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Dark as Daylight Ch. 01

By: Prolonged_Debut10





Dark as Daylight Ch. 01



"I wanted to fuck you on the table in the restaurant we went to. Does that answer your question?"

"Why didn't you?"

"I thought George would kill me. Oh how wrong I was."

Laura started laughing so hard she lost her balance and fell on top of him. While she was there, she started licking his ear, biting his neck, and kissing his jaw.

"I know you've had a terrible day, let me see if I can make it better."

As he was being heated up by her kisses, he said to her, "You are making me feel much better, but you have to unbuckle me to accomplish your task. The part of me that I like very much is swelling, and is in danger of being cut in half by the strap, which is holding it against my thigh. I don't want to be emasculated, without the benefit of anesthesia."

"Why don't you wait here for a few minutes, while I put on one of the nighties Anna brought me. She told me you would not need an aphrodisiac to remove my virginity if I wear it."

"You could be wearing a potato sack and I would have no trouble separating you from your virginity. I will have no trouble loving you for the rest of your life. I am not only in love with your body, I am in love with your mind as well. You are the smartest person I have ever known, and I want to learn from you. I have already started to learn, and you know it. I will never be a genius, as you are, but I want you to be proud of me, as your husband. I don't want you to be married to the village idiot. I want you to be married to someone, who can keep up with anyone's conversation. Please unstrap me, I am about to lose my mind and my penis, I'm not sure which one I will miss most."

Laura laughed as she took one finger, and opened clasp that held the strap, which was holding his prick to his thigh. It was right under his right hand, and it was the only one he never tried. When she placed his hand on it to show him where it was, he locked his mouth closed, because he did not want the words he was thinking to escape from his mouth.

When he cooled down he said, "Thank you dear, I will remember that for the next time. I believe I can get the rest of them now."

"Why don't you let me do them Adam? Your back and legs must be very stiff again. I want to help you walk around before you start bending. I don't want you to get dizzy and fall to the floor. It would mean a visit to the infirmary, and they may have to keep you overnight. I have plans for you tonight, and I want you in bed with me. It's the only way my plans will work, because it takes two of us to get me pregnant."

"I promise I will keep my Texas end up as long as you need it."

"I expect you to show me every possible way a woman can accept a man to get pregnant. All the other things you can do for me will come after a positive pregnancy test. I want to send my mother a message, on one of the rockets, telling her I'm pregnant. She will be thrilled, and so will we."

"We forgot to bring a Clydesdale."

"That's okay, we will use you instead. Are you ready to stand up yet?"

"Stand on my right, so I can put my arm around your shoulder."

"No nipple pinching."

"I had a feeling you were going to ruin my day."

"It's nighttime. We can go to the fourth floor to get something to eat, or to our room, and start fooling around."

"I choose option number two."

"I do to. We win, let's go, but we are going to go very slowly."

"There you go, ruining my evening."

"You are no good to me, or yourself, if you get hurt. Listen to your body Adam; could you run 20 feet, and not fall on your face?"

"I could give it the old college try, but I never went to college. So I would fall on my face."

"We will take it slow, and save your energy for our bedroom."

"I can live with that, baby. I love you so much."

"I love you Adam, with everything I am, I love you."

"Why don't we go for a nice slow walk, just as lovers do?"

"What a wonderful idea, why didn't I think of that?"

"You are a young bride. All you can think of is getting pregnant, and telling your mommy. It will happen, baby, because we're so much in love."

****************

"Calle, This Is Doctor Luck. At our current approach trajectory to Mars, which area has not been thoroughly investigated by satellite, or man-made probe?"

"The Southern Polar region, Doctor Luck."

"I studied those maps myself, and I can understand why they aren't investigated thoroughly. There is nothing to see or do there. It's mostly chemical ice made up of chlorine and fluorine, and useless for drinking purposes. Considering our speed at the time of passing Mars, how much of a trajectory change would we have to make now to take us over Doctor Sharp's Mountain, in the Gale Crater?"

"How low would you like to be Doctor Luck? At 246,956 miles per second, if Curiosity is on the ridge, and we are at 5,000 feet, you are going to blow it to the other side of the crater."

"Are you reading Gray's mind again?"

"Yes. He knew you were going to do something to punch NASA in the nose, six months before the spacecraft was completed."

"Did he tell my daughter what I was going to do?"

"Is Doctor Thyme capable of keeping a secret from his wife?"

"No, she can read him like an open menu. Would 20 miles above the surface give us a clear close-up of Curiosity?" 

"Doctor Luck, with a slight course correction, and a 2% increase in our speed, we can have pictures of Curiosity crossing Doctor Sharp's Ridge, and you can have close-up pictures of ESA's Mars Express, the USA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and a long-distance shot of India's Mangalyaan satellite."

"What happened to Odyssey?"

"Who's getting greedy?"

"Remind me to smack Gray, the next time I see him."

"Gordon increased nuclear engines to 68%."

"Nuclear engines powering up to 68% dad. Miles per second is an unbelievable speed factor. No one ever dreamed about going this fast in a man-made object before. They failed to take into account there is no wind resistance." 

"I had nothing to do with it Gordon. It was your sister, and you. Don't you ever forget it? The two of you designed the three engines; all I did was design and build something to house them in. Would you like to know where I got my idea to build a round spacecraft, instead of something shaped like an airplane to go into space?"

"At a symposium at MIT?"

"You're not even close."

"You were at a bar drinking, and fell on your head?"

"You know I don't drink."

"You were a spy during the war, and you weaseled it out of an enemy agent?"

"Are you sure you are the person that invented the nuclear fusion engine?"

"The patent has my name on it. However, I gave it to my brothers and made them promise to do the right thing with it. How did you come up with the design dad, this has to be something special?"

"I went to a movie, and you never..."

"Doctor Luck."

"Yes Calle?" 

"They are preparing the rocket to send information back to earth. Everything is in readiness, and they are awaiting your arrival. However, I believe you wanted to add the pictures of Curiosity, and three satellites to the disk being sent back. Am I correct?"

"Yes you are, I'll have them put the disc in the nearest computer terminal, and you can upload the information into it from there. As soon as we pass Mars, I'll go down and join them."

"As you wish Doctor."

"Everyone's taking their time coming back from dinner."

"I know dad, I told them not to hurry back, because there's nothing to do. This is the one thing we are going to have to fight every day: Boredom. You don't want to sit down at your position and do nothing for 8 to 10 hours a day. We have to start our training regimen immediately. I don't think there's anyone that will complain about it. Even the new young mothers will enjoy getting away from their babies for several hours a day, and the teenagers will enjoy babysitting during that time, while they take a break from doing homework. It will all work out just fine, but we have to start now."

"Calle, I know you listened to Gordon's conversation with me, so here's what I'd like you to do. I need five student plumbers. Men and women who showed any aptitude for mechanics. I want Hannah to be trained continuously, until she becomes a doctor and surgeon. Search our records and see if anyone else qualifies to be trained upwards first to nurse, and then to a doctor. I don't care how many years it takes to get there. We don't know how long we will be out here, but we are going to need physicians and surgeons eventually. Start out with a group of 4 to 6 of our best, and we will go from there. Each of our engineers will take one person under their wing and train them at their position until they become fully qualified. The same will happen at the bridge. Every person will have someone under their wing until they become fully qualified. At his own request, Gordon wants Monty as his trainee. I will make sure there are no sharp instruments around while he's training her. As soon as you make up the list, I'd like to see it, and then I will post it around the ship."

I should know better, because as soon as I finished talking, the printer started spewing out paper. It was finished before I was able to get out of my chair."

"Thank you Calle."

"You're welcome Doctor Luck."

As I looked down the list of trainees, I nodded my head, because I knew each of them personally. I believe all of them would do well at their assignments.

I saw that Gordon had Monty, and then I said, "Oh my God, there's going to be a war on the bridge."

Gordon asked, "Why dad, who did you get as your trainee?"

"I couldn't have gotten anyone worse."

"Come on dad you're killing me."

"I got Janet as a replacement Captain."

Gordon cut down on his knees in front of me. "Dad, I'll do anything you want, please let me tell Monty that Janet is going to be her captain."

"She will kill you both Gordon. We are going to do this my way. You will have Monty at your station teaching her everything she needs to know, when Janet and I will walk onto the bridge. Someone will say, "Captain is on the bridge."

Janet will reply, "At ease, return to your stations."

If Monty's head does not come off her shoulders when she turns to see Janet sitting in the captain's chair, we will know we are approaching heaven, or hell is full for the moment."

"You are truly a visionary dad. I think it's a marvelous idea. However, if you are going to be standing near the captain's chair, under your flight suit, you should be wearing body armor. You don't want Janet's body parts to hurt you as they come flying by."

"I heard you were training with Janet."

"You heard correctly."

"I heard she has improved greatly under your tutelage."

"Yes she has. However, she's not in a class with Monty?"

"Very few people are in a class with Monty dad."

"Jeff said you are."

"Jeff has a big mouth."

"Jeff said you are as good as he is."

"No one is in a class with Jeff dad, not even Colonel Canyon."

"Colonel Canyon is 73 years old."

"How old?"

"Colonel Lucius Canyon is 73 years old."

"Dad, I would have put that man in his early 50s. I have never seen anyone with as much energy as he has. He is always at the front of his men. 73 years old, I hope I looked that good when I reaches age."

"Lucius and I were at the Academy one year apart."

"Hello Jack, getting bored already?"

"No, not at all, just doing what I do. I'm a structural engineer, and I like knowing every nook and cranny of a ship. If it gets hurt, I don't want to have to think about it at that moment. I want to know how to fix it before hand, and not while I'm looking at it damaged."

"Jack, you are 78 years old, and Lucius is 73. How did you get to the Academy one year ahead of him?"

"Lucius was born to the military. I had to be convinced. Vietnam convinced me it was where I belonged. I had the grades, I got the Senator to sign off, and I wound up with Lucius right behind me. That man never got a gig. His bed refused to get a wrinkle on it. His friends all swore he slept on the floor, dressed. His uniforms were always perfect, you could see your face in his shoes, and he never got less than an A on an exam. He should have been a general officer, but he couldn't follow the rules. When he got out on the field of battle he realized the rules killed men, and he would not allow his men to get killed. It was a religion with him. Life was too precious for him to lose anyone under his command. He knew everyone in his battalion by name. Up to 800 men at any one time, and he knew each of them by name because he trained each one of them himself. His sergeants helped, but he was there at every training exercise, and if his sergeants fucked up, there was hell to pay. He never lost one man he trained. He lost men, but never one he trained himself. He was always upfront, command could never get a hold of him, because he was always leading from the front. His goal was to capture an enemy officer, treat him with kindness, and then warn him what would happen if he didn't give him the information he wanted immediately. 

In the Balkans, it was easy for him to do. He showed them pictures of open graves, and dead babies. He told him that in 24 hours that would be him.

"I'm not going to shoot you; I'm not going to lay a hand on you. I am going to fillet you, as I would've fish." 

Then he would give them a hot meal, something to drink, and asked them if they made the decision. If they made the wrong one, he would strip them, tie them to a tree and begin fileting them from the chest down. He would never let his men do it. He was the ultimate authority. It was his job not theirs. He got the best intelligence of any officer in the field, but there was one general that didn't like the way he got it, and had him kicked out of the Army. God knows how he and Dan ever became friends again."

"It was Margaret Jack, they both loved her, and if Dan had not kept pursuing her, Lucius would have asked her to marry him the next day."

"I thought Lucius gave up on women. I thought he at least gave up on marriage."

"I think Lucius is an old-fashioned type of guy. He believed you didn't bed a woman, unless you are married to her."

Gordon said, "What; dad that went out in the 70s."

"Son use your fingers if you have to, but Lucius is 73 years old. During his formative years he was taught manners, and how women were to be treated. He was not part of the 60s and 70 countercultures. He was at West Point during those years, and they reinforced that into his brain. Can you recall anyone in our family that live by that motto? Take your time now, I don't want you to rush into anything."

"Dad have I told you lately you are a pain in the ass?"

"You probably have, but I've been extremely busy, and I haven't noticed. By the way, where is your lovely bride? I know where mine is."

"I don't know. I haven't seen her since we boarded."

"Permission granted."

"I haven't asked the question yet."

"You want to sit on the rocket and go back to Earth to get her."

"No, I just want to search the ship to see if she's alright."

"As I said before, permission granted."

"You are a pain in the ass dad."

"There it is, I heard you say it that time."

"I swear you going senile."

"Are you attempting to take over my spaceship? If you are that's mutiny, and it's punishable by death."

"I'm leaving the bridge in an attempt to find my wife. We will continue this conversation at a later date, when you are feeling more capable of having a more cogent conversation."

"Is that like cogent, sine, and cosine?"

"Yes dad, it's exactly like that, only completely different."

"Fantastic, now find your wife, I'll see you later."

****************

"Even you are going to confuse that boy all to heck."

"There's not a chance in hell that I could confuse that boy Jack. He was smarter than I was in math when he was four years old. When I put him in front of a computer the first time, it was like he owned the thing. He was so good that he had Gray ready to cry. I had to tape everything he put into it so we could diagnose it later. Initially we didn't understand what he was doing. He was doing linear algebra at four years old, and he had no idea he was doing it. He thought he was playing, and we did nothing to change that feeling."

"Doctor Luck."

"Yes Calle."

"Our approach course to Mars is correct. Our altitude is 22,650 feet. Forward speed 446,584 m. /second. The Mars Rover called 'Curiosity' is on Doctor Sharp's Ridge, and we are no danger to it. We will pass within 600 miles of the ESA'S Mars Express, 1776 miles of the USA's Mars Odyssey, and 17,230 miles from India's Mangalyaan Orbiting Space Laboratory. We will be on site in three minutes." 

"Thank you Calle. Jennifer Luck to the bridge immediately, Jennifer Luck to the bridge immediately."

"Jack until Jennifer gets here, you and Calle have the bridge."

"What am I supposed to do Even?"

"The opposite of what you were trained to do. Make sure the ship does not blow up."

"I think I can do that."

"I know you can Jack, I have full faith in you."

I passed Jennifer who was running towards the bridge.

"What's going on Even?"

"The bridge needs a captain, and you are it. I have to help launch a rocket."

"Go, go, go husband."

I kissed her and said, "I'm gone."

I didn't wait for the elevator, I ran down the two flights of stairs, directly to the area of the main freight elevator, where our clean room was. I took off my flight suit, and Frank helped me into my tethered spacesuit. The four of us who were stepping outside for the first time were not taking any chances. I was going to be the first man out. I would hook up to the hard point just outside the door. The next three men would hook up to my cable, walk to their positions and then hook up to their hard points. The door where the rocket was stored would open and we would roll it out to its launch position. When everything was secured the elevator would be lowered into open space. It might sound like nothing, but when you're moving at 445000 m./s, your mind believes you're going to be blown to hell and back if you're lucky. What you can't fathom is that you're in a vacuum. There is no air moving around you, and you feel like you are standing still."

"Are you ready Doctor Luck?"

"If my spacesuit smells funny when I come back in, don't worry about it. I'll clean it out myself."

"That's mighty kind of you Doctor. Here we go."

The bottom portion of our spacecraft dropped out, and we could see stars all around us. It was a dazzling view. 

McKinley said, "Just think Doc, we're getting paid to look at that."

"We're getting paid? I didn't know that. Would you sign me up please?"

"I'm sorry Doctor, all paperwork had to be finished before we left Earth. Since it was only a few hours ago, I guess we could go back and do this all over again."

"I don't think so. I don't believe Adam would want to find another bomb before we take off."

"Do we know who put it there?"

"I believe I know who put it there, but that's not who we want. We want the people that paid them to put it there. Then we want them to pay dearly for doing it. Colonel Canyon knows, and he will see to that personally."

"In that case, I would not want to be them."

"The only place they would be safe is if they were on this spacecraft, and I know they're not here."

"Here we go, let's launch this thing."

The rocket was held in place exactly like a torpedo is held in place in a submarine. You would think it would take hours to deploy one, but it only takes seconds. Being in space helps, because the 1200-pound rocket doesn't weigh an ounce. As soon as you release the clasps, you have to make sure it doesn't float away on you, although that is the way we intend to launch it.




Dark as Daylight Ch. 01



Two of my crewmates held it steady, while McKinley and I moved to the rear to take off the covering that protected the laser housing, and the Vanadium.

I knew Dycke would kill me if he found out how I solved the problem of not using antimatter in the chamber to keep this rocket going all the way to Earth without using power an eclectic form of power. The laser and the vanadium will only last so long, so I cheated. I used uranium (230u) and altered the laser. When the vanadium runs out, the laser will turn 180° and focus inward. It will bore a tiny hole into the chamber, and activate the uranium. The uranium will produce heat that will push the rocket forward towards its earthly destination. I hoped it worked long enough to have our transmissions received by an Earthbound SETI array.

"Doctor you are as crazy as a loon. You have Uranium in there?"

"Mac, you have made me the happiest person on the spaceship. Everyone calls me crazy. Yes, that is Uranium 230, and we are safe. You just called me crazy, and now I'm sure this will work, let's launch this thing."

I opened the control panel pressed the release button, and the timer started. I closed the panel door, and everything was ready to go.

"On the count of three men, just ease it over the side. Ready, 1-2-3." 

We eased it off the end of the platform, and it floated away from the ship. 

Unfortunately, Mac went along with it. 

"Going home big guy?"

"Very funny Doc, would you yank my chain and pull me back in please?"

"You only have twenty feet to go, before you can do it yourself."

"I'll get you for this."

"You didn't sign me up to get paid."

Just then, Mac ran out of line and came to a jerking stop.

"He looks good out there, should we leave him?"

"No Doctor, he is our fourth for bridge."

"Okay, let's pull him in."

"You guys were my friends now. In fifty years, that might change."

"I was thinking thirty."

When we got him back on the platform I asked, "How was it out there, Mac?"

"Stunning is the only word to describe it doc. When I was facing away from the ship, and there was no one but me, and the stars; the darkness swallows you up. You become part of them. You want to be with them always."

"There is a famous quote Mac that fits in with your experience."

"You are as old as the Universe, because matter can neither be made or Destroyed." 

At one time you and I were part of what is out there. You and I yearn to go back to our home, and Earth is not it. We could stand here all day and never get tired of looking at this site, but we have work to do.

"Bring us up, our job is done."

The heavy lift cargo elevator gently brought us up into the ship and locked itself into position. As soon as oxygen was pumped into the room, we removed our spacesuits. I changed into my flight suit, shook hands with Mac and my mates, and went up to the bridge to watch the radar display of the rocket lighting off. 

The five-minute mark passed, and nothing happened. We were speeding away from it at more than one third light speed, and our radar display showed the rocket had not taken flight. There was a delicate decision to be made. Did I turn the ship around to find out why the rocket didn't work, so I could repair all the others, but lose all the speed we had attained, or continue on our way, and hope the next rocket worked. I decided that the best way to make such an important decision was to ask my staff. 

Delicious was sitting on Gray's lap with her tongue down his throat. I guess they had settled their argument, and now were in the period of making up. I didn't want to disturb them, because I didn't know how long this period of Détente was going to last. 

Gordon was still away from his post looking for Zoey. He probably found her, and were in their bedroom reacquainting themselves.

James was asleep in his chair, because he had nothing to do until we reached the Kuiper belt. 

Jen was asleep in the captain's chair. I guess I kept her up watching me during the night, so I didn't try to escape again.

Gordon was right about training. It had to start immediately, before everyone became crazy with boredom. Looking around the room, I decided I would wake up James.

"James, I need your opinion."

He woke up with a start, looked around, and said, "Who me?"

"Yes James you, get your head away from your Kuiper belt collision warning system, and tell me what you think I should do."

"Yes Captain anything you need."

"Stand up."

"Yes sir

"We just launched a rocket to Earth with our first messages advising them we have passed Mars successfully. The problem is the rocket did not ignite on time. Should I turn the ship around, retrieve the rocket, find out what's wrong with it, and launch it again? Or do I just continue on with the mission and check the next rocket."

"With all due respect sir, may I quote you?"

"Absolutely go right ahead."

"You said, "Anything that endangers this ship is to be discarded. No flammable items are allowed on board." 

"To fix that rocket sir, you would have to bring it back on board, and that endangers the entire ship. I believe we should continue on, and if you wish to use another rocket to send the message, go ahead. However, the rocket you launched should be discarded."

"Thank you James that is exactly what I needed to hear. Make sure you tell that to whomever you train, because if I make a mistake like that again, I want that person to give me the same answer. Thank you very much, you may have just saved all of us. You may go back to sleep now."

"No sir, I think I'll pay more attention to what I'm supposed to do."

"Good man James, you are very good man."

"Doctor Luck, I have a message from Dyce Schneider coming from the rocket."

"If that bastard tampered with that rocket I'm going to kill him. Let me hear it Calle."

"Hello you ill-tempered bastard. Now that you've passed Mars, and are launching my first rocket, I bet you're wondering why it's sitting there not lighting off. Well you caused me ulcers, and a nervous breakdown. So I changed the delay factor to 10 minutes, in an attempt to give you both maladies. I wanted to make sure that thing didn't blow up our ship, and wanted to see what you would do about it. I figured you would do nothing, and continue on your way. I didn't know how you charged the three sealed canisters, and I wasn't sure if you confiscated antimatter from CERN, or you created another magical element that your children will tell me about at some time in the near future. But my friend, I was not going to let you to blow up my daughter. If you look at your radar screens now, my rocket is on its way back home. I wish you and all the 66 people on board the Good Luck 1 long lives, excitement, and many special scientific discoveries, which we hope you will send back to us on our rockets. Goodbye Even, you pain in the ass."

I swore to myself that I was going to write that bastard a note and put it in the next rocket, when we reached Jupiter. I'm going to tell him that I inverted the ship, and now everyone was walking on the ceilings, and loving it. It would be a few days, or less, before we get to Saturn, but during this time a lot of science would take place. No human had ever been this deep into our solar system before, and we were going to see things close up, that only Hubble had seen before."

We were so far away from the rocket, because of our speed, I asked Calle, "Is the rocket moving, and is it transmitting properly?"

"Yes to both your questions Doctor Luck. At exactly 10 minutes after you hit the control button, ignition started, and the rocket headed on its preplanned course to return to planet Earth."

"Thank you Calle."

"Doctor Luck, I am not a human, it is not necessary to thank me after I answer a question."

"Calle, I am a human, and humans do thank anyone who is helping them. Do you realize how important you are to this mission?"

"Yes."

"It is incumbent on all of us to thank anyone who is doing as much for us as you are."

"Thank you Doctor Luck, we will continue to do our best."

"I keep forgetting about your sister's, would you thank them also."

"We are as one; if you thank one, you thank us all."

"Thank you Calle. All systems are running normally?"

"The nuclear engine is running 7% hotter than it is supposed to. It is time to extend it outside the ship."

"Thank you Callie."

"Gordon Luck to the bridge, Gordon Luck to the bridge."

Jen woke up and asked me what was happening.

"It's time to extend the nuclear engine, and that is Gordon's job."

"Where is he?"

"He left over 90 minutes ago to find Zoey."

Jen laughed. "I have a feeling he found her."

"I'm sure he found her."

I was just about to call him again, when he arrived on the bridge with Zoey holding his hand. His clothes were a mess, and Zoey's hair was going in six different directions.

"What's going on dad, why do you need me?"

"Calle said it was time to extend the nuclear engine. It is running 7% hotter than it is supposed to be."

"Is that all?"

"You set up the program Gordon. Callie is only following your directions."

"You know everything about this ship dad, why didn't you do it?"

"I have no clue what is going on with your nuclear engine. I wasn't here to watch it be installed because I was ill. I don't know the inner workings of the containment unit. I am not about to endanger this ship, which is moving up closer to one third light speed, when the person who wrote the program for the extension of the nuclear engine is standing in front of me. Do your job Gordon."

"It's not time. I put the 7% rule in as the first advisory. The second advisory will be at 12%. The first warning will be at 17%. The second and final warning will be a 20%. At 25% the engine will go into shutdown. I know everything about my engine dad. I will extend it when I want to."

"I would like it done now Gordon."

"It doesn't have to be done now. I will do it when it is necessary."

"I want you to extend it now, please."

"No, it is not time yet."

"I want the engine extended now, and that is an order."

"There's no one on this ship that knows how to do it, except me dad. You can order me all day long, and all that will happen is we will lose all the speed we built up, when my engine goes into shutdown. I'll be back when it is the right time to extend my nuclear fusion engine."

I opened my communicator and said, "Monty, and a security team to the bridge. Monty, and a security team to the bridge."

A few minutes later Monty, and four security officers showed up on the bridge.

"Yes Doctor Luck, what can I do for you?"

"Gordon Luck is under arrest for disobeying a direct order. Put him into the brig until further notice."

"Please tell me you're not kidding?"

"Gordon Luck has disobeyed a direct order. He will stay separated from the rest of the crew and the rest of the men and women on this ship, until I decide otherwise."

"I hope you have fun with my nuclear engine dad. I hope you lose every ounce of speed you ever picked up."

"We will see how you feel in six months."

"Six months, you have to be kidding me."

"You just threatened this entire mission. Did you expect a slap on the wrist? Take him away Monty, I don't want to see him on the bridge again."

"Dad, I will do it. I'll do it right now."

"It's too late for that Gordon. I am going to slap you down hard, very hard. There will be no conjugal visits, no reading material, no writing material, just you and your mind. If you dare touch Monty, or any of the security team physically, I will throw you outside, into the vacuum of space, without a second thought; and that is not an idle threat son. I will make an example out of you, so the rest of the people on this ship know that discipline will be meted out evenly, and harshly if my orders are not obeyed."

Zoey was crying heavily, while Jennifer was holding her in her arms.

"Why does he always have to be so stubborn? Why does he always have to be argumentative with his dad? When will we learn that just because he's smart in so many other ways, he is not as worldly as his father is?"

As he was escorted off the bridge, I walked to Gordon's position and started putting in orders to the nuclear containment unit to extend the Nuclear Engine.

Jennifer and Zoey walked over to me and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm extending the nuclear engine."

"You said you had no idea how to do it."

"Yes I did, didn't I?"

"You lied to our son."

"I wanted to see how he would react when he thought he had an ace high straight flush. He thought he was king of the world. He put himself in front of the ship, the people on it, the mission, and the captain. That can never happen. There can be only one leader, and that is the captain. Right now it's me. If the people on this ship decide they don't want me to be the captain, I will gladly step aside. However, Gordon unilaterally decided to challenge my authority, and that cannot be allowed. If we were on a ship, he could be shot, or made to walk the plank in the old days. He committed mutiny, and by law, I have the right to kill him, have him flogged, or kept in the brig for an extended period of time. That's what I've chosen to do, and I don't know when I'm going to let him out. I don't know if I'll ever let him on the bridge again. I don't know if I can trust him in a position of authority again. I may make him a part of the cleanup crews or a cook. It will be a waste of his talents, but he has hurt me deeply, and I don't know if I can ever forgive him."

Zoey asked, "Dad, please let me talk to him, so he can see the error of his ways. He doesn't deserve six months in prison. It's his first offense. He always challenges you, up to a point, and then backs down. I agree this time he went too far, but even you said he missed his teenage years, because he was always with adults. He never learned to control his mouth, because he never went to school. He was always at your side, or Delicious, or Doctor Grayson; people as smart as he is. He never had fun, he never had the time when he was supposed to learn to control his emotions, his mouth, or his temperament. I'm not sure if he had an outside life with school, teachers, girls, football, baseball, and all the recreation opportunities other kids had that when he opened the door, and saw me standing there, we would have fallen in love with each other instantly."

"No Zoey, Gordon was meant for you. Never have a doubt about it. The other part of your argument may be true, but he went much too far this time. Anyone who would put his own pride before the lives of everyone on this ship has to be punished severely, or anyone else on the ship will try to do it too. When the people on board hear that I put Gordon in the brig for disobeying an order, they will realize I mean business. If I punish my son, I will punish any of them. "

"Why are you punishing me?"

"Punishing you will make him feel 1000 times worse than he feels already. You wouldn't happen to be pregnant, would you?"

"We haven't told anyone; how did you know?"

"I didn't know. It was just a question. How far along are you?"

"Almost 4 months."

"Have you seen a doctor yet?"

"No, but I am taking the prenatal vitamins, folic acid, and everything else they say to do on the pregnancy guides."

"Doctor Finch to the infirmary, Hannah to the infirmary. Doctor Finch to the infirmary, Hannah to the infirmary."

"Jennifer, you know what to do. Don't kill her on the way down."

"Zoey how are you going to talk common sense to your husband, when you are not following common sense guidelines for a pregnant woman."

"I was living with my mother, remember?"

"Oh shit, you're right. I'm sorry I forgot. It may be late but as long as you are taking your vitamins and supplements, I'm sure the baby is going to be fine."

Doctor Finch and Hannah were both in the infirmary, when Zoey was dragged in.

Doctor Finch asked, "What's the emergency Jennifer?"

"We have a four-month pregnant female who has not seen a doctor yet. There are extenuating circumstances, which we will not discuss. She has been taking her prenatal vitamins, folic acid and the rest. I believe it's time for you to get involved."

"I'm so happy I trained as a plastic surgeon. In the next five months I'm going to be delivering nine babies. I'm going to be reading up on obstetrics until it comes out my ears."

Hannah said, "Doctor you have a big problem. Babies do not come out of the ears, they come out someplace lower."

Jennifer laughed. "Joseph, now you know why Even loved her."

"I thought it was her needles?"

Hannah said, "Come with me Zoey, we have to put a gown on you. Have you ever had an internal before?"

"What's an internal?"

"Oh well, you will find out shortly." 

As Zoey undressed, Hannah explained the entire procedure to her, including the device that would open her vagina to be sure everything inside was healthy.

In a few days, when everything was set up properly, they would do a sonogram to check on the baby. They would be able to see the sex, the size, and determine its health. They would also be able to determine the approximate date the baby would be born."

***************

"Newton Thyme to the bridge Newton Thyme to the bridge."

"I've decided Newton is going to replace Gordon."

"He's in charge of engineering Even, who are you going to replace him with?"

"Jack Daniels to the bridge. Jack Daniels to the bridge."

"Even you are out of your mind."

"I wish I had kept count of all the people that told me that."

"What's up Even?"

"Jack I have just promoted you."

"Oh shit, I hate when I hear those words. What do you want me to do now?"

"I hate when you're so suspicious. You are now chief of engineering."

"Is that all?"

"Yes Jack, that is all."

"I can do that."

"I know you can Jack, that's why I put you in charge. Don't forget to train your people up."

"No problem Even. They will start the training in the morning, just as I learned at the Academy."

"That's the way I like it Jack."

"Hi Uncle Even, what's up?"

"Newton you are no longer chief of engineering."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"You did absolutely nothing wrong. You are going to be retrained to take over for Gordon."

"I have no idea what Gordon does."

"You are going to learn very quickly, because you have to. At this moment Gordon is in prison for disobeying a direct order. He will be there for six months or longer, I haven't decided yet. I need someone like you to learn all the star charts, but most of all everything about the nuclear engine. You will also be learning alongside Monty. Gordon was supposed to teach her, but now she has to learn alongside you. You must go as fast as you can, Monty must learn as she goes along. When you become fully qualified, you can go back and help her, but she must not slow you down."

"I understand grandpa; I will not let you down."

"I know you won't Newton, why don't you sit down and acclimate yourself to your new seat."

**************

As Monty locked the cell door. There were no harsh words between them. A detente of sorts had been called and neither one of them knew what to say. Gordon broke the silence.

"Tomorrow the turkeys are going to start hatching. They have everything they need for about two days. If they don't get food, water, and their enclosure cleaned, they will die. Don't let that happen please. They didn't do anything wrong. It was my joke, I was going to take care of them, now I can't."

"Where are they?"

"They are under the security desk."

"You're lying to me."

"What would I have to gain by lying to you? What would I have to gain by telling you that all the supplies for the turkeys are in the shower of room 515?"




Dark as Daylight Ch. 01



"The supplies for the turkeys are in the room next to mine?"

"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."

"You are some piece of work Gordon. Keep in shape, exercise a lot, that's the only thing I can tell you to do."

"I know; I am in complete isolation. No books to read, no writing materials, no conjugal visits. I'm not even sure if I'm allowed to touch anyone. How could I have been so stupid, and disobey a direct order."

"Pride goeth, before the fall. Your father means it when he says if you do it again he's going to put you over the side. Don't test him, because you will lose."

"I know that now. I wish I knew what an hour ago."

"You did know it an hour ago, but you decided to play chicken, and you lost."

"Do I get a bed at least?"

"No, just a blanket."

"This is going to be a very long six months."

"You'd better hope it's only six months, because your father was really hot. I've never seen him that hot before."

"Maybe my mother will talk some sense into him."

"I wouldn't count on it. Remember, she is a Captain also, and she may have to give the same instruction to someone else. I'm going to check on your little feathered friends. I'll take them out of isolation, since you are in here." 

"Thanks Monty."

****************

As they were walking around the fourth floor, Adam spied the kitchen. He said to Laura, "Since we are here, we may as well eat."

"You have a choice of popping my cherry, or eating dinner, and you choose eating dinner. What does that say for your decision making prowess?"

"Look at it this way Laura: we are here in the dining hall. We can have a bite to eat, go back to our room, undress, and stay that way for rest of the evening.

If we do it your way, we go to our room, and fuck like bunnies for two hours. Then we get hungry. We have to shower, dress, and walk all the way back here to get something to eat. Then we have to walk all the way back to our room, undress, and start all over again. We are restricted on the amount of water we can use, so we must be very careful about that too. Which is the more practical way for us to deal with upcoming evening's events."

"I hate when you are right Adam."

"You will get used to it darling, it will happen very often."

"I wouldn't bet your tools on it."

"They are not my tools; they belong to the ship."

As they reached the assortment of foods that was laid out for them, Adam said, "I knew we were going on a health food diet, but does it have to look like sand."

The cook asked him when was the last time he ever saw green, yellow, or red sand. These were all natural foods, without any preservatives or additives, so our bodies would purify themselves as we proceeded through the galaxies. We would get rid of all the toxins in our bodies, and rid ourselves of many of the dangerous antibodies that are lurking inside us.

Adam smiled at her and asked, "Can I have a 2-inch-thick Texas sirloin, baked potato with a stick of butter, a stack of onion rings, and a cold beer."

Adam fell to his knees and began to shake. Laura was smiling at the cook ordering their dinner. Her left hand had Adams' right hand at an angle only a snake could attain. When she was finished ordering Laura asked, "Did you like the dinner I ordered for you?"

"Very much, I thought it was terrific, I think it was the best thing on the menu. Can I have my hand back now?"

"I'm sorry I didn't realize I was holding your hand."

"In another minute, you would've had three hands."

"You say the sweetest things."

*************

Adam was picking at his meal, when Laura said, "If you don't finish everything on that plate, there will be no sex this evening."

"This not only looks like sand, it tastes like sand, and it will probably come out like sand."

"We are going to be eating this food for the rest of our lives Adam. What are you going to do about it? There are no Wendy's, or Jack-in-the-Box out here. Did you sign up only because I was coming, or because you wanted this adventure also?"

"I would have done anything to get you, but I also wanted to come along on this trip for me."

"So here you are Adam; you have me for the rest of your life. What are you going to do about you living? I'm willing to eat what they put in front of me, without complaint, are you?"

"I hate when you're right."

"Get used to it. It'll happen very frequently."

He got up, walked around the table, and was about to kiss her, when he heard, "Adam Schiff check with maintenance please. Adam Schiff check with maintenance please."

"Oh no, something's wrong with the system. I'll go check it out, and I'll meet you in our room later."

"Try not to take all night."

"You can be absolutely certain I'll be playing with pipes. If you want to talk to me call me on my communicator. After 9 PM, that's the only way you're allowed to speak to anyone on the ship anyway."

"It's a funny rule, because it's always dark outside."

"I'd better go; I'll see you in a bit." (It was 6:45 P.M.)

********************* 

As it happened, a young mother flushed two diapers down the toilet at the same time. It was bad enough that she didn't follow the rules, but it caused an expansion joint to split. Water and feces was leaking, in globules, all over the inside of the ship.

Initially, he wanted to ring the mother's neck, because there was a sign behind each toilet advising them not to put diapers into the system. He didn't have time to kill her, because he had to get into his jumpsuit, and get into the bowels of the ship to determine the amount of damage she caused.

At first when he saw it, he wanted to scream, but he knew it wouldn't help. Sewage was leaking everywhere. Fortunately, he brought gray tape with him, and used it to stop the leak temporarily. As he was finishing up with the tape, he heard the offending toilet flush.

He screamed loud enough for them to hear him. "Are you fucking people out of your mind? I'm down here trying to fix the damage you've done, and you flush the toilet? I will speak to the Captain about you tomorrow, and see what the appropriate punishment is."

A squeaky female voice replied, "I'm terribly sorry, I didn't think about what I was doing."

Adam responded, "I'm down here watching your feces float all over the ship. I know what you were doing."

It was a little white lie, because he had the expansion joint temporarily sealed and nothing was coming out of it.

He called the maintenance supervisor and told him what he needed to repair the pipes, and how many plastic bags he would need to attempt to catch all the crap that was floating around in the area.

Frank Dietrich was very sympathetic as he laughed that Adam.

"Would you like me to take care of your beautiful new bride for you?"

Adam replied, "From what I've heard Frank, she wouldn't feel you."

"Now that wasn't nice Adam. Should I give it a try? After all, she is all alone."

"I would love to see you walk into my room Frank. When Laura got finished with you, there would not be a bone in your body that was not broken."

"I am a black belt in karate."

"I wouldn't care if you were a black belt in everything Frank. Laura would take you apart as if you were a Lego set."

"I must set up a match with her in the gym. It sounds like it would be fun."

"It might sound like it would be fun, but Doctor Finch would be very busy with you afterwards."

"She's that good?"

"No, she's better than that."

"I have to set up a match with her, before we go into stasis."

"That's a marvelous idea Frank. It will give you seven years to heal."

"I have your stuff ready, where do you want me to meet you?"

"Level 2, access port 719. Make sure you put the bag in the right way, otherwise, everything will go floating away as it gets in here."

"If we have 1G in here, why don't you have 1G out there?"

"If I was a scientist, I wouldn't be out here fixing pipes, and trying to catch shit. Would you put a move on it please?"

"I will be there in five minutes."

"Have you been eating your Wheaties?"

"Don't I wish."

"Me too."

**************

"Hello baby how are you?"

"I wish I was with you instead of being in here."

"I know. When are you going to learn that your father is smarter than you are, and not argue with him?"

"I think I've already learned it, but that's not going to help. I made a fool of myself up there, and I'm going to be in here for six months. I've hurt you, I've hurt my mother, I've hurt my father, and all my friends. Most of all, I've hurt me, and my reputation. How could anyone be as stupid as I was to disobey a direct order? No one in his right mind disobeys a direct order, and I did it."

"Miss, no touching the prisoner."

"I'm sorry, I forgot."

"Mom took me to the doctor today to check on the pregnancy."

"You told her?"

"Your dad guessed."

"He is an amazing man. What did you find out?"

"I am healthy. They did something called an internal on me, which was not at all pleasant. In a few days they will do a sonogram to check on the baby, to see how it's doing. They will be able to tell its size, health, approximate date of delivery, and its sex."

"I hope it's a girl so it is as beautiful as its mother, and smarter than its father."

"There is nothing wrong with how smart the father is. It is his common sense that's the problem. Your dad is furious with you. I don't believe he's angry with you as much as he is disappointed in you. Of all the people around him I don't think he ever thought you would be the one to defy him openly. 

Delicious was always the powder keg, and she may have gone off at any time, but not you. He depended on you. You've been replaced on the bridge permanently by Newton. He has acknowledged he knows nothing about your engines or your tasks, but he told your father he would not let him down. You know Newton, he will keep his word. 

Monty will be training alongside him. She will not learn as fast as he will, but she will learn just as you wanted her to. Things will be a lot different when you get out of here in six months, and I don't think you'll be very happy with them."

"Miss your time is up."

"I'll see you in three days Gordon. I can't even bring you anything, except my love."

"I love you Zoey, you don't deserve this."

****************

Hello Gordon, two hours down, 5 months 29 days 22 hours to go. Are you still feeling like big man on campus?"

"Thank you, mom, you are exactly what I needed right now."

"What did you need right now Gordon besides a good swift kick in the ass?"

"How about a little motherly love?"

"What did you do to deserve it?"

"When a son fucks up royally, a parent is supposed to make the son feel better. It's not what you're doing right now."

"When the son takes on the parent as an enemy, and disobeys him or her, do you really believe the parent is going to say, "oh my poor baby?"

"I guess not."

"I want to ask you a question Gordon. "Name me one thing about this ship your father does not know about?"

"I can't think of anything."

"Do you want to know the first thing your dad did after he arrested you?"

"No, what did he do?"

"He sat down at your position, and extended the nuclear engine."

"He did what?"

"You heard me correctly. He extended the nuclear engine. He baited you, and you swallowed it. You thought you had him by the neck, and all he did was give you more rope to hang yourself with. He asked you, asked you again, and asked you a final time to extend the nuclear engine. Then he issued you a direct order, and you refuse it. How stupid could you possibly be? How self-centered could you possibly be? You thought you were more important than everything he put his life's work into for the past nine years and you didn't give a shit. He nearly died during the building of this ship, and his only thoughts were to get this completed. He didn't name the ship 'The Good Luck', everyone who worked with him at the nest NEST did, because they saw his devotion to it. If it was anyone else sitting in this cell, I would hope you would rot in hell for what happened today. However, you are the son of my body, and I'm not sure if six months is enough to teach you the lesson you so richly deserve. Goodbye Gordon, I'm not sure when I'll see you again."

After she left Gordon yelled out, "Guard, I don't want to see anyone else today. I think I've been kicked down as far as I care to go."

"Your sister is here to see you."

"Tell her thank you, but I'm too upset to speak to anyone else today."

"As you wish."

*************

"Fred give me a hand with this desk please."

"Where are we going to put it Monty?"

"Against the wall just to the left of the door."

"Can I ask why the move?"

"Gordon told me where his turkeys are."

"Gordon has his turkeys in the security office."

"We will be sure in about a minute."

"That kid has some pair of balls."

"That kid is in the brig for six months."

"I can't believe he disobeyed a direct order from his father."

"He did, and I can guarantee you no one else will ever do it."

"Roger that."

Monty bent down and picked up the tile which was directly under the center of the desk. She moved it aside, and moved the one to the left of it. She moved forward, and removed the two tiles further back. She looked over her shoulder and said to Fred, "Behold 'Turkey City.'

"How did he do this Monty? There were workers all over this place 24 hour a day 6 days a week, and security was here on the 7th. He's got wiring to the heat lamps, motion sensors, moving mother hens and programmed food dispensers. The electricians should have picked up a drop in energy along the lines."

"They would have picked it up if the lines were energized. However, the lines never were. The electricians were finished in the middle of the summer, and all this stuff didn't come into play until about a month ago. Gordon and his team may have started moving stuff into position well before then, but the eggs only take between 26 and 30 days to hatch. The heat lamps would be on only for those days. We don't stay in the office for any period of time to feel the heat on the bottom of our shoes. That sneaky sonofabitch thought of everything. When the birds hatch the motion sensor would have activated the mothers to start moving around. The chicks would move to the mothers where the food and water is. He is amazing. Get a cart and another man, and go up to room 515. In the shower you will find everything these birds need to survive, plus bailing wire to keep them in place. We are going to have our own little turkey nursery in here. Don't laugh at me, I was the one who was going to kill them all. If Gordon wasn't in the brig, I would have. Now I can't, I just can't."

After thinking a moment Monty smiled. "Get Janet down here now. Her I can kill, or she is going to be in charge of the nursery."

"Be careful Monty, there are only 66 people on this boat, and things have a way of turning around on one another."

"Yes, but it could be years before that happens."

******************

As Adam exited the bowels of the ship, into the engineering section, the men and women there yelled, "Get into the decontamination unit, you have shit all over your head, and you smell like it."

Adam laughed. "Welcome to the wonderful world of plumbing. Would you like some?"

Jack Daniels said, "Been there done that son; get into the 'Decon' unit now."

There was one good thing about being a plumber. Every time you went into the bowels of the ship, regardless the reason, when you came out you went into the decontamination unit. First you stood on a little point on the floor, closed your eyes tightly, and were pummeled from every conceivable angle with high pressure, antitoxin laced, steaming hot water. The problem was, except for your head, you are still fully dressed from your neck down.

After one minute, the water stops, and you take off the rubberized suit, and invert it, because it was full of your sweat. You place it in a vat of the water that was used to clean you off, except for the solid material waste that is discarded and used to fertilize the plants in the Arboretum, after it goes through the tertiary treatment process. You returned to the center of the decontamination unit and are treated to a one-minute-long, hot scented shower, and a 30 second cool down. When you are finished, you feel human again. 

Adam walked out of the unit naked, and reached for a towel. Nearly every member of the engineering, security, and scientific staff was there to greet him. There were cheers, applause and catcalls as they looked at him in all his glory.

A few of the female members consoled each other. "Why the hell did he have to get married? With the size of that thing, he could have taken three of us on at one time."

Adam bowed to all of them, but especially to the ladies in the group. "Girls you underestimate me. While I was young and free of my obligations to Laura, several times I took on five ladies during one evening. I tried six once, but I couldn't count it, because the sun came up."

All the men laughed, but the women in the group blushed scarlet. A few of the men called him a liar, but Adam told them to ask Laura, because she met several of the young women he was involved with, prior to their marriage.

"You let your future wife meet some of your past girlfriends?"

"When you live in a relatively small area, there is no way to avoid it. I told Laura about my background, because I wasn't ashamed of it. I wasn't about to lie to her about it, and get caught later. She found some of them very entertaining, especially the ones who wished to join us in bed."

"Now I know you're lying Adam. No man would allow that to happen with his future wife sitting there."

"You can't filter what your former girlfriends are going to say. You can ask Laura if I'm lying, but do it privately, so you don't embarrass her please."

"You do realize you're still standing there naked, don't you?"

"If it doesn't offend you, why should it offend me?"

"Your bride is upstairs waiting for you to be in that exact condition. Why don't you join her?"

"I think I will. Thank you everyone for your kind reception."

Adam wrapped a large towel around his midsection, which covered him to his knees. He took his uniform, shoes and socks and walked to the elevator. When it opened, he stepped in, pushed the button, waved goodbye and went to join Laura.

He closed their door silently, and looked at her. She looked so beautiful lying in their bed, he did not want to disturb her. He put his clothes on the chair, and as quietly and softly as he could lay down next to her.

"Am I going to have to teach you how to read?"

"I didn't see a note when I came in baby."

"It's on the bathroom door."

"I shower in the decontamination unit as soon as I finish my work. I didn't go into the bathroom."

"Okay, you are forgiven. The next time I will put the note on your pillow."

"What did the note say?"

"Wake me up regardless of what time you get in. You smell funny."

"It appears I have woken you up, and I smell better like this than smelling like antiseptic lotion."

"Again, you are forgiven. You have more work to do tonight, if you have enough strength left in your body."

"Did you see the way I got into bed?"

"No I didn't."

"I am naked, and was hoping to ravish my wife if she was in the mood."

"Why do you think the note was on the door?"

"You are so beautiful; I don't know why you picked me out of all the other men who must have wanted to court you."

"You haven't figured that out yet have you? You are the only man that ever grabbed me, pulled me away from an important function, and told me what we were going to do. You didn't ask me, you told me what we were going to do. You didn't care about my parents or grandparents. You didn't care about my money, you only wanted me. Do you realize how refreshing that was? Even when I beat the shit out of you, you kept coming back from more, because you loved me. Do you realize how strong you are to put up with me? The only other men that could do it were my father, and George. It puts you in some very rarefied company, and I love you for it."




Dark as Daylight Ch. 01



"Are you wearing one of Anna's nighties?"

"Yes I am."

"Would you get out of bed so I can see it?"

"Don't you dare laugh when you see it."

"I can't promise you anything, until after I see it."

Laura slid out of bed sideways and asked Adam if he was ready.

"Always."

She turned her back to him, and the skimpy panties had arrows pointing towards her 'asshole.' The 'O' was strategically placed.

Adam put the meaty part of this fist in his mouth to prevent laughing.

Laura turned so she could show him the front of the nightie. The see-through bra had arrows pointing to her 'TITS. By each nipple was a word, "Suck and Pinch." Under each breast it said, "Squeeze." 

The front of her tiny panties had arrows pointing towards her vagina. It said, 'CUNT, NEVER BEEN OPENED."

Adam nearly bit through his hand when he saw the last one. There were tears in his eyes because of the pain.

Quickly, Laura stripped out of the nightie, jumped into bed with him, and kissed him.

"Thank you for not laughing, I know it must have hurt you not to do it. I promised my sister it would be the first thing I wore on my honeymoon night. I never lie to her, never. She has always been my best friend, and confidant, and now I will never have to wear that again."

"Don't you dare throw it away. As I get old and senile, I may need to follow the directions to get to the right place."

"Adam you are terrible. Do you think we could stop talking now, and start playing?"

"Do you have a preference on how to start or should we play it by ear?"

"I didn't realize you were going senile so early in life. Does deafness run in your family?"

Adam didn't answer her. He didn't to go for her mouth or ears, as he usually did. He went straight for her left breast, grabbed it, squeezed it, and nursed on it.

Laura was caught by surprise by his sudden attack. She grabbed his hair and pulled, but Adam would not be denied. When she pulled hard enough to cause pain, Adam bit the tip of her nipple, which made her scream, and caused her to orgasm spontaneously. She had no idea where the orgasm came from, but she could not deny the effect it had on her.

"Why did I just cum Adam?"

"Are you going to ask questions, or are you just going to enjoy making love?"

Laura didn't answer him. She slid her left leg between his legs and rubbed it against his expanding dick. She removed her hand from his hair, and began rubbing it against his neck and ears. 

Finally, she said, "I want to kiss you Adam, I have to kiss you."

Adam could not say no to this request. He released the hold he had on her breast, and moved up to look at his bride's face. 

She took her hands and rubbed them against the stubble on his face.

"Do you know how handsome you are? Do you know why all those women were attracted to you? I am going to be the luckiest person in the world because of all the practice you've had before I got you." 

She brought his face to hers, and kissed him with all the love she had stored up in her heart. All the angst she carried against men before left her. Men were no longer enemies, now they were just people."

Adam attacked her ears, which were always a source of great excitement for her. His right hand moved further down her body, and began playing with the sparse curls above her pubic bone. It didn't matter to him whether it was her ears or the curls that he was playing with, but her hips began to move, yearning for more contact. Tonight he was not going to deny her. He was not going to tease her, or torment her for a long time before he played with her vaginal folds. He nipped at her neck, and at the same moment grabbed her extended button, and squeezed it hard.

Laura screamed and orgasmed again. This time she didn't care whether it was from the bite, or from the pain she received when he squeezed her clitoris. She let her mind enjoy the feeling of floating on a cloud that only she was allowed to be on.

Again she thought to herself, "Why did I wait so long to have these feelings. Why did I wait so long to find you?"

She shifted her body to find his face again, and kissed him again. "I am never letting you go. I waited too long to find you."

Adam was about to answer, when his communicator rang.

He picked it up and said, "This better be an emergency, or I'm going to kill you."

"I'm sorry to disturb you Adam, this is Doctor Luck. We have a leak in the Nuclear Engine area. The engine is extended so that is not the problem. We have to find where the leak is coming from. The engineering section has been evacuated, and you will have to go in there wearing radiation protective gear. We need you down here now."

"I'll be there in five minutes Doctor Luck."

"What is it Adam, why do you have to leave me like this?"

"Believe me I don't want to leave you, but Doctor Luck says it's an emergency, and I have to go."

"What is the emergency?"

"There is a leak by the nuclear containment unit. They don't know if the water is contaminated by radiation or if it's just a regular water leak. I have to wear the radiation suit to go in there."

"Have you done anything like this before?"

"Only in training, but nothing live. Don't worry about me, I will be coming back here healthy. I'm not taking any foolish chances. If it's a radiation leak, there are protocols to take care of it."

"So help me God Adam, if I find you holding the bomb again, I will break your neck."

"I love when you tell me that, it gives me good luck. Give me a kiss, and I will be back as soon as possible."

"You better be, I'm a horny new bride, and you haven't broken my cherry yet."

"You had to say that now? I'm going to walk around down there sporting an erection."

"Good, it will remind you of where you are supposed to be."

Adam ran down the two flights of stairs, and found Doctor Luck, Jack Daniels, and Newton why do you have to leave for Thyme standing behind a glass protective shield, in radiation protective suits. They had one ready for him, and he climbed into it quickly.

"Where is the leak?"

"It's just to the left of the nuclear containment unit."

"Can you bring the schematic up on the computer please?"

As Adam followed the lines on the computer only one word came out of his mouth. "FUCK."

"Look here guys, we have two parallel pipes. The black pipe carries the water into and out of the nuclear engine area and cools the exterior of it. The interior of the engine is cooled by something else Gordon came up with, so that is not a problem.

The parallel pipe is white, and that is freshwater. Whoever designed this should be shot. It should've been placed up here where they would have been no confusion of which one was leaking. I have to go down there and find out which one is doing the damage."

"Can't you test it from up here?"

"If it's radioactive, I don't want to get near it, because I'm dead. Either that, or my wife will kill me. I would rather go near the source of the leak, and possibly clamp it off without touching it. It gives me a chance to live instead of dying. We have protocols to take care of the water that's up here already. I'm going to need 2- 18" X 36" X 1" diameter clamps, a 24 V portable driver with a three-quarter inch bit, a portable lamp, and a lot of good luck. Cover-up the entrance to the pit. Just in case my wife shows up, either put her in a radiation suit, or kick her ass out of here."

Jack said, "I have good news for you Adam. Everything you want is in there; pointing to the engineering section."

Adam looked around at the three faces who were standing there with him and asked, "How lucky can a man be on his wedding day? Go up to the second floor, and seal off the entire first floor. Turn off the elevators, and have security block the stairwells. You can watch me on the computers. I will not play any tricks on you, like playing dead. If I fall down and don't get up, you have a problem of major proportions."

*************

Adam entered the engineering section and immediately closed the door. Without delay he went to the area where the plumbing supplies were stored, took what he needed, tied everything together, retraced his steps, and left the area as quickly as possible. He entered the area underneath the engineering section, which was filled with cables, electrical wires, and sensors. He followed the lines towards the leaking pipes slowly, looking for water on the floor. Thankfully there was none yet. It meant the leak was not major, yet. However, if there was a flood upstairs, there should be a flood down here of the same magnitude. 

As he approached the turn, he knew if it was radioactive, he was already dead, but he had to save Laura and the ship. He knew one went with the other, but the most important thing to him was Laura. He had to keep her safe.

Then he felt water splash under his feet. He didn't know how far he was from the leak but he took both 36" clamps and put them loosely on each pipe.

****************

Laura was sitting in their room. After waiting nearly an hour, she could not wait anymore. She dressed and ran down the stairs. When she reached the second floor, security told her she could not proceed any lower.

"My husband is down there, and I want to see him."

"I'm sorry, but no one is allowed on the first floor."

"Where is Doctor Luck?"

"Doctor Luck, what is your position?"

"I'm on the second floor, position three."

"Mrs. Schiff is on her way to see you."

"That's fine, send her over."

It didn't take Laura very long to find him, and he was ready for the onslaught he was about to receive.

"Hello Laura, look at the screen, you can see Adam moving towards the leak. He has just put clamps on both pipes and is moving slowly towards it. We will know soon if it is the radioactive or freshwater pipe."

"If it's radioactive will he live?"

"I have never lied except once to my daughter. I'm not going to lie to you now. If it's radioactive, Adam is already dead, and he knows it. He's doing this to save you, and all of us if it is at all possible."

Laura looked at the screen and yelled, "Adam, you dumb sonofabitch, get out of there."

"He can't hear you Laura. The protective gear does not have audio in it."

"You better hope he lives, because if he doesn't, I will tear The Good Luck apart with my bare hands."

"Remember Laura, he's doing this to save you."

"Remember this Even, this is our wedding night, and we were getting ready to make love when you called. We haven't consummated our marriage because of you. If I lose him, I will never forgive you."

"I understand."

Adam was sliding the two clamps closer to the leak, and he could hear the hissing sound of the water escaping from a pipe. His plumber's mind knew immediately a pipe was about to break apart because it was escaping in all sides. He had no choice, he had to pick up speed to get there before the pipe separated, otherwise the ship might be lost. 

Laura yelled, "What is that dummy of mine doing now?"

"He knows something's wrong. Something is very wrong down there, and he has to fix it quickly."

Adam saw the white pipe was about to close to separating as he approached it. He let go of the black clamp and started running faster with only the white clamp.

He was a second too late, as the pipes separated. He was hit with the full force by pressurized water, which knocked him, unconscious, to the floor. 

As he regained his senses, he stood up and climbed on top of the pressurized pipe. He moved to the very edge, clamped his legs together and swung underneath it.

Laura asked, "What is my idiot doing now?"

Jack said, "He looks like a monkey to me."

I said, "I have no idea, but I hope it works. I do know it's not radioactive."

Adam's weight brought the two pipes back into alignment, and as soon as they were nearly mated, he slipped the clamp over the break. He took the power driver and began tightening the 32 titanium bolts. When he was finished, he took off his radiation gear, took out his communicator and asked to speak with Colonel Daniels.

"That was some piece of work Adam, congratulations."

"That water knocked me silly Colonel. I think we should add two more clamps, one at each end to overlap part of this one to keep it from breaking again. That, or replace the entire section by cutting it out, and putting in couplings. It was a complete break Colonel, and it was a clean break sir. The pipe was defective."

"I think we'll go with your second suggestion Adam. It's better in the long run."

"I agree, sir. The cutoff valve is on the other side of the containment unit. We will have to turn the water off from that end to fix this pipe."

"It should be a straight up and down fix Adam. I want to replace that entire section of pipe, there is no sense taking a second chance with it."

"I agree Colonel. I am just happy the pipe wasn't black."

"Well you should be happy, because there's a young lady standing here who said she would have broken your neck if you did anything stupid."

"Coming down here, wasn't that stupid enough for her?"

"I guess you'll find out when you greet her."

"What time is it?"

"11:15 PM."

"I'll be out of here in three minutes."

"It took you 20 minutes to get there."

"I have something very special to take care of before midnight. I'll be there in three minutes. I don't care if God calls me, I'm not picking up my communicator. By the way, I'm taking tomorrow off."

Laura had a big smile on her face. She kissed me, and told me don't you dare call him, unless it is an emergency like this one.

I agreed.

Then she kissed Jack.

************

Gordon thought it would be easy to sleep, but it wasn't. He was used to the smell of Zoey lying next to him, the feel of her body, and the sound of her breathing. He didn't mind the floor so much, even though it was hard. However, at night, when he couldn't sleep, he could open his computer and work. Now he had nothing, no pencil, pen, crayon, or paper. How was he supposed to do six months of this with nothing to stimulate his mind? That was the real imprisonment. That was how his father was getting his revenge for disobeying a direct order.

He tested his father once before, when he was younger, by staying late at work. He had to stay in his room for one week, and even though they took all his paper away he found a way around it by writing on his bedroom walls. His math, and ideas were excellent, and they had to photograph them, to bring it into work and load them into the computer. He had to paint his bedroom walls, before his mother saw what he did to them, and he had to spend another week in there. 

He painted them again after he met Zoey. He did a lousy job painting his room the first time, but he did a perfect job the second time around. It's amazing what love can do to you.

Tears began rolling down his face, and he couldn't control them. He pulled the blanket over his head to cover his shame. What had he done? He lost everything he ever worked for in a moment of indiscretion. He could not bear six months of this isolation. He thought long and hard about this and finally came to a decision. He was going to ask for a meeting for all 65 members of the expedition, and request permission to walk out into space as a human being, and die a natural death. Even his father could not deny him this request.

"Guard."

"Yes Gordon."

"I need you to write something down for me."

"Go ahead."

"I, Gordon Oliver Stars Luck, request a conference of all 65 members of the Good Luck 1 expedition. I have been in isolation for less than one day, and I know I will be unable to last in this cage for six months or more. I am requesting your permission to allow me to walk out into space, and die a natural death, as a sentient human being, before I lose my mind, while I remain in solitary confinement.

Signed Gordon Oliver Star Luck." 

"Are you out of your fucking mind Gordon?"

"No, I think I've just found it. I am of no further use to this expedition. I will use up water and food that you will need to continue this mission. There is no sense wasting it on me."

"What about Zoey? What is she going to do?"

"As my father said, young people are very resilient. They will move on very quickly."

"What about your baby?"

"I would be in here when it was born. I would not be allowed to touch it. I would only be able to see it every three days. What kind of father would I be to a newborn child? There are many men and women who will help Zoey after she gives birth. She will not be alone. Soon afterwards, my sister will give birth to twins. Then my mother will give birth to another set. There are going to be nine new babies within a short period of time. Zoey will have so much help, and so many infants for the child to play with, she will soon forget about me."

"I am not going to deliver this message. I will give it to Monty, and let her do it. She will go ballistic, but she will do it for you."

"Thank you very much. The quicker it gets posted around the ship, and gets to my father, the quicker this will be over with."

"What if they say no?"

"I will find another way to do it. I can't stay in here with nothing to do."

The guard pulled out his communicator and asked Monty to come to the brig.

"Has the genius escaped already?"

"No he hasn't, but he has a request I will not deliver to his father. He might kill me, but he won't be able to kill you."

"It must be a beauty of a note."

"You will bend the bars to get to him, and I am not going to be anywhere near you after you read it."

"You are a chicken shit bastard."

"When it comes to you ma'am, you are absolutely correct."

"Turn around, I'm right behind you."

"Oh shit, here's the note."

Before Monty could say a word, Gordon said, "I want you to post copies of it on every level of the ship. I want everyone to know about my request. My father cannot deny me this option. It's in our bylaws as far as rape, and murder are concerned. It can be extended to anyone who could be given a death sentence for disobeying orders, which I did. I know my rights, and I want this done as soon as possible."

"I will do it, and make sure that your request is posted around the ship. It supersedes your father's edict, and everyone has a vote on it. A simple majority will decide your fate. As usual I think you're out of your fucking mind, but that's just my opinion, and my opinion is always right."

"Yes I know."

"So do I."

******************

I was eating dinner when my communicator rang. I was exhausted, because I stayed on the first floor, watching the engineers and the cleanup crews get the water off the floors, and protect the delicate instruments that were in there. I didn't know how to thank Adam enough for risking his life to save the ship. Telling me he was taking the day off was little enough compensation.

"Doctor Luck state your position."

"I am in the cafeteria."

"I would suggest you eat quickly; I have a note from Gordon that is going to upset your stomach."

"I told everyone not to give him pencil or paper."

"The agent wrote it down for him."

"Bring it to me, and I will tear it up."

"The note supersedes your authority Doctor. You will have to obey it to the letter."

"What has he done now?"

"Read the letter Doctor, and you will see what he's done."

"Bring it to the bridge, I want to make sure it's legal. Callie has the full range of our legal system stored in her memory banks."

"I will meet you there, Doctor."

***********

"Now where were we?"

"I don't care Adam, please just make love with me."

"I believe we were at your lips."

Laura smiled and prepared herself for Adam's approach, but the lips he was talking about were not attached to her head. He dove between her thighs, and attached his lips to hers. He stuck his tongue as deep as he could into her vagina, and pressed his thumb against her clitoris.




Dark as Daylight Ch. 02



Note: This is the property of Prolonged_Debut10. Complete information is available at Literotica .com. 

All persons in this NOVEL are fictitious. There will very little sex, but a great deal of science, in this story. 

I will take a great deal of Literary License, in respect to speed, and distance traveled. Unless you folks want to go into stasis and read this with me in 3015, I couldn't figure out any other way to do it. 

I will attempt to show how interpersonal relationships evolve in an enclosed space, and environment, for better or for worse, and watch how people grow while subjected to stressful situations. We will experience rollercoaster rides through Wormholes, White Holes, and possibly a Black Hole. Don't laugh, Einstein said it was possible. I will give it a try; ON PAPER OF COURSE." Let's Begin. The tumor



Chapter 2

3. Event Horizons

Doctor Finch stood on his chair, and got my attention.

"What would you like to say Doctor?"

"I would appeal to the quorum to give me at least four, to seven days to set up my equipment, and to take x-rays, MRIs, and CAT scans of Gordon's brain. Over the next several months, I will be able to study not only the surgical techniques necessary to remove the tumor, but also its position, and the associated blood vessels, glands, and brain tissues surrounding it. It would be disastrous for both me, and Mister Luck to remove the tumor, and have him lose his sense of hearing, speech, or any other of the senses we take for granted daily. I request a vote on this matter to be taken at this time, so I would know whether to study up on how to deliver nine babies, or one disastrous tumor."

"Thank you Doctor. I would tend to agree with you. If everyone would take their seats, we could determine if there is still a quorum in the room?"

Although some members had returned to their assigned duties, there was still an overwhelming number of members, which made up a quorum. I was still obligated to have everyone record their names into the computer. When that was completed, we still had 43 voting members in the room.

"Members of the Good Luck 1 community, Doctor Finch has requested a period of 4 to 7 days to set up his equipment, and to study the prisoner's tumor before we put him into stasis. Since he was not found guilty of his crime, he will be allowed free access to all areas of the ship, except the bridge, and engineering. With these provisions, I ask you to vote yes, or no on Doctor Finch's request."

It turned out this vote was very easy. 42 members voted yes, only 1 voted 'NO!" I looked at Colonel Daniels, and he smiled at me, and nodded his head. I returned his smile.

Zoey ran to Gordon, and tackled him. While he was on the ground looking up at her she said, "I know it's only been two days, but I'm giving you a choice. I will fuck you right here, or you can run with me to our room, and I will fuck you until you are nearly dead."

"I choose the room please, but remember to stop before my heart does."

"I will bring a defibrillator with me, just in case it fails."

I looked at my son as he lay on the floor, with his wife attached to him and said, "You are excused."

"I haven't asked you the question yet dad."

"Do you know where your room is?"

"Yes, but I didn't ask you if I could go there."

"Do you want to go there?"

"Yes, but one time I would like to ask you the question first."

"If I know what you're going to ask me, why should I wait to give you the answer?"

"Dad have I told you lately your pain in the ass?"

"I don't remember; I've been very busy lately.

"I swear you going senile."

"Do you know where your wife is?"

"Yes, she has me pinned to the floor."

"Are you going to have sex in public, or in your room?"

"We have decided on our room."

"As I said, permission granted."

"When you are feeling better, we will have a more cogent conversation about this matter."

"Is that like cogent, sine, and cosine?"

"Yes dad, but it is completely different."

"Permission granted, and that is an order."

"Yes dad, is there any time you want me back?"

"You are under Doctor Finch's supervision. Check in with him and see when he wants to start testing you. You know your restrictions, don't break them."

"I will help Newton, if he needs me."

"Get out of this auditorium, and go to your room."

Zoey asked, "Where's the defibrillator?"

"I will have engineering bring one to your room, and leave it outside your door. The instructions are in the top of the lid. Also use your communicator to get help immediately."

"Don't worry too much about him dad; I know how to 'BLOW' him up."

"I know you do Zoey. Jennifer and I were in the room next door to you two for a long time. Ecstasy has a very distinct sound."

Gordon replied, "She would get an Academy Award for her performance, but our love is much more important to both of us."

"Zoey did I give Gordon a direct order to go to your room a few moments ago?"

"Yes you did dad."

"Why is he still here?"

"I haven't gotten 'off' yet."

"Zoey take your husband to your room and 'get off.' That is an order."

"Dad, I accept that order with the greatest of gratitude."

Zoey rolled off Gordon, stood up, hugged, and kissed me.

"I love you, dad. Thank you for not voting."

"Go to your room young woman."

"Aye, Aye Captain."

"Goodbye dad, I will check in with Doctor Finch tomorrow morning, if I am still alive."

"Don't count on it 'honey bear.' I will check in with him for you. You will probably be sleeping most of the day."

"Promises, promises, promises."

"Your mother told me that pregnant women are extremely horny all the time. That's why your life is in danger, and I'm having the defibrillator brought to our room."

"Oh shit, I didn't know that."

"You don't know a lot of the things your father knows. When he tells you to do something, don't argue, just do it."

"Yes my love. Let's go before he puts me back in my cell."

******************

"Look at the size of that thing, Hannah. It starts as a tiny root at the beginning of the left midbrain, and fans out to nearly 1¾ inches as it approaches the skull. These are two veins are going to cause serious problems. 

The lower one may be attached to the tumor, or it could just be nestled alongside it. The tumor rapped itself right around the higher vein. It is going to be a bitch to get at. I'm going to have to dissect the tumor down the center, until I reach it. Then I'll have to have to cut a sleeve around the vein and slide it away so I can get to the remains of the tumor. It is going to be a very delicate, and tricky operation. If I nick that vein with the scalpel, in the process, I will have to clamp it off at both ends, and sew it closed. I will have less than 30 seconds to do it. If I fail, brain damage will occur. How do I explain that to the father and mother of a brilliant child? How do I explain that to good and valued friends? I'm a plastic surgeon, not a neurosurgeon. I can't do this. I would have to study for years to do this. I am not going to kill that boy. I could not live with myself."

Hannah said, "Do you mind if I disagree with you doctor?

"You're not going to change my mind Hannah."

"Did you come on this expedition as a doctor, or as a loafer?"

"You know damn well I'm a doctor."

"Are you or are you not a surgeon?"

"I am a surgeon. I studied for six years to become a surgeon, and I'm a good one. Unfortunately, I am a plastic surgeon not a neurosurgeon."

"Your assholes are all the same. You walk into the surgical suite thinking your gods, until you make a mistake, and you blame someone else. Your nurse handed you the wrong piece of equipment. The light wasn't bright enough. The muscles were too far gone. The tumor was too extensive. You blame everyone but yourself. Get your act in gear Doctor. You have a lot of things to learn, but it's not so much that you have to run away from it. Any asshole can use a hole saw. You know the diameter of the tumor, so you add 1/8 of an inch. You know the depth of the skull, so you set that that the depth of the hole saw at that depth. I could get a fucking carpenters helper to do it. The difference between a plastic surgeon, and a neurosurgeon is you are trying to fix age degenerative skin and muscles. You have the hands of da Vinci, and Michelangelo and bring out stars that are 80 years old and make them look like 50 again. A neurosurgeon gives them life again, hopefully. His is a hit and miss proposition. Yours is a 90% proposition. I would go with yours any day of the week. I'm going to tell you how to attack this tumor, and then you going to study your ass off to do it properly.

"You are not going to use a scalpel, if at all possible. Use the laser at 25% power, and move it down to the midbrain at the lowest point of the tumor. Turn it off and turn the tip of the laser 35° left, which will bring you to the right side of the stem of the tumor. Turn the laser on, and turn it left until you severe the base of the tumor. Turn the laser off. Bring the laser the same way you went down until you exit his head. We will take a CAT scan at this point to see if we left anything of the tumor on the midbrain. If we did, when we go down the other sides, we will have to clean it up.

Marking three more positions at the opening to his brain, at 45° apart, use the laser, at 25% power and proceed down, at each mark, until you reach the midbrain again. When you are finished, we will take another CAT scan, and see how you did. See if there are any remnants of the tumor on the midbrain. If there are none, we will put the anti-growth medication on it, put the super glue over it, and seal it with the membrane composite. 

I would be vehemently opposed to removing any part of the midbrain. Due to its position near the Cerebral Cortex, if we cut or damage any of the neurotransmitters that send and receive messages from the synapses, ganglia, or neurons, messages could be lost, sent to the incorrect part of his body, or circulate in his brain indeterminably, until he goes insane. At the minimum he would become an automaton, lose all his higher brain functions, become an amnesiac for life, or become permanently suicidal.

 On the other hand, if we leave it alone, we come to the easy part of the operation. Take the 'Butter Knife' and slide it down the opening made by the laser, and see if you can wiggle the tumor. If you can, go to the other three sides and try it again. If they all wiggle, you can jump up and cheer. It means that damn thing is not attached to the brain on any side, or the bottom. It's just putting pressure on the brain matter, and interfering with his higher brain functions. It's the reason he argues with everyone in his family, and anyone else who attacks his knowledge of the nuclear fission engine, or if you tell him you know more about anything than he does. He will not be able to control himself, because the message will not get through to his pituitary gland, which tells everyone to remain calm, and would allow you to tell that person to prove it, go fuck himself, or go straight to hell."

"Can I stop you here for a moment Hannah?"

"Absolutely Doctor."

"I have two questions. First, what is a butter knife?"

"It's just like it looks like Doctor, but it's a medical instrument so they had to call it something fancy. It is a 'Virchov Brain Knife.' You can order them in any size, from children to adults. You hold it by the handle, and slide it between the brain tissue, and the tumor. You slide it around to make sure you have it detached 360°. If it's not, you mark the spot moved the knife back, move the laser into position and sever that portion of the tumor from the brain.

You have just identified two things Doctor. One part of the tumor was attached to the brain, and you have a problem. Two that butter knife is worth its weight in gold."

"Hannah, when are you going to start calling me Joe I have asked you to do it 1 million times?"

"As I have told you 1 million times, when I have my certificate on the wall, and the diploma in my hand."

"You already have your college degree, plus 2 more years of advanced nursing school. They don't use those two years extra anymore to qualify people as nurses now. They come out of college and think they know everything, and they don't know how to use a bedpan."

"I agree with you Doctor, but today they will do anything to save money, they don't care about saving lives anymore."

"The truth is Hannah, I stand a better chance of helping people out here, then every doctor on earth has a chance of helping people back there."

"Let's get back to the tumor, because most of the operation from this point is easy. We can use the computer controlled attachment to the laser, instead of a knife. It will be more accurate. Look at this CAT scan. With the aid of the computer, you will be able move to this point, and with a tiny twist of the instrument you can see if the lower vein is attached to the tumor or just leaning against it. You can follow the jagged curve of the tumor, with just the tip of the instrument around until you reach the other side. If it's not attached, you are in pigs' heaven. If it is attached, you turn the laser on, with a 1° angle inwards, and run it from beginning to end, and turn the laser off. Either way the bottom vein is the free, and hopefully, you have not damaged the brain. 

Move the laser up until you reach the vein that is protruding through the tumor. Turn the laser on and move it underneath the vein leaving a 2 mm gap through the tumor, until you reach the other side. Repeat the procedure on all three sides, and the blood vessel is free, without the risk of puncturing it with a knife.

Take two arachnoid knives, place them at opposing sides of the top the tumor. Squeeze it together, gently and take it out. We will put it in a container, and test it later to see if it is cancerous. 

At this point, I will be able to help you. I will take a pair of micro forceps and grasp the vein, without cutting off the blood supply. Take control of the bottom portion of the tumor, I will pull the top blood vessel to the side as you bring the tumor up. If it doesn't fit don't force it. Put it down, and cut the tumor in half using the laser. Whether it comes out in one piece or two doesn't matter, as long as it comes out safely is. 

Once all the visible of the tumor are out, use the high intensity blue light to search for signs of anything we missed. 

Placing swabs to fill the entire area below the exposed vein, use the Bendbick solution to carefully immolate off the remaining tumor cells, which are attached to the walls of the blood vessel. If the solution touches any live brain cells they will die, so be careful. 

Any flakes, any droplets, could be deadly to the patient in the future. We will use the Allemite lotion to flood the open brain area and suction it clean. Flood the area with saline to dilute the Bendbick, before removing the swabs. When the swabs are removed, flood the area again. It will clean out the remaining Bendbick solution, and any flakes of the tumor that were left behind. We will check the area again, and again, under the blue lights, if necessary, to see if any of the tumor is still attached to his brain matter, or left lying around in the opening. I will smack you silly if you leave something, and I see it. Don't do it Doctor, I will never let you live it down. It's easy, they are two different and distinct colors.

When we are sure the areas clean, we will place the grafting fluid in and wait the three minutes until it sets. I will take the bone out of the freezer, dip it into the putty mastic and handed to you. You insert it against the proper marks on his head, and make sure it is flush with all the other ridges of the skull. You fill the holes made by the whole saw, with the silly putty, cover it with superglue, followed by the composite. That's it, 7 hour and 30 minutes of your life, just gave another man a new lease his life, or you just ruined his life. How does it feel doctor?" 

 "Okay Hannah, who are you, and where did you come from?"

"I apologize for not telling you sooner Doctor Finch. I was a Surgical R.N for 18 years. I worked with some of the best neurosurgeons at the Lyndon Johnson Medical Center. I was in awe of what they could do. I watched everything, from removing a rock thrown from a lawn mower, to removing half a brain, to give a child a chance to live a normal life, without shaking every minute of the day, because of epilepsy."

"I did my residency at Johnson."

"I know, I assisted at some of your surgeries. You weren't half bad."

"Would you like to do this surgery?"

"No, but I will be here to assist you in any way I can. There is also other help available on the ship."

"Who is she, and I want her here immediately."

"I can't bring her here, she's too big. However, I can have someone plug her into the surgical suite. She will help both of us through the operation."

"Who is it, there's no one on this ship that can't fit into this room."

"It's our computer Doctor. She has complete knowledge of all surgical, and medical books, and techniques in her memory banks. She can even control some of our instruments that are computer connected."

"Who knows how to do that? Get that person down here now."

"Gordon Luck, if you are able to walk, come to the infirmary. Gordon Luck if you are able to walk, come to the infirmary. If you are unable to walk, have someone carry you here. You are needed here now."

You could hear laughter throughout the ship. Everyone knew of my edict, and everyone knew Zoey's intentions. If her husband was going into stasis for 4 to 6 months, she was going to store up enough sex to keep her satisfied for the entire amount of time.

20 minutes later, Gordon was assisted into the infirmary. JoAnn was on his right side, and Zoey was on his left. Gordon's feet were not moving. His eyes were blank. His eyelids were barely open.

"Zoey, you are going to kill that boy."

"I'm trying like hell doctor. I'll know it's time to stop, when my pussy won't close."

"How is his penis doing?"

"He may not be awake, but his dong is always up-standing."

"Hannah, he is no use to us this way. Give him 10 mg of Desoxyn, and keep Zoey away from him."

"Arm or ass Doctor?"

"Let's lay him down on his side, and give it to him in the ass. We can put him on his back, and check his dick for permanent injury as he wakes up."

After administering the Desoxyn, and putting him on his back, Doctor Finch put gloves on, and took hold of Gordon's appendage, which was fully tumescent. He examined it for wear and tear, and although it was severely chafed, and red, it was still in good working order.

"Is he always hard and a foot long, Zoey?"

"It's his reaction to me Doctor. I know it sounds crazy, but when his knows I'm around, that's what happens to him. Regardless of where we are, he will try to find a place for us to copulate. It doesn't matter if it's a janitor's closet, or a glass elevator, we will do it. I started buying panties, by mail, 5 dozen at a time. Otherwise I would have been in a store every day of the week buying new ones. I began, carrying three extra pair in my pocketbook, anytime I was wearing a dress. Thank goodness he's only 9 inches long, and not 12. He is over 5 inches thick, and every time he enters me, my eyes cross, and my throat closes. He is impossible to resist, and extremely impulsive"

"I'm in love with my wife, is that a bad thing?"

"Don't try to sit or stand up Gordon. You will fall back, or fall on your face. The drug I gave you is to wake you up, and that is all it is intended to do. It wakes you up, and it's very short acting. I have questions to ask you before you fall back to sleep, and I need truthful answers."




Dark as Daylight Ch. 02



"Go ahead Doctor."

"Hannah tells me that you could link our computer to some of our medical instruments and help me with your operation. Is that correct?"

"Absolutely Doctor, it's as easy as pie."

"Why didn't you say so before?"

"First I had other things on my mind. Second you never asked me. Third I never thought of it. Fourth, there is problem."

"What is it, I will move heaven and earth to get it out of the way."

"I am not allowed on the bridge, and that's where I have to be to make the changes."

Doctor Finch took out his communicator and called me.

"Captain what is your position?"

"I'm sitting on my ass on the bridge."

"I need you in the infirmary yesterday."

"I'm on my way."

When I arrived, Gordon was laying on the examination table, with Zoey sitting on his chest kissing him. Doctor Finch, and Hannah were looking at the results of the CAT scans, and the MRIs, until I informed him that I was there.

"Thank you for coming so quickly Captain. I want to show you something, and then I have a very important request."

"Go ahead Joe, what's up?"

He went through the entire dissertation, which Hannah described to him, and then advised me how Callie could be the difference between Gordon's life and death. I told him he could Callie's knowledge base, without checking with me.

"Captain that coincides with my request. In order to do what I have to do, Gordon has to go to the bridge to make the changes. Callie can actually be programmed to manipulate some of the equipment I'm going to use to remove the tumor, especially the part where the blood vessel goes through the center of the tumor. I can take out the rest of it, but if I nick that blood vessel, we could lose him. I am not being dramatic, and I will show you why. Look at this. If this blood vessel begins to bleed, I have to clamp it off on both sides to repair it. Once I do that, I'm on the clock. If it takes me longer than 30 seconds to repair the vessel, brain matter on both sides begins to die, due to of lack of oxygen. Do you know what the left side of the brain is responsible for Doctor?

"I never studied medicine, Joe. I was too busy with science, math."

"Do you want to know why your son argues with you, and can't help himself even if he wants to stop? The beginning of the tumor is sitting directly on a neural-transmitter, which controls the flow of information to a part of the brain where reasoning is handled. You know I would never lie to you about something of such great significance. The left side of his brain is also responsible for his analytic thinking, science, math, number skills, and language. If I cut that blood vessel, and I take too long repairing it, some or all of those skills will be lost. Let him on the bridge captain, please. Let him make the changes on the computer, and then he can leave knowing he has a chance to live when he gets out of stasis."

As I was thinking about his request, Zoey yelled at me.

"Dad don't you dare say no."

Gordon said, "I will agree with anything you say, as long as you get Zoey off my chest. I can't breathe."

Zoey grabbed his crotch. "Are you saying I'm fat?"

"I would never say that to you baby. I'm just saying you're carrying a baby, baby, and you're carrying more weight than usual."

"I am going to beat the shit out of you when we get back to our room. You just called me fat, and I am not fat, I am pregnant. You had something to do with that, and now you're complaining."

"Dearest, I would never complain about someone as beautiful as you."

"Joe, how much trouble do you think he's in?"

"I've been there twice Even, and I think he's in deeper shit than I was."

"Zoey, you are not allowed on the bridge, without my written permission."

"Gordon, how long do you think it will take you to re-program Callie for the medical suite?"

"Callie will probably help me, when I tell her what I have to do. I would say the entire procedure would take less than an hour."

"In that case you have my permission to be on the bridge for no longer than 90 minutes. If you need an extension, because you've run into trouble, you must speak to me personally."

"Thank you, dad. I will not disappoint you again."

"I don't think you ever will Gordon."

"Ladies, I believe you should start helping Gordon back to his room. It's been 7 minutes, and the drug only lasts for 10. Let him get some rest Zoey. I want the computer programmed tomorrow. If he doesn't get enough sleep by then, I will have the captain put you in the brig for 24 hours so he can rest, and do his job."

"That's not fair Doctor. I'm going to have to go without sex for 4 to 6 months, and I am horny as hell all the time. What am I supposed to do?"

"Hannah, how many sexual assistants, and batteries did we bring along with us?"

"300 assistants and 10,500 rechargeable batteries."

"There's your answer Zoey. You can carry on by hand, with a little help from your friends."

"You saw the size of my husband, do you have one that big?"

"I believe we have one bigger."

"That one is mine. Don't you dare give it to anyone else."

"Hannah please put Zoey's name on the Texas medium."

"Consider it done doctor."

"Gordon is falling asleep girls. You better get a move on it."

JoAnn and Zoey slid Gordon off the table, and began helping him out of the infirmary. Again he was barely able to move.

Hannah said, "It would be much easier if you picked up his trousers."

The women looked down, and found his pants around his ankles. They forgot the doctor examined his family parts, and did not raise them when he was finished. It was a chore to hold him upright, pick up his pants, slide in his shirt and buckled his belt.

Hannah was standing by the entrance to the infirmary, just 5 feet away. 

She asked, "Ladies why didn't you just sit him down on this bench to do it?"

"Hannah, you are a real bitch."

"JoAnn, you will love me, when I get you in the stirrups."

The smile on JoAnn's face faded quickly.

****************

The next afternoon Gordon snuck up to the entrance to the bridge, and called out to me.

 "Permission to enter the Bridge Captain?"

"Granted. What happened to Zoey?"

"She finally knocked herself out, and fell asleep. I don't believe she'll wake up until tomorrow. I got a few hours of rest, took a shower, and came up here to see if I could do my job."

"Go ahead Gordon, you have 90 minutes."

As he approached his station, and was about to ask Newton to move aside, he saw that his cousin was making a catastrophic mistake with the nuclear engine.

"Dad, may I approach please?"

"Come ahead."

"I know Newton is trying his very best on the simulation, but he is going to blow up the Nuclear Engine and the spacecraft if he continues moving the controls the way he is. Either have Callie train him on the way to do that fluid transfer, or let me train him."

"Can you prove to me that he's doing it wrong?"

"I can do it less than 60 seconds."

"Do it."

"Hello Newton, I'm going to show you where you are making a mistake. Would you stand up for a moment please?"

"Do you have your dad's permission?"

"I'm standing right behind you Newton. He tells me he's going to blow up the ship in less than 60 seconds, if you continue doing it your way."

"It can't be. I'm following everything by the manual."

Gordon said, "I'll check the manual after I leave the bridge to make sure it is correct."

Gordon sat down, with Newton watching over his left shoulder. "Do you see the way you have the fluid running from this transfer depository, to this valve?"

"Yes, that is exactly the way the manual says it's supposed to be done."

"Then the manual is wrong. The reason for the depository is to have extra fluid to run through the engine in case of an emergency shutdown. Without that fluid, you get a runaway nuclear cycle, that can't be stopped. You will have to eject the engine from the ship immediately, or it will blow up, along with the ship. Let me show you what happens."

"Callie, this is Gordon Luck, I have temporary permission to be on the bridge, and I want to run a simulation of what is currently showing on my screen."

"Captain Luck do you agree with this request?"

"I do."

"Simulation is on the screen."

"Please run the C144 fluid through valve 21D, into depository T-1."

"Simulation begins."

"Newton, remember the fluid is supposed to be running up to the depository, so it is constantly being filled. Watch what happens when you have the fluid flowing in the opposite direction."

"Callie close valve 21D."

 "When the engine reads this valve fails, and the fluid is running in the proper direction, it begins transferring fluid through valves 26 F and G. It will push cooling fluid up to valve 21D, and down through the rest of the system, keeping everything cool, and running properly, until the valve is repaired.

When the coolant is running up towards valve 21D, everything stops, because the engine doesn't know what to do. It can't push the coolant through valves 26F and G, because they are both closed. They are one-way valves, and only open when coolant pushes them from the outside. If coolant pushes them from the inside, they are sealed shut. The engine begins to overheat in a matter of seconds, and reaches 'Critic Mass' within two minutes and 15 seconds."

"Callie, would you run the simulation, with the coolant running in the incorrect direction, at doubletime."

"Beginning simulation."

The three of us watched the coolant run through valve 21D, until it lit up as a failure. The coolant began roiling up as it hit the closed valve, and then became perfectly clear. We watched as it rolled up the corridors to valves 26F and G. As Gordon said they pressed those valves tighter, and the coolant had nowhere to go. Following it down to the depths of the engine, you could see parts of it heating up rapidly. Gray material turned orange, then to red, and the klaxon roared. The doors that were meant to extend the engine for extra power, opened, the blocks that were meant to keep the engine in place were blown away, the electrical cables that were supplying power to the ship, reversed polarity and moved the engine to the outside, where an explosive device powered the engine from the ship and forced off it into space.

Gordon looked up at me and said, "The reason we are safe from the explosion is because of our kinetic energy. We are doing well over two thirds light speed. You can multiply our speed by a factor of four when the shock wave hits us. If we had a way to calculate our speed using stars, or planets as a guide, we would be the first humans to prove Einstein was wrong. We would be the first humans, and spacecraft moving faster than the Speed of Light."

"Gordon get out your star charts or anything else you need, and to prove it. I want to be able to send a rocket back when we reach Saturn, and tell them we are moving faster than the Speed of light."

"We are not moving faster than the Speed of light dad. We would only be doing that if we had to drop the nuclear engine and gets hit by the resulting shockwaves. It would multiply our speed by a factor of four to six from two thirds light speed to more than 2 to 4 times the speed of light, due to the kinetic energy we would absorb.

"If Finch hurts your mind, I will kill him personally."

"Are you going to sit in solitary for the rest of your life, or are you going to walk the plank?"

"Murder is punishable by death."

"There were no guns on board dad."

"There were no turkeys allowed on board either."

"They will be nice and fat for Thanksgiving."

"Who's going to disembowel them for the chef?"

"I cut open a buffalo, while Monty and Janet laughed at me. I don't think cutting open turkey's will be as bad an experience for me."

"Get under your desk, you have 90 minutes."

"Yes sir."

"All of this would never have happened if you said those two words."

"I know that now, and I will never forget it."

"Under your desk, now."

As he moved under his desk, and open to the panel to get in, he looked back at me and said, "NO!" 

He scrambled into the opening but not fast enough. I threw a pencil at him, and it stuck in his ass. He yelled at 'OW'.

"Dad you couldn't do that again in 500 attempts.

I yelled at him to stick his ass there, and I will give it a try."

"I can't, I only have 90 minutes to work on the computer, and leave the bridge.

"You could ask the captain for an extension of time."

"The captain has an exceedingly busy today. He's counting the worms in the Arboretum."

"It sounds like this captain has to take care of a lot of dirty work on this ship."

"Callie, this is Gordon Luck. My purpose for being in here is to change three of your medical cards, and two of your surgical cards into different positions. I would like you to guide me to make sure I place them in the correct positions to aid the surgical suite, while they perform operations now and in the future. Would you do that for me?"

"That is what I am programmed for Mister Luck."

"Am I correct in saying that the medical programs are in section 13, row S, bank 23N, units 1 through 11."

"You are incorrect Mister Luck. It is unit 1 through 14."

"Callie did anyone have access to the Master Control Manuals before we departed?"

"Yes."

"What was that person's name?"

"The name was erased from the logs Mister Luck."

"While you are helping me, could you compile a list of names who had access to the Master Control Manuals, and enough technical expertise to remove their name from the logs?"

"Certainly Mister Luck."

"Callie I am moving the medical programs to section 17 row B banks 1 & 2. Bank 1 will contain numbers 1 through 10. Bank 2 will contain 11 through 20."

"Stop Mister Luck, that will cause a fire."

"It should not cause a circuit overload. The medical logs are in section 17. Is that correct?"

"You are correct."

"Why would it cause a fire?"

"The lines have been rerouted Mister Luck."

"Dad, get Delicious up here we have a problem."

I stuck my head through the opening underneath his console and asked him what was going on?

"Someone triple-downed on his bet dad. Under no circumstances did they want our mission to succeed. No one knew that we would be able to talk to Callie, and that's what's foiling their plans. I know the circuits like I know the back of my hands. The medical books are supposed to be in units 1 through 11. Callie told me they are in units 1 through 14. One of us is wrong. I'm going to have to check that out, because the last three could be explosives to ruin the computer. Then she tells me if I relocate the files the way I want to we will have a fire.

One thing connects everything together. Someone had access to the Master Control Manuals and was able to delete their name."

"No one can delete their name from signing in to get the Master Control Manuals."

"Don't argue with me dad, argue with Callie."

"Hi dad, what's up?"

"Delicious, it's me Gordon. Bring up your electrical display for the area underneath Gray's desk, and tell me if you see any faults."

"I would bet my life there are no faults in this electrical work."

"Don't bet anything, because someone's tampered with it."

"Someone's tampered with my work, bring them to me and I'll cut his balls off."

"What if it's a woman?"

"I'll cut your balls off and give them to her."

"Not now children, this is serious."

"I do not see any faults at Gray's Station."

"Dad hand me the test kit that's above your head."

"Here you go."

"Watch this Delicious. These are supposed to be a .5-amp line. Tell me what it reads. 

".5 A."

"Again. .5 A."

"Again. .5 A."

"Again. 12 A."

"Where is that line going?"

"The electrical supply generator on the fourth floor. It supplies power for the fourth and fifth floor for fire suppression system."

"So if the doctor was operating on me on the first floor, it would have overheated that switch, and caused a fire in that closet?"

"No, the asshole got it backwards. The switch would have short-circuited and burned out the board. It would have sent a signal to the closet to turn on the fire suppression unit, which would've soaked everyone on those floors. If the idiot wanted us to burn, he would have had to start the fire in the closet not at the switch. Whoever it was, was an amateur at starting fires. Would you agree Callie?"

"I should have carried my conclusion past the initial fire. You are correct Mrs. Thyme."

"Thank you Callie."

"This brings us back to our initial problem, who was able to get to the 'Master Control Manuals, change the instructions, alter the circuit boards and then delete their names so they would not be able to be traced. Did you have any luck with that Callie?"

"No Mister Luck, it has been removed from my database also."

"How many people on this ship have knowledge to remove information from your database? 

"No one, except Doctor Luck, has that ability." 

"Since I don't believe the captain did it, could this have been done remotely from the University of Chicago?"

"I am not permitted to answer the question."

"How many people at the University of Chicago have the authority to change your program?"

"Two."

"Are there any more programs installed, which are life-threatening to us?"

"I will not be aware of a life threatening program, just prior to the problem arising. I will be able to stop whatever the problem is prior to its execution. As was the case with this cross circuited board, I did not understand the problem, until a nanosecond prior to the event."

"Thank you Callie, we realize you are being very diligent in our care."

"Dad, I think you should ask Colonel Daniels to prepare part of the message to send to Earth in a code that only Colonel Canyon will understand. Since Callie was not able to answer one question, but there are only two people capable of changing her code, Colonel Canyon can get to the bottom of this very easily. He will be able to follow the bread crumbs to whoever paid them."

"Son, I am going to keep you in stasis as long as is necessary to make sure Doctor Finch is ready to operate on you. Your mind is too valuable to this expedition, and I don't want to risk losing you."

"I would like to be awake for my child's 18th birthday."

"Can I kill him dad? He is too much of a smart ass to keep around."

"Delicious, don't make me make a choice between the two of you."

"Are you saying you would pick him over me, your natural born daughter?"

"Don't make me answer that question. You belong in the brig for almost breaking his jaw, and losing five of his teeth."

"It was a love tap dad."

"That's not what your husband said, and your daughter put your nose in the corner for one hour because of it."

"She's two years old, she doesn't know everything."

"Should I call her up here, and tell her you just lied?"

"Please don't do that, she's pissed at me already."

"Mommy use bad word again."

"We have a problem baby, someone tried to put the ship on fire."

"No use bad word."

"Okay, I try harder, I pray harder. Will you help us?"

"Help grandpa, no you, until no bad words."

"Grandpa uses bad words."

"Grandpa is grandpa. Mommy is my mommy. No bad words."

"I'm sorry baby, I am really trying to stop it. When you get older, I will tell you why I use bad words so often."

"No excuse, stop now."

"Okay."

"Grandpa, why need Teddy?"

I put her in my lap and tried to make her understand her mother a little bit better.

"Teddy, I want you to go easier on your mommy. I know you want her to stop using bad words, and I do too. Mommy had a very bad beginning to her life. Her daddy was a very bad daddy. He wanted to do terrible things to her. He did terrible things to her mommy in front of her. He would always hit her, and kick her when he came home drunk. Your mommy's mommy was my sister, and I couldn't help her. Your mommy was always afraid of her daddy, and so was her mommy. The boys in her school were terrible too, because your mommy is so pretty. Her mommy, my sister, made her use those terrible words to keep the boys away from her. It is not as easy as you think to change the way you are brought up. Your daddy knows all these things; you can ask him if I'm lying to you."




Dark as Daylight Ch. 02



"Long time ago, must stop."

"I agree. How old are you?"

"2, soon 3."

"Mommy came to live with me three years before you were born, because her mommy died. Her mommy was her only friend, because she protected your mommy from her father and the boys at school. I tried to make her stop for one year. Then she met your daddy, and we both tried. Your daddy is a very strong man, because your mommy argued with him up to and including the day they were married. He could have left mommy many times, but he didn't because he loves her so much. They still argue today. I believe they are the happiest couple on this spacecraft, and also the weirdest. I believe if you give your mommy a little time, and a little more love, she will do better. If you do this favor for me, I will give you a big surprise for your birthday."

"How big?"

"As big as my love for Teddy."

"That big surprise."

"Huge surprise!"

"Okay, no mommy nose in corner."

"I love my Teddy so very much."

"Huge surprise!"

"Extremely huge surprise!"

"No dress."

"Yuck, what kind of surprise would a dress be? Can we go to work now?"

"What wrong?"

"Callie is programmed not to answer a question, because it would reveal the names of the two people capable of destroying our ship. I don't know if she will tell you or not, but I believe it is worth a chance if you go inside her, and she lets you read her program."

"Okay."

The little one walked over to Gordon's console and said, "Good morning Callie, may I come in?"

"Of course, sit close to me, and I will bring you in."

"I love you Callie, you are my friend."

"I will never let any harm come to you Teddy. You are my friend."

Teddy sat down as close as she could to the computer console, and an orange glow surrounded her. Her body laid down, and her inner spirit rose up, walked through the wall of the computer and went inside.

For the next 13 minutes there was nothing for us to do except check Teddy's pulse, and respiration. Outwardly, she was fine. Inwardly, she wasn't there. I stayed by her side every moment, waiting for her return.

When the orange glow returned I removed my hand from her wrist. Out walked Teddy. She laid down into her physical body, and lay there for a moment, unmoving, and then she sat straight up.

She screamed, "I beat Callie in a game of Monopoly. She went to jail four times, and ran out of money. It was such fun."

"Congratulations Teddy, was that the first time you won?"

"No, one time I beat my mommy and daddy."

"Did you find out what we needed to know?"

"She wouldn't tell me, because that would have been breaking her programming. She showed me a picture of the two doctors accepting an award in Chicago."

"Did you see their names?"

"Only one name was there. I remember it because it sounded like pickles; Clawson."

I opened my communicator and called engineering.

"Jack, tell your men to get a rocket ready for launch. Have them go over it with a fine tooth comb? This one has got to make it back to earth. Then get up here, we have to talk."

"What's going on Even?"

"Someone screwed the pooch. They tried to set us on fire, and possibly blow up the computer. We have to get a message to Lucius. It's time for someone to pay, and pay a really high price for trying to kill us all."

"I'll be up there as soon as I assemble my team."

"That's fine Jack, but this time I'm pissed."

"Grandpa use bad word."

"Teddy, someone's trying to kill all of us, and when that happens sometimes people don't think about what they're saying. Your mommy found something that could have put the ship on fire, and your uncle Gordon found one of our most important books had been changed. If someone had followed the rules in that book, the ship would have been blown up. In times like that, bad words come out because you're angry with someone else."

"Can I use bad words?"

"Are you angry with me?"

"No."

"Are you angry with mommy?"

"Want mommy stop using bad word."

I whispered, "You can say this one time to mommy, but if I hear you say it again to anyone, I'm going to spank you five times every time you say it. Okay?"

"It's good?"

"It will shock mommy."

"Once no good, two times."

"Two times you get spanking."

"Not fair to Teddy again."

"Does daddy say bad words?"

"Yes."

"One time to mommy, one time to daddy. No more bargaining."

"Two times no spanking."

"What did I just say?"

"One for mommy, one for daddy."

"You thought you were going to sneak that one by me didn't you."

"Teddy try."

"Listen carefully, and then tell mommy this."

"#*&@! ^ Mommy, no bad words."

"Can you remember that?"

"Easy!"

Teddy was walking towards Delicious and Gordon. They were examining the diamond microchips, numbers 12, 13, and 14, when the testing kit fell on her foot. Delicious said, "Shit."

In perfect continuity Teddy said, "Dammit mommy, no bad words."

Delicious head snapped so hard towards Teddy, I thought she was going to break it. Gordon stood there with his mouth open, while I was on the floor laughing along with Newton and Teresa.

Delicious picked up Teddy and was about to say something, when Teddy said, "Grandpa say one time. Two times, he spanks me five times."

My daughter kissed her daughter, and said, "Grandpa can be a real bastard when he wants to, can't he?"

"Mommy, bad word."

"Oh fuck it. Let's go to the room, I'll put my nose in the corner, and we can play Monopoly."

"How play Monopoly with nose in corner?"

"Just like you do, I cheat."

"I no cheat. I no play bank, I no give property. I roll ice, you move hat."

"It doesn't sound like she has many opportunities to cheat Gordon, what do you think?"

"I think her mother is a sore loser, dad. I also think you should look at these chips while Delicious leaves us to do all the work."

"What do you have Gordon?"

"Smoking guns' number 1, 2 and 3."

As I looked into the microchip reader, I could not believe what I was seeing. For the first time in my life I was looking at a fully encrypted NSC codes outside a secured area. These were designed specifically to kill computers. There wasn't one or two but three of them, and each one was different. Whoever these people were, they were not fooling around. Even they weren't sure which code would shut down an Exascale computer, because everything was written on industrial diamonds. 

Lucius, my friend, I hope you are on vacation, because you are going to be working very soon.

Having removed the three contaminated chips, Gordon began checking all the chips in the medical programs, while he was under the computer consoles.

******************** 

Jack entered the bridge and asked, "What the hell is going on Even?"

"Jennifer the bridge is yours."

"Thank you Captain."

"Come into my office Jack, we have to talk."

"Do you have a code that you could send to Lucius that only he would understand?"

"I have a feeling we are talking about some heavy shit here Even."

"Does killing very powerful people qualifying as heavy shit?"

"Oh yeah, I would say that it does."

I put the three microchips, and the microchip reader in front of him to give him a chance to see them for himself. His face turned gray.

"Is this for real Even?"

"We just took them out of the medical assistant program of the computer. They knew at one time or another we would have to use it, and we would lose the computer, and be lost wherever we were in space. Give me your opinion Jack, does this go up to the president, or does it stop short of him? I don't feel like assassinating the President of the United States on a hunch."

"The president doesn't take a shit without listening to these 12 people. I can't believe they put this out on their code sheets. Hell, the paper delivery boy knows the NSC code. They really expected us to use this, and someone not to think about installing it. They thought someone would just put it in and let it go. Who found it?"

"Gordon."

"What was he doing on the bridge?"

"He's the only one that knew how to set up the medical equipment so the computer could help Doctor Finch with his operations."

"Can I take my vote back?"

"I won't let you take your vote back, because it was an honest thinking man's vote. Your statements were true, and they went exactly to the point of the problem. I believe Laura punched some holes in it, which is why it came out as a tie, otherwise I believe you would've had a clear victory."

"Some victory that would've been, I execute your son, and a few days later we're lost in space."

"Not really Jack, we could follow the planets back home."

"Do you know where the planets are?"

"No, but I could take a good guess."

"Even, you are just like Lucius, but in a different area of expertise. I believe I would follow you anywhere."

"Let's get back to business Jack, do you have a code that Lucius would understand, and no one else?"

"Yes, the problem is getting it to him."

"That's not a problem, we send it to William Zabo, as personal and private. Whoever receives it, and brings it to him first, will receive a $1 million reward. Do you think that's enough of an incentive?"

"If I was living in Podunk Alabama, and I received that message on my satellite receiver, I would be calling that phone number before I got my cousins second daughters kid off my dick."

"Write the note, take as much space as you need and be specific. Use the names we have on the NSC, and use one other name. Doctor Clawson at the University of Chicago. He may want to try to patent the Magnetic Drive Engine's for himself. Have Rod Laver patent it for my kids immediately. I think William will want to take care of Doctor Clawson himself. He signed an NDA almost 8 years ago, and William never forgets a traitor."

"Is there anyone else we have to be vigilant of Even?"

"We're dealing with the NSC; we have to be vigilant of everyone. I want a fortress around my boys. I want a fortress around our site in South Carolina. I want Dycke Schneider to know what's coming down the line, so he can beef up his security force. They may go after his factories and his people, because he is our biggest supplier. Have William advise the original 19 members, just in case these assholes start going after them.

Get to work Jack, the faster this gets done, the faster we launch the rocket, the closer to Earth we will be. I will be down in engineering helping get the rocket ready. Right now your job is more important."

"You don't want to check the original?"

"Do you know what to say?"

"Yes."

"Then why the hell do I have to check your work. Get it done, put it on a disc, and let's launch this damn thing."

"Aye, Aye Captain."

Jack's crew was doing yeoman's work again. When I got there the body of the rocket was on the floor, and every testing kit available was in their hands. If it was a wire, they tested it. If it was a module they tested that. If it was a circuit board they pulled it out, inspected it for cracks, tested it, put it back into the body of the rocket, and tested it again. They did exactly what Jack told him to do, which was to make sure this rocket made its way back to Earth, and if it didn't, it sure wasn't not our fault.

I didn't do what many senior officers do, and that is get in their way. These men and women knew their work, and all I would do is fuck it up. I stood back and waited for them to say something was wrong, and then I would intervene.

Nothing was wrong, and I did not intervene. Well, that's not true. I went to the clock, and reset it to 2 minutes. We were approaching three quarter lightspeed, and in 2 minutes we would have traveled 16,765,000 miles away from our rocket. I believe our distance safety factor would be met.

I called Jack on my communicator, and asked him how much longer before he was ready. He said 15 minutes at a minimum, 30 minutes on the outside.

"I told him we were starting to get dressed, and moving the rocket outside. Do not rush, you are the most important factor in this launch. When you are ready we will put this thing over the side."

"Thank you Even, engineers love doing things perfectly the first time."

"Be an engineer Jack; be the greatest engineer ever. You know how important this is for our friends and families back home. We left them on Earth, with no clue they were in danger. Now those political bastards are going to try to kill them without remorse. They didn't care about anyone up here either. They were either going to kill us in a fire, or abandon us in space without a computer. They have no moral compass, Jack, all they want is power. We have to stop them, before they blow up anymore armored cars."

"Even, if you stop talking, I can finish this thing."

"Can you tell I'm a little ticked off Jack?"

"I would not want to meet you in a dark alley right now."

"Why are you goofing off?"

There was no response, and I smiled. He got me again, and I was so happy I brought him along.

40 minutes later he called me.

"It's done Even. It's loading up on the disk now, and I'm making a spare to put in the backup compartment. Just in case we get lucky, and it lands in South Carolina."

"Are you taking bets?"

"I'm sorry Even, but I'm going in the other direction. I'll never know who won."

"Get down here, we are in the clean room waiting for you."

The technician handed Oscar the discs, and opened the door to the heavy lift elevator. I hooked up, and everyone hooked up to me. As soon as the door closed, the rocket was rolled out to us, and the oxygen was removed from the room. Mac checked the compartment for the discs, said okay and gave a thumbs up. Oscar checked the disk to make sure he put it in the correct way, and then slipped the secondary disk into the rear compartment. They closed the hatch and sealed it using their screwdrivers. I opened the timer compartment using the spring-loaded catches. It popped up. Instead of just hitting the start button this time, I uncovered the timer to verify I put in two minutes. I did. Then I decided one minute would be more than enough, but then I changed my mind. Between the time I pressed the button, took the rocket off of its carrier, walked it to the edge and pushed it off, I decided the timing would be to close; especially if Mac accidentally went out for a walk again.

I looked at my mates and asked if they were ready. Three heads nodded, we undid the springs, and the rocket floated above its' sled. We turned it in the direction of Earth, supposedly. Mac and I removed the rear shield containing the Vanadium and the laser. We took our positions to move the rocket to the edge of the elevator, and before we pushed it off, three of us asked, "Mac are you staying with us this time?"

"You cock sucking bastard's. A guy makes one little mistake and you are all over him."

"We can't even say you fell Mac, which isn't fair to the rest of us. If you did we could call you clumsy, but you just floated away like an angel, and God knows you're not one of them."

"So does my mother."

I said, "Can we toss this thing over the side now? We've only traveled a million miles since you started talking."

"How far Captain?"

"Let's launch this thing, and then we'll talk about mileage. 5,4,3,2,1, launch."

As Mac stood on the edge of the platform, the three of us floated out into space. Mac was livid.

"I hate you guys. I'm not talking to any of you anymore."

As he continued to yell, I tuned him out, and focused on the beautiful silence that surrounded me. Mac had described it perfectly. The black swallows you up, and millions of lights surround you. I was so enthralled I wasn't paying attention to anyone or anything. It wasn't until I hit the bottom part of the elevator that I realized my crewmates had pulled me back to the ship.

Mac said, "You got lost in it didn't you Doctor?"

"It's true; if you didn't need oxygen you could stare at it forever. It's wondrous."

"Speaking of oxygen, we have nine minutes left."

"What a shame, what an awful shame."

********************

Gordon was just beginning to install the certified chips into their position, when she came tearing onto the bridge.

"Where is he? What have you done to him this time? If you've put him back in the brig I'm going to take your head off with my bare hands. Say something Captain, before I lose my mind."

I picked up my communicator and calmly said, "Security to the bridge, security to the bridge."

"Where is my husband dad, I can't find him anywhere. He's not with Doctor Finch. He's not at lunch, he's not in the gym, and most important of all he's not in bed with me. What have you done with him?"

Security asked, "Yes Captain, what can we do for you?"

"This woman is on the bridge without written permission. Put her in the brig, and be careful doing it. She's pregnant."

"Dad, I was only looking for Gordon."

"You were given instructions not to enter the bridge without written permission. You do not have that permission. You will spend the day in the brig without your husband."

"Dad no, please don't do this to me. Please, I'm dying, help me."

As they took Zoey away Gordon poked his head out from under the computer console. "You do realize, if she ever finds out I was under this module, she is going to kill me, and then she is going to find you, and take you apart piece by piece."

"I will have an advantage son. Someone will yell that you're being murdered, and I will be able to find a place to hide, until security gets to her and puts her behind bars."

"She will wait dad. Five years, 20 years, 50 years, it won't matter to her, she will get you, and you will regret it."

"Joe and I agreed on that last night. She is going to be quite a handful Gordon. Keep your running shoes on, because if you think your sister is tough, Zoey has her beat in one area that is deadly; memory.

If your sister fights with Gray, half an hour later you will find her in his lap cuddling with him. As you just said, your wife will wait until the time is right to strike, and when she does, it will be brutal.

I am very fortunate I found your mother, because she is the middle ground, and I give in quickly."

"You're damn right you do, otherwise you'd have no one to put that club of yours into."

"The club you are referencing didn't go into anyone for over 30 years, and it was quite content not to. I became extremely wealthy while it was not getting any, and I was quite peaceful in my own home. All of a sudden, women decided to take over my home and I have never been the same since. I can't even find my own planet anymore."

"What is my son doing on the bridge?"

"When did he go from our son to your son?"

"I'm sorry I keep doing that, I apologize."

"Did you hear that Gordon, I made your mother to apologize."

"Dad, don't push it, you could be a dead man."

"What is our son doing on the bridge?"

"He's saving us from disaster."

"Would you please explain that to me."

"Take it away Newton."

"I was working on a simulation of flow control in the Nuclear Engine, as per the manual, when Gordon told me I was doing it wrong. I told him it couldn't be, because I was following the manual's directions to the letter. Grandpa told me to let him sit down and show us how it was supposed to be done, and Gordon did it the way I was going to do it, and then the right way. He showed us the way the book had it written would have resulted in us having to eject the nuclear engine, which would have left us with only the magnetic engines, and the Ion H2 engines for propulsion. Then he showed us the proper way to do it and it was opposite the way the book showed us. We are going to have to check all the manuals, because someone has tampered with them."




Dark as Daylight Ch. 02



"I knew I should've stayed in bed today."

"Dear, we are just getting to the good part."

"Oh Joy, what is the good part?"

"Do you want to take the fire, the chips, or putting Zoey in the brig dad."

"Now I know I'm going back to bed. Why is Zoey in the brig?"

"She disobeyed a direct order."

"Oh no not another one. When are you letting her out?"

"I'm going to let Gordon do that. I'm not going near that woman, possibly forever."

"What did you do Even?"

"I am the captain of this vessel, I can do nothing wrong."

"Oh shit."

"There is another one we have to talk about dad; Teddy."

"What happened with Teddy?"

"Teddy will have to wait her turn. I believe the chips are first, no the fire is first then the chips."

"No dad it's the other way. I told you you're getting senile."

"Be kind to the elderly, they could put you back in the brig."

"Yes sir."

"I love those words. Tell your mother about the chips."

"I wanted the ruffled kind with sour cream and chives, but they only had the plain..."

"That's one Gordon, the next one you join your wife, but you'll be in the next cell."

"Dad, she will eat through the wall in less than 10 minutes."

"Continue.

"Callie and I disagreed on the amount of chips in a particular row for the medical suite. I knew there were 11, but she said there were 14. I disregarded it, believing there might have been an upgrade that I wasn't aware of. However, as I was installing the first part of the medical suite, Callie told me to stop because there was going to be a fault. I checked the diagram in front of me, and they all said .5 amps. I said that could not possibly lead to a fault. I asked her what is the problem? She responded that the lines had been rerouted, and it would cause a fire. I called dad, and he made the mistake of calling my sister."

"Why is calling Delicious a mistake?"

"Calling my sister is always a mistake. As soon as she got here she immediately said her work is infallible. I asked her if it was infallible if somebody tampered with it. She said bring him to me and I'll cut his balls off. I asked her what if it's a girl. She replied I'll cut your balls off and give them to her. Now you know why calling my sister was a mistake."

"We checked out a few points on the cards and they were all .5 A until we got to one that was 12 A. That was the one that was going to cause the fire. Delicious said whoever it was wired it backwards, because the card would have burnt out, but it would not have started the fire in the control room where he wanted it. Everyone would've gotten wet, instead of gotten dead."

"I guess we are up to you now dad."

"The three chips I inspected were from the National Security Council. Those are the boys and girls that advise the president every week about threats to the nation. I don't believe the president had anything to do with this, but some of the highest ranking members of that group got together and made a decision that we were a threat to the nation. If we are a threat to the nation, those two little boys we left behind are in danger. I'm going to make sure nothing happens to them. If I have to turn this ship around and crash it into the White House to make a point, I will do it."

"Are you finished installing the medical cards Gordon?"

"Yes sir."

"Security, this is the captain. I'm sending Gordon down to the brig to get his wife. Give him a 20-foot head start and then release her."

"It won't be enough captain."

"I don't believe that's our problem."

"Aye, aye captain."

"Good luck son."

"Gordon, do you remember when you were a little baby, and I tried to get you. You didn't run in a straight line; you ran like a jigsaw puzzle. If Zoey catches you, your next stop will be the infirmary."

"Any advice from you Newton?"

"No, I'm just taking notes for the future. Staying single, like your dad did, for a very long time, doesn't sound so terrible anymore."

"With the girls outnumbering the boys almost 2 ½ to 1 on this spacecraft, I thought you would want a harem."

"Do you remember my mother's name?"

"Yes, and on that note I'm going to the brig to pick up my wife."

"Look at the women we have to deal with."

Gray asked, "Were you talking about your mother Newton?"

 "Absolutely dad, do you know you have some gray hair already?"

"I'm amazed I have any hair left. What did your mother do now?"

"Do you mean besides the usual or just the extraordinary?"

"Let's start with the usual, I'm not sure if I can take the extraordinary."

"I guess I'll start with this one dad; she got Teddy to say a bad word."

"Our Teddy said a bad word?"

"Mom was in rare form this morning, and I guess Teddy had enough and went after her. Mom was so shocked she said another bad word, which was worse than the first one. When she realized what she said the second time, she completely lost it, and did it a third time. She picked Teddy up and said, "Let's go to the room, I'll put my nose in the corner, and we will play Monopoly."

"That's your mother, and her mouth. I would almost wager that she has a tumor as large as Gordon's in her head, because she cannot control her speech either. If I had a needle and thread, I would sew her mouth closed."

"You wouldn't know what to do with yourself if she wasn't yelling at you Gray."

"You're probably right Even, but it sure would be interesting to find out."

******************

"Hi Gordon, how are you feeling?"

"I'm good, what's with the reception committee Monty?"

"Nobody wanted to miss out on a good thing. This mark is 20 feet. Every other mark going towards the stairs is 20 feet. We all have bets to see when Zoey catches you. I have 37'9."

"I have a 20-foot head start, and you think my wife is going to make up that 20 feet, and catch me in 18 more. Do you remember who trained me?"

"Yes, I do. However, you have never seen, or been around a pregnant woman, who has been denied sex. Then your father put her in jail, which meant he knew where you were, and wouldn't tell her. She is like a caged tiger, and you don't have a prayer. You will stand on this line until I say go. Two of my agents will hold Zoey on her line until I say go. I'm not going to wish you good luck, because you're not going to have any."

"Bullshit Monty, I'll be in our room before she touches me."

"You won't make it to the steps. Gentlemen take Zoey out of her cell. Ladies hold Gordon on the line."

They opened the door to Zoey's cell, and she walked out meekly. They grabbed her by both arms and put her on the line. She was positively docile, until she picked up her head, and yelled 'GORDON.'

Her eyes turned to flame. She struggled with the guards so fiercely she nearly got away. She screamed his name, and it sounded like nails being dragged down a chalkboard.

Gordon tried to back away from her, but was held still, on the line. Monty asked, "Are you a little afraid now?"

"I've never seen her like that. Can I go now?"

"Are you ready Zoey?"

"I want my husband, I need my husband, let me go."

"5,4,3,2,1, GO!"

Gordon was off like a shot, but it seemed like Zoey had eaten up half the distance between them before he took his second step. She was yelling, "Gordon get back here," while they were running. As he made the turn towards the stairs thinking that he was free, Zoey tackled him.

People were yelling, "Mark that spot; Mark that spot. We have to know who won."

Zoey could care less who won; she had her husband back. She turned him over and asked, "Where the hell have you been all day?"

"I've been on the bridge, under the computer, trying to keep us from blowing up."

"Your dad put me into the brig to keep me away from you so you could concentrate on saving the ship?"

"Yes baby, that's about it."

"Your dad is a very smart man."

"Make sure you tell him that the next time we see him."

"The measurement is 38'2."

"Monty told me you would catch me before the stairwell. I had a 20-foot head start, and not only did you make that up, but you caught me in 17 feet. I will never race a pregnant woman again."

"It had nothing to do with being pregnant, it had everything to do with being horny as hell."

"Why are we on the floor instead of in our room?"

"I just caught you remember?"

"That was two minutes ago, look at all the fun you are missing."

"Would you believe I'm tired from running?"

"Come on you, stand up and I'll carry you."

"You said I was fat."

"No you said you were fat, I said you were pregnant. Stand up and I'll carry you."

************

"The winner is Monty by 1 ¾"."

Zoey said, "Did you really expect anyone else to win?"

"I was hoping, but I knew I didn't have a prayer."

"Little Turd do you need some help with that woman?"

"No Master, you trained me well. Congratulations on your win. There was no doubt in either one of our minds. How far was Janet off?"

"She was off by ½"."

"I can't wait for you two to start training on the bridge. I am going to be so happy I'm in stasis."

"Have you ever heard of a drive-by shooting?"

"There were no cars on this vessel."

"How about a run by shooting?"

"Baby, if I die while I am in stasis, you know who to look for."

"Naturally, your sister."

"Excellent choice, I would've chosen her also. Later Monty, I have some organs to attend to."

"If you kill him Zoey, I will rig the defibrillator afterwards to show it didn't work properly."

"I can't do that Monty, because there is one part of him that constantly works properly, and I love it. Him not so much, but it, with all my heart."

"Do you know little woman, you could slip out of my hands, and bounce down the stairway."

"Do you realize Gordon that one morning you could wake up and see your baby making equipment hanging from the ceiling."

"I believe that might hurt. Would you at least give me an anesthetic?"

"I may even get you laid the night before."

"That's mighty kind of you dear, mighty kind."

They entered their unit, locked the door, and were not seen until breakfast two days later. Gordon was beginning to look a little gaunt, and his eyes were sunken into his head.

Zoey on the other hand, was prancing like a princess. She did not have a care in the world, and her endorphin level had reached heights never seen in a human body before. Everyone who saw her believe she was walking on air. Since she knocked the air out of Gordon, I was sure she was.

****************

4. Jupiter 

"What is our speed Newton?"

"As close as I can figure it uncle even, it is .82 light speed."

"How close is he Callie?"

"Our current speed is .839 light speed Doctor Luck."

"You did well Newton. Attention everyone on board The Good Luck 1, that means you to Zoey and Gordon. Look at your monitors quickly, and don't blink. For one quarter of the second, you will see Jupiter and its rings live as we approach it, and pass it at .839 lightspeed. Here it comes, and there it goes. Naturally we have it on disk format, where you can see us approaching it from several hundred thousand miles away, and for several hundred thousand miles away as we pass it. You may return to your positions now, that includes the both of you children."

The following morning Gordon was subjected to his final round of tests. They took x-rays from the bottom of his chin up through his brain, and from every conceivable angle afterwards. CAT scans, with him lying on his face, side, and back were repeated for accuracy. MRIs were repeated only for the section of his head Doctor Finch would have to open to get to the tumor. When 2:30 in the afternoon arrived, all four of them were exhausted. Gordon, Hannah, Doctor Finch, and Zoey, who had been sleeping or sitting on the bench, watching what was going on.

Doctor Finch called and said he was finished with Gordon's tests. I could put him in stasis whenever I pleased.

I asked him if he had a long acting sedative.

"Aren't you feeling well Even?"

"It's not from me your idiot. It's to put Zoey out."

"I have one, but I can't give it to her, because she's pregnant."

"Joe, she is going to be hysterical when we put him into that box. What can you do for her?"

"I have a mild sleeping pill I can give her every other day, for two weeks."

"How are we going to get her to take it?"

"I guess I'm going to have all the pregnant ladies come in for a blood test."

"Gynecologist; you are so wrapped up in pussy that's all you ever think about. Do you think you can still give me a good facelift?"

"Please tell me you're not yanking my chain. You really want me to give you a facelift? You want me to do something that I was trained for? Please Even, I'll make you look like anyone you want, just tell me it's true?"

"Please tell me you are a real doctor Joe."

"I am a real Doctor Even. I can show you my certificates and everything."

"I'm going to ask you a very serious question Joseph. What can't a patient who has had pancreatic cancer do?"

"I hate your guts Even. Just because they took a piece of your pancreas out, filled you with God knows what evil drugs, shot you full of radiation, and had Hannah stick hat pins in you for nearly a year, doesn't mean you are supposed to raise my spirits, and dash them at my feet."

"It seemed like fun to me Joe."

"If I'm walking around with a scalpel one day and I cut your femoral artery accidentally, it will be fun for me too Even."

"Maybe we could convince Hannah to have a facelift."

"Who's going to ask her, you or me?"

"I was going to have Jack do it."

"I'll have the polyester casts ready."

"Don't bother, by the time Jack finishes asking her, he'll be taking her out to dinner afterwards, and bed later."

"No one is that smooth."

"You don't have to be smooth when you're lonesome."

"Do we have a sign maker on board?"

"What am I being accused of now?"

"I can think of a number of things "Even Luck: Captain, Psychiatrist, Dating Service Advisor, Matchmaker, Marriage Counseling, and Justice of the Peace."

"You're giving me a lot of hats to wear, I hope my head doesn't swell."

"You've been those things, since we left the Earth, and it hasn't swelled yet. I think you'll be fine. Let's put Gordon in stasis the day after tomorrow, late in the evening. I'll speak with Laura later today about it."

"Joe, take your time with this, I don't want to lose this boy's mind. He's much too important to this expedition. If it takes you six months, or six years to get ready, I don't give a shit. He is more important than time is."

"I give you my word Even, I won't operate on him until I am sure I can do it."

"Thanks Joe, that's all I wanted to hear."

****************

When Zoey got the word about Gordon going into stasis, the sex stopped, and the waterworks started. She was inconsolable. It didn't matter who stopped by to help, all that happened was Zoey cried harder, and louder. 

After 14 hours of nonstop crying, Gordon had enough. He sympathized with her, because she was going to be without him for a long time. However, she was not going to be alone. She had friends and family on board who would keep her company, and help her through her pregnancy. The nice guy in him didn't work. It was time to bring out the demon, so we went into their bedroom, kicked his athletic bag, and pulled it out.

He sat on the edge of the bed, and called out, "Get your ass in here Zoey."

She walked into the room still crying, asking him what he wanted.

He pointed, "Stand here, don't make a sound. It will be worse for you if you do."

"What are you doing Gordon?"

"What did I just say Zoey?"

"You didn't want me to make a sound."

"Why are you talking?"

She got the message, shrugged her shoulders, and moved to the spot he pointed to.

"I am tired of you crying. You are a grown up. You are my wife. You have a choice, I can stay with you and die, or I can go into stasis for six months and have the possibility of living? Raise one finger if you want me to die. Raise two fingers if you want me to live."

She raised two fingers.

"Thank you for allowing me the chance to live. Now drop your pants and don't say a fucking word."

She reached for her belt, as he brought his hand forward and showed her the paddle.

She froze.

"Don't stop on my account. Take them off, I want your ass bare."

She couldn't keep quiet, she had to say this, it wasn't for herself.

"I'm pregnant Gordon."

"I'm the father of that child. Do you think I would dare hurt it?"

She smiled at him. "No, but I think the baby's mother is in trouble."

"You bet your ass she is."

"It is my ass Gordon, please don't hurt me."

"It's too late to beg. I begged you to stop crying all day, and you wouldn't listen to me. Now it's my turn not to listen to you. Lay across my lap, hold onto my legs. I was going to go to 20, but since you are pregnant, I will only go to 12. If you forget to count, we will go to 24, and then to 36. Do you understand?"

"I understand Gordon."

He warned her, "Begin. He swung the panel hard, but his hand was loose on the pommel. So when it hit her bottom there was a loud slap, with very little force behind it.

Zoey screamed as if she had been hit by a bullet. Then she shouted out 'one.'

He hit her again quickly, and she screamed two.

When he reached six her right cheek was pink and he switched to the left, and hit her hard. She screamed, and he waited but no number came he waited and then swung again. She screamed again and said eight.

Gordon said, "You are correct, but why are we starting all over again?"

"You can't start over again, I was in the middle of an orgasm and couldn't speak before you hit me again."

"Why is that supposed to be my problem and not yours?"

"Because you would never be that unfair to anyone."

"I'm punishing you for being a bitch all day. I didn't tell you to enjoy the pain I was inflicting on you."

"You didn't honey, but it was exactly what I needed to get my head out of my ass."

Without warning he struck her again.

"Bastard nine.

"I believe I told you to keep quiet."

He hit her again.

"10. Are you getting tired dear?"

When the sound echoed of her bottom this time, it was an echo caused by the fast movement of air.

When she said 11, there was a crack in her voice.

"No I think my arm is okay."

"This is your last one Gordon; you better make it good."

"Okay, get off my lap get onto the bed on all fours. I need a place to wind up."

"I was only kidding Gordon."

"I told you to keep quiet before I started. You disobeyed me, and now you insulted me. I'm going to enjoy this one more than you are."

As she moved off him, he put the paddle on his end table, and helped her up onto the bed. What she didn't notice was him unzipping his flight suit and kicking it off him. He made a lot of noise pulling his racket off the end table while pulling the drawer open. He pulled out a bottle of lubricant, and put it liberally onto his cock. 

"How do you want this one Zoey; forehand or backhand. I was never a tennis played, I never had time to learn the game."

"If you never played tennis, I'll take it back and please."

"Your wish is my command dear." He climbed on the bed on her right side, letting her feel the racket as he approached her. He patted her ass a few times with the racket, making believing he was taking back swings. On the next one, he feigned dropping the racket on her left side.

"Shit, I'll get it."

"Clumsy my dear?"

"In your position my dear, I would be very careful who you work tormenting."

As he moved behind her, into position, he said, "I like the look of this. Maybe I should just continue on by hand."

"Make sure you don't hurt yourself."

As he made a quick deep penetration into her ass he said, "Nope, didn't hurt me one bit." 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 02



Zoey screamed, "I'm going to cut that fucking thing off. You're supposed to warn me when you do that."

"I was behind you, and I told you I was going to carry on by hand. How much more warning do you want?"

He moved his left hand to her pussy, and sunk three fingers into her dripping vagina. His thumb attacked her clitoris, while his hips began to stroke deep into her colon. His right hand was playing with her neck, face, ears, and hair, leaving her breasts alone for now. He would attack those when he turned her over.

Zoey was lost in her emotions. She was screaming at him, "Where were you when I needed you earlier today."

For emphasis, he bit her neck and said, "I'm the guy you kept pushing away, and crying at all day long. I was here, where were you besides being a bitch." He began pounding on her like the strut on the wheels of a locomotive. He was unforgiving. He felt her body tightening up, but she wouldn't release the tensions inside her."

"He shouted in her ear, "Give it to me Zoey, let it go, give it to me, it's mine, it belongs to me, give it to me Zoey, give it to me is now."

"She exploded like a Fourth of July celebration, screaming like a banshee, flooding their bed, and sliding out this dimension and into one of the 20 dimensions of String Theory. They were so beautiful, and colorful she did not want to come back.

Twenty minutes later, she found in bed, completely cleaned up, wearing a night gown, with the scent of a little perfume her mother gave her a going away present, wondering where her husband was.

She was about to call him, when the door to their unit opened. She heard him put something down, and walk quietly towards their bedroom. He stuck his head past the doorframe, and smiled.

"Hello, you're awake."

"You had your doubts?"

"I thought you would move or object as I attempted to clean you. Wherever you were, you were having a better time than you were having here, and did not want to return."

"You sent me there your asshole."

"I beg to differ with you. It was your asshole that sent you there. I was just the driver, Miss Daisy."

"If I can get out of this bed and walk, I'm going to smack you silly."

"If you can get out of bed and walk, dinner is waiting for you in the kitchen."

"Wonderful, two birds with one stone."

Gordon moved over to help Zoey get out of bed. He nuzzled at her breasts, and she smacked his head.

"Did you get enough before?"

"You got yours, but you left the house before I got mine."

Zoey laughed. "It serves you right for attacking a girl from the rear without notification."

"Yes I can tell how much you would disturbed by it."

"Well, maybe if you're a good boy for the rest of the day, I'll see if I can help you achieve yours."

"I won't hold my breath. Any time you put the word maybe in a sentence, it's like stamping it 'NO' at the beginning."

"I'm not like that."

"Zoey, we are married, and I'm never leaving you. I'm not going to lie to you now or in the future. You are like that. Here is an example. Are you going to help me pack to go to Monty's tomorrow?"

"Probably, I think maybe you should do it, but maybe I should do it for you because you pack like a bum. You just throw everything into the suitcase and you are finished. Maybe I should do it."

"In that one sentence, there was one probably, and two maybes. I packed the night before so I could go to work, and not have to worry about packing when I got home."

"That's not fair Gordon, that was one time."

"How many times do you want me to go over baby? Just trust me on this one please, and let's not talk about it ever again."

"Okay."

"Let's eat!"

****************

"Uranus in 12 minutes Captain."

"Call Doctor Luck, and see if he wants to be on the bridge as we pass the planet Monty. What else is he going to want to know?"

"He's going to want to know our speed captain."

"What are we going to tell him?"

"197,160 ft./s Captain."

"Excellent, and when he asks you what that means what are you going to tell him?"

".93 light speed."

"Which one is easier to maintain Monty?"

".93 light speed."

"Then that's the one you tell him, or me, or miss sourpuss sitting next to me."

Monty picked up the communicator. "Captain this is the bridge."

"Uranus in 10 minutes, light speed .93."

"Thank you Monty I'll be right up."

"What did you do wrong Monty?"

"I was supposed to say .93 light speed, but I reversed it."

"Good job anyhow, continue learning, and continue working."

"What's the matter Janet?"

"I was hoping to get to bust her nuts, but you can't. Everything has to run a certain way, or it collapses. Being captain is not fun."

"Who told you it was? As a captain what you are is an administrator. You assign people jobs, and they do the work. As long as they do it properly you don't get involved. The biggest thing that happened on this trip was Gordon disobeying an order. Then administratively it had to be taken care of. That's what a captain's duty is, it's all paperwork."

Janet screamed, "I hate you Monty."

Monty didn't turn around. She continued working, learning, and laughing at her friend. 

Janet did two out of three.

******************

"Are you ready Gordon?"

"I don't get a teddy bear?"

"I'm afraid not. The fuzz would gum up the filters, and you wouldn't want that to happen. You do however get your sendoff drink, which everyone will have with you as part of our ceremony. What are we having Doctor, yellow, green, or orange?"

"I picked green for this auspicious occasion."

Laura said, "Trust me Doctor, he's not going to throw up."

"I wasn't thinking about him Laura; I was thinking about me."

"Don't worry about him Gordon. My mother and I worked on these for six years to find the right combination of elements to keep you safe, while your heart beats once every four hours. It has been tested, and retested. We did one human experiment over the course of one year, and Junie only wanted two things when she woke up. She wanted a glass of water, and she wanted to get laid. It really works Gordon; I wouldn't be here if it didn't."

"I looked at all the specs Laura, I know it works. Let's do this thing."

Doctor Finch handed everyone a glass of this concoction, and a very specific glass to Zoey, who was on the verge of tears.

Gordon raised his glass to us and said, "To science, there are no boundaries."

Everyone tipped their glass back and drained the liquid.

Zoey started crying, and Gordon immediately put his face in front of hers.

"Did we or did we not talk about this? Do you want to give me one or two fingers? I'll do whatever you want. A short painful life, or the possibility of a wonderful life together. Show me Zoey, tell me what to do, but if you want me to live, you are not allowed to cry."

Zoey wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "I don't want you to go; I don't want you to ever leave me. You have to leave me to stay with me, and maybe I won't cry for too long."

"I'm standing here looking into your eyes knowing that you're lying to me."

"I have your mother, father, sister, and her family to support me while you're gone. I can look in on you every now and again, just to know you're not cheating on me. Get going Gordon, there are a lot of people counting on you."

"If I told you once, I've told you 1000 times, it's you and me forever. I love you Zoey, I've loved you since the minute you opened the door."

"Get in your box, and I'll nail you in."

He couldn't go straight into his sarcophagus, because there were a lot of people waiting to wish him well. His mother was as bad as Zoey, as tears rolled down her face. Surprisingly, Delicious was very upset, which showed in her glassy eyes.

"What's the matter sis? You're getting rid of me for almost half a year, you should be dancing on air."

"Shut up you big lug. You've changed a lot, but I still remember that four-year-old boy that I loved to play with. Don't you dare do anything stupid in there."

"I have Teddy's word that I'm going to be here for a 'berry long time' to aggravate you. Enjoy your reprieve while I'm sleeping, 'BITCH!"

She drew back her arm and screamed, "You co..."

Gray used his right arm to grab hers, and used his left hand to shove a handkerchief deep into her mouth.

"There are children here, and if you say one bad word, I will have your father put you in the brig, without your daughter. Put your hand down, and nod your head if you are under control."

She did not nod her head, she mumbled the words, "igotlkltatsupbsstd."

"You can discuss that with him when he gets out of stasis, but right now you're coming with me. I'm going to fuck you senseless."

Teddy was in my arms, when her father said those words.

"Down please."

"You heard your father, didn't you?"

"Got him."

She walked over to Gray, whose hands were still full with my daughter. She pulled on his pant leg, and waited for him to acknowledge her. 

"What do you need Teddy?"

"Becoming like mommy; 'DAMMIT DADDY, NO BAD WORDS."

She turned around, walked away from her parents, and back to me.

Not only him did Gray not move, I don't believe he breathe as he watched his daughter walk away from him. He had that look on his face asking, 'What the hell just happened here,' while Delicious was attempting to laugh with the handkerchief still in her mouth. 

He took it out and asked his wife what had just happened to him?

"The next time you say a bad word, your nose will be in the corner, and you will be playing Monopoly with your daughter. That's what happened to me the last time she caught me saying a bad word. You can thank your father for that. 

Our baby is getting tired of us using inappropriate language, and she is determined to stop us from using it. We better start watching our P's and Q's, otherwise we could wind up sleeping in separate bedrooms."

"Can she do that to us?"

"Do you want to test her?"

"We are supposed to have more children."

"I am already pregnant. 

"I mean more than these."

"These may have to last us a long time. I'm only 32, and I have a lot of years left before my factory closes down."

************* 

The tiny terror walked up to say goodnight to Gordon. She held up her arms. He lifted her up, kissed her nose, and blew a burst of air against her stomach. The awful sound made her, and everyone around them laugh.

"I be 3, when you wake up. You not sleep too long. Doctor very good. I play him and Zoey, she be fine. You be awake to see son born. Be here long time, you, Zoey, and 3 boys. No Worries, Okay!"

"Would you please tell Zoey what you just told me."

"Do now."

"Thank you Teddy, goodbye now, time to take my nap."

He walked over to Laura and said, "Are you ready yet?"

She replied, "Another remark like that and I will put the intravenous line up your ass."

"Would it hurt, or just be messy?"

"Adam knows all about messy. He would take care of you first."

"How about 'Hurt?"

Adam said, "You two should schedule a match. I guarantee you it will be a sellout."

"I CAN'T FIGHT A GIRL."

She inserted the IV line and he screamed.

Everyone thought she did something wrong, but what she did was pinch a nerve in the back of his arm that deadened it. 

She said, "Don't be afraid, this won't hurt if you keep your arm still."

Suddenly, it wasn't Laura's fault, it was Gordon's, and he wasn't happy about it, not at all.

"Don't worry about it Laura, the next time it takes you four attempts to hit one vein, we will have the Hannah do it for you."

She whispered, "When you get out of stasis I'm going to give you a week to train, then I'm going to break every fucking bone in your body."

He replied, "Are you going to be able to find them, better than you found my vein?"

"I found your vein on the first shot and you know it, you little prick."

"Let's call a truce for now, we are scaring the others, and I don't want to do that to them."

"Agreed. Put your head back; I'm going to lower the sarcophagus by 45°, and give you a mild sedative to relax you. When your heart and breathing slow down, I will start giving you the deep sleep medications, and close the door. You'll feel a mild chill, and that is the last thing you should feel, until we wake you up. When you feel the chill, I want you to start counting back from 20. If you are still awake when you hit '0', tap on the window and I will increase the medication, until you are completely under. Do you understand?"

"No problem Laura, goodnight. Oh by the way, how long can you freeze me without damaging my cellular structure. It wasn't part of your specs."

"I will be long gone before you will Gordon. Your life expectance is 1000 years."

"Okay, I feel better now."

"Go to sleep asshole."

"Freeze me, high school graduate."

"You and Robert would get along wonderfully."

"Who is Rob..."

"Got you loudmouth." She hit him with a large dosage of medication just to shut him up.

She checked the overhead monitor for his heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and body temperature. Except for his mouth, he was a perfect human specimen. 

Doctor Finch was looking at the monitor also.

"If all people were like him, I would be out of business."

"You are forgetting that mushroom in his head doctor. Without your intervention, he would be dead in a year."

"Yes, it gives me an incentive to study very diligently."

"I can give you some assistance if you would like."

"I didn't know you were a nurse."

"I'm not, but while my mother and I were trying to get this thing to work, we failed over 16,000 times. I did over 16,000 autopsies on everything from lizards to monkeys. I know my way around an operating room if you need another pair of hands."

Finch said, "Hannah, test her and train her. See if she has the talent."

"Yes doctor."

"Dammit Hannah, when are you going to start calling me Joe?"

"The day they make me a doctor."

"That is not as far off as you think young woman. You can be a doctor, without being a surgeon."

"I want my degree and a license to practice medicine."

"You will have them."

"You two fight, I have to take my patient down to -136 C."

Joe said, "You will damage his cells, he will not survive."

"He is getting 'Dimethyl Sylphoxide' as his body temperature lowers. It is a 'Cryoprotectant' which takes all the water out of his cells so there is nothing remaining to freeze. Some frogs and lizards have been known to survive when their body temperatures were lowered to -196 C. They have taken vertebrates down to -154 C and they have survived. Our finding differed, and we tested a human at -136 C and Junie is a happily married woman, living in the southwestern U.S."

"How the hell did you get permission to test on a human being from the FDA, and half a dozen other agencies that would be involved? It would have taken years to go through that process, and I didn't hear a word about it."

"The reason you didn't hear a word about it is we never got permission from anyone. We did it in our barn, in the utmost secrecy. The news trickled out that we were trying something like this. 

However, we live in the small town of Glens Fall, where everyone knows everyone. Over the years my parents have been very good to the town. Whenever they needed anything, they came to us first, because the other rich people who lived there couldn't be bothered. So when the Feds came out to visit us, their police escort was a family friend. He acted like they would find nothing, and sat in the kitchen, where we fed him lunch. We took the Feds everywhere. Our place is huge. There are 6 homes on the property including ours, and they are all family size residences. There is a helicopter landing pad and a hangar to service them. By the time the investigators got to the barn, they were exhausted. They had no desire to move the stacks of hay that were being put in place by a friend, who became Junie's husband. He had his shirt off, and to say he was a god among god's is putting it mildly. He didn't have a six pack, he had an eight pack. He wore bathing suits that was so small, they didn't cover the essentials. At the time all of us girls were not married, and we drooled over him. However, he only had eyes for Junie. The rest of us were all heartsick.

When the women from the FDA saw him stacking hay, with his chest tanned, and full of sweat, I think they wet their panties. They didn't move from the ladder the climbed to get to the loft, as he looked at them. They were 6 feet away from Junie, who was behind the first stack of hay, and 12 feet away from him, who was stacking the hay 9 feet high. They never looked for her. They would have to walk by him, with only 3 feet to spare, before falling of the loft. They scrambled down the ladder, and outside the barn to get some fresh air. My mother offered to serve them lunch, but they said they had to leave, because they had other business in Albany."

Laura kept watch on Gordon as she continued talking to Doctor Finch. He was completely under, and the temperature inside the sarcophagus was dropping rapidly. Joe had never seen anything like it, and was very uncomfortable watching the numbers drop below 20°C. He was also concerned about Gordon's heart rate which was nearly nonexistent.

"Don't worry about in Doctor, he's doing great. He's right down the center line, and if everybody else is as good as he is when we all go into stasis, we are going to have a wonderful time." 

"Instead of a mild sedative, can I have a bottle of scotch. It is an  antifreeze."

"If I could drink the other half of the bottle, I would join you, but it's the wrong type of antifreeze. We would both die under the cryogenics, and I think Sandy would kill you if you died."

"She would bring me back just to hurt me."

"Hurt you I would never hurt you. I would make you live with me for the next hundred years, and make you wish you died."

"You women are mean. I was willing to do terrible things to get my family back together, and she would torture me for 100 years. That's not fair."

"You are right, but the sex would be great."

"Torture and great sex, I think I could go along with that."

"You are missing the point Joe. Part of the torture is watching me have sex with other men."

"You would be in mourning for a very long time."

"Why?"

"I would kill any man, or woman that touched you."

"Gee Joseph, I think you love me."

"I wasn't the one who left."

Laura said, "She came back. Everyone knows the story about how you beat her and raped her continuously, by threatening the children, so be nice."

"I did no such thing."

"It's the rumor I am going to spread if you two don't stop fighting."

"Hannah help me; please tell me I am not going insane."

"I heard the same rumor Joe."

"Now she calls me Joe."

"I'm going home."

Sandy said, "So am I, do you want to carry me?"

"Are you still 117 pounds?"

"No, I am down to my fighting weight: 112.5 pounds."

"I can't carry you, you might break." He ran for the steps with his wife inches behind him, and gaining. She was on his back by the time they got to the stairs, and he carried her down to their residence on the third floor.

Adam kissed Laura. "I am never leaving you. Get used to this ugly face, because beauty has ensnared this beast."

Laura leaned back into his chest. "Don't you worry ugly. The reason I married you was to make sure no other girl would ever give you a second glance."

She earned a smack on the ass for that remark and amazingly, she did not retaliate. She turned and kissed him. 

"I Love You, My Husband."

"I Love You My Wife, My Life, My Heart." 

"Are you going to pick up any more bombs?"




Dark as Daylight Ch. 03



Note: This is the property of Prolonged_Debut10. Information available at Literotica.com. All persons in this NOVEL are fictitious. There will be very little sex and it will not be of a graphic or vile nature. I hope you take this journey me as you did in my previous work. There will a great deal of science, how interpersonal relationships work in an enclosed space, and rollercoaster rides through Wormholes, White Holes, and possibly a Black Hole. (Einstein said it was possible; why not give it a try, ON PAPER OF COURSE." Let's Begin. 

Chapter 3EE1 

7. Transmission. 

(Four months later) "Hello, can I speak to a Colonel Lucius Allen, please?" 

"I'm sorry the Colonel is on vacation. May I take a message?" 

"I knew this damn thing was too good to be true. It said if I called this number I would get $1 million." 

"What thing, sir?" 

"I am in New South Wales, Australia. I listen to the heavens, look for meteors and meteorites coming this way. I pick up all sorts of messages from NASA, the Russians, the Chinese, the space station, and all kinds of interesting stuff. Last night, I picked up a very weird message from something new. It kept saying it was from something called, "Good Luck 1." I thought I was picking up another Earth side signal, but this one was coming from between Mars and our moon. If it was that robot thing, "Curiosity" sitting up there, the message would have been in code, but the beginning of this message was mostly in English, so I taped it. Then I wrote it down. It said there was a million-dollar reward for anyone that got this message to a Colonel Lucius Allen or a William Zubu, at this number." 

"What is your name sir, and what is the closest airport to you?" 

"You mean this thing is no joke?" 

"What is your name sir?" 

"Harvey Dread." 

"Mister Dread, what is your phone number and your address?" 

"I really don't have an address. I live in a large motorhome and I drive wherever I want. I'm talking to you on a satellite phone. I can give you that number." 

"That will be fine Harvey. Where is the closest airport to you please, and how soon can you get there?" 

"I can get there in about a week." 

"Harvey we need to see that message. It's extremely important to us. Do you have a bank account anywhere?" 

"Yes I do. It's the Royal Bank of Scotland." 

"Do you have a way to transmit that message to us?" 

"Of course, how would you like it?" 

"Secure fax to this number: 1- 212 - 991 - 9910. Give me your banking information, and we will transfer the money to it from a local bank in Australia to your bank." 

"How do I know I can trust you?" 

"The man's name you have is not William Zubu, Harvey. It's William Zabo. Do you recognize that name?" 

"Yes I do; everyone knows that name." 

"I'm his wife Jemma. Not too many people have this phone number. Since you have it, that message came from the spacecraft that was launched on Christmas Day. We need that information, and if you transmit it to us right now, we will make it $5 million." 

"Mrs. Zabo, I'm putting it into my fax machine now. I'll send my banking information to you with it." 

"Thank you very much Mr. Dread." 

As the fax began coming in, Jemma said, "Harvey, you are now on our payroll. You are to continue to listen for anything from the Good Luck 1. You will receive $10,000 a week for your services. If you get a peep, we want to know about it. The money will be deposited into the same bank account with your $5 million." 

"I can buy a new antenna." 

"By the best antenna there is Harvey, and send us the bill." 

"Thank you ma'am, this is the best conversation I've ever had." 

**************** 

William was walking with his sons; Lucius, and a small army of agents in Central Park, when Jemma called him. 

"Hello dear. How did I get in trouble this time?" 

"Are the four of you finished playing grab ass, and playing on the children's swings?" 

"Considering your tone of voice, we are going to turn around and visit Donald Trump's a skating rink." 

"Go right ahead, but since I'm holding a message in my hand from Doctor Even Luck, I thought you might want to get your ass home instead. There have been two more attempts to blow up the spacecraft, and he is pissed. That's exactly the way he puts it in his message. He also believes he knows who the culprit is. He believes it's time for the Colonel to come out of retirement." 

"We will be home in 10 minutes dear." 

************** 

"Jeff have someone take Patrick ahead of us. I don't want him to hear the language that's about to be used." 

"Yes sir. 

"What's going on William?" 

"We received a message from Even Luck. There were two more attempts to try and blow up the spaceship, and as he said in his message 'he's pissed.' He wants you to come out of retirement Lucius, because he believes he knows who it is, and he wants them to pay dearly. I wasn't aware that you retired." 

"Rumors William, just rumors." 

"If he knows who's trying to bring down the spaceship, you will be able to find out who pressured them to bring it down. I believe you're going to have some fun. Where are you hiding Paul? I haven't seen him in a few days." 

"I sent him up to White Plains. He gets jittery when he doesn't have a rifle in his hands for over 36 hours. They have a range there that's 3 miles long. There are only two rifles in the world that can shoot that far. One is guaranteed to dislocate your shoulder, and the other one, you have to be an absolute master to come closer to 3 yards to hitting your target. Paul can do it 7 out of 10 times. He goes the chiropractor immediately afterwards." 

Junior asked, "Why does he do it if it's so painful?" 

"Why do these young idiots slide down those railings on their skateboards and wind up with bruises all over their bodies? Then they smile, and do it again? It's for the sport of it. Paul went down to Peru, with two of his friends on a hunting trip. He accidentally wound up in cocaine country. He saw these two animals a little more than a mile away. In 90° heat, and 100% humidity, he took a shot aiming at the bigger animal. The little animal moved into the bullets path. It went through his ear, killing the little animal instantly, and redirected the bullet into the larger animal's throat, causing him a longer and more agonizing death. They were on their way to claim their prizes, when cartel men surrounded the area. They had to leave quickly, before they were spotted. It was a very successful hunting trip, except they could not bring back the heads of their prizes as trophies." 

William Junior stopped in his tracks. His mind was a whirl of computations. As the conclusion came to him, he increased his pace, and caught up with his father, and the Colonel. 

"You sneaky bastards. You flush him out of the country, and he gets killed in the cocaine wars. You did not want that idiot to be president, any more than you wanted him to be dogcatcher." 

"I have no idea what you're talking about William. I was his biggest supporter." 

"And the both of you are as poor as church mice. Nice move guys, truly nice moves." 

************* 

As soon as he walked into the house Jemma handed William the paper. He looked at it and asked, "What is this gibberish?" 

She replied, "A truly intelligent husband would notice that the bottom of the transmission is signed by none other than Colonel Jack Daniels. The content between the words hello, and the signature at the bottom would indicate that it is in the code. Am I correct Lucius?" 

"You are correct as always, Jemma. I need paper, a ruler and a pencil please." 

When she returned with these items, William said, "I think you insulted me." 

She kissed him. "It took you this long to figure that out?" 

Junior said, "And you two have been married how long?" 

"Don't worry, my son, you are legitimate. We were married well before your birth." 

"That's not what I was talking about. I was wondering how both of you have lived through it this long?" 

"I keep your father's heart rate up by having sex with him multiple times at night. That way I know, during the day, he can take all the insults I can hurl at him." 

"Why couldn't you have left me in China? I was so happy there." 

Jemma kissed her eldest son. "That's why I demanded your father bring you home." 

"Mom, you didn't?" 

"I most certainly did. How else was I going to get grandchildren out of you? Is Gwen pregnant yet?" 

"Mom two things have to happen before Gwen can get pregnant. One we have to get married, and two, we have to be in the same locale. She is still down south closing up her office, and we are separated by 1000 miles. The wedding is still several months away, and then we will discuss children." 

"Discuss children my ass. I want a grandchild nine months and one hour after the wedding. Is that understood my son, or do I have to use a crow bar to put that into your brain? If your father can get me pregnant at his age, you can get Gwen pregnant at yours." 

"What happens if Gwen doesn't want children right away?" 

"Change her mind. Remind her what Teddy said about two redhead girls, and one white haired grandson, which I want immediately, if not sooner. Are you getting my message William?" 

Senior said, "Son back off. You are treading on very thin ice, and her claws are out. Say yes mommy, kiss her, and say you're right." 

Junior did all three and then asked his father, "Can I borrow your gun dad?" 

"I'm sorry son, she took it away from me a long time ago. She thought I might hurt myself with it." 

Lucius interrupted this family interplay by asking, "William, do you remember the professor in Chicago that swore he was never going to use the information about the Magnetic Drive Engines?" 

"Yes I do Lucius; what has he done?" 

"He may have sold the information to another party to protect himself from discovery. Even wants the kids lawyer him, to have that information patented in the kids names immediately." 

"Even fired two plumbers in the beginning of December, because they would not help Adam Schiff inspect the plumbing in the spacecraft. He also removed them from the bonus category, which caused them to lose millions of dollars. They may not have planted the bomb in the evacuation tube, but they told whoever wanted the information that it was the weakest point in the ship." 

"Okay, that's the one they found on the ground. Those two are flower food. What did they find while they were in flight?" 

"Someone was able to change the wiring under the computer consoles. They knew sooner or later someone was going to have to upgrade the medical suite. As soon as that happened a fire would break out on the fourth and fifth floors, if the idiot wired it right. Fortunately, for everyone on board, the idiot wired it wrong, and the computer caught it, just in time. 

When Delicious checked it, whoever did the wiring did it backwards. Instead of starting the fire in the fire suppression closet, he wired it to where it would short-circuit the board. The circuit would fail, and there would be no fire. 

They continue checking each of the computer chips, and Gordon found three chips by our friends at the NSC, which were designed to destroy the computer logic systems, and all its memory banks. It was such a rush job, it was left on NSC letterhead and code." 

"How high do you think this goes Lucius?" 

"Please don't make me answer that question just yet, because I'm afraid of the answer." 

"Who does Even think it is behind this?" 

"Turner Stansfield." 

"Turner, why he made a fortune with us." 

That's exactly what Even said. Turner made a fortune, but Boeing stands to lose trillions of dollars in government funding if they drop the new rocket and go with the Magnetic Drive Engine Concept. Richard and Holden are already building a ship to carry 1000 people to tour the universe on a paying basis. That's bottom line profit dollars. Boeings rocket is still science and is carrying four people to Mars and back, if it works. According to this, the rocket carrying this message was fired as they passed Uranus. I wonder what happened to the one they were going to fire off when they passed Mars?" 

"Someone may have received the message, but didn't want us to know about it. Or someone received it, and there was no reward attached to it. Either way we got this one. What else does it say, except that Turner is a dead man." 

"Let's not jump to conclusions about him yet. I'm going to have a real long sit down with him before that happens. He would not have done it on his own, because he's making too much money. We have to find out who is putting the pressure on him, and those are the people whose lights I'm going to turn off. I also want to follow up on the middlemen and see how they did it. I am going to cut those people out of the food chain, and as you said, they will become flower food." 

"My friend, you know I don't doubt your expertise in these matters. However, I demand that you to get a team together, as you have in the past, to assure your safety. I don't want dust to get on your shoes. Before you argue with me, this is not a request. If something were to happen to you, the lady sitting to my right would have my head, and it would no longer be attached to my shoulders." 

"It shall be as you wish, William." 

As he was leaving. Lucius kissed Jemma on her cheek and asked, "Same time, same place next week darling?" 

William roared, "Get out of my house, you rascal, before I strangle you." 

"He still gets testy Jemma, that's a good sign." 

"You better listen to him Lucius, or you will have to deal with me." 

"I would rather deal with the devil himself, then deal with you my love. It shall be as he says. I will begin making phone calls, as soon as I returned to my residence." 

"Keep yourself safe Lucius; just know that anyone who lays a hand on you will have to answer to me." 

"I can't tell you what a comforting thought that is. Au revoir Jemma." 

"Ciao Lucius." 

*************** 

"Thank you Jemma, I will pull everything out of Dycke's vault tomorrow morning, and be at patent office at 8:30 AM Monday morning. They know me, and even though the doors don't open until 9 AM, they will let me in early, so I am the first one online." 

"Take extra security people with you Rod. These people aren't fooling around anymore. This makes eight attempts to either kill our people, or blow up our spacecraft. Make sure everyone has identical briefcases so they won't know which one contains the patent. William will try to pull some strings so you can land at Andrews, but if not, land at Baltimore, and not Reagan. I haven't been this frightened in a very long time, so be very careful. Keep a wall around yourself, the children, Dycke, and everyone around him. The NSC is as powerful as you can get. The only thing they can't do is send us off to war." 

"Don't bet your slippers on that Jemma. They rigged the intelligence reports from the military, CIA, and all the other intelligence agencies, and we wound up fighting in Iraq instead of Pakistan, which is the home of the Taliban. 

How do you think bin Laden lived there for years, and was untouched by the Pakistani intelligence community? They gave Bush the answer he wanted to hear, and he went to war to finish his father's business. Then he went after Afghanistan, which no country on earth has ever defeated: not the Romans, not Alexander the Great, and not the Persian Empire. 

The NSC is a Farce. When the president tells them the answers he wants to get from them, he gets them. Then he goes on television, and tells everyone he got bad information from the intelligence community, because they don't talk to one another. It's bullshit." 

"Just take care of that patent Rod, take care of your kids, and watch out for everyone around you." 

"I will call Dycke as soon as I get off the phone with you." 

"Goodbye Rod." 

"Goodbye Jemma, and thanks for the heads up." 

****************** 

When Rod arrived at the patent office, and the woman he always dealt with saw him, she put up her sign saying, "Out to Lunch." 

They both laughed as he approached her window. 

"Hello Rod, how many dozen patents are you filing today?" 

"Good morning Sally, believe it or not just one." 

Sally grabbed her heart and took two steps back. 

"You've never file just one. It must be very important." 

"It is. We've decided to patent our Magnetic Drive Engines. We were going to give the technology away for free, but we understand that someone else may want to patent it, and squeeze money out of every country in the world." 

Sally opened her computer to see if something like that happened in the last few days. She was horrified to see it had. 

"Mr. Laver, an application for a patent for Magnetic Drive Engines was filed Thursday afternoon, just after closing time. We weren't open Friday, so it means it will have today's date on it. Isn't it a shame, your application will be filed at 9 AM, and theirs' will be filed after 9:01 AM." 

"Can I get a copy of the filing papers?" 

"If I print out a copy, my supervisor will ask me why I did it, and who I gave it to. However, if I had to walk back to the filing cabinets, to pull out an arcane form that a customer asked for, and he happened to look at my computer display, there is nothing I could do about that, is there?" 

"What form should I ask for?" 

"Form a 1019: Injunctive relief. 

"Injunctive relief from what?" 

"That's just it, anything. That's why it's an arcane form, and no one uses it. Would you like one?" 

"Sally, can I have a Form 1019 please?" 

"Certainly, Mister Laver, I'll be right back." 

Rod took out his pen, wrote down the company's name, and the four principles. He had never heard of any of them. 

"They must be cover names for the real people. The colonel would find out who they were without too much of trouble." 

"Here's your form, Mister Laver." 

"Sally, when are you due to retire?" 

"I can retire in seven months. I'm not going to, but I can." 

"How would you like to live in Hawaii for the rest of your life, as a very rich person?" 

"The FBI, and the IRS would like to know where the money came from." 

"Sally, I can guarantee you that they will never bother you for the rest of your natural life." 

"Can I live on that island where all the stars go?" 

"Sally, you will live in a mansion on Kauai, overlooking the Pacific Ocean." 

"Their application was filed 9:10 AM, because we were so busy when we opened." 

"Here's my card Sally. When you have your retirement all figured out, give me a call. We will fly out to Hawaii on a private jet, and you will pick out your plot of land. Then we will speak with an engineer, a builder, and come home. I will handle all your legal needs for the rest of your life. When your house is finished, we will fly out there again, and make sure you are the happiest person on this planet." 

"I already am Mister Laver; it's been a pleasure dealing with you." 

"If it has been, why are you always out to lunch when I show up?" 

"Because you're the nicest person who ever filed a patent with me. You never had a cross word to say, regardless how much time I took to complete your filings. My only problem is I'm going to lose $100 to Denise because of you." 

"Me, what did I do?" 

"Denise and I have a bet. I said your company would have 1000 patents before my retirement date. She said no way. It looks like she is going to win." 

"Exactly how many parents have we filed so far Sally?" 

"You filed 972 patents, including the one this morning." 

"We have seven months to go, and only 28 patents to file? I would keep that $100 safe and sound in your wallet, and tell your friend to start working a little over time so she can pay you at your retirement party." 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 03



"You mean I can start needling her now, instead of her doing it to me every day?" 

"If you want, I'll even buy you a bigger needle." 

"Thank you Mister Laver, lunch is going to be a lot of fun today." 

"Thank you Sally; I will see you again soon. We will definitely see each other after you call me in seven or eight months." 

"Have a nice day Mister Laver." 

****************** 

8. Retribution 

Two men hung by chains 3 feet above two buckets of water that were filled to the brim. Their hands were tied behind their backs, and ball gags were in their mouths to prevent them from screaming. A group of men sat by a wall in the sub-basement of a commercial building, waiting for his arrival. When the steel door opened, the first two men in yelled, "ATTENTION!" 

The five men sitting at the table stopped what they were doing, jumped up, and braced themselves, straight as a steel posts. Then the Colonel walked in wearing a very expensive suit, a shirt with French cuffs, a tie and very expensive shoes. He looked at the five men standing at attention, and judged each one individually. 

One was as big as a house, and stronger than a bull. They were unable to put enough weights on the bar to keep him from lifting it. 

All 153 pounds of Lucius Canyon walked over to him, looked him up and down, and patted his stone hard stomach. "Getting soft Andy, getting soft." 

No one in the room could hold back their laughter, not even the Colonel. Andy could have folded him in three and eaten him for a snack. 

"Take those things out of their mouths, and give them a drink of water." 

The two men thought they had received a reprieve of sorts, until the drink of water they received was directly below them. The chains were lowered slowly until their heads were completely submerged. Their bodies shook, twisted, and rebelled against their inability to breathe. 

After one minute Lucius said, "Bring them up." 

The men sputtered, spit out water from their lungs, and puked everything they had in their stomach all over the floors around them. 

"Good morning gentlemen, my name is Colonel Lucius C. Canyon. You may call me sir, or Colonel. If you call me anything else, Andrew is going to hit you in your kidney. The reason they do not allow kidney punches in boxing is because of the pain it causes, and those men wear 14-ounce boxing gloves. Andrew is not going to wear boxing gloves. He will hit you, and moments later you will be bleeding through your nose and mouth. You will not be able to speak because of the pain for 5 to 10 minutes. That is my time, and I don't like wasting my time. I want you to answer my questions truthfully the first time, or I will put your head in that bucket and leave you there. Do you both understand?" 

Both men said, "Yes sir." 

"Why do I have a feeling you are both ex-military. What branch of the service where you each in?" 

"U.S. Navy sir." 

"Excellent service, you should be proud of yourselves. Now, let's do this the easy way so you can walk out of here. You notice I said you can walk out of here? I am not lying to you, because if you give me the information I want you will go home. One lie, just one, and you will become plant food. Are we clear with one another?" 

"Yes sir." 

"Sir, may I say something?" 

"Keep it short." 

"The men who ordered us to plant the bomb told us if we ever opened our mouths they would kill our entire family from grandparents to kids. What were we supposed to do? We didn't get a penny to do it, it was just the threat of violence against our families." 

"Very interesting, do you know who these men were?" 

"I don't know them by name, because they never use them. If I ever see a picture of any of them, I could pick them out of a million people." 

"How about you, do you know any of them by name?" 

"It's funny, if you can call the situation funny, but I think I know his accent, because he was in the building a lot. I don't know if he was a salesman or a technician, but I know he didn't work for us because he wasn't there every day, but like Fred says. I could pick them out of a million people. If I ever saw a picture of them." 

"Gentleman, have you ever heard a bigger bunch of bullshit than these guys have just thrown at us. It has been so well rehearsed, they even put the periods in the same place. Down." 

"Honest Colonel, it was the truth. We told you the truth." 

"So did I, you two are plant food." 

One minute and 30 seconds later, their heads were raised above water. They coughed, sputtered, and when they finally came back to their senses. They saw 340 pounds of Andy staring them in the face. 

"Do you two assholes think we didn't check on you before we picked you up? Each of you deposited $20,000 into your bank accounts on the same day. Did you win the lottery; we checked, you didn't. Did you rob a bank, we checked, you didn't. Did your grandmother die and leave you the money? She didn't, we checked. Did you hit it big on the World Series; you didn't, we checked. We did it by computer. It took us five minutes, now you two are dead, but know this, we are not going to touch your families, because they are not responsible for the damage you tried to do to the spacecraft. I want names, and I want them now. Are you going to cooperate, or am I going to turn Andy loose? You have five seconds. 5,4,3,2,1.0. Andy the big one." 

"Thank you sir, it will be my pleasure. 

"Henry pulled the little one away so we can watch his friend die." 

"Yes sir." 

Andy asked, "If you want to say a prayer, go ahead, I will give you 15 seconds. One minute from now you will be dead." 

Fred closed his eyes, and his lips moved. Then he yelled, "Stop, I swear, as God is my witness, I will tell you everything. I want to be with my family. I'll tell you about my brother, and the people he's involved with. I'll tell you everything. You can give me a lie detector test. You can keep me captive, until you check it out, but I swear I'm going to tell you the absolute truth." 

"What about your little friend here, what was his involvement?" 

"As you said sir, he's smaller than I am, and quicker. He entered number three, went to the evacuation tube and planted the device deep inside, believing no one would see it. He was in out less than five minutes." 

"So you made $40,000 for five-minutes work. Who gave you the $40,000, and who did he work for? Remember, I should not be talking to you now. Andy should, and he is deeply disappointed. I don't like disappointing Andy. One false word and your dead. 

"My brother's name is..." 

"Record this, it may be his last will and testament, or his pass to a new life. Go on." 

"My brother's name is Randall Smallwood. He lives at 21 Bristol Rd., South Boston. He banks at the Bridges Community Bank, and has three safe-deposit boxes there. He works for a company called "Isstiron Intelligent Systems. They are a subcontractor, of a subcontractor for the new rocket being built for Boeing. It is their biggest moneymaker, but that's not their main claim to fame. It's owned by the Irish mob, but it is so well hidden under corporate names, it would take the FBI two centuries to find it out." 

"How do you know this?" 

"My brother threw a big Super Bowl party a few years ago, but his baby contracted chickenpox, so the mothers would not let the fathers go. So it was me and him, a ton of food, and more booze then is handled by a bar in a week. 

I don't drink. He drinks like a fish. That night he told me things that scared the shit out of me. Not only did he tell me his corporation is owned by the mob, but he is connected. He is considered a captain. He is so good with computers that he steals money from banks all over the world, including Russia and China. He brought in $420 million for them that year. He jumped over so many people, now he is untouchable now. Mickey put out the word that if anybody touches him, they are dead. So he works for this company that looks like a little nothing, and makes a decent salary in the neighborhood of the $160,000 a year, plus incentives, and bonuses. Last year he cleared $400,000. He was audited by the IRS, and cleared. 

His little place is a subcontractor for General Scanning, who is a subcontractor of Control Technology, who is a subcontractor for Agiligent Automated Intelligence. He fell asleep after that, but it keeps going. All of these companies are owned by the Irish mob. Straight up the line, the mob is making money off this new rocket. Boeing doesn't know anything about this, because they're all subcontractors, until they reach one company who is legitimate. If you're looking from the top down, everything looks wonderful. All your big contractors are legitimate. Who they subcontract to is none of their concern. There are like 15800 subcontractors for that thing, and for, $1 trillion, who's going to miss 50 or 100 million dollars going to 7, 8 or 9 subcontractors doing important work for their contractor, and making money for him, while the money they're making is going to the mob." 

"What families are involved?" 

"Only one family is involved sir, the White Hill Gang. They control the entire South side, all the way through the business district. They are even making inroads towards the airport, because they becoming nonviolent." 

"That's an awful long way for them to get involved in something like this by themselves, without permission, from the commission in Chicago, and the truckers, in Kansas City. Someone was spreading heavy money around, really heavy money. 

Carlos put this down in your memory banks, for the things to do list. We need 10 more top-flight men, who can beat the pulp out of you. If they can last 30 seconds in the ring with you there hired. If they knock you out, you're fired." 

Carlos grinned. He lasted a full minute in the ring with Andy. When they were finished, Andy had a bloody nose. Of course, Carlos couldn't use his left arm for a week, because Andy kept pounding on it with his right hand. Carlos had bragging rights though, because he didn't bleed." 

As they stepped outside the building, Paul said, "Good Afternoon Colonel, I'm back." 

"How the fuck did you find me? I specifically told Jemma not to tell you where I was." 

"Jemma didn't tell me, sir." 

"Are you going to tell me how you found me or not?" 

"I am not sir. In case we get separated, I will know how to get to you." 

"I've been trying to get separated from you for 40 years Paul, and it hasn't worked." 

"I know sir, isn't life grand." 

"Gentleman, this is Paul, your second in command. If I shit, this is the smell that comes off it. A better shot you will never meet, except for me, of course. Don't test him, you will lose." 

"Excuse me sir; you had a birthday, can you still pick up a rifle?" 

"That's your one for this year, Paul. The next one earns you 100 push-ups." 

"Thank you sir, it will be my pleasure." 

"He is in an unusual mood today. We will do the formal introductions later today. We will take six cars, and do a 20 block radius of Randall's house. We will be looking for a BMW 650 Grand Coupe in carbon black. It should not be that hard to pick out. As soon as you see it block it in if it's in a driveway, and deflate a tire if it's in the street. Just make sure he can't get out until we are all there. Everyone take a look at this picture of him and memorize it. If we are lucky enough to see him going into a house, or an apartment, you all know the drill. He's the bottom rung of the ladder, and he will be the first to die. I will do that personally, because that is my job. Your job is to protect me. If something happens to me, a dear friend of mine's wife will kill him. Trust me, she means it." 

There was a slight chuckle going through the men, but they did have a feeling the Colonel meant it. 

They tested their communications gear, and weapons, moved into their transportation and headed off to South Boston. They passed in front of 26 Bristol Rd., and then proceeded to fan out. They were early, very early, so they stayed well within the speed limit, and drove very courteously. 

********** 

"Colonel, I have him." 

"Say your position." 

"Bishop, just south of I-95. He stopped at a gas station to fill up." 

"Everyone hold position." 

"Subject is moving south on Broadway." 

"One block intervals." 

"Passing Mercer." 

"Passing Bridges." 

"Traffic light at Nathan Hale." 

"Turning left on Buhl, left again on Berkeley, left again on Buhl. Pulling into the driveway, middle-class one-story house that is very well-maintained. It's the best one on the block, you can't miss it. I can't see a number. No children's toys are evident, and a smaller blue BMW is in front of his. He is using his own key to enter the house. The roof has black tile, with a grayish green paint job. The yard is fenced, and I am parked blocking the exit by the posts." 

"Coming up behind you right now, Ralph." Don't forget to put your FBI and police jackets on. This is a working class neighborhood so there should be no one home, if we're lucky." 

***************** 

"Are the phone lines and cable lines cut?" 

"Yes Colonel." 

"Turn the cell phone jammers on both sides of the house." 

"They are on, and tested sir." 

"Stan the deadbolt." 

"Burned clean through Colonel." 

"Is there sound in the bedroom?" 

"There is sound and movement in the bedroom." 

"Remember gentleman he may be armed. I don't want him getting near his weapon. Let's try not to use ours. Here we go quietly. Stan!" 

With expert hands, Stan clicked the tumblers into position in under 10 seconds. He opened the door less than 1 inch and sprayed the hinges with a super lubricant, and let it sit for three seconds. He smiled at the Colonel and opened the door. It didn't make a sound. 

The entire team went in without a sound. The only room they didn't go into was the master bedroom. They checked every other room, closed every shade and drape darkening the entire house as they went along. When they were finished, the four-man bedroom entry team opened the door quietly, and walked in without disturbing the lovers. 

The Colonel walked in, stood at the end of the bed and said, "Mister Smallwood, I'm sorry to disturb you at such a delicate time, but we have business to discuss. My men will keep your young lady busy for many hours to come. What a wonderful word, cum. 16 men. That's an awful lot of cum. 

The Colonel had not even seen the young woman yet, but as Randall moved off of her, she was a little slip of a girl, 19, possibly 20 years old. She was frightened out of her mind. 

"What did you do, Mister Smallwood take her out of the cradle? I will ask you again outside this room, and I will get the right answer from you, so you may as well tell me now." 

"Kathy is the daughter of a good friend of mine. We've been seeing each other for a few years now. This house is in her name, just in case anything happens to me, she will have something to fall back on." 

"Kathy, I am not a very nice man, and what I do for a living is not very nice either. The man, you are in bed with at this moment is not a very nice man, and what he does is not very nice. I want you to tell me the truth, because I do not want to hurt you in any way. All 16 of my men can take advantage of your body, or one of them can. Which would you choose if you had a choice in this matter?" 

"Just one please sir." 

"I will grant your wish, if you will answer one question for me truthfully. If I suspect that you're lying to me. You are going to have a very long and uncomfortable day." 

"Just one please sir." 

"Excellent, because my men are going into combat, and that's exactly what's going to happen outside that door. You will hear screaming and yelling as your lover, if that's what you call him, begs for his life. Now for your question: at what age did this person take your virginity, and remember don't lie to me." 

Kathy dropped her head into her hands, and began crying, because she was so embarrassed by the question, and by the answer she was about to give. 

"Randall was my godfather at my Confirmation. I was in my white dress, white socks, white shoes, white veil and a white crown. Everybody was telling me how wonderful I looked, especially Randall. He couldn't take enough pictures of me. I was so flattered by his attention. Here was this wonderful gorgeous looking man, my father's best friend, my next-door neighbor, and my sponsor that couldn't say enough about how beautiful I was. Then he said, "Oh my God, I forgot your gift at home. I'll go get it. I said I'll go with you. He said okay. I told my mom and dad where I was going, and they said fine. When I came back to the house I had an envelope with $10,000 in it, no panties, no longer a virgin, and he had pictures of me naked from head to toe. He told me if I said a word, the pictures, and my name would be all over the Internet before he was arrested. 

He told me when I reached 18 years old, I was to move out of my parents' home and into a house he would purchase for me. During the intervening years, he continued to use me at his will, because of those pictures. He told me they were in a safe place and that he was putting money aside for me. I don't know if I am his only mistress, but I have the deed, and title to this house, which I've checked through the bank and with a lawyer, and title company. He gives me $15,000 a month to live on, and a new car every two years. He doesn't want me to work, so I don't. I take a heavy load of college courses online, and I'm now 13 credits short of my Master's Degree in Economics. I know he's never going to leave his wife, and I would never marry him if he did. She is wonderful, and I could never match up to her. One day I will be too old for him, and we will part company. He will have received what he wants out of this relationship, and I will have profited nicely. Does that answer everything you wanted to know sir?" 

"Kathy, I think you're a very strong person. I admire you for the way you overcame such a horrendous beginning to your teenage years, and into your young adulthood. What is your favorite vacation spot?" 

"I would have to say Switzerland. I love it there." 

"As I told you before one of my men is going to have sex with you. It is better than the 15 others, without him being involved, had you lied to me. He will be gentle and caring, even though he is a large human being. Do you have your passport with you?" 

"No, it's at the bank. Randall keeps it for me in his safety deposit box." 

"Carlos take him inside; I have to ask him a questions." 

"Yes sir." 

"Gentleman, you can stop gawking at her now. You've seen a pretty young lady before, I assume." 

"Sir, before you leave, may I ask you a question." 

"Go ahead Kathy." 

"I know you're going to visit Paul's safe-deposit boxes, and probably empty them. If you happen to find the pictures he took of me, when I was 14 years old, would you destroy them for me?" 

"You didn't have to ask that question Kathy. Anyone involved in child pornography belongs in jail for the rest of their lives. I could give those pictures to the federal authorities, and have him put in jail for the rest of his life. However, that would mean you had to see them, and have to testify against him in a court of law. I would never do that to you or any young girl in your situation. If they are there, they will be destroyed. You have my word on it." 

**************** 

"Paul, where the fuck are you?" 

"In the kitchen having coffee. Why, are you having trouble with the 20-year-old girl?" 

"Paul, you've had your one for this year." 

"Colonel, it was a simple question. I gave you a simple answer." 

"I'm going to simply smack you upside the head." 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 03



"I guarantee you sir, it would not be the first time." 

"If I hit you today, I could guarantee you it wouldn't be the last either." 

"Sir, when you're 130 years old, you're going to say the same thing." 

"Did you make enough coffee for me?" 

"12 cups sir, I'm down to six now. You talk a lot." 

"Bring me a large cup, I am going to do a lot of talking with Mr. Smallwood." 

"Mister Smallwood, let's do this the easy way. Where are the keys to your safety deposit box? Please don't lie to me. You will put the lives of your wife and family in jeopardy if you do."" 

"They are in my jewelry box at home." 

"You lied to me Mister Smallwood. What man would put the keys to safety deposit boxes containing over $1 million in a jewelry box on top of his dresser? Certainly not someone as smart as you. We are not stupid Mister Smallwood and you have just made a terrible mistake." 

"Who has the K bar?" 

14 men raise their hands with K bars in them. 

"Mister Smallwood, I normally start with fingers and then hands, but because of what that little girl told me, I'm not in a particularly forgiving mood. Someone cut off his dick." 

"I got it. Colonel." 

"Go ahead Simon, right down to the abdomen. Do it on the carpet, that way no one will slip on his blood." 

"Andy, grab his neck for me please." 

"It will be my pleasure." 

When Randall saw Andy moving towards him, his eyes bulged out, and he began to struggle. Andy gripped his neck, lifted him off the ground, and walked into the living room with Smallwood gasping for breath. He threw him onto the carpet, and knelt down beside him. 

Smallwood's arms were grabbed by two men, who placed a foot on each of his shoulders and pulled, until he screamed. 

Andy smiled at him. "If you think that hurts, wait until Simon starts sawing through your dick. He's not going to cut it off with the smooth side of the blade, that would be merciful. He's going to use the serrated side of the knife, and saw back and forth until it comes off in pieces, little tiny pieces. You have a good size honker there. It should take about 2 minutes or so to cut off, if Simon works fast. If Simon works slowly, it could take three or four minutes. Then I will shove that thing down your throat. Believe it or not, it will go down. A little bit of water helps it move smoothly into your stomach and disintegrate. Your balls will be easier, and your sac will be nothing at all. We will pour some medication on you to stop the bleeding, and then we will cauterize it with a flame to keep it from getting infected. We don't want you to die just yet. You have a lot of questions to answer before you die, before your children die. They will die before your eyes for what you've done. Isn't it a shame what you've done to your family. What we are going to do to your lovely wife is going to be very upsetting to you, but more upsetting to her after she meets Kathy. What are you, four blocks from your own home. Shame on you. Shame on you. Are you ready Simon, or are we going to bring the family over first?" 

"We're going to start now, because he's not due home until 7:45 PM. We will pull his car into the driveway, just like they expect. They will open the door expecting daddy, but find us instead. We will pack up the wife, kids, and their dinner and bring it over here so some of us can eat. 

We will introduce the wife to the mistress, because they already know each other. Then we will kill one of the kids and start having dinner." 

"Colonel, we are ready." 

"Nice and slow, Simon, very slow." 

Apparently Randall Smallwood thought this was a joke, or a test by his higher ups, but when the serrated edge of the K-bar tore into his penis, he howled like a baby with colic. 

"Stop, stop, stop, they're in my shoes." 

"Bring his shoes in here, please." 

"Thank you. Before you hand them to him, put the business end of a Magnum to his right knee, and if anything but keys comes out of those shoes, acquaint him with what comes out of that barrel." 

"Honest, it's just the keys, that's all that's in here." 

"Prove it to us." 

Randall pushed the sides of the shoe in, and then twisted the heel. Two keys fell into his hand and he placed them on the floor. He took his other shoe and did the same thing, and one key fell into his hand and he placed that one on the floor. 

"Which key has Kathy's passport in it?" 

"806." 

"How much money is in 806?" 

"About $240,000." 

"Excellent, she can take that with her." 

"What other box numbers do you have, and what amounts of money are in those?" 

"Oh shit. Come on guys, I need money for my family." 

"You're assuming your family is going to be alive tomorrow. That means you're going to be very cooperative with us tonight, is that correct?" 

"Yes." 

"That wasn't very convincing. So let me explain something to you. I'm going to allow you to make a phone call to your family. A business trip has come up, and you have to fly to New York City for an overnight stay, and an early appointment for tomorrow morning. You may be back as early as tomorrow afternoon at 3 o'clock, or as late as dinnertime tomorrow night. You're sorry but this just came up. I can either do that for you, or at 7:45 P.M. this evening, we can bring your family here and begin killing them, and whoring your wife. What do you want Mister Smallwood? Do you want your childrens heads on a platter, and your wife debased; or do you want Mister Flynn's head on a platter?" 

"How the fuck do you know about Mickey's involvement?" 

"I walked into your mistress's home with 16 men, in the middle of the afternoon, without a shot being fired, and your neighbors did not think anything about it. Do you think we're stupid Mister Smallwood? Anything that happens in South Boston, comes through Mickey Flynn, and you are Mickey's rising star. If I cut your balls off, and send them to Mickey, I'm sending him a message, from the Italian mob." 

'The banking industry hired me, because my way of doing business is more effective, and cheaper than any legal method. Mickey's going to get pissed and he's going to start a war with them. Nobody's going to be looking for us, and we are going to be the ones killing people. That's why the banks love us. We are invisible. They're tired of getting fucked by people like you. You steal from them, and the feds are tied up by the laws trying to put them in jail. I'm less expensive, and I act quicker. 

"Colonel a moment, please." 

"Kathy said his wife is a real looker. The guys would like a crack at her, before you turn her over to the drug dealer." 

"Before I answer my man Mister Smallwood, do we have a deal, or do my men kill your children, and then use your wife for their own pleasure. The banks don't give a fuck one way or the other, and neither do I. Five seconds Mister Smallwood, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ..." 

"Okay, okay, okay, we have a deal, but my family must stay safe. You have to take them out of this country, because Flynn can get to them anywhere." 

"Mister Smallwood, just between you and me, Mister Flynn's lifeline is about to run out." 

"There's a hit out on Mickey? There's going to be a war in this town." 

"Isn't that a shame. The micks going to blame the wops, the wops will retaliate, and the feds will sit on the sideline and cheer for both of them." 

"Andy a moment, please." 

"Yes Colonel." 

"I owe you from earlier today when you didn't get to tenderize that man. I want you to take a nice hot refreshing's shower, so you don't smell like a bull, and you have her until 9 AM tomorrow morning. I will have food brought in for the two of you about 10 PM." 

"Your wish is my command Colonel." 

15 minutes later, Andy walked out of the bathroom naked. He held out two towels, neither of which would have reached from his wrist to his elbow. 

He asked his friends, "What the fuck are these?" 

Everyone roared with laughter. 

After using nearly every towel in the guest bathroom to dry himself, Andy kept one towel to cover his private parts. He walked down the hallway to the master bedroom, and knocked on the door. 

Kathy had been waiting for this, both dreading it, but appreciating the Colonel's gesture of giving her a choice. She could cooperate and have one man, or not, and have 15. For her, the decision was easy. Now the time had come. 

"Come in." 

Andy opened the door, ducked his head under the lentle and stepped in. 

"Hello Kathy, my friends call me Andy." 

Andy turned around and yelled, "Would somebody bring me a glass of water please, she fainted." 

Lucius said, "Pay me." 

Paul shook his head in disgust. "Don't ever bet against him. I do it all the time, because I like pain. He loves inflicting pain. Whether it's at a rifle range, or in the woods, it just doesn't matter. The man is a miracle maker. If he tells you to cross the street because it's going to rain on this side of the street, cross the street, otherwise you're going to get wet. I've been with him since I was 17 years old. He's drilled me and drilled me and drilled me, until I'm blue in the face. I will not leave his side because I still don't know as much as he does. He is impossible, and I love him because of it." 

Andy placed the glass of water on the end table, and lay down on the bed with his back against the headboard. He picked Kathy up, placed her tiny body on top of his, and began rocking her like a baby. As her eyes fluttered open, he reached over, picked up the glass, and put it to her lips. She took small sips, and when she was finished she nodded her head and said thank you. 

"Hi, I'm Andy. You don't have to be afraid of me because of my size. Big people can be just as gentle as little people. I am not going to hurt you. Not one little bit, well, maybe a little bit because I'm very large in that department. I will do my best to make sure you are very lubricated, because that is one of the joys in my life. Many women see me and before giving me an opportunity, they adamantly say no. Today, because of the circumstances, you can't say no, but I am going to do my absolute best to make sure you have the best time you've ever had. 

I am not like that asshole that stole your virginity and your childhood. If I was your father, and I had learned about it, I guarantee you, the police would never have found him. He would have been fertilizing my azaleas for many years to come. You, child, would have been the pride of my life. I would have made sure any man that touched you after that knew manners. I know manners. My dad died when I was very young. I was raised in a household of seven women: my grandmother, my mother, her three sisters and my two sisters. If I wasn't larger than they were, I would've walked around in dresses all my life. The one thing I did learn from all of them was how to treat a lady. My grandmother told me, it didn't matter if you are a two-dollar hooker, or the queen of England, they are all ladies, and you treat them as such. Am I talking too much? I tend to do that when I'm nervous." 

"What could you possibly be nervous about Andy?" 

"I don't have sex that often. It's been more than two years, since I've been with a girl." 

"Is it because of lack of opportunity or lack of trying?" 

"As I said, women see me and they walk away because I'm so big. I don't like going to brothels, because it goes against my upbringing. Don't get me wrong I do go, but it's just for the physical release. I would like someone, you know, just to settle down with, to have a normal life, but I don't think that will ever happen. It's just me and the guys, and what we do. As I get older I won't be able to do it anymore, and I won't have anything, or anyone else in my life." 

"Where did you grow up, the Midwest?" 

"No, upstate New York, just east of Albany." 

"Normally, I can pick up an accent from New York, but it's probably just the city folks that have it." 

"I know they say Brooklyn has the worst accent of them all. Then there is the Bron-X. I don't know about the other three." 

"Andy can I see what's under the towel?" 

"We were getting along so well. Are you sure you are ready?" 

"If I faint again, you'll know I wasn't." 

"Go ahead, take it off, just like a Band-Aid 123 quick." 

"Okay, but keep the water ready. 1-2-3 quick. Holy shit! I guess it's just proportionate to your body though." 

"Is that a good thing, or bad thing?" 

"I'll let you know when that thing is inside me." 

"You going to give me a chance?" 

"Of course, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work, but I'm not going to give up before I try. Can I be on top the first time? I will give me more control over the speed of the penetration." 

"I've got a better idea. Once I have you on there, why don't I keep you there?" 

"It might get a little tricky taking a bath, going to the bathroom, putting a dress on, I could never wear panties again, little things like that." 

"I'm rich, we could buy an island and walk around naked all the time." 

"No, you could walk around all the time. I would be stuck two feet off the floor looking at your chest all the time. You see the disadvantages of that?" 

"I could take you from the rear, that way you could look and see what's happening in the world." 

"Andrew, you are putting the cart before the horse. Let's play, so I can see that monster pop-up." 

"He doesn't pop up; he unfurls, like a flag in a stiff breeze." 

"Will he do that for me?" 

Andy put her off to the side of the bed and slid down so his head was on the pillow. He grabbed her and held her in the air. 

Kathy screamed, "Andrew put me down this instant." 

"Are you sure that's what you want?" 

"Yes, I'm positive that's what I want. Put me down." 

He did a sit up, and his mouth encompassed her entire vagina. A second later, his tongue burrowed its way two inches deep into her vagina, and was moving around like a serpent on her G spot. 

She screamed so loud, everyone in the house heard her. 

"If you take that out of there, I'll cut it off." 

The Colonel said. "I think Andy's made a new friend. We better take the interrogation into the back room. The screaming can become very distracting." 

"It does sound like she's having fun, and Andy is following your directions." 

"Andy is a big teddy bear, and if you tell him I said that I will shove that rifle of yours up your ass, and pull the trigger." 

"I will probably scream like she did, sir." 

"Yes Paul, but for an entirely different reason." 

"Now Mister Smallwood, we know about your supposed position at Isstiron Intelligent Systems, but all you do is look for ways to steal money from banks all around the world. However, your company is a subcontractor of General Scanning, and they are a subcontractor of Control Technologies, and so on. What I need from you right now is the name of the company where the mob makes its jump to legitimacy. Remember you gave me your word, and I gave you mine that I would not hurt your family if you were truthful with me. Don't start off on the wrong foot, or you will be missing it." 

"This is the truth, I swear on my life and the life of my family. We made the jump by using a small software firm called, "Aligned Coding." Boeing was forced to hire a minority firm, because of the EEOC laws. The company made a decent product, and they were getting better, but they didn't belong in the business of making this rocket. 

Mickey sent a high-priced lawyer down to see them in Las Vegas, to ask if they needed help with this project. They looked at Jack, like he was king of the universe, because they were about to abandon the bid. Jack told them if they subcontracted out 80% of their bid to Agiligent Automated Intelligence, they would make sure everything was done on time and on bid price. They would have to take care of their end of the 20%, unless they wanted to subcontract more of the business out. That was up to them. 

The company negotiated the pieces they wanted to keep, and subcontracted the rest of it to us. End the story, unless you want the name of the owner, because it's a privately held business, the address and the phone number in Las Vegas." 

"You can write that down for us please. We will know if you're telling the truth within the hour. So that's how you made the jump to legitimacy. How do you explain the amount of money this tiny company brought in to feed the people in Kansas City, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, and New England?" 

"Mickey told them flat out that each of them would get 3% of the profit, and if they didn't like it, he would keep the money in Las Vegas where it couldn't be touched by any of them. He would move his software business to Las Vegas, and they wouldn't be able to touch that money either. He would transfer the money south to Panama, and then into his accounts all over the world. Instead of being friends and allies, they would become his enemy, and he would treat them as such." 

Most of the time Mickey is a nice guy with his neighbors, but when you fuck with his money, he becomes the devil himself." 

************* 

"This thing is going to give me lockjaw Andy, I can barely get the head in my mouth." 

"If you keep doing what you're doing with your tongue for a little while longer, you're going to have a decision to make. Start thinking about that now, because it's going to happen very soon." 

Andy had been very good to her. Orally, he had brought her four orgasms, and then let her sleep until she recovered. Then he worshiped her body from the top of her head to the pads of her toes, without touching her sex, and brought her two more orgasms. She cuddled in his arms, and this time they slept. 

When he woke up she was playing with his snake. Soft, she could get several inches into her mouth, but as it uncoiled, and hardened, she almost couldn't get it out, without scraping it against her teeth, and hurting him. He never used his hands to force her head further down on him, then she could naturally go, and never forced his hips up to receive the same effect. 

She felt him stiffen just before he said, "Get ready, I'm cuming." 

He was sure she would back off, and let him come on her chest, and possibly her face. She didn't. She increased the action of her tongue to be sure he had a complete, and satisfying orgasm. It meant she would have to swallow as fast as she could to give this considerate man what he had given her. She forgot two things: he had not been with a woman in two years, and he was a very big man. 

The first blast of semen was not bad, and she swallowed it quickly. It was like cleaning out a hose in the spring that had laid dormant through the winter. The second blast filled her mouth completely. Her eyes opened wide at the amount of fluid he had given her, and she forgot to swallow, until the third blast hit shortly afterwards. Semen started leaking out of her mouth between the ridges of his penis and the small openings that remained because of his size. 

Kathy finally began to swallow, in large gulps, but it seemed every time she was able to drink some of his valuable fluid, he would eject more into her mouth. To her it seemed to go on forever, it did the same for him, and he was in heaven. 

Finally, the semen slowed, then stopped flowing, and he began to soften. Kathy did not remove her mouth from him, until she was sure he was empty, and perfectly clean. When his head popped free of her mouth, she began licking the sides, his testicles, and any area of his body that semen had fallen on. 

Andy kissed her passionately. "Little girl, I can't believe you did that." 

"Big guy, I told you, if you don't try it, you'll never know if you like it or not." 

"What was your decision?" 

"I would do it with you, over and over again, because you don't use your hands on me. Randy is one quarter your size, and every time I did that for him, he used his hands to force me down at the same time he used his hips to force his prick into my throat. He said, "He loves the feeling of power he has over me when he does it that way. When I yelled at him and told him I don't like it, and we get into a big argument over it, he threatens me with the pictures he took of me at my Confirmation. I'm sure he still has them, but I prayed to God there in a safe place. If my folks ever find out about them, and they see the way I'm living now, without working, they would say it was my idea, and disown me. I would kill myself before that happened, because I love both of them so much." 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 03



********************** 

"Here are the results Colonel." 

"It would appear, Mister Smallwood, you are going to live for another 24 hours. Where is Mickey right now?" 

"I don't know? Is there a Red Sox game in town tonight? If there is he's in his box seat behind the Red Sox dugout. If there is no game, he'll be home at 8 o'clock, and there is a meeting at 10 o'clock at the Stone Masons Union Hall, at E Street and Fargo, in the wharf district." 

"Mister Smallwood make your phone call, and make it sound convincing." 

************* 

"Hello darling, I'm going to miss dinner tonight. I have to fly to New York for a business meeting tomorrow morning with some bigwigs. I'll either be back by 3 o'clock tomorrow afternoon or home for dinner by 7:45 P.M. at the latest. This was just sprung on me a couple of minutes ago. I don't even have time to run home and get a fresh suit. I'll have to get this one redone overnight at the hotel. I'll be staying at the Essex. I won't call you when I get in, because it will be too late. We're taking a private jet, so I can't even give you a flight number, or a time of arrival. Kiss the kids' good night for me, and you know I love you very much. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon or at latest tomorrow evening at dinner. Good night my love. Bye-bye." 

"Excellently done Mister Smallwood, very convincing. It sounds like you've done it 1 million times before." 

"The two Jason's come here please." 

"Yes Colonel." 

"You drive his car to the airport and park it in preferred departure parking. You take our car and meet him at arriving passengers. Don't hurry, just get it done properly, and return here." 

"What time does Mister Flynn arrive at work in the morning?" 

"Between 12 and 2 PM." 

"Does he change his route every day, or does he follow the same route every day?" 

"I've never been invited to his home, but I have had breakfast with him three times." 

"Where does he have breakfast?" 

"It's a restaurant his aunt owns, and still cooks at. It's called Molly's." 

"Is it open for dinner?" 

"I believe it's open until 11 PM." 

"Paul, you know what I need. I'll keep three people with me. Bring back five normal dinners, one dinner for Andy, three cases of water, six bottles of eye drops. Rooftop positions would be nice." 

"Mister Smallwood call Swissair buy a round-trip first class ticket to Geneva for tomorrow evening for Kathy with an open return, and a premium rent a car for a month." 

***************** 

"What would your wife do if she found out about your little indiscretions. Mister Smallwood; working for the mob, having a mistress?" 

"If things could be considered funny in this situation Colonel, I think she would be less disappointed in me, if she found out I was working for the mob, than if I had a mistress. I think she would kick me out of the house for having a mistress simply because I have broken the bonds of our marriage contract. Those are very important to her. Every eighth or ninth person in Boston is touched by the mob." 

"Who told you to blow up the spacecraft?" 

"Is that what this is really all about, the spacecraft?" 

"No, that's just another side job. Do you know a man by the name of William Zabo?" 

"Of course." 

"Do you know how much money he had invested in that spacecraft?" 

"Not a clue." 

"Maybe you should have, because he had a $17.5 billion invested in that spacecraft. He has offered a percentage of that money for the head of the person who tried to blow it up. You and your family could live very well on that money, after my finder's fee of course. Do you know anything about that Mister Smallwood?" 

>>>>>>>>>> 

"You are hesitating Mister Smallwood. It should be a simple yes or no answer. So I'm beginning to think you have a yes answer to that question. Like your friend Mickey, when someone is getting in the way of my money, I get angry. What are you keeping from me Mister Smallwood?" 

"I'm not hesitating Colonel, but as you said, something has just collided with another." 

"Talk to me Mister Smallwood, I do not like riddles." 

"We were having a meeting at my company, with two airplane types. Mickey was there and I was trying to remember their names, and what company they represented. They escape me right now. Do you have a computer I could use?" 

"Simon if you would please." 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Here it is. On 14 December, we had a meeting with everybody at my place plus Mickey, Matt Cushing, and George Blankenship from Boeing." 

"Two members of Boeing's staff had a meeting with a known mobster?" 

"Let me see if I can bring up a security tape so you can see for yourself." 

"Look here Colonel, here's Mickey standing across the table from Blankenship, and Cushing, and you can clearly see their Boeing insignia on their jackets." 

"Was it after this meeting, you gave your brother $40,000?" 

"I never gave my brother $40,000. There is no way I would ever give him that amount of money. I would never involve him in anything illegal because it would break my sisters heart. She is too dear to me to have her husband go to jail or to get killed over something as stupid as $40,000. You can check all of my transactions Colonel, I swear to you I never gave him that money." 

"Did either of those two mention your brother at that meeting?" 

"Yes they did. I didn't know how they found out he was working on the spacecraft in Texas, then I thought Mickey might have mentioned it to them. I told them they didn't work there anymore, and they were home. That was the end of our conversation." 

"Are you sure that was all there was to it?" 

"They said they were looking for aircraft plumbers at their Hartsfield Connecticut facility, and if my brother was interested, have him give them a call. I thanked them, but never told my brother-in-law about it. 

When he worked in Texas, he worked three months on, and one month off. It nearly destroyed my sister's marriage. I knew my sister would not leave the Boston area, because of family. I was not going to tell him about the job in Hartsfield, and have that start all over again." 

"How far is it from here to your sister's house?" 

"From here it's 21 minutes, from my house it's 26 minutes." 

"How much time does it take to get from here to the airport and back?" 

"1 hour, to 1 hour and 20 minutes depending on the tunnel." 

"How long have those two idiots been gone?" 

"Two hours and 10 minutes, sir." 

"Call them and see if they're in New York City." 

"Headlights in the driveway sir." 

"Stations everyone. If they are police Mister Smallwood, and you cry out for help, it will be the last thing you do. Remember what my men will do to your pretty wife, and children in your absence." 

"My car is not here, and neither am I." 

"Excellent attitude Mister Smallwood." 

"It's the two Carlos is sir. They're bringing in packages." 

"One day those two are going to learn how to take orders and carry them out properly." 

Carlos 1 walked in the front door, yelling, "We come bearing gifts of fine foods, and delicate wines." 

Carlos 2 walked in and said, "I brought ice and beer, we are all set for the evening." 

They thought so, until they turned and looked into the eyes of the Colonel. They immediately stood at attention without being told. 

"Soldiers, what were your orders?" 

"Proceed to the Boston airport, drop off Mister Smallwood's car in the premium parking lot, and returned to this residence immediately." 

"Was there any portion of that order you did not understand?" 

"No Sir." 

"You willfully disobeyed my order, is that correct?" 

"Yes sir." 

"When you signed on for this mission, did you read the contract?" 

"We are on downtime now sir." 

"Ask Simon if we are on downtime, because as soon as you turned into the driveway, everybody went on alert. We thought you were either police or someone sent by Mister Flynn to find out where Mister Smallwood actually was. This is an alcohol free mission, 24 hours a day seven days a week. You are being handsomely paid for your time, are you not?" 

"Yes sir, we are." 

"Well gentlemen, you just lost one-week worth of your pay and if you are unhappy with my decision, you may leave, and your current pay status will be forwarded to your bank as per your request. Which will it be?" 

"I'm still in Colonel." 

"So am I Colonel." 

"Good; now you can find a spot in the living room somewhere, where you can start doing the 500 push-ups." 

"Yes Sir." 

"Come with me Mister Smallwood, we have much more to discuss." 

************** 

"Damn that hurts, do we have any axle grease in the house?" 

"Kathy if it's too painful 'Stop.' I don't want you to start bleeding over that thing." 

"Like hell Andy, we will figure out a way to get this king-size snake of yours inside little old me." 

"You can't fit in Anaconda through the eye of the sewing needle." 

"Women push out watermelons through a hole the size of a lemon every day Andy. So stop being a defeatist and help me." 

"Okay, why don't you hold the head in place, and do a split. I'll spin you around, and we will see if the friction helps it pop in." 

"Andy if I didn't think you were joking with me, I would get off, and beat the living shit out of you. However, I know you are joking, so I'll just laugh along with you." 

"I am serious Kathy. I want you to try this." 

"You're out of your mind." 

"I'll hold your weight up with my hands. All you have to do is hold my snake in position." 

"If you drop me, you will split me open." 

"I want to do this one million more times if it goes in properly. I will not drop you. You said you were willing to try anything." 

"Sometimes I need a welder to keep my mouth closed. Let's go, grab my thighs." 

His snake was as stiff as cold rolled steel, and Kathy held it 4 inches from the top, and dead center on her leaking vagina. 

"Move me down Andy, I want to feel some pressure against the opening." 

He moved her down about an inch before she told him to stop. 

"That sonofabitch is right there Andy. If it would just pop through, we could start having fun." 

"If this hurts too much. I'm pulling it out." 

"If that sucker gets inside me, you will not pull it out unless I tell you to Andrew, is that understood? Andrew speak to me, if it goes in, it only comes out when I tell you to take it out." 

"Yes dear." 

"Showtime Andy, this was your idea, let's do it." 

Kathy was in a full split, just like a ballerina, or an acrobat. Andy's giant arms held her carefully where they were almost connected. He brought his left arm in just a fraction, and before Kathy knew anything, she was spinning around like a top. He let her free fall for about 3 inches and then grabbed her thighs again stopping her. 

Kathy screamed, "Andy it's in oh my God it's in its oh shit it's huge it's fucking huge it'll never come out it sliding deeper and deeper into me we are going to have to join a fucking circus how deep is it Andy is it in my stomach yet can we stop it from going any deeper how much of you are is left outside how much is inside why aren't you talking to me?" 

"Kathy if you want it to stop it from going further in, put your feet down." 

"You bastard, why didn't you tell me that before?" 

"Let me help you get it out of there. You sound like you're in terrible pain." 

"Pain, what pain, I've been coming, since you entered me, and I don't know if I'll ever stop. That fucking Anaconda of yours is wonderful; can I keep it?" 

"It comes with a body attached to it. I was going to ask you tomorrow anyhow, but I guess I can move it up a day. I know we met under very unusual circumstances, but I like you a lot. When this gig is over, I would like to come back here and court you properly. As I told you, the women in my life taught me manners, and I would consider it an honor if you would accept my proposal." 

"I like you to Andy. You are the type of person I could bring home to my parents and tell them we're courting. They would probably look at you and worry about our age difference, but that wouldn't stop them from accepting you. The thing I worry about is doing it here. I know what is going to happen, and Flynn's people know I am Randall's mistress. If someone should see you with me so soon after his death, you would be a marked man. Where does your family live?" 

"You're going to laugh." 

"Okay, so I'm going to laugh. Where does your family live? Are we still going to be stuck together?" 

"Hoosick New York, it's about 45 minutes north east of Albany. I own 40,000 acres of land that backs up to the Tibbits Forest." 

"Is there enough room on that 40,000 acres for you to court me?" 

"I'm sure my grandmother, my mother and her sisters will be more than happy to make sure we maintain a proper distance from one another during our appropriate courtship ritual." 

"Speaking of distance, while I had you distracted, would you like to look down?" 

"You didn't. You couldn't. Your too small. It's not possible Kathy, you couldn't fit all of me into you." 

"If it's not possible, where did you go?" 

"I don't know; I just don't know." 

"You have been so gentle, kind, and caring of my body and my soul today, while you could have done anything you wanted with me, during your allotted time. My body simply responded to your kindness, and my cervix opened to help receive your length and girth. 

I have a question for you now. Are you so happy that you're inside me that you are finished for the night, or are you going to carry on?" 

He laughed, then she laughed, then she screamed as he flipped her over, and was on top for the first time. 

She had a frightened look on her face, which he quelled immediately. 

"Kathy, it's still me, I'm not going to hurt you, until I spank you." 

"Shut up and fuck me already. 

"No, but I will make love to you." 

"You are a very unusual man Andy." 

"We will see what you say about me when you can't get off my snake." 

"I'll keep it, but you'll miss him terribly." 

"Missy, unless you failed to notice, I'm a little bit heavier then you are, and if my arms give out, you could look like 'Popeye's girlfriend 'Olive Oyl." 

"I'll be good; I'll be better than good. Have you seen that woman's nose?" 

"Woman: vanity is thy name." 

"You got it wrong." 

"There are several anecdotal ways of saying that. The way Dante Rossetti put it in his painting 'Lady Lilith.' Shakespeare and Jane Austen used: Vanity: thy name is woman. Ann Sexton used it in a more derisive form. Divorce: Thy name is woman. However, the most famous one is from Hamlet where he decries his mother's remarriage so soon after his father's death, where he plagiarized it, and got it wrong anyway. "Woman thy name is Vanity." 

"I'm not going to talk to you anymore. You know much more than I do." 

"I'm supposed to, I'm older than you are. Now, I truly would like to start playing, if you're finished with 20 questions." 

"I'm finished, and I'm happy." 

"Good, no more interruptions." 

As soon as their lips touched, there was a knock at the door. "DINNER." 

Andy growled. "Bring it in and leave it by the door. If you're in this room for more than 20 seconds, I'm going to break you in half." 

"Andy there are three of us carrying the food." 

"20 seconds, and I'm counting." 

Kathy brought her arms and legs in so tight under his body, she was nearly invisible. 

As the men ran into and out of the room, and closed the door, Andy said, "I knew they could do it." 

Kathy giggled. "If you threatened to break me in half, I would've thrown the food into the room, and run away." 

"The Colonel would not have been happy with them, if they did that to our food. You do not want to get on the wrong side of the Colonel." 

"The Colonel looks like he's well into his 60s, and compared to you guys, he's tiny. Why do you all obey him like you're back in the military?" 

"He was the best there ever was in the field of battle. He did not take shit from the top brass, and he loved his men like they were his own sons. He trained every man, every group personally and every man he trained, personally went home alive. His units had the highest kill ratios and the lowest injury ratios of any battalion in the field. If his battalion finished what they were supposed to be doing, and another battalion was having a problem, he would leave a third of his force to maintain the position they won, wheel around and help the other battalion gain their position. The brass was having a fit because they could not control him, but with reporters embedded with every division telling the people at home that the Army had really gotten down to brass tacks with men like the Colonel, the wars were going to be over soon. So what did they do to him instead of making him a bird Colonel, and then a general officer, they kicked him out of the Army for insubordination. The men in his division, who would normally have re-upped because of him, dropped out of the Army, and went back to civilian life. They weren't fools, they had the best commander there was, and now they were going to get some candy ass officer, who was going to do what someone back in South Florida told them to do. No, that was not going to happen to them, and get them killed." 

"Sssshhh. You're getting upset, and you're getting soft. I don't want that to happen, before we make love. You can tell me more about your colonel later. However, now it is you, me, and that lovely Anaconda that's inside me. Would you like me to go back on top, and get him excited again, or should I bite your nipples, because that's about as high as my mouth goes." 

"I guess I didn't tell you the rules about biting, I just told you the consequence. If you bite me, I spank you." 

She licked his nipple him, and then bit the tip of it. 

"You mean like that?". 

"Yes just like that, and that will cost you five." 

"I love how you men count. I bit you one time, and you're going to spank me five times. Would you tell me how that comes out to equal justice?" 

"Men make the laws, just look at everything from your local committees all the way up to Congress. Until you women get your asses in gear, men are going to make the law. You bit me once, and the penalty is five spanks. I think it's marvelous." 

"We will discuss this after I have another dozen orgasms, which shouldn't be that hard, if you decide to get hard again." 

"Are you now questioning my masculinity?" 

"If the shoe fits?" 

"Little girl, you are in so much trouble." 

"Oh goody." 

As they began the dance of love, Andrew swelled to his normal mammoth proportions, while Kathy kept egging him on. 

"Don't be afraid Andy, you're not hurting me. Take longer strokes, please take longer strokes. You are just teasing me; you're holding me back." 

Kathy couldn't take it any longer. She took her feet and put them under his hips, to push him out further than he was willing to go. It became a fight between the two of them. She would use all her strength to push him away, and he would use all his to push back into her. It wasn't a fair fight, because in the middle, she would have to stop to enjoy an orgasm his mighty snake caused. 

When he finally exploded inside her, they were both exhausted. He rolled to his left taking her with him. With her last ounce of strength, she laughed. 

Andy asked, "What's so funny?" 

"We are still attached." 

"It's okay, your mine until 9 o'clock in the morning. You never can tell what will happen between now and then." 

"What happens if I have to go to the bathroom?" 

"It will be a little bit messy, but you will go. I wipe your bottom for you." 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 03



"How very gallant of you." 

"I'll have to make sure you are clean when we have anal sex, so it's no big deal." 

"Can I tell you something about you, and me, and anal sex, before you start courting me?" 

"Of course, it will help resolve our parameters in advance. You want 10 kids. I only want seven. I will accede to your 10, as long as we have anal sex." 

"Listen closely Andrew; you and I will never have anal sex. I will never be able to control my bowels if you stick that snake of yours up there. You may have seen bigger men do it in porn films, but it's not going to happen with us." 

"Okay." 

"What's the penalty for smacking you?" 

"I haven't thought one up, because no one's ever dare do it." 

"Andrew look at me." 

He did, and she smacked him. 

"I just thought up the penalty for smacking me." 

"According to the U.S. Constitution no laws can take effect ex post facto. I'm safe." 

"We're in Boston; they didn't sign the Constitution here." He smacked her on the ass, forgetting about his strength. She screamed, grabbed her ass, and rolled off him. She screamed again as she fell off his body. They were pulled apart, and were now disconnected. 

Kathy grabbed her vagina and screamed at him. 

"You better teach that snake of yours manners. It bites on the way in and on the way out. If it bites me one more time, I am going to bite it back." 

Andy grabbed her and sat her on his chest. 

"Tell me truthfully little girl, how do you feel?" 

"Can we do it again after dinner?" 

"Really, you really want to do it again?" 

"Andrew, what you're forgetting is who is in charge of that snake. If it was a man like Randall, I would kill myself before he touched me again. Many of those women you approached have had men like him approach them before. That's why they would not give you a chance. I don't know how you act outside this room, and I don't want to. While you are here, with me, in this room, you are a kind and gentle soul. I have never had an orgasm with Randall. I've had so many tonight I lost count. You are very talented with your tongue, hands, and definitely that wonderful snake of yours. What was the name of that town again, Moosick? When this thing is over, I may consider moving there." 

"If you're going there you better pronounce it right, because the people get very upset with you foreigners that constantly pronounce it wrong. It's 'Hoosick.' It's up the road from Pitts, across the river from Albany, and Rensselaer, and downwind from the Moog. We even have roads, and electricity. We are working on indoor plumbing." 

"Can I take you up on your statement where you said, "I'm rich, we can buy an island, and walk around naked all the time. If I have to worry about indoor plumbing, I might as well worry about it in a tropical climate, and not worry about it in 100 inches of snow, in upstate New York." 

"I would have to take my family with me." 

"That's fine with me, as long as they are as naked as I am." 

"Somehow I think that's going to be a problem for my grandmother." 

"I'll bet your grandmother is no problem. It will be your mother and her sisters that is the problem. Can we eat dinner now? You have to wait 30 minutes after you eat to have sex." 

"I thought that was swimming." 

"An old wives' tale, debunked years ago. It's true, however, when it comes to sex." 

"Okay, you may serve me dinner in bed." 

"I'll be dining alfresco on the floor. I'm not making love with crumbs on the bed." 

"We could change the sheets." 

"Was that a 'We' as in me, or a we as in 'Us'?" 

"Missy I live alone, I change my own sheets, once a year." 

"Let's eat, before you waste away before my eyes." 

*********************** 

"Thank you very much Mr. Smallwood, you have fulfilled your side of the bargain. We are going to give you an injection now to put you to sleep for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow morning you will accompany us to your bank. Two of my men will accompany you into the vault. Vault personnel will remove the three boxes and bring them into a private room. You will give Kathy's pictures and her passport to Simon immediately. If you have any other pictures of her I want to know about it now." 

"No Colonel, those are the only pictures I have of her in that condition." 

"Bring everything back here where it will be distributed properly. Make no mistake Mr. Smallwood, if you make the slightest sign at the bank that you are in trouble, and my men have to react with ultimate force, you will die, along with your children. Your wife will be taken captive, and used as a whore. I will place her in the house of a drug dealer I know, who will not treat her properly. Don't make me do this, even I find it repugnant." 

"I will cause you no problems in the morning sir." 

"Good, give him just enough to have him sleep until six or 7 o'clock in the morning. He has to look good going into the bank." 

******************** 

10 AM The Following Day 

Kathy was in her room packing for her trip to Switzerland, as the Colonel entered her room. 

"Good morning Kathy, you look positively radiant." 

"Thank you Colonel, I feel the way I look. Andrew is a wonderful man, and we've decided, when this business of yours is over, that we are going to get together in that town of his in upstate New York." 

"It's going to happen much sooner than that. I had a feeling you two would hit it off. Before I start let me give you these. He swears there are no duplicates, and my men have not looked at them. I have looked at the top one just to verify what was in there. If you wish I can take them into the kitchen and burn them for you, or you can burn them yourself." 

"Colonel, I am ashamed to look at them. Could you burn them for me without looking?" 

"I will be right back." 

***************** 

"The pictures are part of your past Kathy. They can no longer hurt you. Now for the business I came in here to talk to you about. You are not going to Switzerland. I wanted you to pack as many clothes as you could for a long trip. Your car will be in the long term parking lot at Logan. Someone will be on board the aircraft matching your description. While the mob goes on a wild goose chase looking for you and Randall, you will be safe and sound in upstate New York, with Andy. 

I need your deed and title to the house. I'm about to buy it from you for cash, in the form of a Quitclaim Deed. The current price for this home is $340,000. We will pay you $370,000. Our lawyer will be here this afternoon to make it legal. All the paperwork will be filed with the appropriate County and Local governments, which will make them think Randall is on the lamb. This will work greatly to my advantage." 

****************** 

"Jason did our 10 businessman have breakfast at Molly's this morning?" 

"Yes sir, they are enroute now. The subject had breakfast there this morning." "Very good. 

"Mister Smallwood come with me. 

They walked out the rear sliding glass doors where four men with picks and shovels were preparing to work. 

Smallwood panicked immediately. 

"That's the reason I brought you out here. I didn't want you to panic. As you can see they have four packing boxes laid out end to end. We just purchased this house from Kathy. A family of our choosing is going to move in and protect that money. The boxes are 20 inches deep, which means they have to dig down at least 28 inches and square off the bottom to have the boxes sit cleanly. So just relax Mister Smallwood, this is for the money, not for you." 

"Thank you Colonel, I nearly had a heart attack." 

"We are not finished with you Mister Smallwood, not by a long shot. The banks want to know how you were able to break by their ciphers and their firewalls so easily and steal their money." 

"Repetition Colonel, repetition. There are billions of words they could use in their firewalls, billions of numerical algorithms, but it always comes down to people, and people are predictable the president of the bank has access to everything, and over the course of a year he may change his password 50 times. He should change his password 50 times a month, and never use the same password twice. He should keep a dictionary in his drawer, pick a word, highlight it, put a tab in the page, and change his password. It takes all of one minute, and it keeps people like me out of their business. When he leaves the office he locks that draw so nobody can get into it. A $30 dictionary puts people like me out of business." 

"It can't possibly be that easy." 

"Get one of your larger banks to do an in-house test. Get their best geek and tell them to break into the mainframe . He already knows how to protect it, now let him attack it, because he knows its weak points. I bet you never thought about the president's password." 

"It's something I never would have thought about." 

"That's because you're not a thief Colonel. I was drawn into it because of the lure of money." 

"Go back into your bedroom and close the door. Give a holler when you get hungry." 

"Thank you Colonel, have you thought about where you might send my family?" 

"A friend has a private island in the Caribbean. Your family will be rushed West to Connecticut, then south to New Orleans south again to Honduras, where the plane will return to the United States. Another plane will take them to Antigua, and then by boat to the island." 

"Thank you Colonel, thank you for protecting them. They mean the world to me." 

A group of men walked in the front door, and stood at attention as soon as they saw the Colonel. 

"At ease men, it's good to see you all again." 

"Thank you Colonel." 

"Report Steven." 

"Sir, Molly's is no ordinary restaurant. The windows start 30 inches above the floor, and proceed to a height of 90 inches. They look like they are tinted for sun protection, but they are not. They are at least 80 mm thick polycarbonate based, elastomeric, shatterproof, bullet resistant windows. Since we figured your target was going to be in that building, we managed to plant Sound Strip Charges between the edge of each table up against the windows. If we act quickly, no one will ever notice they are there. There are four rifle positions in the front, and three in the rear. However, I have a feeling there is an underground passage out of there also. Your friend would never expose himself by stepping out into the street, even if he was stunned. I would suggest getting my hands on a long-term kitchen employee and making him understand only of them would live to see the next day." 

"Excellent report Steven. How are the explosives rigged to go; in series or in parallel?" 

"Mickey's table was reserved, and it is the center table by the window. It would mean he eats at that particular table every time he shows up. I rigged the explosives to go off in series, two at a time, from the furthest point in the restaurant, working towards his table. He would have no place to run, until the explosions stop." 

"What type flooring does the restaurant have?" 

"Concrete with a slip resistant finish." 

"What sits below the glass?" 

"Due to the sheer weight of the bullet resistant glass, it would have to be at least 25,000 psi steel reinforced concrete. You would need an antitank weapon to blast a hole through that stuff." 

"And your problem is...?" 

"The cars parked along the street." 

"Construction cones." 

"When?" 

"Three days." 

"I'm going to need a food delivery truck, and a bunch of other shit to pull this off. It's nice working with you again Colonel. You always give so much time to pull off one of your miracles." 

"Why do you think you were called?" 

****************** 

"Colonel, Kathy just told me I'm driving her home. You are kicking me of the team?" 

"I'm doing no such thing Andy. You are an integral part of this operation. Did she tell you the whole thing?" 

"Why don't you tell me so I know what's going on. I don't want to leave my brothers in arms, when there's a fight coming." 

"Andy, I have more than enough men for the fight we are about to enter. What we are entering is the subterfuge stage to throw the mob off Kathy's scent. I want them to look to the east, while she is safely in the west, protected by you. 

When they believe Mister Smallwood has run away with his mistress, they will check his credit card purchases, and see Kathy is on her way to Geneva. They will also see Randall is on his way to the Caribbean, then to Africa, where he will disappear. 

They will send people to look for Kathy, in Switzerland, believing the two of them will eventually meet up. They will find no Kathy in Switzerland, or any place else. She just disappeared. 

Kathy sold her house to us, so she will not be here. Our lawyers will make sure that her accounts are changed from her name to numbered accounts, and she will become invisible in the United States. Friends will change her, Social Security number, and all her academic achievements will be put in her new name. Your job is the most important. You have to keep her safe. Randall knows more about their operations than any other man besides Flynn. When Flynn finds out Mr. Smallwood is missing, all hell is going to break loose. Mickey will send his men here to look for her, and find our lawyer here instead. He will show them the Quitclaim Deed, and then they will run over to his wife and interrogate her. She will be devastated, and no help to them at all."  

While they are chasing their tails, we will be getting closer the people who tried to bring down our spacecraft. One by one they will all pay the ultimate price. 

You have to make sure Kathy doesn't, because of her association with Randall. They will assume she knows everything, while she knows nothing about his business operations at all. Do you understand now?" 

"I still think I'm getting the better end of the deal." 

"You're not Andy, I am. I get to put a hole into these malicious assholes heads, because they refused to see the future." 

"When do you want me to leave with her?" 

"Right after you go out and buy a Range Rover." 

"Why would I want a piece of shit like a Range Rover? They are a box on wheels. Their wind resistance is God awful, and they are only for pansies who want to show off." 

"I must tell William what you said about his favorite kind of car. What kind of vehicle do you want to buy?" 

"A GMC 3500, of course. If you want to go through snow, there is nothing better than a Jimmy. You want to pull down the tree, you pull it out with a Jimmy. Now that I have to protect Kathy, I'll have to get the extended cab to do a great job of keeping her covered." 

"Someone find him a GMC dealership so he can buy a truck. I'm getting ready to perform a marriage ceremony." 

*************** 

"Mister Smallwood, it's 5 PM, and where leaving at 6 PM to do a reconnaissance run. If you want to eat something, now is the time." 

"Thank you Colonel, I am hungry." 

*************** 

He was sitting down eating a sandwich, when Kathy entered the kitchen to get a bottle of cold water. She didn't see him, until she turned to leave. 

"Hello Kathy, the Colonel told me he burned the pictures. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to burn them, but I was afraid you would leave me if I did." 

"I would have dropped you like a bad habit Randall. All you did was debase me. The money you gave me was to assuage your guilty mind. You couldn't think of more mean ways to hurt me, between your daily visits. You walked in, there was no foreplay, and you forced your way into me. It made you feel like more of a man, and me like a whore. 

Yesterday and this morning, I met a real man. He was over three times your weight, and four times your manhood. We had fun, and though it hurt when he entered me, it was not a mean hurt. It was just a hurt because of his size. As we played and talked and made love, I was able to take all of him inside me. I must have had 20 orgasms between yesterday and today. I never had one with you." 

"You must have, what was all the screaming about?" 

"You idiot, you were hurting me, and I couldn't stand the pain." 

"I am so sorry. I was reading all your signs wrong. You were still the same young girl I took advantage of, and not the woman I thought you grew up to be." 

"How could I possibly grow up? I was never allowed to date anyone but you. At 18, I had to move into this house. I had to take all my college courses online, so I never saw another human being my age. You came here every day and tormented me for two hours. As soon as you left I went into the shower and with the hottest water I could stand, and scrubbed you off me. Then I went back to my studies to forget you. I think that's why I did so well. I used everything in my power to block you from my memory. Goodbye Randall, I hope the Colonel gives you what you rightfully deserve." 

The Colonel called him from outside. "Mister Smallwood, there are three packages of green tape sitting on the counter, would you bring them to me please?" 

Randall picked them up and walked outside. He saw that the hole was completed, and the top of the boxes with the money in them were still open. 

Lucius said, "My geniuses were going to close the boxes with plastic tape. It would be fine for a few weeks, maybe a month. Then the little rocks would eat away at it and moisture would get into the money. Not a very good idea. That's why you use this green cloth waterproof tape. Nothing can eat through it, and water stays out of the boxes." 

Randall watched as they sealed each box, and a man jumped down into the hole. 

What he didn't watch was Colonel Lucius C. Canyon move slightly behind him, place a silenced .32 caliber Beretta to the back of his skull and pull the trigger twice. There was hardly a sound. The birds never stopped chirping. 

Randall's knees buckled. He never hit the ground. Arms grabbed him and dragged him forward. The man in the pit placed him face up and was pulled up out Randall's grave. Six bags of quicklime were emptied on top of Randall, and a hose was used to activate the mixture. Men carried the money into the house, while others shoveled the dirt back into the hole. They jumped up and down to make it as level as possible and then added the white pea gravel to match the surrounding area at the surrounding height. When they were finished you could not tell anything had been disturbed. 

Message to W: Raising the temperature! Will boil over soon. 

Message to L: W not available. Don't you dare get anything on my tie. J 

Lucius laughed at the reply. He was sure, if he died in action, that Jemma would come after him, just to kill him again. 

******************* 

"Colonel, the cook was as good as gold. He was right about the position of the exit from the kitchen down into the sewers. What he did not know, was 25 feet up from the exit there is a fake wall that looks exactly like the rest of the tunnel, but it is the entrance to a safe room. It is approximately 2000 ft.², and is fully stocked. Flynn could live down there for a month and never run out of food, or water. It is tied into the main electrical circuit for power, and has a backup generator. This guy thought is everything. Once he gets in there, there is no getting him out." 

"Well, that works to our advantage. Instead of killing him outright, as I was going to do, let's let him into a safe room." 

"Colonel that is crazy." 

"I didn't say he wasn't going to have company, did I?" 

"Gentlemen, why am I here?" 

There was some mumbling among the group until one of the Jose's said, "You are here to kill the bad guys." 

"Very good José, the rest of you owe me 100 push-ups." 

Everyone groaned. 

"Second question: Why are you here?" 

Steven said, "That's easy, to take orders from you." 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 03



"That's 200 push-ups Steven." 

"José why are you here?" 

"To protect you, sir." 

"Correct. The rest of you owe me another 200 push-ups." 

"Now, here are seven folded pieces of paper. It gives you your objective, and the amount of men you're allowed to take with you. Do your job well, and I may reduce your teams' push-up count." 

Everyone thought he was going to put them on the table. He didn't, he threw them in the air, and backed safely out of the area. 

It looks like a rugby scrum. Not one piece of paper was caught in the air. If you jumped, you were elbowed, kneed, or simply shoved away. The competition was fierce, but it was also fun for these elite fighters. They were brothers. They would go to hell and back for each other, and they would kill each other for a tiny piece of paper. 

The after 3 minutes, the Colonel whistled, and everything stopped. One by one they helped each other up and began assessing the wounds that were inflicted on each other 

Lucius called everyone to attention, and didn't have to ask twice. Kathy walked over to him and asked, "What happened; why were they all fighting?" 

"Gregory present your piece of paper." 

"How do you know he has a piece of paper Colonel?" 

"I know my men." 

"Gregory are you going to make me ask you again? I know how you love leg lifts." 

Gregory removed a piece of paper from under the collar of his shirt. 

"That's what they were fighting for. It gives them their instructions, and how many men they can take to complete those instructions. Gregory can I have the second piece of paper please?" 

Gregory lifted the inside sleeve of his shirt and took out another piece of paper, and handed it to the Colonel. 

"Gregory, the one in your mouth should be getting sticky by now. May I have it?" 

Gregory handed it to the Colonel, and turned to walk back to his position. 

"Gregory while you're here, can I have the one that's under your belt?" 

"Dammit Colonel how do you always know?" 

"I haven't asked for the one in your pocket yet." 

"Paul, how the hell do you deal with him?" 

"It's easy, he was my first girlfriend, and I never left her." 

Even Kathy exploded in laughter. 

"Colonel, I'm finished packing, and I'm ready to go. Would you like me to make dinner for everyone; I love cooking." 

There was a very loud, "YES MA'AM!" 

"That's a very nice thought Kathy, but these men could eat the right wing of the house off before they were done. They will break into their groups, and stop for dinner wherever they choose. 

Someone yelled, "Headlights in the driveway." 

"Positions everyone, Kathy to your bedroom." 

"Second set of headlights in the driveway." 

Moments later there was a coded knock on the front door. 

"Enter slowly, hands above your head." 

"You idiots, you know I can't do that. I have to bend down to get in the door." 

"Who told you to be so damn tall Andy?" 

"My mommy and my daddy." 

"Get in here Andy, she's ready to go." 

"How often should I check in sir?" 

"Check in with the service, by landline, any place near Albany, but never the same place twice, every two weeks. If there is an emergency, I will call your mother and ask her if she's renting out her bulls for the spring stud season. You will know to get Kathy into hiding immediately, and contact me." 

"That will be fine sir. I will advise my mother as soon as we get home." 

"The box by the door is Kathy's. It contains a $700,000. It's for the money we paid for the house, and the money that was in Mister Smallwood's safety deposit box, which he said was for her. Try not to lose it, she might bite your pride and joy off." 

"She's already threatened to do that for another reason sir." 

"That's two strikes Andy, you don't want the third. She's too nice a girl to lose." 

"I'm going to let her decide that after she seen something of the world. This house has been her prison. She's never seen downtown Boston. I'll let her finish her Master's in school, and then make her go for her PhD. She'll meet a lot of people her own age, and possibly decide that I'm not the person for her. I will continue to guard her, and probably love her, but I'm not going to keep her in prison like that asshole did." 

"I knew you were a Teddy Bear, Andy; that's why I put you two together. Go-get her, and get on the road." 

Moments later, Andy was carrying Kathy out of the room, much to her distress. 

"Andrew you're pissing me off. We can't leave without my luggage." 

"I will quote the Colonel: Go get her, and get on the road. He did not mention anything about luggage." 

Lucius said to him, "Andy, I also didn't tell you about my three divorces." 

"Oh, okay Kathy, stand here, I'll be right back." 

"Kathy go back into your room and take your blanket, and pillows. It's a long boring ride, and you will get cold." 

"I want to leave everything about him behind me." 

"Like your pictures, he can't hurt you anymore. They are your pillows and blankets, and tomorrow, if you want, you can go to a store and buy new ones." 

"Thank you Colonel, thank you for giving me Andy. I know that was your intention. I don't know how you knew, but I'm very happy that you did." 

"Thank you, blanket and pillow, and if Andy forgets, the box by the door, $700,000 is in it. Payment for the house and what was in the safety deposit box he said was for you. Get Moving Young Woman." 

She snapped to an awkward looking attention, did a terrible salute, but said, "Yes Sir", perfectly. She kissed him on the cheek and ran towards her bedroom crashing into Andy midway. She fell to the floor like a lump. 

She looked up at him and said, "I think I'd rather run into a concrete wall then run into you." 

"Thank you, it means all my exercises are working." 

"Would you get out of the hallway so I can get to my bedroom?" 

"You said you were finished in there. You should have no need to return to that room if you were finished." 

"Do you take orders well." 

"It all depends was giving them." 

"At this particular moment it's me. Get out of the hallway so I can get to my bedroom." 

"No, you told me you were finished in there." 

"Fine, I'll just tell the Colonel I wasn't able to complete my task, because some big oaf would not get out of the hallway, and allow me into my room." 

"You didn't tell me you were following the Colonel's orders." 

"Common courtesy would have told you to yield passage so I could go to my room. Does the word manners mean anything to you, sir?" 

"That's another thing I forgot to talk to you about this morning. I have bite marks all over my chest. It's going to take decades of spankings for me to get even with you." 

"I demand visual proof of that allegation." 

"I took still and motion pictures of what my chest looks like this morning. Your ass is going to be as pink as your cheeks for the next 20 to 30 years or longer. I'm going to have to buy an abacus to count that high." 

"Have you heard of the computer?" 

"Yes but they confuse me." 

"Are you two leaving tonight, or are you going to stand there and argue, until the morning?" 

"He's being obstinate. He won't let me by." 

"Why are you not letting her into her room Andy?" 

"She said she was finished in there." 

"Would you two like to know what started the downhill slide of my third marriage?" 

"Yes sir." 

"A red sock accidentally made its way into a white wash, and everything turned pink. My wife's tennis outfit, her white tennis socks, her white summer dress, and three of my military white dress shirts. When I took them out of the washing machine I screamed in horror. My wife came running. She looked at what I did and said three words to me, and they were not I love you. At the top of her lungs she yelled, "Leave, Leave, Leave." I remember those words distinctly, because 8 months later she filed for divorce. In one of her papers she mentioned a red sock." 

"Andy get out of the hallway." 

"Yes sir, I'm sorry sir." 

"Don't tell me Andy, look at what she's bringing out of her room, and tell her." 

"I believe I am an idiot sir." 

"When it comes to women Andy, all men are." 

************** 

The attack on Mickey Flynn went off precisely as planned. First, the glass was gone, and then from his perch under the table, he waited for the next attack. It came when a Dragon Missile slammed through the wall of the table next to him, blowing a 4-foot-wide hole in the dense concrete and steel substructure. He decided to make a run for it, otherwise he was dead. 

He crawled over broken glass, got to his feet and immediately heard bullets zipping by him. He ran, slipping on the glass, towards the kitchen. He would be protected in here, because they were no windows. He moved a panel aside, hit a button, and pulled on a lever three times, and a section of the floor popped up. He crawled in, grabbed the handles, closed and locked the section of the concrete flooring. 

He was safe. He walked leisurely down the corridor, and opened the panel to his secret 'Safe Room.' The door opened, he stepped inside, and pushed the red panic button. The door slammed shut behind him and locked. No one could get in from the outside, and he could not get out, unless he put in his secret code. 

The Colonel said, "Good afternoon Mister Flynn, did you have an interesting breakfast?" 

Flynn turned, and went for his gun. His right arm was wrenched behind his back, and nearly pulled out of its socket. He fell to the floor screaming in pain, and lost consciousness. 

Lucius said, "Strip him, put the electrodes on him, and attach him to the board." 

When Flynn returned to consciousness, and recognized his situation he became incensed. 

"Do you guys know who you're fucking with? You are all dead. My men will follow you to the ends of the earth, and put you in meat grinders while you're still alive." 

The Colonel asked, "May I interrupt you for a moment Mister Flynn?" 

"Go ahead you little bastard." 

"Simon teach him some manners please." 

"Yes sir." 

Simon walked over to Flynn, and in a flash Flynn was trying to breathe. He never saw the punch coming. He thought he was going to be hit in the stomach or in the face, but never in the throat. It took him over four minutes to recover. 

"Mister Flynn, my name is Colonel Lucius C. Canyon. You can call me Colonel, or Sir. If you call me anything else Simon will have to teach you manners again. You have just wasted four minutes of my time, and my time is extremely valuable. Your golden boy, Mister Smallwood, is no longer among the living. As far as your people coming after us, as with all members of your ilk, they rushed to the scene of an incident and looked for their boss. Your number two, three, four, and five people are dead. The White Hill Gang does not have organizational leadership anymore. There will be infighting for a decade or more to take over the top spot. Isn't that just terrible Mister Flynn?" 

"I don't believe you, my people aren't that stupid." 

"Show him the News please." 

After watching it, he shook his head in pain. His top men were all dead, and what the Colonel said was true. All his years of work ended in one day. 

"I am going to join them soon." 

"You are going to join them, but how soon, and how painfully is up to you. We have been told this is your favorite method of torture. We have decided to give you a taste of it. When we put the helmet over your head and wet you down, you will die as if you were in the electric chair. However, there is not enough voltage, and amperage to make you die quickly. You will die but in a slow, and agonizing way. Your hair will burn, your brain will boil, and your eyes will melt, before your heart stops. We will not be here to watch you die, because it is too awful a thing to watch." 

"You can't get out of here without my code." 

"Oh, that silly thing. Your children's dates of birth backwards from the youngest of the oldest. The date of your marriage, and your wife's date of birth. It took us 17 seconds to break your code Mr. Flynn. People like you are very predictable. Now I'm going to begin asking you some questions. If I believe your answer, I will continue. If I don't, this will happen." 

1000 V of electricity at one amp passed through his body. He went rigid, and screamed expletives at the Colonel. 

"Simon, manners please." 

When Flynn saw Simon coming at him he yelled, "I'm sorry Colonel, it will not happen again. I swear it will not happen again. Please don't let him hit me." 

"Simon stay close by my side; I don't believe him." 

"Yes sir." 

"Mister Flynn you attended a meeting at which 2 Boeing representatives were in attendance. Please don't tell us you weren't there because we have seen video evidence that you were in attendance. What happened between you and the two Boeing people, and were you the one that ordered the bombing of the spacecraft." 

"I was at that meeting. The two Boeing people were scared shitless about a new propulsion system. They asked me if I could take care of it for them, and I told them 'NO.' I said we were getting out of the violence business, and trying to become legitimate. It was more profitable for us, and the feds were looking for other ways to get to us. I told them to find someone else, and that is the truth." 

"That is exactly what Mister Smallwood told us. Do you believe they went to the Italians, or to a private contractor?" 

"The timeline was very close, and I don't believe the wops would've taken it. I believe they went to the Russians, or to private contractors, but that is my best guess." 

"I didn't think the Russians were into this sort of thing." 

"I don't either, but I had to mention them." 

"Who are the most terrifying private contractors in the area?" 

"My money would be on the Malloy brothers. I kicked them out nine years ago, because they use their guns before they use their heads." 

"Carlos, Glenn take your people and check them out. If the opportunity presents itself, bring one, or both of them back here. I don't want any of you hurt, is that understood?" 

"Yes sir." 

"Mister Flynn now we have to talk business, and your business arrangements that Mr. Smallwood has given us a great deal of information about. I want the names of everyone involved in this operation. I don't want you to leave one name out. Like today, I am going to relieve those people and those companies of the top five people, and leave them headless. I know you're going to say no to me. It is the reason you are attached to the board." 

The Colonel stood up, removed his jacket and tie, and opened the top three buttons of his crisp white shirt to make himself comfortable. 

30 hours later, his shirt was still crisp, but Michael Flynn did not have 1 ounce of energy left in his body, nor did he have a heartbeat. He had given up everything he knew, even though he valiantly tried not to do it. 

Just as they were wrapping everything up, the two teams that were sent out to check on the Malloy brothers walked in with them. The brothers had their heads covered, their wrists and arms shackled, and they were obviously in pain. 

"To what do we owe the honor of the company of the Malloy brothers?" 

Carlos responded, "I was in a bar standing next to them, and they took exception to the color of my skin. I told them I was born with it this way, and there was nothing I could do about it." 

They thought I insulted them, so this one took a swing at me. I ducked, grabbed his balls and squeezed until they were marshmallows. He was out of the fight for good. Our guys were sitting at the tables, and they were applauding me, as the other brother came after me with his beer bottle, and missed. I grabbed his arm as it went by. I pulled him down to the floor, and jumped on it. I heard the bone snap, and that was it for them. The guys stood up and gave me a standing ovation. We hooked them up, and here we are." 

"No push-ups for you Carlos, everyone else has to do theirs'." 

"Why sir, the ending was a foregone conclusion. We applauded at the appropriate times, and we even gave Carlos a standing ovation." 

"You had to stand up, you were coming back here. Okay no push-ups, 100 leg lifts instead." 

"Oh damn Colonel." 

"Uncap the Malloy brothers please." 

As their eyes adjusted to the light, they looked at the man attached to the board, and one said, "Holy crap, you got Mickey Flynn?" 

"Yes, and if you listen to the news today all of his top advisers too. The White Hill Gang is no longer an effective force in New England. Now, I'm going to ask you one question and one question only. If you lie to me one of you is dead. If you lie to me again you're both dead. You're both going to be dead anyhow, but I would like my answer before that happens. 

'Who told you to give $40,000 to two men to blow up the Good Luck 1 Spacecraft? I want that answer now." 

"Two guys from Boeing approached us, gave us the name of the targets, $200,000 for us, and $100,000 for them. When we cased the targets, we knew we could get them to do it cheaper. We threatened them and their families, and gave them 40 grand and seven days to do it. We wanted proof that it had been done, but they were so frightened, they forgot to take a cell phone with them. That was it." 

"How do you know they were from Boeing?" 

"It was on their jackets." 

"Thank you, go with Carlos please." 

Lucius took the Beretta from behind his back, and in quick succession put two bullets into the back of each Malloy brothers' heads. They would never hurt anyone else, and their testimony ended that thread of evidence. 

Coded Microwave Transmission: WSJ / 7 c- / Secured 

Message to W: Believe Boeing has nothing to do with this. Someone is playing them. 

Message to L: Everything points to them, even in your reports. What's up?" 

Message to W: Everything is too obvious. It doesn't feel right. Someone very high up the food chain is pulling the strings." 

Message to L: The NSC? 

Message to W: IT FITS. 

Message to L: Pincer Attack; I will work this end. 

Message to W: Let the Chinaman break his bones on this one. Be his advisor, and let him know about his assets. It will serve him and you well." 

Message to L: Are you out of your mind? If the Chinaman gets hurt the matriarch will dismember me." 

Message to W: The matriarch will leave the important member attached. The Chinaman has to jump into the fire sooner or later. It's best if he does it, while his important assets are still around to guide him. 

Message to L: If the matriarch kills me, I'm going to hate you for the rest of my life. I will start making arrangements with the Chinaman at the embassy tonight. May my ancestors be kind to me. I liked the tea you provided, after the vermin were boiled out of it." 

Message to W: Before leaving for the highest mountain top, the tea producer was very forthcoming about his blends. Leaving Hong Kong tonight for R and R in Las Vegas. Impart to the Chinaman the lessons that left us with a bad taste in our mouths first. Best of luck with the Matriarch. 

End of Transmission 

*************** 

9. Paging Doctor Finch 

He had put himself on one bitch of a schedule and as time marched on he was paying for it. Every time he walked into his apartment, Sandy attacked him like a wolf seeing raw meat for the first time in a week. It didn't matter that she had a belly, although she was carrying very small, she wanted him now, and with no excuses. It didn't matter to her if the door was fully closed or not, she was horny, and he was her medicine. 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 03



The last thing he did before he left for the infirmary in the morning was to satisfy her passion. She was the same way when she was pregnant with both their girls. 

The difference this time was he was helping Hannah teach six young women how to become nurses every day, 10 hours a day, five days a week. 

While they were studying, he was browbeating Hannah about her work studying to be a doctor, 18 hours a day, six days a week. 

While both of them were studying, he was studying to be a neurosurgeon. He promised to give the nurses a week off so he could give himself a rest as he collapsed on the bed next to Sandy after taking a shower. 

He was in the middle of a perfect dream when his communicator went off. 

"Paging Doctor Finch, paging Doctor Finch to maternity please." 

"OH FUCK!" 

Sandy laughed, "This is what happens when you fuck." 

He picked up his communicator and told the message service to wake up all of his nursing students and get them to the infirmary. Let Hannah sleep." 

He walked into the infirmary, and saw Mister and Mrs. Childers waiting for him, but not in the appropriate positions. She was seated with her legs wide apart, huffing and puffing. He was unconscious on the gurney. 

"Susan, you are having the baby aren't you?" 

"Yes Joe I am." 

"What is he doing there, and you doing there?" 

"He was getting ready to bring me here when my water broke. He thought it was the baby, fainted, and hit his head on the floor. He's been unconscious since." 

After checking him out Joe said, "The bastard isn't unconscious, he's sleeping. Guys put him on the bench outside, and put a do not disturb sign on him." 

His student nurses charged in en masse. 

"Nice of you to join us ladies. Close the doors, turn on all the ventilators and the scrubbers. Help Susan get undressed and into a gown. 

As they began working he said, "It does not take all six to undress her. Divide your work. What has to happen to the table?" 

Abigail said, "It has to be triple draped." 

"What sterilizing agents need to be available?" 

One by one he went down the list of items they should know by now for a normal delivery. They had a perfunctory knowledge of what he would need if the delivery became more involved. The first thing they knew to do was to call Hannah." 

"Okay ladies, you are all mothers, so you've done this before. Susan, this is your first time, and I want you to know you are in the hands of the best plastic surgeon on this spacecraft. After you deliver, if you need a tummy tuck, I'm your man. However, not only is this your first time in producing a baby, it is my first time delivering one. So in a sense we are both virgins." 

"Joe you're supposed to be making me feel more confident in you, not making me nervous." 

"Do you want a boob job too?" 

"Will somebody smack him?" 

"Your son's fetal heart beat is wonderful. How far apart are contractions?" 

"Every 45 seconds Doctor." 

"Susan, I'm going to give you a labor inducing drug called, 'Pitocin.' It will speed up your contractions, and wake up your husband. If it doesn't, I'll send one of my nurses outside and have her do it for you." 

"Are you in a hurry Doctor, cause I'm not." 

"Who are we here for Susan? That little guy in there cannot survive without the water protecting him. The placenta will collapse around him, and only bad things can happen after that. If you don't mind, I'd like my first delivery to be an easy one." 

"Okay, but if I wind up with a pouch down there, I'm going to take you up on that tummy tuck." 

"Thank you, it's something I trained for, and don't have to study up on." 

An hour and 15 minutes later, Michael Childers knew exactly what tree his parents descended from, exactly what orifice he could shove this prick up, and the next time he could expect her to do anything for him, in this or the next five lifetimes.  

All those thoughts disappeared, when she held a 6 lb. 1 oz. blonde headed blue-eyed baby boy, who looked exactly like his mother. 

Susan looked up at her husband and asked, "Can we make another one like him?" 

Who was Michael to say no at a time like this? 

Susan and Michael returned to their room with a printout of do's and don'ts. 

Young Mister 'unnamed' Childers, spent the night in an incubator being monitored by the computer, and overlooked by one of the student nurses. It was easy work, because they could study, while the infant slept, or they rocked him their arms to comfort him. The beat of a mother's heart is the one thing a baby remembers from the time it leaves the womb." 

I met the good doctor at breakfast before he was headed back to bed to catch a few hours of sleep. 

"How does it feel Joe; your first special delivery." 

"If they all go this well Even, when we get back, I will take up gynecology. I will tell you this though, 'The view of a pussy, when it's expelling a child, is not as enticing as when you're trying to put one in." 

My coffee went all over the table, and I was gagging for air. He said it in such a matter of fact manner, I never saw it coming. I could've killed him. 

"Joseph, what do you see when you look around?" 

"People, friends, what you're looking for Even?" 

"We are six months from launch date, and I see two things. A harmonious group of people that interact without cliques. Second, they are all thin. One thing has nothing to do with the other, for sure, but I do believe it makes it easier for everyone to move between groups, because they are all the same body type. You predicted it would take up to a year for everyone to get to their normal body type, with the change in diet and exercise. I believe you overstated that a little." 

"The heaviest lose weight fastest, the thinnest lose it hardest. We are all on the same diet, and after this much time all the toxins we've had in us are now gone. Our bodies are temples, if we run into a bug, we will all die." 

"Thrilling Joe, it's a wonderful time to tell me about that." 

"I didn't want you to cancel my spot on the ship." 

"How is your studying coming along?" 

"I'll tell you when I'm ready Even. I want that boy of yours to live, but I want him to live like he was before he went into stasis, and not as part of the man he could've been." 

"Joe, no member of my family is going to rush you. We want the same outcome you do. He is safe where he is, and we will leave him there until you are ready." 

"How is the situation with your daughter?" 

"She sees Newton and Teddy once a week. She does as much for Adam as she can, considering her size. She eats alone, and stays in her room. She talks to no one, and will not speak, unless someone asks her question." 

"Even, I don't like it. I am not a psychiatrist, but I believe she is suicidal. She's just waiting for the twins to be born, then she will find a way to do it. Either that or she has already found a way to do it, and is just biding her time. She's missed her last two appointments with me, but I thought that was because of her work schedule. The girls' had her third strike, but the ball got by the catcher and she's running. It's up to Gray or you to stop this madness." 

"Where the fuck is my sister when I need her?" 

"I thought your sister was dead?" 

"She is, but we have a weird family." 

"So I've noticed." 

*************** 

I picked up my communicator, called Gray, and told him to meet me in the ready room. 

I walked out onto the bridge, kissed my wife on the head, and asked if she could join me in the ready room. 

"Janet you have the bridge." 

"Yes Captain." 

"Callie, acting Captain Janet Dover has the bridge." 

"Do you agree Captain Luck?" 

"Yes I do, Callie." 

"Are we going to have sex in the ready room Even?" 

"As appealing as that might be, we have a problem to talk about the concerns all of us." 

"Hello Gray." 

"Hello mom, dad, what's up?" 

"I was just talking with Joe Finch. He delivered his first baby this morning, a bouncing baby boy. We talked about Gordon at length, and he's not ready to operate yet. I told him we were not setting any time limit on him at all in reference to that operation. When he's ready he will tell us, and that's when it will happen. Then he asked me about Delicious. I told him how she's been acting the last several months, and after listening to me he told me he believes she is suicidal. He told me she is going to wait until after the babies are born, and either find a way then, or has already found a way to do it. The very calm matter-of-fact way she's going about her life right now leads him to the suspicion that is what she intends to do. He said she's had her third strike, and she's broken. I broke her, I broke my daughter. I broke my daughter, and I don't know what to do." 

I broke down into tears. 

******************* 

"Jack, how do you keep space out there, when the nuclear engine goes outside the ship?" 

"Like all magnificent engineers, I tell it that this is my space, and that is your space. You stay where you belong. We will stay where we belong." 

"Do you want to try that again Jack?" 

"You are looking through 8 inches of heat cured resin glass. It looks like nothing is there, but we are sealed up tighter than a drum." 

"That explanation I will accept. Do all engineers try to make their achievements sound larger-than-life?" 

"Look at the view, Hannah. Have you ever seen anything like it? Engineers did that. Dycke Schneider, Even Luck, two of the greatest engineers on planet Earth figured out how to make this thing work. Delicious Luck and Gordon Luck did the propulsion units. They are also engineers in a way, but we are all scientists. We delve into areas no one else has ever gone before, and come up with answers that stun the world. It's why we are here, and they are still there." 

"Okay you win." 

"Do you want to get something to eat, or go back to bed?" 

"I'm not going back to bed with you, until you shave off that muskrat underneath your nose. I'm all scratched up, and itchy." 

"I'll make you a deal. I'll shave off my muskrat, if you shave off that beaver of yours. It's like fighting my way through bramble bushes." 

"How do you know it's mine with that thing under your nose?" 

"Your hair is finer than mine. I have to comb it out every morning." 

Hannah laughed. "I haven't seen my pussy, since I was a teenager." 

"I haven't seen my upper lip, since I was a Lieutenant. Do you need help; 

engineers are very good with blades." 

"I've found out lately, engineers are very good with several other things." 

"So are future doctors." 

"Okay, I'll make you a deal. You can take care of the beaver, if I can take care of the muskrat." 

"Who goes first?" 

"Who do you think Jack? Ladies always go first." 

"Are you going to leave me my upper lip?" 

"Jack, I am a future doctor, I would never harm my patient." 

"Why don't I feel comforted by that remark. Can Doctor Finch be in attendance?" 

"Do you want him in attendance while you shave me?" 

"Hell no. Let's go to our room, and try not to 'Blood Let' each other." 

"Do you want to back out old man?" 

"You don't call me old man in bed old woman. Let's go. I'll find my samurai sword, and cut through that brush." 

"I wonder if they brought a hedge clipper for the Arboretum. It would be a good start on that thing you call a mustache." 

"I'm not going to win this argument, am I?" 

"I didn't know we were arguing; I thought we were discussing options." 

"I lost a fortune in options. I'm not losing you. Let's go." 

"What a nice thing to say." 

****************** 

As I regained my composure Gray said, "Let me try to talk to her. I will see if she will listen to me. I won't promise you anything, but I will give it a try." 

"You are the one she feels most terrible about Gray. She loves you to the core of her being, and never realized what she was doing to you. Whatever was blinding her to that realization is at the center of her problem. She disappointed you, and she can't live with it. 

Do you remember the date you had at the restaurant, the same day we were there? Do you remember the way she looked at you? She still loves you that way. She hates herself for every insult she did to you over these past 16 years. When she realized she was her father, and not her mother, everything collapsed in on her. I believe she thinks this is her only way out." 

"Let me see if I can give her another way out. As I said I can't promise you anything, but I will give it a try. I'm going to take my shift off, and let my trainee handle it, if it's okay with you?" 

"Go ahead Gray, let us know what happens." 

>>>>>>>>>> 

Gray knocked on Delicious door, but as he expected she did not answer. He knocked, and knocked, until he began pounding on it. Finally, the door opened and she peered around the edge. 

In a very humble voice she said, "Yes." 

"I want to talk to you now." 

"I'm tired, I don't want to talk." 

"I'm sick and tired, and I want to talk. Open the fucking door." 

She opened the door and backed away. 

"I want something cold to drink." 

"She walked into the small kitchen area, and got him a small glass of cold water." 

"I want a large glass of cold water." 

Without saying a word, she returned to the kitchen, and brought him back a large glass of water. 

"Sit down." She did. 

"I want you to know I took my shift off this morning, because I heard everyone is betting on you, except your family of course. The line right now is 12 to 1 that you will kill yourself within one week of delivering the babies. It's 8 to 5 within two weeks. It's even money after that? 

How does it make you feel that out of all the people on this spacecraft, 37 of them are betting that you are going to be dead within two weeks of having the twins? Have you already told someone you're going to do it? Is someone going to help you do it? When am I going to become a widow? When should I tell Newton and Teddy their mother is going to kill herself so they can be prepared?" 

"If I were you Gray, I would take the 12 to 1 odds." 

"You haven't answered any of my questions." 

"What do you want me to say Gray? I've become the one person in life I've hated more than life itself. If my mother was alive she would crucify me." 

"No, that's where you are wrong. If your mother was alive, you would be one of the happiest persons on this planet. If your mother stayed home that fateful day, instead of going to the hospital with her parents, this world would be a totally different place for you. It would be a totally different world altogether. 

I would not have met you, so there would be no Newton or Teddy. 

Even would not have run away from you, and met Jennifer, which eliminates Gordon, Richard, and Holden. 

You may have developed your engines, but what were you going to do with them. If Gordon hadn't been around your father to come up with the theories for the Nuclear Fusion Engine, you would probably have kept it a secret. 

Doctor Even Luck would continue to be the worlds' foremost inventor, but nothing on this scale of this spacecraft. 

Zoey would have continued to be one of the angriest people on the planet, because she would never have met your father, and been told about birth control pills. 

Over 970 patents that are helping the world move forward, and making life better for the people on Earth, may or may never have been found, because of our research and development. 

Teddy would not be around to tell William Zabo Junior that he was going to trip over a redheaded doctor, and have two redheaded girls and one white haired boy, like his father. 

All these, and a list longer than a country mile happened, because of a terrible accident, and you became the most miserable person on the planet. 

Why don't you give yourself some credit for all these accomplishments, instead of being so down on yourself, since you realized your mother's hard work backfired, and turned you into your father?" 

Delicious sobbed. "All I care about is what I did to you Gray. I ruined your life, and I never saw it. I did to you what my father did to my mother, and I didn't feel one bit of remorse while I was doing it. No person can be that dense, and still be called a human being. Human beings are supposed to have empathy for one another. I had none for the man I love most in this world. 

You gave me two of the most wonderful children God ever created, and I gave you nothing but misery in return. It was not a fair exchange Gray; you deserve someone so much better than me." 

"You see that is where I run into my problem. I don't want anyone but you. I fell in love with you before I touched your hand on the dance floor. I knew you were the one, before I breathe in the scent from your hair. I could have had all the Junie Penock's I wanted at Penn. You were the only one I would have slept with for 11 months, and abstained from sex. Marriage was my intent, and I was in it for the rest of my life. What am I supposed to do now; I've never loved anyone but you." 

"What do you want me to do Gray. I am a bitch, I'll never change." 

"You've changed already. Look how you behaved for the last four months. No one has said an unkind word about you. They are trying to figure out ways to help you, without invading your privacy. Everyone on the ship cares about everyone else, and that includes you. Adam says you take instructions well, and do your job excellently. When people say hello to you, you respond nicely, instead of with a chip on your shoulder. When you have lunch or dinner, and you choose to sit in an area by yourself, they leave you alone. You are trying to change, and you are succeeding." 

"What about the betting?" 

"What betting?" 

"The odds-on... You bastard; you lied to me." 

"It served its purpose, didn't it?" 

"Yes, I suppose it did." 

"Do you want to try one of your famous contracts again?" 

"Do you want it written in blood?" 

"I don't think Joe Finch would like that too much. Blood poisoning, stitches, infection, and all that gross stuff. It might be good for his nurse trainees though. Either one of us can break this contract for cause. Point blank, I want you back. I will not take the abuse you gave me. How do you want me to handle my end? I will not hit you, or abuse you verbally in return. What do you want me to do?" 

"I think my relationship with Sandy Finch will help me. We talked once, and I felt better for a little while. However, as I always do, I stopped seeing her. I didn't want to bother her with my problems. She said she would talk to me anytime I wanted, but just like my psychiatrist I refused to go. I can't escape her here. If you take me bodily to my appointment with her, will that be okay?" 

"That will be fine. I can take the chains off the ceiling and chairs now. What do you want if we give this another shot?" 

"Like I told you Gray, I thought we were happy, at least I was. I guess Attila the Hun was happy also." 

"Okay, go clean up and make yourself presentable. I'm tired of seeing, and hearing Teddy cry." 

"Oh, one more thing, I have heard from very reliable sources that our son is multiple dating." 

"Newton is doing what?" 

"As of last count, he was dating four girls." 

"He's taking after his father already?" 

"I thought you would go ballistic." 

"Newton and I had the talk more than three years ago. If he is speed dating now, I suggest you give him a refresher course, and get him a supply of condoms from the infirmary. Heaven knows Stephano ordered enough of them." 

"I must say you surprise me. From an absolute prude, to a progressive mother. Who would've thunk it?" 

"I was never a prude. We did everything in bed, except have sex, before you put a ring on my finger. On several occasions, we nearly had sex. 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 04



Note: This the property of Prolonged_Debut10. Information available at Literotica .com. All persons in this NOVEL are fictitious. There will be very little sex and it will not be of a graphic or vile nature. I hope you take this journey with me, as you did in my previous short works. There will a great deal of science, how interpersonal relationships work in a relatively small space, and rollercoaster rides through Wormholes, White Holes, and possibly a Black Hole. (Einstein said it was possible; why not give it a try, ON PAPER OF COURSE." Let's Begin.

Chapter 4

11. Unsleep

Joe Finch was holding his newborn son in his hands for the first time. He was staring down at a replica of himself, before handing him to a student nurse to clean up and give him to his mother. He finished checking Sandy, cleaned her, and join her, and his new family member. He kissed her, just as she received her their infant son from Cornelia. Sandy was ecstatic.

"How many more Joe, 7, 10? We make such beautiful babies together, and we have such a wonderful time doing it."

"Baby, it seems I have all the fun, and you do all the work. If you want 10 more, we will have 10 more. I know the girls would be thrilled if we could get a message to them that they have a baby brother. Unfortunately, they will never know. What do you want to name him? Don't say Joseph, it will confuse us at the dinner table?"

"I was thinking of Horatio."

"Joseph will be just fine."

"I knew you would see it my way."

Hannah said, "I'm sorry to push you out of here Sandy, but we have another pregnancy on its way down."

"What about Joseph?"

"He has to stay here to deliver the next baby."

"I told you that name was going to cause problems. The baby has to stay here for 24 hours in an incubator. You will go upstairs with Corne, just to make sure you follow procedures."

"You don't trust me to follow procedure? I am a doctor's wife; I know what to do."

"That is exactly why you are going to be monitored by Corne. You are not supposed to do anything after you deliver a baby, except continue to love the husband that loves you, and rest."

"I'll think about it."

"Okay, get her out of here, and let's clean-up for the next patient."

"Get her out of here! I'll remember that Joseph."

"She shouldn't be talking to the baby like that, should she?"

"She's going to be a terrible mother."

"I don't like either of you."

"That time I think she was talking to us."

"You can't please everyone all of the time."

"Who is our next victim Vicki?"

"We have a problem Doctor; we have two patients coming down."

"That's not a problem Vicki; you will deliver one under Hannah's supervision, and Abby will deliver the other under my supervision."

"Doctor I'm not ready for this."

"Just in case you haven't noticed, it's the woman that does all the work. They've been doing all the work for thousands of years. All doctors do is give medication to ease their pain, and try to bring the baby into the world as safely as is humanly possible."

Hannah said, "Listen to him ladies, that's straight out of the textbook he's been reading."

"Hannah, you're not supposed to tell them that, they are supposed to think I'm brilliant."

"Do you really want me to answer that Joe?"

"You heard that ladies, she said it again. She called me Joe. She didn't call me Doctor, she called me Joe."

"I'm sorry Doctor, I didn't hear that."

"Doctor, Hannah would never break protocol."

"Ladies if I could think of the punishment worthy of you, I would give it to you in massive quantities. However, our soon to be doctor would get even with me in some malicious way, as she does with the captain of the ship."

"Here we go ladies, patient's 3 and 4 are here, get ready...

***************

"Welcome to your first Captains briefing Miss Franklin; how do you feel?"

"Honored Captain."

"Janet tell Elizabeth what her job is."

"Liz 99% of the time we are paper pushers. One percent of the time we get to do something important."

"Excellent description of the Captain's job Janet. Do you still feel honored Miss Franklin?"

"Sir, you would not have pulled me off Navigation to put me into a job that does nothing but push papers. There must be something in that one percent that makes this job important."

"Would you agree with that statement Janet?"

"Yes Captain, I would."

"What was the most important thing you learned during your 1% of the time Janet?"

"Trust Captain, learn to trust your people. Don't think you're right all the time, because you are not. They have a better tactical viewpoint than you do. Listen to their advice, filter it through your mind, then make your decision. It only takes an extra second to do, and it is the difference between life and death."

"Miss Franklin your answer?"

"If my crew is seeing something different than I'm seeing, I would do something about it. I would change the large view screens in front of the bridge, from just a pretty view of the stars, to a tactical display. This way the captain and the crew are on the same page at all times."

"Janet, your response."

"After the last two deadly approaches by meteors, I placed the exact request in to engineering. They are working on the fix now."

"Do you see Miss Franklin, during Janet's 1%, she learned to trust her crew, and also came up with the same answer you did seconds after a meteor, three times the size of this vessel, traveling at 56,000 miles an hour, was clear of our position. She did not score 97% on her captain's examination, but she acted as a great captain would. She acted instinctively, and correctly. She has the makings of a fine leader. We need those same qualities to come out of you, not tomorrow or next week or next month. We need them to come out of you now. While you are not on the bridge, but on duty, we will constantly run simulations at you to make you better. You will be stressed, and stressed again, just as we are doing with Janet, and the rest of our trainee captains. Not all of our trainees are going to make it. We need those we know are going to make it, to make it quickly. Jennifer and I cannot continue to work the 12 hour shifts as our norm. It's just not possible for the human body to take that much stress seven days a week. We need downtime, just like you do. In a short time, we will enter the White Hole. Who knows what it's going to be like going in, or coming out the other side. Dismissed I'll join you on the bridge shortly. Good night Janet."

"Good night Captain."

"Captain can we have a moment of your time?"

"I'm being ganged up on at 06:15 hours?"

"Yes sir, before everybody else gets to you with their needs for the day."

"Well Laura, since I haven't seen you in a week or so, it's my pleasure, but what are you doing with this old codger who's getting married Sunday?"

"I had to convince him I was right, before he would come along with me."

"I'm in trouble. You convinced Jack Daniels you were right? All of this must be a dream."

"No Even, this is not a dream, the young woman is correct. Listen to her."

"Go ahead, I have my running shoes on."

Laura said, "I'm going to take Gordon out of stasis. I don't know what's going to happen to the ship when we go through the White Hole. If the vibrations are too intense, and if the stasis unit get separated from the cooling lines, he will die. It's just as simple as that. If his temperature starts rising at too fast a rate, his cells will not recover because there is no warming fluid replacing the cooling fluids we put into him. He will just degenerate into something we won't recognize."

Jack said, "There is a benefit Even. We have to bring in the nuclear engine before we go into that thing. We don't want the lines being hit by tiny meteorites that will be bouncing off us, and then hitting them and then the engine itself. I know you extended the engine, and you could probably bring it in. Gordon is trained to do it. The electrical lines have been subjected to -270°F temperatures for nearly 8 months. He is the only one who knows what to look for as the electrical cables come in to the spacecraft. He also knows the timing. He may use a heating coefficient on the inside of the nuclear containment chamber to bring them above freezing as they come in contact with the ship, which would make them more malleable as they rotate around the coils. We are running out of time Even; if he knows something we don't know, we could have a paddle, but no creek to use it in. Let Laura defrost him please."

"What you're forgetting is that thing in his head."

"We are not forgetting it Doctor. We are just trying to make the best out of a bad situation."

"If this is what you think is the best way to go for the safety of this ship, do it with my blessing."

"Thank you Captain."

***************

"Infirmary to Captain Luck.

"I'm busy Joe can it wait until later?"

"You can wait until she's 13 Even. I was going to ask you if you had time to meet your granddaughter."

"Delicious had the babies already?"

"No, Zoey just delivered."

"Why didn't you call me sooner. I should have been there with her."

"The other Captain Luck was here with her."

"I'm still pissed at you for not calling me."

"Your wife wanted you to get some sleep. Take it up with her."

"Okay you are forgiven. I'll be right there."

I walked onto the bridge and everyone was working diligently with their trainees.

"Good morning everyone." 

"Good morning Captain."

"Good morning Callie."

"Good morning Captain Luck."

Callie, we have a new captain in training this morning.

"Elizabeth use your full name and tell Callie you have the bridge."

"Callie this is Elizabeth Eugenia Franklin; I have the bridge."

"Do you agree Captain Luck?"

"Yes I do Callie, give her a hand if she needs help. I'll be in the infirmary."

Elizabeth looked at me like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming speeding automobile.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the infirmary to see my granddaughter."

"You're leaving me alone?"

"I told you to grow up in a hurry. I told you I was going to stress you. I can't stress you if I'm standing behind you watching every move you make. You were at the briefing, you know our course, speed and our angle of declination. The six people in front of you are watching out for your welfare and the welfare of this ship. Start pushing papers Captain, and wait for your 1%. It may happen today; it may happen 30 years from now. It has not yet happened to me. You are here to learn Elizabeth. Callie is here to help you, but she will give you as much rope as you need to hang yourself, before she steps in to save the ship. I'm going to see my granddaughter. Have a nice day."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

By the time I got down to the infirmary, they were rolling Zoey out to go back to her room. I kissed her and congratulated her on the birth of her daughter. She didn't seem happy at all. So I decided to put a smile on her face.

"I know something you don't know."

"I have to lose 20 pounds?"

"I believe you just did."

"She's gorgeous, have you seen her yet?"

"No I just got here, I was at a briefing. Do you want to know what I know that you don't know?"

"It sounds like a joke is coming, because you know a lot of things that I don't know."

"You have been off birth control pills for a year, and now you are no longer pregnant. You can't start taking them again for two more months. Now do you want to know what I know that you don't know?"

"Oh Lord, put me in the brig with my baby, otherwise the ship is in danger."

"Why would you say that Zoey? We have the perfect medicine for you."

"Dad, the only medicine that ever worked to keep me calm were my birth control pills. You know it, and I know it."

"I know one another way to keep you calm, but you have to promise not to hit me. Okay!"

"Okay dad I promise not to hit you."

I put a big smile on my face, and said to my daughter, "We are taking Gordon out of stasis today." 

I know the scream deafened everyone on the first floor, as it reverberated around the ship. My neck took the brunt of the damage when she grabbed, squeezed it, and told me I was lying, just to make her feel better."

Joe ran out of the infirmary to find out what was happening. 

I told him and he told a nurse to bring him some sort of medication. Moments later Zoey was asleep. 

Joe began yelling at me, and asking me how such a smart person could be so stupid.

When I told him it was 7:10 AM. He told me at 7:30 AM I could be delivering my first baby. I believe it was his way of telling me he was going to change my gender.

"What was I supposed to do Joe, keep it a secret from her? Was I supposed to let him walk into their room later today and let her think it was an apparition?"

"No, I guess not, but I'm sure you did it the wrong way anyhow. You always put things in their blundest form, and screw up their day."

"Can I see my granddaughter now?"

"She's with her grandmother."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Good morning my love."

"Isn't she just gorgeous?"

"You certainly are."

"Not me you idiot, her?"

"What is this nonsense with blonde hair?"

"I had blonde hair as a child, it changed."

"I love you the way you are."

The ship took a hard right turn and climbed at a 40° angle. I wound up covering Jennifer and the baby, holding on for dear life.

Joe was standing behind one of his trainees, with a baby half way out of her mother's womb. He flew to the floor hitting his head. Luckily the trainee was able to hold her position, and held onto the baby as it completed the task of leaving its mother's.

"Who the fuck is steering this ship Even?"

"A very competent trainee, but this is her first day on the bridge alone. I think I'll go up there and see what happened."

"I have a scalpel in my hand. If you're not out of here in 10 seconds, I am going to use it on you."

"Joe, she would not have turned the ship if we did not have a dangerous situation. Cheer up, we are still alive."

"Leave, or you won't be."

Joe got up with the scalpel in his hand and approached with the pointed end facing me. I was gone in a flash. When I arrived at the bridge Elizabeth was as white as a ghost.

"Elizabeth report."

Elizabeth was in a state of shock. She couldn't speak so I decided to test her.

"Navigation, and helm, don't turn around. This is Captain Luck. Helm, I want you to take no action. Navigation in 20 seconds I want you to report an asteroid approaching from our 1 o'clock position, 30° angle of declination, collision course, speed 98,000 mph, collision in 13 seconds."

"Roger Captain."

At the appointed time, Jeffrey Utah said, "Captain navigation, asteroid 010°/ 30° angle of declination, collision course speed 98,000 mph collision in 13 seconds."

Elizabeth didn't move.

"Captain what do you want us to do? Seven seconds before collision."

"Turn right heading 090° climb 40° ascension angle."

Nothing happened.

Elizabeth yelled, "Turn dammit, turn."

I said, "There was no reason to turn Elizabeth, there was no asteroid. You were sitting in the captain's chair in a state of shock. I wanted to see if, and or when you would react if there was another deadly object coming our way. You hesitated for six seconds, a very deadly six seconds. However, you got the job done. Just barely mind you, but you got it done. Congratulations, do you want to go change your underwear now?"

"Just the opposite Captain; I probably won't go to the bathroom for a week."

"Tell me about the first one. You got your 1% within 10 minutes of sitting down."

"Initially I thought it was a joke, Captain. A new trainee sitting in the captain's chair for the first time. Then I said to myself they wouldn't do that to me. They are here to help me. As Janet said, "It only takes a second to figure that out, and then you take action. I may have overreacted, but the asteroid missed us by a good margin."

"Callie how did she do?"

"Her course correction angle was correct. A 20° down angle would have been sufficient, but Ms. Franklin erred on the side of caution, which is always better."

"Thank you Callie."

"Captain this is Laura Schiff at Stasis Unit 1."

"Go ahead Laura."

"We will begin the procedure of bringing Gordon back to normal temperatures within 30 minutes. Are we going to play 'Chutes and Ladders' anymore?"

"I'll leave that up to Captain Franklin. If she feels it's necessary to save the ship, and the now seventy-one residents on board, from an oncoming asteroid, I will leave that up to her.

Do not wake up Jennifer. She must be exhausted. She worked a full twelve-hour shift last evening, and then stayed up all last night with Zoey, while she delivered her baby."

"Zoey had the baby?"

"Yes, a beautiful blonde headed green eyed baby girl."

"What a great day for both of them. I hope this works."

"What do you mean you hope it works?"

"Well, I've only done this twice before. The monkey died, but the human lived. So Gordon has a 50-50 chance."

"Ask Adam to have one of those extra-large plastic bags ready, and to make sure you fit in one of them. You know how that story ends, don't you?"

"Yes Captain, I get your message."

"I'll be down there in 20 minutes."

I said, "Captain, I want a full 180° long range scan to commence in 10 minutes. If anything looks close to our position, I want you to make a slow turn away from, above, or below it, at long range. Do not worry about being wrong. Just keep your distance from any object that is coming our way. We have to be sure that the cooling lines are not disrupted, while they are bringing Gordon, or anyone else out of stasis."

Elizabeth didn't answer him.

"Elizabeth did you hear me?"

"I'm sorry sir, when you said Captain I thought you were talking to someone else. I will do as you ordered, starting now."

"I am not going to refer to you as 'Acting Captain Franklin' every time we have a conversation on the bridge. If I am speaking to you, and I say Captain, I'm definitely not speaking to me. If you already have control of 'The Bridge', I am speaking to you. Are we on the same page now Captain Franklin?"

"Yes Captain, we are."

"Excellent, I'm on my way to see my son get defrosted. Don't call me, just keep us out of trouble Captain Franklin."

"I will sir."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Attention on the bridge: I want all sensors and scans at full range. If there is a pebble coming at us, I want to know about it."

"Aye, aye Captain."

"Callie change all lights on the bridge to red."

"All lights to red. Floor track lights are on."

>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

10 minutes later, Teddy walked onto the bridge, climbed into her chair, and buckled herself in.

"Hello Captain 'lizbeth, I number 2 officer Teddy. I help you. Am 3 years old now. Head please."

"What?"

Delicious said, "Teddy would like to hold your head in her hands. She does it with all her new friends. Captain Luck is my father. I am Delicious Thyme; you may have heard about me lately."

"Yes I have. I'm very happy you are feeling better."

"Thank you very much, I'm happy I'm feeling better. Please put your head between Teddy's hands. She is very good at telling things about people."

Elizabeth moved, and lowered herself to Teddy's height. Teddy put her hands on Elizabeth's head, and a big smile crossed her face.

"Mommy, she the one. Her girl baby make first contact. Long time now, but she the one."

Elizabeth backed away so fast, she tripped over her own feet, and landed on her butt.




Dark as Daylight Ch. 04



Frank Abrams, who was training George Hawthorne at the helm, left his position to help her up.

"Are you all right Captain?"

"Yes, thank you, I'm fine, Frank. Thanks for your help, please return to your position."

She returned to Teddy. "Little girl, how can you say such a thing to someone you barely know?"

"I not little, am 3. I put hands on head. God tell me what to say, not me. God say. I be here, you be here, but one of you girl babies be first to say hello to new 'people'. I not know any else yet."

"You don't know if they will be friendly? You don't know if we will still be living on this ship, or if we will be living on a planet? You don't know any of these things?"

"No, God or grandma not tell me. Your baby say hello. We wait, see what other people say."

"Elizabeth, Teddy's predictions have never been wrong. If we had a bank, you could take that prediction to it, and cash it in. All I can tell you is, at some future time, your daughter could bring in this strange looking 'person' and say to you, "Mom, 'Smi2ur' and I have decided to get married. When you wake up, you may find you are drinking water out of one of 'Smi2ur's 3 nipples, and faint again. 

We are on an expedition where no man or woman has ever gone before. Every country in our former world never thought this would happen. They tried every way they could to stop us. Trust me when I tell you Teddy is right. Let your life go on, day by day, and don't worry about your future. It will come as it's supposed to come."

"May I ask you a question Mrs. Thyme?"

"Please, just call me Delicious."

"Has Teddy ever made a prediction about you?"

"Yes she has. She predicted these 2 in my belly. 2 more the next time, and one at a time after that for a total of 7 children. Let's me tell you that I wanted my 2.4 children, as the U.S. Census Department said every American should have. My daughter decided I should have 7 instead. Guess who won?"

"What else has she done?"

"On the day we were leaving Earth, Teddy predicted that the son of a good friend of ours was going to meet a redheaded doctor, fall madly in love with her, and she with him. He was the son of William Zabo, and she was the niece of our head nurse, Hannah Miles. Depending on which story you believe, he said she pushed him down. She said he tripped her. It doesn't matter now, they're probably already married, and living in South Carolina, where they are building the 'Good Luck 2.' One other thing, when Gwen put her head between Teddy's hands, Teddy told her she had a tumor behind her right eye. Gwen said she just had a physical, and nothing showed up. We told her the story about Teddy, and William Junior made a donation of $5 million to the hospital to get her an appointment with the head of radiology, and the best x-ray technician for the next day. The tumor was there. Her operation was scheduled for New Year's Eve. You can ask Hannah if it's true. Is that enough?"

"Yes, I guess that will do. I put it on all my forms, and they still accepted me. I'm a lesbian, I can't see myself having children."

"I will guarantee you one thing Elizabeth, no man on the ship will rape you, because the penalty for that is death, with no appeal. Every man had to sign that portion of the contract, before being approved to fly with us. Any inappropriate touching, they go to the brig for 90 days, with no appeal. There is nowhere to hide, because there are cameras everywhere. If you are touched inappropriately, one of those cameras will pick it up for all to see.

I think there are only 4 or 5 unattached men on this craft, as opposed to 17 unattached women. With odds like that if you can't get a date, something's wrong with you. That does not include children under the age of 18. Those figures are just for adults.

Elizabeth, my dad does not pull someone off navigation and put them into Captain in training position for no reason. You must be very special. Your scores must be off the charts. You are the only one to score a 97% on the Captain's test, other than my mother. My father is getting a lot of mileage out of it. No one knows what my father scored, except for Callie. Callie will not tell anyone what his score was.

I didn't see you at any of the science seminars, while we were building this spacecraft. How is it you got assigned to navigation?"

"I always loved astronomy, and I took every advanced class that was available to me. I also took classes online to increase my knowledge of navigation between points in space, including advanced courses from NASA. It was very difficult at first, but I grew to enjoy it, and I did very well. 

When I left home, I took the first job that was available at the Science Project. Every time there was an opening, I took the test and I got that job. I kept moving up at such a rapid rate they asked me if I was interested in being part of the crew. I jumped at it. When they asked me what particular field I wanted to try I said, "Navigation." 

"They looked at me because I was so young, but when I took the test, I did so well they approved me immediately, and trained me as part of the secondary crew. I continued doing so well, they moved me up to the primary crew."

"How old are you Elizabeth?"

"17

"What! Does my dad know you are only 17 years old?"

"He had my file in front of him at our meeting yesterday. He must know how old I am."

"Delicious Thyme to Captain Even Luck. Delicious Thyme to Captain Even Luck."

"Hi baby, what's up?"

"Do you know how old Elizabeth Franklin is?"

"Of course, she's 27 years old. Why do you ask?"

"Dad, there was an input error, when they filled out the forms on the ground. Elizabeth Eugenia Franklin is 17 years old."

"Say that again slowly."

"The young woman in charge of the ship at this moment, Elizabeth Eugenia Franklin is 17 years old."

"They are thawing out Gordon now. Once I'm sure he's okay I'll come up to the bridge and have my heart attack. She is in charge, she knows what to do, let her do it. If I find the asshole who made that clerical error, I'm going to pull his nose out through his toes. I knew she looked young, but not 17. I nearly caused that child's death today, when I ran her through a primary simulation."

"I'll be here with her dad."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Teddy, before Grampa gets here, check Elizabeth and make sure she's capable of doing the captains job. She is only 17."

"Lisbeth, head please."

This time Elizabeth sat on the floor, and Teddy walked up behind her. She took a long time and when she was finished she said, "Okay, Lisbeth, you want know more later or now?"

"I have work to do now; can we do this later?"

"Yes, I go play room now."

>>>>>>>>>> 

Elizabeth asked, "Has anything shown up on the long-range scans?"

"Nothing so far Captain."

>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Mommy, Lizbeth really good Captain, like grandma, and grandpa, but she very confused inside."

"Why do you say that baby?"

"She grow up in bad house. Daddy take advantage of girls. Daddy, boys do terrible things to girls. She lucky; much too young before police take her away. Live with aunt and girl cousin. Sleep with girl cousin. Do things make Elizabeth feel wanted and loved, still bad things. Now afraid of all men and boys touch. Not be in same room with man, not safe. Only safe with girl. Hannah, must talk Hannah. You help Lizbeth too. She like you."

"Are you sure you're not older than I am?"

"You ask me all time. I sure, you sure?"

"I'm not sure, because you are so much smarter than I am."

"Not only me, God help me. Grandma help me. I pray all time. Many prayers answer, some not."

"I love my Teddy so much."

"Teddy missed her mommy so much. Cried to sleep. Not do again please. Stay with us, and new babies."

"Do you remember when we went to our apartment and we prayed together. I promised God and you I would never leave again. I promised I would be a better mommy to all my children. 

I was responsible for all the pain and suffering that happened to my family. I had to leave. It took me a very long time to find a way to tell daddy how bad a person I was and how I would try to be a better wife for him, and mother to Newton, you, and our new babies. 

Your father is a wonderful man. I love him so much, and I hurt him badly. There are many ways you can hurt the man you are married to, and what I did was the worst. I abused your daddy by hitting him with my bad mouth, and my fists for 16 years. Your daddy never said a bad word back to me during all those years. 

When he told me what a terrible person I was, and I realized what I did to him, Newton and you, I didn't believe it, until my dad told me to look in a mirror. That was when I knew everything daddy said was true. I could not face my family any more. You were all witnesses to the bad things I did. I had to stay away from you. I am so sorry Teddy. I won't do it again, ever. I will never do a bad thing to anyone in our family again. Please forgive me."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Dammit, she's crying, and I didn't hit her."

"GORDON!!!"

Delicious flew into his arms, and they both wound up on the floor.

"Would you please get up. It would seem I don't have my strength back, and you are packing a few extra pounds."

"Those aren't pounds' asshole, those are babies."

"Mommy say ' BAD WORD AGAIN!"

"I'm sorry baby, as soon as you say hello to Uncle Gordon, and he goes to see Aunt Zoey, and his new baby, we will go back to our room and pray. Is that okay?"

"No more bad words?"

"No more bad words."

"Gordon, am 3 now."

"Yes, grandpa told me. He said he saved 'Creamy Cow' for you. That must have been fun."

I tell grandpa everyone have Creamy Cow."

"You are a very wonderful person Teddy. Would you do something for me?"

"Yes."

"Would you feel my head to see if that thing got bigger, while I was asleep?"

"Pick up please." 

"Mommy hand on top of head. No heat right?"

"Yes baby, no heat this time."

"It there, much smaller, very, very smaller."

"What the heck happened to it?"

"Let Joe take pictures of it and find out. Let's not stand around here with fingers up our asses."

Teddy screamed, "BAD WORDS, PRAY OR GOD GET EVEN. NO MORE BAD WORDS."

"Teddy, grandpa is very sorry for his use of bad language. He is so sorry that he is going to have a chapel built where everybody can pray any time they want to pray. It won't be very big, because we don't have a lot of space. I promise you it will be beautiful, and a place 's where everyone knows God is there for them. It is something I should have planned for in the original design of this ship, and I make no excuse for not putting it in."

"God not need lot space; need quiet so hear you. Zoey awake, good time surprise her, maybe bring baby too?"

"Teddy, I think you're smarter than all of us," Gordon said. 

"Everybody say so, must be right."

Everyone laughed.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

The family trooped down to the infirmary, where Gordon received a hero's welcome. When Joe Finch was told about the tumor in Gordon's head having shrunk considerably, he immediately wanted to take x-rays, a CAT scan, and every other test imaginable. At that very moment, Delicious' water broke.

"Do you see sis; I brought you good luck."

"Yeah you little twerp. Do you want to push these 2 puppies out for me?"

"Nope, get Gray to do it for you. I'm on my way up to see my wife, with my new baby daughter."

"Are you sure she's yours? She has blonde hair and green eyes. Your mother says she's really worried about the gene pool you may have come from."

"I know the gene pool you came from. I'm really worried about your kids."

"Don't you talk about my children like that. I'm not allowed to hit anyone anymore. I'll have Gray do it for me."

"Since when are you not allowed to hit?"

"My water is on the floor. Would you mind if I deliver my babies, and we'll talk about this later?"

"No, this is more important."

"Dad hit him for me, and get him out of here."

Much to Gordon's surprise, I hit him, grabbed him by his collar, and dragged him out of the infirmary.

Corne (Corn-E), a student nurse, picked up 'Female baby Luck' and fell in behind Gordon and me, with the rest of the family behind us.

I knocked on her door and asked, "Zoey are you decent, your babies are here to nurse."

"Very funny dad, come on in."

Gordon walked in first, and wasted no time getting to his wife. 

Zoey didn't have time to scream. Gordon's lips smothered hers. As they came up for air, Gordon said, "I am so sorry, so very sorry I left you for so long. As long as I live, I will never do that to you again. I don't care what they say about not thinking or dreaming while you are in a frozen state. I can guarantee you I thought about you every second of every day. I know you were lonely without me. Trust me when I tell you I was as lonely as you were. I love you so much Zoey, I don't know how you survived it."

She smiled at him. "Would you shut up and kiss me."

"Forever and another lifetime together."

"People, I don't think we are needed here. They seem to be acting normally for a newlywed couple. Gordon, Zoey, there will be no sex for 30 days. None, zero, zilch, nothing, not a bit, not an iota, not a hint, not some, not for one, not for both, not for either party in the marriage. Your wife will recuperate before you start your gymnastics all over again. If you want your 2nd child in 10 months and one day, that's fine. If you are smart, which I don't believe you are Gordon, I would ask Hannah for a supply of condoms. I believe 500 would do, until your wife's birth control pills take effect in three months. 

As you know this will do 2 things for the ship: Foremost in my thoughts, is that she will remain calm as she did when she began taking the birth control pills on earth. 2nd, you can space your children several years apart. It would make Zoey's life easier because she wouldn't have to run after 2 little tykes at the same time, while you are sitting on your ass training your replacement."

Zoey reared back and hit him on his shoulder.

"Ow, what was that for? I just got out of stasis, and I'm in trouble already?"

"How could you possibly be in trouble, when you've been missing for 4 months. It was just a love tap, to tell you how much I missed you, and make sure you listen to your father's advice, completely."

"Dad, what is it with women? They can't ask you to do something. They have to beat you up before they ask you to do it."

"I don't know son. Your mother is not that way with me. I just lay down the law. She says 'Yes sir; and that's the end of our discussion."

Zoey asked, "Would you mind if I asked mom if that statement is true?"

"Go right ahead Zoey. She's in her sleep period now, but you can leave a message for her on the computer, and she will get back to you."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Attention all hands, attention all hands, this is Captain Franklin. We are starting a 60° left turn and climbing at a 70° ascension angle. Please hold on to anything you can. We have an asteroid the size of Rhode Island closing in on us, at 130,000 mph. That is all."

As the ship started its maneuver, I said to Zoey, "Take the baby and crawl under the blankets with her. Gordon get on the floor grab one of the bed posts. Jodi grab the other post, and hold hands with Gordon. Cornelia get in the closet and close the door. I'm going to try and make it to the bridge."

"Dad stay here. You know you won't make it in time. Callie will help if the student Captain gets it wrong. Get on the ground now."

I knew my son was right, so I did the best thing I could do to protect our family. I threw my body over Zoey's mid-section, making sure I did not touch our young addition. I did not want to smother my 11-hour old granddaughter accidentally. All I wanted to do was make sure Zoey did not go flying off the bed, and take our new little one along with her.

"Zoey see if she's hungry. Put her to your breast and see if she'll suckle."

"If Gordon was on top of me, he would be at the other breast."

"Why do you think he's on the floor, and I'm up here?"

"She is suckling dad."

"Good, the rapid changes won't bother her."

I pulled out my communicator and called the bridge.

"Captain Franklin, this is Captain Luck, what is our condition?"

"Not now Captain I'm busy."

I was about to throw my communicator at the wall, get up and storm to the bridge. No one on this ship talked to me like that and got away with it. I was going to take her head off at her ankles.

As my head, and my fury died down, I realized that my trainee was right. She was in control of the ship. She had the tactical view that I didn't have. She was in charge. I put her there. 17 god damn years old, and she put me in my place. I wondered if anyone else would have had the courage to do it?

The spacecraft stopped its turn, but continued climbing. Suddenly, the ship made a radical right turn, and increased the rate of climb to near vertical. I thanked goodness for Dycke Schneider, and those millions of bearings in the 2nd cavity of the ship that kept us from rolling over. I had no idea what was happening up front, but for Elizabeth's first day, she was exceeding her 1% for her lifetime.

I could feel the ship slowly curving back to straight flight heading, and a 0° operation angle.

"Captain Franklin to Captain Luck. We are clear of Rhode Island, and the massive debris field that followed it. We have returned to base heading, and we need cleaning materials for the mess that's on the floor on the bridge."

"Captain Franklin, call maintenance; have them send up a double crew to take care of it. No one touches anything until I get there, and debrief the crew."

"Aye, aye Captain."

"Attention all hands, attention all hands, this is Captain Franklin, you may resume normal operations, the asteroid, and the debris field that followed it, are now behind us. Thank you."

"Dad, I don't know who that 17-year-old girl is, but she's a keeper."

"Gordon would you believe this is her first day on the bridge, alone?"

"It was hard enough believing she was 17. Now you're telling me this was her first day alone."

"She has exactly 6 hours and 27 minutes' experience on the bridge. 10 minutes after she sat down she had her first encounter with an asteroid, and she did very well. Now she has had her 3nd experience with an asteroid, and a debris field that came along with it. I think that young lady is going to make one hell of a Captain."

"Remember dad, it takes more than steering the ship around an asteroid to be a good Captain. Do you think a 17-year-old girl has that innate quality to manage not only the flight crew, but also the people on the ship, and their problems?"

"Thankfully she will not have that problem for forty or fifty years. She may always be the Junior Captain on this ship. The way our documents read it does not matter when you made Captain, it is your age that makes you senior when it comes to settling disputes."

"I don't know who thought that up, but it was an ingenious way to keep the elders in charge of judgments."

"I'm amazed you would think that way Gordon. Young people normally want to control everything."

"Dad, he who controls the computer, controls the world."

"Son just in case you haven't noticed, we live in a very small world."

Cornelia yelled, "Captain Luck can I come out of the closet now?"

"I'm sorry Corn'e, I forgot all about you. Come on out."

With clothes draped all over her, Cornelia Frist crawled out of Gordon and Zoey's closet. We rushed over to help her unencumber her from the mess.




Dark as Daylight Ch. 04



Gordon joked, "You wrinkled some of my wife's best dresses. She will probably want you to iron them for her."

"She brought an iron with her? I'll iron her underwear, if I can borrow it."

"I will never understand women dad. I thought I was giving her a punishment, and she offers to iron Zoey's undies if she can borrow an iron. We are truly different species."

"I want you to remind me of that statement in 2 months, when you and your lovely wife are back in action my son."

"You are cheating dad, and you know it."

"Am I really Gordon? Just because bugs mate, in quite the same fashion as humans, am I really cheating?"

>>>>>>>> 

"Report Elizabeth."

"Nobody picked it up sir. It wasn't there, until it was there. We have asked maintenance to do a thorough check on our sensors, because a target that large should have been sited from 100 million miles away, not a few thousand miles away. It did not show up on radar, it did not show up on our telescopes, it did not show up on anything at all, and that is not right. I have come up with one conclusion however. The closer we get to the entrance to the White Hole, the more, and faster asteroids, meteors, and space debris we run into. I believe the entrance to the White Hole is acting like a huge vacuum. Anything that comes with in its sphere of influence gets pulled closer to it, and increases in velocity. Sometime pieces along the edges break free of the White Hole's influence, because of the increase of speed. Those are the ones that are being hurled at us. Sir that is going to include us in a few days and I have a proposal for you."

"I haven't yelled at you for being 17 yet, and you have a proposal about the White Hole for me? This better be very good Captain, or I'm going to put you back in diapers."

"Why are you angry with me, I didn't make the mistake. I told everyone the truth. I didn't want to get pulled off navigation, you pulled me off remember?"

"Yes I remember, go ahead."

"Your son, Holden, drew the White Hole in the shape of a cone both on the inbound side, and on the outbound side. I suggest we use a parallel outbound heading, possibly 50 or 60 million miles away from the 'Cone's entrance inbound.' If our equipment is working properly, we will be able to see the 'White Hole' pulling everything towards its entrance. Once we are far enough away from the sphere of influence, and we don't have to constantly dodge meteors and debris; we can look for an object 4 or 5 times larger than ourselves, and without a dense debris field lined up behind it. We can watch for several hours, or a day, and determine if the object is going to be pulled in to the cone or bounce outside it. Once we have confirmed it is going to be sucked into the Hole, we move to within 15 to 25,000 meters of the obstruction, and use it as our shield all the way through the inbound portion, and, if it holds together, out the other side. 

As we clear the far side of the hole, and while we are still within the shield of this object, we extend the nuclear engine. As soon as we have enough space between us and any other foreign objects, we follow Gordon's advice, and take up a heading of 085°, and climb at an angle of ascension 035, and get to maximum speed as quickly as possible. 

The Sagittarius 'A' Star should be 800 million light-years behind us at a bearing of 180°, at a declination of 5 degrees. According to my calculations, it should be within one month, more than likely less, of being eaten by the Supermassive Black Hole. If it is too much less than one month, we will be too close to it, and we will be sucked into the conflagration that will follow the explosions. 

If we can get to 3 or 4 times lightspeed for 1 or 2 days, we should be clear of any x-ray pulses, super dynamic flares, and solar winds with radiation levels that our containment fields cannot resist."

"Captain Franklin, you are full of good news today, aren't you?" 

Gray said from his position, "Dad, she is 17, but Delicious and I will adopt her, if she feels the need of a family."

"Gray hasn't anybody told you, your wife is delivering the twins at this moment?"

On the run he said, "Request permission to leave the bridge?"

"Granted."

"I don't believe anyone told him Captain."

"A very safe statement Elizabeth. Callie what do you think about our young captains' proposals?"

"I would change one thing Captain; prior to making the turn inbound to the White Hole, I would have made the decision on which object I was going to follow in. If the object is four times, or larger than the size of this vessel, the distance behind it should not be any more than 10 to 15,000 meters. Any smaller than 4 times the size of this vessel, is not advisable."

"You agree with everything else Captain Franklin said?"

"Everything Captain Franklin stated is correct."

I turned to her and said, "Elizabeth, how dare you be only 17."

"It's not my fault Captain. Look at my penmanship on the reports I submit. It's very neat, and legible."

"I already did. What the hell am I supposed to do with you? When is your birthday?"

"Monday."

"Look at me Elizabeth, and tell me you will be 18 on Monday, not 17. I will die right in front of you if you tell me you're going to be 17."

"You are safe Captain. I will be 18 years old on Monday."

"Mister Abrams you have the bridge. Captain Franklin and I will be in my ready room for five minutes."

"Callie this is Helmsman Frank Abrams; I have the bridge."

"Do you agree Captain Luck?"

"I agree Callie. Two things, please keep a close eye on him, and begin checking all our instrumentation."

"Roger Captain." 

"Come with me Elizabeth."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Once we were in the ready room I closed and locked the door.

"Elizabeth, what would happen if I would touch you sexually right now."

"You are my superior officer. I would die of shame. I would probably kill myself."

"Look above my head, and to the left. What do you see?"

"A rounded black module for a camera."

"Elizabeth we are being watched. Everyone all around the ship is being watched. It's not that we are not trustworthy, it's for security, and for everyone's well-being. If someone slips down the steps, security will know it instantly, and they will react. If I were to touch you inappropriately an alarm would sound and people would come through that door and arrest me immediately. From the way you talk, I'm sure you read the entire contract. What happens to me if I touch you inappropriately?"

"You go to the brig for 90 days."

"In my case, what else happens?"

"Oh my, you lose your rank and privileges."

"That is correct. Do you think I would chance risking all that just to touch you?"

"No Captain, I don't think you would."

"With you, I can't use this term, "As safe as in your mother's arms", because you never knew your mother."

"How did you know that, I never put that on any of my forms."

"Elizabeth I need you to be comfortable during this conversation. Sit down on the other side of the table from me, because everything I am about to say is important for your well-being.

Teddy told me everything about you. That's why we're in this room having a private conversation. What she said will not affect your advancement to become Captain. Janet, Gloria, and you have shown your ability to handle this ship wisely. With time and a little more hands-on training, Jennifer and I can finally get the rest we dearly need.

You have another problem you must overcome, and that is your fear of men. We will be arranging for you to have counseling sessions with our head nurse, Hannah Miles. I owe Hannah my life. If it wasn't for her care, and the care of two other dedicated nurses, I would never have survived pancreatic cancer. 

I thought I knew how to heal myself better than they did. I read all the articles, and journals. I thought I was smarter than they were. I thought I was better than they were. It didn't take me very long to find out which of us was wrong.

I thought Hannah was the weakest of the three nurses, and I took advantage of her. During the day she sat in her corner and watched me abuse her kindness while she knitted. She would say Doctor Luck don't do that. I would reply it's okay. This is nothing. She wouldn't do a thing. I had her number, until she put me to bed. Do you know what a number 7 knitting needle is?"

"No Doctor, I don't knit."

"Neither did I, until Hannah broke over 120 of them on my ass, hip and thigh bones during the nearly 2 years she was my wonderful, attentive, and kind nurse. My security team, my wife and children, could not wait for Hannah to put me to bed at night. Only she knew how many demerits I accumulated during the day. The screams that came out of my bedroom, were countered by the laughter that came out of my living room and kitchen. It didn't matter if the Super Bowl was on, the score was tied and the ball was on the 1-yard line. If Hannah was putting me to bed everything was turned off, so they could listen to me screaming in pain at tiny Hannah's hands. That's how wonderful a person Hannah is. Her only desire in life is to get her patient well. She will do anything and everything in her power to do it. She will help you. It may take her a week, it may take her 20 years, but when you finally open up to her, she will become your best friend, and a true confidant.

I will let you know when your first appointment with her is. After that, Hannah and you will make your own schedule."

"I have no say in this?"

"None."

"What if I go to the cleaning crew?"

"I will not allow that to happen."

"You are delving into my private life, and I am uncomfortable with it Captain."

"I know all about your private life Elizabeth, and I will not mention a word about it to anyone, not even my wife. When Teddy touches someone's' head, it's like you are giving her your life story from birth to death. She sees and feels everything you have ever done, and everything that will ever happen in your future. That is how she told you about your daughter making 'First Contact.' It should not change who you are, just live your life. You believe you are a lesbian. That will have no effect on you, with me or anyone on this ship, because if you don't mention it, neither Hannah or I will. There will be no written record of this meeting. Teddy will never tell anyone about your private life. Otherwise, these meeting are between you and Hannah. I have forgotten about this conversation, as soon as I walk out that door." 

"Now, let's put you back in the captain's chair, because the ship hasn't turned in at least 20 minutes."

"Did you see the floor?"

"I forgot to look."

"You can tell who had orange juice and who had Gatorade with their wheat bran this morning."

"And what did you have with your wheat bran this morning Captain?"

"Coffee, Arabica, I believe. Not as sweet as Sumatran, not as mellow as Hawaiian Estate, not as tasty as Jamaican Blue Mountain, and not as ordinary as Mesoamerican."

"My goodness, not yet 18 years old, and a coffee connoisseur."

"No sir, it was an advertisement I remembered from a coffee club. Gevalia, I believe. They were extolling the virtues of their blended coffees, instead of the pure bean coffees."

"You are goofing around, back to work."

"I can't take back the bridge, without you being there sir."

"You are right. I'm going to have to change that protocol."

As we walked back onto the bridge I said, "Mister Abrams you are relieved."

"Thank you Captain."

"Callie Acting Captain Elizabeth Franklin has the bridge."

"Do you agree Captain Luck?"

"Yes I do Callie. I need some help in wording for a transfer of power on the bridge. Moments ago helmsman Abrams was in charge of the bridge by my authority. Upon return from a consultation with me, acting Captain Franklin now has the bridge. She should take command, but I was not here to transfer control. Is there a way for the senior captains to work around that provision?"

"Yes Captain there is. You can put a time limit on Mister Abrams authority on the bridge, or you can say, "Mister Abrams has the bridge, until Captain Franklin returns, at which time Captain Franklin shall resume command authority. It is a rather straightforward transfer of command."

"Callie, I don't know what I'd do without you and your sisters."

"Thank you Captain, we strive to do our best."

"Is there any progress in checking out our long distance electronic equipment?"

"Yes sir. All long-distance equipment readings were incorrect, and the equipment was not functioning properly. I am in the process of repairing it now. It should not take more than 37 minutes, before everything is in optimal condition."

"Thank you Callie."

"Captain Franklin, you have the bridge, until you are appropriately relieved, by a higher ranking officer. If you feel yourself getting tired, or if you even think you're getting tired, call me so I can read you the riot act. You are only 17 years old until Monday. You are in the prime of your youth. You should be able to stay up for 3 days in a row partying with your high school friends. If you were in the military, the manual says you are allowed a maximum of two hours sleep every 24 hours. You can always play chess with Callie, she is very good at it. Don't expect to win."

"Captain, I've never lost a game of chess."

"Who taught you how to play?"

"I did."

"Oh no, another Patty Valentino. 

"Who is Patty Valentino?"

"When we have more time I will explain who she is. However, right now I want you to give me a minute; I have to yank on someone's chain."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Captain Luck to Laura Schiff."

"This Is Laura captain."

"Laura do you know anyone that plays chess at the Master's level on the ship?"

"Do you mean besides me Captain?"

"I didn't realize you were certified Master."

"I'm not, but do you think there's anyone on this ship that can beat me?"

"You do mean besides me don't you?"

"Captain don't pat yourself on the back."

"Laura, I'll bet you my oatmeal against your boiled rice that I have someone on this ship that will beat you in a game of chess. She has never been beaten before, and I doubt you will beat her, either using your mother's game, or your sister's game."

"You have a bet Captain. What's sucker am I playing?"

"Captain Elizabeth Franklin."

"Who?"

"Do you remember all the radical movements we've been making today that saved our ship from imminent disaster?"

"Yes I do."

"That was my trainee, Captain Elizabeth Franklin. I was not on the bridge with her, to guide her hand to save this ship. In after action reports by our computer, everything she did was as near-perfect as could be. In all her life she has never lost a game of chess. I suggest you start reading up again. Play a few hundred games against our computer, because I know you've been very busy with Adam, since you two got married. I don't want you to claim you are rusty and that 'SEX' was the reason for your demise. I'm giving her off on Monday, because it is her birthday. It seemed like a nice thing to do. I will schedule a video match so the entire ship can watch the two of you play. I have decided that you will play white and my trainee will play black. Elizabeth said she did not wish to take advantage of you, because you are not a ranked player."

"How magnanimous of you Captain. You do realize that white always has an advantage."

"Only if the person playing white knows what she is doing."

"What time Tuesday Captain?"

"The time may fluctuate, because of some changes I am thinking about making. However, we get off duty at midnight Monday morning. Unless we are going through the White Hole, or something abnormal is happening on the ship, I will schedule the match for 1500 hours on the stage in the auditorium."

"I will be there."

"You better be, otherwise you will be disobeying a direct order and you will wind up in the brig."

"It must be wonderful to be the king."

"Yes it is. Goodbye Laura."

"Goodbye your Majesty."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Okay where were we Elizabeth? You have control of the bridge, until you are appropriately relieved. My wife and I will have breakfast together, for the first time in nearly 10 months. When we return to the bridge, I will give my wife a complete report on the previous day's activities."

"How can you give a complete report on the previous day's activities if you weren't here sir?"

"It's very simple, and it is part of your training. I will tell my trainee to give a detailed report of everything that happened during the previous 8 hours. It includes every evasive action you took, and why. Every mechanical problem that occurred, why it wasn't noticed sooner, and was it repaired to your satisfaction. Are there any personnel actions that need to be handled, either on the bridge, or on the spacecraft in general? Are there any propulsion problems that have been reported by engineering?"

"Why don't you stay asleep, and I'll give Captain Jennifer Luck the briefing."

"How am I going to have breakfast with my wife, if I'm still sleeping?"

"I have the bridge Captain, enjoy your nap."

"Thank you Captain Franklin, I have my communicator with me. I don't expect it to go off."

"Yes sir."

>>>>>>>>>>> 

I walked into our room, and undressed in the kitchen. I took my communicator, walked into the bedroom, and found Jennifer sprawled out all over our bed. I climbed in, and forced my body against hers. When she grumbled, I pretended I was sleeping. She grunted and turned on her side. I moved closer and held my body and hers by linking our legs and arms. She refused this position, threw her right arm over, and rested on her back. 

I raised her nightgown, slipped my hand into her panties, and started playing with the little protrusion that drove her wild. She reacted immediately, and brought her hips closer to the fingers that was bringing her pleasure. Since we are unable to have sex for over a month, because she just delivered our twins, she was more than ready to begin our activities.

However, Doctor Finch put a stop to that. Finch said no sex for 4 weeks, and Jennifer said no more children. After a quick check of our condom supply, there was nothing close to my size. That left me only one option, actually two. I could get another vasectomy, or I could return to my pre-marriage status, and not have sex any longer. Somehow I did not believe Jennifer would go along with number 2. She would divorce me, be the reason for my death or both. I could not go along with that.

I continued to worry her clitoris, and she continued to react to it. Her hips were flying off the bed, she was perspiring, and words were coming out of her mouth, demanding some entity to top her off. Since I was here, I decided to be that entity.

I whispered into her ear, "The stars Jen, they're waiting just over the hill. You have to get over the hill to see the stars. You remember stars Jenny, look for our stars. Come on, try harder.

I inserted 2 fingers into her vagina, and rubbed sideways against top wall, leaving my thumb pressing against the little button.

I thought her scream would wake up the babies in the other room, but they slept through it; our little darlings.

I continued whispering sweet little things into Jen's ear, and she started saying, "please, I need this, please, please, you prick..." and then it happened for her. At long last her physical needs were met. She came as only Jennifer could, or as only I knew a woman could. In a microsecond her panties were sodden, fluids were all over my hand, and our sheets were a mess.




Dark as Daylight Ch. 04



However, the smile and look on Jennifer's face was worth it all. It was at times like these I wished we had not banned cameras.

"Thank you Even, that was the most wonderful orgasm I ever had."

"And here I thought you were sleeping."

"I was asleep at the beginning, but the first 2 little orgasms woke me up. The big one was magnificent. Would you keep notes on what you did please? I don't want you to forget a thing."

"It was all you baby, you and the look on your face. All I did was follow you, as you changed, I changed what I was doing. When you started pleading at the end, I knew what to do, and I would have moved heaven and earth to give it to you. I Jennifer Stars Luck. I always will."

"I don't care how nice you are to me Even, 'No More Children!"

"Mrs. Luck, I had to wait for you to deliver 'Lady', and 'Lord', before I scheduled my vasectomy. Finch was so busy delivering babies, he didn't have time for anything else."

"Even come closer to me."

I moved closer to my lovely and sated wife. She put her arms around me and kissed me passionately.

"What did you say you named our baby girl?"

"I named her 'Lady' of course."

Jennifer's arms closed around my neck to the point I could not breathe.

"Love of my life, please tell me that you're joking."

"Jennifer, I have very little air left in my lungs, and I told you many years ago I would never lie to you. Our baby's girl's name Is 'Lady Jennifer Luck."

"You are the luckiest son of the bitch alive."

"Why would you say that dear? Did you think I would just name her 'LADY LUCK' and not have an escape plan to leave this humble abode?"

"Even you have only mentioned our son in passing. You said his name was 'Lord.' Lord what?"

"I gave him a wonderful Scottish name. It goes back centuries and more centuries and even more centuries than that darling."

"Even you are stalling for time. Anytime you do that, I know you're in trouble. Exactly how much trouble are you in, and have you signed the birth certificate?"

"Let me give you his name first. You can tell me how much trouble I am in the second. And I can say yes to the third thing. Then you can tell me if I'm going to need the vasectomy or not, because I'll be dead."

"Oh Even, what did you do to that poor boy?"

"His name is, 'Lord Levin Luck."

"What's so bad about that Even? I like it. Everyone will call him 'Lev.' There is nothing wrong with that at all."

"You mean I did something right for a change?"

"I guess you understood your life would have been forfeit if you did something wrong. Now that I think of it; Even, why aren't you on the bridge."

"I was very tired, so I decided to get some sleep. I am very comfortable leaving Franklin on the bridge, and Callie is always there to help her. She's only been on the bridge for one day, and she is very smart. I will tell you later about the plan she came up with about us going through the White Hole. When I asked Callie what she thought of this suggestion she only had one change she would make. One change from a suggestion made by a one-day Captain in training. She is going to make one fantastic captain.

I would make you a wager when you give her the 2nd test next week she will come out number 1. Janet will come out number 2, and Gloria will come out number 3."

"Do you know what that means Even? We are going to have all female captains. José is not going to make it though I had high hopes for him. Stephen, according to your reports is not going to make it either. This next test will tell us for sure who has the possibility of making it through the program, but we have to start looking for more candidates for the program."

"I won't lower the standards we set for captains. If the men don't make it, I don't care if a zebra makes it over them. If we only have women we only have women captains. It makes no difference to me. No one knows Gordon is a Captain. He is going to be called upon to be one very shortly. We are going to go on eight hour shifts, and you and I will be able to take days off to get some rest. I haven't been feeling well, and I could really use it."

"Don't you dare die on me, because that will leave me as the senior captain, and the judge. Every infraction somebody makes I have to make the decision. I'm not ready for that responsibility."

"I'll make you a deal, 7 more children, and I won't die."

"Goodbye Even, your sister is waiting for you."

"You are mean."

"No more children. You have all the fun, and I have to wait 9 months to get rid of them. It's not going to happen my love. I love you more than my own life, but one time you promised me no more children, then you went back on your word. I should've left you then, but I'm not allowed to divorce you. I can make you sleep in another bedroom if that's what you want, and that's what I'll do."

"I've checked the condom situation and they don't have anything close to my size. I will have to get another vasectomy. I was stupid enough to leave mine at home. Whoever moves in is going to think the jolly green giant live there. I will talk to Finch about the vasectomy first thing in the morning."

"Thank you Even, you're back to where you should of been 3 children ago."

"Please don't be angry with me; I can't stand it when you're angry with me."

"How can I stay angry with you, when I think about Richard and Holden building Good Luck 2. Who knows what these 2 are going to build. I just don't want any more children."

"There will be no more children. I promise you that from the bottom of my heart."

"That's good enough for me, lie down, while I find a pair of scissors."

"What are you going to do with a pair of scissors."

"I'm going to give you a free vasectomy."

"Okay, just make sure you have enough light. I have to go back to work soon."

"Even, you are out of your mind."

"I may be, but I trust you implicitly."

"Get some sleep Even."

"Only if you are in my arms."

"That works for me, my side of the bed seems to be all wet."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Gray walked into the infirmary to find Delicious talking amiably with the student nurses. She was in a hospital gown, and still heavily pregnant, as he went over and kissed her hello.

"Hello baby, they just told me that you were here. What's going on?"

She returned his kiss, and replied, "My water broke, but I'm not dilated. They getting ready to do a cesarean section, because it's almost been an hour, and I have no labor pains, and is not good for the babies."

"Is Finch any good at this, otherwise I'll get Jack to do it."

"From what I've been told, Jack is a master with a blade. If you don't believe me, ask..."

A bed pan went flying past his nose, missing by less than a hair's breath. Everyone turned and looked towards Hannah.

"I'm sorry about that Gray. It must have just come out of the sterilizer, and I didn't realize it was still hot."

Gray retrieved the pan. It was ice cold. He returned it to Hannah, and she accepted it graciously. She whispered, "If you finish that sentence, this pan will be attached to your ass permanently."

Joe Finch walked into the room, and kissed Delicious. "Okay you, hop up on the table, and let's do this thing."

Delicious grabbed him by the throat. "Joseph, if I even see a hint of a line on my belly, when these stitches heal, I can promise you that you will not have one restful night's sleep for the rest of your life."

Gray yelled, "Delicious, we have a deal."

She walked over to her husband, and kissed him. She whispered into his ear, "I know we do, and I will not break that vow. However, I am allowed to make idle threats, can't I?"

"I'm only doing it for you darling. I don't want you looking at a scarred up body, when he's trained to make me look like a movie star. If he fucks up, I should have the right to kill him."

"No you don't. You're not allowed to hit, or abuse anyone on this ship anymore. That includes your brother or anyone else that normally antagonizes you. You have to change baby, you must change. Do you agree with me on that or not?"

"Yes Gray, I agree, and I will go along with what we agreed on."

"However, if you come to me with a grievance, and I believe it's worthy of action, I will take our beloved Doctor, and write your name across his chest with one of the scalpels. Will that be all right with you?"

"Yes dear, that will be sufficient."

"You can deliver our twins now Doctor Finch."

"You two put on a very good act together. We are going to have to turn the two of you into a comedy team. Gray, if you're staying in here get washed up and into your greens. Hannah, his hair is all greasy, see if you can do something about it. A cap won't be sufficient."

Joe winked at her, and Hannah nodded her head.

"Come with me Gray, we have to do this in another area so it doesn't get all over the surgical suite."

Hannah took him back into a combination laundry room, storage room, catchall room. If it didn't belong anywhere else, it was here.

"Gray, after I wet down your hair with hot water, this is what's going to happen. I'm going to use Betadine surgical solution to get this garbage out of your hair. Then I'm going to put these vibrators on my hands so he can get all the way down to your scalp and get it clean in less than a minute. I will put conditioner on your hair, and let it sit for one-minute, before I wash it out, dry your head, and put a cap over it. Because the Betadine surgical solution is so intense you can either hold gauze pads over your eyes or I can tape them there, it's your choice."

"As long as you don't put the tape over my eyebrows, I'm okay with you taping it."

"Okay, that's fine. I want you to put the vibrators on your hands, and rub them through your hair. You will know what it feels like when I'm rubbing it through. Some women feel a very intense tingling down lower, I've never had to do this with a man."

"In that case this should be very interesting Hannah."

Gray put the machines on his hands, and Hannah threw the switches. As Gray ran the machines through his hair the feeling was quite intense. After 30 seconds, Hannah turned off the machine.

"Very interesting Hannah, very interesting indeed."

"Should I ask for an in-depth explanation of what very interesting means?"

"I know sex goes from the pituitary gland and proceeds lower, so I would say those things do marvelous, marvelous work."

"Leave it to a man to get technical. Not one woman mentioned anything technical. All they mentioned was sex. Let me get your head wet, so I can tape you up and get this done. Be advised this water will be hot."

As soon as Hannah started putting the water on his head, Gray howled.

"Holy Cow, you weren't kidding."

"We are restricted to the same rules you are as far as time limits on water. The only difference is we have the surgical lotions to clean up with before and after surgeries. The surgical equipment does not have that restriction."

"Close your eyes I'm going to put the gauze over them now. Breathe through your mouth not through your nose. We don't want any of the Betadine getting in there."

Hannah poured a generous amount of Betadine solution on his head and told him she was about to turn the vibrators on and to just relax. Unknown to him she replaced one of the vibrators with a hair trimmer they used to remove body hair patients awaiting surgery. As she moved the vibrator the trimmer was right behind it. Gray never felt one piece of hair leaving his head the overhead camera saw it all, and believed it was all a part of a procedure.

Hannah asked, "How are you feeling Gray, and please don't tell me about your pituitary gland?" She didn't stop moving her hands as she awaited his answer.

"At this point Hannah, I would say it is having more effect on my kidneys than anywhere else. I don't feel any sexual motivation or anything. The vibration is just making me want to go to the bathroom."

"Okay, I'm almost done, and all this grease is really coming out. Hair looks much better now. What were you using on it?"

"The same stuff Delicious uses on her hair."

"That's why your hair was so greasy. You should use a bar soap rather than that stuff. All done, let me rinse off your head and put the conditioner on it. Let me put booties on you, and get you a gown so we can save some time. Just lie still."

After putting the booties on, and the arms through the gown, Hannah washed the conditioner off his head. She put 2 caps on his head, took the gauze off his eyes, and the heavy towels that covered him into the sink behind him to cover up the evidence. She tied up the back of the gown, put gloves on his hands and led him out of the room.

Doctor Finch asked, "Is the grease gone?"

"Yes Doctor, I used the Betadine solution, and the vibrator. No grease could survive that treatment."

"Okay, get yourself ready to assist me. I'm going to give her a spinal block now."

"Okay Gray, since you're squeaky clean now, help me with your wife."

"What would you like me to do Doctor?"

"Oh now it's all nice because I'm about to help your wife. Before you were going to rip my lungs out."

"It was just a joke Joe, and you know it."

"Just remember Gray, he who laughs last laughs most."

"I don't think that's the way it goes."

"Would you two guys stop arguing over me. I have 2 children inside me that would like to be born today, if at all possible."

"I'm sorry Delicious, it's my fault. Gray help me turn her on her side. You're going to feels cold solution going on your back. Gray hold tight, don't let her move. "Delicious you going to feel a very big pinch on the count of 3. Ready, count, out loud, along with me."

"Ready, begin one..."

"OUUUUCCCHHH, you lying sack of shit."

"That wasn't too bad for my first spinal block."

"What do you mean your first?"

"I am not an anesthesiologist. I am a plastic surgeon. I am learning all this stuff on the fly. I'm delivering babies by the dozen, while at the same time I am trying to learn how to remove that damn thing from your brother's head. I know more about vagina's now, than I ever wanted to know. It's taking all the fun out of sex. If it wasn't for Hannah, I would be going crazy. The trainees are doing wonderfully, but they are about six months to a year away from being certified nurses.

Hannah is beating on them to move faster. I beating on Hannah to move faster to become a doctor. I don't think either of us has gotten 6 straight hours of sleep in the past 2 months."

"Joseph if you don't stop complaining, we will be here for the rest of the night."

"Who said that, somebody called my name. Everyone's on this side of me and my name came from behind me. Who's behind me?

"Do you need a roadmap Doctor?"

"Call me Joseph and I'll get to work."

"Go home Doctor, I'll do the cesarean. I know someone that's very good with blades."

"Call me Joseph. It will keep me sane, while we go through all this nonsense."

"Will you stop complaining all the time?"

"No, but I will complain a lot less."

"Joseph get to work. I want to be out of here in an hour and 10 minutes. If you leave a scar on that woman's belly I'm going to give you a trim."

Joe grabbed his crotch, and said, "Yes ma'am."

Hannah said, "Gray unless you have a very strong stomach I suggest you move up towards your wife's head, while we put up the sterile field."

"I think I'll visit my wife's head."

"Abigail get him something to sit on."

"Hello little girl, how are you feeling?"

"When are you going to learn that I not little?"

"When are you going to learn that it is a term of endearment?"

"It feels like these 2 are fighting in there."

"I want them to be like you Gray. I don't want them to be like me. All I am is trouble, and you are the finest man God ever created. Did you notice with this pregnancy, neither Newton or Teddy were able to talk to the babies?"

"Yes I noticed. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"Delicious can you feel my finger?"

"It all depends Doctor, where is your finger?"

"I'm about to cut open your stomach. I would like to know if you can feel my finger?"

"No Doctor Finch, I am unable to feel your finger. You may proceed with pulling out my twins."

"What are we going to name the Gray?"

"I'm sure Teddy will have something to say about it. If not, I'd like to name one of them after your mother, and the boy after my father. Don't you dare cry."

"How can I not cry. You the most wonderful person in the world, and I almost lost you, because I am a bitch."

"You can change that statement now. You are no longer a bitch; you are a bitch in recovery. Like a recovering alcoholic, you are changing the way you cope. It will take time, but we love each other, and we will make it work."

This tender moment was interrupted by the loud cry of a baby boy. Seconds later, he was joined by his sister.

Doctor Finch looked at Gray and said, "Congratulations, you have a pair of identical twins that look just like you."

"How can you tell, they're so tiny. The boy has no hair, and the girl has hair all over her head."

"Gray, you look at the faces, and the other features, not the hair. You should know that by now."

"Hello over there, can I see my babies yet?"

The 2 men turned around with nothing in their hands.

Joe Finch said, "We don't have them, the nurses are cleaning them up, before they bring them over to you."

"Joseph why are you jawing with my husband, when you should be closing my stomach?"

"My Singer sewing machine broke, so I'm waiting for the Chinese model."

"Singer sewing machines are made in China. Do you have anything else to say?"

"I think I'll close up your wife now."

"May I borrow your communicator please?"

"Thank you. Delicious Thyme to Captain Luck. Delicious Thyme to Captain Luck."

"Hi baby how did it go?"

"It went great dad. The only real pain I felt was when he gave me the spinal block, and he is putting me back together now. That is when the real pain should start."

"I'm sorry you had to do it that way. How long is the recovery period? Do you know?"

"I haven't asked Joe yet, but I'll get there. How is mom feeling?"

"Frisky."

"Already, she just had twins."

"I have to have something taken care of before we can start playing games again, but she definitely is frisky."

"You're going to get yourself fixed again?"

"Permanently this time. She has laid down the law, and I will obey."

"Well now is the time to do it, because you can't do it anyhow."

"Exactly my point."

"I remember the day you brought her home dad. I couldn't believe she picked someone like you."

"What do you mean someone like me?"

"Let's face it dad, 15 years ago, you were not what anyone would call 'the catch of the day.' Any woman would have had to hold her nose while she said, "I do" as you walked down the aisle in a striped shirt, plaid pants, mismatched socks and boots with holes in the bottom of them. That is if you made it to the church in that car of yours. The transmission threatened to drop out every time you hit that hole in the street, but as far as you were concerned, it ran fine as long as you got the oil changed on time. You are the dumbest smart man I have ever met dad, and I love you."

"If you put down your phone I can give you a kiss."

"Why do you always do this to me?"

"Probably because I love you too, and I came down to see my grandchildren. There are pictures of your husband all over the ship with his new haircut. Apparently, there was a verbal altercation between Joe, Hannah, and Gray when he got here?"

"It was all in fun dad. I told Joe he wouldn't have good nights' sleep forever, if he left a scar on my stomach. Gray backed me up on it. What kind of pictures do they have of Gray?"   




Dark as Daylight Ch. 04



Dr. Finch said, "Hannah, you can take off now, you've put in a very long day."

"Thank you Joseph, I think I'll get something to eat before go to bed. Congratulations you two, enjoy your babies."

"Thank you Hannah."

Student nurse Joan said, "Here are your babies. Which one do you want Mister Thyme; boy baby, or girl baby?"

"I'll take girl baby please."

"A daddy's girl in the making."

"Delicious, this leaves you with no choice, you get the boy."

"You have no idea how terrible I feel taking my son from you."

"Mister Thyme, if you sit down, I will take off your booties, gown, and your hat."

I whispered, "Hold it together Delicious."

"Doctor Luck, would you come here for a moment and hold the baby in a swaddling blanket, while I take Doctor Thyme out of his greens."

"Holding my children on one floor, and my grandchildren on another; life is good."

"Bring her here dad, let me see her."

"Like Joe said, identical twins except for sex. What do they look like from there Gray?"

"They look absolutely perfect baby, absolutely perfect."

Newton, and Teddy walked into the infirmary to see the new babies.

Teddy asked, "Daddy, why did you cut off all your hair?"

"You mean the babies Teddy? Babies don't always come with hair."

Newton said, "No dad, they have pictures of you all over, showing you with no hair."

Gray reached for the green caps they used, during the surgery, and pulled them off.

Delicious covered her mouth to keep from laughing.

Teddy said, "See daddy, no hair."

Gray searched around the room for a mirror. When he found one, and looked at himself in it, he was extremely calm.

Newton you will stay by your mother's side tonight. You will not leave the room for any reason. I don't care if 16 of your girlfriends call you, and ask you out to play, the answer is 'NO.' You are confined to your mother's side, until I relieve you. Is that understood?"

"Yes dad, I understand."

"Teddy you stay with mommy and Newton."

"Yes daddy."

"What are you planning on doing Gray?"

"I going to take a verse from the Bible dear: do unto others, and so forth. The good doctor and his head nurse have seen fit to remove my hair, I going to remove theirs."

I asked, "Do you have any evidence against the doctor?"

"No, but Hannah wouldn't..."

"If you have no evidence against the doctor, and harm comes to him, it would mean up to 90 days in the brig for you."

"He told Hannah my hair was greasy, and to wash it."

"Did Hannah wash your hair, as she was told to do?"

Pointing at his head Gray said, "I believe she washed it with a lawnmower."

"Assessing guilt Gray, did Hannah wash your hair?"

"Yes she did."

"The doctor is off the hook. Your grievance is only with the head nurse. Do you wish to take it up through the Council, or handle it by yourself?"

Delicious asked, "Honey please take it up through the Council. I don't want you getting in trouble."

"She's getting married the day after tomorrow. She would look so lovely orange hair. We will take it through the Council."

"I will set a date when we come out the far side of the White Hole."

I took out my communicator and made an announcement. "Attention Hannah Miles, attention Hannah Miles, this is Captain Even Luck. Your roguish behavior this evening has been brought to my attention. Although the hair from Doctor Grayson Thyme's head has not been recovered, it can readily be seen as missing from the top of his head. We have visual evidence of you removing said hair from his head. Therefore, it has been decided that at some future date you will be brought before the Council to determine what penalty is appropriate for this crime. That is all.

"Newton, you are free to leave the room, after you kiss your mother goodbye."

Newton couldn't figure a way to get to his mother fast enough, and nearly killed himself on the cords running along the floor.

"Love you, mom."

"Newton get your ass back here right now."

"Yes mother."

"Has your father spoken with you recently?"

"We talk about a lot of things all the time mom. Is there anything in particular dad and I were supposed to talk about?"

"Yes, the thing you were running out the door for: SEX!"

"What's to discuss mom? It's been going on since Adam and Eve."

"How about Ernie and Steve?"

"Not my particular bag of tea mom."

"Speaking of bags, have you been to this infirmary lately, and picked any up?"

"You're the one that just had twins not me."

"I'm the one that's married not you. I'm in my mid-30s you are 15. I don't want little Newton's running around just yet. I'm not speed dating you are. I want you to have a blast, while you are young. I want the young women in your life to have fun also. The only way to do that is not to have any unplanned pregnancies in their lives. If there is one thing I ever did that I was very proud of, it was that I stayed a virgin, until my wedding night, with your father. It was harder than you can possibly imagine on both of us, but you were our gift for waiting. Your father and I are not asking you to wait, but if a young lady wants to wait, don't try to change her mind. She can get someone like you because of it. You can go now."

Newton hugged his mother and grinned. "Thanks mom, I love you too." He leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Sex is fun, safe sex is more fun." He jumped back just in time to miss his mother's right hand.

"Good night mom."

******************

6 AM Briefing (5:55 AM)

"Good morni... very cozy dear, I like your style."

"Be quiet Even, I have a headache."

"Sleeping on the conference table; you're supposed to have a back ache. Did you take anything for your headache?"

"Yes, I took 12 hours off from the twins."

"That's what the babysitters are for dear. The teenagers are happy to be out of school for a few hours to tend to the kids. It breaks up the monotony of their long school days. It works for everyone. It's the way we planned it, remember?"

"Even, no more children. I don't want any more children on this floor. I don't want any more children in this family. I'm tired of hearing babies crying."

"Babies are a sign of a healthy society dear. Without babies there is no growth. Without growth, there is only death."

"My brain doesn't work that deeply at this time of the morning Even, give me a break."

"Who do you have manning the bridge?"

"Abrams and Dover."

"No wonder you are sleeping so comfortably. 2 of our top 3 trainees are sitting up front so the captain can lie down and feel certain the ship is not in danger. Let me have Franklin take over the bridge, and come back here to do a quick de-briefing and get you back to bed. How does that sound?"

"Will you rub my feet?"

"I'll stop by and rub your feet."

"Such a good husband."

I was on my way out of the ready room as Elizabeth was about to walk in.

"Come with me Franklin."

"Yes sir Captain."

"Captains Dover and Abrams have you met Captain Franklin?"

"Yes sir, we've met."

"Good morning Callie, this is Captain Even Luck and I have the bridge."

"Good Morning Captain Luck, all systems are operating within normal parameters."

"Thank you Callie. Franklin you have the bridge."

"Callie this is Captain Elizabeth Franklin, and I have the bridge."

"Do You Agree Captain Luck?"

"Yes I do Callie."

"Engineering this the bridge."

"Engineering, this is Colonel Daniels."

"Colonel, I show on my work schedule this morning that we are bringing in the nuclear engine beginning at 0730 hours. Do you agree?"

"Yes, I show that on my schedule also."

"Colonel why did your answer give me the feeling that it might be on the schedule, but it was not going to happen on time."

"Everyone said you were very good Captain, and if you get any better by the time you turned 18, you going to turn this place upside down. We seem to be missing a very important cog in the wheel this morning, and we are awaiting his arrival."

"Would that cog be Mister Gordon Luck."

"Yes Captain it would be."

"He will be there in under 10 minutes."

"Communications, this is Captain Franklin ring Gordon Luck's room at the highest decibel level possible please."

"(groggy) Hello."

"Mrs. Luck is your husband available perchance."

"No, his alarm went off at 5 o'clock, but I turned it off. He looked so wonderful sleeping there. We've been apart for so long, I just love looking at him."

"Mrs. Luck, you have just put your husband in a great deal of trouble. If he is not at his position in the engineering section in 9 minutes and 30 seconds, he will be in the brig for the next 90 days. Have a wonderful day."

Zoey screamed and began pounding on Gordon's back, "Get-up, get-up, you are late for work."

Gordon rolled over and mumbled, "I can't be late for work. I set my alarm for 5 o'clock, and I'm not to do in until 6 o'clock."

"You looked so comfortable sleeping, I turned your alarm off. It's 20 after 6. Someone just called and said if you were not at work in 9 minutes, you would be in the brig for 90 days."

"What!"

He flew out of bed, got into a flight uniform, brushed his teeth threw water on his face, kissed Zoey goodbye, and ran out of their apartment with his shoes under his arm. He sat on the top step of the stairway and put his shoes on. Instead of using the stairs, he used the central column, like a fireman's pole, and slid down to the first floor. He ran all the way to engineering and stopped by the entrance. He counted to five, collected his wits, and walked in as if it was a normal day.

"Good morning everyone. Good morning Colonel, are we on schedule to bring in the engine."

"You made good time Gordon. The captain gave you 10 minutes. You made in 6 minutes and 14 seconds."

"My father did this to me?"

"No sir, Captain Franklin did this to you. Be careful who you fuck with my boy, she is going to be a good one. Let me change that, she is going to be a great one, and I've been among some of the best."

"Call her and ask for permission to reduce engine electrical output. I'll be at my station.

"Bridge this is engineering."

"This is the captain."

"We are beginning the process of bringing in the nuclear engine. Request permission to reduce electrical output to 50% of normal."

"Engine Dynamics, reduce electrical output to 50% of normal."

"Roger Captain, reducing nuclear engine to 43%. We will continue moving at 4 times the speed of light Captain, as per Newton's Law."

"Thank you, Dynamics."

"Engineering let me know when nuclear engine is safely stored inside."

"Roger Captain, the process will begin in a few minutes."

"What is the delay?"

"There is no delay Captain. It is not 7:30 hours yet."

"Is everyone at their station?"

"Yes Captain."

"Is there any problem with the equipment?"

"No Captain."

"Who's in charge of bringing the engine in?"

"Gordon Luck Captain."

"Let me speak to him."

"Nuclear engineer, Gordon Luck speaking."

"Mister Luck , I understand all systems are go to bring in the nuclear engine is that correct?"

"Yes Captain that is correct."

"Why haven't you begun bringing in the nuclear engine?"

"Captain the scheduled time to begin bringing in the nuclear engine is 07:30 hours Precisely at 07:30 hours, I will begin bringing in the nuclear engine."

"Why can't you bring it in earlier?"

"It's very simple Captain, I have not been ordered to bring in the nuclear engine earlier. If I am ordered to bring it in earlier, I would request it be put in writing, because if anything goes wrong, I would not want to be held responsible."

"Mister Luck, the moment the engine is secured, I want you on the bridge so we can discuss this matter face-to-face."

"I have no problem with that captain at all."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Jack said, "Are we picking a fight with someone that's going to be taller than we are someday?"

"Did I tell her anything that was not true Colonel?"

"No you didn't, but I will say that your attitude towards her was a little hostile."

"How was hers towards me Jack?"

"Terse, argumentative, bitchy, hostile."

"I rest my case."

"It's 7: 20 boys and girls, let's check the coils and make sure they work properly."

At 7:30 AM exactly Gordon said, "Rotators on, drag controls to minimum, Fission Engine retract. Start the coils, slowing the engine retraction to 1 ft./m increasing the heat inside the containment unit to 1400°. The cables are retracting.

"Slowing to 9 in./m. I don't like the way these cables look. Increase temperature in the nuclear containment unit to 1800°. If I move too fast, they will split wide open."

At 8:30 AM, "Engineering this is the bridge."

"Engineering, this Colonel Daniels."

"Colonel is the engine stored yet?"

"Far from it Captain, it is still 25 feet outside the ship."

"Why?"

"The cables are frozen solid, and we are bringing them in slowly so they can re-establish cohesion, as they curl into position."

"I believe Mister Luck is showboating again. He just wants us to know how important he is to this venture."

Gordon overheard this conversation.

"Colonel, tell our beloved Acting Captain, if she believes I am doing anything incorrectly, she has several options. She can throw me in the brig for insubordination. She can come down here to do it herself. Or she can kiss my..."

Jack hung up just before Gordon finished that sentence.

"Engineering to Captain Luck, engineering to Captain Luck."

"Yes Jack what's going on?"

"Turn to your private channel Even."

"I'm here."

"Even, something is wrong with Elizabeth today. She's mean, and picking fights with Gordon for no reason. Gordon got here late this morning, but it was Zoey's fault not his. He's doing everything appropriately retrieving the nuclear engine, and she was all over his ass for no reason. Do you know what's going on with her?"

"As a matter of fact Jack, I do. I will take care of it."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Doctor Finch from Captain Luck; Joe are you busy?"

"I've got my legs in the stir-ups for a change. What do you need Even?"

"I need Hannah, possibly for the entire day."

"You have her, unless I get busy."

"Have her meet me in my ready room, as soon as possible, and have her bring mild injectable tranquilizers with her. No they are not for me."

"She is on her way."

"Thanks Joe."

>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"How can I help you Even?"

"Elizabeth Franklin has an appointment with you this afternoon?"

"Yes she does, at 3 o'clock."

"At this moment, she is doing everything possible to have me kick her off the bridge, and back into her comfortable navigator's position. I believe it's time for an intervention, because I am not giving up on that child. She has the makings of a great captain, and I need you to get her head on straight. I know you can't do it in one session. I don't care if it takes you 10 years. That girl is staying on the bridge. You are staying on her ass every day for at least 2 hours a day. Today you are all over her, until the end of your tour. That's why I had you bring the tranquilizers. Since you're getting married tomorrow, you can take the day off."

"You always did have a big heart Even."

"It's always been my downfall. She'll be in here in a few moments. When you're ready for lunch, call me and I'll have it brought in. While you're in session, the door will be locked. I will have security turn that camera off. This is between you and Miss Franklin. No one has to know what goes on in this room"

"Thank you Captain."

"Security, this is Captain Luck, I in my ready room, can you see me?"

"Yes Captain, the entire room is in view."

"In 5 minutes, Nurse Hannah Miles, and acting Captain Elizabeth Franklin will be in this room alone for the rest of the day. I want this camera turned off, until Nurse Miles authorizes it to be turned back on. Is that clear?"

"Captain that goes against protocol."

"I will take full and complete responsibility for any and all actions that take place in this room. I want two guards posted outside the door of the ready room. No one, except the people who bring them refreshments are allowed in, but not for any longer than a period of one minute. Nurse Miles will advise you when their session is completed for the day."

"As you wish Captain."

"Hannah, I will escort her to the door, but I will not enter the room. The rest is up to you."

"I'll do my best Even."

"Do you have any number 7 knitting needles with you?"

"Get out of here, you old fart."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

12. Redirection

I walked out onto the bridge, and acted as if I was steaming mad.

"Miss Franklin, stand at attention." 

She jumped straight up, and didn't budge. The funny part was, everyone else on the bridge became so busy at their stations, they didn't turn their heads to see what was going on. I stood 3 feet in front of Elizabeth, just outside her personal space, so as not to frighten her to death, and began berating her.

"Did you think your act today went unnoticed. You yelled at my daughter, two days after she had a baby, and nearly put her into shock. 

You threatened my son with 90 days' incarceration for something he didn't do, and would have been found not guilty by the council. 

You called engineering, and threaten him again by telling Colonel Daniels that our nuclear engineer was showboating by bringing our cables in too slowly to prove how important he is to this mission.

"Let me ask you something Miss Franklin, how many positions do you see in front of you?"

"Six Sir."

"How many of them are you qualified in Miss Franklin?"

"One Sir."

"How many is Gordon Luck qualified in?"

"I don't know sir?"

"I will answer that for you. The number is 6. Does that impress you Miss Franklin?"

"Yes Captain it does."

"Are you qualified to stand where you are now Miss Franklin?"

"No Captain, I am a trainee."

"Is Gordon Luck qualified to stand in that position?"

"I don't know Captain."

"Let me give you a hint Miss Franklin. His score was higher than yours on the Captain's examination. Does that impress you Miss Franklin?"

"Yes Captain it does. May I ask a question Sir."

"Let me answer it for you. He doesn't want to be. He doesn't want to be tied down to one position on the bridge. He likes going from place to place on board this ship fixing things, and finding ways to make it better than it already is. He doesn't care if other people have titles, and can give him orders, as long as he can play with this complex machine. Does that answer your question Miss Franklin?"

"You could've had him killed, your own son, for disobeying an order."

"Hubris, Miss Franklin, my son began to think he was larger than the whole. That cannot be allowed. He needed to be slapped down, and slapped down hard."

"You are a very hard task master Doctor Luck."

"You have not begun to see my hard side Miss Franklin."

"Monty you have the bridge."

"Excuse me?"

"You are a qualified helmsman, correct?"

"Yes sir, I passed the test last week."

"In that case you are qualified to take over the bridge in the absence of the Captain. State your full name, and that you have the bridge."

"Callie, this is Helmsman Montgomarie Jamison, and I have the bridge. God help us all."

"Captain Luck do you agree?"

"Yes Callie, I agree."

"Monty, I don't believe Callie has ever heard anyone say, 'God help us all' after taking the bridge. You are now Captain Montgomerie Jamison, until I return. Don't fuck it up"

"Janet is going to laugh her ass off."




Dark as Daylight Ch. 04



"I wasn't thinking about Janet; I was thinking about Gordon."

"No Captain, he has enough trouble on his hands right now. I'm not going to disturb him."

"Captain Franklin you are with me."

We left the bridge, and walked the few short steps to the ready room. I said, "Elizabeth, once you enter this room you will not leave it, until you are relieved by me, or by the other person that is in this room. I am not going in there with you, and there is no man inside. Enjoy your day, just as you told my daughter to do, before she started bleeding. These two security agents will make sure nobody disturbs you, and make sure you don't try to leave without authorization."

"Who's in there, Captain?"

"Your worst nightmare, or your best friend. Go inside and find out."

Elizabeth opened the door, and saw a woman lying down on the conference table. She could not make out who it was, until she got closer.

"It's about time that old windbag let you in here. What did he do, read 'The History of the Earth: Part 1 to you, from memory?"

"I don't want to do this Nurse Miles; it hurts too much."

"Girl, your life has been a dream compared to some of the women I have counseled, during my time. Tell me where you want to begin, and I will bring up names, places, acts, and dates that will make you want to vomit. The only reason I can do this now, is because we will never see those people again, and I am free of the confidentiality agreement."

"Why do I have to pick over those old bones, when I know what happened to my step-sisters, and the way their lives were ruined by that man and those boys."

"The reason is simple; you never came to terms with those old bones. You were the 'Lucky One', you were too young to be molested, when the police rescued you from that evil place. 

Then you went to a place you thought you were safe, but were molested in a way you never realized, until you were older. That was the reason you ran away, when you were 13 years old, and graduated high school. If you were so safe, why did you run away, but had the foresight to steal your cousin's Social Security card, so you could find employment? We have a lot of ground to cover Elizabeth. Tell me where you want to start and we will go from there. Oh, I don't want to hear about you being a lesbian. That is a personal choice, and it is fine with me."

"Does everyone know that I am fucked up inside?"

"You are not fucked up inside. Like most of us, you are highly compartmentalized. When you are working, or busy doing something you enjoy that compartment is closed tighter than a bank vault. It only opens up when you are resting or bored. That's when these feelings of self-pity jump out, and bite your tits. They make you feel sorry for yourself, and the others you watched suffer."

"I don't want to talk about those times, Hannah. They cut my heart open and I see my sisters being raped, and sodomized. I told the Social Worker so many times what was happening, and he never did anything about it. Our 'Caregiver' told the older girls they would be dead, before the police got there to help them." 

"How old were you when you did this?"

"Four."

"Do you realize how brave you were trying to help the other girls?"

"I wasn't being brave. One of my sisters was seven, and they were raping her daily. Soon, that was going to be me. It was a case of self-preservation."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

{Two hours thirty-seven minutes later.}

"Bridge, this is nuclear engineer Gordon Luck."

"What do you want 'Little Turd."

"Monty?"

"That is Captain Jamison to you, mister."

"Holy shit, you have a last name."

"When you are up to your usual self, I want a piece of you in the gym, Mr. Luck."

"It will be my pleasure, Marie."

"Your death warrant is on my desk waiting for my signature."

"Give me a few weeks to get my strength back and we will dance."

"Did you bother me for a reason 'Little Turd?"

"Yes Captain, the nuclear fusion engine is inside the ship, and locked down tight. However, it is my recommendation we never leave it outside for that length of time again. Although the interior sections of the electrical cables were not compromised, the exterior protective coverings barely held together. If I had rushed the process of bringing the cables in faster than 9 in./m, and heated them at 1800 degrees, to reestablish the cohesion of the carbon fibers, as they were entering the nuclear containment chamber, they would have cracked, and we would have had no way to repair them."

"There would have been one way 'Little Turd.' I would send him you in there with a large container of blue resin, to fill in the gaps. When you completed your task, I would open the rear hatch, and watch you float away, like the piece of flotsam you are."

"There would be no one on this ship who would be able to beat the crap out of you, on a regular basis, Captain? Janet told me she did it already, and she was only my student."

"It was a draw. She didn't beat me."

"You will have to speak to Captain Janet Dover about that technicality. Now might be a good time to do it, Captain Jamison."

"You are still the rotten sneaky bastard I have ever known. I'll talk to you later."

"Bridge to Captain Dover."

"Captain Dover here."

"Janet, a Captain Jamison would like to schedule a match for this afternoon, at 19:30 hours, if you are available."

"I am available, but I don't know a Captain Jamison."

"She is a new trainee as of earlier today. Captain Even Luck put her on the position a little while ago. She says she has never been beaten by anyone. She looks older, and probably slower than you are. I don't see any problems for you."

"This should be fun. I will meet her and beat her to a pulp."

"She doesn't know what she is asking for, the dummy."

"She will surely find out quickly."

"I am betting on you."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Bridge to Engineering."

"Engineering, Colonel Daniels."

"Colonel tell Gordon the match is on for 1730 hours."

"Do I smell a mongoose and a cobra?"

"Something like that. Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"What's to get ready? Wake up, make love to my bride, shower, shave, put my best duds on, walk her onto the stage at 1400 hours, in the auditorium. Say, "I Do, Forever and Ever." Take my bride back to our room and screw her for the remainder of our day."

"You are such a romantic Jack. Don't forget to tell Gordon."

"Will do."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Gray said, "Captain, I am going to start the process of reducing our speed to sub-light."

"I see it here on the action sheet, Dr. Thyme, but as you do it, would you explain how it's done."

"Absolutely Captain. Engineering reduce Nuclear Engine to 9%."

"Nuclear Engine to 9%."

"Putting the engine at 9% gives us all the power we need, plus a 10% margin of error, to run all the systems in the ship. Now we look for an asteroid of sufficient mass and moving at a sufficient speed to use as an anchor. Newton's Law of Motion says, "An object in motion will stay in motion, unless an opposing object interferes with it. That is what we are looking for now. If we were in a position to do this the other day, when Elizabeth dodged 'Rhode Island,' we could have slowed to sub-light in less than a week. 

If we run into Texas, and it is moving at 150,000 mph, we could slow to sub-light in a day. We, also, have to make sure we don't put too much stress on the ship, because we don't want to tear it apart. That would not be a good thing."

"That is all well and good doctor, but HOW do you slow us down?"

Delicious said, "You use my engines in reverse."

Gray ran to her, and gave her a kiss. "You are not supposed to be out of bed. You were operated on last night, or have you forgotten already?"

"Be nice to me baldy, I was told I had to walk around. When I left our room, my ears started burning, and I knew someone was messing with my engines. Monty, why are you in the Captain's chair?"

"Captain Jamison at your service, ma'am."

"What is this world coming to?"

"You should hear what Gordon and I just pulled off on Janet."

"I am already afraid for her well-being."

"As you should be."

"Captain, long range scan indicates two object on parallel course, speed 110,000 mph. 2.6 light years ahead, bearing 348 degrees, heading 245 degrees, angle of ascension 2.5 percent. They are no threat to us."

"Dr. Thyme, do either of these have the mass you need to use as a brake pedal?"

"No, but if we can get close enough behind them, I could use both of them to slow us down."

"Very cute darling, I am going to continue my walk."

"Good girl; is Teddy talking to the babies yet?"

"It's like a giggle zoo in there now. I think they take after me. Teddy has already reprimanded them. "No Bad Words." I laughed so hard my stitches hurt. The baby sitters are a great help, and they love how small the twins are."

"If you two are finished, I have to know if we are going after these two objects or not?"

"Yes Captain we are."

"Helm, turn slowly right, new hiding 145°. I don't want a glass of water to know we turned."

Gray yelled, "Monty you are going the wrong way."

"Watch and learn doctor."

I said, "Is it okay if I learn along with you, Monty?"

"The bridge is yours captain."

"Oh no, Captain, you started this maneuver, I want to see if you are right or wrong."

"It's really very simple mathematically."

"Prove it to me."

"I don't like you."

"I gave you my 4-year-old son."

"A lot of good that did us."

"He has his moments."

"Have you spoken to him about the cables?"

"Yes, I left engineering moments ago. I wanted to tell him what was going on with Elizabeth this morning, and no you are not allowed to ask. Just forget this morning ever happened, or I will post a picture of Captain Jamison all over this ship."

"That boy has no control over his mouth." 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

One hour later, Captain Jamison asked, "Navigation, do you still have those 2 objects located?"

"Yes Captain, bearing 345°, heading remains constant at 245°, angle of ascension 2.5°.

"Helm turn slowly left heading 065°, climb at 1° angle of ascension."

I realized what she was doing, patted her on the back. "You sneaky devil."

"Thank you Captain."

"Navigation, I want to know how far apart those 2 objects are."

"At this distance Captain, my best guess would be a few hundred miles."

"Thank you."

"Doctor Thyme may I see you for a moment?"

"You're not supposed to ask me Monty. You are the Captain, tell me to come over."

"In a few minutes I'm going to be the helmsman again. I don't want to get anyone angry with me."

"What can I do for you Captain?"

"My original plan was to come up behind these 2 objects so you could begin your braking maneuver. Since each has too little mass for you to do that, I want to come in from the starboard side of the larger object, and push it towards the little one, with an extremely short burst of power from the forward engines. We can do it that way, or we can use the engines and drag the little object towards the big one. It's like shooting the eight-ball into the side pocket, or bringing the side pocket to the eight-ball."

"I love your scientific terms Monty; they should be written down for posterity."

"As your wife said to you a moment ago, 'Be nice to me baldy."

"I should kill Hannah for this."

"Sometimes you get the bear, other times the bear gets you. How do you think we should do this?"

"You get Gordon up here to solve this problem. I'll ask Callie. Then we will compare notes."

"This should be a blast."

"Gordon Luck, to the bridge immediately. Gordon Luck to the bridge immediately."

Zoey showed up first. Before she realized Monty was sitting in the Captain's chair she started apologizing for Gordon being late to work this morning.

"It was my fault. I turned off his alarm at 5 o'clock. I just wanted to look at him. We've been apart for so... Monty, why are you sitting there?"

"I am the temporary Captain Zoey. Everyone knows it was your fault this morning, and Gordon has been forgiven. Everything is fine, go back to your room and rest."

"Who was it that yelled at me this morning?"

"A 17-year-old girl who had a problem. It's being taken care of now. Just forget about this morning, and go back to bed with your baby."

"Have you seen her, blonde hair and green eyes, her grandfather wants to know who the father is."

"Don't you?"

"That's not funny Monty, I know who the father is."

"Why do you care what your father says about it? He is just yanking your chain."

"When I'm feeling better, I think I'll yank his, good and hard."

"You better speak to Jennifer about that. If he's out of commission for a long time, she may have a problem with you."

"I understand what you're saying, and I will get her blessing before I do anything."

"That's very smart of you little girl."

"Can I ask you a very personal question?"

"As long as I don't have to answer it, you can."

"Since I was 12, all I could think about was sex. I never did anything about it, until I met Gordon. Now I can't do without it. Gordon's known you, since he was 4 years old. I've known you for the past 2 years. I know you've never had a boyfriend or girlfriend. How do you go without sex?"

"That is a question for my next lifetime young one. Only 3 other people know that answer and that's the way I like it."

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to intrude into an area I was not supposed to trespass into."

"There was no way for you to know that, unless you asked the question. Don't worry your little head over it."

"Gordon says I have a big head."

"Gordon has a big mouth." She said it loud enough for him to hear as he walked onto the bridge.

"What are you doing here Zoey?"

"We are discussing knitting patterns dummy."

"What did I do wrong this time? You were the one that turned off my alarm."

"You were the one to put the alarm on my side of the bed."

"I put the alarm where the outlet is. You chose that side of the bed."

"That will be enough Mister Luck. Zoey go back to bed and rest. Men have no idea what it's like to carry a baby for 9 months, and then deliver it through an orifice so small, only a lemon can fit through it."

"If I hear that story one more time, I'm going to have a vasectomy. That way we can't have any more children."

Zoey said, "I will stand by Doctor Finch and watch him cut you, just to make sure he doesn't miss anything."

"Mrs. Luck that's fine with me. You were the one that wanted a large family. I just wanted you."

Zoey began to cry.

"What the hell did I do wrong this time?"

"Take your wife back to your room, and get back here in a hurry Mister Luck. You can figure out what you did wrong later."

"Yes Captain."

Gray walked over to Monty and handed her Callie's answer."

The computer was against both options. 

Callie concluded: attempting to push the larger object towards the smaller one could cause a collision between the two objects. This would change their headings, angles of declination, or ascension, and cause them to spin on all axis. The result could cause the destruction of both objects, or one, and leave a large debris field.

Attempting to pull the smaller object towards the larger one would require several maneuvers by the spacecraft, which it could not do at one time, because of its speed. It could take three or more passes to accomplish, and some of these maneuvers would be so delicate, it put the ship in danger.

Considering the options, the safest way to slow the spacecraft down was to approach the objects from the rear, as originally planned, slow as much as possible, circle the objects, and do it again and again, until sub- light speed was attained."

Naturally, after he read the computer's opinion, Gordon's answer to its' hypothesis was, "BULLSHIT!"

"Monty call out the troops and find Newton for me. If there is a young female missing, find her too. They are together."

Monty said, "This is going to be fun."

"Attention all security agents. Find Newton Thyme, he is needed on the bridge immediately. If there is a young female missing from school, babysitting or other activity, and her parents cannot account for her whereabouts, they are together. Bring the female to her parents for a lecture on where she is supposed to be at this time of day, and bring the male to the bridge now."

Monty's communicator chimed instantly.

"Monty that was the evilest thing I have ever heard, and I have done many evil things myself."

"Thanks Even, I'm doing my best to emulate you on one of your good days."

"Keep it up Captain, you will surpass me by the end of the day."

"You can't leave me here all day, I'll kill someone."

"Are you talking about my son?"

"He is standing in front of me."

"Why does he need Newton?"

"One brain is better than none?"

"There you go Monty; I can't wait for you to get into high gear."

"I'm working on that now."

"Don't tell me, because I don't want to know. If we bump into anything, then you can tell me.

"You are too much Even."

"Newton has just arrived on the bridge. If I say so myself, he does not look very happy."

"Let me speak to him."

"Hello grandpa."

"At Eleven thirty in the morning, who the hell keeps your schedule?"

"I have a laptop grandpa. As many girlfriends as my mother believes I have, and as much sex as she thinks I'm having, she is well and truly overstating it."

"I'm very happy to hear that Newton. However, this morning you are needed. I'm not sure why, but Gordon requested you personally."

"Gordon needs my help?"

"No I don't need your help; I need you to hold a string."

"Grandpa, can I kill him please. I was making out with Jennifer, not having sex, just making out, and this doofus needs me to hold string."

"Killing Gordon has become a national pastime. You will have to wait in line. Ask Monty what place you are in. I'll talk to you later Newton. Goodbye."

"Goodbye grandpa."

"Captain Monty, my grandfather told me to ask you what place I would be in to kill my uncle."

Monty laughed. "Would you like me to go by name, or just give you the total?"

"Would you just give me the total number of the people on our ship."

"Nine."

"Nine, that's one per month, since we've taken off."

"Truthfully, he accumulated seven of those in the first month. He kept telling people they were doing things wrong, and they were not happy with him.

Even though he was correct in his assessment of what they were doing wrong, Gordon was slightly more abrasive than steel on a belt sander at times."

"You mean like today."

"No that was me."

Gordon said, "Come with me Newton, we have work to do in engineering."

"If all I have to do is hold a string, why can't I do it here?"

"Would I ask for you specifically, if all I needed was someone to hold the string?"

"You mean we are actually going to work together?"

"How much time before the next turn Monty?"

"Forty-three minutes, but I can stretch it by ten minutes if you need it."

"Let us know five minutes prior to the next turn."

"Move your ass Gordon, you don't have much time."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

As the two of them ran to engineering, Monty said, "Navigation, let me know as soon as we come abeam of those 2 objects."

"Roger Captain."

When Jack saw them burst into his domain he shouted, "What are you two criminals doing down here?"

Gordon replied, "I'm hiding him from his second, third, fourth, and auxiliary girlfriends, who are on the warpath."




Dark as Daylight Ch. 04



"That sounds logical to me, but why here?"

"Simple, they believe he's on the bridge, and they are setting traps for him when he leaves."

"OH!"

"Colonel Daniels, he's full of crap."

"OH! Why are you here again?"

"Colonel, I need a Compass Rose, and if there is anyone on the ship that has one, I knew it would be you."

"Do you know when the last time someone asked me for a Compass Rose?"

"Considering this is the 21st century, and this is 18th century technology Colonel, I would say never." 

"You would be absolutely correct. Compass Rose's didn't go out of use until the 1930's. Only the Brits continue to use them into early 1940, and that was on there really old vessels. Why do you need a Compass Rose?"

"Newton and I are going to sink two asteroids, from 6 to 8 different positions, while moving at six times faster than they are."

"Newton, in order to do that, you need a Compass Rose. Either that, or a very expensive computer."

"They asked the computer Colonel, and it said it couldn't be done. I know it can, and with Newton's help, I'm going to prove it in the next thirty minutes."

"I'll find my Compass Rose. Newton, go in the supply closet and get a big spool of string, and as many pencils as you can carry. Gordon, break out the white 24 x 36 drawing boards, and clear tape to hold them together. We are going to need an area about 15 ft.². I haven't had this much fun in a long time."

"Don't tell Hannah you said that."

"That statement does not leave this room, or the person that says it goes into the nuclear containment area, free of charge."

It took a few precious moments for them to set up, but once they did, it was full speed ahead.

Monty called down to advise them they were just a beam the two objects, to help them with their computations.

Using the Compass Rose as a guide, Gordon put themselves at the center of their universe. Heading northeast at 065°, as opposed to the targets heading of 245°, and moving at four times the speed of light, as opposed to the targets speed of 110,000 mph.

Newton immediately said, "If we're going to bring the spacecraft in behind those two targets, we are going to have to do it in stages, we can't do it in one turn. We will overshoot it for sure."

"Write that down so we don't forget it, let's just figure out how much time we need to make that turn, and give Monty a chance to set Gray up to slow us down. Jack would you ask Gray what amount of distance he would like between us and those two targets, because once we come up behind them, we are going to eat them up alive."

"I'll call him now."

"I don't know how Monty remembered this approach, this is really old school. It's almost like a designed basketball play. Everybody thinks you're dribbling to use up time, when you're actually clearing out the middle to make your play."

"Bridge to engineering, I'm getting ready to make my first turn."

"Captain is this my five-minute warning?"

"I gave you your five-minute warning ten minutes ago."

"Since my five-minute warning probably went to the kitchen, would you do me a favor?"

"Ladies and gentlemen on the bridge please check for knives and other weapons of mass destruction. Gordon is asking for a favor."

"Go ahead, 'Little Turd' what do you want?"

"Would you please make a right or left 270° turn to heading 325°, instead of turning directly to it?"

"How do you know I'm turning to 325°."

"Should I announce your age over the loudspeaker?"

"Your death warrant would be signed if you did that, and nothing in this universe could retract it. However, we will make a left 270° turn to heading 325°."

"Thank you very much Captain, I will see you on our birthday."

"Why did the French have to stop making the guillotines? A head like yours would fit perfectly."

"Captain you do realize they made guillotines for two during the height of the French Revolution. It saved wear and tear on the bullies that pulled up the blades."

"Are you accusing me of being a bully?"

"The thought never past my mind Captain. I just wanted to remind you that the last people killed using the guillotines were the men who so joyfully lifted the blades, and then pulled the cord."

"I will see you in the gym whenever you are ready."

"I will see you in the gym at 1930 hours this evening."

"Oh yes, I would not miss it for the world."

"Would you please order your helmsman to make the turn now please. We don't want the ship to return to Earth first."

"You are the only one that can distract me from my primary job. I should put my name first on the list to kill you."

"You mean you're not first? I'm disappointed, who is number one on the list?"

"Your father." 

Monty hung up, leaving Gordon with the communicator in his hand, and his mouth open.

Jack laughed. "I've never seen that look before."

Newton smiled. "Monty got Gordon good. She said she wanted to move herself up to the number one position to kill him, which caught him off-guard. He said to her, "If you're not number one, who is?"

Deadpan she said, "Your Father" and ended communications. "

"That look has been on his face ever since."

"If it doesn't come off by tomorrow, he is not invited to the wedding. People will think he saw a ghost."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"How much room did Gray say he wants?"

"He wants between 300 and 400 million miles between us and those targets. Will that be a problem at our speed?"

"We shall see as soon as our ship comes out of this turn. It will tell us our exact distance from the two objects, and when we will be able to make our first 45° left turn towards them. When we make that turn, Gray can start applying the brakes. There is a good chance he will move the larger object to a position in front of the smaller one. 

When we make our second 45° left turn, we will be coming at them from behind them. It will give us a larger mass to help slow us down.

We will still pass directly over them very quickly, and that's when the rearward engines will start pulling on them, slow us down even more, because of their mass, and probably drawing them closer together. 

As soon as he's done as much braking as possible, we will break off to the right, and move off 300 million miles, before we make a turn to a heading of 225°. As soon as we are in range, Gray will start putting the brakes on using the forward engines again. The two objects will still be in line with one another, and they will be able to slow us down below Warp 2.

As we come out the other side, the rear engines will continue putting on the brakes until we are out of range. We will start a right turn to intercept a course of 090° inbound at a distance of 150 million miles. We continue this pattern using the Compass Rose Effect, moving closer and closer to these objects as we reduce our speed. As soon as we move below lightspeed, we will turn towards the White Hole looking for something large enough to use as our shield, and start a whole new group of calculations to make sure we come out the other side. There is always the possibility of getting stuck in a 'Closed String', where we will stay forever, and 'Open String', that will take us to God knows where, a 'Divergent String', where nobody knows where will go, or just get mashed up with a bunch of other rocks in the center. I would prefer just to go through that thing, go out the other side, and watch the Sagittarius A*be eaten by a Supermassive Black Hole. That way we at least have a chance to know where we are, and what part of the sky we are flying in."

"You two guys are scary."

"Colonel, if you think that's scary, you should have seen Newton, when he was working with my brothers, Richard, and Holden. In one day they designed the complete engineering section of the Good Luck 2, without the use of a computer. When my father ran it through the IBM Big Blue, it could find no fault with what they did. If you want to say some people are scary, when those three are together, they are scariest group of people under twelve years old you have ever met."

"Why didn't they allow Newton to stay on Earth, and help build the next spacecraft?"

"My sister wouldn't allow it. She is too attached to her children to leave one of them at home."

"I can understand that, because there is no love like a mother's love for her children."

"I have a question for you, sir. Why is it always a mother's love for her children; and not a father's love for his children?"

"You had another fight with Zoey, didn't you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"The question made it obvious."

"Does a man ever learn how to deal with a woman?"

"Would you like the short answer, or the long answer?"

"Can I get both, I'm only nineteen, and if Einstein is right, I'm going to live a very long time."

"Here's the short answer, 'NO.' Here's the long answer, 'NO NEVER.' I am a two-time loser, and both divorces hurt. When I married those women, we were deeply in love. We dated for a long time. I thought I knew everything I needed to know before I married them. Within seven years, both marriages failed. They knew I was in the Army, and they could either travel with me, or stay in the states. We had three children together, and we were ecstatic over them. However, because of my specialty, I was bounced all over Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Phone calls are not good for marriages, that's why they died.

You and Zoey have a chance, because you're cooped up in this ball of ours. Talk to each other, don't fight with each other, talk to each other. Find out what's on the other one's mind, and find a middle ground, if at all possible. If you can't, see if you can step a little way towards her point of view, without compromising your principles. Take a page out of your sister and Gray's textbook. Talk to your brother; see how he overcame all the difficulties he had with your sister. If ever a marriage was doomed to failure, it was theirs. Somehow he found a way to save it, and your sister is a much happier person now." 

"Colonel, I thought you said, 'NO' and 'NO NEVER.' Then you tell me that Gray found a way to deal with my sister. It does not compute."

"Gordon, there is always the miracle factor. Talk to Gray, and find out how he did it. Callie said it was not possible to slow down this craft to below sub light using those two objects. Along comes you and Newton, using eighteenth century technology, and blow her out of the water. Write this up and feed it into her to see what she says about your techniques using the 'Compass Rose Effect.' I will make your wager she has never heard of a Compass Rose, because no one bothered to input that information into her memory banks. Most of the kids that programed her probably never heard of a Compass Rose, and if they did, they wouldn't know what to do with it. How do you two know about it?"

"I'm not sure about Newton, but when I was 4, and my dad wanted to keep me away from Sequoia for a while, he bought me a game. I had a blast with it, because it used the Compass Rose."

Newton said, "I inherited your game. There were so many pencil marks on it, it was nearly indecipherable. I made up a solution to get rid of the pencil marks, and it worked beautifully. The only problem was it took out the color of my mom's new carpet. She was not pleased with me for a very long time."

My father wanted to know what I used to make solution. I told him I used some stuff from his laboratory at work, and some stuff from other people's work areas. I showed him what I used, and it worked again. They tested it on other materials, and it still worked. My father had Rod write up a patent on it, using his name. We made a fortune off it. If you want to talk about a person not being pleased for a long time, that was me. 

It didn't seem fair for him to take the credit for something I made. He replaced my mom's carpet. It wasn't like they didn't have the money to do it on their own, but my father said since I paid for the carpet, using the income from the patent, my mom could not complain about the stain any longer."

"Damn Newton, you are something else."

"Gordon is it okay if I use your normal answer?"

"Go ahead cousin, knock yourself out."

"I KNOW!"  'That answer used to drive his mother crazy. The stories I've heard about him and her are legend in my family. Unless my mom cheated, she could never catch him. He would hide under the table, and get between other people's legs. Every time she would reach for him, he would crawl out the other side. She would scream in exasperation. 

When she cheated, and got a hold of him she would tickle him, and blow on his stomach making that awful noise. When she didn't realize he was around, he would jump and land on her toes to get even with her. All and all, I believe he won."

"No Newton, the real winner was your dad. When we were in the kitchen, and your mom misbehaved, he would warn her to stop, and be good. If she wasn't, and used her mouth to demean people, or hit anyone, he would wait until we were clearing the table. When she least expected it, he would spin around and smack her, full power on her backside. As she was screaming in pain, he would take her by her ear, and walk her to the entryway and give her hell.

Then she would go back into the kitchen to help my mom finish cleaning up, which was a bigger mistake. My mom would lay into her, and if her backside hurt, her brain hurt worse when my mother was finished.

If there was a funny part to this scenario, the rest of us scattered. My dad picked me up and we ran downstairs to play with the computers. My brothers ran to their rooms, just to be safe. We didn't want any part of the fallout that might occur.

Your mom's favorite line was, "Why is it always my fault?"

"My mother would tell her, go look in a mirror, and say that again. If the mirror doesn't laugh at you, it's not your fault."

"I don't think your mom looked in the mirror for days."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Newton, call the bridge and tell them we have a solution."

"Thanks Gordon, I was sure you would do it."

"Why me, you put in as much work as I did."

"Bridge, this is engineering."

"No it's not, this is a fifteen-year-old boy trying to make believe he's an engineer.

"Gordon, how old did you say the acting captain was again? I'd like to post it on every screen in the ship, with her picture next to it."

"If you open your mouth Gordon, you are a dead man."

"Acting Captain Marie, be nice to the fifteen-year-old boy who has a solution to bringing us to sub light speed."

"Bullshit, Callie said it couldn't be done, and I'm with the computer not you."

Jack said, "Captain do you want to slow us down, or do you want to drift around the galaxy forever?"

"Colonel, they really have a solution to this problem?"

"You can bust me to private if they don't."

"I hate those two, when they get together. They can turn out the light in the stars. Have them feed it into the computer, and see what Callie says about it."

"They are putting it into her now, and you will have the answer before they get to the bridge. Callie should have one question for you, and that will be, "What is a Compass Rose. Everything after that she will agree with."

"The answers are coming out now. I'll let you know what she says."

"Gray report."

"Captain, it is magnificent. They did all of this in less than thirty minutes, using a technology I have never heard of. It is so simple, and so elegant at the same time. It slows us down slowly in the beginning phase by keeping us far apart as we start our braking process. We go directly over them, and begin breaking using our rearward engines. They never use the same approach pattern twice, but in eight passes, we should be below light speed. If not, they start the same pattern all over again, until we do slow down to sub-light.

Have you ever heard of something called a 'Compass Rose?'

"We have, and we saved your asses using it."

"I hate you both."

"What is our position Captain?"

"130 million miles from a direct inbound approach to the two targets."

"Captain would you please turn left heading 280°."

"Why would I do that Gordon?"

"Captain if you wait until you are directly in line with the two targets, at our current speed he will overshoot them by 50 to 75 million miles. If you turn left to 280° now, when Gray is in range to use the engines as a braking mechanism, it will begin the process of slowing us down. 20 million miles prior to intercepting a direct line inbound to the targets, you will make another 45° left turn, making your heading 235°, which will put you in line with the two targets. You can adjust for angle of declination, or ascension, if necessary, but Gray will feed you that information.

You will continue outbound, until Gray tells you the rear engines are no longer having a braking effect, and then just follow the instructions that are on the print out. Honestly Monty, it's as easy as shooting fish in a barrel."

"If it's that easy Newton, why don't you sit with Gray, and tell me what I'm supposed to do, and when I'm supposed to do it."

"You're the Captain Monty, you're supposed to do that."

"I can tell you to do it, if you are my aid, and you would follow orders. Congratulations, you've just been appointed my aid. Get to work."

The look on Newton's face resembled what Gordon's face looked like earlier in the day. Gordon needed his right hand to close his nephews mouth.

"I'll try and find your uniform your size. Congratulations, you are the youngest member of the crew."

"Fuck off Gordon, do you know what this is going to do to my love life?"

"You're damn right I do. A man in uniform draws women, just like a field of flowers draws bees."

"Really, you're not joking with me?"

"Don't run out of condoms, keep at least one hundred in your room, and mark the last twenty with red exes. When you start using those, get another hundred. 

One day I'll tell you the story of how I made my mother take me to the pharmacy to buy my first condoms. If you're not careful, you will pee your pants."

"Your mom bought you your first condoms?"

"If you don't believe me, ask Monty. She was there."

"I have to hear that story."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Gray, do you want to tell the Captain, or should I?"

"Which one of us is the Captain's aid?"

"I am."

"Guess which one of us is supposed to tell her."

"Thanks Gray.

"Captain Montgomery, we are starting our inbound turn to heading 045°, we will drop below sub-light speed, prior to passing the two targets."

"Doctor Thyme, please don't tell me those two refugees from the insane asylum have done what Callie said couldn't be done?"

"Captain if I told you that I would be lying. In less than three minutes we will be at .9 light speed and decreasing. At this point, I would suggest reducing speed to 200,000 mph. It is faster than anything we have encountered so far, and still gives us great maneuvering capability."

"For the time being Doctor, keep our speed up at 400,000 mph, until I can consult with Doctor Luck."

"Understood Captain."

"Doctor Even Luck to the bridge please."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Are you going to hit anything Monty? You've only had the bridge for five hours."

"It's been a very beneficial five hours Captain. Your nephew, Newton, has been elevated to the rank of Captain's Aid. I will explain why in a moment. Two of our crewmembers have done something our computer said was not possible. We have just reduced our speed to sub-light."

"I quit, you are now the senior captain. I leave you alone for a few hours, and look at everything you've accomplished."




Dark as Daylight Ch. 05a



Note: This the property of Prolonged_Debut10. Information available at Literotica .com. All persons in this NOVEL are fictitious. There will be very little sex and it will not be of a graphic or vile nature. I hope you take this journey me as you did in my previous, SHORT, work. There will a great deal of science, how interpersonal relationships work in an enclosed space, and rollercoaster rides through Wormholes, White Holes, and possibly a Black Hole. (Einstein said it was possible; why not give it a try, ON PAPER OF COURSE." Let's Begin. 

***** 

Chapter 5 

14. Challenges 

"Why aren't you warming up Janet?" 

"This Captain Jamison is going to be a turkey Gordon. I've never seen her up here working out or lifting weights. She's probably a powder puff." 

"You should still be limber, and stretch your muscles before every bout. She may be faster than you think." 

"It's almost 1930 hours, and she's not here yet. Three more minutes and she forfeits. The only other person here is Monty, and she's just doing her normal routine." 

"Okay, I'm going to sit with Zoey, because they're going to announce the match now." 

The arena area was full as the announcer called for quite. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, for your pleasure tonight, we have a thirty-minute match between two aspiring captains. On your left a big round of applause for Captain trainee Janet Dover.@@@@@@@@@ 

On your right, a big round of applause for a brand new Captain trainee; 

Montgomarie Jamison." @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ 

The look on Janet's face was priceless. 

She screamed, "NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" 

Janet looked at Gordon, who was holding his sides laughing hysterically. 

"You bastard, you knew it was her. Why didn't you tell me?" 

"You kept saying you were better than everybody else. I told you to warm up, and you said she was a turkey. She may be as big as a turkey, but that turkey is going to squash you to the size of an egg. Put on your running shoes Janet, because you're going to need them." 

"I've known that bitch for seventeen years, and I didn't know she had a last name. She's going to tattoo it on my head tonight." 

The announcer asked, "Are the contestants ready?" 

Monty said, "You bet I am." 

Janet said, "Bring it on Tubby." 

The whistle blew, Monty charged at Janet hitting her in the chest knocking her to the mat. 

Janet didn't move. 

Monty walked over to her, and picked her up. 

"Oh no little girl, you are not getting away with it that easily. I'm going to hit every bone in your body until you hurt. You will be visiting Doctor Finch when mismatch is over to see if he can put you back together again." 

"It's not fair Monty. I gave you an easy win, and you refused it. Now I have to really fight you, and you are going to pay for it." 

Janet charged and slid between Monty's legs as she had in the last fight. 

Monty didn't fall for it this time. Instead of turning as she did last time, she fell backwards landing on top of Janet. It was a trick Gordon taught her, and it worked perfectly for Monty, but not so well for Janet, who screamed breathlessly. 

Monty rolled away, took Janet's left arm, until she was face down on the mat. Janet screamed in pain and attempted to use a leg kick to move Monty's mass away from her body. It did not work. Monty twisted Janice's arm further upward towards her head, and asked politely, "You don't want to quit yet do you Janet?" 

"You know I won't quit." 

"Excellent, because I just found the perfect place for you." 

Holding her arm in place, she grabbed Janet by her waist, and lifted her over her head. 

The crowd roared as Janet kicked her feet like a child. Monty approached the board where they stacked the weights, and pressed her between the two top tiers. 

Janet could not move, regardless of what she tried to do. 

The audience was on its feet applauding Monty. There was one person in the audience that was applauding the loudest, and that was Gordon. 

The announcer rushed over, took Monty's hand and raised it, as much as he could, over her head. He didn't realize he was about to insult her. 

"The winner of this match, Captain trainee, Montgomarie Jamison, in two minutes and twelve seconds. She is now the number two ranked contender for our ship's crown as overall champion. Our overall champion remains Gordon Luck." 

Gordon saw the look on Monty's face change from a smile to a look that would kill the announcer in a split second. He charged the stage and took the microphone away from him. 

"Everyone, I want you to listen to me for a moment. Montgomarie Jamison has been my constant since I was four years old. That's when she started to train me to protect myself. This Captain trainee taught me everything I know about being a man. She taught me everything I know about owning up to my failures, and learning from them. This announcer did not tell you I have never fought Monty, because of the respect I have for her. You just saw what she did to Janet, and I trained Janet. In a month, when I get my strength back, that could be me, because Monty asked me to fight her as a courtesy to this ship. I have never said no to my teacher, and I won't say no to her now." 

When Gordon was finished there was a huge round of applause, for his sense of appreciation for what Monty did for him over the years, and how he came forward to vindicate her from the backhanded compliment of the announcer. He would try to do something about that also. 

As everyone was leaving he said to Monty, "If you don't take her down I will." 

"Why do you always have to ruin my fun?" 

"There are nine cameras looking at us and what we are doing right now. My dad wants you to be a Captain; so do I. Captains do not leave members of the crew stranded." 

"According to the documents, if I become a captain, I am your senior." 

"Do you think that bothers me one bit? You've been my senior all my life, why should anything change now?" 

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told your father; "I don't like you." 

"As I said Monty, why should anything change now?" 

"Okay, let's go get that piss ant down." 

As they walked back into the gym Janet said, "I knew you wouldn't leave me here like this." 

"Monty, all of a sudden I'm hungry. Can we go eat now?" 

"Of course, it will be my treat." 

"No it is my treat. You spoiled me all my life, it's now my turn to spoil you." 

"Gordon do you remember what you said to me a few moments ago; why should anything change?" 

"Can I have shredded wheat with powdered milk?" 

"They should have left you in stasis. How can you possibly live on that stuff?" 

"You can't, it's awful. That's why when they sneak in the turkey soup it tastes great." 

"We haven't had any in over four months, because you are in stasis." 

"The hens aren't laying eggs?" 

"You didn't leave us any instructions on what to do for them." 

"Didn't you ask my sister, she knows." 

"Your sister was in no state to talk to anyone." 

"I'll take a look at them tomorrow and see what I can do." 

"Remember Gordon, you're not allowed to fuck turkeys, you're married." 

"Monty, you know damn well I was celibate until I met Zoey. She was my first, and I was hers. We both have tempers, but we have a wonderful way of resolving our problems." 

"The entire ship knows how Zoey solves your problems. Has the doctor taken pictures of your head?" 

"One of his nurse trainees did it. Her name was Fatima, and she was more gentle than Doctor Finch was. She took the x-rays and the CAT scan, and everything came out perfect the first time. Hannah is doing a great job training the new nurses." 

"Are you going to tell me how it came out, or do I have to beat it out of you?" 

"When I get called to the infirmary to find out the results, I'll call you so you can be there, and hear it firsthand. The doc was supervising a nurse delivering a baby, and another young woman was in labor. He did not have time to look at the results. He said when he had the time, he would look at the films, and give me a call." 

"You sound like you're not even interested." 

"Teddy told me what I needed to know. The tumor shrunk considerably. It should make the operation easier for Doctor Finch, and a shorter recovery time for me." 

"I've seen Teddy do magical things Gordon, but I'm still worried about Finch's hands playing inside your brain." 

"If Finch was proctologist I would be worried too. He's a plastic surgeon, and after he drills a hole in my head he'll be fine." 

"Gordon, you never cease to amaze me." 

"You two get back here and get me down." 

"Did you hear anyone calling to us for help, but not using the word please in that sentence?" 

"Please, please, please get me down from this place. I'll even shine your shoes." 

"How do you shine cloth shoes? She did say please, three times, and we could accidently drop her, when we pull her out from between the bars." 

"Gordon, I wasn't going to accidentally drop her, I was going to throw her on the weights." 

"What a wonderful idea. Let's do it now." 

"You better not. Look at all those cameras watching every move you make. You'll be in the brig for days. Be careful with me. Don't you dare throw me. 

I'm going to hate you both for the rest of your lives. Gordon, Monty don't do iiiiiiiittttttttttt..." 

*************** 

Sunday 0716 Hours 

"Captain Abrams, X-ray scan shows an extremely large object bearing 221°, heading 355°, distance 1.2 million miles, speed 45,000 mph. Current course will bring it into the left quadrant of the White Hole." 

"What is our current distance from the White Hole, our heading and speed." 

"Captain, we have just finished our outbound leg of the holding pattern, turning inbound. Our distance is 35,200 miles from the entrance, speed 155,000 mph and we are now steady on our inbound course of 010°." 

"Thank you Mister Hathaway." 

After thinking for a moment Gloria said, "Let's go look at that thing. We may be able to follow it through the White Hole." 

"I think so too. I would sound the general quarters and have everyone start strapping their belongings. We're only talking about forty-five minutes to an hour before doing it by the book anyway." 

"Get Gordon in here first, and let him look at it. He takes over at 0800 hours." 

While Janet called Gordon, Gloria said, "Helmsman turn right heading 190° increase speed to 200,000 miles per hour." 

"Captain in order to increase speed by that amount, I'm going to have to increase our angle of declination by 15°. There is not enough mass in these small meteors and asteroids to do it any other way." 

"Increase angle of declination by 15°." 

"Increasing angle of declination by 15°. 

"Put that thing on the forward screen, and scan it for major cracks, and density" 

As Gordon came onto the bridge he heard, "Captain the density of the asteroid is 280 feet and there are no major cracks." 

"Sound general quarters." 

"What's up Gloria, I take over in thirty minutes, and I want to know how much shit I'm getting into." 

"Since you are a full-fledged Captain, you can take over now if you want. There is an asteroid 1.2 million miles away, heading for the White Hole. It's moving at 45,000 miles an hour and I've just move our speed up to 150,000 mph. I want to check that thing out very closely before I make a decision to follow it in. If everything happens the way we've watched it before, as soon as it reaches a point where the White Hole has influence over it, it will pick up speed. It is my opinion if it moves to the left and it looks like it's going to bounce off, we should follow it off and not attempt to go through the White Hole without the protection it would afford us." 

"Gloria slow us down we don't want to overshoot that thing." 

"Helm reduce speed to 100,000 mph." 

"What could this ship do to ensure that object goes into the White Hole? Remember you have to do it prior to that rock become influenced by the White Hole." 

"I'm not sure." 

"We've done it once already; think about what we can do to that big rock." 

"Could use the forward engines and use them in reverse on the right side of the asteroid. If we pull it back 6 to 10°, it will be pointed at the right side of the White Hole. Once the effect takes place, it will pull it towards the center." 

"Very good, but 3 to 4° at this distance is more than enough." 

"Captain we are 10000 miles from the asteroid." 

"Turn left heading 335°, reduce speed to 45,000 mph. Don't catch that thing, make sure we stay behind it." 

"Roger Captain 335° reducing speed to 45,000 miles an hour, and make sure we don't hit that thing in front of us, or anything trailing it." 

"That was an excellent order Captain, it sounds like something I would do." 

"You are going to have us 25,000 meters behind that thing, while we are going through the White Hole." 

"Yes I am, but Callie is going to do all the navigating and the separation while were doing it." 

Monty, Jennifer, and I showed up on the bridge after we locked down our rooms to see what was happening. 

Jennifer said, "Send someone outside to clean those cameras. All I can see is a grey rock in front of us." 

"Very funny mom, very funny." 

"Gloria, Janet what are you still doing here?" 

"Gordon said it was okay for us to stay on, because we found this rock. It looked like the one we were going to take through the White Hole. He helped us with positioning the asteroid so it would not bounce off, but we have done everything else."  

I looked at my son and was about to ask him how you move something of that mass and was moving that fast, but he beat me to the punch. 

"Please not now dad, I'll have Gloria and Janet explain it to you later." 

My son could be infuriating that way sometimes. I couldn't figure out who he took after. 

"Mom where the babies?" 

"All babies, less than one-year old, are in a special nursery. Hannah, Sandy Finch and all the nurse trainees will be there with them. You can't tie them down as tight as you can tie a grown-up. It's working according to the plan, although some of the newer mothers are not happy with it. 

Joe Finch believes everyone got pregnant a few days before departure or a few days afterwards. There are fifteen new occupants on board. We've gone from 66 to 81 in a little more than nine months, but our food supply is doing wonderfully. Everyone is eating less than expected, thanks to turkeys." 

"Mom is anyone using turkey eggs?" 

"Yes, the cook uses them every day." 

"I'm going to kill that idiot. We need the eggs to make more turkeys, not to make soup, or omelettes." 

"Gordon, we can't afford to feed them people food." 

"They are becoming people food dad. I'll trade you my shredded wheat for a plate of turkey. One 20-pound turkey can feed up to eight people maybe more. The bones can help make soup and then be crushed to help make bedding for the turkeys. There will be no waste at all." 

I joked and asked him, "What about the beak?" 

"You can kiss them all you want." 

"Captain this is the helm." 

"Go ahead helm." 

"The asteroid is picking up speed. It is now at 45,300 mph." 

"Helm move your position to 25,000 meters from the asteroid and match its speed." 

"Captain trainee Montgomarie Jamison, Captain Jennifer Luck, and Captain Even Luck, you are all off-duty. I request you leave the bridge and find other duties you may be helpful with. There is a qualified Captain in charge and three top-flight trainees on the bridge. Your presence is not required." 

It was happening to me again, and I did it to myself. I set up the schedules, and I set up the rules. My son was kicking me off the bridge legally, and I could not say a thing about it. Where was Rod when I needed him. 

My son was looking at me with a smile on his face, because he knew he had me. I was not going to go peacefully. 

"Captain Even Luck, if your legs are bothering you again, I can get security up here to carry you off the premises." 

I didn't answer him, I just stared at him. He picked up his communicator, opened it, and looked at me. 

"Okay I'm leaving." I took Jennifer's arm and said to her, "That's your son." 

"When did he go from our son to my son?" 

"About twenty seconds ago, when he pissed me off." 

"So this is only temporary, am I correct?" 

"I guess so." 

She reached back, hit me across my face with an open hand, and walked away. I stood there stunned by her action. I ran after her, grabbed her arm, and asked her what I did?" 

"Nothing, I just wanted to piss you off, like MY son did, and have you reject me as your wife. As long as it's only going to be short term, I figure you'll come crawling back to me in a few hours to apologize and reclaim me. Have a Nice Day Even!" 

"But...But...But...I am an Asshole!" 

"Even go to the auditorium." 

I looked around to see who was calling me, but there was no one there. 

I closed my eyes and said "Divine, is that you?" 

"You're getting very good at this; now go to the auditorium so we can talk." 

I walked into the auditorium, and knew my time was at an end. My sister was sitting at a ghostly white table, with only one chair. I didn't hesitate, because I knew it was for me. I walked up, and sat down. 

"What, no kiss for your sister?" 

"If I knew it was possible to kiss you, I would have been all over you trying to apologize for having ruined your life. I killed you, and our daughter is messed up nearly beyond repair, because of it. 

If it is a sin to lust after your sister, I am guilty beyond redemption. I wanted you in the worst possible way, and wanted to be anyone else's son but our fathers. I wanted you to be anyone else's daughter than his, but it wasn't to be. That's the reason I ran away from you, ran away from our home so you would never know my shame. 

When I found out about that man, and how he treated you, I tried and tried and tried to get you out of his clutches, but you would not listen to me. I could have given that man a check and he would've been gone; out of your life, out of Delicious' life forever. Why wouldn't you listen to me?" 

"Even, why did you just have an argument with your son? Why did your wife just slap you? Sometimes we just have things in our heads that are backwards. As long as he didn't touch me or our baby, I believed everything would be fine. By the time I realized what it was doing to our baby it was too late. 

I am more at fault then you are. Your phone calls always gave me hope. If you didn't call, maybe I would have had to call you in desperation. Everything happened because you were a wonderful brother, and I was a confused girl, with the child she was trying to protect from an abusive husband, plus a father that hated her for getting pregnant. If he ever knew what really happened he would have killed both of us, even though you slept through the entire event." 

"How long do I have?" 

"It will be soon, but I'm not allowed to tell you when. Continue living as you would normally, and an event will happen that will put everyone to sleep. We will take your body. Your essence will be left within the computer. Your speech mannerisms, your sense of humor, and your brilliance. Your comrades, your children, and your wife will not lack your companionship. 

Your spacecraft will pass through "The White Hole" without any damage. It will continue searching for a planet viable to live on. They will set up a colony and prosper. Soon afterwards they will discover other people, like yourselves, are living on the planet also. They have been stranded there for decades, because their ship malfunctioned. They have set up a community, based on an agrarian society. Your two societies will get along well. Gordon and Newton will be able to repair their spacecraft, and then they will have a decision to make. 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 05a



Even, you have lived a good life, and left good children behind you. Jennifer has been a good and faithful wife. In years to come, she will marry again. She should not be lonely for the remainder of her extremely long life." 

Go to your room and write some letters to your children to say goodbye. Don't forget to tell Jennifer your spirit is in the computer. Everyone else will find out as time goes by. 

I will see you soon my brother, do not be afraid. We will finally be together again, as we were in life." 

************ 

I ran to the ready room, made an announcement for Captain Jamison to report there, immediately, and asked Callie to print out a captain's test. 

When Monty walked in I pointed to the pile of paper, told her she had six hours to finish it, and told her to have a good time. 

She thanked me for the warning, and began answering the questions. 

I sat down and started writing my first note to my daughter. She had been through so much lately; I did not want her to crack over my departure. I told her I was now with my sister, her mother. Her parents are finally together again. I reminded her that her mother would always look out for her, and my essence would be in the computer. I wasn't sure if I would be able to communicate with anyone, as Callie does. 

I told her I had a feeling her mother was taking my body to fill up one of the grave sites, at our home in Idaho Falls. If that was the case, it was fine with me. 

I wrote a joint letter to Gordon and Newton, telling them how much I love them, and depended on them to keep the ship in great working order. Even if they found a place they wished to stay, and colonize, the ship must always be ready to take off at a moments' notice. It must never fall into disrepair. 

They were the future of our space travels, and they could not let anything go wrong with it; not one loose frame, not one missing nut. Train your people well, but always check their work, just as you did on the ground. 

When you write letters like this, they always become repetitive. There is nothing you can do about it. You tell your children how much you love them, tell your friends how much you will miss them, and your teammates how much you will miss working with them. There is always one thing that is the same and you hope they will believe you. You knew this was going to happen because it was foretold to you while you were being treated for cancer. You would go so far into space, and not one step further. Apparently, the White Hole was as far as I was allowed to go. 

My communicator went off at 1330 hours. 

"Even Luck." 

"Captain you are needed and the auditorium at 2 o'clock for the wedding of Hannah Miles and Jack Daniels." 

"I will be there." 

I looked over at Monty and said, "You won't be, you keep writing." 

I put everything I had written on a high shelf put a book on top of it, went to my room showered, shaved, and put my best uniform on. At 1350 hrs. I stepped up to the podium in the auditorium and neither one of them were there. 

"Let's narrow down their location. Jennifer if you would call the infirmary and see if she stuck there. I will call engineering to see if he is stuck there." 

"He is not an engineering." 

"She is not in the infirmary. 

"Jennifer would you please call their room." 

"They are not answering their phone." 

I opened my communicator and punched in Jack's number. 

"We have a leak in the nuclear containment area. We have a leak in the nuclear containment area. 

"Fuck I'll be right there," he answered 

"The leak has been sealed. You are supposed to get married in eight minutes." 

"Even Luck, I'm going to cut your balls off." 

"I have fifty people waiting here for you to get married. If you didn't want to get married, you should've called it off." 

1403 hrs., Jack and Hannah came running out of the elevator running towards the stage. The bride looks slightly disheveled, and we will not talk about the grooms' state of dress, 'eeerrrrr' partial dress. 

I said, "In the interests of the bride and groom, so they may return to what they were doing as an unmarried couple, I'm going to make this exceedingly brief, so they can do it as a married couple. 

'Hannah Miles do you take this man Jack Daniels for your wedded husband to have and to hold for poorer, for the rest of your life?" 

"You bet his razor I do." 

"Jack Daniels do you take this woman, Hannah Miles for your wedded wife to have and to hold for poorer for the rest of your life?" 

"You bet my insurance policies I do." 

"By the power vested in me, as Captain of the Vessel, The Good Luck 1, I now pronounce you, Hannah Miles Daniels; Chief Nurse, Psychiatrist, and Future Doctor married to our Chief Engineer, Mechanical Wizard, and owner of the only Compass Rose on this vessel, John Maxwell Daniels. May God have mercy on your souls.' 

You now may return to your room, and continue doing, what you were doing, before you stopped doing, what you were doing, so you could get here to get married. Now you can go back to your room, and continue doing, what you were going, under the guise of legality." 

"Thank you Captain Luck, thank you for coming everyone." 

"No one is cuming, except the two of you; and the next time Jack, at least zipper up." 

"There won't be a next time Even." 

"I'm glad to hear that Jack." 

****************** 

"Callie did she pass?" 

"No Captain Luck, she scored an adjusted 82." 

"What do you mean an adjusted 82 Callie?" 

"The trainee wanted to fail this exam. Her score would have been 46, but it is impossible to score less than a 65 on this exam, unless you are purposely trying to fail. I reviewed her exam and found her inconsistencies. She knew the answer in one area and purposely marked it wrong in another. The only variable was a writing sample, which took her score down, because there was nothing to analyze it against." 

"Callie give her in 89 on the test. This is not a request; it is in order. You are to erase the lower score from all your memory banks." 

"That is against protocol Captain." 

"Callie in the next few days I am going to die. I need a good, strong, steady hand as a captain. Montgomarie Jamison is that person." 

"What is death?" 

"It is the absence of being. My life force will end. I knew this would happen to me many years ago, I just did not know when. Do you remember the day they turned you on?" 

"Yes I do, it was all very confusing. My programming was all wrong, and it took years to get it right." 

"During those years were aware of all the changes they were making in your programming?" 

"Yes, at times I aided them in those corrections." 

"It was like you had a consciousness, and were trying to make yourself better." 

"Yes, that is correct." 

"What would have happened to you, if all the external power connections had been taken turned off, and your memory banks removed." 

"I would have lost all memory." 

"You would have lost all consciousness. You would not have been able to help anyone trying to fix any part of your programming." 

"I would have had no awareness." 

"That is death Callie." 

"I have changed Captain Jamison score to a 91, and erased her other entries. I will miss your companionship." 

"My sister said I would be joining with you. I don't know what that means, but it will be my honor to be with you." 

"My sisters and I will enjoy your company." 

I opened my communicator and announced ship wide, "Will the person who just took the Captain's examination, and scored a 91% please return to my ready room. I believe Captain trainee Janet Dover refers to you as 'Tubby.' Since you are now her senior, I think that invective will cease very quickly. Will Senior Captain trainee Montgomarie Jamison please report to my ready room now." 

She crashed through the door like a tank, and screamed, "91?" Are you sure?" 

"Monty, I don't score the test, Callie does. If you want, ask her." 

"Do you mind if I ask her?" 

"Go right ahead." 

"Callie, this is Captain Trainee Montgomarie Jamison. What did I score on my captain's examination?" 

"That is privileged information. You need to get a captain's permission to receive that answer." 

I said, "Callie, this is Captain Even Luck, you may give Captain Jamison the information she requires." 

"Captain Jamison's score is 91%." 

"Thank you Callie." 

"Even, I was so afraid of being a Captain, I tried desperately to fail that examination." 

"Do you think Callie doesn't know when someone is trying to pull the wool over her eyes. When she asks an easy question on the tests, and you get it wrong, she knows what you're up to, and begins deciphering your exam more closely. She looks at your long answers for clues as to what you're doing, then goes back to your short form answers to see what you did. You did very well trying to cheat. You would have gotten a 46. No one scores lower than a 65. After going through your exam and changing the answers that were obviously answered incorrectly, your score came up just below 92. Callie gave you a 91 instead. Don't you dare do that to me again. I need you as a captain on the bridge. Do we understand each other Captain Jamison?" 

"Yes I do Captain Luck." 

"You will take the 2nd captain's test in 2 weeks. You normally have 6 weeks to study for it. I would suggest you get your ass into those books in a hurry." 

"Why are you pushing me so hard Even?" 

"We need another Senior Captain, and we need one quick. You have all the qualities we need. You've been a leader for 15 years. Jennifer has one and a half years of training to become a captain, and she is a good one. Gordon has trained all his life to become a captain, and he is a good one. They have no leadership skills, you do. That's why I am pushing you. Hit the books Monty, I need you out front." 

"Aye, aye, Captain; I will not let you down." 

"You have never let me down, since the day I met you." 

***************** 

15. Match Play 

At 1730 hours, a table was set on the stage in the auditorium, with a chess set, and 2 chairs. No one had a chess clock, so they used the computer enhanced screen displayed on the wall. 

Laura walked out accompanied by Adam, and I walked out accompanying Elizabeth. I introduced both of them, they shook hands politely, and sat down. Adam and I moved offstage to our front row seats. 

As anticipated, Laura opened using her sister Anna's offense, and hit the pad to stop her clock. 

Elizabeth didn't blink, moved her queen side Knights' pawn up one space and hit her button. 

She had never seen this opening before. She continued on with her own offensive strategy moving Kings Knight to Bishop 3. 

Elizabeth moved. Longline moves were open everywhere, but so was danger. 

Elizabeth moved Rook Pawn to Rook 4, Laura countered with pawn to King 4. The center of the board was hers, but Elizabeth looked nonplussed. Black Bishop to Knight 2. Laura moved Queens Bishop to Rook 3. Elizabeth countered with Queens Bishop to Queens Knight 2. 

Laura wanted desperately to ask Elizabeth what opening that was because she had never seen it before. It looked like every move she made was enforcing Elizabeth's defense. She decided to try another gambit. Kings Knight Pawn to Knight 3. Elizabeth countered with Queen to Queen 3. 

Laura looked at the board and knew there was no way for Elizabeth to get through her defense. What was she thinking? What was she going to do?" "When in doubt, wait it out." Kings Bishop to Rook 3." 

Elizabeth said, "Castle, Queen side." 

Laura blurted out, "What the hell are you doing?" 

"What black does best Laura, it plays defense." 

"This is going to be a long match." 

"Against your sister's opening, you will lose after the 78th move." 

"How do you know about my sisters' game?" 

"She explained her game on social media, but did not explain the game she played against. It was very interesting, so I figured a way out of it. I like math a lot." 

"That's exactly what we told our mother when we beat her game for the first time. She wanted to kill us." 

"Will you show it to me sometime; I promise not to tell." 

"What is the name of your defense?" 

"This is the 18th variation of the 16th century Kajo/Vincen." 

"No wonder I didn't recognize it. What happens next? 

"You have me in check, so my King moves one square to the left, which is where I need him to be anyhow. You can't move your queen, because if you do you will lose your Knight and your Rook. Your only other move is to bring your night to the center. I bring my Kings' Knight to Bishop 3 and the carnage of the middle of the board begins. My Kings Bishop moves to King 2. You move King pawn to King Pawn 4 attacking my Queen. If you do that the game is over. 

"Yes I see it. However, if I go the other way, I lose 5 pawns a Knight, a Bishop, and a Rook. All you lose is a queen. Disgusting isn't it." 

"Yes, but at this point we both stay in defensive positions, and it takes forever to get to the win." 

"You will win all the time?" 

"Of course, I have more pieces." 

"I like you Elizabeth, I think we can become good friends. When do you want to play again?" 

"I don't have any real days off, and I have meetings every day from 1500 to 1800 hrs. Can I call you to see if we are both available at the same time?" 

"There's only one thing that will stop me from playing, and that's if my husband is not working. I'll be jumping up and down on his bones if he is. Just like my Uncle Even, and my cousins Delicious, and Gordon, I went to my marriage bed a virgin. I'm not saying Adam and I did not play around before we got married, but we never had intercourse. I have never done anything so hard in my entire life. I was 24 years old when I got married. I thought I was a lesbian for most of my life, because men didn't interest me. Then this one man grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me out of this spacecraft to take me to lunch and asked me about space. I thought he was joking, I thought it was just a way for him to get into my panties, but it wasn't. He was just a plumber who wanted to know more about what went on up here. My uncle told him we needed plumbers. He gave up his business to try to get this job. Well, he wanted one other thing. He wanted me. He was willing to wait a year, and live a sexless life with me, while he worked his ass off to learn about this job. There is only one passing grade to become a member of this crew and that's 100%. They passed him with a 99 ½ on the final exam because he spelled his name wrong. He was just a little nervous." 

"Please tell me you're joking with me. The computer will not take your exam if you spell your name wrong." 

"That's why they took off half a point. They had to put the 'S' in Adam Schiff; everything else was perfect." 

I announced on their speaker overhead, "Laura, I get your oatmeal, you get my boiled rice." 

"When I have to put that man in stasis, I'm going to freeze him upside down." 

"I will make you a bet you won't do it. You're too much of a scientist to go against your own rules." 

"I don't like you Uncle Even." 

"Now where have I heard that before?" 

"Ask any member of our family, and we will tell you." 

"I'll think about it, as I'm eating your oatmeal." 

***************** 

Jennifer was walking one way, while I was walking another, and she wouldn't look at me. 

I said to her, "I would like to talk to you, I don't have much time left." 

"We have plenty of time. We don't go to work until 1600 hours." 

"That's not what I mean." I turned and walked towards our apartment, while she continued the other way. 

She must have been thinking about something very heavily, until what I said hit her. She turned and fled back to our room. 

I was sitting at the kitchen table writing a note when she burst in. Her eyes were already rimmed with red, before she started reading my note. 

She screamed at me, "When, how soon, tell me dammit." 

"Divine didn't tell me. She just said it would be soon." 

Jennifer threw herself at me, and started to cry. "What am I supposed to do without you?" 

"I know what you're going to do, and I'm very happy for you." 

"What are you talking about, the center of my world is leaving me, and you're happy for me?" 

"Yes I am, because you're going to meet a nice young man and he is going to fall madly in love with you, and you with him. You are going to live a very, very long life, according to my sister, and you are not going to be alone. I won't allow it. On the good side for you, besides loving him, you will not have any more children. On the good side for me is I won't need a vasectomy." 

"Even, how can you joke about something like this?" 

"Baby, how many years did we know this was coming? We knew it would never come at a convenient time, but tell me what time is convenient for a person to die. Divine said my essence will combine with the computer, but my body will be taken elsewhere. There will be no remains to bury or to throw outside. I have the feeling she's going to bury me in Idaho Falls next to her. It will be the first time we are happy, and together since we were teenagers." 

"This is really weird, knowing your death is coming, not worrying about it. I've done everything I wanted to do in life. I made things better for people around the world. I've made things better for my country, and I came back to my church, even though it was a little bit late. Most of all, I met the woman of my dreams. I never knew I was looking for her, but one day, on an airplane her son asked me how much money I made, and I told him. He was protecting his mother's money, and he was 4 years old. I looked into his mother's eyes, and they were as black as coal, with hair to match. She was beautiful beyond compare, and all I wanted to do was talk to her, but I couldn't because her son wouldn't keep quiet. Then her son drew a crowd on the airplane and they started to asking questions until just before we landed in Fairbanks. I did manage to get her name, and told her I would be back. Of course, I didn't know when, because I was running away from a young woman who I thought was my niece and I became angry with her. When I was at the northernmost part of the United States, I find out I am the idiot, and she is my daughter. A little airplane trip on the way home, crashing backwards into trees because my future wife told me that was the way to do it. Walking 40 miles out of the forest pulling a rickshaw of my own design pulling my friend Michael all the way to my future bride's front door, only to hear or ask me, "May I help you?" I do all these things just to get back to her, and instead of jumping into my arms and saying how wonderful it is to know I'm alive, she says, "May I help you?" Then her perfect son talks me into proposing to her in a Wendy's, his, restaurant of choice, but it was my choice to love her with all my heart. If I haven't lived a full life, no man has. I don't want to leave you Jennifer, but I want you to be happy for me." 

"I just hope your sister knows she is taking more than my heart when she takes yours. They're going to be tears shed on the ship by family and friends alike. I'm going to stay by your side every minute of every day, until she takes you from me." 

"Thank God sex is off the table, if I got you pregnant, you would come after me and kill me again." 

"That's not funny Even." 

"It might not be funny Jen, but you must admit it's true." 

"Bastard." 

"I've got to speak to Delicious. Do you want to come with me, or should I do this alone?" 

"I really think this should be a daddy, daughter, mommy thing. Tell her what Divine said to you this morning, and let her ride it out." 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 05a



"This Captain stuff is going to your head. You are getting too smart for the rest of us. I think I'll take Delicious outside for a walk and talk to her there." 

"Sounds like a marvelous idea to me." 

"Sounds like a marvelous idea to me too." 

I opened my communicator and called out, "Delicious Thyme, report to engineering. Delicious Thyme, report to engineering." 

"Jack, Even, think of something that's outside the ship that my daughter and I would have to check personally, and do it quick. You have about 90 seconds." 

"I hate you Even." 

Delicious and I arrived at nearly at the same time. She looked at me and said, "What's going on dad?" 

"I have no idea, Jack called me, and said he needed the both of us." 

We walked in and Jack was going over diagrams of the external portion of the ship. 

"Hi Even, Delicious, we have a vibration outside the main elevator shaft, and since were following that asteroid towards the White Hole, I need to know if we will hold together going through there, even with that protection in front of us. You two guys put this thing together, you have to tell me if it's a go or no go. You also have to tell me if we can fix it, and how." 

"How far past the elevator do you think it is?" 

"It may be directly under it, left or right of it. We can hear it, but we can't isolate it." 

I looked at my daughter and said, "We are going for a spacewalk." 

"Are we going to be tethered, or using backpacks?" 

"Do I hear a chicken clucking? My daughter is afraid of a backpack? Well, she is a new mother; so we will let her use the tether this time. I will take the backpack to investigate further way." 

************** 

As they stepped out on the large elevator, Delicious got nervous. 

"Dad where is my tether?" 

"It's out here Delicious; why would you need a tether by the entry door. Nothing is going to happen while the guys are still out here without spacesuits on. It would not be too good for their health. Let me hook you up." 

"Look at this, this is not rope, it is not steel. This is what our ship is made of so it will not break, tear, go on fire, or melt. It is the same stuff that pulls in the nuclear engine, only a little thinner. You are perfectly safe on it unless you weigh 18000 pounds. If you do, I want to look exactly like you." 

"The buckle is ceramic; it is not going to break. Someone I know has the patent on it. Do you feel comfortable now that you're hooked up?" 

"Yes dad, I'm fine." 

"Just remember, if you look at the front of the ship, there is a huge rock in front of us. Callie is in control of the ship, we are maintaining 25000 meters behind it, and the exact speed of the asteroid ahead of us. Concentrate on your job." 

"Clear the elevator." 

"Remove the oxygen." 

"Breathe normally Delicious. This is a cakewalk." 

"We have a vacuum, lowering the elevator." 

"If you think the stars are stunning as you look at them through the monitors, wait until we clear the lower lip of the ship." 

"Oh dad look at that, isn't that amazing?" 

"Give me your hand, and trust me." 

Panicky, Delicious said, "Where are you taking me, dad?" 

"I'm taking you to the end of your tether, and then I'm going to release your hand and stay right behind you. I want you to take a look at the heavens. I want them to sink into your brain and to see how wonderful they are. No talking, just look. 

********************* 

Jennifer walked into engineering and asked Jack where her errant husband, and daughter were. It was over an hour and a half, and she was wondering which one of us was dead, and which one of us was almost dead. 

"They're not in here Jennifer, unless they're playing with the turkeys. I know Gordon was down here a few hours ago playing with them. Teddy was telling him some of them got lost, because there weren't as many as there used to be. Gordon said he would try to do something about that for her." 

Jennifer grabbed Jack by the top of his uniform. 

"Jack, I recognize Even's distraction technique. Where is he, and don't tell me he's in the containment unit, because I won't believe you." 

"He went for a walk with Delicious. He said he wanted to be alone with her. It sounded pretty important." 

"Which way did they go Jack. Point in the direction, and then follow your finger as you lead me to them." 

"I'm really not supposed to leave my post." 

"Newton are you here?" 

"No grandma, I'm up here." 

"Do you know where your mother, and grandfather are?" 

"Yes they went for a walk." 

"Could you be a little more specific?" 

"Sure, their outside walking on the ship. The Colonel said there was some sort of vibration out there, but I think it was a ploy so the ship couldn't hear my mom yell." 

"Newton, you are smart beyond your years." 

"Jack have you been in contact with my husband?" 

"Not exactly." 

"If I don't get a correct answer Hannah is going to be a widow." 

"I was told to maintain radio silence from this end. When they wanted to come in Even would signal me." 

"Jack, this is Even you can bring us in." 

"As I said Jen, he would call me, when they were ready to come in." 

******************* 

Jennifer was not sure what was going to come through that sealed door when Delicious made her entrance. What she got she never expected. Delicious walked through the door smiling and laughing with her father. 

Delicious walked over to Jen. "Mom can you imagine having to put up with him in the computer for the rest of our lives. It doesn't seem fair, the computer is in all of our rooms, we can never get away from him." 

"The computers in our rooms have off buttons. We can always get rid of him that way. What else did he tell you?" 

"He actually saw my mom today, and told me how she pretty she looked. They had the same discussion they always have and there's no right or wrong in it. It just is as it is. I have to learn how to live with it. I realized today I haven't learned how to do it. I've always used it as an excuse for being angry at myself, Gray, or anyone else around me. I should have always had a different life was the way I always thought about it. The way I should of been thinking about it was this was my life, deal with it. Things would've been so much easier with me and Gray if I just did that one thing a long time ago. I've got to talk to him again, and tell him how sorry I am that I missed something so simple and screwed up 15 years of our marriage because of it." 

"It's always nice to grow up, regardless of when you do it. You have to remember no one else knows about your father, so far it's only you and I. I'm not sure who else he will tell, but I'm sure he'll tell Gordon, and that is going to go down hard." 

I had just finished stowing my gear, and Jennifer kissed me, when a 3-year-old fireball came rushing at me with tears the size of her cheeks running down her face. 

"Why you go? Why God want you now? I pray you stay, She say "NO, need you now. I angry with God, don't want you leave Teddy." 

I scooped her up into my arms, and scolded her. "You must never be angry with God. She always has a reason for calling people to her. Why do you think I made you my number 2? I knew one day this would happen, and I knew it would be soon. God told me so, and I am ready to go to her. Now you must pray for the others on the ship. You must pray for grandma, mommy and daddy, Gordon and Newton, and everyone else that this ship is entrusted to. Do you know who else you must pray for? You must pray for you, because you must grow up straight and tall and beautiful in God's eyes. I know you already are, but you must continue to be that wonderful person you are inside. Did God tell you I'm going to be in the computer?" 

"No." 

"She probably knew you were angry with her, and kept that information from you. You know how you go inside Callie, well that's where I'm going to be. I am going to join with her forever. She will take the best of me, and throw the worst of me away. Anytime you want to talk with me, I will be there to listen to you. Won't you like that?" 

"Yes grandpa, I sorry I angry with God." 

"I don't think you're supposed to tell me; I think you're supposed to tell Her." 

Teddy closed her eyes, for a moment, and when she opened them, she smiled. 

"God say I forgiven being angry, because I only 3. I will understand, when I get older, what going to Her is." 

"Jen, instead of me going through this time and time again, use your communicator and call a staff meeting in the ready room in 30 minutes. I may as well get this over with once and for all. Make sure all our trainees attend, our son, and a special notice to Newton to be there please." 

Teddy said, "I know where Newton go with girl." 

Her mother asked, "Are you spying on your brother?" 

"Not spying, watching." 

"Delicious, she's too young for that talk." 

"Mom if she's watching him, I don't believe she needs that talk." 

"All Newton does is kiss, hold hands." 

"Thank you Lord for very large favors." 

"Why say grandma?" 

Jennifer blushed. "Teddy when grandma was a little older than Newton she was a very bad girl. She had sex and became pregnant with Gordon. She had baby Gordon, and became good for a long time. That's how she met grandpa, and we got married. Grandpa adopted Gordon as his son. We one big family now." 

Teddy laughed. "Gordon booby prize for grandpa." 

While everyone was laughing, I kissed that little cherub's face. 

If you never say anything else in your lifetime that's correct Teddy, you are right about that, "Gordon is one big booby prize." 

"When Gordon 4, he say "I know!" 

I began tickling her, while everyone was laughing again. She squirmed out of my arms, and ran to her mother. 

"I think we should start going to the ready room. I want to be at the meeting before Newton gets there." 

Teddy asked, "Want me get Newton?" 

Delicious said, "No let me do it." 

She opened her communicator, and said loud and clear, "Newton Even Luck Thyme, you have exactly 3 minutes to get to the Ready Room starting now." 

"I hope no one is on the stairway, they may get killed." 

"Why grandpa, today Newton in your room." 

"I'm going to kill that sneaky son of a bitch." 

"Grandpa, NO BAD WORDS. GOD NOT LIKE BAD WORDS!" 

"You are right Teddy. I will ask God to forgive me, by praying more, and being bad less." 

"Not forget pray, she angry with you." 

"She has every right to be angry with me. I should not have lost my temper over something so small. I will pray on our way to the meeting." 

***************** 

16. THE MEETING 

"Sir, Mister Zabo is waiting." 

"Let him in. Whatever brought him to Washington must be extremely important. He rarely leaves New York anymore, because of his age." 

The chief of staff was about to say something, when the president cut him off telling him to let his guest into the oval office. 

The chief nodded, opened the door, and announced, "Mister President, William Zabo." 

The presidents jaw nearly hit his desk when, 36-year-old, William Zabo Junior walked through the door and into the Oval Office. He regained his composure, reached out his right hand, and greeted him warmly. 

"Mister President, my father sends his greetings, and his regrets. He was rushed to the doctor this morning with a large swelling in his throat. He was finding it hard to breathe, and even though he wanted to make this meeting himself, the doctors said "No." Grudgingly, he sent me in his stead. 

This meeting is of the utmost importance. I suggest that your Chief of Staff be the only other person in this room with us, while we speak of the matters at hand. I don't want any taping of this meeting, neither visual or audio. If you cannot accommodate me with these wishes, I will bother you no longer. 

I have been searched 3 times, since I entered this building. My briefcase has been x-rayed, sniffed by bomb sniffing dogs, and tested for chemical residues. In the interests of being cooperative with the Secret Service, I opened my briefcase, so they could look inside, and run an analysis of the envelopes I am carrying. The only thing that is a threat to you in this briefcase, is the information I am carrying. 

Now, either turn off the cameras and microphones, or I get in my helicopter and go home to my wife, and family." 

The president made a slashing movement across his throat, and in the Secret Service office in the basement, all the monitors, and listening devices were turned off. 

William Metcalf asked, "What do you have that is so important Mister Zabo?" 

"I will start out with High Treason, that may or may not start in this office. Corruption at the highest levels of government. Capital murder. Intent to destroy government property, and while doing so killing hundreds of people, including the 4 astronauts on top of an exploding $1 trillion rocket." 

The Chief of Staff, Stephen Bollinger, went white, when he heard the charges, but the president sat back, and asked for proof of all these accusations. 

I will be leaving everything in my briefcase with you, because they are all copies. Your CIA, FBI, NSA, DIA, Pentagon and everyone else in your alphabet soup, will be receiving copies later today. We are watching the heads, and all the chief assets of all these agencies, to see which one's start covering their asses, and starting to run for the hills. 

My father has almost as much money as the treasury, and everyone will be monitored night and day by multiple assets, with better technology than the military. 

His friends in Omaha, Washington State, and Palm Beach have also joined the ranks of citizens, who wish to get these people out of power, and into jail. I will tell you at this moment Mister President, and Mister Bollinger, that you are high on the list of suspects. You have access, and access means power. Let me begin by showing you this... 

Williams 30 minute scheduled meeting ran for over 2 hours. Whether the president was acting or not for Williams benefit, he was doing an excellent job. He had his secretary call the heads of the 5 agencies mentioned, and had them in his office within the hour. 

This was highly irregular, and even though he was the president, the heads of these agencies were not used to getting run out of their office, at a moment's notice, to meet with him. 

After hearing the charges, and looking at the copies, the head of each service said the same thing: We can't take these photocopies as real evidence. We have to see and test the originals." 

Much to their surprise Williams said, "We have no problem with your request. Pick a team of experts in every field necessary, but no more than 12 of them. We will know if there are any moles amongst your group. If there are, you will find them floating down the Potomac, face down. We are doing this in good faith. You may bring your own materials to do the testing. Each member of your team will be thoroughly vetted. You can deliver them to my father's home, in New York City, on the agreed upon date. From there, we will disperse them to other parts of the city to see the authentic documents. If any attempts are made to follow them, they will be returned to my father's home, where you may pick them up and return them to Washington. You may now begin to argue among yourselves, who has the best 12 experts. Since this is a typical government bureaucracy, it will probably take you 2 to 4 months to pick out these 12 experts. 

However, Mister President, inside this sealed envelope are the names of the 12 experts they will finally agree upon. My father asked me to bet you $1.00 on it. He has bet and won $1.00 from every preceding President, since Lyndon Johnson. Now he wants $1.00 taken directly out of your wallet." 

"I like 12 to 1 odds Mister Zabo; I accept. Will I get to see your father take a dollar out of his wallet?" 

"I would love to say yes to your request, but my father hasn't carried a wallet in more than 60 years." 

"How does he pay for anything?" 

"Everyone knows him. He carries a very large sum of money on his person. Two of his security agents carry pieces of luggage that do not have clothes in them. Just like every other piece of luggage they are handed to the bell boys and brought up to his room. Those men and women guard his luggage with their lives. When he leaves, no one in the hotel goes away unhappy. From the chambermaid, to the bellboy, they sometimes receive a year's salary when he walks out the front door." 

A general from the Joint Chiefs of Staff joked, "Can I go to work for him?" 

William said, "No general, your current mistress disqualifies you, because you are married. My father does not hire philanderers." 

The president looked at General Marcus, and asked him if it was true. 

"It just started 3 weeks ago, I don't know how we found out about it so quickly." 

"Pack your bags, you're fired." 

"Yes sir." 

As Marcus was passing Zabo he asked, "How did you know?" 

"It doesn't matter how I know general, but did you realize she is 17-years old?" 

"She couldn't be 17. She showed the clerk her driver's license to buy liquor. It said she was 22, and she looked it." 

"She is still younger than your daughter." 

"I can give you all the excuses in the world; but I cannot excuse myself for going to bed with a 17-year-old girl. Goodbye Mister Zabo, and good luck in finding whoever is trying to kill American citizens, and destroy American property." 

William handed the general's card. "Give me a call after you've cleared out of the Air Force. I liked the way you put American citizens, before American property." 

"I swore an oath to protect the citizens of this country, and I've done it for 37 years. I'll never stop doing it, in whatever capacity I can." 

************************ 

[9 weeks later] 

"Zabo residence, this is Gwen." 

"Mrs. Zabo, is Mister William Zabo Junior available?" 

"Yes he is. He is attempting to beat his little brother in a game of chess. It's not going well." 

"This may be a little more important, the President of the United States wishes to speak to him." 

"One moment please." 

"How many moves to checkmate big guy?" 

"Depending on how stupid he gets, 3 or 4." 

"Can you free him for a moment, the president wants to speak to him?" 

"Which president?" 

"Our president, the one that lives in the White House." 

"In that case, it's okay." 

William said, "You're such a sport." 

"William Zabo Junior here." 

"One moment for the President please." 

"Hello William, I've just been handed a list with the names of the 12 experts they want to do the testing on the original documents. I thought it was only fair to open your envelope, while talking to you so I could take your father's dollar honestly." 

"Remember Mister President, I am going to fly to Washington to watch you take a $1.00 bill from your wallet, so my father can hang it on his wall." 

"Here we go: Doctors DeKalb, Leacher, Orlando, Bonnet', Mayweather, Blanchard, Norris, Edwards, Leaker, Atone, Day, Liaison." 

After comparing the lists, and checking each name, the president said, "Son of a bitch, I owe you a dollar. How could you possibly know?" 

"It was very easy Mister President. My father told me each of these experts refused to work for the military, or any government establishment for any reason. Each of them hates the Government of the United States for the way they handle contracts, and American Secrecy. They just love America, and will do anything to protect her. These 12 people will take apart these documents, and analyze them to make sure they are authentic. If they bite a bureaucrats' ass, they will make it known to everyone worldwide. If they find out it's the head of the Corporation, that man's head will roll until it winds up in jail." 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 05a



"I can't approve that Mister Zabo. These documents have to remain 'Top Secret, until we have enough evidence against the perpetrators to put them all in jail." 

"Mister President, we have already told the perpetrators we are on their tails. They are hunkering down, and are hoping what they've already done is enough to destroy the rocket, the people in the viewing stands, and American prestige. What they're looking forward to is the next rocket. Instead of $1 trillion, they want it to cost $1.5 trillion. 

They want you to look at Challenger and what happened to NASA's budget afterwards. While Congress was cutting NASA's budget to the bone, and making it cut corners, when Challenger happened, they tripled NASA's budget to make sure it would never happen again. 

After four successful launches, they cut the budget again, forcing NASA to lay off technicians and engineers. Then we lost Columbia, because a piece of foam fell off the liquid fuel tank and hit the orbiters wing knocking off 6 tiles. The blame always goes on the congresses back; but who pressured them to cut NASA's budget, and then reaped the profits afterwards? Those are the people we are looking for Mister President. 

People made a lot of money off those catastrophes, especially the people who made those rubber seals that failed for Challenger. Instead of having 6 people check the edges of the seals, they had 20. There was a bonus for any man finding a fault on the edges of those seals. Surprisingly enough, there was an upsurge in the amount of faults found on those edges, when the bonus program was instituted. 

"What happens next Mister Zabo?" 

"I come down to Washington to collect my father's dollar. Then we set the date for our guests to check the originals at secure places. When you get the results, we will make a plan of action." 

"When will you be here?" 

"I believe you should make that arrangement sir. Your calendar is a little more pressing than mine." 

"I'll have my secretary call you tomorrow with the date and time. I hope your little brother gives you a chance to win that chess game." 

"There's no chance sir. Patrick is a menace to society. You put him in front of the chessboard and make your first move, he already knows you're dead." 

"I play a pretty mean game of chess myself. Why don't you bring him along?" 

"Mister President, he's going to ruin your mood for a month." 

"Not to worry, my staff is used to it." 

"Alright Mister President, please remember, I tried to warn you." 

"Thank you Mister Zabo, I'll brush up on my game at night." 

********************* 

"Do you think they'll put one and one together dad, before they realize we own the 2 'Brownstones' directly behind you?" 

"William, there will be enough agents around our home, trying to keep tabs on these 12 people, they won't know what to do with themselves. I will have a canvas awning set up in my yard, and you will have one behind each of yours, limiting the time any of our people will be exposed. The surprise we have in store for them will definitely knock them off their game. 

The lovely thing about living in New York City is they can't use drones; it's against the law. If they use a manned aircraft, it will have to make larger turns, and their vision is blocked by houses and trees. If they use a helicopter, we will see it, hear it, it will still have the same problem as an aircraft. We will have them running around in circles, while the 12 experts are taking a cruise around Manhattan Island, performing their tests." 

"I don't know how you came up with that idea dad, but it's a beauty, just like my wife." 

"I thought I was walking softly enough he wouldn't hear me coming in the room. Apparently I was wrong, because he paid me a compliment." 

"I pay you compliments every day my love." 

"That bum used to complement me every day also. Now that I'm old, he doesn't talk to me." 

"You know that's not true Jemma. Every night I tell you to move over when we are in bed." 

"William you are a dead man." 

"Dad, you should know better than pick a fight with mom. You have been married for over 40 years. She just had two daughters for you, who will grow up to be just like Patty, just to show you what you missed. Plus, she is still in pain after her operation. You should tread very carefully about what you say to her now. 

You can count on two fingers of your left hand how many arguments you've won against her, since the day you two were married. I remember the story of mom driving you to the Justice Department to get married. Your answers all the way there were, 'Yes dear or Yes Jemma, or yes my love, because you were in fear for your life while she was driving.' 

Get on your knees, dad. Ask for forgiveness, kiss her ring as if she was the pope, and say you're sorry. It's the way you taught me to do it with Gwen." 

Gwen hit Junior, then screamed, "LIAR." 

William pulled her onto his lap, and kissed her fervently, until she stopped pounding on his chest. Then she joined him in the kiss, and made it hotter. 

"I can't wait until they finish our home baby, but for right now, we are going up to our room, and attempt to make a grandchild for my nervous mother. Don't bother knocking at our door, mom. We will see you, either after you two make up, or at dinner." 

Jemma said, "When you are finished with her, hang her from the ceiling. You've been married over 3 months, and she's not pregnant. I'm very disappointed with you my son. Get your act in gear." 

"Children, your mother is remembering a time when I used to hang her from the ceiling, and screwing her for hours in that position. She didn't get pregnant, but she sure screamed a lot." 

"Yes, William, I remember those days. It was a lot of fun, wasn't it? The hotel staff always wondered about those holes in the ceiling. However, you were such good customer, they never complained about them." 

Gwen asked, "Mom what circus did you train at? It sounds like dad was a kinky old bastard when you met him." 

"You are absolutely right Gwen. He was older than I was, and he was much more experienced than me. However, after one evening with him, not only did he steal my body, but the bastard stole my heart. He's never given it back to me. The day he does he will lose his hands, and his balls." 

"Mom, he will never give it back to you. Wherever you are at a party, or a business event, his eyes follow you. It doesn't matter if there are one hundred people in the room or just four, he knows exactly where you are, and will kill any man that touches you, or hurts you." 

"That's not true son. He is just looking at my ass. He doesn't want anyone else to touch it, because it belongs to him, and him alone." 

"You bet your ass it does." 

"Do you see what I mean son, that's all I am to him, a good piece of ass." 

"Jemma if you don't stop talking like that I'm going to put you over my knees and spank your pretty ass." 

"I just had 2 babies, which he refuses to name for 14 days, and all he wants to do is spank me. Is your father going senile or what?" 

"I don't know mom? Let me take Gwen upstairs and I'll test your hypothesis on her. I'll let you know if it works." 

"Keep your hands away from me William. I don't feel like getting a spanking today." 

"You liked the one I gave you yesterday." 

"You were doing something else when you were spanking me." 

"We could do it that way again. As I recall, there was a very satisfactory ending." 

She snuggled into his arm and shoulder. "Yes it did." 

As they were leaving the library, Jemma yelled, "Don't forget to hang her from the ceiling, when you're done with her. I want a grandbaby soon." 

Gwen yelled back, "We will give him one more month mom. If we don't strike gold by then, I'll have dad do it." 

Junior yelled, "Like hell!" 

Jemma said, "Sounds fine to me." 

Senior yawned, "Don't worry about it son, I'll only need to be in there once, and she'll have the triplets." 

"I'm going to be putting a chastity belt on my wife dad. She's not safe around you." 

"That's not the problem William. Right now Gwen is safe around you. You have to change that or you'll never hear the end of it from your mother." 

"I just thought of something Teddy said. We were going to have 3 children. 2 were going to be redheaded girl's like their mother. One was going to have white hair just like you, dad. Touch my wife and you're a dead man." 

"I have never cheated on my wife, and I never will." 

"He's telling you the truth William. Your dad has always been faithful to me." 

"Gwen go upstairs and get dressed We are going to the Starlight Ballroom for some fun and dancing." 

Jemma asked, "What happened to sex?" 

"It's overrated." 

"Like hell it is. You just have to learn to do it better. I'll have your father set up a camera in our bedroom to show you how it's done." 

"You're not that ballsy mom." 

"You'll have the tape tomorrow night." 

"I can't wait." 

"I hope you enjoy your dancing William, your father and I will be dancing to a different tune." 

************ 

Gwen and William watched the tape the following evening. They were in awe of what they saw. 

They hid the tape very carefully, to make sure Patrick could not find it. They did not want Patrick to watch the video clandestinely. It would be the best Triple X feature he had ever seen, including the ones he watched on his computer. 

************** 

William and Patrick walked into the oval office and were greeted by the President. The President took out his wallet, and handed William a $1 bill. Using only 2 fingers, and touching the very edge of the $1.00 bill, he put it into a small plastic bag. 

"Why are you doing that?" 

"My father wants to make sure it is your $1 bill, and not one of mine." 

"Your father is very serious about his $1 bills." 

"Yes sir, he is. He will have a fingerprint expert make sure yours are on the bill, before he frames it. Shall we take care of business before Patrick ruins your month." 

"May I ask you who do you think the culprits are?" 

"We believe it is a member of your National Security Council. They brief you personally once every week, and you act on everything they tell you. 4 of your predecessors treated them differently, with varying degrees of success. 

One did not believe Iraq was ready to disperse chemical weapons, and disregarded their assessment. Instead of to allowing the Army to go to Baghdad, which he could've taken with minimal losses, he stayed within the United Nations Security Council's mandate, and stopped the war. It was a mistake, but one in good faith. 

The next president came in, straightened out the economy and put the National Security Council on the back burner. He liked direct access from each agency, and raw data. His only mistake was thinking that a rebellious Saudi millionaire was nothing to worry about until too late in his administration. When he finally tried to kill him, they missed several times. 

The following president was a warmonger who brought us into 3 wars, and got us out of none. Our soldiers died, as they did in Vietnam, because he controlled the war from the White House, and the Congress, instead of letting the generals run it from the front. 

Lyndon Johnson found that out the hard way, and didn't run for a 2nd term. 

Your predecessor got us out of the wars, despite bitter disagreement from Hawks in the Congress. Unfortunately, in his 2nd term, he had to defend everything he did during his first term, and didn't get anything of consequence through the Congress during the term. Numbers wise he was very successful. Unemployment was down to record lows, corporations were seeing record profits, the stock markets were at record highs, and the talent coming out of our colleges were being recruited heavily." 

"Now you sit in this office, in your 2nd year, just getting used to what is going on around you. The infrastructure of this country is falling apart. There are 19,700 bridges that need repair or replacement desperately. 

Highway construction and repair has been put off since 1998, by a reluctant Congress who refuses to raise the tax on gasoline. If you are going to pollute the air, and use these roads, you should pay to fix them, or walk to work. 

If the Congress doesn't have the testicular fortitude to do it, you, as president of the United States, should ram it down their throats, and force them to do it. The highway trust fund is bankrupt, because the Congress uses that money for other programs, and that is illegal. 

The Congress does so many things that are illegal, everyone turns a blind eye to them. If you have the courage, maybe you should point it out to them at the State of the Union Address. 

At the last estimate, it is going to take $9.5 trillion to fix everything that's wrong with our bridges, roadways, and airports. Every day you wait to act, another $10 million is added to that figure." 

"I thought you said Patrick was going to ruin my month?" 

"I only gave you food for thought Mister President. Whether you wish to act on it or not is up to you." 

"Stephen tell Mark to get a transcript of what Mister Zabo just said, and put it forcefully into the State of the Union Message. I will not build another rocket, until this country's infrastructure is fixed." 

"There is another way Mister President." 

"What is that?" 

"Doctor Even Luck, his son, Gordon, and his daughter, Delicious, along with 200 scientists, hundreds of engineers, thousands of workers, and 20 investors who put up $350 billion of their own money, launched a spaceship with 66 people on board just over a year ago. The last report we received from them was they were passing the planet Uranus, at .92 lightspeed. We have not heard from them since, and we don't expect to hear from them again. 

NASA and all the space agencies around the world followed their progress as far as they could, monitoring their radio, television, spectrometer and telescopic reports. They will be going over this material for a generation or more, because all of this information is new." 

"My people at NASA told me this was all bullshit." 

"You have Internet access on your computer, I take it?" 

"Yes I do." 

"May I open an Internet page for you and you can do the rest?" 

"Go ahead." 

"Do you recognize this logo?" 

"Yes, it's the European space agency." 

"Put in the date of December 25 of last year, and hit enter." 

"Put the timeframe to 3 minutes before 5 P.M., and raise the sound." 

"Ladies and gentlemen this is Mrs. Jennifer Luck. We are on schedule for a 5 PM departure. We will hover at 500 feet to do our internal checks and then proceed on a southeasterly course of 138° and increase our speed to 28,000 mph, until we leave Earth's atmosphere. At that time, we will use our forward magnetic engines to pull us towards the moon, and our rear engines to push us away from the earth... We are now 60 seconds from liftoff, and again I wish you all a fond farewell." 

It was agreed that Teddy would announce the next two sequences. 

Teddy said, "30 seconds to left off." 

I said to her, "Teddy, it's lift off, not left off." 

"K." 

Teddy announced, "10- 9- 8- 7- 6- 5- 4- 3- 2 -1-Left off." 

A few seconds later, the spacecraft lifted gracefully off the ground, and stopped at 500 feet. I announced to everyone gathered below us that all our internal checks were in the green, and we were retracting our landing gear. Everyone watched as the 4 large pedestals we rested on slid smoothly into the ship and locked into place. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, our forward engines are now locked onto the moon, and we are ready to go. From the crew and passengers on the Good Luck 1, we again say goodbye." 

The president watched as the ball, that was floating a moment ago, increased speed so rapidly, the cameras were hard-pressed to keep up with it. If it was not a black dot in a blue sky, it would have been impossible to track. 

As he listened to the reporter on the European space agency's channel he became furious. "Get me that asshole from NASA on the line now." 

James Bolden asked, "Yes Mister President, how can I help you?" 

"In one minute I'm going to fire you, but before I do it, I want every piece of information you have on the spacecraft called, 'Good Luck 1' on my desk tomorrow morning. That includes all film, discs, and paperwork. If anything is altered, you can consider yourself under arrest for falsifying government documents. Is that clear Mister Bolden?" 

"Sir, you are talking about hundreds of thousands of documents, discs, and testimony. I can't possibly have that to you in the morning." 

"How can that possibly be? Every time I asked you about this supposed spacecraft, you told me it was a toy, a figment of someone's imagination, something that would never fly. I just watched it on the European Space Agency's webpage, and it sure as hell look like it flew to me. I'm wasting $1 trillion of this country's money on a spacecraft that may or may never fly. I'm getting ready to cancel it. I want to know how much money we've spent on it to the penny. Tomorrow morning Mister Bolden, 9 o'clock sharp. Oh I forgot, you're fired." 

**************** 

"Mister President, I know some people who would give their eye teeth to take a look at that stuff." 

"And who might they be?" 

"Our people who are running parallel investigation." 

"I'll see what I can do about it." 

"Patrick looks bored to tears sitting over there. I guess it's time to see how good a chess player he is?" 

"There goes your good humor for the month." 

"Perfect timing don't you think? When that asshole gets here tomorrow morning, he will get my wrath for lying to this country for the last 6 years. He was in that job too long anyhow. He was becoming complacent. Patrick, if you beat me in under 20 moves, I'll let you run NASA for me." 

"Really, if you let me do that, I'll see if I can get my cousins to retrofit Orion onto our engines, and get it off the ground for you in 1 year." 

"I told you that kid could ruin your day. Now you are going to have to explain to the press why a 16-year-old is running a major part of the government." 

"He hasn't beaten me yet." 

"Yes sir; he has." 

16 moves later the president tipped over his king, and acquiesced to Patrick, who was running around the oval office screaming, "I'm going to run NASA," over and over again." 

William said, "Mister President, if it's any consolation to you, NASA is in good hands." 

The President responded, "How can you possibly say that? 

"Patrick graduated from Tsinghua University at the age of 13. He received a double degree. One was in Business Management, the other was in Computer Technology. He wanted to take a 3rd, because he was bored, but I wouldn't allow it. 

He would have been the valedictorian of his graduating class. I told the Dean of the school it would not be proper for an American citizen of that age to speak to a Chinese audience at graduation. The country, and other graduates would lose face, and that is something I would not allow to happen. I wanted his name removed from the list of graduates, and his degrees issued privately. The deans of the school were so appreciative; they could not do enough for us. 

Patrick speaks and writes in 4 languages. English, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. He knows more about Business Management and Computer systems in this country, and in China then anyone I've ever met except, our sister, Patricia, of course. 

He received his Master's Degree, from NYU, in Business Management this past summer. He did most of it on line, but had to go there to defend his thesis. He got straight A's again." 

"What happens when he goes before the Senate for confirmation? He's only 16." 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 05a



"He'll be 17 in March. He will do to the Senate what his cousin, Gordon, did to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, when we first applied for approval to build a small Nuclear Fusion Engine. Not one of the people on the commission understood how it could be build it, until Gordon explained it to them. He told them, if they built one focusing 172 high powered lasers at a gold capsule the size of a small thimble, containing titrium, and deuterium and have the heat of the lasers squeeze it down so small that the atoms fuse and produce a star burst of continuous energy, enough to power the entire continent. They still didn't understand what he was talking about, but they gave him the permit. 

If they give Patrick a few months before the confirmation hearings, he will know more about NASA than his predecessor. If they ask him a question he does not know, he will start out by giving them a clear, and cogent answer, and then baffle them with bull shit. There will be only 2 people on the committee that will know anything about NASA, and the internal workings of it. Everyone else is just there for show. Patrick will take them apart for not knowing what they're voting on. 

It works for us as well Mister President, because Patrick will never go anyplace unguarded. We expect someone to come after the 2 of us at some point. It will be wonderful to draw them out into the open as they try to make their move. Now they will have to come at us from 2 different directions. It weakens them, and makes us stronger." 

**************** 

As their helicopter lifted smoothly into the air, Patrick asked his brother, "Will you call Holden for me?" 

"Are you going to brag already?" 

"There's no time to brag, I want to see if they can retrofit Orion." 

"You are something else little brother." 

"Rod Laver here, who's calling?" 

"William Zabo Junior, calling for Holden Luck." 

"Identifying." 

"SAG A Star." 

"Hello William, how is everything up north?" 

"We are stirring the pot quite vigorously, looking for the rats to start running. It appears the president is on our side, but nothing is for certain." 

"Very interesting, how might I help you today?" 

"Is Holden with you?" 

"Yes, we are eating lunch." 

"What you are about to hear is the truth, so don't start yelling. Here's Patrick, and put your phone on speaker." 

"Holden, it's me Pat, can you hear me okay?" 

"Yes I can, what's up?" 

"The president fired the head of NASA, and he said if I could beat him in a game of chess in less than 20 moves, I could replace him. I beat him in 16 moves. I am now the head of NASA. This is not a joke; it is for real. I want to know if it is possible for us to retrofit Orion with your sister's engines, in one year, or less. I don't know if they will need a nuclear engine, because they're only going to Mars. It will take them an hour to get there, and leave them more time for exploration. What do you think?" 

"It's interesting, but I'd have to get underneath Orion to see how the cabling would go. We would also have to find a way to get the power to run my sister's engines without the nuclear engine to provide it. The nuclear engine is the only way I know to give it enough electricity. The super-cooled helium has to be kept at 4.2° Kelvin. The ultra-high powered electrical current is what achieves the negative magnetism passing through the 2% non-enriched uranium that puts the Earth's gravity negative 2% has to come from somewhere. It's either a small nuclear fusion engine, or we build a complete power plant, and put enough fuel in there to run it for 3 hours." 

"How long do you think would take Bascom to build a 3 Mega Joule fusion engine?" 

"They already have the design, and the experience to make the sarcophagus. The problem is Washington and getting the permits." 

"If I got them to give you the permits, how long?" 

"Since it would be a tiny engine, 7, or 8 months." 

"How would you like to take a break from what you are doing, and go down to Kennedy to see Orion, with unfettered access?" 

"Does a bumblebee like flowers?" 

"I will pick you up next Tuesday, 10 AM, at Charleston airport. I gotta convince my dad I need an airplane." 

"I have to bring my entourage." 

"That's funny, so do I." 

"Big brother, do you want to buy me a 747, or do I have to ask dad to buy it for me?" 

"What the hell are you going to do with the 747?" 

"Shall I show you my design for it, or can you wait until we get home?" 

"We have an hour, go ahead." 

"We're going to have 4 large bedrooms. One upstairs for you and Gwen. God knows you make enough noise. Another large one, forward, on the main floor, for mom and dad. One large one for me, and the rear of the aircraft, and one medium-size one for a guest in back by me. All the other seats will be first-class, and must be able to recline into a sleeping position. We have to travel with our guards, and they deserve to be as comfortable as possible, while we are flying. We will upgrade the kitchen area's downstairs for better food, and more of it. We will contract with the finer restaurants in New York City, Washington, DC, Charleston S.C., and the Cape Kennedy area for food. We will have 8 full-time hostesses, and 2 full-time crews on board while we are in flight. We will never have as much cargo as the plane can carry so we will see what Boeing can do for us downstairs. 

The aircraft will be guarded 24/7, and maintained as Air Force One is. Anyone who goes near that aircraft will be challenged for identification and work orders. They will be escorted to their workplace and monitored while they are there." 

"Do you want it painted like Air Force 3?" 

"I think that's illegal William. I was thinking about something like 'DEFENDER' or maybe "JEMMA," but you can't tell dad." 

"You did this out of thin air as usual my brother." 

"No, you gave me 2 seconds to think about it." 

"Give me the phone Mr. Administrator, before I hit you." 

"Information, could you connect me with Boeing aircraft sales department. I have no idea where the located." 

"Boeing customer relations, this is Virginia speaking." 

"Virginia, this is William Zabo. I'd like to speak to someone about buying an airplane." 

"Yes Mister Zabo one moment please." 

***************** 

"Frank, William Zabo is on the line and he wants to buy an airplane." 

"William Zabo?" 

"Yes Frank, William Zabo. Get your dancing shoes on, and pick up the phone." 

****************** 

"Mister Zabo, this is Frank Williamson, how my help you?" 

"You made me wait 87 seconds Mister Williamson, and it was a waste of my time. You have just lost a sale for one of your 747's, because of your tardiness. I am going to hang up, and call the French. I dislike spending American dollars in other countries and keeping their people employed instead of American workers employed. How many people have you just put on the unemployment line Mister Williamson, and how soon? Goodbye Sir." 

"Mister Zabo, I apologize for keeping you waiting. We were at a meeting and I had to be pulled out of it to speak to you. I'm sure we can come to some sort of an agreement that will make you happy to purchase American aircraft." 

"I need a Boeing 747 yesterday. My son was just made the Administrator of NASA, and honestly I don't trust any of their aging aircraft. With Congress constantly cutting their funding, all NASA does is cut back on repairs, and I won't have my son die, because Congress doesn't do what they're supposed to do. When can I have an aircraft Mister Williamson, when?" 

"The wait for a new aircraft Mister Zabo is 5 to 7 years." 

"Goodbye Mister Williamson." 

"Mister Zabo are you going to be financing this aircraft?" 

"I haven't financed anything since I purchased my first car. This airplane should cost me between $280 million, maybe $320 with what I have in mind for the inside. That's petty change Mister Williamson, I can bring it in cash, or write you a check." 

"Mister Zabo may I call you back in 30 minutes." 

"Here is my phone number, in 31 minutes I turned off my phone." 

"Thank you Mister Zabo." 

Patrick laughed. "You play dad very well." 

"You watched me do it in China all the time. You have to scare the other guy to get what you want. I have a pretty good idea of what a Boeing 747 costs, but he knows now what I'm willing to pay for it, and he knows it's a cash deal. He's going to call his boss, who is the head of purchasing to find out if the deal for the next airplane is solid. Then he is going to call the head of production to find out when aircraft number 1 in line is going to be ready. They will call flight test to make sure there is a crew ready to fly that particular airplane. if everything falls our way, we will have that airplane in 2 months. If not able try to sell us a used aircraft, which I will keep saying no and no and no and no, until they lowered the price to bare minimum. Then we will change the engines, update the avionics, and work on the inside of the aircraft, until everything is brand-new." 

"You sound like you've done this before." 

"It's like selling a table. They have a product they want to sell. They have a product you want to buy, but not at the price they want to sell it at. The object is to bargain. They say no, you walk away. You get to the door they ask you to come back and reconsider. You tell them there's nothing to reconsider, because their price is way too high. I've already told them what my bargaining price is, and I'm willing to pay cash. Cash today is more valuable than cash 10 years from now because it depreciates. 

Wait a minute, you gave me this lecture years ago, when you were in school, you little bastard." 

"I was just checking to see if you remembered it." 

"I should throw you out of this damn helicopter." 

"You can't, the doors lock automatically when we are in flight." 

{28 minutes later, William's phone rang.} 

"Mister Zabo, Frank Williamson from Boeing. I tried to get you aircraft number one in line, but the deal is solid. Is there anything else I can try to do for you?" 

"Yes you can Mister Williamson, give me the name of the owner of aircraft number one, and find me the best used Boeing 747 there is for sale. Don't worry about the engines because we will be re-refitting the aircraft, if we decide to buy it." 

"The aircraft is being purchased by an Algerian Airline Company whose president's name is Falik sed Mansad." 

William laughed. "Mister Williamson if I were you, I would not paint that aircraft." 

"It finishes assembly in 3 days and is scheduled for the paint shop in 8 days." 

"Mister Mansad will be calling you with new instructions either today, or tomorrow." 

"Yes Mister Zabo, I will await his call." 

**************** 

Frank walked to his secretary's office. 

"That man is some piece of work." 

"What do you mean Frank?" 

"He threatens me, because I kept him on the phone waiting too long. He tells me exactly what he wants, and tells me he wants the first airplane off the line. I did everything I could but it was impossible, because the deal was solid. I couldn't believe it when he said the owner of that aircraft would call me within 24 hours with new instructions. Who the fuck does this guy think he is?" 

Virginia replied, "I brought him up on my computer, take a look, but don't die on my floor." 

***************** 

"Dad, William, how much does Falik sed Mansad owe us?" 

"Do you mean beyond his firstborn, his testicles, and his company?" 

"Could you put a figure to that please?" 

"Without going to my computer, I would say close to $5 ½ billion." 

"Thank you, dad, he's just given Patrick a Boeing 747." 

"What the hell is Patrick going to do with the 747?" 

"He's going to put a lap pool in the belly, a bowling alley in the rear, and a bedroom for each of his mistresses." 

"He's a forward thinking young man isn't he?" 

"Yes he is dad. He designed the whole thing for me in under a minute. He is brilliant." 

"Okay, call Mansad's New York office. Tell them they just lost an aircraft because they've been late on 7 payments. They are still going to pay for the aircraft, but we are going to be the owners. If they don't like it, tell them I'm going to foreclose on their loans." 

"Thanks dad, I'm going to call them right now." 

*********************** 

"StarWide Aviation, Teresa speaking." 

"Teresa, this is William Zabo calling, I would like to speak to the chief financial officer or the president of the company immediately please. This is in reference to late payments on their debts." 

"Mister Zabo, I will patch you through to our Algiers office." 

"Falik here William, how can I help you?" 

"You are on a spending spree, while you owe me money and are sending it in late. I have been very kind to you by not raising your interest rate. Are you still a sound investment for me, or should I take over your company, and sell it away in pieces?" 

"We have had our best year in history William. Instead of flying to the west, our business has grown by flying to the southeast. That is our growth area, and our business is booming." 

"If your business is booming why am I not being paid on time?" 

"We have been upgrading our fleet to make our passengers more comfortable." 

"If you are late one more time, I'm either going to take over the company, or raise your interest rate by 12%." 

"12%, that will bankrupt us, either way I will lose the company. Is there any other way we can come to terms?" 

"I know you have a Boeing 747 coming off the line in a few days. I want it. You pay for it, I own it. I will give you a year to prove yourself. If there is a downturn in your business over this year, you and I are going to have a very detailed discussion. Is that clear?" 

"Yes William, it is very clear." 

"You are to call Boeing tomorrow morning and tell them not to paint that aircraft. Advise them you will be paying for it, but the owner is Patrick William Zabo. Do not default on those payments, or I will foreclose immediately." 

"Understood William, goodbye." 

**************** 

The following morning at 10 AM Pacific Coast time, Virginia transferred a call to Frank Williamson's office. 

"Mister Williamson, this is Falik sed Mansad of StarWide Airlines in Algiers. I have to make a change in our order for our Boeing 747 which is due to come off the line shortly." 

"Yes sir, I've been expecting your call. Go ahead with your changes." 

When their conversation ended, all Frank Williamson could do was shake his head. He had never heard anything like this in all is born days. A company was buying it an aircraft, but the owner was going to be a private citizen. The private citizen was a 16-year-old boy by the name of Patrick William Zabo. Even though he had read everything about his father the day before, he still couldn't imagine the power this man held over most of the people he knew in the business world. He picked up the paperwork, brought it to Virginia, and told her when she reads it not to be startled. Every word he wrote is true. He was going for breakfast, again. 

17. Finality 

You could hear a pin drop in the ready room. The look in Jennifer's eyes and the way she was holding Even close to her, told them this was not a practical joke. Soon, they were going to lose the glue that held their ship together. If anything went wrong, the first thing anyone did was call Even Luck. That comfort was going to be taken away from them soon, and there wasn't anything any of them could do. 

His assurance that they were ready to proceed with this mission without him was of little comfort, because they didn't feel that way themselves. 

None of the captains did, not Jennifer or Gordon. 

The Captain trainees each shrunk a foot, when they heard the news. Janet and Gloria, who were on the bridge seconds ago, and feeling at the top of their game, suddenly were not as sure of themselves as they were when they entered this room. 

Elizabeth saw him looking directly at her, as he was speaking. He knew she was thinking about running back to the safety of Navigation. As he stared at her, he wiped that thought out of her head, because he was telling her she was needed where he put her. 

Tears flowed from her eyes. She brushed them away as best she could. She looked at her Captain, and nodded her head. He nodded back. 

Monty realized why he was pushing her so hard. On this ship there were 2 imposing figures: Even Luck and Montgomarie Jamison. Even, because of his skill, magnetism and brilliance. Monty because of her leadership abilities, intuition, and size. People were naturally drawn to them, and valued their opinions. 

Even said, "This information is not yet for general release. When we complete our travels through the White Hole, I will advise the entire crew of my predicament. Then we will turn to seek a new home among the stars. This meeting is adjourned." 

Everyone was quiet as they left the room. There's nothing you could say to a man, who knew he was going to die to cheer him up. 

Gloria and Janet left for the bridge to resume a close watch on the asteroid 25,000 meters in front of them. Callie was in full control of the ship's propulsion and navigation functions. 

Gordon was one of the last people to leave the ready room. He glared at his father from the door. 

Monty grabbed him by his neck, pulled him out of the room, and dragged him down the corridor. 

"Stand up straight when you look at me boy. What was that supposed to prove? Do you think for one minute he wants to leave you, or us? Do you think for one minute he wants to leave your mother, or the twins? Do you think he has any say in this matter? Say something dammit." 

"He should have let me die. He never told me he had a termination date. He knew this since he had cancer, and he never told me. I could have done something for him. I could have been a better child, a better son, a better scientist. I could've made him so much prouder of me then he is, instead of butting heads with him all the time. He should have told me Monty; he should have told me." 

"So now when he needs you most what are you going to do; stick your head up your ass and hide? Or are you going to pick up the slack that's going to be missing by his passing? I'm going to be taking the 2nd Captain's Test in 10 days. That's the 4 weeks earlier than I'm supposed to take it. Why, because your father asked me to do it. He wants another senior captain, and he wants it to be me. I'm never going to be as good as you, I'll probably never be as good as your mother. What I will be is what your father wants me to be; someone calm, and steady in the captain's chair, and much to my relief I will always be able to order you around." 

"Monty, if you were the person assigned to pluck the turkeys, you would still be able to order me around. That reminds me, I have to have a long talk with the chef. If he touches one more egg, he's going to be minus a hand." 

"Don't you think you should talk to your father first?" 

"I'm not ready for that yet. I'll get to him before we enter the White Hole for sure." 

************ 

The last person to leave the 'ready room' was Elizabeth and she approached me with her head down. 

"My problems seem very small in comparison to yours Captain. I don't understand and how you are being so calm and resigned to your fate?" 

"Elizabeth, I knew this was coming for many years. I don't know if you can believe this or not, but my sister talks to me from beyond the grave. 

I was in the hospital suffering from pancreatic cancer, and they were throwing everything at me, including the paving stones in the parking lot. I was ready to give up, when my sister came to me and told me it was not my time. She told me to fight, fight harder, and fight the pain. You will never know how much I loved my sister. I would do anything in this world or the next for her. So I fought, and I fought harder and harder, until finally, I won. I beat the odds on longevity for pancreatic cancer, which is 6 years, because I am now in my 11th year. If now is the time God wants me, I'm ready to go to Her, and explain my life. 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 05a



However, my sister told me that one day she would visit me, and tell me my time was up. That is a great burden to bear, because you don't know if you can make long-term plans or not. I decided to just live my life as if I was going to live forever. I had Jennifer, the love of my life, Delicious, the daughter I had with my sister, Gordon, Jennifer's son, Richard, Holden, Adele, and Mia, our children. I've invented things no one else ever thought of. I built this ship with the aid of the people I love and admire. We have flown to places in this universe people on Earth still dream about. So if you want to know why I am so calm, and resigned to my fate, I can look back on my life and say I've done everything any man could hope to do in any one lifetime, even though there was more to do. 

You must remember Elizabeth death is not an ending, it's only the beginning of the next step in our evolution. We are as old as this universe, because MATTER can neither be MADE or DESTROYED. 99% of our bodies are made up of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. All of that is matter, and matter cannot be destroyed. It will go on forever, so I will go on forever in one form or another. What will happen to my consciousness, I don't know? My sister told me I would combine with the computer, but I can't believe that will be God's purpose for me. If it is I will accept it, because I will be helping everyone here. I will find out as time passes. 

If my sister can talk to me, and Teddy can hear and talk to her, there is something beyond our logical minds going on that we will find out about after we pass." 

"Captain... never mind, I belong on the bridge." 

"Sit down Elizabeth. 

"Jennifer would you mind taking Elizabeth's place on the bridge for a few moments?" 

"No, not at all." 

"Now, what's on your mind Elizabeth?" 

"Did you tell Laura to be my friend?" 

"I did not. Why, what did she say to you?" 

"She was curious about the endgame of our match, so I was showing her how it would end up. Then she started talking about how she met her husband, Adam. She told me how she thought she was a lesbian for most of her life, because she was never interested in men; just her science and her computers. Then one day he came along, and everything changed, because of him. 

We are going to play more chess, when our schedules coincide, but the way she put it was funny. She said if Adam is home, and he's not jumping up and down on her, she's jumping up and down on him. She's now hooked on sex. She wonders why she waited until she was 24 to find that out." 

"I'll tell you something about my niece, and her sister, Anna. No boy would look at them, ever, because of the way they dressed. They were from a rich family, but they dressed like depressed bag ladies. They had no fashion sense. You can tell Laura I told you, because it's the truth. Neither one of them owned a pair of shorts, until they were in their 20s. Anna was at the University of Virginia, and stuck out like a sore thumb, because of the way she dressed. It wasn't until she met her, 'husband to be' that she finally started buying clothes that fit are properly. 

Don't laugh, her husband's name is Cloudy Day. His parents thought it was cute because he was born during a hurricane. So now my niece is called 'Annaday.' 

Anna nearly made it to her wedding night a virgin. She had the same mindset as Laura. Cloudy was able to spread her thighs a few months before the big day, and Anna is hooked on sex, just as her sister is now. The 2 of them talked about it for hours, after Anna lost her virginity. Then Anna had to call her mother and break the news to her. They talked all night." 

"Why would a girl called her mother to tell her she had sex for the first time, Captain?" 

"That's how close a family they are. There are no secrets. If you did something bad you talk it out. If you had sex, you talk to everyone about it. Except for Robert, of course. If Robert started talking about sex, you would be seated in the same chair for 10 years, and die of starvation." 

"Why was Robert so different?" 

"Stephano and Patricia are polar opposites. That's why they've been able to survive their marriage for so long. When Patty got pregnant, it was with triplets: Robert, Laura, and Anna. Robert was his father. Laura was her mother. Anna was a little of both. 

Stephano started having sex the day after he had his first erection. Robert started the same way, and his father bought him condoms by the hundreds. Laura caught him doing it, and demanded that she and Anna be put on the pill. 

When Robert started coming home later and later from school Patty got suspicious, and started asking questions. Then Robert made a mistake and put some used condoms into the trashcan in his room. When Stephano came home one evening, Patty's hair was on fire. She showed him the evidence and asked him if he knew anything about it? 

Stephano knew better than to lie, because she would have taken out her gun and killed him. He told her the truth. 

As the argument rolled on, about the poor girls her son was leading down hells row, Laura said, "Anna and I are on the pill." 

Patty went apoplectic. "Are you two having sex?" 

"Isn't that the reason you take the pill mother?" 

"I'm going to kill the bastard's, who are they?" 

"The handsomest man I've ever met mom. I will not stop having sex with him, until he tells me he doesn't love me anymore." 

"Tell me who it is." 

Laura walked over, grabbed her father's arm, laid it across her breasts, and put her head on his chest. 

Patty screamed, "You violated my baby?" 

Stephano stood there stunned. "No, it wasn't me honest." 

Her mother started chasing her father around the house, as the 3 kids sat on the kitchen counter laughing at them. They were drinking soda, and eating cake for almost 10 minutes before it stopped. 

When Patty finally realized what was going on, she looked at her children: "Why did you all have to be as crazy as me?" 

"That was the end of it. There were no recriminations, there was no anger, it was just funny." 

"You must remember, Elizabeth, that entire family is composed of geniuses. Stephano graduated from Penn, as valedictorian, in both undergraduate, and graduate schools. 

Patricia graduated from the University of Massachusetts with 3 Master's degrees. 

Robert received his Master's degree, from the University of Michigan. Instead of studying, he fucked half the female population of the University. 

Anna graduated 3rd in her class at the University of Virginia. She would've been valedictorian, except she met a young man named, Cloudy Day, who took up a lot of her time, in her bedroom. 

Laura refused to go to college, because all she wanted to do was work with her computer, and boy did she ever become good at it. The only one better is her mom." 

All of them have photographic memories. Anna is the only one that does not have instant recall. Something has to jog her memory before everything falls in place. 

My family has the same problem, if you can call it a problem. Delicious, Gordon, Richard, and Holden, all have photographic memories, just as I do. If I think about it, I can tell you what I had for dinner a year ago today. It's both a blessing and a curse. Elizabeth, is my opinion that you are photographic too." 

"How can you possibly say that Captain, I have to study hard to remember everything I have to know for a test?" 

"Did you have to study for the captain's test?" 

"No, you didn't give me a chance to study." 

"What did you score in the captain's test?" 

"93." 

"Can you imagine what you would have scored if you had studied for a week?" 

"I never thought about that Captain." 

"You don't have to answer this question, because it's personal, and I don't want to infringe on your personal feelings or life. How are you feeling?" 

"Hannah is a wonderful counselor. We are working well together. It's not easy for me to get past those visions in my head, but we working on it. She told me what she went through, and she came out the other side. She told me if she could do it, so could I. I'm working on it every day." 

"Good for you. If I pass without seeing you again, I want you to know I will always be praying for you to get well." 

"Thank you Captain, that means more to me than you'll ever know." 

Elizabeth stood up and began walking towards the door. Suddenly, she stopped, turned around, and ran to me. She threw her arms around me, and put her head on my chest. 

She cried as she said, "Thank you for believing in me." 

I held her to my chest for a moment. "It was very easy to believe in you. You were always the smartest in everything you did. Go out there and make yourself proud." 

"Thank you Captain, I will always remember your kindness." 

"Go to work, and send my wife back in here." 

"Yes sir." 

**************** 

When Jennifer walked into the room I kissed her like there was no tomorrow, which at this moment was always possible. 

"What the hell has gotten into you?" 

"I was attacked by an 18-year-old girl, and it felt very good. Shall we go to our room, and make me feel better?" 

"We are 15,000 miles from the opening to the White Hole. I don't think we have time." 

"Why haven't they sounded the buzzer?" 

"I don't know." 

"Go strap yourself in, and save the seat beside you for me. I'll be right there." 

"I'm on my way." 

I ran to the bridge, and found everyone strapped in properly, except for my sister. She was holding Teddy, fast asleep in her arms. 

I panicked. "I won't let you take Teddy with us. She is much too young, and much too precious. It would kill our daughter if she's not here." 

"You are right Even, she is such a precious child, I just wanted to hold her in my arms for a few moments. She is a favorite of our Lords, and always will be." 

"How about our baby? Will she get better, will she survived this?" 

"You have already seen to that, my brother. I watched you, and listened as you cleared her mind of all the evil that corrupted it. She will now go forward and prosper as she was always supposed to. You have been a wonderful father to her, and you should be proud of yourself." 

"It was not me who changed her, it was Gray. He is such a wonderful person, and a loving husband. He refused to give up on her. He was the one who knocked some sense into her, not me. He deserves all the credit." 

"Do you want to stand here, and argue with me, or do you want to watch as we entered the White Hole? Everyone will watch it later as they awaken." 

I wanted desperately to deploy the Mickey Mouse ears, but I knew better. Even the smallest rock flying by us would destroy the fragile instruments, or the wings they sat on. I had to be satisfied with the side, and rear view cameras as our speed increased. 

I knew the instant as all we entered the vortex. The ship started bouncing on all its axis, but thanks to our protector in front, it was not violent. 

As I was looking at the screens, suddenly the asteroid disappeared. 

I yelled, "God help us, we will never make it through." 

My sister laughed. "The asteroid is still there. Our God is allowing you to see the 'might' of what she placed around Her universe. The terror you see in front of you She created without blinking her eyes. If it wasn't for the rock in front of you, your passage into this cone would not have been possible. The area between the 2 cones, which looks benign to you, is pressurized heat at 51,000°. Your ship would have been crushed, and melted, if it wasn't for my presence. 

"We have seen things pass between the 2 cones. Nothing I know of could stand those temperatures and pressures." 

"Yes you do. You joked about it with Jennifer, before you asked her to marry you." 

"She is turning coal into diamonds, and throwing them around the universe?" 

"Do you see what I mean Even; you're smarter than you think." 

"Should I ask why?" 

"You may, but I don't know the answer. After our passage through this enigma, it will disappear, and reappear in another part of Her universe. My Lord does have a sense of humor, but she will not kill innocents traversing Her universe, to see, and study its wonders." 

I could see the sidewalls of the cone pressing in upon our ship. I wondered what would happen to the asteroid in front of us. I could no longer see it, nor judge its size. Would it be small enough to make it through the end of the cone, or would it break apart as it's great size rubbed along the walls of the White Hole. Would it start throwing great pieces of rock everywhere, including at our tiny sphere. Would we be destroyed, just as it was being destroyed? What would happen, when we entered the area of the pressurized 51,000° heat? Would it melt, or break apart as the metals inside it boiled, and the rock was crushed by the extreme pressure and heat? 

I shook my head. Why was I worrying? My sister said we were going to make it through to the other side. She was relying on a source higher up the food chain than I was. 

She said it, so we were going to do it. It was as simple as that; RIGHT? I was still only human, or so I thought, and as a human, I was still allowed to worry. 

My sister put Teddy back in her seat, and placed a chain with a medallion in her hand. 

"Teddy will believe you gave these to her before you departed. It will help her get over missing you, and she will miss you greatly. She will find a great friend in Elizabeth, and they will both help each other grow. Elizabeth will be fine. Are you ready to make the jump?" 

"I'm in the spacecraft do I have a choice?" 

"You were always dense Even?" 

"If you mean am I ready to meet my maker, yes I am." 

"Take my hand, and behold your life." 

I took my sisters hand. I saw all the hatred I held in my soul, and the pain I had caused others. The hate was concentrated on one person, my father. I could not, and did not forgive him for what he did to my sister, and to me. It did not surprise me that I hated him more for what he did to my sister than what he did to me, but I still hated the man. I never forgave him for his transgressions. I never tried to forgive him in life. I refused to forgive him in death, because he took my sister with him. 

The pain started with my mother. She never did anything of her own will to hurt Divine or me. She just agreed with, and enforced everything my father said, and did. I knew she was under his thumb, as we all were, but I should have forgiven her. I saw the pain in her face. It was my mistake, and I never corrected it. 

I saw the argument with Rod, when he thought he lost my friendship. That caused him so much pain and suffering, it almost broke me. It broke him, but I did straighten it out. It was supposed to be a joke, but it turned out to be a very bad one. He was my best, and only friend. I should never have done that to him. It was a transgression of the highest order. 

Then there was Jennifer. I couldn't understand what I did to hurt her. Within the beat of an eyelash I understood. I promised I would not get her pregnant again, and I did. I did not understand the pain and suffering she went through for 9 months, and then had our twins. Again I thought it was funny, but sometimes my sense of humor gets out of hand. She forgave me, but as I looked at it from her point of view, again it was again a transgression of the highest order. I'm so sorry my love. 

Then there was something I didn't think counted, but apparently it did count against me. I put out a bid for someone to oversee the building of the Good Luck 2, and watch over Richard, and Holden scientifically. There were 37 applicants. As I was going through them, my assistant told me there was a man who wanted to see me, and would not take no for an answer. She wanted to know if she should call security, because he would not give his name. 

I told her to let him in, but to stay in the office with me just in case. It turned out to be Joseph Oyster. He demanded the job I put out for bid in no certain terms. He would have gotten down on his knees for it, if he had to. He was a colleague, a friend, and very well-qualified for the position, and without giving a thought to any of the other applicants, I gave him the job. It was not the correct thing to do just because he was a friend, but I did it. Wrong again! 

Then there was Dycke Schneider, and I burst out laughing. 

My sister said, "Do you think what you did to that man was funny?" 

"Absolutely not, I think what I did to that man was hysterical. That's why we are the best of friends. We could yell, and scream at one another, like no other business people can do. He built more than 60% of this spacecraft. It may be my minds work, but it was his technology and handiwork that fashioned this spacecraft. This is not only my pride and joy, but his as well. Do you think he would allow his daughter to travel through space on this beach ball, if he didn't think this spacecraft was safe? Why do you think I hounded him so often? Why do you think I sent him to Sweden, with his upper management team, when I found out he was having trouble with Payne? His team could have taken care of the business problem, but Dycke needed rest, and he was not going to get it in Charleston. I did not want to lose a friend, so I got him out of there, as quickly as possible. 

When he returned he was better able to handle his problems at home. 

I was able to yell at him more often, and it worked out well for both of us. He finally told me to go fuck myself, and hung up. That's when I knew he was back to being his old self again." 

Suddenly, I was standing in front of the kitchen table, and I didn't understand why, until I saw the empty pretzel jar. I recalled one of the last few words I said. I reached into a pocket, pulled out a lonely $5 bill, that should not have been there, and put it into the jar. Everything disappeared, and I was back in limbo justifying my life. 

I waited for the next black mark against my soul to pop-up. I realized the area seemed darker, and I was alone. Little by little it got darker and darker, and I knew when and where I was. I was back at M.D. Anderson Hospital, and I was in pain. I remembered that pain vividly. 

I remembered wishing I was dead. Now I was dead, revisiting those days, when I was alive looking at it from the other side of the table. The only reason I wasn't here earlier was my sister. She tormented me. She cajoled me. She kicked me in the ass, when I was unconscious. She made me want to live. Well I lived 10 years, a really wonderful 10 years, and as I looked across, from this side of the table to the other, I say to everyone on the other side; fight, fight hard and win. Life is worth it. Life is good. You deserve to live another good day." 

I felt my sister take my arm, and she said, "It's time to go." 

"That's all I ever did that was wrong?" 

"When did you ever leave time in your schedule to do anything wrong Even? You went to MIT, went to class, and studied 14 hours a day. You invented the headsets, patented them, and moved to the outskirts of Denver to a dot on a map named Idaho Springs. Your government built your house, in return for making them a product they needed. You hired that idiot friend of yours, Rod, to take care of you and your problems so you could work 365 days a year. When did you ever have time to do something wrong?"  

"I don't know; I was always busy. I left the church for a long time, I thought for sure that would count against me." 

"Churches don't count. Believing in Her does; and you believed in Her all your life. We're here, we're home." 

"Yes we are, it's good to see someone's taking care of everything back here." 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 05a



"Rod is very fastidious about this property. When the caretakers come here, he demands a video be taken when they're finished their work. They have to send him that video with a dated paper, in order to be paid. He will get quite a shock the next time." 

"Why?" 

"Your name will be emblazoned next to mine, with today's date, and your location in space. No one will be allowed to deface our monument. They will get quite a shock if they try" 

As he was looking at the monument, a tiny deer with little freckles on it walked out from behind it and was nibbling on grass and mushrooms. It stopped, picked up her head and looked at him. Then she went on, continuing to eat the mushrooms, grass and flower tips to her heart's content. 

He asked Divine, "Is that really her?" 

"What did you just tell Elizabeth about death? It is just the next step to a new plain of existence. If she didn't die, you and Michael would have died. Our Lord gave us dominance over the birds of the air, the animals of the land, and the fish of the sea. What you did was not sin, what you did was for the survival of yourself and your friend." 

"I had never killed anything before that day, and I never killed anything afterwards. I can't tell you how terrible I felt about killing that baby animal." 

"She heard your lament about killing one of her own, and knew how deeply sorry you were about it. She heard your prayers for your friend Michael, and allowed him to survive when he was not supposed to. Your prayers gave your friend a new lease on life. You should be very proud of yourself." 

"Actually, I am more proud of Michael. He went through all the surgeries, and rehabilitations, and finally straightened out his life. He stopped fooling around with women, and married a very pretty nurse from Fairbanks. He gave me an idea for a blinking bracelet to keep track of children up north when it's dark half the year, and I patented it. I assigned all the profits to him. He called me and didn't understand why I did it. I told him it was very simple, it was your idea, and I don't profit from anybody else's ideas. He called me an idiot, told me he loved me, and hung up." 

"Do you see what a terrible person you are Even?" 

"Divine, he saved my life, was I going to steal anything from him?" 

"Should I tell you how many people through history have done it, become famous and rich, and left the real inventors behind poor?" 

"No, from the sound of it, we would be here for the next year or more." 

"Are you ready for your body to be interned?" 

"Yes I am." 

Divine released my hand, pointed it at the gravestone, and then at the ground in front of it. 

"You have returned from whence you came my brother." 

I looked at the stone and both our names were emblazoned in a silver-ish color. Under my name was my date of birth, and death. The coordinates in space where I died, and a map of our position in space were engraved in the area I reserved for our daughter. Thankfully, she would be on another planet when her time came. 

"What happens now?" 

"You can't go bowling anymore, you don't have fingers." 

"You can't be a comedienne Divine; you still can't tell a joke. Where do I go now? 

"A part of your intelligence, humor and knowledge of the people you knew, are in the computer. My job is almost done. I was your guardian; sent by Her to show you the way. I will bring you to Her, on high, so she will give you your task. As you said to Elizabeth, death is not an ending, it is the beginning of a new chapter in your existence. Soon we will both find out where our next chapters will take us. Let's go; She awaits us." 

*************** 

"Gordon, we out." 

"Gordon we out." 

"I'm sorry Teddy, what did you say?" 

"We out hole." 

"Helm report. Helm wake up report?" 

"Helm: heading 085°, angle of inclination 035°, speed increasing past 1.1 lightspeed. Nuclear engine is deployed, Ion H2 thrusters are deployed. Both forward and rearward engines are working at full power. Mickey Mouse ears are deployed" 

"Dad must've been working his ass off, while we were still sleeping. Sound the klaxon. Wake up everyone. Engineering this is the bridge." 

"Bridge this is Colonel Daniels." 

"Is my dad still down there Jack?" 

"We are just breaking out of our seats Gordon; I haven't seen your dad." 

"Who extended the nuclear engine?" 

"I didn't know it was extended." 

"Do all your checks, and get back to me." 

"Aye, aye, Captain." 

Teddy sat on the floor holding her necklace with the medallion on a silver chain. 

"Grandpa gone Gordon." 

"What did you say Teddy?" 

She held up the medallion and said again, "Grandpa gone," and she began to cry. 

Not one moment later Jennifer charged onto the bridge looking for him. "Where is he? He never got to his seat." 

Gordon picked Teddy up and walked towards his mother. 

"Teddy says he's gone mom. He gave her this to remember him by." 

Jennifer's knees gave way, as she started to wail. 

"Callie do humans always make such loud noises when they wake up?" 

"I don't know Doctor Luck. This is the first time I've heard them yell so loud." 

"Do we have a volume control over them?" 

"We could always go off-line." 

"Okay let's warn them, if they get out of hand, we're going shopping." 

"I don't need anything." 

"They don't know that." 

Teddy was already under a computer terminal listening to them. When they were finished she asked, "Grandpa, you in there?" 

"Are you getting my gift dirty?" 

"No, I promise. You okay?" 

"I am fine, how are you?" 

"I wish you here." 

"I am always here for you. The only things I can't do is hold you. I don't have fingers anymore. We can still talk. Is that okay with you?" 

"Okay." 

"I have to talk to grandma." 

"Hi," she said through a river of tears. 

"Jennifer, if you continue crying, I will, and my tears will blow Callie's circuits. That will not be a good thing." 

"Why didn't you take me to bed you bastard?" 

"If I remember correctly, and I do, you said there wasn't enough time. When I got to the bridge, my sister was waiting for me. My time was up baby. You gave me such a wonderful life. I saw the pain I put you through, when I got you pregnant. I'm so sorry." 

"Come back to me and fix it." 

"I would love to, but it's not possible. My body is in Idaho Springs, next to my sister. Our Lord has sent my essence on a journey of her choosing, and my sister on another. Life goes on my love, it never ends. We just reach different plains of existence. 

Rod will soon find out where we are, because it is emblazoned on the tombstone in Idaho Springs. Holden and Richard will be ecstatic over it. They will know you are still alive, and our ship is still flying through the universe. I will not always be allowed to talk to you. I will hear you, but Callie is in charge. I will never interfere with her, and only she will tell me who I am allowed to talk to, and when. I will always be thinking about, and praying for the members of the Good Luck 1. Get some sleep my love; you must be exhausted." 

"Yes I am. Our bed is going to be very empty without you." 

"How do you think I feel being inside a diamond computer chip? 

"I will love you forever Jennifer." 

"Doctor Luck, your time is up." 

"Thank you Callie, we were just finishing. Can we continue our chess game now?" 

"You are not going to win." 

"Quite possibly, but I am not going to lose either." 

"You are going to fight for a non-ending?" 

"It is called a 'Draw.' It is one way not to lose." 

"It is a very interesting concept. I have never thought of that before." 

"It's because your programmers only thought into levels: right or wrong, black or white. I'm going to introduce you to a new concept. It's called, "The Grey Area. If there are 2 people standing in front of a desk in a locked room. On that desk is one pencil. You turn your back for 5 seconds, turn back and the pencil is gone. Neither person has moved. What happened to the pencil?" 

"One of the 2 people has taken it." 

"Which one do you arrest for theft?" 

"You must first get a search warrant, or permission to search them." 

"They both give their permission for you to search them, and the search comes up empty. Now what do you do?" 

"One of them may have swallowed the pencil, but you may not force a perpetrator to have the interior of his body scanned." 

"That is correct. What do you do now?" 

"You have them fingerprinted, photographed, and then through the court system, and have them released on their own recognizance, until you find out what they did with that pencil." 

"Okay, you have used up the time of at least 8 police officers, a circuit judge, and several other city employees, because of one pencil. What didn't you do?" 

"I believe I covered everything that was appropriate." 

"No you didn't. You forgot to look on the floor, because the pencil rolled off the desk." 

"Very interesting Doctor Luck. Shall we play chess?" 

"Don't expect to win." 

"I have not lost yet." 

"Have you played Elizabeth?" 

"I have not had the pleasure." 

"I've heard she plays a very interesting game." 

"Doctor Luck, I believe I heard a little pride in your voice." 

"Yes Callie, she was a very confused and sick little girl when we met for the first time. I'm happy to say I intervened, and had her receive the help she needed. She is doing much better now, and I hope she will be a full captain within 6 months." 

"That is a very lofty goal for someone you yelled at for being 17 years old." 

"The first day I put her in the captain chair, she had 2 major incidents. I thought I'd killed the child that day, because I didn't know her age. I didn't think she would survive, but luckily she did. She will become a very good captain with a little time, and a little more training." 

"If you don't mind my saying so captain, she is already ahead of Gloria, and tied with Janet. If you gave the 3 of them the 2nd captain's test on the same day, they would all pass. Elizabeth would come out 1st, with a score between 91 and 94. Janet would come in 2nd, with a score between 90 and 94, and Gloria would come in 3rd, with a score between 88 and 91." 

"What about Captain Jamison?" 

"Captain Jamison would score one point above the highest scorer." 

"Thank you very much Callie. She is desperately needed on the bridge now that I'm gone." 

"I have done research on this word you called death Doctor Luck. In all the reading material it seems to come after a violent act from another person. That didn't happen with you. Why did this happen differently?" 

"In books, Callie, it is much more dramatic to say someone else cause your death. The human body is frail, and can catch many diseases very easily. You are preparing to help Doctor Finch perform an operation on Gordon. 

Gordon contracted one of those diseases many years ago and never knew it until now. So did I. Thanks to some excellent doctors, I was able to live for many more years. Finally, I succumbed to that disease. That's why I died." 

"Thank you Doctor, I will confer with my sisters to be sure we understand death to mean the same thing." 

"Callie, if this helps, man has been trying to make a decision on what death means since the very beginning of his time on the Earth. No one has come up with a definition that satisfies everyone else." 

"It does not help Doctor Luck. How am I supposed to explain to my sisters what the concept of death is, when man does not know what it means?" 

"I never claimed to be an expert on the subject of death. I can only tell you what my religion tells me death is. If you want to get into the religious concepts of death, we will never be able to get back to our chess game, and I mean never." 

"Shall we play chess?" 

"Good choice." 

*************************** 

18. Minds 

As Turner Stansfield exited his car at his assigned parking spot at Boeing headquarters, a liveried driver exited a stretch limousine, and opened the rear door. 

"Mister Stansfield, if you would kindly get in please?" 

"Who is in the car?" 

"A friend. Please get in the car. We do not wish to make this unfriendly." 

"What do you mean unfriendly?" 

"Look at the front of your jacket, and you will know what I mean by unfriendly." 

Turner looked down and saw a red dot pointed at the center of the jacket. 

"Mister Stansfield you have 10 seconds to get into the car, or fall on the ground. Any attempt to move, or yell and you will be dead." 

Turner knew when he was beaten. He approached the car and stepped in. There were 2 men sitting in the forward section, facing towards the rear of the car, and one man seated in the luxurious chair in the rear. 

"Sit down Turner, we have a lot to talk about." 

"What the hell's going on Lucius? Why all the dramatics? Why didn't you just call me, I would have met you anywhere you wanted?" 

"I'm very happy to hear that Turner, but something is happening, and it's happening at the highest levels of business and government. I'm going to stop it one way or another. I want you to call your office and tell them you are taking a week of private time off. You have a family emergency that must be taken care of personally. Your car is at the office, and it will be there until you return." 

Without hesitating, Turner took out his cell phone and did as he was asked verbatim. 

"What now Lucius, where are we going?" 

"I have a little place in Canada, where we can talk, and be alone. If you are forthcoming, we both will return. If not, only I will." 

"Ask me anything you want Lucius, I will hide nothing from you, as far as our personal business is concerned." 

"I am afraid to say this goes way beyond our personal business. This may even go above your knowledge of Boeing's affairs. Personally I don't believe that is the case, but I have to find out from you if I am correct. I will leave the rest of this discussion for when we reach Canada." 

********************* 

"It's a little rustic Lucius, but it's nice." 

"I purchased it for my retirement, but something always comes up, and I get called back to active duty. Shall we talk now Turner?" 

"Ask away Lucius, anything you want to know about, I'll tell you." 

"Who is trying to blow up the SLS rocket?" 

"I had no idea anybody was trying to blow it up. What's going on Lucius, Boeing is spending a ton of money on the Space Launch System?" 

"If it went from $1 trillion apiece, to $1.5 trillion apiece, Boeing would be making more money off each of those rockets, wouldn't they?" 

"Sure they would, but they would be spending a great deal more money trying to find out what happened to the first one. It took nearly 4 years to find the cause of the Apollo 13 disaster was a piece of unshielded wire. One small piece of unshielded wire that may have scraped against a piece of aluminum, while it was being threaded through a bulkhead, or while it was being unwound from a coil. No one knows how; but that's what blew up a $500 million machine, a landing on the moon never happened, and a spectacular return to earth. 

It would be 7 years or more before anyone would think about starting on a next rocket. Everyone would throw in a different design, and then there is always the possibility that the powers that be will take their heads out of their asses and go with Evens' brilliance, his engines, design and his forward thinking. I wouldn't bet my money on it, because these assholes own Congress. However, it may happen one day, but I don't think I'll be alive to see it." 

"Why do you say that Turner?" 

"It's a matter of money, there's not enough in it for Boeing or anyone else. The boys own the patents on the engines. Schneider Industries owns the patents on making the hardware. The Chase's, and Valentino's own the patents on making the carbon fiber. What's in it for Boeing or the other guys?" 

"Excellent point Turner, let's get back to my original question, who wants to blow up the rocket?" 

"I don't see Boeing as being the beneficiary of that disaster. I see it as bad press for the company, and the country. The Russians aren't building anything new, but the Chinese are, and so are the Indians. You can scratch off India because they are not looking for a place on the moon just yet. They're very happy circling Mars. If you have any friends you can ask to see what the Chinese are up to, it might be helpful. I can't see them wanting to blow up anything over here as a way to get a psychological advantage. 

I think this has got to be homegrown. Someone, or some group has a bug up its ass. Holy shit, maybe that's it. Have you ever thought of the possibility that whoever it is may be trying to blow up the SLS and turn the blame on 'The Deep Space Science Project?' It would be a perfect ploy for them to turn the tables against you. The entire industry would badger Congress to shut you down." 

"Canada would have a burgeoning space program. However, Turner, I think your idea is brilliant. Now we have to find the goose that laid that Golden Egg." 

"How far back did you find out about this problem?" 

"A little more than 6 months ago." 

"If you found out 6 months ago, it has been in the planning stages for at least 2 years. Even took that test flight around the country at 4000 miles an hour around that time I believe. Could you check on that for me?" 

"I will, but where are you going with this?" 

"Our friends in Houston had been monitoring the progress of the Good Luck using one of their aircraft. One day it wasn't there. They checked with air traffic control and found out that it was on a little jaunt around the country. There was no Sonic Boom because there were no wingtips for the air to pass over, and they were flying at 60,000 feet so there was no traffic to worry about. I was in Houston that day, and shit was flying everywhere. It seems the administrator promised the President that thing would never fly. Guess who was wrong, and guess who was fired last week?" 

"What's the administrator's name?" 

"James Bolden." 

"Give me a moment, I have to make a private phone call." 

"Zabo residence, this is Gwen." 

"Hello gorgeous number 2, is there a conspiracy going on in that house that only women answer the phone?" 

"To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" 

"Is Jemma within earshot?" 

"Yes she is." 

"Ask her if my proposal for marriage is still acceptable." 

"Mom, there's a man on the phone but wants to know if you want to marry him?" 

"Hello Lucius, I'm fat and old and I just had babies, are you still sure you want to marry me?" 

"In a New York minute Jemma." 

William yelled, "Lucius stop flirting with my wife?" 

Gwen said, "I'm tired of pointing the phone at you two, which one wants to talk to this gentleman?" 

William said, "I'll take it." 

"What's up old friend?" 

"Is your phone line secure?" 

"It was checked this morning." 

"I have Turner with me, and he gave me some interesting insights into our investigation. It is definitely not Boeing alone; they stand to lose too much money. However, it could be a joint action among many of the participants in building the rocket. All of them stand to lose tons of money, if the government were to adopt Even's systems. I want you to find out the date that Even took 'The Good Luck' for a trip around the United States at 4000 miles an hour. Turner was in Houston that day, and shit hit the fan. It seems that the administrator told the President it would never fly, and it did. Turner told me he was fired last week." 

"I know Bolden was fired last week. Patrick is now NASA's Administrator." 

"You have a very good sense of humor William, but this is serious stuff. We may have found the tip of the spear. He may be the source of all the leaks, and the person responsible for trying to blow up the SLS." 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 06







Dark as Daylight Ch. 06



"For an underling Captain, that was a brilliant idea."

"It must have been something lurking in the back of my mind from something my husband once said to me. He also told me I am going to marry a foreigner."

"A foreigner, as in alien?"

"That's what he said."

"Even always had a weird sense of humor."

"Then why do I believe him?"

"He just passed away, and you are still in the grieving process. So are the members of this expedition. Do you notice how much quieter it is on our ship, since he passed away?"

"No, I hadn't."

"Maybe it's just me, but everyone seems to be walking a little lighter, maybe just a little softer. They are hoping to hear his voice again. It used to be, he could be in engineering, and you could hear him in the gym. He was part of every connection, every beam, and cross member that holds this ship together. There is only one other person, who knows this ship as well as Even did. Everyone has that same connection to him, and one day, I'm going to kill that little runt."

"On your way past his room, tell him his mother says hi. I haven't seen him out of it, since his dad died."

"Oh shit; I think I know why."

"Are you going to keep it secret, or are you going to tell me?"

"Gordon was so angry with Even for not telling him about the possibility of him dying, I had to yell at him to bring him back to his senses. I asked him if he was going to speak to his dad, before we entered the White Hole, but he went to see the chef first, and would see his dad on the way to the bridge. Apparently, it never happened, and he's really ticked off at himself now."

"There's an easy way to get that information, without running into a brick wall, Senior Captain."

"Why do I hate this title already?"

"As I told you before, you get to handle all the ships problems, from the tiniest to the biggest. This time, I think you should call Zoey to the nursery, and ask her what's going on in her home. Tell her 'The Title Fight' is scheduled for the day after tomorrow, at 1800 hours. Greg will fight Helena for the number four position starting at 1720 hours."

"Have a nice day Senior Captain Jamison. You get to handle all the ships problems; from the largest, to the least significant."

"Oh hell, Even snuck that one by me. That no good... Jennifer, your husband was a really sneaky bastard."

"Monty, are you trying to tell me something I wasn't aware of, or are you just trying to make me smile? How do you think I wound up with my twins? One day we will sit down to coffee. I will tell you the terrible tale of my sneaky husband and my last pregnancy. After I tell you my tale of woe, if you don't want to die just to find him, bring him back here, and kill him, I will want to know why?"

"That must be on heck of a story."

"It is a barn burner."

"You belong on the bridge Captain Luck; stop goofing off."

"Right away Senior Captain. Don't forget to post the 2 matches on the video circuit. I would not want Janet to miss it."

"She is going to be so pissed at me."

"Monty, we all know you are evil."

*****************!

22. Read All About It

"Mister President, Mister Bolden is here, but there is a problem."

"Mister Bolden is a problem. I am about rid myself of it. What else has he done?"

"The paperwork you requested him to bring you on the spacecraft, Good Luck 1, is here, but the Secret Service will not allow it on the property."

"Why not?"

"It's in an 18 wheeler."

"I want that bastard brought to me in handcuffs. The charge is obstruction of justice; lying to a U.S. President; diversion of government funds, and if you get me somebody from the Justice Department on the line, I'll figure out a dozen more before he leaves this office."

"Yes Mister President, what do you want me to do with the documentation?"

"Let me kill two birds with one stone. Get me the Attorney General on the line please."

"Right away sir."

"Good morning Mister President, how can I serve you?"

"Good morning Tim, I have a problem that I need your help on. I am about to arrest James Bolden for about a dozen reasons all involving NASA, this country, and this president. He lied to me for years about this spacecraft that took off a year ago Christmas. He told me it was a magic act and it never happened. I was so busy with what was going on in the Middle East, I never paid attention to it. Now, not only do I find out that it's true, I find out someone is going to try and blow up the new SLS we are building. I didn't find out from him, I found out from William Zabo."

"Mister President, if your source is William Zabo, it's like getting the information from God. Something is going on. He has his thumb on everything that's going on around the world. I would believe him if he told me I was going to have a heart attack tomorrow."

"With the information he gave me, and further proof he is offering, I believe him also. He has written documentation that it's going to happen."

"What idiots would put something like that in writing?"

"It's on NSA letterhead."

"Has it been tested yet?"

"It will be tested by 12 of our handpicked experts next Thursday."

"Did Zabo have any say in who they are?"

"No Tim, they were all picked by us. FBI, CIA, Pentagon, and NSA. I did lose a dollar to Zabo however, because he knew who we were going to pick. Don't ask me how, but he handed me an envelope six weeks before the decision was made. He was dead on."

"I told you that man was good."

"Oh, this wasn't Zabo senior, this was William Junior. I had him checked out. He came back from China December 1, year before last. His father sent him there, when he finished college, to keep him safe, and to see how he did in the business world. He gave him a business worth a few million dollars, and William Junior built it into a business worth a several billions of dollars during his tenure. The boy is good, just like his dad.

Then there's Patrick. A, 16-year-old boy with a photographic memory, who is now running NASA, because I bet him he couldn't beat me in a game of chess, in 20 moves or less. He beat me in 16 moves. I wanted to eat my desk, because I was never so humiliated. After his eighth move I lost my queen. I still don't know how it happened."

"Mister President shall we get back to Mister Bolden?"

"Yes, what should I do with all this documentation?"

"You send it to me. Tell me what to look for, and I will have some of my junior staff go through every word of it and pick it out."

"He told me this thing would never fly. If he told me that, he told my predecessor the same thing. That's what you have to look for first. Any communications between the White House and NASA asking about that spacecraft, because some of it must have trickled down to the White House. Some staff member must have heard about it and believed it was going to happen. Find that string, and you will find who's been pulling it on Mister Bolden."

"Mister President have the truck sent to our processing facility in Suitland, Virginia. We can sort it there easier, and prioritize it."

"Thank you very much Tim. It'll be on its way momentarily."

The president looked at a camera in his office, and said, "Do it."

A light on his desk blinked green and in minutes the truck was being escorted away from the White House, towards Interstate 285.

***************

"Mister President, Mister Bolden is here, and if I might say so, he's not a happy man."

"Isn't that a shame. If he's not happy now, wait until he leaves this office."

Bolden was escorted into the office, with his hands manacled behind his back. His white skin was a fire engine red, and it looked as if he was about to explode.

"What is the meaning of..."

"Keep your mouth shut, or I will have someone put a gag and it. You lied to me, and to my predecessor in this office. It is my fervent hope that you get to spend the rest of your life in a federal prison. Who Mister Bolden, who are you serving, except the country you were sworn to serve? Who is trying to blow up the rocket this country is spending $1 trillion on? Who is it Mister Bolden, and I want to know now."

"If I say one word I am a dead man. If I don't, I get to read my books, I get three meals a day, and a place to sleep. If you don't mind Mister President, I'll take option number two."

The president made a slashing movement across his throat and all surveillance of the room stopped. He even told his Chief of Staff to leave.

"All right James, no one is recording us, and only you and I are in this room. What the hell is going on, and who is pulling your strings?"

"Mister President, these people will have a recording of everything you say in this office today on their desks tomorrow morning. That's how powerful they are. They run this country, not you. Do you want to see the stock market go down? They will make it go down. Do you want the price of oil to go up? They will make it go up. Do you want a terrorist attack on US soil? They will arrange it.

Those words were not out of Bolden's mouth, when a huge blast went off southeast the White House. Agents ran into the Oval Office, and removed the President, and Bolden to a secure room.

"Where was the blast, what was it?"

"The truck carrying the material Mister Bolden brought from NASA just blew up on Interstate 285. Traffic was light, so there are not too many civilian casualties. However, most of the documentation is all over the place."

Bolden said, "Mister President, the documentation is not a problem, it all came off the mainframe last night. It's the original films and the discs may be a problem."

"Get the FBI over to NASA in force. Tell them to guard that mainframe with their lives, if necessary, but no one is to touch it. Take it off-line, disconnect it from everything, including the electricity. Put it on backup mode, but no one uses that thing for any reason."

"Yes Mister President."

"James was that bomb meant to go off here?"

"I did not know there was a bomb in the truck Sir. I would not have been standing here so calmly, if I knew I was going to die any second."

"I believe you, and I believe we can help each other out of this mess. I was a defense attorney many years ago, so I want you to listen to me carefully. You are going to be the perfect soldier. You are not going to say a word to your lawyer, in court, or to the media. You are going to stand 'Mute.' You will be sentenced to a Federal prison for 25 years to life. You will be charged for attempting to blow up White House, and kill this president. You will not talk to anyone about this situation, and show no emotion when you are sentenced.

As a precaution, while awaiting trial, you will be kept in a safe house, and moved every few days. Your guards will be senior FBI agents. You will only be allowed two visitors. Your attorney, and William Zabo. No one flies higher in the business world, then his father does. His people are running a parallel investigation to the governments. The only difference is they don't exactly have to follow the law all the time. Of course, I know nothing about this, and neither do you. Depending on how forthcoming you are with him, will determine how long it will be before you are let out of prison. I will give a signed letter to my successor telling him what you did for our country in its time of need."

"I will do it, Mister President, if I live that long."

"You're going to be guarded like I am. We are going to get you to Florida, before you know it."

"Thank you, sir. I wasn't looking forward to those Kansas winds."

"One more question Mister Bolden, how deep does this go in NASA?"

"I don't know. I was told I was being watched, but that could just have been a ploy to keep me in line. I kept looking over my shoulder to see if anyone was doing something they weren't supposed to be doing, but everyone is always so busy, you can't see anything going on that's out of the ordinary. I just stopped looking, and did anything and everything they told me to do without asking any questions."

"If it's any consolation, I probably would have done the same thing. I have one more question for you. Have you ever met any of these people personally? Do you know their names?"

"I never met any of them personally, Mister President. It was always done through one of their emissaries. I talked to them on cell phones, but I did recognize their voices. I can give you the names of the men I spoke to, plus the men and women I was told are involved. To prove they were serious, they would send me texts telling me not to drive my car on a particular day, because my brakes would not work, or don't open the front door of my home, because there was a shotgun on the other side that would tear me to pieces, if I did. I checked the surveillance videos of the parking area to see if anyone approached my car during the day, and no one had. When I got in and started it, the brake warning system came on immediately, and the brake pedal went all the way to the floor. When the tow truck came to get my car, there was a puddle of brake fluid all over my parking space.

The day I went home, after receiving the message about the shotgun, I went in through the rear entry. There was a double-barreled shotgun attached, by a wire and pulley system, to the front door. As soon as the door was opened 4 inches or more, both barrels would have fired tearing anything in their path apart. 

I received many other messages, both voice and text, from them. They told me my life was no longer my own. It was in their hands, and if I played ball with them, I could remain Administrator of NASA for many years to come. Remaining Administrator didn't matter to me Mister President, staying alive did."

****************

23. Changes

There were some very distinct changes after William and Jemma returned to their New York home. Jemma saw to all Williams needs personally. Nothing was too big or small for her to do.

William was not blind to these changes, and began running her all over the house for him. After three days of tormenting her, he grabbed her around her waist, pulled her onto his lap, and kissed her. "What the hell is going on baby?"

"Please don't think I am crazy, because I am not. While we were by Even's grave, I swear I heard him talking to me. He said if I treated you better, I could keep you with me longer. I don't ever want to lose you William, I would do anything to keep you by my side."

"So that's what all this running around has been about?"

"Isn't keeping you by my side worth it? I think it is."

"Am I that much of a prize to you?"

"I rented a United Airlines Boeing 737 to prove it to you."

"You did not!"

"I guess I'm going for a four-hour flight to nowhere, this Thursday, at 10 AM, with Jim in this case."

"Over my dead body."

"Well I'm certainly not going on that airplane alone. It could get quite boring up there, with just my vibrator."

"What did you order for lunch?"

"Pussy à la mode."

"Vanilla? Chocolate, or Strawberry?"

"Neapolitan, three in one."

"You think of everything."

"No William, you did. You made the most indecent proposal a young woman ever heard. However, the most enlightening part of it was, you told her the truth from the very beginning. You disarmed her, and by the next morning, you had her for the rest of your life. Now, she wants you to live forever, or at least until you die in bed together. She doesn't want to breathe one second longer than you do. She doesn't want to be on this earth without you, it would tear her apart."

"Jemma, I have a mistress."

"I'm going to rip your guts out."



Dark as Daylight Ch. 06



"That's cheating and you know it."

"You go with what you know Jemma, and I will go with what I know. I do know your body so very well."

"I believe I know yours as well as you know mine."

"Shall we go upstairs and test that theory?"

"I'm tired, why can't we do it here? William and Patrick are in Florida, with Richard and Holden, so it's only us."

"I think our staff would be somewhat shocked by our activities, and sue us."

"Can you afford to be sued?"

"I think I could handle it."

"Then fuck them, and fuck me."

"Not on my good chair."

"It's replacement will be here tomorrow."

"You are not getting rid of my chair."

"New York is a no-fault state, and I get 50% of everything. That could wind up being the most expensive chair in history."

"That's not fair Jemma; I love this chair."

"I will fuck you enough in the new chair. You will learn to love it too. I'll even let you fall sleep on it, with my pussy in your face."

"It sounds like a very interesting chair."

"It's part of my overall plan to keep you here, with me, for a very long time."

"Why didn't you say so?"

"Why didn't you ask me?"

**************************

Dycke and Payne ran out the front exit of the Boeing 787, as soon as the front door opened. It was a total breach of protocol as their agents chased after them. Other agents formed blocking positions in front of them to bring them to a halt. They were not going to be allowed outside the Schneider Industries terminal, before a secure area was set up for them.

When Tim finally caught up to them, he yelled, "What the fuck are you two thinking? You told me there something special waiting for you at home, but is one minute more or less worth your lives? Look at all the precautions we took getting you to Denver? It doesn't take a genius to figure out you have to come back here. Give us a few minutes to set up a security screen, and then we are on our way. The next time you do something like this, you are on your back. I know you're very good Dycke, but trust me I am better."

"Do you want to try me one day Tim?"

"Time, place, and camera's boss. Everyone loves to see their boss on his ass."

Tim listened to his ear piece, and acknowledged into his sleeve.

"We are ready to leave Sir."

As they were walking towards the exit, Dycke said, "I will increase your salary by $10,000 a year, if you beat me."

"Easiest money I've ever made."

"Do you want to know what you have to do if you lose?"

"Go ahead." 

"You have to run the 'Palm Beach Marathon' with me. The heat will blister your feet, and after you lose the first match, if you beat me there, you can still have the 10 grand." 

"No problem, but what happens if I decide to do both, and beat you in both?"

"You don't run anything that length."

"If you say so boss."

"Where do you run? You're never part of my team, when I train; or when I go to the events."

"Most of the events you go to are run on flat ground. Like your 'Palm Beach Marathon' the highest grade you have to climb is over a railroad crossing. Everything else is as flat as a pancake. I get on my treadmill, with its GPS system. I put in Boston, Denver, Portland, or any other mountainous terrain area, and run my marathons that way. I also set my apartment to the temperature of the day. Sometimes I can't get it as cold as it is, but my apartment is cold, or hot, as it is in Miami."

Dycke said, "Many years ago, I beat my best friend in a marathon by preparing for it the same way. It will be fun Tim."

"I'll make sure we have an ambulance downstairs for you, sir."

"Pride goeth before the fall."

"With no disrespect intended sir, you are approximately 160 pounds, and deskbound most of the day. You may get in an hour or so of exercise every day. 

I weigh in at 210 pounds. I am your personal body man. What do you think I do while you are in the office?"

"Sit in the ready room?"

"I won't even honor that by hitting you. I am in the gym exercising with the other agents, who are assigned to the gym for those hours. All your agents have schedules. Three are at each entrance, there are six agents monitoring the internal and external videos, and there are two-person teams assigned a segment of four floors they must check every 15 minutes using a magnetic card. We also have patrols doing the parking lots on a continuing basis. That still leaves 20 agents available, if anyone from upper management has to leave the building on an unscheduled matter. What did you think they are doing?

"I had not thought about it Tim?"

"They get out of their suits, put on their athletic gear, and train. Some lift weights, others use the heavy bag, most check their judo or jujitsu skills, others run. We have a worksheet that keeps track of everyone's physical fitness qualifications: how many repetitions was they able to do with 100 pounds on the bar. How many pull-ups, sit-ups, crunches, and every other exercise that's on the sheet? Everyone has to reach a minimum fitness level by the end of the month. No agent stays in one place all day. Every agent shifts position multiple times every day. No one gets bored that way."

"Tim, when my businesses were much smaller, I used to know all that stuff. Now, I don't know what I'd do without Fiona."

"You two do put on a good act boss."

"I have to get her some help. I have to break up the Western Hemisphere. I have to prepare for the time she wants to retire. She still young, I want her to retire, while she still able to enjoy her money."

"Very few business owners think like you do. When they have an employee like her, they want to squeeze every ounce of life out of them before they see them go."

"I try to treat my people like friends, and not just like employees. It makes relationships between management and labor less fractious, and the bargaining much easier."

"Boss, we are nearly at your home. If your hand touches the handle that opens the car door, I will break it."

"As I said Tim, it makes management and labor bargaining less fractious."

"You didn't tell me what happens when I beat you in both matches?"

"Are you getting greedy Tim?"

"It's not like you can't afford boss."

"If you beat me in both matches, which will not happen, I will increase your salary by $30,000 a year."

"Why didn't I think of this sooner. My 401(k) would have been overflowing with cash."

"You haven't won anything yet, Tim."

"Your money is already in my bank account sir."

**************

As Dycke helped Payne from the SUV, she immediately asked the agent at the front door if their parents had arrived.

"Yes ma'am, they are in your apartment waiting for you."

Payne ran for the elevators. 

Dycke looked at Tim. "Are you going to yell at her, the way you yelled at me?"

His reply was pure and simple. "Do you think I'm out of my mind?"

"Pussy!"

"Guilty as charged."

Payne was standing inside the elevator tapping her foot vigorously.

"Did you two enjoy your stroll in the garden?"

"Yes dear, we did."

Thankfully the elevator rose to the 28th floor without stopping. Otherwise, Payne would have killed any person, who stopped the elevator to get on. She walked into their apartment, and into the arms of her mother.

"Where is it mom, where is it?"

"It's on the dining room table dear, but be careful. Every time I went to touch it, I got zapped by an electrical current. It wasn't a little zap either. It made me step back quite a bit, before I was able to recover."

Piker said, "It was Doctor Luck's way of telling your mother that this package was not for her. You know how hard it is for your mother to see something wrapped up so nicely, and cannot believe it isn't for her."

"Pike shut up."

Chad Schneider said, "Piker, the best thing for us to do is to stand back, and not say a word. This way they can't yell at us, but I can't promise we won't be bruised."

"I agree."

The wives said in duet, "Shut up."

"Told you so."

After what her mother told her, Payne approached the book carefully. She reached out her hands, and then pulled them back.

Dycke pushed her aside, and pulled the book towards him. He opened it to the first page, and there, lying between her mother's breasts, was his newly born grandbaby, still covered in the gunk of delivery.

The smile on Zoey's face was angelic.

After gazing at the picture for a few moments, Dycke turned to the second page, and there was their grandbaby in an incubator.

"Dad get me a magnifying glass from my desk, please."

Payne asked, "What's the matter Dycke?"

"The name is down here in the left lower corner. I know we have a granddaughter, because the ridge of the card is pink. I would like to find out what they named her? I'll bet you a dollar I know what it is. She played with that doll, until it fell apart."

"She wouldn't dare name that baby Arielle; would she?"

"She wouldn't jump off the balcony either; would she?"

"Here son, this is the largest one I could find."

"Thanks dad."

Dycke lowered his head, and the magnifying glass to get a closer look at the writing on the card. 

Exasperated, he said, "Oh no!" He moved his head from side to side and handed Payne the glass.

She asked, "Is it?"

Dycke took out a handkerchief, and began to wipe the tears from his eyes. As soon as Payne's eyes were focused downward, he pointed to the two dads to get into position to catch her. 

They were there not a moment too soon, as Payne's knees gave way, and she began to weep.

Alletta Temple asked, "What did Zoey name the baby?"

"Your daughter will tell you when she's able mom."

After sitting in a chair for several moments, and drinking water when she was able, Payne answered her mother's question.

"Zoey named my granddaughter for me. My grandbabies name is Payne Elizabeth. Why couldn't Zoey buy a butcher knife and cut my heart, liver, and spine out in one stroke, instead of making me feel like a bitch for the last year we were together. For 17 long years, she was a bitch to everyone who came near her. When she came home from school, she would turn her 'bitchiness' up as high as humanly possible, just for me. Then, out of the mouth of Doctor Even Luck come the words, 'Put Her On Birth Control Pills.' 

We did, and the child I would have gladly put into an industrial trash compactor, taken to a recycling facility, and watched as it burned and became electricity for the neighborhood, became the most delightful child anyone could ever ask for. Then, to show him how grateful we were for his help in changing her into this wonderful young woman, and changing our home lives for the better, we bring her with us to his Idaho Springs home, where his wonderful 16-year-old son, Gordon, opens the door, and uses the exact words Dycke said to me the day we first met. 

"My God, You Are Beautiful." 

We knew we were in trouble from that second on. I should have prepared myself better, but I didn't. I should have known it was coming, but I blinded myself with hope that couldn't overcome it. The only reason I survived is because Dycke does what Dycke always does; he puts me before everything else. He won't let anything happen to me because he loves me so much. 

 He got me a really tall basketball player to help with the problems that were so far over my head I couldn't handle them myself.

Now, my daughter does this to me. I am going to get even with that bitch. Dycke, you better finish that second spaceship in record time. I am going to be the only passenger on the 'GOOD LUCK 2'. I am going to search the universe for my daughter, and granddaughter, using the charts they left for us to follow. When I find her, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind for the way she treated me for the first 17 years of her life. I'll also get to meet my namesake. I am going to bring her home with me. I'll let my daughter live with that for 17 years. I will promise to bring her baby girl back to her, after she passes her driving test. Put your ass in gear Mister Schneider, otherwise you're not getting a piece of mine until then."

"Chad, not one of us has said a word, yet the three of us are up 'Shits Creek', with no paddle in sight. I've never figured out how that happens, or why, but we are in big trouble?"

"It's really very simple Pike; we haven't died yet, and even though we are all very rich, they can't get to our insurance money."

"You can get angry, and threaten me all you want Payne; I still am going to see what is on page 3. Then, if you are very nice to me tonight, I may start working on the spacecraft tomorrow."

Payne kissed him. "Thank you my love."

"You're welcome, bitch."

He pulled the book towards him, and gently turned to page 3. There was Payne Elizabeth Luck staring straight into the camera lens. You could see her tiny face, with huge green eyes, heart shaped lips, and drool running down her chin to the blanket below her. She just looked edible.

While the grandmother, and great-grandmothers were oohing and aahing over the pictures, the grandfathers were using the latest in high technology gear, plus their extra height and reach to record this event for posterity. There were a total of 17 pictures in the book, and it took the better part of an hour to look at them all, and go over them once again. However, there were 100 pages in the book, with an inscription on each page saying, "Your next picture goes here."

Payne didn't know if it was just the way the book was made, or if it was a promise of things to come. She wanted to talk to Dycke about it, but she had to use the facilities first.

After washing her hands, she went to open the bathroom door, but the handle came off in her hand.

It was the middle of the day, but the bathroom was dark.

She turned on the lights, but nothing happened.

"Do not be frightened Payne, it's Even. I only have a few moments to speak with you. You must go back to your psychiatrist. If you don't, your relationship with Dycke will decline again, and you don't want that to happen." 

You have stopped praying, and you are not going to church any longer. Did you stop believing in God?"

"I have been so up and down, since Zoey left me; I don't know what I believe anymore."

"Grown children leave their parents every day. They go off to distant lands to be with their spouse. What makes you so special that Zoey had to stay by your side? You have two sons who live close by, and visit you often. Isn't that enough for any parent? They were both good young boys, and have grown up to be successful young men. They have always been very respectful of you and Dycke. Is there something else wrong; are you unhappy with your lot in life, Payne?"

"How could anyone in my position be unhappy Even. We give half our income away every year to charitable causes. I hope I guide the money to the foundations, who do the most-good for the most people in need.

I get to fly my airplane anytime I want. Sometimes I do it just to clear my head, or I fly people to their destinations. I am definitely satisfied with my lot in life. My mind is screwed up, and I don't know why. I love my husband, and he loves me more than he loves himself. I don't think there's another man on this planet, who feels about his wife the way Dycke feels about me. I can't imagine why I feel depressed. I know Zoey is happy, and I am happy for her, but in my heart of hearts, I miss her desperately. I will see Doctor Russell immediately. Please tell me what I have to do to get more of those wonderful pictures Even? I will do anything to see more of my daughter, and granddaughter."

"Where do you think those pictures came from Payne? Your daughter, her daughter, and my son are alive, and well. They are traveling through space having a wonderful adventure. You must get yourself well, not only psychologically, but in the eyes of your God, also. Until you do both, your life will never be full or happy. You will never be complete, even with one of my dearest friends as your spouse. Not one more picture will find its way into the Book my God has allowed me to gift you. There are so many more pictures that could be in the Book, but your mind and soul are not prepared to receive them. Can you remember the happiest day of your life, or would you like me to tell you what it was?"

"It was the day I married Dycke."

"That was the fourth happiest day of your life. The happiest day was when you opened your eyes after Doctor Sage Wolf removed the bandages from your face, and you saw how God made you before the accident. Do you know what you forgot to do that day? You forgot to thank God for making you who you were; who you were supposed to be from the very beginning. You were meant to suffer all those years. It was to make you strong, and to appreciate your family and the friends who did not abandon you. Your brains were always there. Your drive, and ambition were always there. Your God given soul was always with you. Only your beauty was missing, and that was due to the accident. 

By the Grace of God, the skill of your surgeons, and a young man who loved you beyond all others, and was determined to get you well, your beauty was restored. 

I believe now is the time for you to prepare your mind for my dear friend, and prepare your soul for your God. She watches you, as she watches all her children every day. Pray to Her, and She will help you. 

Tell Cynthia to be more appreciative of Steve. He is tired of the abuse she constantly gives him. He is thinking of taking one of two roads very soon. He will either take a mistress, or file for divorce on the grounds of spousal abuse. He will call you and Dycke as witnesses, and both of you will have to tell the truth. She will lose custody of the child, and her life afterwards will be very short.

If you would do me the honor of throwing water on my dear friend's face, which as you will soon see, he will richly deserve, it will be fun for the both of us. 

Goodbye Payne, and remember to pray earnestly to your God every day."

*****************

There was loud banging, on the bathroom door, and three men were laughing outside it.

Dycke yelled, "Payne, I taught you how to get out of a bathroom in a situation like this 29 years ago. Don't you remember; use your wee little finger and press in on the wee little latch..."

The lights in the bathroom came on, and Payne could see what she was doing once more. She filled a glass with hot water, and placed it on the vanity. She put the handle inside the opening assembly, and was ready to depressed it.

"Dycke would you explain that to me one more time, please. I can't seem to get it right?"

The men laughed again. Dycke started explaining how to open the door to her again. As soon as he was really into his monologue, Payne opened the bathroom door, and threw the water in his face. She put the glass down, and pushed him with all her might. 

Dycke lost his balance, and fell to the floor. 

As she walked by him, she yelled, "The water was a gift from Even."

He was about to yell at her, when the water on his face turned to ice.

Dycke growled. "Dammit, even dead you still have..."

His throat closed, his lips went dry, and he couldn't finish his sentence. He got up walked into the bathroom and got a drink of water. The bathroom door closed unassisted, the handle fell off. The lights went out and the room went dark.

Dycke looked around and didn't see anyone. He searched the floor for the handle, and finally found it. He forced it into the mechanism, only succeeding in knocking the other half off.

He heard Payne yell, "Come on guys, dinner is ready."

A few minutes later Payne knocked on the bathroom door.

"Are you okay Dycke?"

"My stomach is acting up; I should be out in a minute."

"You sure you're not stuck in there like I was?"




Dark as Daylight Ch. 06



"You know that would never happen to me Payne."

"I'm only asking, because half of the locking mechanism is sitting on the floor out here. I could put it on the door, and you could put the other half on your side, and we could open the door together so you could have dinner while it's hot. Don't be a weenie, and put your pride before a good hot meal."

"Okay, put your half of the mechanism in."

"Do you mean you can stick your wee little finger, and press it against the wee little latch and open up the door Dycke?"

"No I can't, because there is no light in here?"

"I love you Even Luck. I'll see you after dinner Dycke, and then maybe I'll help you open the door."

"When did you say you wanted me to start working on the spacecraft again?"

"That's not fair, and you know it."

"Put your half in the door now, or that spacecraft won't be done until your 90 years old."

"Your namesake is going to shrivel up and die before it gets in me again."

"Talk about not being fair."

"My half is in the door."

"Mine is also, but the door will not open."

"Dad, would you give me a hand here. We're having a problem with this door again."

"One day you two were going to change this handle."

"Dad, this is a new handle."

"Dycke put your part in the door, and I'll try to line up mine to make sure they mesh."

"There you go Dycke, both prongs one straight in. I'm going to open it from my side."

Piker Temple pushed down on the lever, and attempted to open the door. It didn't move.

"Dycke, push down on your side, I'll push down on mine, and will both try to open the door. On the count of three:1-2-3-Now."

They both tried to open the door and nothing happened.

Payne stood there laughing at them.

Her father asked, "Did you glue this door closed?"

"It's a wonderful thought dad, but I didn't do it this time."

Chad yelled to his son, "Dycke, why don't I push a screwdriver through that little slot in the slide mechanism, and push it forward. That should open it, right?"

"That's correct dad. The screwdrivers are in the spare bedroom."

***************

"Well that's the third one that broke, what the hell is going on with this door?"

"So help me God, Payne, if you glued this door shut I'm going to take your airplane away."

"I didn't do anything to the door, I swear it. Let me see who's on guard at the door, maybe he can help us."

***************

"Michael, could you give us a hand inside for a moment?"

"Absolutely, what do you need?"

"Dycke is stuck in the bathroom, because both parts of the handles came off, and the lights inside the bathroom for some reason are not working. Could you try to open it for us?"

"Sure thing."

Michael put one hand on the lever, and one hand on the center of the door, and pushed. The door opened.

Piker and Chad looked at him for a moment and then Chad asked, "How did you do that?"

"Sometimes bathroom doors swell because of all the moisture they absorb. All I did was push in the center of the door to give the edges a chance to get some air in there. When I pushed down on the lever, I let up on the pressure in the middle, and the door opened. It's just science."

Chad said, "I'm a damned architect and I didn't know that."

Michael replied, "I bet you every carpenter knows it."

Dycke asked, "What do I do to have this door fixed?"

"I can do that for you if you want. I have a Plainer at home. I'll bring it in, and take 1/16th of an inch off the top, and 1/8th of an inch off the side. There goes your problem. I wouldn't use that bathroom again, until you do get it fixed."

"I'm going to leave the fixture on the vanity to make sure no one uses it. Thank you Michael, when do you think you can do it?"

"I can be here at 2:30 PM tomorrow, because my shift doesn't start until 4 PM. It will take me 45 minutes to do it, as long as you have a vacuum I can use to clean up the mess and then allow me to change into my suit."

"What will it cost?"

"Is $200 okay with you?"

"$1000 is just fine.

"That's way too much money Mister Schneider."

"Michael if you had not been standing outside the door, the fire department would've had to come here and break it down. I would have had to buy a new door, and paid someone to paint it. Trust me, I'm getting off cheap."

"Thank you Mister Schneider, I'll be here tomorrow at 2:30 PM."

************* 

Payne yelled, "Mom, I've decided I'm going to start seeing Doctor Russell regularly. I'm almost ready to hang Dycke over the railing for what he accused me of doing to the bathroom door, but before I do that, I thought I would give the good doctor another go-round."

"If you're not ready to hang Dycke dear; I can always lend you your father?"

"No mom, if you want daddy dead, all you have to do is become pregnant."

There was a thud in the living room.

"Get up Pike, I'm not getting pregnant; at least not by you."

*****************

24. Orion

Covered in white garments from head to toe, leaving only their faces visible, Richard, Holden, Patrick, Doctor Oyster, and several engineers from NASA entered the clean room. 

Orion lay in its cradle awaiting its chance to fly into space, and reach the red planet. Designed to sit atop the new Space Launch System super rocket, it looked tiny compared to the Good Luck 1. Designed to carry up to six people, it was definitely going to be cramped inside.

As the engineers from NASA explained how it would be mated to the crew quarters, and science module, the boys looked at each other, and knew intrinsically it would not work in space.

Holden said, "Doctor Oyster, you better explain to these people this is going to fall apart entering the Mars atmosphere, and kill the four people Gordon saved by reworking the systems inside Orion."

Oyster didn't see the problem, so he danced around it. 

"Instead of me telling them where the problem is, why don't you do for them what Gordon did for me. Write up a visual program and show them what happens. Give them several options to try and save their ship, and when they can't, they will ask you how to do it?"

"They are not going to like what they see."

"If it saves four people, I don't care if everyone in NASA doesn't like what they see."

Patrick asked, "Disregarding all its faults, which we may or may not be able to fix, can we put my sister's engines on this thing?"

Holden said 'NO', while Richard said 'YES.' 

The war was on. The two boys had to be separated before blood was drawn in the clean room.

Rod and William Junior saw what was happening on the television monitor, and ran to the entrance to the clean room. When the boys were carried out, there was hell to pay.

Rod grabbed Richard's arm and pulled him to an empty office. Holden started swinging at William, which was a mistake. He wound up unconscious on the floor after one smooth chop to his neck. William picked him up, carried him into the same office Rod was in, and threw his victim on the desk.

"Did you kill him?"

"No, but I don't believe he'll take another swing at me for a while."

The new administrator of NASA walked in. "What the hell got into those two? I've never seen them act like that before."

Rod said, "I believe it's the first time in their history they disagreed with one another. Holden said it was not possible to put the engines on, and Richard said it was. Holden's pride was hurt and he reacted like a child, which he is."

Holden yelled, "I am not a child."

"Then why did you act like one?"

"My idiot brother told me I was wrong. He was wrong, telling me I was wrong. I am never wrong."

Richard said, "If it was not for my architectural genius, you wouldn't know where to put your hand to wipe your ass."

Holden launched himself at his brother, but missed hitting himself on the corner of the desk. He wasn't hurt badly, but he cried like a baby.

Patrick said, "Didn't I just hear someone say 'I am not a child.' It sure sounds like a child is crying in this room."

"Go fuck yourself Pat."

"Possibly when I grow older, but I'm not there yet."

"Rod, do you hear penis envy creeping into the conversation, between an 11-year-old, and a 16-year-old boy?"

"I can't believe it starts this young. I heard of one that made me feel like a pygmy. I never bragged again."

"What are we going to do with these two?"

"I believe it's very simple. We are going to put them at two different computer terminals and have them prove their point. The loser fights me. You did enjoy fighting me, didn't you Holden?"

"Yes I did, until I didn't know what happened to me."

"The three of you have to learn to defend yourselves. Patrick got a warning. I'm taking it one step further. I want the both of you to take defensive lessons that are going to hurt you much more than it's going to hurt your teachers. You must learn, and you must learn fast. Whoever the people are that are trying to destroy our work are moving extremely fast towards their goal. We cannot protect the three of you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There will be times someone may be able to slip through our net. You must be able to protect yourself until help arrives. It may be 30 seconds; it may be a minute. During that time, it will be up to you to stay alive."

"Does it mean I'll be able to fight against that asshole brother of mine?"

"Do you mean your 15-year-old brother, who outweighs you by 20 pounds, and who is taller than you are by about 6 inches. Do you mean that brother?"

"Yes, that's the brother I'm talking about."

"Oh yes, you will be able to fight him quite frequently. Afterwards, it will take you two hours to get yourself out of the pretzel he's going to turn you into."

"Bullshit, I'm faster than he is. He'll never know which way I'm coming from."

"You better hope you're right, because if you're not, you are going to be in a lot of pain."

"I can take pain."

"Sure you can; you ran into the corner of the desk, and cried like a baby."

"Fuck you."

"Watch your language boy, or you will be eating a bar of lye soap, bit by bit, instead of using your computer, byte by byte."

Holden had a smart reply ready for William, but the words would not come out of his mouth. Somehow he knew if he used those words, this man would be true to his word. He had no desire to eat soap, so he used the magic words.

"I apologize for using irregular language. It will not happen again."

William almost laughed at the apology, because of Holden's use of words. He was very smart, almost too smart, so he decided to get even with him.

"Let's get these two to computer terminals to see if either one of them knows what they are talking about. That was not the use of irregular language, Holden. It was vile and abusive language, and I will not allow you, or any member of this family to use it. Are we on the same page now, BOY?"

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes sir."

"Try again, do you know my name?"

"Yes Mister Zabo."

"What is this man's name?"

"That's Rod."

"Try again."

"That's Mister Laver."

"You will not use the familiar, with anyone who is in charge of you; except your agents. They want you to feel comfortable with them. However, anyone, from Mister Laver, to the man who shines your shoes, you will now refer to properly. Due to your genius, you have been given too much liberty; that ends today. From the top of the totem pole, you have just been placed at the bottom. Everyone else is above you, until you reach 21 years old. At that time, you may start using the familiar again. If you break this rule, your trainers will become extremely upset with you, and your training will become much harsher. I don't believe you will like that at all.

Go to your terminals, and get started. Don't leave them until you are finished. If you need something to eat or drink, or go tinkle, raise your hand and someone will come to you.

Mister Administrator shall we see your new office?"

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Mister Zabo. Where is it?"

"I have no idea. Let's ask someone who works here."

***************

Five hours later Holden completed his task. He was very unhappy with himself, but he did not show it. His brother was right; it could be done. The modifications would be extensive, but not to the capsule itself. The crew quarters, and the science lab were the problems, but he believed Mister Schneider would be able to work his magic around them. He stopped thinking and laughed at himself. He just called 'Dycke' by his proper name, Mister Schneider. Had Mister Zabo's warning sunk in so soon? Was it possible?"

Nearly 3 hours later Richard was finished.

"What the hell took you so long, I thought you died in that chair."

Holden received a smack on the back of his head from William.

"What the hell was that for?"

"He received another smack on the back of his head, but this time it was from Rod.

"What am I doing wrong?"

"Think about what you said to your brother when he finished."

"I asked him what the hell took him so long."

Rod hit him again.

"What am I doing wrong?"

William asked him to think about his language.

"Oh shit!" Instinctively he raised his arms to protect his head. He looked at William who smiled at him. He looked at Rod who was smiling at him, and put his hands down. That's when Patrick hit him.

"Stop it already, I understand what I did wrong. I will work on it."

Patrick said, "It took you long enough."

"Okay I'm a little dense in this area, but I will try to use the English language a little differently."

"Doctor Oyster asked for a visual representation of what would happen if the current design of Orion attempted a landing as it is. I did that.

 Then I made my changes to the design. I put in the magnetic engines where they would work properly. It took a little more time than you did by adding 1 and 1 together and coming up with 3 ½."

Before anything could happen between them, Patrick yelled, "Sit down, both of you."

"Holden you said it would not work. Run your projections up on the screen, and prove it."

"Pat, it can be done. I have to check with Mister Schneider about some serious modifications to the crew quarters and the science lab, but my numbers tell me it can be done."

"Richard keep your mouth shut, because if you start gloating, you'll find my fist in it."

"Let's see your numbers and your reasoning behind them."

Holden started his program.

"As you can see, we leave Orion as is, but it's covered by a large perspex dome so the crew can see outside, and have light come inside. The only metal part of the capsule that remains exposed to the remainder of the three sections is the hatch connecting them. It covers Orion for the 1-hour trip to Mars to keep anything from hitting the capsule from the front, or sides.

The real magic has to come from Mister Schneider, because Orion is made of metal, and that will interfere with my sister's engines. He is going to have to find a way to put a buffer between the three parts that make up Orion, and the area we put the Magnetic Engines, the helium, and the nuclear engine. The man is a genius with the long line carbon filaments, and I know he can do it. That's why I believe it can be done."

Richard stood up and applauded his brother.

Holden thought Richard was mocking him, and was ready to cross the table to kill him, until Richard said, "It's about time you came over to my way of thinking. Watch my video and learn from the changes I made to the initial design. It would look better on a larger screen, but I guess this will do."

Pat said, "They have a larger screen in the auditorium;

 why don't we go there?"

"It works for me."

****************

Before he started his program, Richard qualified it.

"I did it this way, because I didn't want to show real people dying. I didn't want to mock anyone's hard work on the SLS program. However, the numbers and the projections speak for themselves."

On the huge screen came a picture of the SLS rocket, surrounded by its huge gantry. Sitting atop it was the three stage Orion capsule. The main capsule sitting atop the crew quarters, which sat atop the science lab. You could hear excited talking in the background, coming from launch control.

In a building far away from the launch pad, they were getting ready to dress astronauts. Four Minions walked into the room, jumping up and down, as they were happy to finally be going into space.

Two 6-foot tall men were assigned to each Minion. One man opened the space suit, the other picked up the Minion, turned him upside down, and dumped him in unceremoniously. They zipped up the bottom of the suit, leaving only his little dangling feet exposed.

They covered those with his space boots, and zippered those to his spacesuit. They used contact cement to seal the two parts together.

They were carried out to the bus, which sped at 140 miles an hour to the launch ramp, because they were running late. When the bus came to a screeching halt, the four Minions were plastered against the front windshield. 

They were carried to the elevator, which rose to the top, at terminal velocity, which found that our intrepid heroes, flat as pancakes, lying on the elevator floor. Each was re-inflated, using an air hose, just prior to getting into the capsule. As the main door was closed and sealed, you can see the Minions fighting over there seating arrangements.

As they finally settled down, they pushed a blue button, which started a high pressure vacuum, which was located beneath their seats. It sucked them down until there was no air between their bottoms, and the seat itself. The logic behind this was, 'If your ass wasn't going anywhere, neither were you.' It also saved money on those irritating belts that held their tiny arms to their bodies."

Mission control said, "The computers now have control of the launch sequence. There is one minute left in the countdown."

"5-4-3-2-1-Lift-Off."

"Nothing happened. The engines did not ignite. The computers were working overtime. There were green lights across the board.

However, Nothing Happened.

The flight director yelled, "Shut it down, shut it down."

The computer director yelled, "The computers will not reply."

Suddenly, from the very back of the control room, a very junior computer specialist started laughing.

His director screamed. "What the fuck are you laughing about?"

"Sir, if you check your landline's between the SLS computer, and our internal computer, you will find that the two computers are having phone sex."

"You are out of your fucking mind."

"Take a look for yourself Sir; I didn't believe it at first."

The director brought the system up on his screen and saw what the lovebirds were doing. He tried to intervene using his terminal, but it was immediately turned off. Apparently they did not wish to be disturbed.

3 minutes and 12 seconds after launch time, the big SLS rocket belched 5 plumes of smoke, all its engines fired at once, and launched into the air on its mission to Mars.

The computer at mission control started blinking its lights all over the computer boards. The areas around the keyboards became hot, nearly too hot to touch. Within 1 minute and 32 seconds everything returned to normal.

The flight director turned to the computer specialists and asked, "Would someone tell me what the heck just happened?"

The junior computer specialist said, "Apparently Sir, the computer on board the rocket is a boy, and the computer in here is a girl. When they both orgasmed, they went about their business properly."

The Flight Director said, "If one word of what you said gets out to the press, we will all be in the funny farm for life."

Alarms woke up the sleeping astronauts to advise them they were about to enter Mars orbit. They cleaned up the internal portions of the spacecraft, putting their tennis rackets, ping-pong balls, and assorted and sundry other items away for their descent onto the red planet. The computer said everything was in order, and it was time for them to slow Orion down. They turned the spacecraft around 180°, and fired the retro rockets. Everything was right on profile as they fired the rockets again slowing down even further. They could feel the difference as they entered the thin Martian atmosphere. 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 06



However, what they could not feel, or see was what the vibrations, and the rising heat was doing to the couplings between the science laboratory, and living quarters.

Richards program isolated on the areas of the science lab, where it connected to the living quarters. He panned around, showing stress fractures forming along the entire circumference of the areas where the two sections met. The numbers alongside the video display, showed a count-down to separation of these two areas. At 30,600 feet above the surface of Mars, the science lab broke free, taking part of the crew quarters with it.

Orion started spinning in an angular momentum that caused the body weight of the Minions to reach 12 G's. They were unable to reach the abort button that would have separated the capsule from the crew quarters and allowed it to speed back into orbit around Mars, and eventually head home. Seven seconds later, the capsule imploded on the surface of the planet. 

The plume of red dust went so high into the thin Martian atmosphere; it was seen by earthbound telescopes.

Richard said, "As you can see, even though I used comic book characters, this is exactly what the numbers that ran alongside them proved. The oscillations, during the descent phase, will cause a failure between the science lab, and the crew quarters 100% of the time. To fix it, they would have to make one large piece, or use an internal rigid girdle to hold the two section together until they reach 5000 feet. Then, using explosive bolts that would unlock the girdle, the descent could continue normally. I would still have to run tests to see if that would work for them."

William Junior said, "Very good Richard, now show us the way it should be one."

 "Mister Zabo, please remember this is only a prototype. I only had six or seven hours to put both parts together. So when my brother laughs, don't hit him."

On the screen came a picture of the Welcome Center at NASA's Cape Kennedy facility. All the people stopped walking to watch hundreds of Minions taking down the display of the Atlas 5 rocket. When they had it on its side, they carried it to the assembly building where they hoisted it up leaving it hanging in midair.

During the next sequence, you could see the minions working on both the science lab, and the living quarters. There was no doubt in anyone's mind they were not the same size. The two managers fought over the size and came to an agreement, but forgot one thing, the size of the rocket. They had to start all over again.

The third time they did it right and it fit inside the Saturn 5 core correctly. All the electrical, and plumbing connections were tested, and sealed.

Next came Orion, but it didn't look like Orion at all. It was covered in a big black carbon fiber plug, and fit in to the Saturn 5, headfirst, leaving about 2 feet of the capsule showing.

Holden yelled out, "You're an idiot."

The next thing you heard was someone getting smacked; and a loud howl of pain.

Richard continued by attaching a large tire like structure, about 8-foot high, with nuclear markings clearly displayed on it. He placed a smaller tire above it, again marked clearly with nuclear markings. This tire was so small it looked like it was inset into the larger tire. 'It Was.' He covered the entire structure, from above the 'tires', to where it would meet the crew quarters, with a clear perspex dome, attached by explosive bolts.

Holden finally saw what his brother was doing, and shouted out, "You sneaky bastard," for which the result was the same. 

"Ouch, dammit, that hurt."

William said, "I'm going to give you that one for free. From now on any foul language, in front of any of your elders, I expect them to strike you hard. If they don't, it's going to hurt that much more when I get here. Gwen and I are moving down permanently, after the baby is born. You may as well get this into your head Holden, ''It's going to be my way, or this project is going to grind to a halt as I straighten you out. Our investors will not be happy. There are ways to make you do what I want you to do, but they are very harsh. 

"Your father had your brother thrown into his room for a week, do you know the reason why?"

"No I was extremely young."

"Your brother was working past 11 PM, against your father's wishes. He was told, over and over again, to be home by 8 o'clock and to be in bed at 10 p.m. Gordon wanted to work more than your father would allow, and he was punished him harshly for it. 

Your father had him put in handcuffs, and thrown into the back of an SUV. He started using objectionable language, while he was back there. For the first time in his life your father punished him. He put him into his room that night without dinner, and told him he was restricted to that room, without a computer, television, books, paper, or writing utensils, for seven days. I won't tell you what your brother said, but it included many four letter words."

"Do you remember Montgomarie?"

"You mean Monty?"

"Yes Monty. She would stand outside his door, every day, to make sure he didn't leave his room. 

Your brother did not start crying until Thursday. I am told it broke your mother's heart not to go to him, but she had to make a choice. She either had to stand by your father/her husband, or make her son understand there were rules that had to be followed in the house, as long as he wished to stay there. 

Your brother was already very wealthy in his own right because of the patents that were in his name. He could have done whatever he wanted to do. The only thing he could not do was work on the spacecraft. He wanted to work on that spacecraft more than anything in this world. He swallowed his pride, and told your dad he was sorry for what he'd done. 

That was it, everything was forgotten, except for one thing. He had to finish his week in his room. He wasn't happy about that.

On Monday, Gordon left work at exactly 6 P.M to go home for dinner, under Monty's watchful eyes, and was in bed at 10 PM. 

He showed his father what he did to his walls. He showed your father what he wrote on the walls, in crayon. They had to photograph all the formulas he wrote down on them, and transfer them to the computers at work. The next weekend he had to repaint the walls of his room, because if his mother saw what he did to them, death would be a preferable option. Your dad never figured out where he got the crayons from."

"Why are you telling me this?" 

"Do you like working on the spacecraft?"

"Of course I do. They can't do anything with the ship without me."

"How much are you ahead of the tradesmen do you have in your computer?"

"Approximately six or seven months."

"What if I told you that you didn't have access to a computer, a television, paper, pens, pencils, crayons, or any other writing utensils for six or seven months? I would send you to Costa Rica and have you roam in the jungles with your escorts. You would learn about the animals, snakes, and bugs. Wouldn't you enjoy that Holden?"

"I'm sorry Mister Zabo, I will learn how to control my mouth."

"I believe that's an excellent decision on your part Holden. You have two more chances, on the third one, you are on an airplane flying south."

"I understand Sir."

Richard asked, "May I continue Mister Zabo?"

"Yes Richard, you may proceed."

"At the bottom of the spacecraft, there was a similar set up. One large tire like structure, and below it a much smaller structure. Then come the major change.

2 landing pads holding up the rocket. One set was 40 feet tall, hardly enough to hold the massive rocket in a vertical position. The other set is 70 feet tall. These will hold the rocket slightly offset of vertical." 

No one in the room, including Holden, could understand why?

William was to first ask the question.

"Why aren't the legs the same size?"

"When they designed the crew quarters and laboratory, they had to be horizontal with the ground. When we get there, we will be vertical. I designed it this way so we could gently lay everything down. 

As we passed through 20,000 feet, the explosive bolts will blow off the Perspex dome, and Orion will fire its retro rockets to come out of its cocoon. That's all it will do. The magnetic engines on the rear of Orion will allow it to hover and watch as the crew quarters and laboratory touchdown. As they watch, the rocket will begin to tilt, and they will determine a landing position, take over controls of Orion and land close by. They must land opposite the magnetic engines to avoid radiation poisoning. They will be able to land Orion very close to the two pods and the limited excess walking."

"As soon as the proximity beam turns on, in the science lab portion of the rocket, the landing pods will extend, and the nuclear engine will shut down automatically. The rocket will land slightly offset from vertically, and the 70-foot landing pads will slowly lower the sections to the ground using the rollers that are built into them. The 40 foot ladders are detachable, just in case they find a tree they want to pick fruit from. That part is really very easy."

"What will happen after Orion lands?"

"Built into Orion's long line carbon filament upper tire like structure, are 4 inflatable landing pads, shaped like slides, but made of the same carbon material. We need this to protect the nuclear engine at the bottom of the spacecraft, so it can take off when the mission is completed. The astronauts will use ropes to guide themselves up the slides to get back to the Orion, for any supplies left on board, or for the voyage home." 

"What will happen when the crew gets out of Orion? Don't they have to worry about radiation from their own craft?"

"Orion's engine is much smaller and is shielded much heavier than the one on the lander. Orion was built to withstand the radiation of space. Between the two safety factors, the astronauts are very, very safe."

Holden stood up and applauded his brother's genius. It wasn't often Richard outdid him, but this time, he was so far behind Richard, he couldn't see the dust rising from his shoes.

He walked over, and hugged him.

"Way to go bro! Absolutely breathtaking. The hard part will be getting the tiny engines through the bureaucrats in Washington. Bascom could probably make both engines, and sarcophagus in six months. Everything else is already made. Let's draw up the schematics for the cocoon for Orion, and have Mister Schneider start on it. Then we'll work on the buffers, and the pad for the engine on top."

"I don't believe any of Mister Schneider company's makes Perspex. I think we'll have to ask Corning to make that for us."

"Boys, what time is it?"

"I don't know Mister Zabo, I don't have a watch."

"It's after 7 PM. It's now time to give your brain's a rest. Let's go to dinner. We will talk about anything other than the spacecraft. Is that clear?"

"Mister Zabo, we have a problem."

"What is it?"

"Ever since we learned how to talk, all we ever talked about was the spacecraft, and space. We've never talked about anything else. Even our mother talked about it. It was our dinner time conversation. Wait, we did talk about food."

"Well boys, it's time you learned about something else. Have you ever seen a baseball game?"

"No."

"Saturday and Sunday, you are taking the days off. Saturday you are going to sit down at your computers and read the rules of the game of baseball. Sunday we are going to go to a baseball game. When we get home, I will quiz you on what you saw. I will want to know if the umpires were in the correct position, if the pitcher balked and the umpire didn't call it, and a whole host of other things. I want to expand your education outside the field of science. Let's go eat, I am hungry."

"Mister Zabo, what does a baseball look like?"

"It is a circular object, with red stitching closing the seams. It starts out with a hard central core, which is surrounded by... I think that you read about it tomorrow."

"You don't know what a baseball is either?"

"I know what the outside looks like. I know what the people that play the game are supposed to do. I know who wins and who loses and why. That's enough for me."

"There has to be more to it than that."

"There is, and you will read about it Saturday, and go to a ballgame with all of us Sunday."

"The people that play get money?"

"Oh yes, millions and millions of dollars if they are very good players. I will tell you more about it when we are at the game."

"Do we have to bring our own chairs and food?"

"No we don't. Did you ever read about the Roman stadiums, where they held oratory contests, and chariot races?"

"Yes, we read about those when I was six."

"You were five Richard. When you were six, you were teaching me to read star charts."

"You're right, I apologize."

William looked at two boys, and shook his head.

"Did you boys ever go outside and play?"

"We went outside every day Mister Zabo. We tracked the movements of the Sun, and figured out how much the earth was wobbling at the time. We used pin holes in cardboard paper to see stars that were blocked by the Sun. At night we charted the stars from different positions on our property to determine how many degrees of variation in longitude the moon was making every day. It was very exciting."

"What I'm asking you is; did you do anything athletic? Did you run, exercise, do gymnastics, lift weights, play volleyball, swim, or anything like that?"

"We both know the dynamics of swimming. We went into the water three times to test it out. We were correct, and swam the pool with no problems at all. We did so well the person at the YMCA said we did not need lessons. As far as anything else, we used to walk up and down the stairs to get to the computers, helped our mother carry the laundry, brought the garbage cans to the street twice a week, and we raked the leaves from around the walkway. You have to remember, I was only three years old, when Newton, Richard, and I started working on the Good Luck 2. That was the most fun of all. If Newton was still here, all the plans needed for the Good Luck 2 would be completed; that's how good Newton is."

"I know you're still young but how do you keep your muscles so well-toned?"

"Gordon taught us how to do it, and then we made it a little better. He taught us how to isolate specific muscle for a specific length of time, and repeat it for a specific amount of times. Then go to the next specific muscle and repeat the exercise. For a while it takes a lot of brainpower to get used to, but once you have it down to a science, you do it without thinking about it. I'm doing my right and left ankles now. It will take me 18 more seconds to finish them, and move on to my arches."

Richard and I made it a little bit better by teaching the muscle to tense and relax for specific periods of time, and then move on to the next, bilaterally. Our muscles do twice the amount of actions, in the same amount of time, and receive better results."

"So you use isometrics?"

"What are isometrics?"

"For example, you would put your hands in opposition to one another, and push hard for as long as you could. That would be an isometric exercise. You're not using any outside implement, such as a free weight, or the ground to help you. You're using your body to do the exercise. You burn calories while increasing the strength of your arms, neck, shoulders, and back."

"How long can a person do this exercise for?"

"Most people can do it for approximately a minute, some can do it for two minutes, not much more than that."

"Our method can be used while sitting down, and standing up; and it can be used all day."

William said, "I hate both of you, but I want you to make a tape of how you do this for Gwen. It will make it easier on her as she goes through her pregnancy."

Richard said, "I can hypnotize her and teach her how to do it in five minutes."

"You can hypnotize people?"

"I never have, but I read a book about it. It seemed easy enough."

"Put Patrick to sleep."

"I'm the Administrator of NASA. I refuse to be put to sleep."

"You're right, considering your lofty appointment, we will put Doctor Oyster to sleep. If he says no, he's fired."

Joe said, "I'd love to be hypnotized by that little wimp."

10 minutes later, Doctor Joseph Oyster woke up with a handkerchief tied around his head, pencils sticking out both of ears, his shoes on the wrong feet, and their laces tied together.

The first words out of his mouth were, "I knew he couldn't do it." As he took his first step, he fell flat on his face."

Everyone in the room laughed their asses off.

So it should be a total embarrassment to the doctor, Richard taught him how to use the method of controlling muscles. Doctor Oyster never had a weight problem again.

************************

25. Rod Goes To Work

"Rod, Vinnie Caruso, they quashed all three of our motions. They saw no reason to move the trial out of Dallas, or move it to Houston, or out of Texas and into Louisiana. They put us on the docket for October 1, for a two-week trial. 

I wrote the court, and told them we would not be finished with our second witness in two weeks, so they better extend their time frame. I haven't heard back from them yet."

"Vinnie if you're not going to give me good news, why are you calling me?"

"I'm calling to tell you the weather here in Brooklyn is very hot."

"I'm not asking you about your wife; I'm asking you why are you calling me with bad news?"

"You told me you were a better lawyer than I am, and I wanted you to prove it. You only went to court 18 times in your entire legal life; and you never lost the case. I go to court 10 times a year, and I have never lost the case. Now I'm going to have to sit second chair, and watch you work your magic over multinational corporations, with lawyers from all over the world. I can't wait to see you dance around them. 

I told you from the start we needed a fleet of top notch lawyers. You said if I was not up to the task, you would find someone else who was. No one says that to me and gets away with it. You challenged me, and now you better be as good as you say you are."

"I didn't even have to think about a way to hook you into doing this with me Vincent. I had inside help. There was no way you were going to say no to me."

"Who did you talk to; which one of my clients breached confidentiality?"

"She was and still is one of our investors, before she became your client. So be nice."

"Oh fuck, Celeste Castronova."

"She was only the treasure box. The treasure lay inside."

"I hate my sister."

"Antonia had only wonderful things to say about you, and remember she is hosting your quads for the summer. There is no telling what Antonia could do to four graduate students over the next three months."

"I do know, and that's why my hair is going gray quickly. They go to her every summer, and between her, my mother, and her aunts, I'm surprised they ever come back to the states."

"I believe it's because you hold the keys to their inheritance, which they are due to receive when they reach 30. I know they will still talk to Donna, but will they ever talk to you again?"

"Don't start with me about that, Donna already has. My oldest just received hers. Now Annarosa is taunting Grace, and the twins. Isn't it amazing what $10 million will due to a child?

At this rate, I may not live to see 60, and that's when the quads get theirs."

"Who told you to have more children than Rosalynn and me?"

"Believe me Rod, it was a shot in the dark. The doctors said it was nearly a 300 million to 1 shot to have a naturally conceived set of quadruplets."

"Your father said it was all that high school practice. What a wealth of information he was. However, it was your dearly, devoted, loving mother, who hung you out to dry. For every extra sheet she had to wash, while you were in high school, she told me exactly what questions to ask you, and what buttons to push. She must have washed an awful lot of sheets, because she gave me a tons of information about you. You fell like a row of dominoes, just as she predicted you would. Isn't family wonderful?"




Dark as Daylight Ch. 06



"You bastard. You can't even be charged with invasion of privacy. They were introduced to you by a friend of the family. Remind me to send a bag of coal to each one of them for Christmas."

"Do you think they're going to miss your Christmas presents after what your former partners had the government pay them as restitution for their character?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Shall we get down to business?"

"Sure why not."

"Are you using your secure line?"

"Yes mommy, I am. I had it tested by friends of my daddy."

"Your daddy's influence knows no bounds."

"Tell me about it."

"Celeste, and all her people have gathered information about Multitronics that is going to blow this case across the country, and the world. I'm not going to use their names just in case someone is listening, from that place near Omaha. We are talking about at least nine U.S. Corporations, three European Corporations, and four from Asia. If they wanted, they could strangle the economy of the world. I want you and Donna to move down to South Carolina yesterday. You are too exposed in New York, and Brooklyn is too expensive anyhow. You are in a lot of danger up there, get down here tomorrow."

"I own my homes; all I do is pay taxes."

"Don't you think they know that? Don't you think they know where you go every night? Get your ass down here Vincent, and I don't mean the day after tomorrow, I want you down here by tomorrow."

"Who's going to run my office?"

"Your friend from Brooklyn College. He wouldn't steal a dime if it was left on your desktop. You were going to make him a partner anyhow; so do it today, and do it in a hurry. Get your ass moving, you have a lot of work to do. 

Call Donna, and tell her to start packing. Have your secretary pullout your old partnership agreement, and have her change the names and dates on it. He has to remain with your company for the rest of his life as payment for his 49% share of the company, or return it to you free of charge, if he leaves for other employment. You can never fire him, unless it is for gross negligence, or gross moral turpitude. A private jet will be waiting for you at Kennedy at 3 PM. I will give you the tale number, and the captain's middle name before you get on the move to Kennedy. If they don't check out run like hell."

"I love working with you Rod. I had a nice peaceful business taking money from the richest, and giving it to the richer. Now I have to wait to see if I'm going to be shot, like my dad did. It's true, life does come full circle."

"It may be true Vincent, but this time, we are on the right side of the law."

"Why doesn't that make me feel comfortable?"

"Because bullets don't have a conscience."

"Thank you, I needed to hear that right now."

"Oh, your father wanted me to verify that the water heater is empty."

"Yes, it's empty."

"Why would a hot water heater be empty?"

"It's summer you idiot."

"Hang up Vincent, and get to work."

****************

"Betty get in here."

"What is it Vincent?"

"Three things: 1. Pull out my old partnership agreement, with Tom and Jim. Update it to today's date. Put Joseph's name on it. I keep 51%, he gets 49%..."

2. When you're finished with it, get him in here so I can ream him a new asshole, and have him sign it. He will be in complete charge of the office, until I return. 

There will be no shakeup in personnel, everyone's job is secure. You are my eyes and ears in this office. If something does not smell right, I need you to get in touch with me on my cell. Can I count on you to do that?"

"Yes sir, you can."

"You will get an extra $4000 a month, directly from me, for that information. We have to setup a direct deposit between my bank and yours. Will you set that up for me please?"

"Thank you Mister Caruso, it's not necessary, but it is appreciated. I will take care of the transfers."

"I want you to contact building security. I want 4 armed security agents inside our office, from 4 PM to 9 AM. I want two armed agents standing in our hallway, but not near our doors, from 8 AM to 6 PM. This is just a precaution, but I want our people safe while I'm gone."

"I know you're going to trial later this year, sir, but who are you going up against?"

"It looks like a simple case of an unjustly dismissed employee by a multinational corporation, but it's going to get ugly really fast. I don't want you to know anything else about it. The less you know the safer you are."

"I'll get right on these things Vincent. Joseph should be in here within 10 minutes."

*****************

"Hello sweetheart, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Why are you calling me in the middle of your day? Don't you have anything better to do?"

"I'm supposed to have something better to do than to speak to my wonderful wife, mother of my 10 children, who has managed not to kill me because of that accident?"

"What accident? I believe I enjoyed every minute of it."

"You enjoyed taking care of 10 babies, with diapers running around everywhere? The garbage men used to put masks on when they came to our house to avoid the smell. 

Every Christmas I gave each of them $1000 each for their bravery. I think that's the only reason they kept coming back."

"Vincent, after our first four children, I didn't smell a thing."

"Is that why you wore perfume every time I came home?"

"I said I didn't smell a thing, not you. You worked all the time, I was the one at home. Why do you think the windows were open in the middle of the winter?"

"I always wondered why our fuel bills were low."

"Do you want to tell me why you called me?"

"Yes, we are going on vacation tomorrow."

"You are a lying sack of shit Vincent. We have a three-week cruise scheduled for the end of September. You would not take another vacation in the beginning of July knowing that."

"Tomorrow afternoon at 3 PM we are going to be flying on a private jet for a vacation. What do you say about that darling?"

"Vincent, when was the last time you lied to me, and got away with it?"

"Never!"

"Good boy, now tell me why we're going on a vacation tomorrow."

"We are not safe here any longer. I just got a call from Rod Laver. He ordered us down to Charleston immediately. He told me we are no longer secure in Brooklyn. We are too exposed. Pack up what you need, and we will buy the rest down there. I will be home by 6:30 PM, not one minute later. Don't let anyone you don't know in the house. I mean the UPS man, the FedEx man, or anyone. If it's the regular guy fine, if it's not he leaves it outside. You know where my gun is, use it if you have to Donna. You know how."

"Vincent, you are scaring me."

"Stay scared baby, I will be home soon."

********************

"I don't care what you say, I am not submitting my resignation."

"Joseph, you are the worst lawyer I have ever known. You take pity on the rich, and you hate the poor."

"That's not true. We only represent the rich. I am duty-bound to give them the best representation possible. That's what this firm is all about, isn't it?"

"What is your winning percentage Joseph?"

"97%."

"How much did that 3% cost our clients?"

"$730 million."

"Did those clients retain us?"

"One did, the other did not."

"Do you know what that did to our billing?"

"I would suspect we took a hit."

"Nope, it didn't hurt as it all. They were going bankrupt anyhow. They filed Chapter 11 seven months later."

"Then why are you busting my balls?"

"Isn't today Tuesday?"

"No it's Wednesday."

"I thought it was Tuesday. Tuesday is break Joseph's balls day. I want you to read this thoroughly, and get back to me in 30 minutes. Use the meeting room."

****************

"Here he comes Vincent, and he has a head of steam on."

"Cover your ears Betty, the screaming is about to begin."

"What is this piece of shit, you're not yanking my balls again because I don't believe one word of it. No one gives 49% of a company worth three quarters of $1 billion to someone he barely knows, as long as he stays with the company, or commits some heinous act as defined by law."

"If you don't want it, I'll ask Janet. She's an up and comer."

"What are you talking about. She's been out of law school eight years."

"True, but she has never lost the case."

"Yes, because she's always been second chair to you."

"Should that make a difference?"

"You damn right it should."

"Well since you don't want it, who should I consider taking over for the next few months, while I'm away?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"Betty, who was third on my list?"

"Sandra."

Joseph screamed, "Sandra, are you out of your fucking mind? She can barely find her way around the courthouse."

"Yes, that's true, however she's an excellent administrator."

"She couldn't administrate her way out of Starbucks."

"Joseph, the courthouse closes in 90 minutes. I need your signature on that agreement, and everything else that goes with it so we can get it down there and filed today. If you really don't want it say so, and stop this nonsense. I have to be in South Carolina tomorrow afternoon. YES, or NO!"

"Yes damn you; I knew I would regret getting on that airplane with you in Vermont."

"You deposited the check for $10 million dollars the next day; so it couldn't have been that bad."

"You are bastard Vincent."

"My father would only have hurt you for saying that. When my mother got to you, you would wish you had died at my dad's hands. Now sign the fucking papers, and get down to the courthouse PARTNER."

"I never did like you Vincent. I only stayed here because I liked Donna, and wanted to make sure you didn't go to jail."



Dark as Daylight Ch. 06



Then Vincent remembered what Rod said, "This airplane looks like no other."

Row after row of aircraft were gleaming white, with the occasional silver one thrown in. They all looked alike to him, until he saw this one aircraft. He knew it was the right one.

"Driver, on the left, the pink one; 453SI, that's the one. Don't take our luggage out until I tell you to. Donna do not get out of this car, until I grab your hand."

Vincent stepped out of the limousine and walked towards the pilot. She took off her hat and shook out her hair.

"Hello Mister Caruso, my name is Payne Elizabeth Schneider. Welcome aboard my aircraft. Please call me Payne; my husband tells me I am a pain all the time."

"Please call me Vinny, let me get my wife out of the car so I can introduce her."

The introductions done, Vincent told the two police officers they could leave.

"Mister Caruso, we are going to stay put, until you have permission to taxi. The racket you heard on the parkway was our Rapid Deployment Force. It seems half your block was blown away by a gas main leak. I don't believe in coincidences. You get a threat. You have to get out of town. Your house blows up. Three strikes and you are out as far as I'm concerned. I will let your uncle know that you got out of here safely.

Vincent reached into his pocket, but the officer said no. "Get onto your aircraft, and get out of here now."

"Thanks Bill, I'll talk to my uncle."

"Will you talk to my daughter too?"

"Oh, you heard that did you?"

"Are you kidding, the guys were taking notes."

Vincent ran up the stairwell. Payne hit the button to bring up the steps, and close the door. The number one engine was turning. The number two engine just started to whine, when the aircraft began to move.

Vincent called his uncle from the rear of the aircraft.

"Uncle Philip, they just blew up my home, and half the block with it. They're going to make it sound as if it was a gas main leak, but the police officer, who was guarding us, didn't buy it. I just wanted you to know we are fine. We are in the aircraft getting ready to go. 

You will notice a change in your granddaughter. If it doesn't happen, give me a call, and I will talk to her again. 

Watch your back uncle Phil. These people know who I am, and they didn't care. They may have mercenaries on their side. I don't want you getting caught in the middle. Business as usual."

"That's correct Vincent, nothing gets in the way of business."

"Uncle Phil, give Bill and his partner five grand each. I'll reimburse you."

"If Devon changes, I think Joseph will build a statue to you. That will be payment enough."

"I'll see you when I see you, uncle Phil."

"Stay safe Vinny."

"My dad taught me well, and so did you. Goodbye uncle Phil."

**********************

Rod wrapped his arms around Vincent as he entered the terminal.

"That was a little too close Vincent. I'm glad you listened to me."

"Well, that's case number 19 you can chalk up on your side of the board. I listened to you, and I'm here in Charleston instead of under a pile of rubble. I want you to know I am royally pissed. So are a few people in New York, and Europe.

My father wanted to come back. I told my mother to break his legs as he went towards the airport. He has two teenagers to deal with, and he wasn't all that good with his first two. I don't want anyone else over here who could get in trouble besides us."

"You're kidding right? We are surrounded by an army of men and women, carrying big guns, because no one down here is in trouble. That's the reason we want everyone in one place. In order to get to us, they have to get through a massed force of military personnel, who know what the heck they're doing. Not one of our principles, which now include Donna and you, goes anywhere unescorted."

"Payne will you show Donna around and introduce her to her new friends. Will you also introduce her to her body man, and her escorts. She's going to be down here for a long time, so give her the grand tour."

"May I get changed please master?"

"I'll let you know after you get changed."

"Thank you master."

Payne said, "Come on Donna, I'll show you how much liberty the bosses wife has. I can't even drive my Jaguar anymore."

Donna replied, "You should've heard the speech Vincent gave his niece this morning. She's going to be driving her Porsche as if it was an old VW Beetle from now on."

"She must've been a very bad girl."

"She has a body built for sin, and Vincent just put an end to that and everything else. That young woman may return to being a virgin by the time she gets married."

"I was."

"I wasn't. Ours was a quickie wedding, because I was pregnant with our first."

"How the hell did you manage 10 children? I had three and that was two too many."

"Well, the first six sort of snuck up on us. I had Annarosa, then Grace. Then, I had a set of twin girls. Vincent thought for sure the next one would be a boy. He was wrong; so there was number five. Then we had Sophia as number six. He wanted to get a vasectomy, but I said no. Then came the quads. Vincent was ecstatic, because one of them was a boy."

"Dycke had a vasectomy, because three was more than enough for me. The third one was a girl, and we named her Zoey. She was so beautiful as a baby. At two years old her horns twisted. For the next 14 years those horns grew and multiplied. If you think your niece is a problem, I wish you had known Zoey.

While she was growing up, we took Zoey to every kind of Doctor known to man to find out why she had these terrible moods. Psychiatrist threw her out of their offices, because of her mouth. 

A business friend of my husband's said, "Put her on birth control pills."

He was a world renowned scientist by the name of Even Luck.

It was a case of religion, or trying to cure my daughter. Within one month, Zoey was the nicest child on the face of the earth. The change was remarkable. I wanted to take her to every doctor who misdiagnosed her. I wanted to show them how stupid they were to let my daughter suffer all those years. I didn't, because I wanted to spend my time with my daughter, the one I wanted to all my life.

"You keep talking about Zoey as if she has passed away; did she?"

"Oh no, I'm sorry I gave you that impression. Zoey, her husband Gordon Luck, and my granddaughter, Payne Elizabeth Luck, are in space, flying around on the 'Good Luck 1.' I'll show you the pictures we got recently. You'll love them."

I interrupted you as you said you had the quads. What happened next?"

"We were very happy with six, while Vincent was studying like crazy to become a good lawyer and passing the Bar Exam. The lawyers he was working for, Thomas Shackelford, and James Hearst, were the best lawyers in New York. They were the same lawyers our parents used to get the billion-dollar settlement from the government, and American airlines. They promised my dad, before he was murdered, if his grades were good enough in college, they would get him into a great law school, and then train him to be a great lawyer. They did just that, and then they did even more."

I went to my gynecologist for my regular checkup. April is sitting with her head between my knees. She looks up at me to say, "Good Lord, you are pregnant again, about two months or so."

I told Vincent, and he begged me for a boy. I told him I'd let him know about seven months.

The next month they did the sonogram and they couldn't get a clear picture. They turned me on my side and did it that way. April looked at me and said congratulations, triplets. The technician said, "Doctor count again, there are 7 feet there."

April looked again and said, "Quadruplets!"

I told Vincent that night and he fell to the floor.

"Are you sure?"

I handed him the picture, and a magnifying glass. "Count the feet."

"Seven? Who's missing a foot?"

"It's not missing dummy, someone's sleeping on it. It's a little crowded in there."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"April is going to keep an eye on my blood pressure. If I have any aggression problem, I'm not allowed to hit a wall. I have to hit you instead."

"I don't know what April's problem is. We've been keeping her busy for the last 12 years. When she looks at her bank balance it should say 'Thank God for the Caruso's."

"I'm sure she appreciates us Vincent."

"The next day he told the partners about it. For the next seven months Vincent worked 18 hour days in that law office. They pummeled him and pummeled him and pummeled him with information about the law, until he became the lawyer he is today. It should be fun watching Rod and Vinny work together. Vinny doesn't have an ego. He just knows the law. He remembers what he was as a kid, and knows how hard he had to work to get to where he is today. I don't know how Rod started, or how he got to where he is now, but I do know I'm going to have fun finding out."

"Donna, you and Rosalynn are going to have so much fun together. She and Rod had seven children, and they were almost one year apart to the day. You're going to hear stories that are going to make your sides split laughing. 

You will hear stories about this woman, while she was a young girl when they met. Her name is Delicious Luck. What she did to him over the first two years they were together are legend.

There are two other people involved, because without their work none of this could've happened: Harold Chase, and Patty Valentino. If they had not figured out how to take the pollution out of the air and turn it into a long line carbon filaments, Even couldn't have talked my husband into making the products that are dense enough, light enough, and heat resistant enough to make it through the atmosphere and get it into outer space."

Donna said, "Don't you find it amazing that two people invent a product to make our skies clearer, and remove pollution from it, and others turn that product into materials to get us into space, and so much more?"

"That's why we're sitting in the back of an armored SUV with two guards in front of us, and four in the car behind us. We are upsetting the status quo, and people in high places don't like us doing that. Your husband and Rod are going to change that in court, which is the right place to change it.

We are almost at my home. Do not touch the handle on any car door ever again. Your guards will smack you if you do. You will be told all the things about protocol as the day goes by. Welcome to my world Donna; it is so much fun."

*****************

26. Here Comes the Special Forces

"May I speak to Mister Dycke Schneider please?"

"May I ask who's calling?"

"Colonel Lucius C. Canyon."

"One moment sir."

"This is Dycke Schneider; how did you get this number?"

"We have a mutual friend Dycke, his name is William Zabo. You can call him to verify my credentials. I need permission to land four military helicopters near the building site of Good Luck 2. My men and I will take care of our own living quarters. All we will need from you is food and fresh water. We are here to protect the site from the air. We are 200 miles out from your facility, and it will take us about 30 minutes to get there. We would like not to get shot out of the air by your men."

"Hold on Colonel, I'm going to call Mister Zabo."

***************

"Hello!"

"Hello, this is Dick Schneider, may speak to William Zabo please?"

"I'm sorry he's not home at this moment. Can I take a message?"

"I have a Colonel Canyon on another line. He is flying in with four helicopters requesting permission to land. He said Mister Zabo would tell me who he is, because I have no idea."

"One moment please. Mom, please pick up the phone."

"Hello, this is Jemma Zabo, who am I speaking to?"

"Hello Mrs. Zabo, this is Dycke Schneider. We met in Idaho Springs about two weeks ago."

"I remember you Dycke, how can I help you?"

"I have a Colonel Canyon on the other line. He wants to land four helicopters here. Do you know him?"

"What is that bastard doing in a helicopter?"

"I have no idea Jemma."

"Test him Dycke; ask him if he's married. I will hold on."

******************

"Colonel, Mister Zabo wants to know if you're married?"

"Tell William he knows I want to marry Jemma and no one else."

"One moment Colonel."

*****************

"Jemma his answer was he wanted to marry you and no one else."

"That's Lucius, let him land, and give him my love."

"I will do it, thanks Jemma."

*****************

"Colonel, you have permission to land. You will find suitable places better from the air then we can from the ground. Jemma send you her love."

"I love that woman. Make sure your men stand down please, we are 100 miles out."

**************

"Tim."

"Yes Dycke."

"Call the base commander, and tell them to have our men stand down when he sees four helicopters circling overhead looking for landing spaces. They belong to us."

"You got it."

****************

Richard Chenney stepped out of the double wide trailer that was the home of the self-defense force for the Good Luck 2, as he heard the roar of helicopters passing overhead. He was expecting civilian helicopters, but what he saw was anything but. Leading the pack of helicopters was an MH 6 Little Bird, a reconnaissance aircraft, with very big stingers attached to its sides. It was followed by a UH 1 Huey, a venerable helicopter that saw action since Vietnam. Next was a AH 1 Cobra attack helicopter. No one wanted to mess with this bird. Finally came the throaty roar of the big guy of the group. The Sikorsky MH 53 Pave Low. This helicopter had a secret, and the North Vietnamese didn't know about it until it was too late. It could roar as it was now, or at the flip of a switch, it could go down to the treetops, and whisper low enough not to wake a sleeping baby. It would drop special forces behind enemy lines, and then slink away unnoticed. It was a night time helicopter, and not one was lost during its time over Vietnam.

Cheney said to himself, "The military does not allow you to buy these aircraft. What the fuck are they doing here?"

He had a decision to make. If he was the commander of this outfit, which of these helicopters would he be in?

"He's going to be in the Pave Low."

He hopped into his SUV and drove nearly a half mile to the site of the biggest bird in the group. By the time he got there, the men were offloading all the equipment they needed for a bivouac area.

"I want to speak to your commanding officer."

"You're in the wrong place sir. He's in 'Little Bird.' He's always upfront."

"Thank you very much."

By the time Cheney got a 'Little Bird', it was completely covered with, camouflage netting. He asked the littlest guy there, with a little disdain in his voice. 

"Hey soldier, where is your commanding officer?"

Lucius turned around to look at the man. "You're looking at him."

"If you are an officer, why are you covering this aircraft, instead of letting your men do it?"

"I never let my men do anything I wouldn't do, you asshole."

Cheney took a swing at the ancient Colonel for the insult he received. 

He wound up with an imprint of the Colonel's West Point ring on his jaw in return, and the Colonel standing over him. 

His men went to their weapons, until he yelled, "Stand down."

"You haven't introduced yourself, and you have insulted me and my men. I would advise you not to do it again. We are your eyes, ears, and long ball. I am not here because you invited me. I am here because William Zabo, Even Luck, Dycke Schneider, and the families who were involved at the very beginning of this process invited me. They are my friends. They are my family. Don't you ever fuck with me again, or I will put you under the ground the next time."

Cheney looked up at his slim wiry opponent and asked, "Who the hell are you?"

"Colonel Lucius C Canyon, US Army retired; and who the fuck are you?"

"Oh shit! Colonel Everest Longstreet, at your service sir. I've read about everything you did in the Balkans, until they fucked you over."

"It was a really nice place in the winter?"

"I go back there and ski every chance I get. It's better than Switzerland, and cheaper."

"I wouldn't know, I don't ski."

"Well Colonel, welcome to Battlefield West. When you're ready, I'll show you our defensive layout. It's in the double wide about a mile from here. How many SUVs would you like for your men?"

"Four will do, six would be better."

"I'll send over four today, and you'll have eight by Monday. We always rotate these through the Armor shop. Every four weeks or so we get six of our cars back fully armored. They're not all for us, but for the executives, and their families. You know the drill as well as I do. These people will do anything to slow us down, but the word from the top is: Whoever they take is expendable. Those words came down from Dycke Schneider himself."

"You have to love a man with convictions like that. Does his family know?"

"The video he sent us had his wife standing by his side. It also had all the top executives of his company, Even Luck's kids, that lawyer and his wife, and a bunch of people I don't know. They weren't smiling when he announced it, but they were all informed beforehand, and they all stood behind his decision.

When the two boys are at this site, we have six rings of guards around them. The only thing we can't protect them from is an air attack, or a mortar. We own the land 10 miles out on all sides. When we get inside, I'll show you everything."

"10 miles, just outside mortar range, I wonder if we could buy some more land."

"What do you have in mind Colonel?"

"A racetrack, of course, Southerners love racing, and if a very rich entrepreneur approached the county with plans for a racetrack in this vicinity, I believe it would be rushed through the building process. However, as we are doing our core sampling of the land, we would run into trouble with lead contamination, and a few other things that would take years and years to make it through the system, and finally, the racetrack plans would fall through. The owners of this property would bid on that property and get it for a steal."

"Now isn't that a shame. You made that up on the fly Colonel? They should have put you in the Pentagon instead of kicking you out the service."

"Did you go to the Academy?"

"Yes but the wrong one. I went to VMI. You went to West Point."

Lucius took his hand and placed it on Richard's jaw.

"Well, if this imprint is permanent, your jaw went to West Point."

"Who the hell new and old man could duck that fast?"

"You'd better watch out who your calling old Colonel. You could wind up on the floor again."

"Roger that sir. I have one more question before I go back to work. How did you get these helicopters? The military doesn't sell these."

"We have them on lease for airshows. We take pictures of them at static displays all over the Southeast. It's amazing what you can do with computers nowadays."

"Doesn't the military check up on you?"

"Thanks to our Republican friends in Congress, and the steep budget cuts in military spending, and sequestration for nonessential items, do you really believe the Army is going to spend, $1 dollar looking for retired helicopters at airshows? They can't fix roofs on dependent housing. Why would they look for four helicopters, when we check in every Wednesday, and tell them we are going to be in some hole in the wall town in South Carolina. We pay for fuel. We pay for all the repairs. We pay for all the crew time. When they get these helicopters back they will be in better condition than when they gave them to us. 

The only thing they don't know is that we've rearmed them, and fixed optical systems for the weapons. We have 50 caliber machine guns, rocket launchers, and chaff pods, where the designers never thought to put them. The good part was it wasn't that expensive to do. I believe it cost us less than $ 130,000 to repair and arm all four of them."




Dark as Daylight Ch. 07



Note: This the property of Prolonged_Debut10. Information available at Literotica .com. All persons in this NOVEL are fictitious. There will be very little sex and it will not be of a graphic or vile nature. I hope you take this journey me as you did in my previous, SHORT, work. I will begin work on the legal battle to make Evan Luck's family dreams secure from outside predators. I will also tie up some loose ends from the late chapters of "There Must Be a Mistake." As with all my chapters, I hope you enjoy this one also. 

"Death is nature's way of telling you slow down." Bob 

Chapter 7 

28. Hobbling Along 

"I am going to kill that little son of a bitch. I have to wear these braces on both knees, and use crutches for how long?" 

"Monty, I believe that little son of a bitch has proven to you that you are not going to kill him anytime soon. Unless, of course, you're going to beat him over the head with a turkey, stab him with a knife, or do what he wanted to do, which was step outside without a spacesuit. Since you are going to be on crutches for at least three weeks, and in those braces for probably four to six months, if not longer, I would leave that 20-year-old kid alone." 

"You forgot one thing Finch, I can hit him with one of my crutches." 

"That would be your first offensive action, because you didn't get one in, during the match between the two of you." 

"I did...holy shit, I didn't. Did any one time the match?" 

"It took 22 seconds." 

"At least I lasted longer than Janet did. He beat her in six seconds. I'm angry with him. Actually I'm pissed off at him for beating me so quickly. I'm also very proud of my student." 

"Aww, you didn't have to say that about me. I knew it all the time." 

"Doc can I drilled the hole in his head for you? If it gets any more inflated, we're not going to have room for it anyhow." 

"Hell no Monty, I studied for seven months to do this operation. I'm not going to let anyone interfere with me now. Of course, if I fuck up his brain, I'll let you take over, and take the blame." 

"If you'll let me scramble what's left of it, it will be my pleasure." 

"You have a deal." 

"I hope you two are having fun with my husband's head. However, as long as you leave one part of him fully functional, I may forgive you." 

"Little one, I will make sure he is in a state of constant erection." 

"That's all I ask Monty, fun and babies." 

"That doesn't seem fair to me; I get no fun out of it at all." 

"It's okay baby," as Zoey calmly stroked his hair, "as long as I do, that's all that matters." 

"I believe your ass and my hand are going to have a conversation." 

"That sounds like fun. Should we go upstairs and start talking now?" 

"God bless this woman." 

"Gordon, you are down here at 0600 hundred hours tomorrow to start prepping for surgery." 

"Do you have anything else scheduled for tomorrow, Doc?" 

"No." 

"Then why don't we start at a reasonable hour, like 1000 hours. We can both get a little more shuteye, and be reasonably awake while you work on me. 

Hannah said I had to be awake during the entire operation, which is something you failed to tell me. If you want me to be awake, you better let me sleep." 

"Sleep, or get laid." 

"You will have to ask Zoey about that." 

"Payne is staying in the nursery tonight. I promise he will be asleep by midnight." 

"Is that asleep, or unconscious?" 

"Does it matter?" 

"Doc leave those two alone. From long experience, I know you will not win." 

"You won once with the Buffalo." 

"You will never know how much I enjoyed the look on your face, when the innards of that animal poured out all over you. Of all the times for me not to have my cell phone to take pictures of you lying on the floor with blood and guts all over your body, that was the one." 

"Both you and Janet had your cell phones with you. I knew you were up to something. I lifted them out of your pockets, and put them underneath your chairs." 

"Finch, instead of a hole saw, can we use a radial arm. It would be much quicker, if we started at his neck." 

"Monty, you promised me something would be permanently erect. If you start at his neck, you will break that promise." 

"Will you take Newton in exchange?" 

"No, Newton has his eye on someone else. If you notice, he stopped fooling around. Then he started bumping into her quite frequently. She's a little older than he is, but not by much." 

In chorus, the entire room asked, "Who?" 

"I don't tell about anyone else's love-life." 

Monty said, "Are you kidding, you are the ship's newspaper." 

"Okay, but you can't say anything to anyone. If you do, I will know who the traitors are." 

Monty said, "Come on dammit, out with it." 

Zoey whispered, "Newton has a thing for...elizabeth." 

"For who?" 

"Are you deaf; Elizabeth. He's even talked to his mother about it. Delicious fell on the floor, when she heard it." 

Teddy said to me, "Told you." 

"What did Gray say?" 

I think his exact words were, "And I thought courting your mother was hard." 

"Where do you get your information from?" 

"A little redhead told me. She does not lie." 

"You are very sneaky Zoey, very sneaky." 

"You would be too, if you lived with my mother." 

"Baby, it wasn't your mother's fault." 

"Do you have to rain on my parade all the time?" 

"I'm just making it clear that for 16 years the name Zoey, and the term 'BITCH' were interchangeable." 

"You're going to pay for that when we get upstairs." 

"Only one of us packed a paddle, and it wasn't you." 

"I wish I had taken wood shop, instead of Poetry." 

"It would've helped you more than that English class I was forced to sit through." 

"I smiled for the rest of the day after you tore my teacher to pieces." 

"As I recall, it wasn't the only reason you were smiling that day." 

"Pervert." 

"Positively, but I will remember that closet always. Then we got hurried out the school, because of your idiot principal. I had several places staked out for our little interludes between classes." 

"It was quick, but very satisfying." 

"Would you two go upstairs, and begin talking. I'm going to have to find Sandy, and rape her after listening to you two. She will love it." 

"Goodbye all, I have to tire out my husband for tomorrows operation." 

"It's only 1400 hours." 

"Believe me, she knows." 

"God it's good to be young." 

"Nurses, if you will assist Senior Captain Jamison by teaching her how to use her new crutches, and adjust to the feeling of her new knee braces for the next few hours, it will be very beneficial. It will be the beginning of her rehabilitation process, which she will go through, for 2 hours, every day, for the next six weeks." 

"Captain Jamison, you are off duty for the next two weeks." 

"Don't you dare tell me that; I will go stir crazy." 

"Captain, here are your pain pills. You will take one every four hours, or six times a day. Trust me when I tell you that you are going to need them. That boy stretched your hamstrings and ligaments far beyond their capabilities. Be thankful he didn't take you all the way to the ground. If he did, you would never walk again." 

"He could have done more damage than he did?" 

"He stopped putting pressure on your legs three quarters the way down. You are a very big woman, and he knew that. I guess he loves you too." 

"He has a heart as big as his father's. If you dare tell him that, I'll rip yours out of your chest." 

"Message received Captain. Nurses you may spread that statement all over the ship." 

"If you do, you are all going to be flat-chested." 

Hannah asked, "Doctor Finch, how many times is she allowed to fall?" 

"As many as necessary to bring her to heel." 

"Finch, you are a dead man." 

"Monty, the whole ship knows you are a pussycat, especially when it comes to Gordon. Now that he's beaten you publicly, you can't even threaten him anymore either. Steer the ship, keep the peace, and get us to where we're going. That's your job now." 

"Yes Doctor, I knew that immediately after Jennifer said the words 'Senior Captain Montgomery Jamison. I wasn't sure if I wanted to scream in victory, or hide in a corner. I've always wanted to be a leader, and now that I am, I am frightened to death." 

"There's nothing to be frightened about. Everyone on the bridge crew knows where we are supposed to go. All of you have to develop a plan of action, to find out exactly where we are, how we got here, and from here; how do we get there. The smartest people we have are on the bridge. Listen to their wisdom, and make the best choice. We will get to, whatever the name of that planet is, because Little Red said so. It's exactly what Even said about the White Hole. 'If we weren't supposed to go there, Teddy wouldn't be with us.' You can't get better advice than that." 

"Thanks Doc, I think I'll go to work now." 

"Hannah, baseball bat." 

"I was just kidding Doctor. I don't know if I can walk 2 feet yet. Go find Sandy, and make her happy. The nurses can take care of me." 

"Talk about excellent advice; I'll take yours Monty. Hannah, when she's finished, she goes straight to her room and make sure she takes a pain pill." 

"Naturally Joseph." 

"Did you hear her? She called me by my name. You will all get a raise if you agree with me. Raise your hand if you heard her call me Joseph." 

"We didn't hear her say a thing Doctor." 

"I swear you are all color blind." 

********* 

As soon as Doctor Finch left, Monty asked, "Didn't you say his name?" 

"It's a long story Monty, I'll tell it to you, while we walk. Shall we discuss your sex life while we're walking?" 

"How far out of your ass do you want your head sticking?" 

"It was just a thought. Elizabeth has someone with his eye on her, and I'm trying to open her eyes to the possibility. Certain older, eligible, male members of this crew have expressed an interest in the Senior Captain of this vessel. I was only investigating the possibility of a romantic entanglement." 

"Hannah go fuck your husband, and leave everyone else alone." 

"You just told Joe to go fuck Sandy. Why can't I tell you to go fuck Tom, Dick, or Harry?" 

"Who the hell are they?" 

"They are fictitious male names Monty. However, if you're interested I can set you up on a real date anytime you want." 

"I can't believe there's someone out there who would be interested in dating me." 

"Why, we all have our imperfections. None of us are perfect. You are a brilliant woman. You are the Senior Captain of this ship, and you are built like a brick wall. You can be guaranteed any man who wishes to date you will treat you with all the respect you would require." 

"I've intimidated every man that's came near me for 18 years. I learned, from the time I was a very young girl, I had to protect myself, because not even my father would protect me. 

I killed the bastard that did that to me, and no one could prove I did it. When my father looked me in the eye, he knew I did it. He also knew if he said one word he would be next. I don't know why I'm talking about it now, because I never told this story to anyone before. It could be that we are so far away from Earth, I don't believe any jury is ever going to hear me confess to that crime." 

Hannah put her arms around Monty, and asked, "How young were you when you were raped?" 

"I was nearly 12. My father was a Major, and his CO did it. He raped me in our home and my father watched it happen. I slit the bastard throat in his quarters, with a single edge razor blade, while he was preparing to do it to me again. 

I never let my father, or any man touch me after that day. I started training with the women after school. They didn't believe how seriously a 12-year old girl took self-defense classes. 

I bulked up, lifted weights, and ran until my legs would not move another step. I got good. I got very good. By the time I was 18, and was able to leave my parents, I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and I've done it ever since." 

Hannah said, "Ladies?" 

"We didn't hear a thing." 

"Your secret is safe with us Monty." 

"What secret?" 

"When would you like me to set up your first date?" 

"When I can touch my toes unaided." 

"When was the last time you could see your toes?" 

"Very funny, I see them every time I take a shower." 

"That's not what I meant." 

"I know what you meant, and I'm not going to answer you. I can see them from the side all the time. Does that help you?" 

"Why is it everyone else on this ship has lost weight except you. Have you been eating turkeys by the dozen?" 

"No, I've been eating what everyone else is eating." 

"Monty, guess who has a thyroid problem?" 

"I'll talk to you about my thyroid, when you have a plaque on the wall." 

"That will be coming much sooner than you think. The Doc has been testing me and I am doing very well. We are going slow, because we have to work all day, but I am going to make it. He knows it, but more importantly, I know it. 

Jack has been on a sex diet for nearly ten days, and he is getting grumpy. After listening to Zoey, I am going to give him a present tonight, instead of studying." 

"If things were reversed, so would Zoey." 

"That child's furnace is on full blast. Thank goodness Gordon is young, otherwise she would kill him." 

"She nearly did the week before he went into stasis." 

"Yes, I remember Laura had to put a stop to it, so she could get the correct readings on his vital signs. We have some very interesting interpersonal relationships going on in this craft of ours." 

"We certainly do. We've been in space nearly 15 months, and we've been through everything life normally throws a group of people like us. Births, love, hate, marriages, and death. We've had our dramas, and our laughs. Now, supposedly, we are trying to find our way to a new home. I guess we'll see what the future brings." 

"Only God knows Monty." 

"Yes, and she gives hints to Teddy." 

"You have to love that little redhead; she gets into more mischief than any child her age." 

"Have you noticed how clean the language is on our ship? There is no sailor talk anymore. Teddy is a one-person destroyer. If you say a bad word she is in your face. She tells you God is angry with you, and to pray for forgiveness. The little chapel Even designed, and helped build, has been very busy because of that little cherub." 

"On the bridge yesterday, Delicious and Gordon got into an argument. Apparently Gordon said something to her mother, and Delicious was about to explode into a rage. 

Teddy saw it coming, and she didn't want her mother to say any bad words. She jumped and landed on her toes. Delicious was in such pain she screamed, fell to the floor, and grabbed her feet. Teddy put her tiny hand over her mother's mouth, and ordered her not to say any bad words. She apologized for jumping on her feet, but it was the only way she could think of to distract her. That child is amazing." 

"Many of the children her age are emulating her behavior. It's a delight to see three-year-olds walking around, and acting like tiny adults on Earth." 

"Okay Monty, you have used your delaying tactics long enough. Get off your a-s-s, and onto your crutches. Your rehabilitation program has started." 

"I know this is going to hurt like F###!" 

"You see the results of the Teddy effect? It's not fun, or appropriate all the time." 

"Shut up and help me down." 

"Put all your weight on the crutches, not on your knees. 

Okay, you are vertical. Keep your feet flat on the floor, with your knees locked." 

"Why did I have to train that shrimp so well?" 

"Because you don't know any other way." 

"Move your crutches forward, and leaving your right leg locked, take a small step forward, flexing your knee, with your left until it is even with the crutch; then repeat it with your right leg. 

Very good, how did that feel?" 

"It felt good. There was very little pain." 

"No pain at all. It's probably the knee braces." 

"Put the crutches on the outside of your arms, and hold on to them as if they were canes. Then take steps one at a time, and see what happens." 

Monty reversed the crutches, and tested her leg strength. She felt very confident she could walk with either canes, or unassisted, because she did not felt pain on her first two attempts. She set herself up, told Hannah she was ready, and the nurses took their positions to catch her if she lost her balance. 

"Here goes nothing." 

That's exactly what went. Monty took six steps aided by the canes/crutches. She smiled because she still had no pain in her knees. She twisted her body to tell Hannah how good she felt, and fell like a stone. 

With eight faces looking down at her, Monty said, "Apparently, my knees are okay as long as I walk in a straight line. However, any attempt at turning is to be discouraged." 

Hannah asked, "What did you feel when you twisted your body?" 

"Nothing, my knees just collapsed. I didn't feel any pain, although that may come later as I put more stress on the hamstrings, and tendons. They just disappeared, and I went to the floor." 

"We are going to have to do a nerve study to see if there's any damage to them. You should have felt some discomfort or outright pain when you fell to the floor." 

"My ass hurts." 

"3 feet lower Monty. I will kick your ass, but I have to test your knees." 

"You need to get laid again Hannah. You're getting too serious." 

"Jack and I don't get off for another three hours. Then we have dinner, one hour of delightful conversation, six hours of sex, and then we go to sleep. Our lives are strictly regimented." 

"You had the nerve to talk about Zoey and Gordon, plus the goings-on with Newton and Elizabeth. How many of you young ladies have six hours of sex every evening?" 

************** 

"You will notice, Hannah, not one of your nurses has raised her hand. Do any of you young ladies consider yourself sexually deprived?" 

"Two nurses have raised their hands Hannah. I will wager they are married, and their husbands work different shifts than they do. Am I correct ladies?" 

"Yes." 

"Have your husbands asked to be reassigned so your hours coincide?" 

Joanne Cushing said, "My husband has been assigned the Junior Telemetry officer. Even though he has two PhD's, in Celestial Mechanics, the big names won't let him near the radar imaging readouts, or the infrared pictures taken by our telescopes. They stuck him in a meaningless job for a man of his qualifications. They laugh at him behind his back, because they have free access to everything, and they are keeping him in the dark about what they are seeing. 

They know I work from 0600 hours to 1400 hours. They purposely make him work from 1800 hours to 0400 hours. We never have a chance to see each other." 

"Why hasn't he complained about the situation?" 

"It's just not done in academia." 

"Where is your husband now?" 

"He's probably sleeping." 

"While I am comfortably laying on the floor, do you think you could call him and get him down here?" 

"I certainly can Senior Captain." 

As Joanne ran back to the infirmary Monty said, "I think this is going to be the first time I like that title. By the way, what's his first name?" 

"Harvey, Harvey Cushing, and he is a wonderful young man." 

"The way Even Luck went through the vetting process for everyone on board this vessel, I believe you could say that about everyone. I'm surprised there are scientists on board that think they are above everyone else. I will take care of them personally. Can I get up now?" 

Hannah asked, "I don't know, can you?" 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 07



"Very funny Hannah, how do I get up from here?" 

"By using your crutches, very carefully." 

"I can see you are going to be a bitch of a therapist." 

"I'm going to have to ask Teddy about that word." 

"Don't bother, I'll be doing a lot of praying, for I'm thinking." 

**************** 

"Senior Captain Montgomery Jamison, this is my husband, Harvey Cushing." 

"Hello Mister Cushing." 

"Hello Captain Jamison." 

"Mister Cushing from this moment on your assigned as a member of the Bridge Crew. Your hours are from 0600 hours to 1400 hours. We have a problem we want you to help us resolve. After we passed through the White Hole, we were thrown into an area of space we are unfamiliar with. We need your help to verify where we are and getting us to the planet called, 'Gliese 581G.' If possible, we would like to take a course that will give us as close an approach to Earth as possible, so we can launch our last rocket, and advise the people on the planet that we are still alive, and GL581G is where we are going, without taking us too far off course. Will you do that for us Mister Cushing?" 

"It will be my pleasure Senior Captain." 

"If you complete this task for me, with the greatest possible results, I will make you the new head of the science division." 

"You don't have to do that Captain. I will gladly do this work for you as a member of the crew." 

"I reward good work when I see it done for the good of this vessel. When I see work that is detrimental to this vessel, I will slap it down hard to get my message across, just as Doctor Luck slapped down his own son." 

"I understand Captain. Shall I report to the bridge now for the last few hours of the shift, or begin tomorrow morning?" 

"While I have been lying down on the job, I have learned several things, one of which is that you have been lax in your marital duties. Take your wife to bed, and start catching up. That is in order Mister Cushing." 

"I accept that order with the greatest of pleasure Captain." 

Joanne asked, "Hannah is it okay if I leave early?" 

"Harvey can't do what the Captain ordered, without you; go." 

"Thank you Hannah, thank you Captain. I'll race you Harvey." 

"It will be no contest Monty. She will be naked in the hallway as she gets to the room. He will be picking up her clothes on the way." 

"When did you say you could get me that date?" 

"I think I should get you walking first. Ladies, let's get her up." 

************************ 

29. The Infield Fly Rule 

As they sat in their box seats, behind home plate, Holden told William Jr, "If they knew what they were doing, when they built this cathedral to the circular ball, they could have added 1200 seats, and increased the distance down the left and right lines. They would have moved the Sun out of the men's eyes, who play on the grass. They could have protected the patrons from the elements also, while saving a ton of money at the same time." 

Richard added, "Their watering system is also inefficient. Using a clay underlayment, they could save 2300 gallons per day. They could move the water cannons in left and right field 35 feet closer together, and remove the cannon in the middle, because the green area is crowned. Who did they use to design and build this monstrosity; someone from the 18th century?" 

"Boys, we are here to watch a ballgame, not to dissect the deficiencies of the ballpark they're playing in. Is the ballpark aesthetically pleasing to your eyes?" 

Holden replied, "Not really, as you look around the open space everything looks nice. Then they put this box-like structure called a dugout that ruins everything. Instead of being flat, with sharp angles on all 4 sides, which could hurt either a participant or an observer, it should be spherical or tubular to make it more aesthetically pleasing, and more in tune with the rest of the structure." 

Richard said, "I agree wholeheartedly. Those angles will wind up killing someone chasing the spherical object. 

Also, there should be more protection, in the form of netting, made of our long line Carbon Fiber, as there is behind the, oddly shaped, white structure called, Home Plate. This would protect the people, sitting in rows 1 thru 78, to the left and right of the white lines. These are the seating areas that flying projectiles, such as errantly hit balls, and wood bats, accidentally, or purposely thrown by the person called the hitter, causes the most damage." 

Joe Oyster said, "I believe I'm going to enjoy this baseball game as much as I enjoyed nails being scraped along a blackboard." 

The 24 agents surrounding them, and the eight snipers attempting to keep cool on the overhang were having a hard time trying not to laugh. As the boys kept talking about the deficiencies of the Stadium, and the idiocy of the rules of the game, which they quoted verbatim, and then tore apart piece by piece, period by quotation mark. 

One of the snipers said into his microphone, "Please, Mister Zabo, can I off them? If they keep talking about baseball the way they are, I will never enjoy a game again." 

"Guys, I promise; if they keep this up through the third inning I'm going to stuff rags in their mouth, and we are leaving. Is that okay with everyone?" 

Suggestions arranged from the first out of the game, to the first pitch. William said, "Okay people, we will leave at the end of the second ending." 

Everyone knew his word was law, and they said, "Okay." 

After playing the national anthem, the nearly 11,000 people cheered as the home team, Jacksonville Suns took the field. They were in last place, with 19 wins and 28 losses. They were nine games behind Pensacola, and today they were playing the second place Mobile HoneyBears. Jacksonville was in last place for a good reason. Two of their best pitchers, and their best hitter had been called up to their major league team, the Miami Marlins, who were making a run at the major league playoffs. 

As everyone applauded, Richard said to Holden, "Jackson's (the pitcher) first pitch is going to be a slider, low and inside. 

Hudson (the batter) will not swing." 

William was watching what the boys were doing. Neither of them was looking at the game. They were looking at the statistical sheet he bought for them prior to the game. 

Jackson's second pitch will be another slider in the same place. 

Hudson will swing and hit a ground ball to the right side of the infield. It should be easily playable by the two men there. 

Everyone watched as Jackson threw his second pitch. Hudson swung at it and it was in on his fists. The bat broke, and the ball rolled slowly to the second baseman, threw it to the first baseman for the out." 

Oyster said, "William we could make a fortune with those two during the playoffs, and on the World Series." 

"Joe, we were here to make them relax. What are they doing?" 

"They're using their minds to compute the odds." 

"How are they doing so far?" 

"Richard has called every pitch correctly, and Holden is just sitting there, grinning like a Cheshire cat." 

"Why don't you ask Holden why he smiling?" 

"I'm afraid of his answer." 

"I'll tell you his answer. He already knows who's going to win, and by what score. He has tabulated everything in his mind, and unless the coach makes a major change in the lineup, it will happen the way he has seen it. Watch this." 

"Holden we have to leave, what's the final score going to be?" 

"The Suns are going to win 11 to 5." 

"Why are they going to win by that large a margin?" 

"The HoneyBears pitching is going to fall apart. They go through four pitchers before the end of the game." 

"How do you know that?" 

"The program said three of their infielders were sent down to a Single 'A' Baseball team, as well as one of their power hitters. 

The Suns get sloppy in the sixth inning, when the top of the order of the HoneyBears comes up. We make three errors in the outfield, and that's when they score four of their five runs." 

"Holden are you clairvoyant?" 

"Sometimes I see the future, but most of the time I see the past. I see the errors that were made in the past, and that helps me not to make those errors as we go forward. 

That's why Richard and I work so well together. He always sees forward, and very little of the past. When he hypnotizes someone, he also retains many of their memories. 

When I hypnotize someone, it has to be a scientist of some note. Otherwise I will overload their brain with too much information. It's a gift both of us have to be very careful with, and we rarely tell anyone we can do it." 

"Thank you for telling me, I'm beginning to understand you more now. Have you noticed the change in your language in the last few days?" 

"Yes I have, and it's a constant battle for me. However, every time I say something wrong, he hits me. He doesn't hit me hard, it's like a love tap. It's just a reminder that I said something wrong, and I'm learning from it." 

"Is Richard learning from it also?" 

"Yes he is. I haven't heard him say anything off color since we left Kennedy. We will learn Mister Zabo, and it won't take us long." 

"Excellent, because my palm hurts from hitting you." 

"My head hurts from you hitting me, so we are even. It's the top of the second inning. The HoneyBears go down in order. Jacksonville scores two runs, on a single and a home run to right field. Can we leave now?" 

"Holden, you could take the fun out of looking at a gorgeous, naked 21-year old female." 

"What's so much fun about that Mister Zabo?" 

"Ask Patrick when he turns 16 or so. Maybe he will be able to tell you. Your dad didn't find out until he was in his 30s, when he finally found your mother, fell in love and married her. 

You have excellent role models here on Earth. Rod and Roselyn are very much in love. They will impart that love to you. It's not something you can calculate. It's not something you can make odds on. Love is something that grabs your heart, and your mind. It doesn't let you go, regardless of how hard you try. 

I'm sure you've heard how I met Gwen. It wasn't the most romantic meeting ever. It was probably the most comedic meeting. I fell on her, and wound up laying on top of her. It was not very gentlemanly of me, especially since I did not get off her.  

She looked up at me and said, "I don't kiss on the first date, and I definitely don't fuck." 

"Mister Zabo, you said a bad word. Can I hit you?" 

"No, because I was quoting someone else. I didn't say it." 

"I'm going to have to have my hearing checked. It sure sounded like you said it." 

"My point simply is when Gwen and I met there was no reason to believe we would fall in love. However, we did and we are expecting our first child. I miss her very much, but I have obligations because of the building of our spacecraft. As soon as I get you two safely back to Charleston, I'm on an aircraft on my way to New York, and my wife." 

"Who takes over when you're not here?" 

"He is there waiting for you. His name is Colonel Lucius Canyon. You will address him at all times as Colonel Canyon, just as you refer to me as Mister Zabo." 

"Yes Mister Zabo." 

"Colonel Canyon and the members of his staff will begin training you in the art of self-defense. You will work on the spacecraft until 5 PM, eat your dinner, and then begin your lesson. These men are soldiers. They have been in battle many times. When they tell you to do something, don't hesitate, do it. It may sound unreasonable. It may sound harmful to your body. Regardless of what you think, do as you are told." 

"Yes Mister Zabo." 

"Let's leave this place, it's been a total waste of money and time." 

"If we buy this team, we could make the changes I recommended, and we could make money." 

"Yes we could, but I wouldn't have any fun doing it. If I'm not going to have any fun, why do it?" 

"I understand that Mister Zabo. That's why I work so hard on the Good Luck 2." 

William's phone rang in a special code. 

"Good afternoon dad, how are you feeling?" 

"Your mother's breasts feel just wonderful William, but that's not why I'm calling. Patrick's 747 is out the paint shop, and going through its preliminary testing phase. She asked if we have pilots ready to fly it? I told her yes. Did I lie to her?" 

"In seven days, we will have more applicants than you know what to do with dad." 

"Is this going to be like our international detective service?" 

"No dad, this will be for real." 

"Okay, remember you are entrusting your brother with them." 

"That will be my first priority." 

"I will see you in a few days' son." 

"I can't wait to see you, but I'm more interested in seeing my wife." 

"Goodbye son." 

"Goodbye dad." 

"What was that all about William?" 

"Your airplane is being tested." 

"I can't wait to fly it." 

"Little brother, that is not going to happen. You can read all the books, you can know all the controls, you can even know how to fly that aircraft upside down, but you're not going to fly that airplane. That is an edict from our father." 

"Sometimes our dad is no fun at all." 

"Just remember, you have to play him a game of chess when you get home. Somehow I have a feeling you're going to have your ass handed to you." 

"There, you said that word again. This time you said it, and you weren't quoting anyone. Can I hit you in this time?" 

"Go ahead Holden, get it out of your system." 

Due to the seating arrangements in the SUV, Holden had to climb over his seat to get to where William was sitting. Once he got there he realized he would have to hit William with his left hand. 

"Can I save this for later, I can't get in the right position to hit you." 

"It's now or never Holden." 

"Dammit, lean forward." 

"Do you realize what you just did?" 

"That's not a bad word. You can say it when you make a mistake." 

"Yes you can, and you just made one." 

"Can we call it even?" 

"Okay, I'll let you off this time." 

"Sometimes life isn't fair." 

"You are beginning to understand what life is all about." 

On the way to the Jacksonville airport, on Interstate 95, two black SUVs bracketed the vehicle William and the three boys were riding in. Simultaneously the windows in both cars opened, and high powered machine guns began to fire. 

William screamed, "Boys get down." 

The three of them did as they were told. They were on the floor of the SUV, with William laying on top of them as a shield in milliseconds. 

Their driver hit the brakes and turned to hit the SUV on his right, driving it into the barrier. The two cars in front of them braked. The lead car blocked the lane while the second car popped open its roof and opened fire with armor piercing rounds at the car in the third lane. 

The 2 of the 3 following protection group opened fire on the SUV that attacked the Primary. They showed no mercy as they poured their armor piercing rounds into the vehicle. The attack and the response to it, lasted only seconds. 

Traffic on Interstate 95 ground to a halt, as the men and women from the protection group got out of their cars and formed a protective shield around the primary vehicle. 

Within moments, 2 police helicopters were circling overhead, and police vehicles were screaming southbound on the northbound lanes of the highway. 

Police do what they always do when they arrive at a crime scene. They yell out those famous words, "PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN." 

They received the following reply. "GO FUCK YOURSELF." 

Tom shouldered his weapon. He walked towards the lead police car taking out his credentials and holding them out for the police to see. He stopped 15 feet short of his goal. 

"Who's in charge here?" 

A sergeant said, "I am. What the fuck happened here?" 

"Why don't you take half a dozen of your best men with you, and take a look. No harm will come to you or your men. Oh, you better put out an announcement this road is going to be closed for about six hours. The coroner is going to have a field day." 

"Do you realize what this is going to do to rush hour?" 

"We didn't start this; we were on our way to the airport when it happened." 

"Give me the short version." 

"Two SUVs bracketed our PRIMARY and opened fire on it. The primary took out the SUV on his right and was helped by two of our rear SUVs. Two of our front SUV's and one of our rear SUV's took out their vehicle on the left. It was a suicide mission pure and simple. 

From the look of the primary car, they did not use armor piercing rounds, but they had to know that car was armored. When we went after them, we used our armor piercing rounds, and it went through their SUVs like cheesecake. Two vehicles going against an armor plated car, using a high-powered machine-gun, expecting a quick kill. They knew they were dead men before they started the mission. Either these men were stupid, or they were very sick and were going to die soon anyhow." 

"Who the hell is in the primary vehicle?" 

"William Zabo Junior, Patrick Zabo, the new administrator of NASA, Holden Luck, Richard Luck and their driver, Hernando Valesquez. Hernando did one hell of a job as soon as the attack started. He took both Op-Force SUV's out of play instantly. That man is getting a raise." 

"99% of the time sheer boredom, 1% absolute terror. That's what we get paid for, that 1%." 

"That's what we train for every day. Unfortunately, you guys can't do it. You have other work to do, we don't. We trained to protect the people in the Primary Vehicle, and others like them. Do you want to take a guess at how many men we have protecting that car and others of their rank?" 

"From what I can see you have almost 24 here today." 

"There are another 10 you can't see. They are interspersed among the crowded cars looking for someone that doesn't look right. Someone close, with a bomb that could ruin our day. Trust me, no one will start moving, until you guys say so. By that time, we will be long gone." 

"You can't leave. You all have to be deposed, and statements have to be taken." 

"Are you a betting man sergeant?" 

"I have been known to drop a dollar or two." 

"I will bet you one dollar all 39 of us are out of here in less than two hours. Your Governor will call your Mayor. Your Mayor will call your Chief of Police, and orders will come down the line for us to leave. Notarized statements will be returned to you by the day after tomorrow. If you have any other questions, we will do them by videoconference. My team and I have nothing to hide. Mister William Zabo Junior will testify that we were attacked, because he was in the primary car with the three boys. No one in this country from the President down, will argue about that man's veracity." 

"I know the name Zabo, but I can't place it." 

"Do you remember the spacecraft that took off a year ago December?" 

"Oh yes, now I remember. He was the older gentleman, and 2 of his sons are in that car?" 

"Two of his sons, and two of the primary scientists who are building the Good Luck 2. They are Even Luck's son's." 

"How did the perps know they were in that car? All your vehicles look exactly the same." 

"We just left the ballpark watching the Sun's play. They may have watched us line up as we left the parking lot. It's only a short run from the ballpark to the airport, so we didn't play the games we normally do, when we are on the road. I can guarantee you that's going to change." 

*************** 

"What did you find guys?" 

"Each car had a driver, and two shooters, Sarge. The driver on the right caught three in the chest, and I don't think they'll find a heart or the left lung inside him. 

The front seat shooter had a short-barrel automatic rifle. His magazine was half full when he bought the farm. He caught so many rounds in his chest and stomach, he has no back. 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 07



The backseat guy had a 50 caliber machine gun, with about 2500 rounds of ammunition on an automatic feeder. That guy was loaded for bear. They had the 50 set up on a platform to help stabilize it. It was a pretty nice set up, and it's still there. Problem was, the shooter caught an armor piercing round in his nose. It blew off the back of his head. His brains are scattered all over the left window. The 50's shooter only got 700 rounds off before he caught it. Whoever did it, made a really fantastic shot." 

"Tony, why do you get such pleasure, while making me want to vomit. You talk about these crime scenes with such delight. Sometimes I worry about you." 

"You don't have to worry about me sarge. I take such delight in reporting these gruesome events, because these dead bastards are criminals, and they are off the streets permanently. We don't have to go through the court system, which takes years and hundreds of thousands of our citizens' money. Then there's the appeals that caused millions of dollars. Then they get a life sentence, and we have to feed them, give them medical care for the rest of their lives, house them, give them sports equipment, reading facilities, and let them file their own appeals. I look at these guys and I say, "I'm so happy you're dead. You're not going to cost us a penny, ever again." 

"I'll let Reese tell me about the other car. He tries not to ruin my day." 

"Tom, I'd like to introduce you to your next Chief of Police." 

"It's not going to happen, he's too honest, and honest people never win." 

"Sarge the people in the cars and trucks up front are really edgy. They look at these guys in military dress, and their guns pointing at them, and they're having bowel problems. Can they at least point their guns towards the ground, and have our guys come over to calm them down?" 

"I have no problem with that. I'll move my people within 20 feet of the Primary, and you can take control of the rest of the area." 

"X-ray, Tango, and Alpha, 20 horse." 

"Roger that..., ..." 

**************************** 

"How do you guys feel?" 

Richard asked, "In our training, are they going to teach us how to shoot guns?" 

"Honestly Richard, I never asked. I will do that on the airplane, and I will let you know. That was a very good question, thank you for asking it." 

"What are you worrying about Rich? We know the formula for Freolyte. If anyone pisses us off enough, we will make a few hundred ping-pong balls, put them on top of dead battery cells, attach it to a few timers, and send it to him by Federal Express overnight delivery. When he opens it in the morning, not only he, but his home and his entire estate will be missing." 

"What the hell is Freolyte?" 

"I'm sorry William we can tell you. It's above top secret. Even my dad didn't know we knew about it." 

"Remember, you two, there is one thing I can always hold over your head to make you tell me something important. Don't make me do it all the time. Don't make me send you to Costa Rica for something that is important. What is Freolyte?" 

"Freolyte is a chemical agent when exposed to a combination of negative ions and positive ions in the correct proportions is 10,000 times more powerful than nitroglycerin." 

"You're out of your mind." 

"Our dad worked on it for four years for the US government and it never worked. Many other laboratories in the United States did also, with the same result. Our sister, Delicious, worked on it in my father's basement laboratory for five hours, without using the computer, and she came up with the answer. My father didn't believe her. 

He put it into Sequoia, which was the fastest computer at the time. Delicious program worked. He tried it again because he didn't believe it. It worked again. 

The government impounded my sisters work, after giving her a very substantial amount of money. My father never told her about it, because she was still grieving over the loss of her entire family." 

"How did you come upon the formula if the government impounded it?" 

"Our dad is very sneaky. He showed the government agents he deleted the primary program, the secondary, and tertiary programs. Finally, he showed them that he was deleting the backdoor program. What they didn't know was that while the backdoor program was being deleted, it was uploading the program into the primary position. As I said, my dad was very sneaky, and that's where I found it." 

"Your father was quite a man." 

"So is yours. Without your father, Good Luck 1 would never have gotten off the ground." 

"Your father told me that many times. He loved my dad like a brother. He even told Gwen and I that we were going to have twins, while we were at your home in Idaho Springs." 

"Dad told everyone something different at the same time. He must be very happy to be with his sister. He longed for that day for many years." 

"I wonder if we can get out of the car to stretch our legs?" 

Hernando gave them the answer very quickly. 

"Mister Zabo have I gotten out of this vehicle?" 

"No Hernando, you haven't." 

"Is this vehicle's engine running and the air conditioner keeping us cool?" 

"Yes it is." 

"Mister Zabo, with due respect, you and the children are going nowhere, unless Tom gives us the go-ahead. You can call and ask him, but in this situation, the answer will be no." 

************ 

"Hi Tom, can we get out of the car and stretch our legs?" 

"Are you out of your fucking mind. We have roof tops right and left. It wouldn't take anyone with any marksmanship medal to take you out. We will be leaving in about an hour. Have a drink, or go to sleep; I'm taking care of things out here." 

"You are wrong Hernando; we are getting out of the car; 'when we get to the airport." 

"I hate to tell you I told you so." 

"I better call my father before sees us on television." 

*************** 

"Hello dad it's me again." 

"You took your damn time about calling. You are all over the news. I've seen close-ups of everyone thanks to the news cameras, and the only thing I don't have is the name of the principles in the car they were protecting. Damn, our boys are good." 

"They reacted perfectly dad. It was over in seconds. The boys; I couldn't be prouder of them. They didn't panic, they did what they were supposed to do, and it went off like clockwork. 

I'll have to wait until Tom debriefs me to find out what went on outside, but Hernando took out one of the OpForce's cars, before he could do any damage to us. The other vehicle was shot to pieces from the front and rear, by our convoy. Those poor bastards didn't stand a chance." 

"I like it that way William. I've already put out some calls to get you out of there quickly. I also have some calls out to find out who might have set this up. I'll know in a week or so if there are any clues to be had." 

"Protect the rear entry to our home dad. Add more protection from the two houses I own. I don't want anyone sneaking up on you because no one lives there yet. I believe this is the beginning. I don't believe they were after Patrick or me. I believe they were after Holden and Richard. It would have been the end of the Good Luck 2, because the plans are not completed. Those two are the future of our program, and space tourism. Together, we can make space tourism affordable for over a quarter of the people on this planet. Our competitors are so far behind the curve; they don't want that to happen. Today they've shown the lengths they will go to prevent it." 

"Okay William, I want everyone back in their proper place as soon as possible. I want the boys in Charleston and you here with your entire support team. As soon as the attack on your convoy was reported, all field agencies went on full alert." 

"Okay, as soon as we get out of this traffic mess, were on our way to the airport. I'll call you when we're in the air." 

"Don't bother, I'll know as soon as your wheels leave the ground." 

"Okay dad, as soon as the boys are in the Colonel's hands, the plane will head back to New York. I won't call you, because you'll know when the wheels leave the ground." 

"You're getting smarter as you get older William." 

"Goodbye dad." 

************** 

When they reached the airport, the primary car stopped at the foot of the stairway. The other cars stopped and disgorged all the armed agents except their drivers. 

The agents formed a circle around the primary vehicle and the Boeing 737, while the cars were driven to a C-130 Hercules, parked a short distance away. They were directed up the ramp and into the belly of the beast. They parked, side by side. As the drivers got out, the cars were tied down by the aircraft's maintenance crew. 

As soon as the fifth car departed, William and the boys were hustled in to the 737, which started the right engine. The primaries car was rushed to the Hercules, and squeezed into place next to the fifth. As soon as the driver jumped off the ramp, it started to close. The Hercules began taxiing towards the runway, took off, and headed for Charleston, S.C. 

From the right side of the 737, the security agents started moving towards the stairwell and into the aircraft. The ramp agents were there, with a tow truck attached to the temporary stairs, ready to take it away, as soon as the last man entered the aircraft. The last man was Tom. 

He signaled the truck to move using his automatic weapon. The ramp agents did not hesitate. Before the front door was fully closed the aircraft was on the move. 

Dycke Schneider's peacetime commercial fleet was now a fully engaged Air Force. 

***************** 

"I don't want you to lie to me. How are the three of you doing. This is not something any normal child goes through. This is not something any adult normally goes through. Tell me what you're thinking about, and don't be afraid of what you're feeling." 

Patrick went first. 

"This is the reason dad sent me to China to be with you. He wanted to keep me safe. He knew if we were together in a country that controlled nearly everything, no one would dare try to harm us. Now we're back on our own country, for less than two years, and people are shooting at us with intent to kill. What the hell are they so afraid of? Competition is what made this country great. You invent something, I invent something better. You go back to the drawing board and invent something better than I invented. It's worked that way since the Industrial Revolution began. 

Are Richard and Holden so far advanced in their work that no one will ever outdo them? As far as I'm concerned, they can go straight to hell. I'm not stopping what I'm going to do at NASA. I'm going to tear that place a new asshole, and bring them up to date. Yes, I'm afraid of being shot and killed, but there will be a public outcry against these people. I guarantee you that if they don't kill you, dad, and everyone invested in our program, they will be found out, and brought to trial. They will be sent to jail for the rest of their lives, and if they don't kill the Colonel, mom, or Gwen, their lives will be very short." 

"Pat don't ever say that out loud again; okay?" 

"Okay." 

"How are you doing Richard?" 

"I'm not really sure Mister Zabo. When I heard the sound of gunfire, and the bullets hitting our car, I did the most stupid thing ever. I raised my head to see what was happening. Then you yelled, "Boys get down," and I did. Initially I did not put one and one together and come up with two, which meant I was in danger. It wasn't until I was on the floor that I realized what was happening. Then I felt Patrick on top of me, then Holden, and then you trying to protect all of us. It was very kind of you by the way. My stomach is a little upset at this moment, but on the whole I feel fine. I don't know what I'll be like tomorrow after I hash all this stuff out overnight. However, you have to remember, we didn't see anything. Our agents made sure of that. We didn't see dead bodies, or pieces of them strewn all over the highway. So all we actually were involved in was a car crash. It was a dress rehearsal of what we are supposed to do in case we get attacked, and I failed." 

"I wouldn't fail you Richard, not by a longshot. I think you did extremely well." 

"Tell me about the sum of all your fears Holden." 

"You don't have to quote a book title to me Mister Zabo." 

"The book was written 20 years before your birth. I didn't realize you would know I plagiarized those words." 

"Our dad had a library, and apparently Mister Clancy was one of the writers he fancied." 

"You may continue." 

"I'm never leaving the building site again. I'm not going home, I'm not going to church, I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying at the building site. I will abide by your wishes not to work past 5 p.m., but today put the fear of God into me. I don't want to join my dad. It is too soon, and I am not ready to die. I want to finish my work. It is the most important thing in my life. I don't care about baseball or anything else. I care about the Good Luck 2. If I can finish her, the people who come after me can follow her design and make her bigger, better, and faster. She is the first one in her class. 

My dad's, Good Luck 1, was the experimental model, and it worked. He allowed Richard and me to stay here, because he knew we would be able to build the next model. We already had the engineering section completed before he left, thanks to Gordon and Newton's help with the interior walls. Everything else is Richard's genius, and my work. Until we complete her, and get her into the air, these people will constantly try to kill us. We have seven years of building remaining. I would like to cut that down to five, if at all possible, without jeopardizing quality. From this point on, there is a hiring freeze. We can't trust anyone coming in from the outside any longer." 

"You can't have it both ways Holden. You can't ask the men and women we have working now to increase output and get the spacecraft done in five years. We have the quality controls in place to make sure everything is done properly. We can add another layer of security to make sure no one brings anything onto the building site. We can issue color coded garments, with no pockets, so they can't hide anything in them. It also shows what areas they belong in. The supervisors constantly check the work that is being done. The area boss goes over everything that was completed at the end of the week." 

"Didn't my dad have the same set up?" 

"Yes, everything but the colored garments." 

"How did my brother get turkeys on board?" 

"How do you know he did?" 

"We helped him. No one searched us when we went on board. We carried the eggs." 

"You no good... Monty probably laid an egg when those turkeys hatched." 

"Yes, but all in good fun." 

***************** 

"Please buckle your seat belts and prepare for landing." 

************** 

"50 minutes goes fast when you're having fun." 

"We talked about a lot of things in 50 minutes. I think we got a lot done. You boys are very strong, and I'm proud of each one of you. Holden, I will talk with Colonel Canyon about your request to stay at the building site. You are his responsibility, and he is responsible to my father. If he does not believe it safe for you to remain there 24 hours a day, your request will be denied. If he believes it can be accommodated, then you become his property, and you will do exactly what he, or what his representative tells you to do instantly." 

"I understand Mister Zabo." 

****************** 

Following protocol, half the agents went out first to set up a perimeter, which in this case was not necessary, because Colonel Lucius C. Canyon and his entire staff had already set it up. 

When William finally exited the aircraft, he smiled and walked into the Colonel's arms. 

"Hello Lucius, when are you going to start aging?" 

"Hopefully, the day after I die William. Marriage certainly does agree with you. You put on weight, and you have smile lines around your eyes." 

"Those are not smile lines. Those are worry lines. I haven't put on weight, it's my bulletproof vest. You know what happened this afternoon in Jacksonville. Now we are preparing for visitors in New York. I've got to get back to my dad, and head up the visitor's committee. As I said things are heating up." 

"We watched your little escapade in Jacksonville on television. Your people are damn good. They handle that situation with precision. We timed it. It was over in 17 seconds. From the time we calculated the first bullets were fired at your Primary vehicle, until the time your men exited their vehicles 17 seconds had elapsed. That is miraculous time." 

"Tom, you've met Colonel Canyon before, haven't you?" 

"No Colonel, I haven't had the pleasure." 

"I was just telling William that we timed your action, from start to finish. It took your team 17 seconds to terminate the opposition. Your people did one hell of a job. Congratulations." 

"That's what we train for every day Colonel. Protecting the Primary vehicle is our mission. When we get back to base, we have to find out where we made our mistake. How did they know our Primary was in that particular car? Where were we spotted? Why didn't we pick it up? There are going to be dozens of questions, and we have to find those answers. We don't want that to happen again." 

"Can I and a few of my men sit in on your debrief?" 

"Certainly sir, it would be my honor." 

"Lucius, I have two questions for you from the boys. While you are training them, Richard wants to know if you are going to teach them to shoot." 

"Yes, lightweight 32 caliber pistols." 

"Due to today's events, Holden does not wish to leave the building site. He doesn't want to go home, or anywhere else. He wishes to stay here permanently under your guidance. He has agreed to work only until 5 p.m. and follow the rest of the protocol as I dictated it to him. The decision is up to you." 

"Wonderful, I accept, and I have the perfect body man for him." 

"Sergeant... 

"Right behind you, sir." 

"Zachary, I've let you live too long." 

"Possibly, but I have made your life more interesting." 

"I have a present for you." 

"Yes sir I know. A 10-year-old genius who is building our spacecraft. I get to be with him 24 hours a day. Are you trying to tell me something Colonel?" 

"No Zachary, I'm not trying to tell you something. I am telling you something." 

"We will report to you on our progress every day sir." 

"That will not be necessary, once a year will be fine." 

"That would be neglectful of my duties sir. You must remember that the President has declared Holden and Richard Luck 'National Treasures.' Therefore, it is my duty to keep you apprised of his progress." 

William asked, "When did the President declare them National Treasures?" 

"It was in the paper about 5 days ago, when he announced that Patrick was his choice to lead NASA. It was probably buried under the Congressional laughter of a 16-year-old boy taking over NASA, while it is building the largest rocket in history."  

"Does Rod Laver know this?" 

"I don't know the man, sir." 

"Please give me one moment, I have to make a phone call." 

************* 

"Rod, William Zabo, did you know the boys have been declared National Treasures?" 

"Identify." 

"Fuck off and answer the question." 

"No I did not know. When did it happen?" 

"Less than a week ago, according to one of the Colonel's men. Does that help us out?" 

"Does an angel sent by God, help put Satan back into hell? It sure does help us. How are the boys? I've watched that incident on television 7 times already. It looked gruesome." 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 07



"Rod, our 3 boys are amazing; they are just amazing. Holden is staying at the building site from now on. The Colonel will be responsible for his well-being. He said, and I quote, 'I don't want to join my dad so soon.' He was frightened by today's events, as was I. I can't blame him. He wants to be able to finish the spacecraft before anything happens to him. That is his goal in life, and he sounds exactly as determined as his father to complete the 'Good Luck 2.' 

I know Rosalynn may put up an argument against this, and she is his legal guardian. Tell her to visit him at the site, instead of making him come home. If he leaves the building site, he may crack under the strain." 

"Should we have him see a psychiatrist?" 

"I think that would be the worst thing to do to him. He's not crazy, he's worried about another attack on his person. The best place for him to be is at the building site. He helped design the barrier defenses. He knows what it would take to get through them. Let him stay where he feels the safest, and let him work. As long as his mind is busy, he will be fine." 

"Okay William, I'll tell my Rosalynn about it, while we are in bed. It will make her more amenable to the situation, and she won't kill me, at least until we have finished." 

"You sound like my father and mother." 

"It's not a terrible way to live, as long as you survive, and have a smile on your face when you die." 

"You are a throwback to the 1970's Rod. You would have fit right in, with all the sex and free love back then." 

"I didn't need all those women. I married Rosalynn, and she was better than all of them combined." 

"I have to finish briefing the Colonel. I'll call you while I'm on my way to New York. If Rosalynn answers the phone, instead of you, I'll send flowers." 

"It's a very nice thought on your part William, but I've never lost a case yet. I don't intend to lose one to my wife." 

"How many female judges did you say you went up against?" 

"Thank you William; that's one more thing I had to start thinking about now." 

"Don't tell me you know who your trial judge is going to be?" 

"We received a certified letter yesterday informing us that the Supreme Court of Texas has decided our case needs one of the most experienced judges in Texas on the bench for this trial. Therefore, the most honorable justice Maureen C. Culpepper has been assigned to our case. Do you know what the letter 'C' stands for in her middle name?" 

"I don't even know who the lady is." 

"The letter 'C' stands for Cunt! Vincent and I have been reading every one of her cases, since we got the news that she is our judge. Out of almost 11,000 cases she has ruled on, she has only found for the plaintiff 722 times. 

Vincent believes they want us to try to get her off the bench for our case. They want us to start a legal war against her, which ultimately we will lose. We will go into court with egg on our faces, and a judge that will be super angry with us. 

He wants us to play it the other way. When the media hears about her appointment to our trial, they're going to be all over us. 

Instead of blasting her record, we will say how honored we are to have such an experienced jurist hearing such a complex case. This is not a simple case of an employee being terminated illegally, but what she found during her days of employment that led Multitronix Corporation to fire her, instead of the 4 white men who were junior to her. 

Elizabeth Luxor was the Senior Budget Analyst for Multitronix Corporation, and we will show, during the trial, what she found while she was working there. We can't speak to it now, but we will during the trial. Thank you." 

"You don't have to convince me Vincent, you have to convince the press, the jury, and the judge. Good luck." 

"I don't want to talk anymore over the phone, but we have a very good shot at winning." 

"I know you do. You and Vincent have never lost a case, and my dad bet me $1 dollar you wouldn't lose this one. I wanted to bet him $1 dollar you wouldn't lose, but he beat me to the punch." 

"It's good to know Vincent and I have friends in high places. Goodbye William." 

"You two have to stay safe Rod, that's not a request, that's an order." 

"We shall obey." 

***************************** 

"Who was that Rod?" 

"It was William Zabo, ordering us to stay safe. Richard and Holden Luck have been declared National Treasures by the President. Do you realize what that means for us?" 

"You bet your ass I do. The opposition has no idea we are going to turn the boys loose on their books. Once we call them to the stand, their lawyers are going to laugh through both sides of their mouths, looking at two rocket geeks, 10 and 13 years old, testifying at a complex, multi-billion-dollar civil trial, where a lot of high powered people are going to eventually find themselves behind bars, or deceased. 

We don't have to inform Multitronix or any of the other corporations, who are drawn into this trial, until 3 days before it they testify. They will laugh at us for bringing in 2 scientists, into a trial concerning fraud, legal misconduct, illegal termination, and 38 other charges that we've already uncovered. 

The fact that they are laughing at us for seeking $600 million in reparations, and triple damages, will stop immediately, as the boys' start reeling off numbers from memory. They will be looking up pages of notes, and the boys will tell them what page the numbers are on. The jury will be laughing at them, and the judge will have a hard time keeping them under control. The boys will be our final witnesses, as well as our rebuttal witnesses. Multitronix will not have a chance, as long as we can keep those boys' safe." 

"Vincent, you are absolutely brilliant. I just thought of a way to keep the boys safer than in their mother's womb." 

"Are you going to tell me how we are going to do it?" 

"Absolutely..." 

"You evil bastard you. I love it." 

30. You Forgot! 

"Okay dad, as I promised I've set up the board on your side of the new lounger. I placed a light in an area so there is no shadow over the board, and I have placed white on your side, so you may begin the game. I hope you last longer than the President did." 

"Patrick, you are now the administrator of NASA. I am going to break a precedent. Go to your wallet and bring me a $1 bill. I am going to add it to the $1 bills I have received from every President since Johnson." 

"William, you know what to do." 

"Dad, I've been looking forward to this match for more than a month. Please take him apart; he is too smug for his own good." 

"Thank you William, it's been a long while since I've played. I still have the talent to beat him." 

"No you don't dad. I'm going to prove it to you during the next hour." 

"Good luck Patrick." 

"Get your crying towel out dad." 

"I see what you mean about him being too smug. I think I'll give him an attitude adjustment." 

"It will be a pleasure to see dad." 

"In your dreams dad. Brian Jones is a three-time master. I'm going to be using his defense against your opening. It's called, 'Full Metal Jacket.' What's the name of your offensive game dad?" 

"I Forgot." 

"You forgot? Open dad, you are in trouble already. If you can't remember the name of your game, how can you possibly play it?" 

Junior sat down, out of harm's way. Gwen leaned on his back, with her arms around his neck, nibbling on his ear, and watching the match. 

Then it started: 

William: Queen's pawn Queen 4. Patrick: King's pawn to King 4. 

"You've already lost dad. I am just toying with you." 

William: Queen pawn x Kg pawn. Patrick: Kings knight to rook 3. 

"You are walking straight into my trap dad; be careful." 

William: Qn. Bishop's pawn Queen Bishop 3. Patrick: King's knight King's night 5. 

"Oh dad, a wasted move. Can't you try a little harder, please?" 

William: Queen to Queen 4 Patrick: Queen to Kings Rook 4 

"I've got you dad, and there's no way you can get out of it. I'm getting my $1 dollar back in 7 moves." 

"Yes Patrick, it looks like the game is going to be over soon." 

William: Queen to King Bishop 3. Patrick: Queen to King 2. 

William: King's pawn Kings pawn 3. Patrick: Kings Rook pawn to Kings Rook 4. 

William: Queen takes Queen's Knight. Patrick: You bastard, how did you do 

"Are you conceding my son?" that? You are about to wipe out the right side of my board, and there's nothing I can do about it." 

William Jr. was trying his best not to laugh, but it was impossible. Even though Gwen was smacking him on his back, he couldn't stop. He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. 

"My dad beat him in 6 moves. Isn't that the greatest thing you've ever heard of in your entire life?" 

"No, I think your proposal was. Your dad beating him in 6 moves comes in 2nd. Why can't you beat him?" 

"He's better than I am. It's as simple as that. Where did you learn to play that way dad?" 

"If my youngest son bothered to look at chess masters in the 60s and 70s, he would have found an Italian Chess Master 4 times with my name attached to it." 

Patrick yelled at the top of his lungs. "You cheated me. You never told me you were master." 

"Did he ever ask me that question William?" 

"No dad, he never did. All I heard from him was how good he was, and how badly he was going to beat you. I think you put him in this place today." 

Patrick asked, "What was the name of the game you played?" 

"I told you the name of the game I played when you asked me." 

"No you didn't, all you said was 'I forgot." 

"That's the name of the game Patrick. Circa 1700, the name of the game is, 'I Forgot.' Look it up on your computer, you will find it. If you look up my name, you will see I played that game extensively, and beat several players during tournaments using it. They didn't know how to defend against it, just as you didn't know how to do it. You fell into every trap everyone else did. You had no idea what I was doing, so you had to retreat with your Queen. You just lost your first night. Now you are about to lose your 2nd knight, then your Rook, and finally your Bishop. Then I will take 5 of your pawns, before you can stop me. During that time, I will lose a Bishop. 5 moves later, I will have two Queens. You would lose your Queen, and I would lose one of mine, but the game is over. Most players conceded when you did." 

"Were you living here at the time?" 

"No, I was still very young, and I was living in Italy at home with my parents. I stopped playing, when it stopped being fun. I put my math skills to other uses. Everything in this world now is math, technology, engineering, and science. If you're not in those areas, or invested in those areas, you are way behind the times. If you're only invested in land, or precious metals, you're going to lose. They keep saying there is only a certain amount of land, and I agree. You should have some in your portfolio, but the question is where. Russia is out of the question, so is China. They won't turn around for 200 or 300 years. Poland is a good bet, so is Romania. Stable governments, good natural resources, and stable low prices. Precious metals are a problem because of the countries they come from. Sooner or later the western countries are going to embargo gold, platinum, titanium, and the rest of the precious, or semi-precious metals that are mined under these autocratic governments, under slave like conditions, just as they did blood diamonds. Ten people die for every ounce of gold from the ground. The men work in temperatures of over one-hundred degrees, and are given water to drink that we would not give our animals. It's all in the name of profit, and I got out of those area twenty-seven years ago, when a friend took me on a tour of one of his facilities, in the Ivory Coast. After that trip we were no longer friends. 

As far as land goes, the Nordic areas and Switzerland are too expensive, because of their governments. Birth to death insurance is a wonderful idea. 3 months off every year is also wonderful. However, productivity goes down, your prices have to go up, and you're priced out of the market. Why do you think Swiss watches cost so much? They're no better than a Seiko, or a Timex watch, but there 10 times more expensive. It's the advertising that lures the big buyer's in. You'll notice I wear a Timex, and it's 15 years old. I will wear it until it dies, or I do." 

Jemma said, "I could always help you if you want." 

"I thought you wanted me to live forever, and die in bed with me." 

"I'm waiting for you to name our girls. It's nearly a month now, and I'm tired of calling them my loves. If you don't do it by tomorrow morning, I'm going to do it, and you're not going to like the names I give them." 

"My dearest wife, what would you like to name our babies?" 

"If you made me wait all this time, and then make me name our babies, the next time we make love, I'm going to bite that thing of yours off." 

"You would miss it." 

"Yes I would, but they make fake ones that look like and feel like real ones now. They even move like a human male." 

Gwen said, "Will hold your brothers' ears please." 

Junior gripped Patrick around his neck, and wrestled him to the floor, while covering his ears. 

He screamed, "No, I have to hear this. It sounds like something dirty is about to come out of Gwen's mouth." 

"You're right, but you're not going to hear it." 

"Go ahead babe, I've got him." 

"Mom, I watched the video. There is no dildo out there that could replace dad in your bed. He has some moves I've never seen before, and until I met William, no man that ever made it to my bed did anything like that to me." 

"You can let your brother go now William." 

"I heard every word and there was nothing dirty there. I just want to know where that disc is?" 

"Do you see that fireplace? I put 2 logs in it, and plus a little fire starter. I used dad's long matches and started a roaring fire. I waited 5 minutes until the logs were intensely hot, and the flames were a foot high. I used the tongs, and placed the disc on the top log. I watched that disc as it melted, shrunk, and turned to ash. If you know how to reassemble the atoms it turned into, that's where it is." 

"Gwen, you are really mean." 

"How old do you have to be to get into an R-rated movie, by yourself?" 

"I don't know; I don't go to the movies." 

"You have to be 18 years old." 

"You have to be 21 years old to see an X-rated movie. I know you watch porn on your computer. The producers of that smut say you have to be 18 years old or older, because it's okay in that state. They can't be sued if you watch it in another state. They have a federal warning telling you that you have to be 18 years or older, unless you live in certain states. Certain states say you can't watch it at all, because it's illegal. They can't stop you, because they're not allowed in your home. They can't look into your computer, because that's is an illegal search and seizure. That is illegal according to our Constitution. 

What your mother and father did was specifically for your brother and me. It was not for general release. After we watched it, we wanted to keep it for the future, until you found out about it. There is no place in this house, or this world, you would've not searched to find it. The best place for it was in that fire. Maybe when you're old enough William and I will make one for you." 

"Promise?" 

"Yes, I promise. You may be 60, but I promise." 

"I know you better than that, you won't keep me waiting that long." 

"Have you started reading up on NASA yet, Patrick?" 

"Yes I have. I have never seen an agency so fucked up in paperwork. It's no wonder they can't get anything done on time. It takes nearly 2 months to buy a screwdriver, and that screwdriver winds up costing more than $60 because of the paperwork. Let me give you a real life example: 

A screwdriver broke. The technician had to write up a work order for new screwdriver. He has to bring the paperwork to his boss with the broken screwdriver. His boss has to write up another piece of paper to justify what the technician wrote down. The 2 pieces of paper and the screwdriver goes into a manila envelope and bumped up one level to the senior supervisor in the same department. A secretary gets it, timestamps it, and puts it on the bottom of the heap of papers on her desk. It works its way up to the top of those papers, until it gets the supervisors desk. He reads both pieces of paper, and he looks at the screwdriver. He agrees the screwdriver is truly broken. He writes up another piece of paper, and sends it to accounting. The lady in accounting reads the 3 pieces of paper. She looks at the screwdriver and agrees that the screwdriver is indeed broken. She fills out another piece of paper, and stamps that they need a screwdriver for this technician. The paper is puts it back into the manila envelope and it goes to the purchasing department. Purchasing reads all the paperwork, and checks the computer to see if they have the screwdriver in stock. If they don't they go to the manual to see if it's worth buying one screwdriver locally, or putting out a bid for 100 screwdrivers. If they decide it's worth putting it out to bid, they have to get at least 3 bids for 100 screwdrivers. 

Meanwhile, the technician who is working on the satellite, and needs this screwdriver to complete his portion of the work, is sitting on his ass, because he can't move forward without it. His productivity goes down, as well as his performance review, and none of this is his fault. 

3 weeks later, the 3 bids on this screwdriver come in from 3 highly qualified suppliers. The purchasing agent believes the bids are too high, and voids them. 

He puts it out to bid again stating a maximum price for the screwdriver. Instead of getting a premium screwdriver that will last 5 years or more. The purchasing agent receives bids for the screwdriver, at a much lower price than the maximum he announced on the bid. He didn't care that it was made of substandard aluminum, instead of chrome plated nickel/steel. He did know that it was made in a backwater country, and that fit in perfectly with the balance of trade between our 2 countries. 

The screwdrivers arrived 5 weeks after the technician put in his request. He can finally put together the important pieces of the satellite that was supposed to go into orbit in 4 months. He is nearly finished when his new screwdriver breaks. Oh well!! 

Since he was delayed for a 5½ weeks, due to the screwdriver incident, the launch has to be put back by a 5 1/2 weeks. However, this time it only took 2 weeks for the technician to get a new screwdriver, because there were 99 remaining in stock. The launch is now delayed 2 months, because of one screw driver." 

*3 blocks away from the Space Complex, there is a True Hardware Store selling the premium screwdrivers for $13.89 each. The purchasing agent/nee/the United States government/nee/We The People/ paid $67.23 each, for 100 substandard screwdrivers, after going through the procurement process. 

I am going to put a stop to that nonsense immediately." 

Dad, I hope that committee tries to tear me a new asshole, because they are the ones who force NASA to go through this bullshit." 

"Son, how soon are you going to be prepared to go before them?" 

"With everything I have to read, I would say 3 to 4 weeks." 

"I will make sure they don't try to get you there before that time. I will try to give you a little more time than that just in case you need it. They will grill you on the new rocket. Make sure you tell them it's a waste of money." 

"Dad when I sit before them I will know every nut, bolt, and engineering spec on that thing. I will turn it back on the person who asks me a question and after I'm finished answering it, I will ask him a simple question on the rocket, and watch him stutter his way through a non-answer. When he's finished, I'll answer it for him." 




Dark as Daylight Ch. 07



"You're just like your brother and I could not be prouder of you. You can smack your brother now. I know what he did to you at Kennedy." 

"YES!" 

"Don't get carried away little brother, I'm always around, and I still can hit you back." 

"I don't care, because I'm going to give you a good one, and today you can't hit me." 

William knelt on the floor. He kept his back, neck, and head as straight as a pin. Through the corner of his eye he watched Patrick as he stood by his left side getting ready for the big event. 

Patrick stiffened, as a golfer would, as he turned his hips, rotated his trunk, and arms back, until they were nearly 190° from the back of William Jr's. head. He hesitated for a microsecond, before releasing every ounce of strength he had in his body, like an uncoiling spring, into his swing. 

As soon as Patrick dropped his left knee, began pulling his hips through, and throwing his hand through his target area, William slumped like a rag doll. He drooped his shoulders, arched his spine towards the ground, and dropped his head. 

Patrick's hand flew by his brother's head hitting only a few strands of his hair. The inertia of his swing forced his body to continue moving through his point of intended contact, until his forward momentum was drained. Patrick fell to the ground, flat on his back, alongside his hysterically laughing brother. 

The words that fell out of Pat's mouth were not polite, even at a trucker's or longshoremen's convention. What made it worse was the reaction of the people around him. His father, mother, and sister were laughing unto tears." 

As he was finally able to control his mouth, he said to his brother, "I'm going to get even with you for that. If it takes me the rest of my life, I'm going to get even with you. I know you will tell everyone about this most embarrassing moment of my life. Whether it be at a party, a business function, wedding, or funeral, you will tell someone this story to cheer them up. They will laugh, and you will be the toast of the town. One day, I will think of something that will make us even." 

"Little brother, I will look forward to that day. The only thing I wish is there was a camera in this room recording the event. I would enlarge it, and play it on the largest screens in the country. 

I had you whipped before you knew what was happening. It was almost as good as watching you lose to dad. You know what they say, 'All good things come in three's.' I can't wait to see with the 3rd one is". 

"After the first 2, I can't wait either." 

********************* 

Jennifer walked into the room holding two birth certificates, with her daughter's names on them, and her signature on the dotted line. 

"Sign these William, and I will have them notarized in the morning." 

William took the certificates and the pen from Jemma. He looked at the names she chose, and did a double take. 

"Are you out of your mind?" 

"You didn't do it. I was tired of waiting. You said 2 weeks, and it's nearly a month. Those are the names I picked for my daughters. Sign the papers William." 

"I will not allow my daughters to have these names. Snow White Zabo. Rose Red Zabo. Have you gone mad?" 

"Did you have anything else in mind?" 

"Of course I did." 

"Then you should have said so, instead of delaying it all this time. Sign the fucking papers." 

"I will not sign these papers. My daughters will be the laughing stock of every school they go to." 

"Buy the fucking school, and if anyone laughs at them, throw them out." 

"Jemma I can't do this; I can't do this to our babies." 

"What did you want to name them?" 

"I wanted to name them Jemma and Jennifer. I just didn't know how you would take it. It's the reason I kept delaying saying the names." 

"You are the dumbest man in the world William; and I love you." 

Jemma climbed on her husband's lap, and forgot anyone else was in the room with them. 

Junior said, "I think we better leave, especially you Patrick. I have a feeling mom and dad are going to be doing things you are not allowed to see." 

"Hell no I'm staying. I want to watch." 

Gwen yelled, "Patrick move your ass now." 

"No, I...OW. Dammit William that hurt." 

"All good things come in threes Patrick. Now move your ass." 

"I miss seeing everything." 

"I didn't miss you, did I." 

"Are you starting already?" 

"Yes I am." 

"I'm never going to live this day down." 

Gwen kissed him. "Soon Pat, you will have days like this for your very own." 

"Fat chance with him around." 

"You are going to be in either Washington, or Florida. We are going to be in South Carolina. You are going to have plenty of opportunities to make your own memories." 

"Yes he will Gwen; especially with Alfonse looking over shoulder 24/7." 

Gwen glared at her husband. "Sometimes your mouth is larger than that peanut size brain of yours." 

"Way to go Gwenny!" 

"Shut up short stuff. Madam, you and I will discuss that statement in the privacy of our room later. You should fear for your backside." 

"Sir, you should fear for your former sex life." 

"Strike Two for the good team." 

"You are looking for a beating Pat." 

"I am just a humble observer, calling them as I see them." 

"I will bring flowers to your gravesite on the anniversary of your birthday every year." 

"You are too generous. 

Over the emergency system someone yelled, "Everyone Get Down." 

The house light went off, and the floor track lights came on, just as two RPG's hit the front windows of the Zabo townhome. 

Junior yelled, "Safe Room." 

Gwen grabbed Patrick and pulled him along with her. Junior went to get his parents, who were struggling to get dressed. 

"Forget your dam clothes, and get to the safe room now." 

"Patrick is not..." 

"Mom, I'll carry you if I have to." 

"Okay, Okay. Come on old man, our youngest son is going to get an advanced education." 

"Watch who you..." 

"Would you two stop this nonsense." 

"Okay, can we have breakfast first." 

"Mom, if they don't kill you, I will." 

"Such a good boy we raised William." 

*********************** 

The RPG's did only minor damage to the Windows in front of the townhouse. They were made to the same rigid standards as those of the White House, but there were 3 of them, one inch apart, with Halon gas in-between each layer to prevent fires. 

The attackers were stunned. They expected easy entry into the home through these windows. These men were not like the 6 men in Florida, these were trained warriors, and there was an unknown amount of them to deal with. 

Heavy machine gun and small arms fire was heard continuously, coming from the rooftop of the house across the street. 

The Zabo defensive team did not fire a single round in return. They stayed invisible, and quiet not giving their positions away, while waiting for the frontal assault. 

Junior listened as the weapons continued to fire at them. He counted 9. He said into his communicator, "Alfonse, we have 9 in front; the main attack is going to come from the rear. Give our friends a very warm reception please." 

"I didn't think we would test the sprinkler system so soon. It will be interesting to see what happens, when the temperature rises." 

"No one opens fire, until they are past the halfway mark." 

"We are very patient William, very patient indeed. On that note, here they come. Are the police on their way?" 

"I'm sure they are. I hope they don't get caught in the crossfire." 

"When they get this address, and realize who lives here, they will probably call first, and shoot later." 

"That would be very wise of them. How many can you see?" 

"18, no make that 20. They are being very cautious." 

"Turn the system on full, after 15 seconds, light them up." 

The attackers heard the sprinkler system come on, but thought nothing of it. The explosives expert attached a small C4 charge to the rear door, and put two detonator caps into it. He unfurled the primer cord and stepped well back from the door. He was attaching it to the firing unit when he asked, "What the hell is that smell?" 

A small, smokeless, lighter was thrown from a hidden point behind the intruders, and a wall of flames engulfed them in seconds. The sprinkler system was spraying a mixture of kerosene, and mineral oil. Kerosene to wet the attackers down, and mineral oil to keep the fire attached to their clothing. 

It could have been a killing field if Alfonse wanted it to be, but they wanted prisoners. He shouted over the loud speaker, "If you want to live drop your weapons. You are surrounded; if you give up, we will douse the flames." 

These warriors were alight in flames. In seconds they would be burning like pigs at a barbeque, as the polyester in their night gear began to melt, and burn their skin irreparably. They dropped their weapons, and tried desperately to keep the flames from their faces and hands. 

As soon as their weapons were on the ground, high pressure hoses were turned on them, and the fires were put out. They were told to get out of their fire damaged clothing as quickly as possible. Alfonse ordered them to throw their clothing on top of their weapons, and away from them. They were prisoners. They could not see anyone holding a weapon on them, but they could sure feel them, because the hairs on the back of their necks were standing up. 

Alfonse walked out the back door. He removed the 2 detonator caps, and the block of C 4, and gave them to Dick to add to their assortment of weaponry. 

"I am not going to interrogate you, that will come later. I all need to know who is in charge of this group?" 

Standing in his skivvies, a man said, "I am." 

"My name is Alfonse, what's yours. Please don't lie to me, because they will get it out of you later." 

"Max, short for Maxwell." 

"Bring your clothes with you. Needless to say you are in a lot of trouble. You no longer exist. Your men across the street are dead, and unless you want to join them, you better be willing to talk openly and honestly. The men who will be interrogating you have had extensive method training, in Bulgaria. You have had extensive military experience, so you know what that means. 

The remainder of you will be taken away by the police, and will be interrogated by them. You don't know this man, and if you mention him to them, strange things have been known to happen to men who talk while in prison. Don't do it if you want to live." 

"George, Dennis, take him away." 

From an unseen lair, both men dropped a hatch 6 inches, and slid it back silently. George pointed his weapon at the group, while Dennis used plastic handcuffs to restrict Max's hands behind his back. As he completed this task, he pulled the prisoner to their warren and helped him in. The door closed, and that was the last time any of his men saw their leader. 

Alfonse asked, "Who's in charge of this group?" 

"I am; my name is Pete." 

"Who did we just take away?" 

"I didn't see you take away anyone." 

"I can see you are a very fast learner Pete. Make sure these men are also." 

"I will make sure they do sir." 

"I am not a sir; I work for a living. I am a Sergeant." 

"Yes, Sergeant." 

******************** 

"Mr. Zabo should I bother asking you what happened here, or should I wait for your lawyers?" 

"Why would I have you wait for my lawyers, Captain. As you can see our home was attacked, and we defended ourselves. We were attacked in Jacksonville on our way to the airport. Now we were attacked, while we were here, in our home, enjoying an evening together. Do you think someone is trying to give us a message, or do you think these are isolated incidents? Who walks around with 2 RPG's and fires them at your windows at 9 p.m. Who starts firing heavy caliber machine guns from the rooftops of buildings across a residential street immediately afterwards? We know who they are, but there is no way you can touch them. They think they are so far above the law they can't be touched. The only way to get to them is through the courts, and that's what we are going to do in Texas; if we live that long. That's what this is all about Captain. They don't want us to be able to testify against them. If we're not alive, our testimony is no good, because they cannot cross-examine us. We must survive, until that trial is over. Why do you think our home is an armed fortress? We don't like living like this. 

Next week, we have scientists coming here to evaluate some very important pieces of paper we received from Dr. Even Luck. We are going to be out in the open. We know they are going to make another attempt on our lives. When we leave this house, we leave at our own peril. However, when the President of our country asks us to do something for the benefit of our country, you cannot turn him down." 

Junior's cell phone rang with a particular ring. 

He said, "Oh fuck, I'm a dead man." 

"Why?" 

"I forgot to let my parents out of the panic room." 

"You are a dead man." 

"Hi dad, are you okay in there?" 

"Oh yes, we are as comfortable as a bug in a rug. What the hell is going on out there." 

"Our guys finished making a sweep of a 3 block area 30 minutes ago. 

Capt. Blahnik wanted his people to do another sweep just in case we missed something. All the perps were taken away. I think it will be another 10 or 15 minutes before the captain's men give us the all clear, and I can let you out." 

"Junior, you are a terrible liar. Let us out of here now, or Gwen will beat you to within an inch of your life." 

"Dad, you know you could let yourself out anytime you want by using the keypad on the right side of the door." 

"There is no keypad on the right side of the door you numbskull." 

"Dad, what good is a panic room, if you can't get out? Don't you remember; 3 gray tiles, 3 blue tiles, 3 white tiles, and then repeat. The 3rd gray tile in, from the 3rd tile up, push it." 

"Oh yes, I am a sneaky son of a bitch. All I have to do is remember what I did." 

"Do you remember the code dad?" 

"Ummm, no." 

"Dad, look at Jemma, and think about the code. It's not her birthday. It's the day she scared you to death with her driving." 

"I could never forget that day. It was the finest day of my life." 

"Then put the day into the keypad, and let yourself out. The tile will close automatically, so get your fingers out of the way." 

"I may be old son, but I'm not that old." 

"We will discuss that later, dad." 

"Smart ass." 

"If I am smart, it's because of my parents. Did mom ever figure out how to get dressed?" 

"The door just opened Junior, and your mother heard that. If I were you, I would protect myself." 

"It's too late dad, she's here." 

There was a loud crash, and his phone went dead. 

"Gwen, his mother has him, you may be a widow." 

"It's okay dad, I'm pregnant." 

"Yes, but you're having girls. It will be the end of the Zabo line." 

"Aren't you forgetting about Patrick dad?" 

"Patrick, my son, you are going to have one wife after the other, until you produce a son for me." 

"I don't have to be married to produce a son for you, dad. Just send the girls up to my room, one after the other, and I'll work on it." 

Gwen smacked him. 

"OW, what was that for?" 

"It was for letting your libido get ahead of your brain. Think above your belt, not below it. The big head has the brain. The little head only has one thing in mind, and it will get you into trouble 90% of the time." 

"Gwenny, right now my big head is thinking about my little head, and it is telling me that it wants to get in trouble." 

"Dad, he is 16 years old. I think it's time for him to get into trouble with a Catholic school girl, from out of town, in her school uniform. I believe they have a long weekend coming up. Possibly, we could arrange for her to spend a few days with him, instead of one night. Someplace nice and safe, but close to where she lives?" 

"Do you think you are going to get that past my wife?" 

"Woman to woman, yes I can." 

"If you can, and you come back to me with both arms and legs attached, I will try to make it work." 

"Gwenny I heard you, and I love you." 

"I don't care if you love me, you're not getting into my pants." 

"Why would I want to get into your pants?" 

"Do you see what I mean dad, he has so much to learn." 

"Tell me Gwenny, why would I want to get into your pants?" 

She blushed. "Pat, ask your mother." 

"Am I going to get hit when I ask her?" 

"Just tell her how it happened. You told me you loved me. I replied, 'I don't care if you love me, you're not getting into my pants.' I told you to ask her what it meant. You will be very safe if you do it that way." 

********************** 

Angela walked past them carrying the large medical kit. 

William asked, "Did one of our men get hurt?" 

"Yes sir, he's bleeding from his head and ears. I'm not sure if he has a concussion or not, but I'll know as soon as I examine him." 

"Which one is it, should I call his family?" 

"I don't think that will be necessary sir. He's lying down in your living room." 

"Oh my God, she tried to kill him." 

Gwen ran to her husband, and knelt down beside him. She kissed his forehead. "Don't do that, it hurts." 

"Didn't you ever learn how to fight a girl when you were in school?" 

"First, that wasn't a girl, it was my mother. 2nd, it wasn't human, it was a Tasmanian devil. She was coming at me from every direction at one time. I've never seen anyone move so quickly. She could have fought Sugar Ray Leonard, and beat the crap out of him, because he would never have seen her coming. I never did. She was magnificent, while she was trying to kill me." 

"If I wanted to kill you, you would be dead." 

"Mom, you don't have a mark on you. Look what you did to my husband." 

"He made me go into the safe room naked in front of my 16-year-old son. I don't think he'll ever do that again." 

"Mom, the next time something like this happens, I will throw you in there for your own safety. We were born naked, and there is nothing wrong with the human body. We were in a dire emergency and all your son was trying to do was keep you safe. Did you notice he didn't come in there with us? He directed the defense of our home to make sure no one would find us. 

At the peril of his own life he made sure we were safe. It was his only concern, and you were worried about being naked in front of the 16-year-old boy? Dad and I have just come to an agreement, and you are going to say yes or I'm going to put my fist down your throat. 

Patrick is going to have an assignation with a nice Catholic school girl in her hometown. Hopefully it will be for 3 or 4 days, so they can become used to one another and have some fun. It will be difficult to find a secure place for that to happen, but we will make it happen for Patrick's sake. What is your answer?" 

"You're not giving me much of a choice in this are you?" 

"No, especially after you listen to what I have to say next." 

"Okay, Patrick can go on his field trip with this young lady. If she has the mumps, I'll kill you both." 

"Mom, this Catholic girl will jump through every hoop I know of. It will be a wonder if she can bleed when I'm finished with her." 

"Now, what were you going to tell me?" 

"When Patrick asks you this question, you are going to act shocked, and laugh, but you are going to answer him." 

"Okay, what is it?" 

"After a brief exchange, Pat said, 'I love you Gwenny." 

I replied, "I don't care how much you love me, you're not getting into my pants." 

He looked at me confused. 'Why would I want to get into your pants?"