Defection (eBook)

Chapter 2

Kenny Carlson

There they were, Jake and Jane, on the cozy beach of Lake Lee. They had come to the lake early as usual, to soak up the sun and enjoy the day. It was all in an effort to relish the most enjoyable benefit of the teaching profession, summer break. For their summer vacation after their first year of teaching, Jake and Jane decided that instead of trekking around the world, they would stick closer to home. They thought that the best thing for them to do was to stay put and recover from that first intense year at Fort Lee High School. There was plenty to do. They could take care of their new house, work on the yard, train at Bak’s martial arts school and just take it easy.

Ever since the two had met, they were always taking trips to different locations. This summer, with their suitcases and backpacks stowed away in the bedroom closet, they were settled in. The first year of teaching can be difficult for most teachers. Around the winter holiday season of their first trimester at Fort Lee High, Jake and Jane began to anxiously count the days until summer vacation. They planned to go to St. Lucia, in the Eastern Caribbean. But instead of lying on the beautiful volcanic beaches, swimming in the azure-colored water, diving for shipwrecks, sailing in the sun, eating fresh seafood and all the rest that comes with life in the tropics, they decided to stay home. And even though they were homebound all summer long, it was turning out to be quite a blessing. They were spending days at the lake, nights working out, and the rest of the time accomplishing many of the tasks needed in their home. They were saving money and getting things done around the house, while enjoying all the benefits of uncomplicated, stressless downtime.

During the school year, their usual daily routine involved getting up just in time to miss the annoying 4:30 AM wail of their insensitive, buzzing alarm clock. Then they would shuffle slowly into the shower, dress on the fly, and eat a hastily prepared breakfast that put them out the door by 5:45 AM. After pouring themselves into their car, it was east to Fort Lee High, a windy drive that propelled them directly into the daily, blinding, morning sun. Jake would negotiate their restored ’71 convertible ‘Cuda through the turns with ease. The top was down, the fresh morning air swirling around their awakening faces. The morning drive always made them feel refreshed, rejuvenated, alive, happy and invincible for the challenges of the upcoming day. They would usually arrive an hour before the first bell.

But now, it was summertime. It was towards the end of July, and for a little while longer, life was all fun in the sun for Jane and Jake. Lake Lee was a convenient getaway for the local residents and tourists, a mere fifteen minutes from town. The lake was close enough to reach, and at the same time, an easy place to disappear from the normal rat race of Fort Lee.

Lying in their beach chairs on the sunny beach of Lake Lee, they couldn’t help but feel good. Things were going well for the happy couple. Both had teaching jobs right out of college. Both were teaching at the same high school, and both had survived their first year. Things couldn’t be any smoother. Jake and Jane were young, had no debt and were relaxing the summer away at the lake.

Lake Lee was set up as a quaint, enjoyable place for people of all ages. There was a small, comfortable sandy beach on the east end of the rather large man-made lake. On the west side of Lake Lee, a few summer shops, a pub and a restaurant were open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Jane had fallen in love with Fort Lee area the very first time Jake had brought her to meet his parents. It was a much smaller place compared to where she had grown up. For much of its history, Fort Lee was a small town by any standard. It was surrounded on both sides by water. The gently flowing St. Graham River was on the west side, and the shallower, faster Jones River was on the east side.

In the 1600’s, the countryside now known as Clearfield County, was the west. As time marched on, Fort Lee was settled in 1779, by Revolutionary Hero Colonel Leland J. Lee. Fort Lee quickly became one of those “in-between” places for travelers who utilized the St. Graham River as a highway to the west. Everyone living in and around Fort Lee used the town’s other river, the Jones River, as a highway to get their crops downstream to the many bustling big city markets down south.

Trade and commerce with southern areas was minimal, but with the invention of the commercial steamboat in 1807, Fort Lee had a growth spurt. Travel time upstream was cut in half, and people were able to affordably journey upstream, as well as downstream, to conduct their business.

As the decades passed, Fort Lee became a rest stop on the way to California. Travelling the rugged and dangerous trail to the new American West, pioneers would usually spend a week or more in Fort Lee, resting and restocking their supplies. Indeed, Fort Lee was an early benefactor of the western migration of the United States, and the settlement quickly grew to just over five thousand residents by the late 1820’s. The population hovered around 5,000 until the world-shaking events of World War I and World War II. From 1915 - 1918, the town swelled to over 20,000 residents due to the Great War, in large part to the U.S. Military Strategic Training Center (USMSTC), which was constructed five miles west of town for military officer training.

The USMSTC stayed operational throughout World War I, but maintained only a skeleton crew during the Great Depression years. Times were tough during the thirties, but the military’s quiet facility in Fort Lee never shut down. This strategically important, off the radar military base, became the last stop for the highly trained military operatives that were sent for undercover assignments all around the world. Leading up to WWII, new housing developments mushroomed in and around Fort Lee. Due to the rising tensions in the world, the USMSTC was busier than ever. With the local boom came new schools, a new hospital, new and improved roads and the construction of Lake Lee. Fort Lee reached an all-time population of just over 30,000 residents. The base and the town of Fort Lee were bustling.

At the same time, Fort Lee was developing into an out of the way destination for tourists. Fort Lee was a hidden secret for those who wanted to get away from it all and not spend a lot of money. Until the end of World War I, the only way to get to Fort Lee was by car or boat. After the First World War, a small public airport was constructed in addition to another one that was built for military use only. With all the growth, Fort Lee became the County Seat, and each year, the scenic retreat business brought more and more activity to the once sleepy little “in-between” town.

People liked to visit the area for its natural beauty and outdoor sports. Beginning in 1971, with the Bottomly Dam Project, retreats, golf courses and resorts started popping up among the lush green rolling hills of Clearfield County. Increasing numbers of small, medium and large groups began visiting and revisiting the area each summer season. Particularly fond of Fort Lee, and Clearfield County, were groups from NASA and other government agencies. There was even a team from the NFL that would spend a weekend each summer at Fort Lee’s fanciest retreat, the Fort on the River.

Over many decades, the USMSTC kept many people in town busy and prosperous. During the 30’s and 40’s, the military training center was a visible entity in the community, and a key player in the progress of Fort Lee. When the Cold War followed World War II, the USMSTC maintained a lower profile, staying almost completely out of the limelight. Ever since that time, news people and tourists have been greeted at the main gate, and always turned away politely, but firmly.

Hiding in plain sight, the military training center is isolated by the remoteness of the topography of Clearfield County. Fort Lee is situated in the middle of nowhere, and the military training center preserves a stealthy existence. Local people refer to the nondescript gray office complex as “The Base”. Everything is hush-hush, where “mum’s the word” and “loose lips sink ships”. Even though many military personnel have had homes in the surrounding areas, the base managed to stay relatively quiet and completely out of the news.

After a brief ten-minute snooze, Jake forced himself to wake up. As he stretched and rubbed his eyes, he reminded himself that lazy days like these would soon be few and far between. He thought they should probably get up and do something more constructive.

Jake leaned over towards Jane and started to say, “Hey . . . ”

Just then, a voice from behind his chair interrupted, “O’Shea! Jake O’Shea! Dude!”

Jake shielded his eyes. He could make out the general outline of someone, but the dark, silhouetted figure was standing directly in front of the sun. Jake couldn’t discern who it could possibly be.

“Hi Jake, old buddy, old pal!” came the now recognizable voice.

“Hey Kenny, what’s up?” said Jake, to a former high school classmate of his.

Jane pretended to be asleep, slowly turning her...