up to the loading dock.

'Philip' and 'James' had done a wonderful job.  The truck was an excellent fit to the dock.  He was wondering just how to proceed, when the door next to the dock opened, and Travis waved.  Oliver joined him and went into the vault area.  One of the vaults was open, and there was a life-sized statue in white marble of a horse and rider.  Oliver couldn't resist looking into the vault.  He now knew how the archeologists felt when they discovered the treasure of a king's tomb.  There were crates and stacks of gold bars, and black bars that he assumed were silver.  They were going to need a bit more room to work, and he needed to pick up the supplies from the warehouse.  The boys present began carrying things out to the truck.  Oliver came back, driving the lift.  After thirty minutes, the truck was fully loaded, and Oliver left. 

Nick went with him, and they drove to the warehouse.  There were some guards standing about the warehouse, and Nick and Oliver were stopped and asked for identification.  Then they were allowed to enter.  Inside were the three huge trucks 'Philip' had promised.  Nick opened the first truck and it appeared to be about two thirds full of crates.  Nick worked on something, and water began draining out of the truck.  He found several other releases, and soon there was a veritable flood of water emptying from the truck and into the floor drain.  This process was repeated on the other two trucks.

When the first truck was empty, Nick began collapsing the container.  He recovered the supplies and then helped Oliver unload the small truck into the second huge truck.  Nick checked that everything on each pallet was on the list the computers had generated for this truck.  Once all the pallets were loaded, they loaded the supplies and were back on the road to the bank.  They got the supplies unloaded, and it was time for dinner.  Oliver left in the truck, and the others all went back to the hotel, leaving the bank in small groups. 

Dinner was filled with excited conversation from the younger kids about all the things they had seen.  After dinner, Shorty took over the care of the youngsters, and Oliver, with the other men and oldest boys hidden in the back of the truck, returned to the vault.  A bank guard and another man who had the other key to the vault met them and unlocked the door, then left.  Nick directed the others in how to assemble the huge crate.  The boys were assigned the task of wrapping the statue in plastic.  When the crate was completed, except for the top, Nick brought out the tanks and proceeded to fill it one third full of polystyrene foam, which they then covered with a single huge sheet of thick plastic.  Then, with the help of the forklift and several block and tackle rigs, the heavy statue was lifted and gently laid on its side in the crate.  Once that was done, another thick sheet of plastic was used to cover the statue, then more foam was added.  The top of the box was secured  before the foam expanded too much. 

After a thirty minute break, the crate was set upright, and carefully loaded into the small truck.  The work crew was just barely able to fit into the back.  They were then off to the warehouse near the stadium where the concert would be.  The guards checked Oliver's ID and let the truck pass.  The forklift in the warehouse was much more powerful than the one they were using in the bank, so transferring the statue went quite easily.  The foam should protect it from breaking on its long voyage.

It was nearly time for bed when they returned.  Neal was waiting for Tom.  Tom assumed he was still upset about not being allowed to go tonight; he was wrong.  "Dad, how come we can't use any of the other rooms on this floor?"

"They are reserved for 'Chameleon' and the others coming to the concert."

"Oh.  Jeez."

Tom, knowing Neal, assumed the worst.  "Young man, what have you done?  I told you, NO BenGay!"

"Huh?  Daaaaad!  Chameleon!  Here?  Jeez!"  Neal was totally star struck.  "When do they get here?  Can we meet them?"

Tom rolled his eyes.  "Neal, they will be arriving sometime Friday.  We should hopefully be done with the other little chore by then.  Yes, of course, you will get to meet them.  And YOU'd better behave!"

"Jeez, Dad."  Neal turned and ran up the hall.  "Hey, guys!  Chameleon is stayin' here with us!"

Needless to say, the crew was not easily put to bed, and sleep was even longer to come.  Nick, Lee, Tom and Leo took great pleasure in waking the crew quite early on Thursday morning.  They let their evil side play, as they pounded loudly on doors, and yelled to the sleeping occupants. 

The hotel's idea of breakfast was fine for the adults, but wouldn't hold the kids' hunger in check for five seconds.  Nick went to the kitchen, talked to the chef and soon was directing the preparation of an American Boy Breakfast, French toast (made with real French bread), hash brown potatoes with diced onion, and more bacon than the chef had ever prepared before.  The staff was filling small pitchers with various fruit syrups, since there wasn't any maple syrup to be found. (Nick promised to send the chef several gallons.)

The kids were delighted with the real food, when it arrived.  There wasn't any left when they were done.  The chef and Nick stood and watched, as the mounds of food were attacked and leveled.  The chef was grinning, and told Nick he would be prepared for them tomorrow, now that he knew he was dealing with trained locusts.  Nick laughed and patted his new friend on the back.

This morning Lee stayed with Lou and the four babies (yes four, but that is a different story and I'll get to that later) (Bet you hoped to never see that again.  Hehehe.), so Linda could get to see the wonders in the vault.  After they were gone, and the twins were napping, Lee went to check on Lou.  Lou looked up from his paper.  "Hi, Dada.  Phil help, and I reading."

Lee was just amazed at how well Lou was progressing.  Having been totally deprived of almost all sensory input until his rescue, he was regaining the lost ground and would soon be surpassing his age peers.  His art was what was absolutely amazing.  He understood how to make a picture just jump to life.  He drew whenever he could.  Family members were his favorite subjects, except for the beautiful lady he kept drawing.  "What are you reading?"

"Doctor Zoots, wed fish, bwew fish.  It funny, Dada."  Lou smiled and reached out to his dad.

Lee picked him up, gave him a big hug, and gave him a ride around the room. 

*  *  *

Linda was totally amazed at how many things were stored in this vault.  It was strange to think that Travis was now very, VERY rich.  She wondered if he had any concept of just how much all this was worth.  Well, she didn't, so why should Travis?  The boy in question walked up to her.  "I know, Mom.  It's totally incredible.  I wish I knew more about Alexei.  From the history books I read, he was just a little older than me, when he was last here.  He had to leave his family; that was sad, but it did save his life."

"Yes, sweetheart, it certainly did.  This is quite a collection of treasure.  We're going to have to find somewhere safe to be able to sort through all of this, and then decide what to do with it." 

Tom heard Linda's remark.  "I've been informed by 'Philip' that there is a hangar at Haven that should do nicely for that.  He is annoying with all the information he doesn't bother to tell anyone until we need it."[Hmm why don't the adults emulate the kids and just ask?]

Linda grinned.  "So, it's not just me.  Do you think Sir Reginald could have him reprogrammed?"

"Not if you call him that.  He just wants to be called Reg.  The only problem with having 'Philip' reprogrammed is that he would lose his personality and what we'd end up with could be worse.  You have to admit, he is wonderful with the boys, and will defend them with everything he can."

"Spoil sport."

All the kids worked hard, and Oliver found a place with carryout food and brought lunch in for everyone.  By the end of the day, the vault was completely empty, and the trucks were loaded.  Nick was impressed that they were actually finished ahead of schedule.  Tom wanted to celebrate, and they found a nice restaurant that wasn't panicked by the size of their party.  As it turned out, they had taken over the entire place.  Seventy-two kids and sixteen adults tended to do that.  Luckily, two of the waiters spoke very good English, and could explain the menu to the hungry horde.  The adults put a stop to the wine orders.  Even so, there was a party atmosphere.  No one stayed up late that night. 

However, the next morning, the big question was when Chameleon and the rest were arriving.  It was gross, how many times the adults were asked (two times per kid, do the math!).  The answer was always the same: "After lunch."

The morning was spent relaxing.  Neal was so excited about meeting Chameleon.  He kept checking the hall to see if anyone had arrived.  Finally he heard the elevator and rushed into the hall.  There was a man in a familiar brown uniform.  "I'm looking for Andy Rolyat," the man said, in accented English.

Neal went to a nearby door and knocked, "Hey, Andy!  You got a delivery."

Andy opened his door, "Me?"

The man brought the box to Andy.  "Sign here, please."

Andy signed and took the box.  The man told him, "I am delivering the rest of the order to the stadium."

The man took back the signature pad and left.

Andy opened the box and grinned.  "Neal, tell all the guys to come here.  These are our neckerchiefs."  Soon the hall was full, and Andy passed out the bright scarlet triangles with the embroidered phoenix that had a Scout fleur de lis worked into the design.  Below the Phoenix was a gold chameleon, just like the one the band used on their cummerbunds. 

Mikey Flynn asked, "How do we wear this?"

The older boys soon had taught the younger ones how to roll the neckerchief and to put the slide on.  It didn't take long after the first boy went and put on his Scout uniform shirt, until the rest had followed suit.  Soon the hall was packed with Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts.

The stairwell door opened, and a man stepped into the hall and started taking pictures, the flash nearly blinding the boys.  Jason was the closest of the older boys, and confronted the man. 

"Hey!  What's the big idea?"

"Out of the way, kid!  I'm here to get pictures of Chameleon."

Neal had made his way to the front of the crowd of boys.  "This is a private floor.  You need to leave now, after you give me the memory stick from your camera."

"Yeah, right!  Where are they?"  The jerk was still taking pictures.

Jason had had enough, and reached for the camera.  The man pulled the camera out of reach and back handed Jason in the face.

The only way to describe what happened next is that, all hell broke loose.  The boys surged forward, and the man was knocked down in a hurry.  He lost his grip on the camera, and it was gone.  Boys were pouncing on him with no regard to his screams for them to get off him, and he was pretty much helpless against the sheer number of them.  It was almost as if things had been planned.  The man lost his shoes and belt, then was quite roughly pushed back into the stairwell where he had entered the floor. He watched as his camera went over the rail and fell to the concrete floor twenty seven floors down.  There were not many pieces bigger than a dime left of the expensive SLR digital camera. His boss was not going to be happy when he found out what happened to it.  The man's shoes and belt quickly followed the camera.  The boys returned to the hall and 'Philip' saw to it that the door was locked.  He also locked all the access doors to the various floors, down to the lobby level.  Hotel security was notified of the intruder and they were already waiting for him at the base of the stairway, when he finally arrived.

The reporter was hoping that the memory stick survived the fall.  He needn't have worried; it survived just fine, since it wasn't even in the camera any more.

The adults came out to investigate the ruckus in the hall and found sixty-eight perfect angels,  their halos held in place by their devil's horns.  Tom locked eyes with Neal.  "Sorry we made so much noise, Dad."

"Is there something I should know?" Tom asked.

Andy stepped forward. "Mr. Richards, there was a bit of a problem, but we were able to handle it." 

"Okay, we will be going down for lunch, so don't get involved in anything else."  Tom and the other adults returned to their rooms to get ready to go.

It was at this point that the elevator door opened, and a surprised looking boy came rushing out and stopped short at seeing all the kids in their Scout uniforms.  After looking over the group, he suddenly pointed at Neal.  "Hey, I know you...!"

"Yeah, and you're Kit, ain't cha?" replied Neal.

"Hello."

"Jeez, guys, I think maybe Chameleon may be here..."  Neal blinked as two adults, the man he thought was the Sir, the Lady who was his pretty wife, and another boy, stepped from the elevator. 

"So, Kit, I'm Neal, and these are my brothers."

"What's going on?" asked Kit.

"Oh, we just got rid of a nosy reporter."

Reg looked around, "I don't see him."

Neal resisted saying, 'Duh, we got rid of him!' and replied instead,  "Oh, he's on his way to the lobby.  'Philip' has alerted the hotel security, and housekeeping."

"Housekeeping?" the man asked.

The boys giggled and Neal answered, "Yeah, to sweep up what's left of his camera that somehow fell over the rail in the stairway."

The man smiled and added, "Well done, boys.  That may just have saved us quite a load of trouble."

"And we never heard that, and won't mention a thing about it," giggled the Lady.

Andy held out his hand, showing them the SD card from the camera.  "This will save us some trouble, too; I'm pretty sure. It somehow got separated from the camera. I can't imagine how that happened." Andy grinned.

"Ah-ha!  Well done, young man; we can get that checked, to see what he managed to catch on camera."

The other elevators arrived, and suddenly the passageway was crammed full of the group and other artistes.  The boys were totally gobsmacked©.  Then Neal found his voice again.  "We were just going for lunch.  When we come back, can we meet you all?"

"Neal, isn't it?" Reg asked.  Neal nodded, pleased that Reg had remembered him. 

"I tell you what, Neal, we haven't eaten since breakfast, either, so we need to eat, too.  However, we've arranged to have our meals in the conference room up here on this floor, so that the 'celebrities' aren't seen by the rest of the hotel guests and reporters.  Get your dad to check with us to see if we've finished.  Then you can all come along and join us, all right?"

"Thanks.  We'll see you soon, then."

They all took off to find their adults.  In just a few minutes the boys were organized into their squads and on their way to the elevators.  It took several trips to get everyone back to the lobby.  There was a crowd of reporters gathered to one side of the lobby, where the hotel security had herded them.

Tom led the way to the dining room.  The kitchen was in a flurry, as the orders from the dining room and the special orders from the group all arrived at the same time.   Everything was very well prepared, and all the boys enjoyed their meals.  Unfortunately, they weren't as neat as they might have been.  Several Scout shirts were stained. The boys whose shirts had food spilled on them were very upset.  Andy approached the adults.  "Dad, Mr. Richards, some of the boys have spilled stuff on their uniforms.  Is there anything we can do?"
 
Tom nodded.  "I'll go tell the hotel we have some laundry that needs to be washed and pressed.  Tell the boys, when they return to their rooms, to change out of their uniforms.  Have them bring them to you.  The stained shirts should go into one laundry bag and the other shirts in other bags.  Might as well do the uniform pants as well.  I'm sure you guys want to look really sharp tomorrow."

Andy grinned and thanked Tom, then returned to the boys.  He raised his right hand in the Scout Sign, and quiet fell on the room.  He made his announcement, and the boys cheered.  Several of the youngsters ran up and hugged Andy.

When desserts were demolished, they returned to their rooms, changed clothes and brought their Scout Uniforms to Andy.  Tom, Leo and Lee arrived with a hotel staff member and the shirts and trousers were sorted and bagged for laundering. 

When this had been successfully completed, Tom went to his room to relax for a few minutes.  He should have known better.  Just as he settled in his chair, 'Philip' appeared on the screen of the TV.  'Harrumph, sir. Sir Reg is prepared for the presence of you and the boys, sir.  Harrumph.'

Tom rolled his eyes at the English accent and overly formal tone.  "Very well, 'Philip'.  I shall summon the boys.  Please inform Reg that we shall be along shortly."  Tom grinned at the surprised look on 'Philip's' image at his formal British accented reply.

'Very well, sir.  Oh, and don't use that accent in front of the Brits.  It was horrible.'

"Thanks, 'Philip'."  Tom grinned, as the screen faded.  He got back up and went to alert the troops.

It wasn't long before the excited boys and a few girls were ready to go. Tom and the adults went first and entered the large meeting room.  This was actually one of the largest single conference rooms in the hotel.  It was one of the major reasons this floor was selected.  With seating for at least one hundred  twenty, there was plenty of room for everyone.  The adults joined Reg and the senior artists at their table.  Linda was pushing a custom made double, double decked baby carriage with the four infants.  Jane left Reg's side to join Linda, so she could get her hands on a baby or two.  Lou guided his chair close behind Linda.

The seven squads each took a table; then the Richards and Harris boys sat at the eighth table.  Chris told the boys to leave an open spot at each table, in the middle, for a guest.  The members of Chameleon had been waiting in the back of the room, and, once everyone was settled, they each joined a different table.  The boys were completely gobsmacked© when they realized just who had joined their tables.  There were handshakes from the older boys and hugs from the younger ones.

Tym went up to the boy about his age and said, "Hi, I'm Tym.  Want to come to our Squad."

"Sure, Tym.  How come you got girls in your group?" Kit asked.

Tym had made another friend and he explained all about Squad seven.

Chris, of Chameleon, introduced everyone, once the squads had calmed down.  The older boys had heard of the original 'Queen' and recognized several of their songs.  They hoped the group would play them in the concert.  The Chameleon members at their tables just smiled and said, "You won't be disappointed."  There wasn't any reaction when Chris introduced Sarah Brightman, so he had 'James' show the original video from 'Requiem' on the large view screen.  Now that impressed the young Americans!  Of course they recognized Montserrat from the 'Barcelona' video they'd watched so many times to see what they had to do with the candles.  Then the adults introduced themselves.

When things settled again, Reg asked if they'd managed to get all their parcels 'packaged.'  Nick and Oliver assured him that all had gone very well; in fact they'd finished the job early.  The water boxes had proved themselves wonderfully useful.  They figured they were fairly safe, as there were guards at the warehouse.  'James' informed them that those guards were actually undercover N.A.T.O. Soldiers, and there would be no arguments if anyone tried to force their way in.  They would be held in military custody until well after the trailers were back in the U.K.

After visiting for a while, Chris suggested that everyone go over to the stadium to set up their equipment, check on the sets, and so the boys could practice what they were to do with their candles.  The boys naturally were instantly ready to go.  Nick quickly seized control, and had one squad at a time come to the room they were using for storage, and get their candles.  This relieved the crowding at the security elevator at the far end of the floor, that took them down to the level for them to enter the stadium.  This way they could come and go without being seen.  Lou was with the last group to arrive, and Nick secured the special holders to his chair and quickly reviewed their operation.  "Unka Ni, I not upid."

Nick hugged the boy.  "No, you are definitely not.  I had to remind you, since I did everyone else, too.  Of course, Neal got told eight times."

Lou laughed at that.  Neal responded, "Jeez, Uncle Nick!  I was helpin' you!"

With a completely straight face, Nick said, "And your point?"

The three were laughing as they made their way to the elevators.  Andy had waited, just in case Lou needed any help, like if there were stairs or something.  It was a 'big brother' kind of thing.

Linda and Martha were staying behind to enjoy the peace and quiet and tend the babies.  Lady Jane decided they had the right idea, and the three women were soon becoming close friends.  Jane was particularly taken by one of the babies.  She teased that it would cry with a British accent.

When the gang emerged into the stadium, they were awestruck with the enormous size of the place.  The stage area had already been set up.  The band quickly went about getting their instruments on-stage and plugged into their amplifiers.  Chris soon had 'James' online and of course the Haven Curmudgeon had to get in a comment or two.

When 'James' ran a lighting check and had some pretty good effects going to impress the boys, another familiar voice sneaked into the sound system, 'Show off!  Harrumph!'

Tom laughed.  "I think 'Philip' is jealous," he suggested.

"Well, James is used to being our music director, so he'd do well to just get over it," chuckled Chris.

"Actually, 'Philip', there is something you could do for me.  I can't find the stool I asked for.  Can you chase that up for me, and find out what they've done with it?"

'Right away, Justin.'

"Thank you."

'Um... er... no problem.'

Tom stared, quite amazed.  "You caught him off-guard," he remarked.  "He's usually being such a grump or a smart ass, we never thank him."

"That's your problem, then," explained Reg.  "All our lads are very polite to James, so he is just the same in return.  It's what I was talking about in treating him just like another person."

"Actually we do treat him like a person, my great Uncle Philip.  Now HE was a grump!  However, I'll bear that in mind." Tom added.  "If nothing else, we might just shame him into improving his temper a bit."

"It would probably pay you to."

Meanwhile, Chris had set up the synth, watched by seventy odd pairs of eyes!  He plugged up the amplifiers to 'James'' control and the synth too.  The boys all had their candles with them, even Lou with his fitted to his wheelchair.  While Tom and Nick got them positioned on the back row of the front section of the vast auditorium, Chris got 'James' to set up a sound like bells on the synth, which he quickly did.  And it was quite a vast auditorium, looking almost like an indoor Wembly!  Then he plugged in a headset with a mic, and spoke.

"Don't panic, I'm just testing out the sound."  He continued with a run of hand-bells, adjusting the volume until it was just right.  "Okay, 'James', be the orchestra, will you, please?"

'Of course, Chris.'

"Rex, if you want to mic everyone up, James will mix you all in if we want to try a run?"  They did, so when the boys were in position, Chris came down off the stage and demonstrated to the boys how and where he wanted them to move, once the hand-bells started, showing them where the conductor would be standing.  Thereafter, they would sit in the empty seats right behind them.  There was a space  on the end for Lou's wheelchair and he would be the last to move down the line, with Andy there as his backup.  He was quite excited, knowing he was part of the crowd helping the performance.

"'James', set for 'Barcelona', please."  The scenery drops came down and some glided in from the wings.  Lighting kicked in, and some dropped out.  "Ready, boys?"

There was a concerted chorus of "You bet, Chris!" and he grinned at them as the auditorium lights faded to dark.  A black acoustically transparent net hid the rest of the group who would be doing backing vocals and Spencer, on his vast drum empire.  Just Pete and Montserrat could vaguely be seen in the darkness on stage.

Chris started the hand-bell runs, extended of course, until they all had time to take their places.  On went the candles.  As they were lit, the boys began their journey to the podium.  Once they were all surrounding the podium and holding their candles high, Chris sent the signal to James to begin the orchestral side of things.  The spots shone on Pete and Montserrat, as they walked forward on the stage, and the number began.  It ran faultlessly, and, as it ended, the cheer that went up from the boys and the adults was quite impressive, considering their comparatively small numbers in the auditorium.

Well, that was one number that worked well.

Chris also rehearsed Kit again, and, instead of being phased by the vastness of the place, he sang his piece just the way he normally would.  Chris was very pleased with him, and told him so.  The cheer the boys gave him was unbelievable.  They didn't know he was going to sing.  Tony and Sarah would rehearse tomorrow morning.  They gave the full group a chance to try out a number with 'We will rock you.'  It was a really smooth and slick performance, and the whole place literally shook.  The boys' cheering went on and on, much to the group's amusement!

After that, they mostly powered down and left everything set up as it was, with just James monitoring the stage and equipment!  On the way back to their hotel floor, the boys chattered non-stop.  Kit had been swallowed up in their midst, but nobody minded; after all, they were more his age, so it was good for him to have some other friends.   Tym was introducing Kit to John, Peter, Luke, Howie, Moe and David.  The eight boys got along great the rest of the day.  The only curiosity was that Tym never corrected Kit on his name (Hi, Tim – No that's Tym!).  He simply responded that Kit said it right.

The adults and group chatted about how well the quick rehearsal had gone, and how good it had sounded.

For dinner that evening, everyone went to the conference room, and the order was sent from there by 'James' and 'Philip'.  Those two worked remarkably well together.  After dinner, the adults got together to discuss just who was going straight back to the States, and who was going back with Reg to meet the Royals that were coming. 

Travis, of course, was a definite, since he was technically a member of the Royal family, Lee and Linda would go too, and so would Mitch, Lou, Andy and the triplets.  Neal and Brian would need to go, to represent the Phoenix Youth Foundation, so that pulled in Tom and Leo and their kids.  Shorty said that Tym would like to go, as well, to spend more time with Kit, so he would come along to watch out for him.

While the adults were working out the details, Neal was in his room trying to figure out exactly what he wanted to say to the crowd.  'Philip' was keeping track of his ideas and helping him to organize them into a somewhat logical order.

Before they went to bed, 'James' informed those who were going to England that he would give them lessons in proper deportment.  In simple words, how to behave properly around the Royals.

In the morning, everyone was allowed to sleep in, and as groups of six to ten boys were hungry, they went down to the restaurant to eat breakfast.  The reporters were still there waiting to get a picture of the group.  They didn't even know that this time tomorrow, several of the boys passing them now would be celebrities, too.

'James' was true to his word, and everyone got their lessons.  Neal, being Neal,of course, kept referring to Her Majesty as Queeny.  'James' launched into great long lectures about this, which only encouraged Neal to continue.  Then Travis, deciding Neal shouldn't have all the fun, asked 'James' if he could call her Aunt Betty.  

There might have been a meltdown at Watkins Enterprises, but 'Philip' stepped in.  'Excuse me, brother.  Boys, you will behave properly, or I will certainly make you wish you had.  And you know I can back that up.'

"Jeez, 'Philip', we were just having some fun. You know we would never do anything to embarrass Dad." However, his hand was behind his back, so no one was sure whether he meant it.

'And furthermore, Neal, NO BenGay.  I recommend you dispose of that tube you sneaked into your suitcase.  It would be a shame to have the airport security folks do a strip search on you, now, wouldn't it.'

"'Philip'!  You wouldn't...  Jeez, yes, you would."

'There you go, brother.  They should be model students.  If not, I shall deal with them, severely!'

"Jeez, he's a spoilsport."

'I believe he does ultimately have your best interests in mind,' remarked 'James'.

Neal grinned.  "Sure, we know that.  It's just so much fun to push his buttons,"

'We do not have "buttons",' James said with great dignity.

"Of course, not.  Queeny, queeny, queeny."

And so it went.  The boys really did pay attention and learned the proper address and greetings, and even the proper way to eat with all the formal dinnerware.  'Philip' was certain they would do fine; 'James' was a bit uneasy about the "bloody" Americans.

After lunch, the youngest  boys had a nap, so they would be well rested for the concert.  Neal practiced his speech for Travis, Mitch, Brian, Tom, Leo, Lee, Nick, Linda and Martha, oh, and the four babies.  They were impressed at how well he had done with that.  Then Neal and the squad leaders were asked to accompany the band to a rehearsal, to receive a few final directions now that the Orchestra was there.  They all agreed that this was going to be awesome!

Once again, they all had dinner together in the conference room; then everyone went to dress.  The boys' uniforms were all clean and pressed perfectly.  The older boys helped the younger ones get their neckerchiefs on correctly.  The concert was scheduled to begin at seven o'clock, so the boys left for the stadium at six-thirty, carrying their candles.  Neal, Brian, Travis and Mitch left their candles with the boys at the ends of the rows and went to the seats where they had been told to sit until they were introduced.

The stadium was packed, practically to the roof, and the crowd was anticipating a really fantastic show.  The press had been kept completely in the dark about the secret Mega-Star, and that had kept the public in quite an uproar as to just who it was.

At precisely seven o'clock, 'James' dimmed the lights and then faded them to total darkness.  A lone object on the stage was the only thing visible.

Author's Notes:  
            
            It might show, just a little bit, that Crackerwriter and I have talked about this.  I'm glad they have managed to get all the treasure from the vault.  'James' and 'Philip' planned all of that very well.  The concert should be a really fantastic event.  I can hardly wait to see what Neal is going to say.  I wish he would send it, so I could approve it before he gets up in front of thousands.  'Philip' said he likes it, but you can't always trust him.  I'd feel much better if 'James' had heard it and approved.  He is much better at that than his brother.  Jeez.

In the next chapter, we will finally find out who the mystery Mega-Star is.  With any luck, things will move along pretty well.  It does take a lot of work to do a story crossover, keeping both stories interesting so that either or both can stand alone.  We hope that you can get a good sense of the stories by just reading one; however, you will get a much richer experience by reading both.  

'Gobsmacked' © David Miller.   That is my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Let me know what you think of the story so far.

            Str8mayb

Editor's Notes:

Is that me?  As is almost always the case, I have added a word or two.  Kit and Tym are becoming very good friends, aren't they? 

I wonder what is going to happen to that camera guy.  I don't expect that he is going to get any sympathy from any of the youngsters, not from either group of them.  The adults are not going to be cheering him on, either.

Thanks to everyone for being so patient.  There have indeed been a lot of issues that became quite complicated, and we are very pleased that you have all been so polite with us.  We will try not to take as long as before, but some issues remain in the air.  We are ready now to start putting the next chapter together.  Wish us good luck.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher  

Associate Editor's Notes:  

Well, I guess we can't call it a 'cliffhanger', but our author has left us to wonder what's going to happen to Travis' treasure now.  They got it safely out of the bank and into the trucks, but it's still a long way home to Havendale.  Let's hope that nothing happens before they get all that art and precious metals home and safely stored away.

So, now we get to see the concert by Chameleon and their mystery guests.  You don't suppose that the 'mystery singer' is Luciano Pavarotti, do you?  Well, we should find out--'mayb!--in the next chapter.  Let's hope we get that soon!

Arli J

Fort Chief Editors Notes:

I wouldn't worry too much about reprogramming 'Philip' as all of the kids at Haven and the Phoenix House treat him with the proper amount of respect. I would be more worried about 'Philip' and Neal corrupting 'James'. Now as to the boys and Kit is Kit turning them into proper British Children or is Tym converting Kit into a "Bloody Yank" to quote 'James'.

The dramatic pauses at the end of this and LAFB 102 are strokes of literary genius. They are not Cliffhanger's as no one is in danger (at least that we know of). As to the mystery guest  it s..............

TSL