Arlene and JeffChapter 230
- 3 years ago
- 25
- 0
The Prison Planet
Unknown to Morales, one of the near-invisible probes shifted for a better view of him.
He had been busy. Desperately trying to save as much of his new kill as he could, he had sliced the meat into thin strips. One of his books had given several ways to make jerky. One article said the meat had to remain at 145 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of ten minutes, then the temperature should be reduced and the meat must be allowed to dry completely. Another article said the temperature should be 160 degrees for at least fifteen minutes, and ... there were a lot of cautions with each article. At any rate, the meat had to be kept hot long enough to kill the bacteria and other microorganisms, then the temperature should be reduced and the meat had to hang over the fire until the jerky was thoroughly dried.
"Well, fuck it," he thought aloud. "I don't have a thermometer, anyway. They've sent me to this planet with all kinds of shit – some of it that I don't even know how to use – but they didn't put in a fucking thermometer, or a clock, and ... they took my fucking watch. What the hell did they do that for? Now I have to guess at the temperature as well as the fucking time as I try to learn how to preserve meat. I guess I'll back up and punt," he snarled.
There was a washed-out gully roughly three feet deep that ran down the hill just to the left as he exited the cave. He put a thin layer of branches in the bottom for twenty feet or so, then lit a small fire. Having already cut a number of slightly thicker branches, he stripped them free of limbs and leaves. Using the thin "S" hooks from his case – and wishing he had Robertson's case so he would have enough of the hooks – he hung the strips of meat on the limbs and laid them across the narrow gully. The heat from the fire, concentrated by the ditch, would dry the meat and the smoke would tend to keep the flies away – or so he hoped.
There was a problem with drying the meat in the ditch, though. Due to the bushes and the big boulder at the entrance, the meat was out of sight unless he was several feet outside his cave. He hesitated to cut the bushes, though. They told me there were other prisoners on this planet. Unless I've been lied to, the others didn't get sent here because they were upstanding people. Having to fight animals is bad enough. I don't want to advertise my presence to whoever else is here.
Thinking about the other prisoners brought another thought. Hmmm, building a cabin might not be the best idea after all. It for damn sure would stand out like a sore thumb, and building it might just get my ass killed in the process. My cave is dark, true, but it's dry, water is near and the entrance is defensible. If the area will sustain me, I would be a fool to advertise myself. If the area will sustain me, he repeated mentally. I need to explore some more. I got a couple of glimpses through the trees of an open valley. That's one of the things the books say I should look for, because that's where I will generally find the type of animals I'll need – grass eaters. I probably lucked up finding that antelope or whatever it was, in the woods – game trail or no game trail.
With everything he did, his crossbow and compound bow were in his hands or close by, the cat attack never far from his mind.
Inside the cave, he utilized another method of drying the remainder of the meat. He didn't want to have to dig a deep trench in the hard-packed floor of the cave, so utilizing the plentiful supply of rocks farther in, he labored to construct two rows of big rocks, then blocked the ends of the area with a few more of them. The area was about three feet wide and approximately two feet high stretching partway across the side of the cave entrance that was already partially blocked by the big boulder.
After putting up forked branches on either end, he placed larger poles a foot or so above the rocks for long spits, parallel to the length of his fire. The result was an area to concentrate the fire similar to what the ditch did outside. With strips of meat hanging on spits suspended over the area, he began a small fire to enable him to dry meat inside the cave, too. If something got the meat that was suspended in the gully outside, he would still have what he was drying inside the cave. Whether the meat would last or not was still a matter of conjecture.
He ran out of "S" hooks, and cut sections of the fishing line to use instead. After slicing a hole near one end of the strip of meat, he pushed the fishing line through the hole, then tied the strip of meat to the spit. I need to use a knot that I can untie easily. I have to preserve the line for use again later. If I'm to live here, I'll have to dry meat many times.
Finally, the meat was all hung. Tired and fighting depression at the thought of having to dry meat for the rest of his life, he reviewed the articles that gave instructions on how to tell when jerky had dried enough. One described how it could be reconstituted by soaking it in boiling water. Now if he had something to go with it, he could produce a stew come winter – if his meat was actually preserved, and if he could find some vegetables to go in the pot with it.
He cautiously went down to the stream to wash his hands and arms, never letting his drying meat out of his sight. Damn, I can smell it way down here, he thought as he looked back up the hill. No telling how far the animals can detect it.
Each time the fire blazed up too much, he covered it with green branches and leaves to smother it back. The article said to dry the meat, not cook it. He had used wood that the book indicated was a close cousin to hickory back on Earth. He had no idea whether it would enhance the taste of the meat or not.
Shit, this either works or it doesn't. Sooner or later I'll get it right. The books say that drying meat to preserve it has been going on for ages. If they could do it three thousand years ago, I can learn to do it, too.
Back inside the cave, he took a shovel and the mattock with its poorly-shaped handle that he had constructed by using something called a drawknife, and began on his shelves. Digging the shelves into the walls of the cave was hot and exhausting work for someone unused to hard physical labor, particularly when that someone already had sore muscles from staggering a mile several times carrying a heavy load of meat. The digging had produced more blisters that he hoped would eventually be replaced with tougher skin.
Finally, he had four long shelves dug into the hard-packed dirt wall on one side of his cave. After positioning a number of short, forked sticks at intervals along the shelves to support his spits of meat, he collapsed to his rock seat to take a long drink from his canteen. It tasted wonderful going down his throat. Funny how I almost always drank beer or a soft drink rather than water. Now there's only water, but ... it's beginning to taste really good, especially when it's fresh out of the stream and cold – and ... I'm hot and sweaty.
Outside, he took a piece of meat from one of the hooks. Flexing the strip to test it, he decided it wasn't quite ready, at least according to the books. Pulling a chunk apart, he put some into his mouth. It was already quite tough, but the taste seemed to be concentrated and damn good. I can live on this if that's all I have to eat, but it's going to stress my teeth. At least those assholes sent several tubes of toothpaste and a couple of brushes. Hmmm, I seem to remember seeing something in one of the books about cleaning teeth without commercial toothpaste. Fuck, I have to do something. I hate to even think about chewing this stuff with an abscess.
He took another bite of the almost-jerky. When it was finally chewed up and he had swallowed the last bite of the strip, he griped aloud, "I'll bet this would taste even better with a little salt. Surely there has to be salt somewhere on this fucking planet. With my luck, it'll be on the other side of it, though." Grimacing, he added, "Shit." Talking to myself, again. "But, who the fuck cares. I'm the only one here, and those assholes back on Earth don't give a fuck whether I talk to myself or not." A snigger slipped out – the first time on the planet. "Guess I'm finally the best conversationalist around."
A barely heard scream in the distance made him tense up. He was almost certain it was the cat – or one of them, he thought grimly. "Come get me motherfucker. I'll shoot your ass full of arrows. See how you like that," he yelled out.
Whether it was the cat or not, the sun was going down, and the hair had stood up on the back of his neck when he heard that scream. The meat is either jerky or it's not. Either way, it's coming inside the cave. I'm not about to leave it outside for that fucker to eat. I'll do the test on it again in the morning when it's totally cool. If it isn't dry enough, I'll put it over the fire again to dry the rest of the way.
When the spits from outside were all hung along his shelves, he went down for a fresh bucket of water. Back in the cave, he replaced his crude barrier, made sure the crossbow was cocked and the bolt was in place.
I still have time to work on the hide before time to sack out. He had already scraped it, now he was going to try the brain/piss to see if he could cure what he hoped would eventually be something to sleep under. Oh, fuck, that stinks, he thought as he took the lid off the bucket. Steeling himself, he stuck a hand into the mess.
St. Louis
There was a complication when they arrived at the hotel. Just before they came to a full stop, Kathy told the limo driver that he wouldn't be needed any longer.
"I have instructions to see that the lady is returned safely home," he quietly responded.
"It won't be necessary. Jill and I will see that she's safely in a cab when she leaves."
He informed her that he would wait.
Mentally sighing, Kathy explained that neither of them had to get up early in the morning and they were going to be engaged in some girl talk that might run late.
He would wait.
But it might be hours.
Mrs. Wainwright had instructed him to see that the young lady got home safely. He would wait.
It would interfere with their enjoyment of the evening if they thought he had to wait while they were having fun.
That, at least, produced a small hesitation, but he quickly responded that he had his iPad with him and plenty to read – was accustomed to waiting, and loved his job. He received his full salary even when the Wainwrights were gone for weeks. He would wait.
The conversation was going in circles. As they pulled to a stop in front of the hotel, in desperation, Kathy called Margaret. After Kathy, exasperated, explained the situation, a chuckling Margaret responded. "Kathy, that's his job. Much of his day is spent waiting. Check out the front of that limo. It has everything. Plus he can sleep if he wants or needs to. Now, considering our conversation here at the Retreat, I assumed that you would try to extend your evening with Eileen, but I also asked Raymond to make certain she arrived home safely, no matter how late. He's just following my instructions, and ... Kathy, as far as that's concerned, he's very well compensated. In addition, Frank and I consider him, not just an employee, but a friend – and he knows it. Let him do his job. He'll make certain she's returned to her apartment safely, no matter how late. Now you three go have fun." With that, Margaret hung up.
Kathy sat staring at her phone before looking back at Jill, then returned her gaze to Raymond's image in his mirror. "Uh, we'll give you a call when Eileen is ready to leave."
"Very good, Ma'am," he responded as he hurried to open the door for them. He didn't even grin as they walked past, but Kathy knew he wanted to.
As the three women walked into the suite, Jill took Eileen's coat as the young woman tried to discreetly check out her surroundings, but Kathy noticed.
"Margaret reserved the suite for us..."
"'Margaret?'"
Kathy motioned toward a couch. "Yes, Mrs. Wainwright."
As Eileen sat, "Everyone in this city knows who Frank Wainwright is. You're such good friends with multi-billionaires that his wife reserves a suite like this just for the two of you to come and visit with me? And the limo ... Admittedly, I've never been in a limo before, but even I know that vehicle is unusual. I guess it would have to be to be owned by Mr. Wainwright..."
Eileen's little speech died even as Jill sat next to her and Kathy pushed a chair closer to sit on the other side of the coffee table.
Eileen looked first at one, then the other. "This is way beyond an apology, ladies. I'm beginning to be a little concerned. Oh, I really enjoyed our visit at the restaurant, and yeah, I wanted to continue our talk, but why should the Wainwrights insist on their driver making certain a total stranger gets home safely, no matter how late? Things just aren't adding up. I need to know what's going on, or I'm out of here."
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The women had pushed the two kitchen tables together. Frank Wainwright stood looking at them as Jeff, Kayla, and Diana came in. "We either need to get a bigger table in here, or start eating in the dining room." "Bigger table," Jeff and Diana said at almost the same time. "The dining room is too formal," Diana continued. "We want to be a family, and with all of us for three meals a day, it's a lot easier to serve in here than taking the food into the dining room. The kitchen is...
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,...