Commandant Michael Part 3
"Look, I'm telling you guys, something is seriously wrong with Commandant Michael," Francis explained to Finley, Joe, and Horton. "He thinks I need therapy. And he while he was talking to me, he started rambling on about this crazy stuff from his childhood. I think he's dangerous!"
"Francis, we've had enough of your stories. You always either exaggerate, or make something up completely. Can't you just tell the truth?" asked Joe.
"I'm not making this up! I swear!" said Francis.
"Whatever." Horton shrugged, and the three boys walked away.
"No, really! I'm telling the truth this time!" Francis shouted after them.
"Ten-hut!" a voice cried out. The cadets stood up to attention. Commandant Michael entered the room.
"Good morning cadets!" boomed Michael.
"Good morning sir!" shouted the cadets.
"I have some news for you. I have decided to take away your free activities time. Instead, you will spend your free time doing group therapy! No more hiding behind those tough military facades, you can let your true self shine through! I hope you're all as excited about this as I am. As you were." Michael said. He left the room.
"He's taking away all our free time?!" Finley was appalled. Loud cries of indignation came from all over the room. The students at the Academy cherished the small amount of free time allotted to them. Free activities time was the only time the cadets had to talk, watch TV, play pool, listen to music, etc.
"Group therapy?" said a shocked Horton. "Francis, you're right. Michael is totally psycho! We've gotta get rid of him before the therapy starts!"
"I agree," said Joe and Finley.
"Didn't I tell you he was crazy? Oh well, there's no time to talk about that now. We've got to get Michael out of here, and get Spangler back. If only there was some way to prove that he's crazy…hey, I've got it!" Francis said.
"What?" asked Finley.
"Tonight, after everyone else is asleep, we'll sneak into his office and search it. There's got to be some incriminating evidence in there." Francis smiled, happy that he was able to put together a plan so quickly. "But for now, we need to take our mind of him, so lets watch some TV."
Francis and his friends sat down and turned the television set on. "Hey, America's Most Wanted is on. Lets watch that," Joe suggested.
"Okay. I can barely hear. I'll turn it up." Finley adjusted the sound so that it blared into the room. A new story was just coming on. The cadets leaned in to pay close attention. They loved watching the show.
"And now, we have a very interesting new story. A few weeks ago, a man was driving to Alabama, on his way to a military academy called Marlin Academy. The man, James Michael was brutally attacked."
"James Michael on his way to Marlin Academy! That must have been Commandant Michael!" shouted Francis.
"But if he was badly injured, then who's the guy claiming to be Michael?" Finley asked.
"I don't know. Lets watch." Francis turned the volume up even higher.
"The man who attacked Michael is named Matthew Kautz. Kautz had escaped from the McCoy Mental Institution a year ago, and has been on the run ever since. After attacking Michael, Kautz took Michael's clothes and identification, and drove away in Michael's car.
"The next day, Michael was found. He was dehydrated and starving. The woman who found him, an elderly lady named Mrs. Colbert, stated that Michael had been lying by the side of the road, stripped of everything but his underwear. Mrs. Colbert noticed that he was badly bruised and bleeding, his left arm broken, and 4 of his ribs were cracked. Mrs. Colbert helped Michael inside and called 911.
"Michael gave the police a description of his assailant. A few days later, the police figured out that the attacker was indeed the escaped Kautz.
"We need your help in finding Kautz. If you have any information about Matthew Kautz, please call our hotline immediately. Here is a picture of Kautz."
The TV screen was filled with a picture of an angry looking man. "Omigod!" yelled Francis. "That's the Commandant!"
Francis quickly grabbed the telephone and called the hotline number. A woman picked up. "America's Most Wanted, how can I help you?"
"I have information about Matthew Kautz! He's at Marlin Academy! He's trying to pass himself off as James Michael. I was just watching the show, and I saw the picture that was shown, and it's him! The man who claims to be Commandant Michael is really Matthew Kautz!" Francis shouted excited into the phone.
"Thank you very much for that information. I've already sent several policemen over to Marlin Academy to arrest Kautz. Congratulations, you just caught someone from the Top 10 Most Wanted List!"
Francis hung up the phone in a daze just as a team of policemen burst into the room. The policemen rushed into the Commandant's office. The cadets heard loud shouting.
"It's him all right. Well, well, well, Kautz, you sure did a good job of hiding yourself. You have the right to remain silent, everything you say can and will be used against you." A policeman cuffed Kautz and led him out to the squad car.
"You can't break my spirit! Never let them crush your dreams, cadet!" screamed Kautz. Another policeman shoved him roughly into the car, and they drove off into the night.
For once, the Academy was silent. "Well," said Francis, "Didn't I tell you he was a psycho?"
* * *
A week later, everything was pretty much back to normal. Spangler had been rehired, and was running the Academy just as harshly as he had before.
When Spangler had arrived at Marlin Academy, an eager Francis had greeted him. "Sir, I never thought I'd say this, but you won't believe how happy I am to see you!"