TRANSFORMERS (Sort Of) Conclusion free porn video

Chapter 5 Now, I could tell you all of what was said in that room that night, and all the technical stuff that they tried to drum into my head about the changes they'd managed to make in the suit so I wouldn't get any rashes or like that, but it would just be a meaningless jumble of words to you, much the same way it was to me. Oh I remember all that they said, but not much of it made any real sense to me right then. The only thing I could concentrate on, the one thing that kept hammering at my brain was, "I'm STUCK! Maybe forever! I'll never get out of this damn thing!" Yeah I know. Pity party, right? Well, I thought I had a damn right to feel bad about it, ya know? So I wallowed in my self pity for awhile, even while they were trying to explain things to me and trying to make me feel better about what had happened, as if anything could make me feel better about it. Finally, I'd had all I could take and I snapped a little bit. "DAMNIT! Why don't all of you just get the hell out of my face?" I screamed. I'm the one stuck in this frigging thing, not you! How the hell do YOU know how I'm feeling or how I should feel? I'll tell you. You DON'T know! You CAN'T know! And the way I'm feeling right now is that you should all just leave me the hell alone before I hurt someone! Got it?" Well, I regretted the words even as they were leaving my mouth, but I couldn't take them back and I didn't want to right then. I was angry, hurt, I felt betrayed and all alone and all I wanted was to get the hell out of that place and BE alone for awhile to try to sort out what I was gonna do and how I was gonna handle this latest screw up. Harry tried to calm me down again saying, "Look Donna. I meant everything I said back there, ya know? I ain't gonna leave you and I ain't gonna forget who's really in there. Why you and me, we..." but I stopped him right there. "Yeah, right! You're gonna stick by me, huh Harry? You and me against the world, right? HAH! You have the world by the balls and you know it. YOU get to still be what you are, a GUY, while I gotta learn a whole new way of life you asshole! Christ! I can't even see my damn girlfriend! The way I look, I'm supposed to have a damn BOY friend! But you're gonna stick by me, right? You're gonna sacrifice your life for me, huh? How friggin' loyal of you! How noble of you! You're gonna try to tell me that you aren't gonna try to go for some hot chicks, looking the way you do? You're trying to tell me that you are gonna treat me like the plan said, like a girlfriend or a wife? Don't make me laugh, JERRY! I'm all by myself in this and you damn well know it. All your high sounding words are just that, words! Get the hell OFF me and let me BE!" I pushed him away from me and I could see the hurt in his eyes at what I'd said. I could also see concern and maybe even fear in the eyes of Penny and Jim. They knew what I could do if I let that suit power up and let myself go, and I knew that they were scared as hell that that was exactly what I WOULD do. Hell, I was scared that I'd do that. Harry started to move back toward me with his arms held out like he wanted to hug me again, but I stopped him with a look. Then I said, "You just stay the hell away from me. ALL of you stay the hell away! My whole damn life is changed, maybe forever, and NONE of you know anything about what I'm feeling or how I'm gonna deal with it! Just leave me the hell alone and get outta my damn face!" I walked out of the lab with a babble of voices behind me, some of them sounding hurt, some angry, but I didn't care. I just wanted out and nobody better try to get in my way! I stomped out of the clinic and from there, out of the lab itself, to the parking lot. Reaching the car we'd arrived in, I opened the door and pulled the keys down from under the visor. I started the engine and gave it a few seconds to warm up and then I punched the gas and fried the tires, leaving the lot. I didn't have a direction in mind when I left there. I just wanted to get away as far and as fast as I could. I guess the gods or someone was watching over me that night because I never got stopped by the cops for speeding, or reckless driving or anything. I didn't hit anything and I didn't hurt anyone, thank God. When I finally came back to my senses, I was somewhere outside of town, near the lake. I finally got control of myself and slowed down, ending up parked at a place where I remembered 'parking' with my girlfriend, Debbie. I parked the car under a tall oak tree and just sat there for a long time, just thinking, and crying. I thought of ending my life then, but I didn't do anything about those thoughts. Chuckling (well, giggling I guess) to myself, I thought, 'You'd have to do something pretty drastic to kill yourself at this point anyway, you dumbass! Most of the things you could do wouldn't even hurt you in this damn suit!' I don't know how long I just sat there thinking dark thoughts about myself and about the world in general. I actually only became aware of the passage of time when the sun started to come up over the lake. Funny thing about me. For my whole life I'd always been able to work out really difficult problems when I was by myself. Jerry, (HARRY damn it!) should have remembered that about me, but I guess the whole situation was so far out that he'd forgotten. I knew that I'd hurt a lot of feelings and I knew that I'd probably even pissed a few people out with the way I'd left the lab last night, but I HAD to get off by myself to try and find a way to deal with what had happened. I was sitting outside on the ground, just looking at the lake, not really thinking about anything, just letting my thoughts run free. That was the way I usually worked out problems. I'd found that really concentrating on a problem only led me off track. I had to let my subconscious mind work things out and then let it notify my conscious mind that it had found the solution. My luck. My minds didn't seem to be talking to one another that morning, and I came up with a big fat zero for answers. Well, I knew that I wasn't gonna get anywhere this way, so I got in the car and headed for home. MY home. Where Mom and Dad were. I couldn't face going back to the condo and seeing Harry, Penny and Jim, and I didn't have anywhere else to go. Oh sure, I could've hit the bank and withdrawn my money and taken it on the lam, but even as deeply hurt and confused as I was, I knew without a doubt that, THAT was the most wrong thing I could do. Sooner or later I'd run out of money, or get homesick, or get in trouble and then the jig would be up for sure, so I headed for home. When I pulled up in front of the house, everything was quiet. It was still very early in the morning and I figured that Dad would just about be getting up, ready to face the day. I wanted to catch my folks when they were both home, so I exited the car and went up to the front door. I used my key, which was still on my keyring, and let myself in, quietly. As I closed the door, I heard the phone start to ring and Dad came thundering down the stairs to answer it. "Hello?" I heard him say. He sounded tired and, to me, almost scared. Yes, this is William, Penny. Any news?" He listened for a minute or so and then said, "Damn. Well, keep us informed will you please? This is my SON we're talking about here and don't you ever forget that fact! I want to know immediately if there's any news at all. Yes, yes. If he calls here or shows up, I'll let you know. I have your cell phone numbers so...Look, Penny. Don't even try apologizing. You are the ones who lost him! YOU are the ones responsible for this latest screwup and I don't want to hear any excuses! If you had been doing your job, the one you've been so damn worried about, this wouldn't have happened!" I was gonna wait til Dad was done on the phone before I let him know that I was there, but the pain and anger in his voice told me that I had to let him and Mom know that I was okay, relatively speaking that is. I moved from the entryway to where I could see him as he talked on the phone and stood there, waiting for him to see me. His back was to me and as he turned around, making yet another point to Penny, he finally spotted me. I quickly held my hand up to my mouth, index finger extended in a shushing motion, hoping he wouldn't let on to Penny that I was there, and he didn't disappoint me. He just said, 'All right, Penny. You call me if he shows up and I'll do the same. I hear my wife getting up and I should be there for her. This whole thing has her pretty damn shook up, you know? No, don't apologize to me any more. Just find my son!" and he hung up the phone. Now I didn't know for sure how he was gonna take this latest news or how he was gonna greet me, but I should have known better than to doubt him. He practically bounded across the intervening space between us and grabbed me in a big hug, saying, "Donnie! Oh God it's good to see you're okay, son! Your Mother and I have been worried sick about you ever since Penny called last night to tell us what had happened and that they'd lost track of you!" "I knew you would be, Dad." I cried. "I thought about running off, but that isn't the way you and Mom taught me to face problems and I knew you and she would be worried if I did that. I went to the lake and thought awhile and then I came here. I know I'm jeopardizing security and all that, but I just had to come to you and Mom." Then I broke down again. I just stood there for the longest time, crying and hugging my Father tightly. He didn't say anything more either. He just held me tight and let me cry. After awhile, I pushed gently away from him, ashamed to have let him see me cry like that, but he said, "Donnie, my son. Don't be ashamed. None of this is your fault, and it's damned unfair that you're stuck in this whole situation. You know that your Mom and I love you and we're always going to be here for you, don't you? This is a really strange thing for us all, you know, but you are still my son and you always BE my son, no matter what you look like! If the worst happens and you're stuck in that suit for the rest of your life, you'll STILL be my child and God help anyone who tries to harm you! Do you understand that?" "Yes, Dad." I sobbed helplessly. "I do, and thank you. God I love you!" "I love you too, Donnie. Now, do you feel like eating something? I was going to start breakfast for your Mother and I. It's just as easy to cook for three as it is for two, you know? She'll be down to eat in a little bit. You wanna help me get things going?" Have I told you just how much I admire and respect my Dad? I swear, I could have gone into the Peace Corps, married a pygmy woman and come home with 8 midget kids and he would've welcomed the whole bunch of us into the house with open arms! Nothing shook him up, nothing! I mean, there I stood, in all my borrowed glory, looking like a runaway centerfold from some men's magazine and he was asking me if I wanted some breakfast, like nothing was wrong! My Dad. What a guy. Think I'll keep him. Well, we puttered around in the kitchen getting out eggs, bacon, butter and assorted other breakfast type stuff, all the while chattering about stuff that had nothing to do with the predicament I was in. It was almost like nothing had changed and I was still my old, male self. He groused a bit about his business and the fact that, with the lab shut down, his profits were down as well! Then, without any warning, Mom came into the kitchen. I waited for it, but it never came. She walked in, said, "Good morning, dear." to my Dad. And "Good morning Donnie." to me. No histrionics, no wailing and gnashing her teeth and crying over the fact that I was safe or anything. She just sat down at the table and looked at me, kind of like she was appraising how I looked or something. I was right. "Well, Donnie, I'm glad you're home dear, but you look a wreck! My goodness, where have you been and what have you been doing? You know, we should go do some shopping later this morning. There were some perfectly DARLING things I saw at the mall yesterday that would look just wonderful on you and I could use some new shoes and some hose." She turned to Dad and continued. "Martin? Would you mind terribly if Donnie and I went shopping later?" Dad just looked at me and I looked back. We both knew Mom very well and this was just Mom being Mom. "No Doris." Dad said. "That would be just fine with me. I'm taking today off anyway and I might just go with you two, just to make sure you don't put TOO big a dent in my credit rating." "Oh Martin, REALLY." Mom said. "We'll only need to get a few things and besides, Donnie and I DO need to talk, well, woman to woman, if you know what I mean, dear? Now Donnie? I think, for the immediate and foreseeable future, I really should refer to you as Donna, don't you agree? I mean, heavens! Can you imagine me calling you Donnie or Donald in the middle of a crowded mall or store? Why it would cause no END of distraction and embarrassment, don't you think? Good. That's settled then. Now, do you need anything at the mall dear?" she finished, talking to Dad. "Well, Honey, you never know." Said Dad. I just might pick up a few things for the house. We do need a new hose you know?" "Oh Martin! That's funny!" Mom said, beginning to giggle. Donna and I are going to be buying hose and so are YOU!" I just stood there, letting this madness go on. I was seething to talk to Mom about what had happened, but I knew better than to interrupt her when she got on a roll. What I DID do was sit down next to her and, moving my chair much closer to hers, I hugged her and said, "Mom. I love you, you nut." At first she hugged me back, but then she whispered in my ear. "I know everything that's happened, Donna and I hope you know that your Father and I are always going to love you, no matter what. I know you both think I'm somewhat odd and, well, a little dingy, but I'm more together than either of you knows!" I pushed gently back a little bit at her and stared into her eyes. They were twinkling with hidden laughter and joy at having her only child back home and safe in her arms, but her overall expression never changed. She still had that somewhat...distracted look on her face and right then, I gained a WORLD more respect for that woman. What might have driven other Mothers to distraction or even to the brink of madness, my Mother just shook off like a duck sheds water. What a woman. Well, we sat there and ate breakfast, just like any other day and, when we finished, Mom said, "Now, Martin, if you would be so kind as to load the dishwasher while Donna and I get ready to go out. You'll have plenty of time to get ready yourself when we're done. You know we women take loads more time than you men do." And she smiled sweetly at Dad. "Why of course, dear." Dad responded. There are a couple of things I need to get done here at home before we leave anyway. You two take your time and give me a yell when you're just about ready, okay?" Um, Donna? Do you think we should let Penny know that you're okay? I won't unless you say it's all right to do so." I sighed, knowing that I should contact Penny, even though I really didn't want to. "I suppose it'd be best if we did let her know, Dad." I finally said. Please let her know, though, that I don't want her or anyone else coming here or interfering in this day, okay? Tell her that if anyone, and I mean ANYONE shows up here or at the mall, I'll take off and never come back and tell her that I MEAN exactly what I said. I WILL rabbit and they'll never see me, or their precious damn suit again. Will you do that for me, Dad? Please?" "I'll do it Donna. I'll make her understand that you need this time to reorganize your thoughts and that you'll call her later this evening or earlier if anything goes wrong. Will that be okay?" "That'd be just great, Dad. Thanks." And with that, I got up, hugged my Dad and Mom and I left, to go upstairs. On the way there, I tried to question Mom about what she had whispered in my ear, but the unflappable, undeterable, almost ditsy Mom, was back in full force. She pooh poohed every inquiry of mine and was dead set on a day of shopping with her 'daughter" and NOTHING was going to get in the way of that as far as she was concerned! I started giggling, realizing finally, that this was the face she chose to show the world, but that it was a front, a phony face so that the world would constantly underestimate her. Thus, she always had what she considered to be, the upper hand in all her dealings with everyone! How odd is seemed to me and yet, how right, that the two people I loved most in the world, and thought I knew better than anyone in the world, would surprise and confound me. I felt very close to both of them that day probably closer than I had ever felt in my whole life, and how proud I was to be their child, at that time in my life. Mom excused herself to go start getting ready and I went into my old room, which still looked exactly the way I'd left it. I sat down on the bed and began thinking about my situation again, maybe more clearly than I had been thinking for the past week. Maybe I wasn't alone in this after all. Then I thought about the things I'd said to Penny and Jim...and to my best friend in the whole world, and I began to feel very ashamed of myself. This was something I'd have to make right, for myself and for everyone else concerned. I also made a solemn vow that morning. Whatever happened from this point on, I'd make it work. I'd deal with all this weird shit and I'd find a way out of this damned suit. I owed it to my friends, my family, and to myself. Now I won't bore you with all the details of the shopping trip that Mom, Dad and I went on that morning. I'll only say that it was enlightening for all of us, particularly for me. Watching Mom deal with sales people, now knowing that it was all a front on her part, was an education. Mom, for all her seeming ditsiness, was an absolute master at getting people to do what she wanted them to do. I don't know why I'd never noticed it before, but I DID notice that it didn't seem to be news to my Dad. Mom would get off on one of her 'bent on finding something' searches and she wouldn't rest or be deterred until she either found it or was assured that, whatever it was, they didn't have it, but they would try their VERY best to get it, ASAP! Dad had called Penny and had assured her that I was all right and in no danger. He also said that he'd made it VERY clear to her that we wanted absolutely no interference this day. He'd had to promise her that I would call that evening and that something would be worked out to the mutual benefit of all concerned. So Mom, Dad and I had a family day, something we hadn't had for a long time. Even before all this stuff had happened, I had always been concentrating on my own things and we hadn't had a family day out for what seemed to be, forever. It was fun. We shopped, we ate, we laughed, we even argued a little bit, but most importantly, we bonded again. We became a FAMILY again, and it felt really good. More and more I was becoming convinced that this would all work out, somehow. We arrived back at home, late in the afternoon after a wonderful few hours of peace and normality. We carried the bags of things that we had bought in from the car and, once inside, at home, we unpacked them. Boring, huh? Well, it wasn't for me. It was like things were normal again. For awhile I forgot what I looked like and what a mess had been made of my life. I was just my parent's child again for a few precious hours and I treasured every minute of it. Mom made a great roast for dinner and afterwards, I went ahead and called Penny. When she answered I said, "Penny? This is Donna. Don't say anything, just let me talk for a little bit." She didn't respond so I went ahead. "Okay. First of all, you know that I'm home with my folks and I am fine. So are they, by the way. I've done some thinking since I left the lab last night and I do want to talk to all of you about the way I left and the things I said, but not right now. I want you to understand that I have reconciled myself to the way things are right now. I don't like it and I might never like it, but I can't change what's already happened." Penny started to say something but I stopped her. "No! I said, let me TALK! You just listen. When I'm done, you can have your say, but now it's MY turn. Now. I am gonna come back in and I am gonna try my best to make things work out. I'm gonna make mistakes and I'm gonna screw up. I'm a kid and that's what kids do, okay? What I don't need is any more grief from you, or Jim, or even Harry. I'm gonna do what I have to do and I'm going to deal with this as best as I can. Bottom line? I'll do what you ask, but you gotta ASK it, not TELL me. You can't imagine how difficult this is for me and you should consider yourself lucky that I'm even bothering to go this far." I paused to collect my thoughts and Penny remained quiet. "Penny, I'm a 17 year old BOY! Remember that! Yeah, I look like a lost centerfold from Penthouse(tm) or something, but I'm a GUY and I have 17 years of BEING a guy to try to overcome. It's not gonna be easy and I know that, but YOU gotta understand that too. You GOTTA lighten up on me and Harry. If you don't, I can guarantee that things will fall apart faster than you can say, 'Oh shit!' If you can do all that, I'll promise that Harry and I will try to comply with all your suggestions and even some of your orders. If you can't? Well, say goodbye to your precious suit, because I'll be 'in the wind' and you'll never find me. Got it? Okay. Your turn." Penny didn't say anything at first and I wondered if she'd hung up on me and was on her way here. Finally she spoke. "Okay, Donna. I guess I have to accept what you're saying. I could wish it otherwise, but you and Harry are the ones stuck and it's your safety, and your families', that we should be most concerned with. You DO understand that the deal with the condos is pretty much written in stone though, right? I mean we can't just let you two go off willy- nilly without some supervision. YOU made the telling point in all of that. You ARE really just two 17 year olds and you know very little about how the 'real' world works. Tell you what, Donna. Come back to the condo tomorrow morning and we'll hash this out face to face. For tonight, stay with your folks. We'll look for you sometime tomorrow morning, okay?" Well! Maybe this WOULD work out. 'Okay, Penny. I was planning on staying with Mom and Dad anyway, but thanks for suggesting it. I will be there in the morning and please tell Jim and Harry that I'm sorry for the way I acted last night? I was freaked out and scared and angry, ya know?" "I know, Donna and, believe me, I do understand. I don't know if even I could have handled what happened to you, if it had happened to me, so don't feel too bad. I think Jim understands and Harry, well, Harry has been damn near out of his mind today, worrying about you. I know that he will be especially happy to hear that you've come down from your 'freakout'. Oh, and the things you said? Consider them forgotten, okay? I've done some hard thinking myself and I've come to realize that we need to work together on this, not as 'security people and kids', but as a team. So let's try and work on that tomorrow. Goodnight, Donna. Sweet dreams and, keep your stick on the ice, kid. Okay?" Well, I had to laugh at that. One of the shows that Harry (Jerry) and I watched almost religiously was called The New Red Green Show and that was his tag line at the end of each show. "Okay Penny. You too and remember, I'm pulling for ya. We're all in this together, right?" yet another of Red's famous lines. "Right you are Donna. Bye." Click. And she hung up. I sat there, just holding the phone in my hand. I guess attitude does count for a lot. I'd changed mine and it seemed that Penny had changed hers as well. I went into the living room where Dad and Mom were watching TV and I sat down on the couch next to Mom. I just sat there, relaxing for what might have been the first time in a week. Mom looked over at me and kind of gestured to me to move closer and, when I did, she put her arm around me and I sorta snuggled in, feeling like I had when I was just a little boy and I'd snuggle on that same couch with her and watch TV until I got sleepy. It felt soooo good to me and I could tell that it felt good to Mom as well. Dad looked over at us and smiled. "Seems like old times, doesn't it?" he asked. "Yeah, it kinda does, Dad." I answered. "Except that I'm not quite a little boy anymore, am I?" "No, Donna, you aren't, but you are still our child and you are safe at home with us. You seem a bit tired. Why don't you head off for bed? Your Mom and I will come up and tuck you in, just like we used to. Would you like that?" I looked up at Mom and she nodded and smiled. I said, "Yes I would, Daddy. I'd like that very much." I was all the way off the couch and halfway up the stairs when I realized that I'd called my Father, 'daddy'! Now where the hell had THAT come from? Well, I was too tired to think much about it and I went into my bedroom to get ready for bed. I knew I needed to recharge the suit, so after I got into my pj's I plugged into the wall socket nearest my bed and called out to Mom and Dad. They came in and we talked for a minute or two and then they tucked me in and kissed me goodnight. "Goodnight sweetheart." My Father said to me, just like he had done when I was a little boy, except it had been 'slugger' or 'champ' back then instead of sweetheart. 'Night Daddy." I responded. There it was again! Daddy! Mom leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "Goodnight, Donna." She said. "I hope you have sweet dreams, my lovely child. I'm so glad you came to us when you were troubled. I love you, Donald or Donna, whichever you end up being. Either way, your Dad and I will always be here for you when you need us." "Goodnight Mom. I knew that you both loved me, but I never really knew how much...til now. Thanks for today. It was wonderful and I really enjoyed myself." They left my room and closed the door. My last conscious thought was something along the lines of, 'If I had one wish, I'd wish that every child could have parents as wonderful as mine.' And with that, I fell sound asleep. I awoke in the morning, long before my alarm went off. I unplugged and stored the charging cord and went into the bathroom to 'freshen up.' Mom and Dad were still asleep and so, it seemed, was the rest of the world. It was quiet and peaceful and, after I got dressed, I went downstairs and out into the back yard. The sun was just coming up and birds were beginning to wake up singing. The grass was still damp from dew and the air was fresh and clean. I took a couple of deep breaths and felt myself at peace for the first time in a long time. Oh I knew that there was an eventful day ahead of me, but just then, that didn't seem to matter. I was just glad to be alive, healthy and loved. I just stood there in the backyard, enjoying the peace and quiet for awhile, but eventually I went back inside and to the kitchen. I figured that I'd get breakfast ready for Mom and Dad. It was probably the last time we'd get to spend together for who knew how long. I got the eggs going along with bacon and a couple of slices of real ham. I grated some potatoes into a frying pan and got them going as well and it wasn't too long before the smells of food cooking permeated the house. I figured that the aromas would wake Dad and Mom, but on the off chance that they didn't, I began preparing a couple of trays to take up to them in bed. By the time the food was ready, Mom and Dad still weren't downstairs although I had heard someone go into the bathroom upstairs, so I loaded the trays and headed upstairs. I got to their door, which was closed, and setting the trays down, I knocked. "Yes?" came the answer. "Room Service." I answered. "Oh really?" Came an amused sounding response. "Well, by all means, please come in." I opened the door, picked up the trays and went into my parent's room. I had made coffee as well and I had also poured some glasses of orange juice, so the trays were really loaded. I carefully set them down on the nightstands next to the bed and announced, "Breakfast is served, sir and Madame. I hope it meets with your approval." Dad smiled at me and, catching my whimsical mood, he answered in kind. "I'm sure it will serve quite adequately, young lady. Thank you very much. Will you join us or should we ring when we are finished?" "Oh NO, sir!" I replied in a pretend shocked tone. 'The help should NEVER dine with the guests. Please just ring when you are done and I will collect the dishes. I shall dine downstairs with the Butler and the upstairs maid if that meets with your approval, sir." I tried to keep a straight face but I failed, miserably. I started to giggle and that grew into a full laugh, in which I was quickly joined, by both Dad and Mom. 'This is so sweet, Donna." Mom said. "Are you sure you can't join us dear?" "Oh, I wish I could Mom, but I really have to get going. I'll eat fast downstairs and be on my way. I just wanted to do something special for you both to show you how thankful I am for yesterday...for all the yesterdays, actually." I never really thought about how great a set of parents you have been. I regret that...a lot. I promise that I'll never take you for granted, ever again. I love you both." And I kissed them both goodbye. "Don't worry about me. I'll be okay and I will insist that Penny and Jim allow us to keep in touch. Maybe we can even get in some shopping expeditions, Mom?" "Oh I'd love that, dear!" said Mom. I DO think that it's important for a Mother to bond with her daughter, even if it IS 17 years late, don't you, Donna?" I sputtered a bit before I realized that Mom was doing it again, and then I laughed. "Yes, Mother, I do think it's important. Just don't get TOO carried away with this bonding stuff, okay? I'm not gonna be Donna for any longer than I absolutely have to be! I HAVE had fun with you though Mom, and I am actually looking forward to more shopping and stuff with you. Well, I gotta go. Love you both." "We love you too, dear. Be careful, please? And don't worry if you can't contact us as much as you'd like. We do understand how things are, security-wise. You tell that Penny though that we EXPECT to get regular updates and, if we don't, I shall be forced to get quite bitchy with her!" Mom said. Her eyes had that sparkle again so I played along. "Yes, Mother. I will tell her that, only go easy on her, okay? She's young too, and doesn't have NEARLY your experience at handling the world and the people in it." When I left their room, we were all laughing and it made it easier and yet harder to leave. On the one hand, I didn't want to leave this nest of tranquility, as false as it might have been, but on the other hand, at least we were laughing and at ease with one another, and it WAS much easier than to have to leave with one, or all, of us crying. I grabbed my keys from the table by the door and yelled one last 'GOODBYE' up the stairs. Then I went out, closing the door behind me and locking it. I got in the car I'd taken the night before and fired it up. There was a lump in my throat as I pulled away from the house, but it was tempered by the love that I felt for my parents, and I actually had a smile on my face as I went out of sight of the house. I drove across town to the condo complex without incident and I was still smiling as I parked the car and went upstairs to the condo that Harry and I shared. I let myself in and as I did, I was hit by what seemed to be a human avalanche! I started powering up the suit, thinking I was being attacked but it turned out to be Harry, who was hugging me like he'd thought he was never going to see me again! He was actually KISSING me on my cheek! "Oh man, oh man, oh man, am I glad to see you, Donna! I was so damn scared for you last night and I'm sorry for what happened and I know you probably hate me, but I'm so glad to SEE you, are you okay?' he babbled. "Jeeze, Harry, let me breathe, willya? You scared the crap outta me! I thought I was being mugged or something! Lemme power the suit down and catch my breath and then I'll tell ya all about how my night went, okay? Now BACK OFF, BUSTER!" and I giggled as I said that so he'd know I wasn't mad at him. Well, he let go of me, but he stayed right near me as if he was afraid I'd take off again or something. He had this...look on his face that reminded me of a puppy who has been left alone for too long and is so glad to see it's owners again that it almost wets itself. I sat down at the kitchen table and told him about my night and day away from him, Penny and Jim. He seemed very attentive and was nodding throughout my whole telling of the tale. When I finished he said, "Wow! Man, I miss my family too, Donna. I wish I'd had your guts. I could use some time with my Mom, Dad and sister. Damn, man! I wish I'd gone with you, but you left so fast that I didn't have time to catch you. I tried, but you were already peeling out of the lot when I came out the door." "I appreciate the thought, Harry." I said. "I sorta wish you coulda gone with me too, but I really needed the time alone, ya know? This whole deal has been WAY hard for me to wrap my head around and then, with what happened with the suit getting 'bonded' to me and all that...well, I just needed to get away for a bit, know what I mean?" "Hey, no sweat, Donna." He answered. "I mean, I'm stuck in this suit too, ya know. Not the way YOU'RE stuck, but stuck nevertheless. Like I told ya, we're in this together and we gotta stick together. Look, don't take this the wrong way, man, but I love you, ya know? We've been best buds for so long that, when you were gone and I didn't know if I was ever gonna see you again, I felt like part of me was missing, ya know?" "Yeah, I do sorta know what you mean, and it HAS been a long time for us, hasn't it? I mean, 12 years isn't a lot by some people's standards, but it's over half of our lives! That's...84 years in dog years!" and I started laughing. '"Dog years? Whattaya mean dog ye...oh! You SOB!" and Harry started laughing as well. "Oh man, I'll get ya for that!" He grabbed me and started to tickle me! Well, that turned into another hug and THAT turned into...well, it started to turn into something else and I wasn't willing to go there, so I gently broke the hug. "Harry? Listen. We gotta talk about this shit. Please try to remember who's inside this damn suit, okay? I'm not blaming you for anything, but I just can't go where you seemed to want to go just then, and I don't know if I ever will be able to go there. I mean, in public it's one thing, but here, alone together, it's still just too...weird, okay?" "Oh shit, Donna. I'm sorry!" he replied, seemingly shocked by his own part in what was beginning. "It's just that, well damn it, you look so damn good, ya know? Man, I know that neither of us is gay or anything like that, but somehow it doesn't FEEL gay when I hold you. Dude, it's so damn confusing!" Well, I kinda felt sorry for Harry right then and I took his hand in mine saying, "Look. I told you that I don't blame you. Hell if things were reversed and it was YOU in this gal suit, I might get a bit confused too! Believe me, I know how good I look in this suit and don't think that it isn't confusing the crap outta me too, okay? Now let's call Penny and Jim and get this shit settled between us so we can get on with what laughingly passes for our lives now. Whattaya say?" "Yeah, I think you're right. Look, we gotta pretend when we're in public, right? So I think we need to start calling each other by our new names all the time, you know, to avoid confusion. If we get used to answering to Harry and Donna, it'll look much better when we're out in public, right?" "Okay." I said as I picked up the phone to call Jim and Penny. I kinda agree with you on that, at least." Penny finally answered the phone and I told her that I was back at the condo. She said 'great' and said that she and Jim would be over as soon as they could get dressed. Then we could all go out for breakfast. Okay. Long story short, time. We 'conferenced' for about two hours before stomachs started rumbling. We decided to go out to eat and continue when we got back. We did get a few things hammered out and Jim and Penny agreed to let us keep in closer touch with our families AND they agreed to lighten up on us a bit. I thought that was pretty good progress and we headed out the door to get something to eat. Harry and I went in one car with Jim and Penny following and we made pretty good time through traffic. Harry and I were talking pretty much non-stop for the whole trip and I still blame myself for what happened next. Maybe Harry does too, but he isn't saying. As we pulled into the lot at Denny's(tm) I heard something from behind us and, as I glanced behind us, Jim and Penny's car was in the middle of being T-boned by another car! I yelled at Harry and he jammed on the brakes. We leaped from the car and ran toward the wreck. All of a sudden, there was a flurry of action and four guys jumped from the car that had hit Jim and Penny's car! They ran to the wreck and pulled Jim and Penny out, but instead of trying to get them out of the street, they threw them in the back of their car and jumped in, spinning their tires as they tried to make their getaway! Well, Harry and I had already powered the suits up and we gave chase, but they had too much of a head start on us. I managed to get the plate number off the car, but that was it. We ran back to Denny's(tm) and used our cell phones to call the cops to report the accident and apparent abduction. The cops wanted us to wait at the scene, but I told them that we were gonna try to find the car and Harry nodded his head at that. He took off out of the lot at full throttle, the engine screaming and the tires shrieking in protest. We hit the street and damn near broadsided another car, but managed to avoid it, just in time. We took off down the road hoping to catch a glimpse of the other car, but no damn luck! Jim and Penny were gone! My mind was going about a hundred miles an hour, but I was getting nowhere fast. It was almost like some sort of dream sequence, or nightmare. Who in the hell had those guys been? Why did they take Jim and Penny? How had they known we were going to be at Denny's(tm)? I scanned the area as Harry drove, hoping to catch a glimpse of the other car. It wasn't easy. Harry was driving WAY too fast and the car was skidding around corners like a Grand Prix racecar. We went about four blocks in about two minutes and, THERE THEY WERE! I yelled at Harry, "Take a hard right! I see them at the intersection!" Harry stood on the brakes, turning the front wheels, first to the right and then back, see-sawing the wheel to maintain traction and to keep the car pointed in the right direction. As soon as he regained control, he stomped on the gas and we shot down the street, just as the light turned green and the other car took off. They peeled away from that intersection as we got about halfway to it. Harry was totally concentrated on catching the other car and I kept my eyes moving, watching for other traffic. I saw the light turn orange and I yelled, "Watch it! The light is gonna change!" "SCREW the light!" Harry responded through his tightly clenched teeth. "If it changes before we get there, I'm goin' through, no matter WHAT!" We shot through the intersection as the light turned red. Other cars were honking their horns at us, but neither of us paid that any attention at all. We were gaining on that car and nothing was gonna get in our way! I could see someone in the back seat of the car we were chasing, looking back at us and I could see their mouth moving, as if they were shouting at the driver. We pulled right up behind the other car, both vehicles swerving through traffic. I knew it was only a matter of time before we were either in an accident, or the cops joined the chase, so I shouted at Harry, "Get ready to hammer the brakes!" I rolled down the window and leaned out of the car, making sure I was firmly anchored by the seat belt and shoulder harness. I braced my feet against the floorboards and accessed the "grapnel" part of the suit's HUD. Then I fired two hooks at the rear bumper of the car ahead. They hit and closed. One around the rear bumper and one found some part of the frame. I screamed at Harry, "BRAKES NOW!" and I felt the car begin to slow down. As the tires grabbed hold of the pavement, I could hear them screaming their dissatisfaction at being treated so roughly. Our car began to swerve as the car in front of us was still trying to accelerate, but we were slowing down. Apparently the driver of the other car was paying more attention to us and what WE were doing, than he was to traffic in front of him, because just then, he rear-ended yet another car! Our car slammed into theirs with a resounding crunch and we all came to a grinding halt. Before I could do anything more, Harry leaped out of the car and headed toward theirs, yelling insults and threats. Far off in the distance, I could hear sirens and it sounded like they were headed our way so, when Harry got to the driver's door or their car, I disengaged the cables and shot out of the car. I ran up to the passenger door and grabbed it. I could see Jim and Penny on the rear floorboards of the car, with one of the men holding a gun pointed at them, but I didn't even stop to think about what I was gonna do. I just punched right through the window and grabbed his hand, gun and all, and I squeezed. At the same time, I pulled and he came out that window like a greased pig, screaming in pain. In the meantime, Harry had snatched the driver from his seat and had simply punched him once and threw him over his shoulder, to land in an unconscious heap on the other side of the street. The guy in the front passenger seat tried to pull a gun on me, I think, but things were happening so fast and I was so angry, I didn't even register it. I just backhanded him and his entire jaw exploded all over the inside of the windshield. He slumped onto the floorboards, out cold as far as I know. The last man, in the back seat of their car, looked at me and then at Harry. He blanched, dropped his gun, and filled his pants from front and back. The stench was appalling. He bunched himself up into a ball and just shivered, pleading not to be hurt. I pulled Jim and Penny from the back seat and, seeing that they were tied with those plastic snap ties, I broke the ties and set them on their feet. "Get to the car and lie down in the back!" I yelled at them. Harry reached in through the back window and grabbed the last thug, dragging him out of the car. I could hear the sirens getting closer and I yelled at Harry, "Let's get outta here! Leave that bastard for the cops!" "NO! We can't leave him! He saw what we did and he can blow whatever cover we have left! We gotta take him with us! Harry retorted. "Besides, we gotta pump this son of a bitch for information. I wanna know who blew the whistle on us and why!" Harry dragged the guy to the back of our car and, opening the trunk, he threw him in, none too gently I might add. He slammed the trunk closed and sprinted back to the door, jumping in and throwing the car into reverse. I piled in and barely got seated as the car lurched backwards with yet another scream from the tortured tires. Harry spun the car around in a shrieking circle and as soon as we were pointed mostly in the right direction, he straightened the wheels and jammed it into drive and we took off like John Force on a drag strip, the acceleration pushing us back in our seats. Jim and Penny remained quiet and Harry concentrated on getting us outta there. I found that I had literally ripped the seat belt and shoulder harness from its moorings, so I pulled the remains across me and tucked them into the crack between the seat back and bottom. After we got a block or two away from the scene, Harry began to slow down and drove a bit more carefully, but I could tell by the expression on his face and the way his jaw muscles were bunched up, that he was very angry and very scared. I started to shiver myself, as the magnitude of what we had just done, caught up with me. Talk about blowing your cover! Many people had seen what we'd done, and I realized that we had placed ourselves AND our families squarely in VERY deep shit, but what else could we have done? We HAD to try to save Jim and Penny, right? As we slowed to a more normal pace, I grabbed my cell phone and place two calls. One to my family and one to Harry's. I reasoned that, if whoever those guys were, knew about us, they HAD to know about our families and a cold chill chased up and down my spine. When my Dad answered, I said, "This is Donna. Just listen, don't say anything. Meet us at the condo immediately! Something has happened and we're all in danger. Get Mom and go, NOW!" I rang off and immediately dialed Harry's home, giving them the same message. As I hung up, I glanced over at Harry and he, maybe sensing that I was looking at him, looked over at me. "You know we're in deep shit, right?" I asked him. "Yeah. We sure as hell are!" He responded. "Who the hell WERE those guys? Jim? Penny? Are you okay? Do either of you know what the hell is going on here?" "You know as much as we do!" Penny said. "They didn't say a word after they grabbed us, except when they saw you were catching up to them. Then all they said was 'DRIVE FASTER', and like that. Donna, you might very well have killed that guy you backhanded. I never saw so much blood!" "Yeah well, I was only concerned with getting you two outta there. If you want the truth, I don't care if I DID kill the bastard! He was trying to shoot me and he kidnapped you and Jim! I know that I probably crippled that first guy, though. I felt the bones crunch when I grabbed his hand and gun and I know his shoulder separated when I dragged his ass outta the car." Now, don't get me wrong here. I wasn't excited by the fact that Harry and I had beaten up, crippled or maybe even killed one or more of those thugs. I was hyped up from the action and danger. There was adrenaline, testosterone, maybe even CO2 and FREON, shooting through my system and I was AMPED! Later on, after I came down off the adrenaline high, I was positively sick about what we had done to those men. Well, we made it to the condo. That, in itself, was pretty amazing considering that the front end of the car was pretty crunched and was probably leaking fluids. Harry pulled up in front of the building and popped the trunk, while Jim, Penny and I grabbed the thoroughly frightened thug from the trunk and quickly dragged his ass inside, hoping no one saw us. Harry yelled that he was gonna get rid of the car somewhere and I yelled back, 'Okay! I'll give ya five minutes. You better be back by then. We're gonna have to clear outta here, I think. Our parent's cars were parked in front of the condo, so I knew that they'd gotten here safely. We hurried inside and were met by a babble of voices all trying to talk at the same time. I left Jim and Penny to handle the parental units and I took the thug to the bathroom where I threw him into the shower and turned the water on. "You've got two minutes to get naked and clean!" I screamed at him. I ain't moving so there's no chance for you to get away. If you don't want some of your limbs broken beyond repair, you better get your ass moving!" I'll give him a little credit. He didn't try to argue or protest at all. He just did what I told him to do, with a VERY frightened expression on his face. His clothes came off in less time than it took you to read this sentence, and he was scrubbing with soap, for all he was worth. It did take him a little longer than two minutes to get clean, but there WAS a lotta crap, all over his lower body, so I didn't enforce the two minute thing, although I did threaten him a time or two. When I figured he was clean enough, I turned off the water and threw a towel at him, telling him to cover up, which he also did with great alacrity. I dragged his ass outta the bathroom to the kitchen where I slammed him down into a chair and secured him with some duct tape. Jim and Penny had been explaining to the parents and to Claire, Harry's (Jerry, remember?) sister, so I was spared that chore. I gathered them all together and herded them into the living room, to give Jim and Penny a few minutes to question the very scared and wet thug. I answered a few of their questions and then, motioning them to quiet down, I said, "Okay, OKAY! I don't know what all this means yet. What I DO know is that it seems that our covers are blown sky high, if not by the kidnapping attempt, then by our actions. I don't know if any of you are in danger, but I needed you all together in one place so I could be certain that you were all all right. Dad? Please turn the TV on and see if there's any report on what went on, willya please? Inevitably, at that particular moment, Mom decided to take control. "Now, DONNA! This is ridiculous! Why, your Father dragged me out of my house without so much as a please or a thank you! I didn't even have time to grab my PURSE, for goodness' sake! I STILL don't know what's going on here and I can't believe what you, Jim and Penny have told us! Surely you must be mistaken? Why would anyone want to kidnap Jim and Penny? Now you just sit down here and go through this again for me, and this time, in some kind of intelligent manner!" Oy. Mom was running true to form and I didn't think I had time to go through the whole thing again. For the first time in my life, I took control away from Mom! "Mom," I said. "There isn't time right now to go through the whole thing for you. Depending on what info Jim and Penny get outta that jerk, we might not even be able to return to our homes! I promise I'll explain it all to you when there's time, but for now, we might need to make some VERY fast plans to get the hell outta Dodge! Please Mom. Just this once, let us handle this?" "Well! I never! How DARE you speak to me, your MOTHER, like that? What could be so bad that you can't take a minute or two to explain to me about all this commotion?" Well, I kinda lost it a bit just then. I started to yell at my Mother, but I stopped myself, just in time. I said, instead, 'Dad? Will you please take over for me while I check with Jim and Penny? I'm still pumped up from the fight and stuff and I don't wanna get myself in trouble with Mom on top of the trouble we might ALL be in, okay? Please?" He looked at me, assessing my mood and trying to understand, himself, but bless his heart, he turned to Mom and started talking to her. I didn't hang around long enough to hear what he was saying. I walked over to where Jim and Penny were interrogating the wannabe kidnapper. "Have you learned anything from this piece of crap yet?" I asked Jim. "Nothing much yet, Donna." He replied. Raising my voice a bit to sound threatening, I looked directly into the thug's eyes and said, "Do you think it would help if I maybe pulled off one of his arms or legs? I'd be happy to do it, you know. Maybe I could just break a few bones? You know, nothing important or anything, just enough to convince him we mean business?" And I grabbed hold of a fistful of hair to demonstrate my willingness to do exactly what I had said I would. "Oh, Donna, I don't know." Jim said. "I think this guy'll talk if we handle him right, but I'll keep your suggestions in mind in case he gets a bit recalcitrant, okay?" I practically lifted the thug, chair and all off the floor by his hair and said, in a reluctant and disappointed tone of voice, "Wellllll...okay, but I'd REALLY like to take some of my anger out on this piece of garbage, so if he stays quiet, just give me a nod and I'll pull off his damn fingers, one by one, okay?" Putting my face right in the thug's face I snarled at him, "Do me a big favor you gutless hunk of shit! Don't talk. Don't say a word to these two. I'm looking forward to hearing your screams!" I let go of his hair and stalked away, muttering dire imprecations that I knew he'd be able to hear. "Donna?" came Penny's voice. "Can I talk to you in private for a moment?" "Sure. Let's go back in the bedroom. I'm getting a bit worried about Harry, but we can talk for a few minutes before I go out looking for him." We walked back to the bedroom and Penny closed the door behind us. "I'm not going to pull any punches here, Donna. This could be VERY bad. These kidnappers can only have come from the government or the military. They're the only ones who know anything at all about the suits and what Dr. Fine was working on. I'm going to get on the horn to the lab and see what they know, if anything. I do NOT want you going out looking for Harry, though. He can take care of himself and we can't have the two of you out there running around loose. Just stay put here in the condo until Jim and I can figure out what's going on and try to get this straightened out, okay? Please?" I heaved a huge sigh; disappointed at not being able to go out and help Harry if he needed help, but I recognized Penny's concerns and besides, I needed to stay where I was, in case someone tried to pull something while all the parents were there. "Okay, Penny. I'll do as you ask, but Harry better show up real soon, and that trash out there in the kitchen better start talking REAL soon. God, Penny. I'm scared sick! What the hell is going on? What are we gonna DO?" "Hang in there, Donna." I know that things look pretty bad right now, but we're all safe for the moment and we have one of the kidnappers. Jim and I will make him talk and we'll figure out what to do after that, but you are going to have to keep it together, not only for yourself and Harry, but for your folks as well. You're going to have to be stronger than you've ever been, Donna, but I know you can do it. You and Harry have handled this whole thing much better than I ever thought you would, and I'm proud of both of you, not to mention grateful for saving me and Jim from God knows what." She hugged me while saying that and I could feel some of the tension leaving my frazzled nerves and muscles. All of a sudden, my mind flashed back to what I'd done to those men and I got sick. I mean violently ill. I rushed past her to the bathroom where I heaved up everything I'd ever eaten since my ninth birthday. Well, that's what it felt like anyway. In my mind I kept seeing that man's jaw explode and the blood, teeth and bone going everywhere, while I could hear the first guy's screams of pain as I crushed his hand and gun into an unrecognizable mass of flesh and metal. I knew that Penny was right behind me, trying to console me, but I really couldn't hear what she was saying, and my mind just wanted to shut down. Well, eventually there was nothing left in me to vomit out and I just laid there with my head against the cool porcelain, crying. Penny eventually got through to me a little bit and helped me maneuver into the bedroom where I laid down on the bed. She left the room after assuring me that it was gonna be alright and that I had only done what needed to be done to rescue her and Jim, but that didn't make it any easier for me to accept the terrible damage I'd done to two human beings. I knew that I was gonna be second guessing myself about this for a long, long time. Could I have accomplished the same results with less violence? I knew that that was a question that I might never be able to find an answer for, but that didn't stop me from asking it anyway. I must have passed out or something, because the next thing I knew, Harry was leaning over me with a lot of concern showing in his eyes and on his face. "Donna? Donna? You okay, man? C'mon, speak to me. It's Jerry, I mean Harry, I mean, oh the hell with it! It's me, duder." To this day, I don't know what possessed me at that moment, but whether it was because of my feeling guilty over what I'd done to those men, or relief at seeing Jerry/Harry/whoever, back and safe, I practically jumped up off that bed and hugged him as hard as I could, crying at the same time. "Oh GOD, Jerry! What did I DO to those men? What did WE do? What are we GONNA do? Oh my God, I'm glad you're back and safe!" I must have babbled for several minutes there, not saying anything more important that what I've written here, but Jerry/Harry, as shocked as he seemed to be, hugged me right back, murmuring in my ear. "No, Donna! Shit, don't worry. I'm okay. I dumped the car right off that old railroad bridge and nobody saw me. As for what we did to those kidnappers, well, don't worry about that either. They deserved whatever they got, as far as I'm concerned! We didn't do anything wrong, man and you can't beat yourself up over treating trash the way it's supposed to be treated. Hell, we didn't kill any of 'em and I WANTED to, I can tell ya! I'm proud of the way you handled yourself, man and the way you stopped their car? That was, like BRILLIANT! We're one hell of a team, Donna! I can see the headlines now. 'Iron man and Iron Maiden Stop Kidnapping!" "Iron Maiden!?? You jerk! I'll Iron Maiden YOU, you, you crazy son of a bitch! Jesus, Jerry! Don't you EVER refer to me that way again!" and I began to beat on him with my fists. He never budged and he never let me go. He knew I couldn't hurt him while he was wearing the suit and he just let me pound on him, all the while holding me in a very tight, caring hug, and all the while, talking softly to me, trying to talk me down from whatever kinda panic attack I was having. He knew that I wasn't mad at him, but at my loss of control and my fear and revulsion over what had happened and he just let me get it out of my system, which was probably the best thing he could've done for me right then. Somewhere in there I must have either fallen asleep or passed out again. When I regained my senses, to my surprise and embarrassment, Harry was still there, still holding me. I tried to push him away from me, but he just held on until I quit trying, then he slowly let me go. "Hey! Hey! Donna." He said. "Don't worry. I'm still right here and I ain't gonna let ya face anything all by yourself. We're buds, right? You and me against the friggin' world, ya know? Maybe you're embarrassed or something about me huggin' ya and shit, but you shouldn't be. Remember when I fell and broke my leg back in the seventh grade, and you carried me all the way home? Well, I remember, and that's all this was man. Just me carrying you home, okay? Nothing more or less than that. Now chill for a bit, while I check with Penny and Jim and the rest, and let them know that you're okay. I'll only be gone for a minute or two, unless you feel enough better to come out with me?" Well, I was embarrassed, but what he'd said to me made a lot of sense and I did remember that night when he and I were horsing around and he fell, breaking his leg. I HAD carried him all the way home from about a mile and a half out in a field. It had just felt, well, weird to have Jerry holding me and hugging me like he just had been, though. Oh, I knew that it wasn't anything sexual, regardless of the way we both looked in those suits, but I still got, well, shivers, I guess, about it. Anyway, I told Jerry (and from here on out, if I call him Jerry, it's what was in my thoughts. If I call him Harry, it's when I was talking to someone else. Sorry for any confusion I might have caused.) to go ahead on out to the rest, but that I needed a few minutes to compose myself, but I'd be out very soon. He said, "Okay, Donna, my friend. You take however much time you need. As long as I know and THEY know that you're gonna be okay, that's what matters." He got up from the bed, letting me go, and before he left, he bent over and kissed me on my forehead! "Sorry, duder." He said, with a smile, "but that was just because you look SO damn good in that thing and besides, you looked like you sorta needed a kiss on the head, okay? Now get yer shit together and join us out in the other room ASAP!" I lay there, shocked a bit at the kiss thing, but determined not to let it bother me, at least not right then. Deciding not to let him get one up on me, I smiled at him and said, "Well, thanks there, big guy, but your aim is a bit off, don't you think? My MOUTH is a few inches lower than where you hit! Maybe we should practice a bit? Hmmmmm?" Now I TRIED not to laugh out loud at what I was saying, but somehow, I just couldn't. I held my "serious" face for a few seconds, but as his face grew a confused expression on it, I started to giggle and that turned into a full laugh that I couldn't hold back. "Dude, you should see the look on your face!" I managed to get out between giggles, chuckles and outright belly laughs. "You know, Donna you are SERIOUSLY weird, you know that? I'm outta here. You're starting to scare me man." And out the door he went, shaking his head. Well, I eventually did get myself together enough to face the rest of the people in the condo and when I went out there, nobody mentioned a word about my freakout. I noticed that Jim and Penny were actually talking to the kidnapper and he seemed to be talking back, so I figured that was going well. Even my Mom seemed to have calmed down and was actually conversing with the others in a reasonable tone of voice. Bless her heart. She might ACT the ditz, but when it comes down to "fish or cut bait" time, she's as stand up as any kid could EVER ask for. We all sat around and talked for a bit and then someone mentioned that they were hungry, so we made the decision to order out. Some pizza, some wings and french fries and maybe even a sub or two were what everyone wanted, so we called and placed the order to a place that guaranteed delivery inside of thirty minutes or it was free. While we waited for the food, I went over and listened in on what Jim and Penny were getting from the kidnapper. Basically it went like this. Some "secret" division, operating outside "normal" channels of our own government, had learned of Dr. Fine's research and they'd had a spy inside the lab for several months. When the accident happened that caused me and Jerry to get "stuck" in the suits, and with Dr. Fine in a coma, they decided to make an attempt to try to get the very latest models of the suits by whatever means necessary. It had taken them some time to locate us and, rather than try to force us into giving up the suits, and since we couldn't have given them up if we WANTED to, they decided to try to kidnap Jim and Penny in order to convince Jerry and me to work with them. They knew that there was no way they could FORCE either of us to co-operate, so they figured that, with threats and kidnappings, they could gain our co-operation. They had clues about how the suits worked, but without an actual suit to examine, or Dr. Fine's notes, which were mostly in his head, there was no way for them to duplicate what he'd accomplished. So, now we knew who were up against, and it seemed like an impossible fight to me. You can't fight city hall, right? Well this was even bigger than city hall. This was like "men in black" kinda shit! Even Jim and Penny seemed to be more than a little concerned. Someone suggested that we should just give up and turn ourselves in, but both Jerry and I nixed THAT idea. "I'm NOT gonna spend the rest of MY life as some damn LAB rat for some "spooks"!" I said vehemently. If that's what you all think would be best, well, then I guess you've seen the last of me, because I'll be "in the wind". I'll be like GONE and NO one will know where I've gone!" "You can count