Jason Steed Royal Decree Read online

  “Dirty Irish peasant.” One spat and kicked him again and again.

  “That’s enough. He’s hurt, leave him alone,” Jason said, striding towards them.

  “Clear off kid and mind your own bloody business,” The taller soldier said to Jason.

  Gober stayed back and watched. Jason moved in between them and Shamus. The simple move to push Jason away was enough for to make him spring into action. He caught the soldier’s hand, pulled down on it with a twisting movement, and using the solders weight against him with a judo technique, threw him over his shoulder.

  Shamus blinked his eyes and shook his head. He staggered to his feet. The second shorter solider moved quick. He kicked out at Jason. It was blocked. Jason spun on his right leg, his left leg catapulted from his hip and caught the soft flesh of the soldier’s stomach. The blow sent him back several feet and winded.

  “You filthy pigs will pay for this,” Shamus shouted. He had picked up one of the soldier’s fallen rifles and aimed it at one.

  “No,” Jason shouted, standing in the way. “Shamus you can’t shoot them.”

  “Did you see what they did to me? Move out the way boy,” Shamus slurred.

  Jason threw up his leg in a high kick his foot smashed into Shamus’s hand, knocking the rifle clean away. Both soldiers had recovered and now a rifle was aimed at Shamus and Jason.

  “See what you did now, you Eejit,” Shamus cursed at Jason.

  “He’s drunk sorry. He shouldn’t have touched you, but you shouldn’t have kicked him and kept kicking him and then tried hurting me. No one got hurt; let me take him home. Sorry for the trouble,” Jason said, passing them the other rifle.

  “No, son, he’s under arrest,” the solider said, moving forward.

  “Do you really want to arrest him and inform your superiors that you tried hitting a kid and he got your guns off you? That won’t look good for you guys will it? Let me take him home. You go on your way,” Jason said he walked forward and faced them.

  Both soldiers looked at each other puzzled. The kid was making sense. The situation was awkward for them, plus this boy spoke with an English accent and seemed to be almost giving them an order. They were obviously unsure what to do. They looked at each other, hoping one would give a reply.

  Jason turned to Shamus. “I’ll take you home.” Gober had finally come out of hiding. They walked Shamus home. When he got to the front door, he stopped and supported himself up against it and studied Jason.

  “Don’t ever get between me and a British pig again. What the hell are you two doing out anyway?” Shamus said, trying to pull his sleeve back to check his watch.

  “Um,” Jason said. “We were at the park.”

  “Who taught you to fight like that, back there you?” He paused, still trying to pull his sleeve back and steady himself against the door. “You took down two soldiers?” Shamus asked scratching his head.

  “You had already hit them Shamus. I just kicked one and the other tripped over me,” Jason said.

  “Well on this occasion, I won’t say nothing to Maude, but you two better be getting to bed. If you’re still staying at Gobnait’s house you better get,” Shamus slurred and pointed away and to the sky.

  *

  Jason was sleeping on a pullout mattress in Gobers room. They never said much until they climbed into their beds. Gober’s older brother Liam O’Grady was already asleep in his bunk.

  “How did you learn to fight? That solider never tripped over you. That was a judo throw and that kick you did on the other was well, pretty awesome. It knocked him back clean across the street. They were adults, and you didn’t even break a sweat. Then you disarmed Shamus,” Gober whispered.

  “I don’t like to mention it so keep it to yourself else everyone will want to test me. I’ve had a couple of karate lessons and some judo,” Jason said. He failed to mention he was a black belt in Judo. and three disciplines of Karate. And at the age of ten, he was the under sixteen Hong Kong karate Champion.

  “A couple. I think a few more than that. Why keep that a secret?”

  “If people at school knew I did a bit, they would all want to try and fight me so I keep it to myself.”

  “So that’s how you beat Haden McGinty.”

  “Good night mate.” Jason yawned, trying to change the subject.

  “Will you two shut it?” Liam cursed and swung his pillow at Gober. “I was asleep. And your new friend better not snore, or I’ll take it out on you.”

  “Sorry,” both Gober and Jason said simultaneously.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Jason slept surprisingly well on the spare mattress. Although Liam made sure he woke both Jason and Gober up when he got up at six to go and do his morning paper route. The fourteen-year-old let his alarm ring and ring even after he climbed out of bed, and he gave Jason’s mattress a kick for good measure.

  Gober and Jason went to the library as before. Jason noticed Scott peeking between the bookshelves. Jason pretended to be looking for a new book and joined Scott.

  “Hi Mate,” Scott beamed.

  “Scott, hi I have some news. The teddy bear picked it up,” Jason said. He reported to Scott what happened and told him about the incident with the two soldiers. He wasn’t sure if Shamus would have actually shot them or not but didn’t want to find out.

  “What’s it like staying at the base?” Jason asked.

  “It’s so boring. The soldiers march around the parade ground, workout in the gym, and march some more. Although, they do talk about girls a lot and have a large supply of adult magazines.” Scott grinned. “Hurry up and solve this mission. I’m bored to death. What’s the mixed school like?”

  “The school’s okay. I’m practically top in every subject. I have to hold back on French; I think I know more than the teacher. Oh, but I got to tell you this, it’s so funny. In Math class the teacher, a Mr. Griggs, was showing us how to add and subtract fractions. I almost died laughing when he said in his strong Irish accent ‘what is two times tree and tree turds?’” Jason laughed. “I was like, what did he say? Did he mean three and three thirds?”

  Scott burst out laughing. “No way.”

  “Yeah he did and then every time he should have said a third he said a turd. My stomach was hurting I was laughing so much. The Irish accent is so funny sometimes and no one else was laughing. Tt’s normal to them. I was hoping he would pick me for an answer so I could say for example one and one turd.” Jason laughed out loud.

  “Shush,” the librarian said from the front desk, giving both Scott and Jason a dirty look.

  “Apart from that, school is fine, and some of the girls are pretty hot,” Jason said in a quieter voice.

  “Girls, what about Catherine? You can’t be looking at girls,” Scott teased.

  “Catherine and I are just good friends now, besides I’m just looking.” Jason smiled.

  “Who’s the bookworm?” Scott asked, his head nodded towards Gober.

  “Oh that’s my friend, Gobnait O’Grady.”

  “Gobnait? No way they called a kid that.” Scott laughed.

  “Shush boys, this is a library,” the female librarian said as she approached.

  Jason turned red. His fingers danced across the book covers. Gober looked up and put his head back into his book. He gave Scott the small amount of information he had heard from Charlie regarding the bomb. Scott and Jason whispered goodbye to each other. Scott would meet him at the swimming pool Monday night to see if he had any more information.

  Gober never mentioned Jason getting told to be quiet in the library and talking to another boy. Jason thought George Young was right to use Scott at his contact. No one would suspect two boys the same age chatting.

  *

  On Sunday, Jason went home to the O’Neill’s in the afternoon. After lunch, Maude said she would take him with her to visit her sister. Just before they left, Jason brought Charlie Teddy down stairs again, hid him under a chair, and turned him on recording.

  Maude�
�s sister was excited to see Maude with her new foster child. Jason had to sit through an afternoon of woman’s chatter while her husband sat watching cricket. Jason could never remember being so bored in all his life.

  When they arrived home in the evening, Shamus and Bradan were out, but Jason noticed the house smelt worse than ever of tobacco smoke and the ashtrays were full of cigarette butts. That night, he took Charlie to bed and replayed the tape. As expected, a group of men were talking. He could pick out Shamus and the voice he heard before. He seemed to be in charge of the group and giving orders. Jason knew he had to find out who that man was. This had to be the top man in the IRA.

  Another new breakthrough came. They kept referring to ‘SS.’ Shamus himself said he would be meeting ‘SS’ next Wednesday. The strangers voice again took charge of the meeting and discussed an ambush. Jason could just hear a rustle of paper; they were using a map. He needed to find the map and get it to George Young.

  *

  He walked faster than normal to swimming practice. He was going on his own. He felt excited and wasn’t sure if it was because he had news to pass onto Scott or he was seeing Cailin Flanagan again.

  Both Jason and Cailin practiced the butterfly stroke non-stop. They were recording faster times and where told they had a good chance of winning at the swimming competition next weekend. The whole swim team was excited and looking forward to next week’s competition.

  “Jason it’s my thirteenth birthday next Saturday. After the swimming competition, my parents are giving me a small party at the house. Nothing big, just party food. My brother has a friend who is a DJ and he is bringing his equipment over so we will have some music,” Cailin announced.

  “Sounds nice, are you inviting me?” Jason asked.

  Cailin looked awkward. She took off her swimming cap and let her hair fall down. “If you want to come,” she said, not making eye contact.

  “I’d love to come.” Jason smiled. She grinned back at him. He watched her walk off to the ladies locker rooms.

  Jason met Scott in the men’s locker room. It was packed with boys getting changed. No one gave Scott a second glance. Jason rinsed off in the shower and beckoned Scott into the corner of the changing area with him.

  “Hi, Jase. You look like you were really into that swimming,” Scott said.

  “Were you watching?” Jason asked.

  “Yeah, I was up in the spectator’s balcony. Although, you probably didn’t see me your eyes were fixed on that girl you were with. She’s quite hot,” Scott said.

  Jason took off his wet trunks and threw them at Scott, catching him on the face.

  “Eeewww that’s wet and nasty. You better not have peed in them,” Scott complained.

  Jason laughed and dried himself. “She’s called Cailin Flanagan, I got invited to her birthday party Saturday. I agreed to go, of course only just to spy on them and find more info.”

  “Yeah right. The only info you want from her is can you make out with her or not,” Scott said.

  “Well, I have to do something. Being a spy is so boring sometimes. This mission is hard work because it’s boring. Give me assassins, crocodiles, leopards, and helicopter gunships, but don’t give me another Sunday afternoon at Maude’s sisters house. I seriously thought I was gonna die of Boredamnesia”.

  “Boredamnesia? Is that even a word?” Scott laughed, wringing his friend’s trunks out for him.

  “It is now. Boredamnesia means you spent Sunday afternoon with someone’s family and you were forced to listen to Irish woman gossip and watch cricket at the same time on a black and white TV,” Jason said, pulling on his clothing. “But I have some news.”

  Jason passed the information to Scott. They both agreed the ‘SS’ initials could be anyone’s, but Scott said he would work on it and let George know everything. They both agreed they needed the map the men were looking at, and Jason had to find out who the other voice was on Charlie Teddy’s tape.

  *

  Another week passed quickly and Jason had no new information to pass on. The O’Neill house had been quiet. The one thing that kept Jason absorbed was the swimming competition on Saturday and Cailin’s Birthday party after. Maude agreed to buy a box of chocolates for her and a card. Jason sat at the kitchen table writing it out. He was unsure whether to sign it from Jason or love from Jason. In the end, he just wrote Jason and put a small ‘x’ underneath.

  “So Jason, Maude tells me we have to go to the pool tonight to watch you in a swimming competition?” Shamus said, sitting down heavily next to Jason.

  “You don’t have to come,” Jason said, licking the envelope shut.

  “Sure we do. We want to cheer you on, and I hear you are going to a birthday party after. It was a young lass that asked you?”

  “Yeah, Cailin. She’s my swimming partner and friend.”

  “Friend, nonsense. Gober’s your friend. This girl Cailin, she must be something special?” Shamus teased.

  Jason colored up. He was unsure how he felt about her and tried not to get too close. He knew once the mission was over he would be leaving Ireland.

  “What’s her full name. Do we know her family, Maude?” Shamus asked.

  “I don’t know,” Maude said. She was serving up egg and chips.

  “Cailin Flanagan,” Jason said.

  Both Maude, Bradan, and Shamus all looked at each other. Jason immediately picked up on it.

  “Is that a problem?” Jason asked slowly.

  “Are you telling me I spent my money on a card and chocolates for a Flanagan?” Shamus shouted.

  “Shamus, we don’t know if she its his daughter. Flanagan is a popular name,” Maude said.

  “Have you seen her father?” Shamus questioned Jason, his eyes almost popping out of his head.

  “Um. Yeah, not to speak too. Is something wrong?” Jason asked.

  “What does he look like? What does he do for a job?” Shamus asked.

  “Tall guy, white hair, and he wears a dog collar, so maybe a vicar or minister,” Jason said.

  Shamus slammed his hand on the table and cursed. “I told you Maude, he shouldn’t have gone to Shankill pool. It’s full of bloody Unionists and now Jason is gooey-eyed over that bloody Reverend Ian Flanagan’s daughter. Well that’s that. You won’t be going swimming or to her party.”

  “Shamus, they’re just kids,” Maude said.

  “I’m entered in the butterfly stroke. I have to go. The team is relying on me,” Jason argued.

  Shamus bent down and faced Jason, his nose just inches away from Jason’s. “No. We don’t have anything to do with them. They are giving away our country to the Brits, and that bloody Reverend Ian Flanagan is a spokesman and leader of the Unionist party. No son of mine will be seen dead in his house.”

  Jason forgot himself his short temper ignited. “I’m not your son, and I don’t care about your politics and religion or his.”

  Shamus punched Jason and caught the side of his face, knocking him back and onto the floor. Jason never expected it and didn’t have time to block the blow.

  “Shamus,” Maude screamed. “You can’t hit him. He’s just a boy.”

  Jason sprang to his feet. His pupils darkened as he forced adrenaline into his system. He shook, trying to control his temper and hold himself back. Shamus came closer for more. Much to Jason’s surprise, Bradan caught Shamus by the arm and pulled him back.

  “Say sorry to the boy,” Bradan said, keeping a firm grip on his brother’s arm, glaring at Shamus.

  Jason was stunned. He had never heard him talk before, but more so because he recognized his voice. He was the voice on Charlie Teddy’s tape.

  Shamus nodded and looked at Jason. “I’m sorry I smacked you Jason. I have no excuse.”

  “You didn’t smack me you punched me,” Jason argued rubbing his cheek.

  “Shamus, in the name of Jesus, are ye crazy? Maude loves the kid and even I’ve got used to having him around now. He’s a good kid,” Bradan said in his heavy Irish b
rogue.

  Maude was sobbing. She put her arm around Jason and tried to hug him. He was stiff and still ready to fight.

  “Jason please don’t mention this to anyone. He never meant to do that. They will take you away,” Maude sobbed.

  “Sorry, Jason. Look, for Maude’s sake and Bradan’s, and well even mine, please can you forgive me? You can go swimming and to the party. I can’t help myself sometimes. I hate the British and Unionists. Flanagan is head of the Unionist party. Sorry I just lost it.”

  Jason said nothing; he turned towards Maude and hugged her back. He couldn’t help but like her. He knew if he was to say something to the authorities and get moved now it would mean all this time had gone to waste. Plus, he was so close to finding out who ‘SS’ was.

  “It’s just a birthday party Shamus,” Jason said. “Sorry for arguing with you and what I said about me not being your son. I like living here, and I do think of you as my dad.”

  “I know. I over reacted. Let’s have some food,” Shamus said, shaking Jason’s hand.

  Jason looked at Bradan and raised his eyebrows. It was a look he inherited from his father. Scott called it the ‘Steed asking a question look!’ and in this case, like in most it worked.

  Bradan sighed. “I guess I owe you an explanation. I have an important job. I help to defend my country. The British, with the help of the Unionists like your new girlfriend’s father, want to keep us part of Britain and ruled by the British Government five hundred miles away and that stuck up royal family. They will stop at nothing to silence us. Many think I’m retarded or slow. I’m not. It’s my cover not many know about. Only very close friends and family. I now consider you as the later.”

  “I didn’t think you liked me?” Jason asked.

  “To start with, I didn’t give a shite about ya and your English accent didn’t help you much either laddie. But as I noticed how happy you made Maude and I heard how you looked after Shamus when the Eejit got drunk and tried to fight two armed soldiers, well, you kind of grew on me. Although, you’re as nutty as a fruitcake. You do all that and you fought a McGinty in school and just stood up to Shamus ready to fight. Then on the other hand, you sleep with a teddy bear.” Bradan smiled.