Arlene and JeffChapter 230
- 3 years ago
- 25
- 0
The Prison Planet
... They were barely a hundred yards from the cave, the girls starting to become accustomed to pulling the light cases while wearing the cumbersome snowshoes, when Jasmine screamed, “Down!” as Morales grunted and went to his knees.
Even as that was happening, Jasmine’s rifle fired as she also went to a knee, jacked another round into the chamber and fired a second time, the sound of the rounds unbelievably close together for a bolt-action rifle.
“Morales!”
In a big tree not thirty yards from them, and twenty feet up, a man dressed in furs slowly toppled from a blind he had made there. With a cascade of snow and a tremendous “thud,” he landed on his back at the base of the tree, his crossbow landing beside him.
“See to Morales,” Jasmine screamed to her sister-wives as she came to her feet, untangled her snowshoes and trudged as fast as she could toward the figure half-buried in the snow.
But she needn’t have bothered because the wolves beat her to him by a significant margin with Lobo only a heartbeat in front of Lila. The big wolf closed his mouth around the man’s throat and tore it away, a gush of blood splattering the snow as he did so. A second later, Lila finished ripping the man’s head from his body with an ease that would have been scary under different circumstances. Jasmine, frustrated because she had wanted to blow his head off, stumbled into a turn with her snowshoes momentarily tangling, and thrashed her way to Morales.
The big man, with the help of his new wives, had managed to prop himself into a sitting position against a tree with six inches of a crossbow bolt protruding from his coats, the bolt obviously buried in his chest.
Morales turned his head to spit blood, before wheezing, “Who the fuck was he?”
“I don’t know, but the bastard will never shoot anybody again,” Jasmine absently returned as she tried to determine exactly where the bolt had struck her husband. With all the clothing he had on, and not wanting to move any of it which would have jarred the bolt, it was hard to tell, but she thought it had hit somewhere on his left chest.
No, no, she kept screaming in her mind, He can’t die. He just can’t.
The wolves, their muzzles bloody, came dashing over to push Ashley and Christine aside so they could lie against Morales sides, whining so loudly that it was distracting. “Hush,” Jasmine told them. “He’s going to be all right. We just need to get him out of the cold.”
Jasmine grabbed a stunned Ashley, “Go to the front of the cave and write the word ‘HELP’ on the whiteboard in big, bold letters,” she ordered, “then wave your arms, do a fucking rain dance if you have to, but attract the attention of the AI that supposed to be watching us.”
Morales grabbed Jasmine’s arm, only to grimace from his having moved. “With your help, I think I can walk. Just get me back inside the cave. We both know that I’m going to bleed out, and I don’t want to die out here in the cold.”
“You’re not bleeding out here or anywhere else,” she snarled back even as she could feel the tears freezing on her face.
“Get me up,” he demanded. “You know that bolt is in my lungs,” he wheezed.
“The pain keeps me from taking more than tiny sips of air. I’m going to bleed out in a few minutes, and I’m not going to die sitting out here leaning against a tree.
“No. No. No, Baby. You don’t need to exert yourself. The AI at the General’s headquarters is supposed to be polling the cameras’ AI here every few minutes. They’ll notice and send help. Now give me time to rig a travois, and we’ll get you inside.”
“Bullshit. Do you actually think that the General will pay any attention to a prisoner...”
They heard Ashley screaming, “This way. This way,” as the portal opened and troops boiled out.
The Retreat
Jeff, Dave, Evie, Tosha and most of the family were sitting in the living room talking, when Jeff motioned for them to wait. Unconsciously, he sat up straighter, his body going tense as he listened to someone on his radio. There was a long pause before, “No. Don’t bother trying to move him,” the Prime ordered the trooper who had stepped back through the portal to call his Colonel. “That bolt will only do more damage as you put him on a stretcher and get him through the portal to bring him back to the base. The medics should be able to keep him alive until I get there with Ship and her healing chamber.”
Hearing Jeff’s side of the conversation, Arlene, Selina and Diana were already sprinting down the hall toward the inside garage as Jeff finished giving his orders.
“What’s happening?” Tosha asked, worriedly.
“Come on,” he said, grabbing Tosha’s hand as he started behind the others with Kayla right behind Jeff. Surprising them all, Selina kept up with Diana and Arlene. Tosha, with all her training, also matched Jeff step for step.
By the time Jeff, Kayla and Tosha were to the inside garage, Diana had an Escalade running with Arlene and Selina inside, everyone, other than Jeff, breathing hard. The Clan Queen had already hit the remote to open the bay doors, and as soon as Jeff, Tosha and Kayla were aboard, she roared out of the garage, jammed the selector into Drive and slammed the accelerator pedal to the floor.
In seconds, they were at the fake building. As they boiled out of the vehicle, Jeff picked Selina up and sprinted, the others in his wake.
On the way from the Retreat to Ship, Jeff had briefed her mentally, and she had the course to 2214 laid in and was waiting. As soon as the hatch closed, she translated to orbit, the ground and the Retreat shaking from the blast of sound. A heartbeat after clearing atmosphere, she warped to the prison planet.
Seconds after reaching 2214, the great ship was hovering over the entrance to the cave, only to quickly move a few hundred feet until she had a direct line of sight to the group hovering around Morales who was still sitting propped against the tree.
“Bring him up,” Jeff told Ship mentally.
Ship, not taking time to sort everything out, went the quickest way and just moved everyone and everything in the group around Morales, which included the patient, snowshoes, two medics, two wolves, three wives, miscellaneous medical equipment and three rifles and two cases with skis and some snow. A millisecond later, she transferred Morales into one of her chambers that she had just moved near the group. Everyone who had been hovering over Morales was now hovering over nothing. Even the snow was gone without a trace.
The wolves, their master suddenly missing, immediately went on battle alert, which greatly impressed the medics who jumped away from bared fangs and rumbling growls. The wolves were normally very imposing beasts, but add upset, their hackles raised and their teeth bared, not to mention the blood on their muzzles, and they were far beyond merely imposing.
Jeff knelt in front of the animals. “Easy guys. Your master is going to be fine. Ship is healing him,” he said while trying to project a mental picture of Morales lying in the healing chamber.
It must have worked, at least to some extent, because Lobo and Lila dashed the few feet to the chamber and looked inside just as the mists finished obscuring the view of Morales lying there.
Three crying and trembling women hugged each other and hovered over the chamber while a shaken medic stood holding an IV with its severed hose that continued to drip fluid toward the floor, although a puddle never seemed to form. The second medic had been kneeling, and after inserting the IV catheter in a vein in Morales’ arm, was in the process of taping the catheter in place when Ship transported the patient to the healing chamber, which left the medic kneeling over nothing. The medic came to his feet, both men staring around them. After all, it wasn’t as if they were warned about what Ship was going to do. They both knew about Ship, of course, about the healing chamber and about their Colonel, but one minute they were treating the patient and the next they were aboard what they soon realized was Ship.
Upon arriving at the scene, the troops on the ground had immediately set up a perimeter a few meters from the medics they were guarding, but gradually realized that the medics and everyone else were gone without a trace – well if you discounted the monster ship that hovered above and practically blotted out the sky.
Diana and Arlene were trying to console the women, telling them that Ship had previously told them that anyone entering Ship’s healing chamber with a heartbeat would live.
“He’s alive,” Christine sobbed out. “He was talking to us, but the whole front of his coat was soaked with blood.”
“Can any of you tell me what happened?” Jeff tried to ask over the sound of the near-hysterical sobbing women.
“Some bastard was in a tree and shot Morales with a crossbow. I put two rounds into him, but they were snapshots. I have no idea where he was hit, but the wolves tore his throat out almost as soon as he hit the ground, so it didn’t really matter, anyway,” Jasmine finished as she turned to hug both of the trembling animals.
Jeff stepped to the hatch and touched the area behind his ear to communicate with the troops.
A Sergeant stood to look upward. “There’s a headless guy dressed in furs under the tree there,” he said, pointing. “And there’s a crossbow beside him that he apparently used to shoot the prisoner. Colonel, do you want me to call in more troops to search farther out in case there are others?”
“No. Not just yet. Just widen your secured area out to a hundred meters or so if you haven’t done that already. I’ll get back to you when I can talk to the patient and have more information.”
“Yes, Sir. Nelson out.”
Diana had managed to get Morales’ wives to sit on some padded, high-backed stools that Ship had grown near the healing chamber. A table had appeared a few feet away with carafes of coffee, cups and condiments. “Make yourselves comfortable, Gentlemen,” Jeff told the medics. You’re involved in this and deserve to be here for the outcome.”
“Respectfully, Sir,” the Corporal said, “in case someone gets hurt, we need to be with our team out there.”
“Then take them some coffee and let me know when the General arrives.”
“Yes, Sir,” they chorused as big thermoses of coffee appeared on the table.
“Just walk over near the hatch when you’re ready,” Jeff told them. “When the coffee runs out, let me know and I’ll send more. As you’re already well aware, it’s cold down there.”
“We came prepared, but we thank you for the coffee, Sir,” the Corporal said as he and the other medic donned their backpacks, picked up their cases and the coffee, walked over to the hatch and were gone.
“The General told me that this couldn’t happen,” Jasmine snarled out in a shaky voice as she paced back and forth, the tears still flowing. “He said that all the prisoners were tracked, and none were near here. And if one began wandering this way, he would be moved back to his area. That asshole out there,” she said as she waved toward the hatch, “was dressed in some weird outfit made from furs that came from animals he had killed here. He had to have been a prisoner.”
Jeff’s face blanked as he listened to his radio for a second before he replied, “I’ll have her bring you up, Sir.”
Before Jeff could give Ship any instructions, the General was standing just inside the hatch.
“This way, Sir,” Jeff said aloud, then mentally, Thank you, Ship.
Jasmine came to her feet, her hands on her hips as she snarled out. “I thought you said that the prisoners were all tracked, their positions always known and there was no way any of them could reach us. Well, it certainly looks as if one did, and probably because he was downwind, Lobo and Lila didn’t scent him in time. He was almost impossible to see because he had made himself a blind in one of the monster trees. He was waiting for one of us, probably my husband, to come near.
“That damn bolt,” she continued as her voice broke, causing her to hesitate until she could choke out, “hit my husband in his chest. I couldn’t tell exactly where it hit because of the coats, but it had to be very close to his heart. It obviously hit his lung because he was coughing up blood. I can’t lose him. I just can’t,” she said before collapsing into her sister-wives arms, each of the other two now glaring at the General as if he were something she had found on the bottom of her shoe, all three with tears pouring down their cheeks again.
Diana eased into the huddle of weeping women. “He will live,” she said as she caught her husband’s eye, who nodded affirmatively as he stepped into the group hug.
“Ship just reported that she is slowly removing the bolt and closing the wound as she works the blades of the broadhead out of his body. She says that she is closing off and regrowing bleeders while maintaining his vital functions.” At least I think that’s what she means from the deluge of information she sent, Jeff said to himself.
The General still had not said anything, but passed a glance with Jeff before stepping back to the hatch. A second later, he disappeared.
Time drifted on as Morales’ wives continued to huddle together while staying as close to the healing chamber as they could, sometimes, one or more of them would put a hand on the chamber or lean over to stare down into the mists that covered their husband. Eventually, Arlene managed to get each of them to drink some coffee and take a few bites of a sweet roll. Their sobs had mostly stopped, but they continued to discuss the incident quietly with each other. Ashley caught Jeff’s eye and asked how it could have happened.
“I don’t know yet, but rest assured that I will.” Eventually, Jeff squeezed Diana’s hand before walking to the hatch, where Ship put him on the ground. As he went over to the group huddled under the tree, the General, who had been kneeling in the snow by the bloody remains of the prisoner, and the scientist who was examining the person, both came to their feet as Jeff neared.
“I watched the cameras’ recordings when I first arrived on planet. That woman would make one hell of a soldier. She put two rounds center chest and, well, you have to watch those videos. Those wolves are killing machines. I would love to have a whole fucking squad of them. It’s amazing how fast they can move even in the snow. They were just fucking blurs as they charged headless here,” he said while motioning to the person on the ground. “Of course, the snow isn’t as deep as it is out in the open, but there are still a couple of feet even here. I swear that they were on this guy three seconds after he hit the ground. And a couple of seconds after that, his throat and head were ... gone. No growling – nothing. Perfect teamwork – just killing machines. Of course, he was only a gasp or two away from death anyway, but still...”
“How in the hell did he get here without us knowing?” Jeff asked.
“Yeah, well, we just found that out. Show the Colonel,” the General ordered.
“Yes, Sir. Uh, Colonel, if you would look here, Sir,” the technician said as he pushed the dead man’s right sleeve up. “He has a scar from a mostly-healed wound here,” he continued while motioning to a long set of crude, but healed stitch marks on the outer side of the prisoner’s forearm. “It appears that something tore a gouge down his arm which, probably inadvertently, removed the locator, or at least opened the skin so that the prisoner noticed and removed it himself.”
“But I was told that there was a backup to the primary in the arm,” Jeff insisted.
The scientist offered Jeff a small instrument. “As you can see, Sir. The locator is still in his upper back – incidentally, placed there because it is almost impossible for a person to reach that part of his own back effectively – anyway, it is still there, but it isn’t transmitting. However, the one that used to be in his arm is still transmitting and is roughly forty clicks in that direction, he said as he pointed another instrument until it showed the strongest reading. I would wager that a fall destroyed the one in his back, and he inadvertently discovered the other one after he was injured and was tending to the wound in his own arm.”
“Damn,” Jeff muttered as he motioned to the dead man’s clothing. “That’s effectively a Ghillie suit and I’ll wager that part of those skins came from a snow leopard. The outfit is crude but not bad for what he had to work with. No wonder Morales didn’t see him. Makes me wonder how Jasmine did. From what she and Morales’ other wives are saying, she fired at almost the same instant this guy did.”
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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...
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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,...