Thanks again to those of you who have taken the time to write. It looks like chapter 57 brought a few tears when Brian finally overcame his fears to accomplish what his mentor Zjan-Ren envisioned for him. Jesse Hatcher has something to prove too, as this chapter will bear out. The first scene is the last scene from the Interlude. The games are wrapping up, but will they have the opportunity to be completed?
The Boys of Lady Lex Chapter 58 "Skating on Thin Ice" Written By Douglas DD and Benjamin T. C.
"What's this?" asked Ben as he walked into the shuttle bay. "You drug me all the way up here to show me this piece of junk?" Standing before Ben, Douglas and Kalon was a rundown looking shuttle. She had major dents and scratches, even some phaser blast marks.
"Never judge a book by its cover," said Kalon. "She might look like trash, but she has much magic in her."
"Hey Ben!! Look!! Her name is `Savoy Special'."
"I named her," said Kalon. "I thought the name was fitting."
Ben looked at her. He didn't want the "Savoy Special", he wanted the "Wonder Boy". But then Kalon explained to him how the name came to be, how in the book and movie "The Natural" the Savoy special was the bat that replaced the Wonder Boy for Roy Hobbs. He continued to explain how this shuttle once belong to Jake Masters and since Jake had no use for it anymore, Kalon was able to get it to replace the "Wonder Boy". Ben learned that the systems were set up for that of a smuggler. So she was definitely a good bounty hunter.
"'Savoy Special', huh?"
"That's right," said Kalon who saw that the shuttle was appealing to Ben. Douglas saw that Ben was getting out of his funk too. "I know you don't have that last chance at bat available to you like Roy Hobbs when he was given the Savoy Special. All the capture the flags games are over, but if you guys win tomorrow, you will need her for next term."
"Can I take her out for a test spin?" asked Ben eagerly, who warmed up to the idea of the Savoy Special after hearing the story.
"I thought you'd never ask," said Kalon. "Let's climb aboard."
Jesse Hatcher sat on the bench waiting for the big game to begin. This would be the final game for him for this season. This was it. The gold medal was on the line. If they won, they got the gold; if they lost, they got the silver. Most of his teammates thought that coming in second place wasn't winning the silver; it was losing the gold.
Jesse was in the fourth line, which meant the weakest line, which meant less ice time then the other three lines. But that was fine with Jesse, because he didn't want to be the one to cause them to lose.
Sitting next to Jesse was Spencer, their number one right winger. He was taping the toe of his stick. Jesse noticed that the others were taping their sticks differently. Some were taping just the heel, while others were place a thin strip in the middle. One player even placed a strip towards the top of the shaft, and towards the bottom of the shaft where he would hold the stick if he were going to take a slap shot.
Spencer put the tape down and held out his stick for inspection. It looked more like he was admiring the job just completed.
"Why did you tape your stick like that?" asked Jesse, who had never placed tape on his stick.
"Because that's the way I do it," replied Spencer. He then got up and headed off to do something else to prepare for the upcoming game.
Mike sat down with a thud next to Jesse. He picked up the tape that Spencer had left behind and tore off a piece and started to tape the entire blade. Jesse looked at him with an inquisitive look.
"Why do you tape your stick like that?"
"Because that's the way I do it."
Captain Hatcher walked in with a presence that made the room fall silent. Captain Ely Storm, his assistant coach, and Dr. Daniels walked in right behind him. Hatcher did a quick look of his team. They didn't seem as pumped and ready to go as he had hoped. He knew a lot of weight was on their shoulders, but that weight wasn't going to be taken off until after 60 minutes of playing time.
"Listen up," said Hatcher with a boom in his voice. "We are playing against the best team in the JSFA Division and in the league as well. You played them before. You know what they've got. But, they will find out that what they have won't be enough to stop the Boys of Lady Lex."
The Locker room erupted into cheers. The boys were starting to get fired up. They were getting ready to kick some serious ass; to show the Orion who they were, and that they had met their match.
"Unfortunately, our basketball team didn't make finals, so there are only two events left: our hockey game and the varsity baseball game tomorrow. Ironically, both of them are against the `Orion'. The way the points stand, we need to win both games. If we don't win both, we don't win the Olympics and the Lady Lex will make her way back to Mothball graveyard. And you guys will make your way too...well you know where you will be going. Now, Dr. Daniels here has assured me that his boys will do their part tomorrow on the baseball diamond. We need to do our part on the ice. If we don't do our part, we might as well pack up and go home. You guys know what to do. Play smart hockey. Look for the open pass. You see a shot and take it. Talk to each other out there. And most important, be alert. I expect to see you out there in two minutes. Hatcher, Daniels, and Storm left; but, as they left, they heard a single slow clap that was soon joined by another, and another, and another, and the tempo increased, and soon the locker room was thundering with clapping and cheering. The boys were ready.
Jason Cantrau and Rick Monroe took their positions in the announcer's box. Both of them were eager to see this game. The Orion was by far the best team around, but the "Lexington" had been on fire since their first win, and nothing was going to stop them. Could this be the biggest upset in hockey that has happened in a long time? They were anxious to find out.
"Starting for the `Lexington' we have Dylan McIntire as the center, with Kyle Osbourn as his left wing and Spencer Harris as his right wing. Backing them up as defensemen are Mike Wakeman and Roc Harding. And protecting the net is TJ Polaski," said Rick Monroe.
"Now, the lineup for the `Orion' is quite interesting. The starting center is Mark Hatcher, Captain Hatcher's son. And not only will Mark be playing against his father, but he will be playing against his younger brother, Jesse as well," said Jason Cantrau.
"I'm sure that Captain Hatcher taught Mark everything he knows about the game, but the question is, did Captain Hatcher teach Mark everything he knows about the game?"
"It will be interesting to find out, Rick. The right winger is Colin Alexander and the left winger is Glenn Cox. The two big guys as the defensemen are Brooks Jackman and Sebastian Tarnstrom. I would not want to cross their paths. And protecting their net is Miguel Mackowiak, a senior who has been accepted to Boston University under a full hockey scholarship."
"The puck is dropped; Colin Alexander receives it and races towards the goal. He passes to Mark Hatcher...he shoots...TJ Polaski blocks it. What a save."
Mike, the team captain, skates by TJ, getting in position for a face off. It's ten minutes into the first period, and the game remains scoreless.
"Donkey, I need help here. I keep getting an asshole invading my crease."
"You got it."
The puck is dropped. Rick Bay of the Orion's team takes his position inside TJ's crease. "DONKEY!!!" yelled TJ.
Mike swings around and locks himself on target. He skates hard towards the goal and with ramming speed. "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!" yells Mike, as he crashes into Rick Bay, both of them falling to the ground. Mike picks himself up. He can tell that Rick Bay wasn't expecting such an impact. "There's more where that came from, if you don't stay out of there."
Rick Bay doesn't have the brains to listen. He goes right back into the crease. TJ thinks it's time for another warning. The puck comes towards him and he pokes Bay, causing him to fall and TJ recovers the puck.
With two minutes left in the first period and the game still scoreless, Rick Bay is back in the crease. TJ can't take it any more. "Okay, you asked for it." TJ takes his stick, rams it between Bay's legs, and brings it straight up. "Nut check!" Bay drops to the ice. Fortunately for TJ none of the referees see the illegal move.
The buzzer sounds and the first period is over. The score is tied at zero to zero.
"Look at me!! Do I look like a bitch?" yelled Hatcher.
"No," said the boys.
"Then why are you skating like bitches? TJ is the only one out there doing his part. If we don't score we don't win."
"It's the refs," said Grady, one of the "Lexington's" left wingers.
"Yeah, the Orion' is playing dirty. They are taking dives, holding, hooking, and slashing, and Kyle even took a high stick to his arm, but they aren't calling it. Everything has been in the Orion's' favor. I'm surprised that TJ got away with his nut check," said Roc Harding.
"Those are all excuses and excuses are like assholes. Everyone has one, and they all stink. Now get out there and show them what you've got!!" Hatcher had a look of determination on his face.
"Okay, I'll show 'em what I got," mumbled Spencer as he took to the ice once more.
Spencer received the puck and headed towards the goal. As he went to take a shot, Brooks Jackman slashed at Spencer. He quickly turned around and pushed Jackman into the boards. Then he dropped his gloves and reached behind him and yanked the back of Jackman's shirt up over his head and pulled it down, so that Jackman was hunched over. He then let his fist fly into Jackman's gut. Whistles started blowing. Another Orion Player came skating by and "clotheslined" Spencer, causing him to go down hard. Roc joined in, and soon the referees had their hands full on the ice. Nigel and Marshall, two defensemen for the Lexington, who were sitting on the bench, looked at each other. They nodded, and up over the board they went, joining in to help their teammates. It only took those two to break the invisible barrier that separated the bench from the ice. Four players from the Orion saw them skate onto the ice and they immediately broke their barrier. By the time the referees and coaches managed to get everything under control, there wasn't one person from either team left on the bench. Both teams were throwing fists instead of pucks.
Spencer was the only one ejected from the game. Roc Harding got a four minute sentence in the sin bin along with Grady, who took Spencer's spot in the sin bin. The crowds were going wild, and booing the referees when no one from the "Orion" team was penalized.
With Kyle, Dylan, and Mike alone on the ice, and TJ covering his goal, they were now facing five players plus the goalie. The game was still scoreless, and there were three minutes left in the second period.
TJ tried his best, but in those last three minutes, he gave up a goal to Mark Hatcher. With the score 1-0 for the Orion, the boys of the Lexington were starting to feel like they were fighting a losing battle.
"Boy, Mike, I am getting poked big time by the goalie," said Jesse.
"That's because you don't keep your head up. If you keep your head up, you will see the goalie shift his grip on his stick and you can back off before he pokes you."
"Thanks, I will try to do that."
Hatcher roared and yelled, telling them to get their heads out of their asses. He kept pointing out the errors they were making on the ice, and telling them how to fix them. Of course, he wasn't telling them in a pleasant manner.
"Man, Mark, you know your father well. Everything you have told us, he's tried to do, and we are just one step ahead of him," said the "Orion's" coach. "This game is ours for sure and you will probably be our number one star. You know your father like a book. I hope he isn't as predictable sitting in the captain's chair, as he is sitting in the coach's seat."
"My dad has a way of doing things, and he doesn't break out of his pattern. His strategy might be complex for any other team, but I was brought up on his strategy and therefore it's simple for me. Now he is going to probably try this." Mark explains what his father would probably try doing in the third and final period.
"You realize those referees won't let us win," said Ely.
"I know. They're probably working for Whitaker. But even with odds against us, I am not going to have my boys give up, and neither am I," Hatcher retorted.
"What are you going to do about Spencer?"
"What he did was wrong. But, how I would have loved to throw a punch with him. I remember back at St. Joe's, I got into this fight on the ice and it was so awesome. I forget what the other player did to me, but I ended up breaking his nose. I got benched for a couple of games after that. But it was well worth it.....at the time."
"We're not going to win, are we Steve?" asked Ely.
"The odds are against us Ely. The Orion' is playing a dirty game, and the refs are on their side. I have to admit, I am embarrassed that my son is playing on that team. I can't believe that Mark would lower himself to that level. I might have taught him to play hard and rough, but never dirty. I mean, here is a group of boys who are used to playing dirty, playing by their own rules and not the rules that were set before them, yet they still try to play a clean and honest game. And then there are the Orion' boys; they didn't have to worry about rules so much. They've been handed everything to them on a silver platter, and when the going gets tough, instead of knowing what to do to play fair and still win, they play cheap and dirty. Yes, Ely, for the first time in my life, I am ashamed and embarrassed by Mark's behavior."
Ely didn't say a thing. He knew all too well how hard that was for Hatcher to admit that to him, and knew it was even harder to admit to himself.
The Lady Lex took their last timeout. Roc and Dylan were placed in the sin bin. There was less then a minute left in the game and the "Lexington" was down 1-0. There wasn't much hope left for the "Lexington".
"TJ, as soon as the puck is on their end, I want you to skate out. We are already down two skaters, so we are going to use the three two one play."
"Dad?" said Jesse.
"Not now Jesse,"
"But dad."
"Mike I need you too...."
"DAD!!! Listen to me for a change. Will you?"
Hatcher wanted to yell at Jesse right then and there for raising his voice with him, but a certain look from Ely told him not to. With a big sigh he said "What is it Jesse?"
"They're beating us because of Mark."
"Mark is a good player. There is nothing I can do about that."
"Not that dad. Mark knows how you operate on the ice. I bet he is telling his coach right now that you plan on using the three two one play."
Hatcher looked over to the "Orion's" box. He saw Mark talking to their coach. Could Jesse be right? Could Mark be playing dirtier then he thought? Would Mark betray his own father? He knew the answer, and it turned his stomach inside out.
"Dad, if we are going to tie this game up to go into overtime, we need to do something that you would never do. We need to throw Mark completely off track."
"What did you have in mind?"
"The donkey surprise play."
"That won't work. It's a very high risk."
"We're used to taking high risks, Captain," said Mike.
"But TJ doesn't even leave his goal."
"That's the cool part; because they know you are going to pull your goalie and when you don't that will throw them off all the more."
Hatcher thought quickly. Hatcher felt like he had been giving in too much and too easily lately, but a good captain knew when to listen to his crew. "Alright, but if, and only if, we manage to get a breakaway."
"Good luck, Mike," said Jesse, as he was about to sit back down.
"What are you doing? Get out there!!"
"Me dad? But?"
"You said do something that I would never do; something Mark wouldn't expect," Hatcher winked at his son. Then he looked up and saw a grin on Ely's face.
"Yes Sir." Jesse got up and, as he was climbing over the wall, he tripped and fell flat on his face. Red from head to toe with embarrassment, he quickly scrambled to his feet and headed out on the ice.
"I have to give it to you Steve. You never cease to amaze me," said Ely.
"Nor myself."
"What's this? Hatcher is sending his son, Jesse, onto the ice," said Rick Monroe.
"Surprising move by Hatcher, considering Jesse is, by far, the weakest player on the team. And look at the surprised and confused look of Mark Hatcher, Jesse's brother who plays on the `Orion'. What is Hatcher thinking?
"The puck is in play. TJ Polaski is having his hands full. He can't keep the puck away from him. The time is ticking away. If they can't get the puck away from their goal, they won't be able to pull TJ, and they are already playing three on five," said Rick.
"It looks like the `Orion' is going to skate home with the gold on this."
"There's a breakaway. Jesse Hatcher has the puck. He is heading towards the goal. Between the legs, three-sixty, lacrosse style, upper right corners. He scores!!!'
"And there goes the buzzer. The Lexington' has tied the score. Now it's sudden death. I don't believe it. This is amazing and what a beautiful shot by Hatcher. He is definitely his father's son. All the Orion's' players can't figure out what happened. What a move."
"The puck is being battled back and forth. Both goalies are showing excellent talent on the ice," said Rick.
"This has been one amazing game. Dylan McIntire shoots, he misses, Mike Wakeman rebounds, he shoots, and he scores!!! The `Lexington' wins the gold," yelled Jason Cantrau.
"Listen to Mike Wakeman down there. He is braying like a donkey. What a game. The `Orion's' team is devastated. This game will go down in the books, for sure."
Jesse Hatcher ran back into the locker room. After the game, everyone showered and cleaned up, but he had left his skates behind and wanted to retrieve them. When he entered the dark, quite locker room he saw someone sitting on the bench looking at him.
"Dad?"
Captain Hatcher looked up. When he saw Jesse was in the locker room, he stood up. He was holding Jesse's skates. "This was his favorite style and brand of skates," said Hatcher.
"Who?"
"My father's....your grandfather."
"I like them," was all Jesse could think of to say.
"Jesse, I want you to know that you did well out there today."
"Thanks."
"And I want you to know that you . . ." Hatcher paused a second trying to figure out how he wanted to say this. "I want you to know that I'm proud of you....son." Jesse smiled and began to glow. "Here, you better take these and get out of here before they kick us out." Hatcher held out the skates. As Jesse went to take them, Jesse pressed himself against his father and hugged him.
"I love you, Dad."
For the first time, Hatcher hugged Jesse back. "And I love you, Jesse."
The door to the locker room opened. In walked Commander Creevey. "Captain, I'm sorry to intrude on you, but Admiral Natter just called. We've got big problems."
Zjan-Ren retracted his Baklava. Although he had given it to Brian a few days earlier, he borrowed it from time to time, so he could have his lone, private workout. He would be getting himself a new Baklava soon, but until then he had to use Brian's. Zjan-Ren was pleased with his workout. He played against his toughest opponent: himself, in the image-maker.
He stepped out of the image-maker, and there was someone waiting for him.
"You are a disgrace to Kriton," growled Colonel Chu-Qun.
"I bring honor to Kriton," said Zjan-Ren.
"By giving up your Baklava to a human, so he could defeat and bring dishonor to the Kriton name?"
"Chu-Qun, when are you going to realize that humans aren't inferior to us? They are equal to us. Like it or not, the galaxy is changing. Soon, the peace treaty will be signed, and we will live together, work together, and fight together with the humans."
"How little you know Zjan-Ren. Soon the Kritons will rule the humans, as we were meant to."
Zjan-Ren didn't like the way Chu-Qun said that. He could tell that he knew something he didn't. And whatever it was, he knew it wasn't good. "Kritons will never rule humans. Their spirit is too strong."
"There spirit is weak. And soon, it will be broken."
"Broken?"
"I'm sure you heard that there is a large Kriton fleet headed for Earth. The Earth fleet was put on alert."
"Yes, I heard."
Chu-Qun started to gloat. "What you don't know is that there is another fleet, a much smaller, but more deadly, one. They are gathering in the Vispa sector. They will destroy earth."
Zjan-RenlLaughed. "Impossible. There is no way to attack earth from the Vispa sector without Earth seeing you coming. Kriton would never risk that, peace talks or no peace talks."
"You, of little knowledge. This small fleet has two new technologies with it. The first one makes a wormholes. This wormholes empty out near Earth, and by the time SFA sees what's happening, we will be delivering our second technology, a bomb that will destroy the entire North American continent."
"Why are you telling me?" asked Zjan-Ren. As much as he wished this was all a bluff, deep down he knew it wasn't.
"Because I wanted you to know the truth before I kill you." Chu-Qun grabbed his Baklava from his sash and a fiery flame emerged from it. He immediately ran towards Zjan-Ren in attack mode. Zjan-Ren quickly turned on his Baklava and blocked the attack.
The two Kritons battled it out fiercely. The attacks were much more advanced, and deadly, then those used during the fencing games. Then Chu-Qun broke his time and fooled Zjan-Ren. He swiped his Baklava along Zjan-Ren's side. Zjan-Ren roared in pain. Chu-Qun kicked Zjan-Ren hard in the stomach, causing Zjan-Ren to fall to the floor. Chu-Qun stabbed his Baklava into Zjan-Ren's stomach, who fought back a scream.
"You might kill me, but there is no way you can win. The human's spirit is too strong."
"We'll see how strong it is shortly." Chu-Qun felt a presence behind him. He turned around. "Who are you?"
Captain Hatcher sat in his command chair. His view screen was showing seven different images. The center image was that of Admiral Natter. The remaining six images were the CO's of the junior academy ships.
"That is all for now. I'll keep you all informed," said Natter. The view screen went blank, as each person signed off. Hatcher remained seated, thinking of the events. Admiral Natter had just informed them that the Kritons were pulling out as soon as they get all their cadets aboard. That should be first thing in the morning, before the final games began. Something didn't feel right to Hatcher. His experience in SFA had lead him to believe that a very bad storm was about to hit, and it was a storm that he wanted to avoid at all costs. Something else told him there was no avoiding it. It was going to hit them dead on.
"Captain, Harrison Wolfe is requesting permission to dock. He says he needs Dr. Daniels at the shuttle bay." said Creevey.
"What's wrong?"
"He won't say."
"Give him permission, and inform Dr. Daniels."
"Captain, Mr. Wolfe is also asking for your presence at the shuttle bay."
Hatcher now knew that his feeling about the storm was correct; the storm was fast approaching and would be making landfall. "Very well, inform me if anything happens with the Kriton vessel."
"Yes sir."
Hatcher stood up, looked at the view screens that were now filled with scenes of the planet and the orbiting ships. He noticed a large amount of traffic going to and from the Kriton vessel. Yes indeed, the storm had arrived.
Captain Hatcher entered the shuttle bay. Dr. Daniels, Linda, and a few medics were working frantically around someone on a stretcher. Dr. Daniels was shouting orders at the medics. They began to move him out.
Captain Hatcher just stood there and watched, staying out of the way. As the stretcher wheeled passed him, a bloody Kriton hand reached out and grabbed Hatcher, causing the stretcher to stop. Hatcher looked down at the dying Kriton. Zjan-Ren pulled Hatcher so that his ear was on lips that tasted of blood. He whispered something. Hatcher stood up, shocked.
"Are you sure?"
Zjan-Ren nodded.
"Come on, let's get him out of here!!" shouted Dr. Daniels. The medics pushed the stretcher out. Soon, Hatcher stood by himself in the shuttle. He looked down at his uniform where Zjan-Ren had grabbed him. It was covered with blood. Hatcher knew that this blood was only the beginning of what would be shed.
To Be Continued.....