Chapter Two
"How do we deal with Nelson?" asked one of Bauer's agents. He was a bald, burly black man wearing the standard uniform of black two-piece suit, white dress shirt, black tie, black wraparound sunglasses, and black wingtip shoes.
"Let's do what we do best," General Bauer replied. "Put the entire family under surveillance. Be as unobtrusive as possible."
"What about NASA?" asked the Man in Black.
"Leave NASA out of this," General Bauer replied. "Security's as tight as a drum." He then added as an afterthought, "It will be easier if we focus on his house."
The broiling Florida sun beat down upon the green chalk-lined soccer field. It was Thursday afternoon varsity soccer practice at Cocoa High School. Figures in gold and black raced up and down and down the field. The air was filled with a cacophony of grunts and cries of "I'm open!" and "Set it up!"
Anthony Nelson Jr., aged 17, was almost the spitting image of his astronaut father. His 6'1" frame was athletic yet muscular; his hair was short and wavy-brown. Today, Anthony ("Tony", to his friends) was playing defense and wearing a gold uniform with trimmed with black (offense was wearing the away uniforms -- black with gold trim). He darted to and fro up and down the field, passing, kicking, and dribbling all the way.
Unnoticed by the team, a tall lanky figure with short, curly dark hair stood to one side of the field. He wore the standard Man in Black uniform: black two-piece suit, white dress shirt, black tie, black wingtip shoes, and black wraparound sunglasses.
The Man in Black took several shots of Tony Jr. with a digital camera.
Shot of Tony Jr. dribbling the ball down the field. Click.
Shot of Tony Jr. passing the ball. Click. Shots of Tony Jr. dribbling the ball. Click. Click.
The Man in Black looked at the pictures of Tony Jr. in his preview screen. Tony Jr. appeared onscreen as being little more than a black-and-gold blur kicking a soccer ball.
Strange, he thought sourly. The kid doesn't photograph very well.
I'll have Technical Services run a diagnostic on this camera, he added as an afterthought.
"Man, that sun is brutal!" exclaimed Tony Jr. as he made his way back to the bench.
"Check out that weird guy in the stands," said one of the other players sitting on the bench.
"What weird guy?" asked Tony Jr.
"Some weird guy in a black suit was in the stands taking pictures of us," said the player. "He didn't look like anyone I knew."
Tony Jr. looked up towards the stands. The Man in Black had disappeared without a trace.