Arlene and JeffChapter 230
- 3 years ago
- 25
- 0
Dave and Evie were in the kitchen at six the next morning drinking coffee when Doctor Boswell walked in, her hair still wet from her morning laps in the pool. She and Evie exchanged greetings. Dave smiled a good morning and stood up. "There's no one in the living room this morning. How did you get him to go to bed?"
"Sit down, please," Doctor Boswell, laughed, "You make me feel old."
"Sorry, Doctor. I was raised to stand when a lady entered the room. Old habits are hard to break."
"Especially, when an old woman walks into a room?" she teased.
"Doctor Boswell..." I wonder why she's so touchy about her age. She can't be more than forty.
"Oh, hush, I'm just teasing you," she smiled, touching his arm. "Let me get a cup of life, as Jeff calls it, and sit with you two." When she had done so, and was stirring in creamer and sweetener, she continued, "He woke up and had to go to the bathroom about midnight. He managed to get into the wheelchair with our help, then after the bathroom, he just told us to take him on to the bedroom. I think he was finally awake enough to be more aware, saw our blankets and pillows on the floor, and realized we were sleeping beside him."
Taking a sip of the coffee, she smiled, "I stayed with them last night — Diana insisted. Even after the compulsion was almost gone, it seemed as if it were the thing to do. In addition to the night-light, we kept the closet light on with the door cracked just enough to be able to see Jeff. We took turns watching him all night, although I doubt if Diana, Laura and Arlene got much sleep anyway, since they kept waking up to see that he was okay. The healer spent at least half the time on his head. Every couple of hours after the time you two went to your apartment, until I went to swim, it would alternate between his shoulder and head. It seemed like it was trying to talk to us. Diana and Arlene say they can feel emotions from it, and get faint ideas that they think it's projecting."
Evie and Dave looked at each other, then Dave said, "Doctor, are you saying that thing can read minds, that it's, uh, telepathic, I guess the term is?"
Doctor Boswell took another sip of coffee, then set the cup down, her face for an instant, wan. Just when Dave thought she wasn't going to reply, she said, "The first night I came up here, I was very reluctant, to understate, to get involved with anyone or anything that would constitute my returning to a work environment. I didn't want to be around anyone, and I didn't want to associate with anyone. After my husband and sister-wife were killed," Evie and Dave looked at each other again, "... my world narrowed down to the minimal routines of the day, and... remembering."
"When I met Jeff and his family in that restaurant, I thought I would eat their food, be rude to them, leave, and they would never bother me again. Instead, somehow, I found myself in the back of this convention center, knowing I was going to spend the night with them — primarily because they had intrigued me, and partly because of that damn driveway from hell."
Evie almost strangled on her coffee, but grinned at the doctor.
"The more I was around them, the more I wanted to be around them. Then, I died, for all practical purposes, and Jeff used the healer on me. They changed me like a baby, and Jeff picked me up and carried me to the bathroom when I was a little better. Without them, I would probably be dead by now. Even if the heart attack hadn't happened that particular morning, it would have happened sooner or later. I lived alone. Someone would have found me, eventually.
"Then I started to notice things — not that they tried to hide anything from me, other than their plural marriage, in the beginning. But other things, like they always know where Jeff is, the touching of each other, and... Oh, I don't mean sexual touching. They certainly do that, but touching just because they love each other. And it goes both ways. It's not just the women yielding, or responding to their Alpha Male. He is just as likely to fix them coffee, bring them a coke, or pet them, as they are him. My goodness, he carries them shopping, and sometimes even suggests it; although, his pretending to like to do it is a little beyond his acting abilities," she laughed.
As Dave started to say something, Doctor Boswell interrupted, "Please, don't bother saying anything about the Alpha Male concept. I don't believe in it, either, at least, I don't think I do. I'm not a scientist by profession, but rather, an educator, but I do have degrees in physics, math, and chemistry. The scientific method is not a total stranger to me," she grinned. "I did not wish to believe, and I'm not sure that term is correct yet — although, it fits as well as any for the moment. However, I am sure that Jeff is different.
"Scientists are frequently the last to believe in new things, particularly if it is something they didn't discover. But there is something different about him. Jeff's six women get along beautifully. When they disagree — which is rare — they have an instant huddle, and a moment later, they're in full agreement. When one of them gets grouchy from PMS, they huddle, and cuddle her, then everyone is happy again. I've worked around groups of women for years. I've never felt that a good cuddle with someone with PMS was a thing I wanted to do," she chuckled. "But it works for them. Six women sharing one man, no matter how well he, uh... takes care of them, without at least, some friction between them, just... seems unusual — and that may be a slight understatement," she smiled.
"It's easy to be scientific about something not felt, not personal, but yesterday, I was already up and frantically putting my clothes on when Laura announced on the PA that Jeff was hurt. Oh, everyone knew something was wrong when Diana screeched out of here, but I knew it before I heard her leave. It was the most awful feeling of dread — no, that isn't quite right, perhaps apprehension would better describe it — that I can ever remember feeling. I met the others in the hallway. They told me that Diana and Arlene had awakened, screaming, and Arlene had said that Jeff was hurt, as she and Diana ran out. Then we all gathered to wait for news about Jeff.
"I did manage to make coffee for the others twice during the day. But I can't even explain the almost terror I felt each time I began to leave that room — from being away from Jeff. He was the Alpha Male, hurt, calling his females to him. I can't be scientific about that. It just was.
"The feeling diminished when Jeff was able to get up, but hasn't totally gone away, even now. I don't know whether he's an Alpha Male, as Diana and Laura so strongly believe, or he's a latent telepath — or something else. And, up until yesterday, I would have scoffed at the idea of anyone with telepathic abilities. No one, to my knowledge, has ever shown consistent evidence of any such ability; however, I felt Jeff calling me. Oh, not in words, I just had an extreme compulsion to be near him and to not leave him."
"Oh, shit," Evie very quietly said.
"Another thing, I've timed his morning runs, not very accurately, of course. But I know when he leaves, and many times I'm in the kitchen when he comes back. When I finally asked him how far he ran, he said it was fourteen miles — seven miles down and seven back. Have you ever been a runner Dave?"
Dave grinned, "Yeah, I used to run a little."
Doctor Boswell looked him in the eye. "How about five minute miles on this mountain, fourteen of them in a row?"
Dave sighed, "Doctor, I probably couldn't manage ten minute miles on this mountain even if I was in good shape. Part of that road is really steep, and none of it is flat."
"Well, he walks the last several hundred yards to cool down, and he told me he slow-jogs the first couple of hundred yards to warm up, instead of doing stretches — and he's still averaging five minute miles by my calculations. Sometimes, I wonder what a real world class distance runner could do on these roads," she said, absently turning her cup round and round on the table. "Could even world class do what Jeff is doing? And, although he's covered in perspiration when he comes in, he is obviously not physically stressed. When I asked him about his run, he minimized it, as he does with most everything else he does. I don't think his wives even know how far he runs each morning. Although fourteen miles is probably trivial to a true distance runner on reasonably level ground, still, almost every day, and on this mountain — it's impressive to me.
"So, getting back to your question, I'm not nearly so quick to mock the idea of the healer being telepathic as I was a few days ago. I'm beginning to wonder if it is, somehow, alive. It can change itself until it contours to perfectly fit Jeff's head or shoulder, and it can slowly move around on his body. If it isn't alive, there is an artificial intelligence in there that is so far beyond any computers, or computer programs, that I have ever heard of, that there just isn't any comparison."
Doctor Boswell suddenly sat up straight. "Oh, my," she mysteriously said. Quickly getting up, she took a cup from the rack, filled the cup with coffee, and had just set it on the table when Jeff slowly walked through the door, flanked by a herd of women fussing over him.
"She knew," Evie mouthed to Dave.
Dave sat, stunned for a second, then asked Jeff how he felt.
"Don't ask," Jeff tried to joke, waving his hand in a negative gesture, his voice weak. "I don't even want to think about how I feel. But I will say that I never realized how far it is from our bedroom to this kitchen," he added, sitting down and pressing his good arm against the top of the table, in an effort to hide the tremble.
"I told you it was too soon, Honey," Diana said, helping him slide his chair up, fighting the urge to coddle him, but unable to hide the concern in her voice.
All the women were stressed, and reluctant to leave Jeff long enough to begin breakfast. Jeff, seeing the stress reflected on Helen's face as well, reached over and squeezed her hand for a moment.
Jeff hugged each of his wives in turn, then spoke to them all. "The healer told me my blood volume would be back to normal by day after tomorrow. I'm just weak from blood loss, trauma, and the effects of shock. I'm fine — so long as I don't get in a fight with a three-day-old kitten," he joked. "My buddy here," he said patting the healer affectionately, "is putting me back together. And my wives, and my friends," he said nodding at Dave and Evie, "have saved my life." He squeezed Doctor Boswell's hand again to let her know that she was included in there somewhere.
He picked up the cup of coffee, propping his elbow on the table, trying to nonchalantly take a sip while keeping his hand from shaking. He managed to set the cup down without spilling any, but just barely.
With tears in her eyes, Diana kissed him, then announced, simply, "Breakfast."
The production line dropped into gear. The boss bitch had spoken.
Evie laughed, and got up to help.
Breakfast was quieter than usual, with occasional half-hearted bantering between the girls. There were furtive glances at Jeff as he seemed to have to force his food down. Diana had cut up his steak before she brought his food, the steak only a third the size of the one he usually ate, plus two eggs instead of five or six. He had only a small glass of milk, small orange juice, and his coffee, instead of the large glasses he normally had — and those refilled.
His face had a faint sheen of sweat as he finished the last bite of steak, pushing the plate back to finish his coffee.
Dave pushed his plate back as well, although he had been done for some time. "Boss, if it's okay with you, Evie is going to start the crew on demolition for the classroom space. There's still light rain, off and on, and even if it quits, the range is going to be too wet to do any work there."
"Sounds good to me," Jeff answered. "You'll forgive me, I hope, if I don't come around and harass you today," he said, forcing a grin onto his face.
"Uh, Jeff, I don't mean to... well... You need to listen to these women. You need to take it easy. Nobody should be up in one day with a wound like that. Man, you lost a lot of blood."
Jeff peered down at his left arm, overemphasizing the look, "Oh, you mean this little thing?" he grinned. "It's just a scratch." Everyone dutifully laughed, but the laughter fell almost as flat as the joke did.
Laura had cut the left sleeve out of one of Jeff's tee-shirts, then widened the armhole until the wound was totally uncovered. He would have, at least, some clothing on his upper body. Even with the healer sitting molded to the top of his shoulder, the wound was obviously ghastly; large areas exposed with tissue totally missing.
Seeing Evie and Dave looking at the shoulder, Diana said, "Last night we got gauze to cover the wound when the healer moved to his head, but we got, well... fussed at, I guess you could say, by the healer. It wants the area open. Each time it stays on a place for a while, then moves, there is less tissue missing where the healer has been."
Jeff, obviously unable to move the arm, adjusted the sling, then repositioned his left arm with his other hand, and smiled. "Don't ever get a grizzly pissed at you."
Arlene caught her dad's eye. "Daddy, we couldn't ask before. Uh, what did you do to make him mad at you?"
"Darned if I know," Jeff laughed. "The wind had gusted, and I thought I heard a limb from one of the trees blown across the pavement. When I looked around, it wasn't a limb. He was coming for me, hell bent for leather. Thinking about it, I know that dogs will chase you if you run from them; some instinct kicks in. Whether that applies to bears, I have no idea. Maybe he saw me as prey because I was running. But I didn't feel like lying down and playing dead. He meant business."
"Could you have climbed a tree?" Melissa asked.
Jeff shook his head. "When I first saw him, he was about twenty yards from me. I took a few steps running full out, then looked back. He was on me in seconds. It was like a car coming at you. I don't want to exaggerate. But it seemed like he was running forty miles an hour. Maybe it was my excitement, but you should have seen him when I stopped and stepped aside. His charge missed me — barely. He slid to a stop, his body turning toward me while he was still sliding. I'll always remember the sound of his claws on that pavement as he was stopping. He was back on me before I could even get my gun out from under my shirt in the back. Then he hit me. When he started to rear up, I just stuck the gun in his face and pulled the trigger. You know the rest."
"Yeah," Dave said, "one dead grizzly with a .45 caliber hole where his left eye used to be. Not to try to kiss my boss's butt here, Jeff. But most people would never have been able to put a round into his eye, no matter how close the bear was. Not under those circumstances. Particularly with half their shoulder torn off."
"Bullshit," Jeff said. "You would have."
Dave, a little flustered, said, "I seriously doubt it."
"And thanks again for bringing me into this house, and checking on the bear..."
"And cleaning the blood out of the Escalade," Laura added.
"And for everything else you two did yesterday," Jeff finished.
Evie looked at Diana, then back to Jeff. "We checked our bank account yesterday when we went home. I paid some bills and reconciled our checkbook on the phone with the bank's computer. Dave has been working for you for two days, and his check is already in the bank, and... there is a duplicate deposit as well."
Jeff and Diana just grinned. "Our accountant doesn't waste time," Diana broke in.
"But," Evie persisted, "even if you did hire me the other day — and yeah, we saw the vote, I'm not worth as much as my husband... He's the contractor..."
"Oh, do we need to give him a raise, so you two won't be making the same salary?" Diana teased.
"No," Evie said, almost frantic until she belatedly realized that Diana was teasing her.
Jeff broke in, "You two proved your worth yesterday, but we already knew it. End of discussion."
Evie's eyes sparkled with tears as Jennie, who was sitting on the other side of her, reached over and hugged her. The tears really started then.
While the women were hugging, Dave got up and left. Shortly, he was back pushing the wheelchair.
"I'm not riding in that thing," Jeff objected, eyeing it as if it were a week-old carcass.
"Jeff," Dave teased, in a stern voice. "You might be able to whip my ass on a good day, but this isn't a good day. Now get your butt in this chair and we'll take a ride to the living room," he finished, grinning.
The two men looked at each other for a moment, then Jeff grinned and got slowly into the chair.
Dave, as shocked as everyone else, turned them around and headed out the kitchen door, saying over his shoulder, "Bring the man some coffee, please. We'll be in the living room discussing our projects."
Dave got Jeff into the recliner and comfortable, and they shortly had coffee, smilingly delivered by Laura, with an insulated carafe sitting on the table when they wanted refills, plus a platter of assorted sweet rolls delivered by Melissa.
Dave had discreetly tried to get a close look at the wound to see how it was coming along, as he helped Jeff into the recliner. When the women left, Jeff said, "Go ahead and check it out. I understand."
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Ship ...”We were still here all the time?” Kathy got out with amazement. “Ann told me that Ship’s training was very realistic, but this is beyond...” she finished as her voice trailed off. Bill automatically put an arm about his wife as he cast a look around the room. “Arlene and Ann had something they needed to do, but they will meet you in the lounge,” Ship told them. Bill, Kathy, Arlene Ann and the two crews that had flown the training mission with them were all sitting around a big...
During breakfast in the dining room, Diana stood and tapped a spoon on her orange juice glass. When the room quieted, "Most of you already know, but for the ones who don't, Frank, Margaret, Tina, Bill, Kathy and Jill will be back from the island this morning. Margaret called me late yesterday from their hotel suite in Los Angeles. She said they were anxious to get home and would leave really early for the last leg of their trip back. I would appreciate it if all of those of us who will be...
The Retreat ... The Sheriff and his family had left. Jeff and Joe Martin were sitting in the living room talking while the women had gone somewhere, probably to the bathroom. “So, how’s the honeymoon going?” Jeff, at a loss for a topic, asked uncomfortably, not wanting to get into the subject that he thought Arlene should take care of. “Great. I’m still amazed that she actually married me. Sir, the woman brought some polish along and polished her wedding ring – a brand-new wedding ring. I...
... Ann raised a foot from the muck to shake off something that wiggled and flopped about as it tried to use its teeth and suckers on the near-impervious suit. But the skin suit sluffed off the creature’s actions without much notice, and she stomped it into the muck. A few minutes later, they were out of the water and on a long peninsula of muddy land that extended partway through the swamp. Tired, the two stopped for a breather. Turning, Ann started to make a comment, but instead screamed...
... Ann looked at the screen in front of her. “See that?” “Yeah,” Arlene said with a sigh. “Continental shelf. Our world is going shallow. We’re almost there.” “Chances are that very shortly we’re going to be brain dead for real,” Ann quietly said as she began yet another check of their systems. A few minutes later, they came to a halt in water no more than fifty feet deep. “I don’t see any signs of our intruder on my screen. How about yours?” Ann shook her head, then realized that...
Jeff had gotten a bid from the dealer on the Internet and there wasn't a salesman involved. The sales manager handled the business. "How long to prep the black one?" The manager grinned. "After I talked with you on the phone, I went ahead and prepped it, just in case. All I have to do is gas it up and it will be ready." "Fine. Do it, and we'll get the paperwork out of the way." A little later, the paperwork was done, and Jeff swiped his debit card. The sales manager seemed to...
Diana came back with a washcloth and helped her mother put it between her legs, and also helped her get her panties and shorts back on. Susan was still mostly out of it, her motions and actions slow and somewhat uncoordinated. "You really blew her away," Diana said to her husband as she sat and pulled her mother into her arms. "She really blew me away, too," Jeff said as he touched Susan's cheek. "I was aware enough to support most of my weight on my forearms, but all I wanted to do...
In the hallway, Susan threw a load of wet towels on the cart, then a moment later came back out of the suite with the vacuum cleaner she had been using. Muttering to herself, her face red, she hung the vacuum on the side of the cart and started for the next suite. "What's wrong, Meemi?" Arlene asked as she caught up to her grandmother. "Two people. Two people in there and they used up all the towels we left for them, plus extras that they demanded last night at 9:00 o'clock, then they...
... Jeff had also heard the door close, and shoved Helen into Diana's arms, causing Diana to stagger, Laura grabbing Helen to help. He pulled his .45 from his waistband and started down the hall, but even as he did so, he saw Arlene at the intersection of the hallways and knew he was too late. Jeff figured one of the mercenaries had to be in the hallway, and was probably doing the same thing Arlene was. (Slicing the pie at the intersection.) He also knew he would never make the...
The Retreat Diana frowned prettily. “That reminds me. We need to go back to 2214 to see if Jasmine and her sister-wives have caught up with their canning yet. We should do that tomorrow.” “Yep. And they need to get back into training as soon as possible too, but we can’t leave to visit them until the Sergeant and his crew have completed their investigation.” “So, how long will that take?” “As long as it takes,” Jeff responded to her frustration. “Look, Sergeant Higgins is in charge of the...
Diana parked in front of the art supply store. Hope, sitting in the second seat with Ann, started to open her door, but Ann put out a restraining hand. "Let Security do their thing first." "Are we really in that much danger?" Diana spoke up from the driver's seat. "We didn't go into details when we told you about the attack, and no, we don't expect it to happen again, but we didn't expect that attack, either. And, yeah, it's an irritant having to have Security everywhere we go,...
When they parked in the back, the door of the Retreat opened and all Jeff's younger wives, who had stayed home, came hurrying out accompanied by Selina. As Hope and Arlene exited the SUV with the puppies snuggled under their coats, Arlene pointed to an area just past the pavement near the side of the Retreat. "Mrs. Kimbrel said we should walk them as soon as we got home," Arlene told the others as she and Hope opened their coats enough to give everyone a peek at the baby...
The Retreat ... The young wives looked at each other before Arlene turned to her husband. “As per your orders, I’m continuing to schedule crews for patrol missions. Of course...” “But that’s not where you just came from,” Jeff interrupted to say. The two young women exchanged a look. “We might as well tell him and get it over with,” Ann said. Arlene stared at her partner, then with a sigh, agreed, but as she opened her mouth, Ann began to speak. “We know that the General has made every...
Hope held one of the outfits up as she repressed a giggle. "Dogs can see color, can't they?" Arlene grabbed Spike, who had apparently figured things out and was sneaking off. "Oh, no you don't, Big Boy. You get to try on your new snowsuit." Then answering Hope's question, "They can see colors, but I've read that the colors they see probably aren't as intense to dogs as they are to humans. They have fewer cones in their eyes, and humans have several different types of cones that...
... Arlene motioned to their forward screen and the rippling, wavering, blurry image there. “I can’t see worth a shit because of the burning atmosphere, and the sensors have packed up from the heat. But I think I’ll go to full shields right about...” A geyser shot hundreds of feet into the air as the craft hit the water with a sound that could be heard many, many miles away. Even at full shields, some of the shock bled through and, had it not been for the gravity field of their seats,...
Hi, To all Iss reader this is my first story hope U all would like it a complete fiction.my self raj i live in Mumbai this story is about my aunty nandita,let me describe her she is in her 30s,lives with her husband and daughter.She is born beauty with an awesome fig of 36.28.40 ..her assets are her huge melons of 36 d and her ass that will give a hard on to any guy who looks at it So now my story starts this was like 5 years ago when I was appearing for my 12 th HSC examination at that time my...
Laura woke him the usual way, and she almost went too far. When Jeff grunted and his cock started to swell, she jerked her mouth off. It was a near thing for a few seconds. "I guess I almost went off while I was still asleep," he groaned. "Wow, I'm really horny." "Sorry, Jeff. You usually go forever. I wouldn't mess it up for Diana for the world." "It wasn't your fault," he said, finally regaining control. "It's just the stress of the day. Of course, I've had two of those damn...
In their bedroom, dressed in pajamas, the girls flopped into bed. Terry grabbed the remote and dialed the lights down, then turned to her sister. "Arlene said that we wouldn't have any more periods until Little One turns them on for us again. Boy, I can sure live with that." Alice got a look on her face and responded, "Well, as you know, I've only had one, but it sure was icky – not to say anything about worrying if I were bleeding to death. If that's what it takes to be a woman, I...
Jeff and his women had showered and were in bed only moments when Ship announced that Arlene's scout was minutes away. Since the family was still using their suite on the Ship, they were quickly dressed – well partially anyway – and waiting for Arlene as she maneuvered her scout through the outer bay door and onto the flight deck. She didn't go all the way to the scout's bay though, but stopped in front of her family. An instant after the scout came to a halt, its belly hatch opened and...
The Waterfall Campsite ... Dessie straightened up and stared at Ann. “I have eaten pheasant, fish and rabbit until they’re practically coming out my ears. I’ve had MREs while backpacking and wasn’t in love with them all that much, but I think I would love some now, no matter what the meal consists of.” “We have an assortment. I noticed a Brisket Entreé, Chicken something or other, and a Beef Stew, with whatever goes with them, and several more besides. We just grabbed some at random in...
JUST OUTSIDE A SMALL NORTHWESTERN TOWN Once again Nichols sat worrying in front of his boss' elegant desk. Rich, wealthy, words don't describe the extreme category the older man fit into. Nor can you describe how evil this man is either, Nichols thought, his face devoid of expression as he waited for Mr. Moreau to end his phone call. Nichols dreaded that. When the call ended, Moreau would ask questions that Nichols didn't have acceptable answers to. The town council members think Moreau...
Jeff, Diana, Dave and Evie sat in the living room, waiting. When the phone rang, Diana checked the caller ID and answered. "Glad you guys are back." "Diana, I..." The voice chopped off, then Carla cleared her throat and tried again. "Diana, our dreams..." Carla's voice stopped again, to be replaced by quiet sobs of joy. "I can't..." "You just did," Diana said softly. "You're on speaker, so all of us can hear you. Jeff, Dave and Evie are here with me and listening. And, you're...
...”See that tree that has the broken limb hanging down?” “Yes,” Aiko gasped out. “We’ll jog to it, then we will walk for a hundred steps.” “I don’t know...” “Yes, you do. You know you can. I’ll bet it’s even less than a hundred steps. Let’s count them,” she finished as she began counting their steps aloud while they slow-jogged. Soon Aiko added her voice. “Ninety-two. Told you it was less than a hundred. Now we’ll walk for a hundred steps, and rested or not, we will jog starting at...
The Retreat As Charlotte and Diana sat at the bar in the kitchen watching the other women, Selina stopped by. "Want to help?" the little genius asked the young woman. Worried, Charlotte answered, "Everything is happening so fast that I barely know what's going on." "Oh, you will get used to that," Selina said as she reached for Charlotte's hand. "Well, I'll be glad to help if I can." Charlotte glanced at Diana, who nodded with a smile. "No better way than to just dive...
They were high up and soon over the ocean, having left the continent behind. They passed the terminator and continued into night, still headed west, the myriad lights of the cities twinkling as the Earth seemed to slowly spin below. But before the view could become boring – if it ever could -- the horizon seemed to shift downward on the big screen as the Ship gradually pointed her nose away from the planet, the full moon drifting down toward the center of the viewscreen. There was a...
Jeff met with Kei, Edi and Alesha on the updated design that they were working on for the new ski lodge, then stopped off in the living room to watch the late news before eventually winding up in his suite. After a shower where he "played" with Jennie and Melissa, he walked into a strangely quiet bedroom. Looking around, he began to wonder. "What?" he asked, then suddenly it hit him, "Where's Ann?" Arlene caught his eye. "We've looked for her, and she's not anywhere in the Retreat....
The Castle ...”Certainly,” Arlene responded, “but please don’t either of you touch it. The AI can become quite persnickety, and he has the means to back up his displeasure.” “You have a functioning artificial intelligence?” Karl asked. “Please don’t mention it around him. I think he is trying to find a way to become a citizen,” Arlene returned with a chuckle. “Uh, I won’t,” Karl responded, not quite sure if Arlene were kidding or not. Both Karl and Fischer thanked Arlene and hurried off...
Jeff had stopped by his office to pick up a few pieces of printer paper. Alone in the living room a couple of minutes later, he wadded up a sheet of the paper into a loose ball. If I screw up with this paper ball, air resistance, if nothing else, should keep its flight slow enough to prevent me from tearing up things. With Arlene's encouragement while on the Ship's range, he had gained a small measure of expertise as he mentally moved a steel ball around and caused it to spin, but he still...
The Mission ... Both were tempted to use their suits’ drive units, but they knew that would alert the Throme if anything would. Scrambling down, they were soon in the water. A hundred meters out, they saw a glint of movement coming toward them just under the surface. “Let’s go home,” Arlene said to her partner. As soon as the hatch closed and even before they were out of the airlock, the AI had them moving away from land. “Oh, I so want to get out of this suit,” Arlene grumped a few...
The Retreat Shortly after lunch, Arlene went out to the Ship expecting to sit in one of the command couches and be swept away by the simulator to another very realistic space battle, but she froze as soon as she passed through the hatch. Jeff had called Kayla and Art to his office, intending to ask them to begin training in the Ship's simulator. Before he could begin, the AI turned the TV on to show Arlene jogging back from the Ship. The AI didn't say anything, but apparently thought...
The Retreat After breakfast, Arlene, Ann and Selina gathered enough food to last them the rest of the day. “Should this not be the correct castle and we continue the search, we will need something to drink with our lunch,” Selina said as she opened a refrigerator. “There is water available at each station on the interceptor. As for soft drinks, please bring only what you are sure you will drink. Storage space is at a premium,” Arlene told the seven-year-old. “Bathroom?” Selina asked as...
Jeff had just dialed his next door neighbor who lived a mile down the road. "Steve Sperman here." "Hi Mr. Sperman. This is Jeff. How's it going?" "Hmmm. Didn't we have a discussion about that Mr. thing?" Jeff chuckled. "Yeah, I guess we did, Steve. How's Marcie doing?" There was a hesitation. "You know, that's a funny thing, like I mentioned before. Seems like after the night we spent at your place, ol' Uncle Arthur (arthritis) suddenly got much better. Odd that both of us...
The Prison Planet Ship had received permission from her Prime to go back to Earth long enough to pick up Arlene, Ann and the other aviators, then take the Wing to orbit for its launch. The trip to Earth and back would only take a few minutes. Giving the interceptors a ride to orbit and their launch would take only a few minutes more. The interceptors normally remained in their bays on Ship’s flight deck, so she would have to go back anyway. Also, she would have to return to Earth again when...
Deep Space "Question is, are they going to notice us?" Ann asked as she watched as one of the alien vessels came from behind a large chunk of moon and headed straight for them. Ann knew she could not warp out without her drive trying to take some of the debris field with them, which would probably result in the destruction of her warp drive, and/or her ship. In addition, she strongly suspected that the aliens would pick up her inertialess drive's signature, should she use that with them...
“Despite our AIs actually doing the flying, I want every pilot to have his or her hands on the controls at all times when we do this for real, and when we practice as well. Ann and I have put together a rough outline. Everything seems to work in the simulation, but we haven’t done it for real yet. There could very well be glaring errors that only show up when actually flying the patterns. Bottom line: be careful and think about what the next step is. Does the current process make sense with...
When they left the suite a few minutes later, they saw Melissa at the far end of the hall. She seemed to do a double-take, then turned and rushed around the corner, probably heading for the kitchen. A little later, when they walked through the door, she was already setting out two more plates. Jeff pulled Ann tighter against him, and they stopped just inside the kitchen. I know Ann is blushing. Damn, I thought I was too old to blush, but my face feels like it’s on fire. Everyone was seated...
EARLIER IN THE MORNING AT QUINTON TATE'S HOME After his morning shower, Quinton, dressed in his uniform and still buckling on his gun belt, walked into the kitchen. Before he could sit down, the phone rang. "Quinton," he said, putting the instrument to his ear as he finished securing the belt with the keepers. "Well, good morning. Are you planning to go somewhere on your little impromptu vacation?" his Captain asked, cheerily – a little too cheerily. "What vacation?" Quinton joked...
"We still have a problem," Diana said. "I doubt if Billy has ever used a litter box. So how are we going to train him to use it and not pee on the carpet? Since there aren't any pet stores in Winter Park, I guess we can order a kennel on the Internet and have it overnighted, but as late as it is, it will still be day after tomorrow before it gets here..." "Yeah, we were lucky the grocery store even had litter boxes. But we're ahead of you about the kennel," Jeff said. "Arlene had an...
The Retreat ... Charlotte and Ada sat for a moment as Diana's words sank in. Both mother and daughter were clearly skeptical as they furtively glanced at the other three women. Diana let out a chuckle. "You can say it; we won't get mad." Ada hesitated. "This is no joke? You're actually telling us that Susan is your mother and Arlene is your daughter?" "Got it in one," Diana said with a grin. "But..." Ada began. Then, after studying Susan's and Arlene's faces some more, she...
Jeff sat in his usual place at the head of the table. Frank Wainwright sat to Jeff's right as the family (minus four who were eating with Margaret and Tina in their suite) ate lunch. All the Alphas ate a lot, and Jeff usually ate more than most of them, but today, he was hungrier than usual. He had gone through his first plate and was already started on his second one. "Looks like you're a bit hungry today," Frank tactfully said. "I didn't see you after breakfast. What did you do to...
Joyce, Caitlin, Jennie, Melissa and Ann came in with the latter two pushing serving carts. Soon, the table was set and food arrayed in front of Arlene, Diana, Susan and Jeff. The wives' efficiency was not lost on Susan, but she refused to acknowledge it due to her sour mood. Each time she had talked to her daughter or granddaughter on the phone lately, her suspicions that something was going on had increased. Then the introductions in the living room were almost more than she could...
Everyone except Matt and Courtney was waiting in the living room. The new SAC and his wife had borrowed an Escalade and driven down to Winter Park. "HELICOPTER APPROACHING FROM THE NORTH. SECURITY HAS CLEARED IT TO LAND ON OUR PAD." Margaret had called earlier to say that everything had gone without a hitch and they were on the way home, but Angel had been beaten and was in need of medical attention. "Let's go," Jeff said as he started out the door of the living room with Little One...
Aboard Ship, Arlene, Ann and Selina are teaching the Morales family how to field strip, clean and reassemble a pulse rifle. ...”Very good, Mr. Morales. That’s a whole lot better than I did the first time,” Arlene blatantly lied. “Okay, Jasmine, do you know what’s next?” “Well, I did until you scrambled the parts,” Jasmine said with a chuckle, “but I think it’s that thing over there — a modulator, I believe you called it.” And the process went on. The next time they field stripped the...
The Prison Planet As the group neared the second area that was obstructed by boulders, Jeff said with a sigh, “Sorry, Ladies, but I still have a headache from moving the last bunch. No way am I going to play bulldozer just now.” “It’s getting colder in here,” Tosha said as she zipped her jacket, took her gloves out of a pocket and pulled them on. “Is it just me, or is the path sloping downward more?” Kei asked as she and the others followed suit – other than Jeff, who only zipped his light...
Kayla very briefly told everyone what had happened. Just as she was finishing up, Sheriff Tate, who had been eating with the team, walked into the hallway to chat with the others. "I helped the guys move the bodies out. We found a roll of black plastic in the basement and covered the pile of them." "That piece of plastic over there on the floor," Jill said, motioning down the hallway near the theater door, "is that where one of them..." "Yeah," Kayla said. "General Whitworth has a...
As everyone walked down the hall toward the theater, Selina hung back. When Diana turned and caught her eye, Selina, with purpose, walked on past, turned the corner and went on to her suite. If I do not ask, then the answer cannot be no, she thought. Waiting four minutes by her internal clock, she walked back out of her suite, down the hall and peeked around the corner in the direction of the theater. There was no one in the hallway. Shortly, she slowly opened the theater door the tiniest...
With the Alphas at Security headquarters studying the pulse rifle and the women apparently all in the basement, Jeff wandered through the Retreat at a loss as to what he should be doing. Deciding he would work in his lab to pass the time, he returned to the basement. Poking his head in one of the rooms, he got a smile from Kayla who was leading an exercise class – push-ups for the moment. His position allowed him a view of erect nipples on several of his wives, and a couple of the other...
Characters that appear in this chapter. Matt – Alpha. New Denver SAC for the FBI. Courtney – Matt's wife who thinks the Matthews may be aliens. Jeff – The Prime. Diana – Jeff's wife and Clan Queen. Arlene – Queen, wife. Diana and Jeff's daughter. Helen – Genius wife and teacher. Susan – Wife and Diana's mother, who is also a Queen. Kayla – Jeff's wife who first worked for the FBI, but then went to work for the General, and now she is Jeff's last line of defense. Art – Alpha....
Arlene grabbed Jeff's hand. "Come on, Daddy. Let's go back to our suite. Mom and Selina will be back ... uh sometime." Jeff frowned as he turned back to the others, "Yeah, that's what I'm worried about – the sometime. It's not like Diana to run off like that." Laura put her arm around his waist to get him started toward their suite. "Well, you were the one who kept pushing Diana to go through the academy. I have been through only the first six months there, but all that discipline...
Bobby put her hands on her face and took a breath trying to stifle a giggle. "We're acting like whores," she said, while desperately trying not to reach for Art's cock. Sandra hissed in a breath. "Art, I don't know what's happened to us. Honest, we don't act like this. We've each had one guy — once, and that was just to get rid of our cherries. But it's like we've been given an aphrodisiac. I want you so bad that it's hard to breathe," she finished, not knowing that Art was...
The Colonel’s Office Aboard Ship ...”And Worthington. Hear this! If something happens to my wife, I’ll kill you without a second thought. Now get out of my face before I change my mind and do what I know should be done.” Without saluting, Worthington spun on his heel and stomped out. Jeff sat thinking. Should I tell his Commander why I’m sending him back? After a moment, he shrugged. On second thought, I asked for his best aviators to give them a chance in my unit. No one, other than us,...